Angry Birds movie has surprisingly good animation

Movie Title:      Angry Birds

  

Grade:   C+

Rating:   PG, 1 hour 35 minutes

In a Nutshell:   First of all, Angry Birds is a movie that should have come out about 6 years ago, when the Finnish company, Rovio Entertainment, released the app on smart phones and everyone went crazy for it.  Surprisingly, the animation was very good and I love gags that run through the length of a movie.

If you are a fan of the game, you’ll get a kick out of this movie.  If not, kids will be still entertained, since they're not looking for a deep plot anyway.  I wasn’t expecting much from a movie about an app, but it made me laugh out loud a few times and the audience I sat with loved it.  No doubt, viewers are going to take another look at their app that has probably been sitting idle on their phones for awhile.

Uplifting theme: 

•  Take responsibility for your behavior.
• “Anger is a weed growing in our garden.” – Judge Peckinpah (Keegan-Michael Key)
• Friendship, belonging, acceptance
• The underdog story
• "Wisdom isn't something that is given.  Wisdom is attained." - The Mighty Eagle
• "What the caterpillar calls the end, the world calls a butterfly." - Matilda 

Things I liked:

• Josh Gad’s character, Chuck, steals the show.  I watched an interview with Josh Gad on “The Tonight Show” where he admitted he got winded while talking so fast.  He thought the tech team could just speed up his words in the editing process, but no such luck.
• They actually did a pretty good job adapting the app to a feature film, especially considering the app has no real story.  We find out why the birds are angry and where the slingshots and castles come from.
• Red had a nice house on the beach with a pool and waterfall.
• Keep watching during the rolling credits to see a few more gags.
• The baby birds were adorable.  I loved it when they sang to Red.
• It’s very colorful and fresh.
• Did you know that country singer Blake Shelton is the voice of one of the pigs?  (Earl Pig)
• Jason Sudeikis does a great job as Red.  Other voice talents from Saturday Night Live include Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, and Kate McKinnon.

Things I didn’t like:

• You don’t have to spend the extra money to see this in 3D.
• That’s funny they would hire Sean Penn to simply grunt during the entire movie to play the character Terence, when they could have paid me far less to do the same thing.
• Some of the action scenes happened so quickly that I wanted everything to slow down so I could better see what was going on.
• None of the birds on the island can fly, except for the Mighty Eagle, voiced by Peter Dinklage.  They never explain why.
• Some of the humor is pretty crude.

Funny lines:

• "Something doesn't seem Kosher about these pigs." - Red
• “Don’t look, Bobby.  The anger might be contagious.” – a mother bird
• “Daddy!” – baby bird
• “How YOU doin?” – flirty pig
• “You can’t eat eggs!”- Red

“What are ya gonna do?  I’m a foodie.” – King pig

• “I’m not blushing. I’m just red.” – Red
• "They're probably in the castle!" - Red     
• What's a castle?" - bird

Bird sight gags you might miss:

• Mother bird throws up in her kids’ lunch bags.
• “Home Tweet Home” sign
• Store sign that reads “Early Bird Worms”
• “Shell yes!”
• “Hotel California – Eagles” plaque in Mighty Eagle's house

Pig sight gags you might miss:

• Jon Hamm is the name of one of the pigs.  He’s not nearly as handsome as the Mad Men actor.
• Piggy-back rides
• Pig Latin
• Hamlet
• Ball hogs bowling
• Hogwild
• “Let’s pig out.”
• “Pardon our dust.  Something Pig is coming.”
• Hamnesty International”
• 2 pig twins from the movie “The Shining”
• Instaham

Tips for parents:   

• The profanity includes “OMG” and the word “pluck” to replace any potential F-bombs.
• There is a very inappropriate adult joke and gesture about ladies getting “busy” to have more eggs/children.
• Lots of visual butt jokes.
• There are a lot of pop culture references that will go over the heads of young ones.
• There is a little bit of a mixed message.  In the beginning, anger is considered to be bad, as the main characters are sent to anger management school.  Then, at the end, everyone has the permission to get angry.  Of course, it’s for a good reason, but young kids might want to act out after seeing it.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will have you renewing your passport

Movie Title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Grade: A-


In a Nutshell: We’re all a little bit like Walter Mitty, imagining ourselves doing great things while reality jails us in some dull cubicle to eek out a living. In this fresh remake (the 1947 version starred the lovable Danny Kaye), Walter Mitty is, ironically, a “negative asset manager” for LIFE magazine who daydreams about heroism and romance, but lives an uninspired life. Because he hasn’t done anything “noteworthy or mentionable”, he can’t seem to catch the eye of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) until... I remember reading this James Thurber’s short story in middle school and began drafting my very first “Bucket List.”



Uplifting theme: Stop dreaming. Start living. I took my family to see this comedy directed by Ben Stiller and asked my kids what they thought. One of my sons said “Motivated.” I prompted “Motivated to do what?” “More.” Another son chimed in “Motivated to do more instead of read about it on blogs.” The magazine Walter Mitty works for is, appropriately, LIFE. Now, go out there and use your passport.

Things I liked:  Gorgeous cinematography! Inspiring visions. Some of the biggest moments of the film were the ones that featured simple joys. The subtle humor had my husband’s contagious laughter fill the theater. Ben Stiller is the king of awkward moments. The 1947 film portrayed an overbearing mother, but in this version the lovely Shirley MacLaine brings to life a supportive, but aging mom who unintentionally brings out the best in her son.

For the younger generation who never had the pleasure of reading LIFE from 1936-1972, it was the photojournalism magazine that introduced us to places all over the world. Its motto, spotlighted in the movie was: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”



Things I didn’t like: Walter Mitty is in really good shape on that skateboard, considering he was supposed to have been working in a dark photography office for 17 years. I know, as if the rest of the film was entirely believable. The great cell phone reception on the mountain top of the Himalayas provided some laughter from the audience.

Funny line: “I have that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button thing.”

Things to look for:  Read all of the signs on streets, walls, and even mountains during the film for insightful narration. You won’t see Stiller’s famous “Blue Steel” humor from Zoolander , but a solid dramatic performance that is endearing.

Tips for parents: Rated PG! Yay! There are some intoxicated guys in a bar drinking REALLY LARGE glasses. A couple of “mild” swear words. A funny Ben Stiller movie with no F-bombs and crude humor…a refreshing relief. It was a nice change to see Kristen Wiig and Sean Penn with clean characters as well. Your family will enjoy the thrilling action scenes and peaceful moments of reflection.

Now I'm ready to go to Iceland or Greenland