Pitch Perfect 3 is the swan song of the franchise

Movie Title:  
    Pitch Perfect 3

Rating: PG-13, 1 hour 33 minutes

Grade:  C+

In a Nutshell: I admit that Pitch Perfect is one of my guilty pleasures. I’ve seen the first two movies in the Pitch Perfect franchise several times, and so I was really excited and curious to see what was going to happen in this final installment. 

While it was fun to see all of the Barden Bellas together again, their swan song ended on a bit of a low note.

Tips for parents: 

• EXTREMELY crude language.
• LOTS of sex jokes.
• The Bellas are generally NOT good role models for your daughters.  There is a lot of cleavage, foul language, alcohol, an unwed pregnancy, and they say things like, “Let’s get slutty!”

Uplifting theme: 

• “Your real family doesn’t hold you back.  They lift you up.” – Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson)
• “Age wrinkles the body, but quitting wrinkles the soul.” – Aubrey (Anna Camp)
• “I’m part of a group and we all have something special.” - Becca (Anna Kendrick)

                     

Things I liked:

• Great, fun music as always.
• Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson carry the show.
• This time the Bellas go to the south of France.  Ooh la la  They also spend a little bit of time in Spain, where I lived for 2 years.  Woot!
• Finally, Jessica and Ashley get a little more attention.  Ha ha
• If you like DJ Khaled, you’ll get a kick out of his appearance in this movie.  In fact, he plays a big role in the story.
• Keep watching during the rolling credits at the end of the movie.
• SPOILER:  We FINALLY get to meet Aubrey's dad who has all of the crazy sayings.
• A lot of the Bellas experience some kind of final resolution in their lives and stories in the end.
• Hailee Steinfeld and Brittany Snow are delightful as ever.
• John Lithgow was a surprise!  The trailer did a great job of hiding his role in the movie.  He's pretty amazing and can do dramatic roles as equally well as he does comedic ones.  He most recently won an Emmy for his impressive role as Winston Churchill in Crown, the - Season 01 , which my husband and I binge-watched and loved.

Things I didn’t like:

• The final song in the first two movies actually made me tear up with some emotional depth, but this one not so much. It just felt like a fond farewell.
•  If you haven't seen the first two movies in the series, you won't understand a lot of the inside jokes, but you'll still be entertained enough.
• Fat Amy's story gets chaotically crazy.
• If you're not a Pitch Perfect fan, you'll think this is a really dumb movie.  If you are a fan (like me), you'll put up with the nonsense and enjoy the last hurrah.
• Ruby Rose as Calamity is so mesmerizing.  I would love to have seen more of her.

Funny lines:

• “You can go wherever you want!” –  Fat Amy's dad (John Lithgow)

“Urban outfitters?” – Fat Amy

• “When am I ever going to learn to open my mail?” – Fat Amy
• “This is way too much cardio.” – Fat Amy
• “As my dad always says, “Always give 100% unless you’re donating blood or getting a divorce.” – Aubrey  

                                            @trinaboice 

Cars 3 has heart and impressive animation

Movie Title:  Cars 3 (Theatrical)

Grade:  B+

Rating:   G, 109 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This family-friendly flick is the third installment in the Cars franchise.  By the way, the Cars ride at California Adventures next to Disneyland in California is really great.  You’ll need to race over there first thing in the morning to get a Fast Pass. They have done a really good job creating a Cars area too. 

Uplifting theme: 

• “You can’t turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again.” – Mater (Larry the Cable Guy)                 
• “Don’t feel failure.  Be afraid of not having the chance!” – Sally (Bonnie Hunt)
• “Try something new.” – Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson)
• “You can use anything negative as fuel to push through to the positive.” – Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo)
• “The truth is always quicker.” – old car (What’s his name?)
• Believe in yourself.

Things I liked:

• The animation is extremely impressive.
• The training sequences were pretty cute.
• A lot of really beautiful landscapes and environments.
• It earns its Pixar magic in the Third Act.  Very sweet.
• Parents and grandparents might be able to relate to the feeling of aging and being  past their prime, like Lightning McQueen feels.  There is a positive lesson here for all of us old farts.
• It’s great to hear John Ratzenburger’s voice again. Other familiar, favorite voice talents include Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Bonnie Hunt, Kerry Washington, Nathan Fillion, Bob Costas, and of course, Owen Wilson.

Things I didn’t like:

• The story is very similar to the first movie in that an old driver (Doc Hudson) has-been tries to make a comeback.
• How many kids (which is the target audience) are going to be able to relate to a midlife crisis?
• There is a LOT of time spent racing.  That might lose the interest of some little girls.
• Despite being a racing moving, it's a little slow-moving.  Ironic, eh?
• There isn't as much humor as the first movie.

Trivia:

• Paul Newman was the original voice of Doc Hudson.  They used some of the unused audio clips from the first movie to add his voice to this film after his death.  By the way, did you know Paul Newman was a race car driver for many years?
• Mack drives through Arlo’s family farm, which was shown in Pixar’s movie The Good Dinosaur.
• One of the new racers whose number is 31 is sponsored by Triple Dent Gum, which was the gum commercial that annoyed Anger in the movie Inside Out.
• The only other Pixar film to have a 3^rd movie installment is Toy Story.
• All three Cars movies came out around the same time as Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
• Look closely and you’ll see a Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story during the demolition scene.

Funny lines:

• “Life’s a beach and then you drive.” – Lighning McQueen

Tips for parents: 

• This is very safe for children of all ages.  There is no profanity or anything inappropriate. 
• There are some car crashes.

Want to catch up on the first two movies in this franchise? 
Cars
Cars 2


@trinaboice 

Transformers 5 chooses special effects over substance

Movie Title:   Transformers: The Last Knight

Grade:  C

Rating:  PG-13

In a Nutshell:  Michael Bay says this is his last Transformers movie.  Even fans hope that's true. This Transformers blockbuster franchise seems to have fizzled, disappointing movie-goers with a weak story and paper-thin characters.  

Having spent 260 million dollars on the film, Director Michael Bay seems to have chosen special effects over substance. If you have kids who love the auto-bot franchise, they'll still be entertained.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Without sacrifice, there can be no victory.” –  – Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins)
• “Funny what you can do when what depends on you is all you have.” – Izabella (Isabela Moner)
• “We all want to believe we can be heroes in our own lives.” – Vivian Wembley (Laura Haddock)
• “Magic does exist.” – Sir Edmund Burton

Things I liked:

• Anthony Hopkins is always great.  I loved his beautiful British home in the film. There's also a lovely British cathedral that gets painfully destroyed by Transformers destruction.
• You get to visit Stonehenge...sort of. He wanted to set off an explosion at the real site, but was denied, so he had to create a set that looks like the real thing. Seeing it was on my Bucket List and I finally visited the site a couple of years ago. Very cool!

• I appreciated some of the slow-motion scenes.  One of my complaints from the previous films in the Transformers franchise was that the action sequences were so fast and jumbled that it was difficult to actually see what was happening.
• I thought “Canopy” was a cool Transformers that I would liked to have seen longer.
• I love Stanley Tucci in anything. I almost didn't recognize him as Merlin.
• TONS of action sequences and you get to see a lot of your past favorite transformers, as well as some interesting new ones.
• Mark Wahlberg works pretty doggone hard in this flick.
• Laura Haddock is the newest beauty to save the world, but with a higher IQ than her gorgeous predecessors.

Things I didn’t like:

• The very first scene features England in the Dark Ages when some knights were fighting.  The CGI fire looks totally fake and so I worried that the whole film would have terrible special effects.  It definitely got better.  By the way, King Arthur (Liam Garrigan) looks like Josh Groban.
• The legendary Merlin the Magician is a drunkard, intended for comic relief, but the jokes fall flat. 
• I definitely appreciate humor in movies, but most of it doesn’t land in this one.  The jokes fly pretty fast, but land with a thud.
• If you’re hoping to see Optimist Prime, you’ll be disappointed with his little screen time.
• I’m sure Michael Bay thought that a new twist to spruce up this installment of the franchise would be to throw a bunch of foul-mouthed kids in it.  Nope. They were all super annoying.
• Like the other Transformers movies, it’s often difficult to understand what everyone says because of their garbled voices or due to all of the background noise.
• It drove me nuts that Izabella had carefully placed strands of hair down her face in every scene. I just wanted to comb it back sometimes. It seemed super manipulative.
• Girl power!  Um...like every other movie lately.
• The aspect ratios kept switching around, which was super distracting.
• The movie contradicts itself constantly.  For example, we're supposed to believe the world is in chaos, yet Vivian has time to play polo in an idyllic British field before teaching children in a museum.
• Product placement that features Mark Walhberg drinking a Bud Light, just like in the last Transformers' installment.
• Some of the edits are too fast and choppy.
• The little leprechaun robot is a C3PO rip-off.  Even one of the transformers points it out.

Funny lines:

• “You get back in your hole and think about what you did.” – Cade Yeager
• “Love that guy.  Goosebumps every time.” – Transformer with a Cockney accent  (What's his name?)
• “So, is this a kidnapping situation or her first transformer experience?” – Cade
• “A mojito needs ice.  Ice!  We are not animals!” – Agent Simmons (John Turturro) 

Tips for parents: 

• Lots and LOTS of destruction and fighting.
• There is a lot of profanity…in fact, a surprising amount of it.  What makes it even worse is that it comes out of the mouths of children and even Sir Anthony Hopkins, both equally disappointing.

@trinaboice 

Kong Skull Island showcases a new scary Kong and other imaginative monsters

Movie Title:   Kong: Skull Island

Grade:  B

Rating:   PG-13, 118 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This is an entertaining re-imagining of the King Kong story and takes place where John Goodman’s character describes as “The place where myth and science meet.”  

In its debut weekend, Kong: Skull Island took in about $61 million in domestic theaters.  Warner Bros. head of domestic distribution, said, “The world of mouth is really kicking in,” adding that the weekend earnings “far exceeded everyone’s expectations.” 

It's a fun popcorn movie if you're looking for lots of thick action with thin characters.

Uplifting theme: 

• Respect nature.
• “The world is bigger than this.” – Mason Weaver (Brie Larson) 

Things I liked:

• The entertaining cast includes Samuel L. Jackson (who made the audience laugh every time he appeared on screen), John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, and Tian Jing (whose movie The Great Wall is still playing in theaters.)
• The special effects are pretty amazing.  There are some pretty impressive and beautiful shots.
• Kong is the perfect blend of super scary and endearing.
• Some of the monsters are very imaginative with impressive action sequences.
• Here’s to indie directors who are given the opportunity to direct big name franchises.
• Keep watching after the rolling credits for another scene.
• There are a few interesting transitions.
• 3D enhances the images, but isn’t necessary to be entertained.

Things I didn’t like:

• When Kong started to break that other monster’s mouth, I thought for sure it was going to be an ode to the original King Kong, but I was disappointed when Kong couldn’t actually crack it open like in the original movie.
• Most of the humans are pretty bland with very little character development.  The only interesting characters with a back story and internal motivation are Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly.
• Quite a few scenes look like they’re filmed with a green screen.
• Not all of the humor lands well.
• Check out Tom Hiddleston.  In every single frame, he’s flexing his muscles and standing in a macho hero pose.

Funny lines:

• “I call ‘em skull crawlers.” – Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly)

“Why?”

“I’ve never said that out loud before.  Now that I’ve said it, it sounds stupid.  You call ‘em whatever you want.” – Hank Marlow

• “Hold on to your butts!” – Preston Packard (Haven’t we heard Samuel L. Jackson say this like a thousand times?)
• “I should be sitting at a desk.” – Victor Nieves (John Ortiz)
• “You’re a good group of guys.  We’re all gonna die.  You shouldn’t have come here.” – Hank Marlow
• “Mark my words.  There will never be a more screwed up time in Washington.” – Bill Randa (talking about the Vietnam period.  Aw, he should see us now!”  ha ha
• “I AM the calvalry!” – Preston Packard

Things that really take you back in time to the 1970’s:

• Nixon bobblehead
• Great soundtrack
• Slide projector
• Brie Larson’s hairdo and clothes
• Snoopy
• Green rotary telephones
• Life magazine

Stupid lines:

• “There’s something going on here, something no one is talking about.” – Mason Weaver (Brie Larson)
• “It’s time to show Kong that man is king!” – Preston Packard

Interesting lines:

• The camera is way more dangerous than a gun.” – Preston Packard
• “The right photos can change opinions.” – Mason Weaver
• “Men go to war in search of something, Mr. Conrad.  If you had found it, you’d be home by now.” – Bill Randa

Tips for parents: 

• It’s extremely violent with a lot of gruesome deaths.  There is a lot of brutal hand-to-hand combat scenes among humans and animals.
• 1 F-bomb and some other profanity.
• Some of the monsters are pretty scary and vicious.

@trinaboice

The Founder reveals a story you might not know about McDonalds

Movie Title:   The Founder

Grade:  B+

Rating:  PG-13, 115 minutes

In a Nutshell:  The Golden Arches! You may actually want to swing by McDonald’s after you leave the theater to celebrate the American Dream…either that or ban it because of what Ray Kroc did to the real McDonald brothers in order to build his fast food empire.

It’s a fascinating look at business, persistence, and the history of America’s original fast food chain.  According to the movie, every day, McDonald’s feeds 1% of the world’s population!

Uplifting theme: 

• Hard work, persistence, the American Dream
• “They all lack the one thing that makes McDonald’s special…” – Ray

“Which is?” – Dick McDonald

“Even YOU don’t know what it is!” – Ray

“Enlighten me.” – Dick

“It’s not just the system, Dick. It’s the name, that glorious name.  It can be anything you want it to be.  It’s limitless.  It sounds like America….” – Ray

• If you’re an older entrepreneur, you’ll be inspired by these older men who made it big later in life.

Things I liked:

• I love what director John Lee Hancock did with the movies Saving Mr. Banks and The Blind Side.  He has become quite the storyteller when it comes to biopic dramas.
• Michael Keaton gives a great performance, especially shines when Ray Kroc’s behavior gets worse and worse.  His piano duet Linda Cardellini was charming.
• The tennis court scene was fascinating to watch.  Brilliant planning, eh?
• Parks and Recreation: The Complete Series fan favorite Nick Offerman plays Dick McDonald.
• You get to see video of the real Ray Kroc at the end of the film.  You also get to see pictures of the real people who played secondary roles in this true story, as well as read what happened to them.  Interesting stuff.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some people will be a bit bored. 
• So, the moral of the story seems to be that you can step on people, be unscrupulous and win in the end...?  You'll leave the theater in a bit of a downer.  It's not a "feel good" story with a happy ending that leaves you morally inspired.
• So, Ray Kroc was basically a thief…he stole a business and he stole someone’s wife.  He’s a scoundrel, but because Michael Keaton plays Ray Kroc, you somehow cheer for him during the movie.
• I kind of felt bad for Laura Dern.  Both she and Ethel Kroc, whom she played, probably both wished they could have been given a bigger part in the McDonald's story.

Interesting lines:

• “McDonald’s can become America’s new church: feeding bodies and feeding souls, and it ain’t just open on Sundays, boys.” – Ray Kroc
• “There are many things we could do to make a quick buck, but that doesn’t mean we should.” – Dick McDonald
• “There’s a wolf in the hen house.  We let him in!” – Dick McDonald
• Good things come to those who wait.” – Joan Smith (Linda Cardellini)
• “You think big Joan, don’t you?” – Ray

“Is there any other way to?” – Joan

• “Contracts are like hearts.  They’re made to be broken.” – Ray
• “Business is war.” – Ray
• “We will never beat him.  We will never be rid of him.” – Mac McDonald (John Carroll Lynch)
• “So, if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em?” - Dick
• “You’re not in the food business…you’re in the real estate business.” -  Harry Sonneborn (played by the all grown up B.J. Novak)

Funny lines:

• “When is enough going to be enough for you?” – Ethel Kroc (Laura Dern)

“Honestly, probably never.” – Ray Kroc

• “Would you eat at a place named Kroc’s?” - Ray

Tips for parents: 

• Some profanity, including 1 F-bomb.
• Those of us who grew up when McDonald's was truly popular (60's & 70's) will enjoy learning more about this American icon.  None of my kids ever liked McDonalds, so the younger generations of viewers will probably only be mildly entertained by this movie. 

@trinaboice 

Kung Fu Panda 3 shares insights on fatherhood and self-worth

Movie Title:       Kung Fu Panda 3

Grade:  A-

Rating:  PG, 1 hour 40 minutes        

In a Nutshell:  I loved the first one and don't even remember what happened in the second one, but this new addition in the Kung Fu Panda franchise should get a thumbs up from fans of all ages.  It builds on the fun tradition of the Panda movies and adds new, delightful characters that top off the trilogy.

I got to meet James Hong recently at an event I attended.  In Kung Fu Panda , he plays Mr. Ping, Po’s adopted goose father, who has some profound insights into fatherhood in this installment of the animated trilogy.  There are also some very sweet messages about self-worth and unconditional love.  It's a fun family film everyone will enjoy.

Here's a picture of  James Hong and I together:

Uplifting theme: 

•  “If you never do more than you can do, you will never be more than you are now.” – Shifu (Dustin Hoffman)
• “Your real strength comes from being your best you.” – Po (Jack Black)
• “When will you realize the more you take, the less you have?” – Oogway (Randall Duk Kim)
• “Before the battle of the fist, comes the battle of the mind.” – Shifu
• “No matter what kind of animal you are, change starts with you.” - Shifu

Things I liked:

• Beautiful colors and scenery.
• Cute transitions between scenes.
• Absolutely adorable Dreamworks logo presentation at the beginning of the movie.
• There was a lot of discussion about inner peace and chi.  Chi is described as power and the energy that flows through all living things.  Shifu explains that mastery of chi is mastery of self.  That's something we all need to work on.  Well, at least I do!
• Watch the rolling credits at the end and you’ll notice that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children are some of the voice actors!  Voice talents of some of the other new characters include the amazing Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons and Kate Hudson.
• There is an elegance about this movie that successfully captures the search for inner peace, nature, and understanding that many Asian cultures are known for.
• The Hans Zimmer score was really nice.

Things I didn’t like:

•  Some of the chaotic mayhem gets a little tiresome.
• It’s never quite explained how Po’s father lived, yet his mother did not.
• It was nice to have a lot of new characters introduced, some of them absolutely adorable, although that gave less time for the original cast to shine.  Even Jack Black's panda got overshadowed at times.
• The song at the end kind of the movie cracked me up.  It’s the 1974 Carl Douglas hit song Kung Fu Fighting but with the words changed to: “Everyone is Kung Fu Fighting.  Our chi is what we’re finding…”
• The transition from mortality to beyond and back is a bit...fuzzy.
• Without all of the adorable pandas to go crazy over, this third film would have probably ended in a thud.  Watch the sale of stuffed panda bears skyrocket!
• I would have loved to see more of Kate Hudson's new panda character Mei Mei.  Her confidence was hilarious.

Funny lines:

•  “I’ve always thought I wasn’t eating up to my full potential.” – Po
• “You’ll never be able to save the world on an empty stomach.” – Ping
• “We’re pandas.  We don’t do stairs.” – Li

“I’ve waited my whole life to hear those words.” – Po

• “Just a little more confusing, Master, and you’ll be the next Oogway.” – Shifu
• “I think I just peed a little.” - Po

Interesting lines about fatherhood:

• “Your son got mad at you.  Welcome to parenthood.” – Mr. Ping (James Hong)
• “Having you in his life doesn’t mean less for me.  It means more for him.” – Mr. Ping to Li

Tips for parents:   

• This is a safe family film for all ages.  The villain, Kai, is somewhat comical at times and even the bad “jade zombies” aren’t scary.
• No profanity. 
• Expect your kids to start asking about taking Kung Fu lessons.
• This is a great opportunity to teach your children about Ying/Yang, balance in life, and the need for opposition in all things for growth.

Do we really need another Terminator movie?

Movie:    Terminator Genisys

PG-13, 1 hour 59 minutes

Grade:    B-

In a Nutshell:   Fun for The Terminator fans, but not necessary for others.   I mean, do we really need a reboot of this James Cameron franchise?  This is supposedly the first of a new trilogy.  Yikes.   Don’t get me wrong…I really like The Terminator movies.

My biggest gripe about this film is that I just don’t care anymore.  It’s hard to feel invested in a story that will probably be redone AGAIN in another sequel or prequel.  I just didn’t care if any of the characters lived or died, because I knew that a future movie might completely reverse what happened in this film anyway. 

There is a lot of time traveling that will make your brain begin to hurt if you try to figure it all out.   It’s not exactly logical, but it’s sure going to make the studio a lot of money….because, as Arnold says…”I’ll be back”.

Good for Arnold Schwarzenegger for keeping his acting career going.   We all love to watch him kick bady-guy butt.   (Forget he told us he was going to retire.)  As his character, Terminator/”Pops” says in the movie, “I’m old, not obsolete.”

Uplifting Theme:

·         “There is no fate, but that which we make for ourselves.” – John Connor (Jason Clarke)

·         “Straight line.  You just go and you don’t look back.” – Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) , Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke)

·         “One thing we know for sure…the future is not set.” - Kyle

Things I liked:

·         The best moment in the movie for me was watching the young Arnold Schwarzenegger fight the old one.   Epic.

·         I loved traveling back to 1984 with punk rock hair do’s and Velcro-strapped shoes.

·         They poke fun at 2017 Americans who can’t live without their cell phones.  True.

·         The script explains away Arnold Schwarzenegger’s older look by saying that the machine has human skin over it, which ages.  Oh, ok.  That works for me.  It’s a good thing Arnold doesn’t have to do much running; The Terminator always walks slow and determined.

·         The jail scene is hilarious.  Bad boys, bad boys!

·         J.K. Simmons (Detective O’Brien) is such a likeable guy. 

·         Lots of action scenes.  Lots.

Things I didn’t like:

·         This Sarah Connor (played by Emilia Clarke) is cranky and barks at everyone during the entire movie, allowing very little time for us to like her.  She’s not vulnerable and endearing like Linda Hamilton in the original The Terminator

·         The T-1000 liquid metal, shape-shifting terminators are extremely cool, but it’s not anything we haven’t seen already before.

·         If you haven’t seen the original, you won’t appreciate the nuances of how the story has veered off in different directions.

      It's so hokey when they change the spelling of a word to make it seem cooler.  (Genesis)

Funny lines:

·         “Bite me!” – Sarah

“That is a very immature response.”  - Terminator/”Pops”

·         “We have approximately 35 seconds.” – Terminator/”Pops”

A bad guy crashes through a window and the Terminator says “One less.”

·         “Can you stop him talking like that?  Is there a switch or something?” –  Kyle  (referring not only to the Terminator’s content, but Austrian accent)  ha ha

·         “We’re not even sure he speaks English.” – random cop in the jail scene   (another funny poke at Arnold’s Austrian accent)

·         “We’re here to stop the end of the world!” – Sarah Connor

“I can work with that.” –  Detective O’Brien

·         “I read about this on GunsandAmmo.com” – The Terminator/”Pops”.   Hilarious.  It’s a real web site.

·         “I thought you were dead.” – Sarah

“No, just upgraded.” – The Terminator/”Pops”

Overly dramatic lines:

·         “We take it tonight or there is no tomorrow.” – John Connor

·         “Come with me if you want to live!  Now, soldier!” – Sarah Connor

·         “We’re exiles in time.” – Reese

·         “You are nothing but a relic from a deleted time line.” – John Connor

Tips for Parents:

·         Like in the other The Terminator movies, you see Arnold Schwarzenegger naked (from the rear) as he transports through the time traveling machine.  A few other people travel through it naked as well, but you don’t see too much.

·         1 F-bomb

·         “Mild” profanity, intense fighting.

       Some of the terminator skeleton robots may be too scary for young children.

Need to catch up on the films in this futuristic franchise?