Andy Gapin

Megamind is the second of two CGI movies this year that focus their story around the villain instead of the hero. The first was Despicable Me which didn’t really have a “good guy” per se, but was pretty awesome. Megamind is a little different though in that there is a good guy who is much like Superman. We don’t care about him though. We follow the Lex Luger of the story and are instantly tricked into falling in love with him while being convince that Metro Man, our supposed hero, is actually a bit of a cocky showoff.

Megamind follows a bit of a different path than your average superhero movie. Instead of good always winning, we find out what happens when the bad guy wins and there is no longer is a superhero to stop him from running rampant. Much like a spoiled child, Megamind becomes bored and unfulfilled after having everything he’s ever wanted. With no one to fight back, he finds his life almost meaningless. So, he creates a new superhero to replace Metro Man. You can imagine how that quickly goes awry and the tables get turned. As you knew was going to happen all along, Megamind gets shoved across the line over to the good side.

Megamind is solid flick overall that seems to have more to offer adults than it does children as there are references all over the place to superhero movies of yesterday. We’re presented with a solid idea that is executed very well. The film maintains a level of sophistication and depth while still handing out plenty of laughs. The focus is more on story than action, which is awesome.

One of the best things about Megamind is that we get something very solid from Will Ferrell. Dude’s been pretty hit or miss recently, but lending his voice for animated films may be a good route for him to go. Jonah Hill and David Cross are so much themselves that you almost forget they’re playing characters and just kind of start to see them up there on the screen. This is a great thing for David Cross and a pretty okay thing for Jonah Hill.

Rating: A

You take a look at Date Night and you’re like “alright, Tina Fey and Steve Carell, yeah, this should be decent.” You don’t expect a whole lot more than that and this is good because you don’t get much more than that. What you get is a good movie that is definitely worth the AM Cinema price, maybe the full price, but that’s really it. Date Night entertains without convincing you that you’ll ever want to see it again.

Easily, Tina Fey is the highlight of this movie. As someone that rarely disappoints, she is extremely on, especially in one scene in particular–you’ll know which one I’m talking about. At times she’s almost a bit Liz Lemon-ish, but more like Liz’s socially apt sister. Steve Carell is finally not playing a character that’s painfully awkward. While I have no complaints about his previous work, it’s kind of nice to see that his entire existence as an actor isn’t based solely on being awkward, even if Michael Scott is his best work.

The appareances by James Franco, Mila Kunis, Common, Mark Wahlberg, Mark Ruffalo, and Kristen Wiig feel hit or miss. James Franco and Mila Kunis are kind of awesome, like you’d expect. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, if not for a running gag involving Mark Wahlberg’s character, he could be replaced by anyone. Actually, scratch that, the gag is funny, but anyone else could be just as effective.

For the most part, Date Night moves along pretty predictably, getting more and more outrageous as things progress. If you happen to be in a well established relationship and see Date Night with your significant other, you’ll find yourselves looking at each other more than a few times throughout the movie, commenting about how in a couple of decades that will be the two of you. While it may seem like a boring outlook on the future, you find that you aren’t really that disappointed by this…and this will feel odd to you.

For a movie that keeps you entertained and provides more than enough laughs, Date Night is worth the trip to the theater, but unless it’s playing on TV one day while you’re flipping through channels in a few years, you’ll probably be more than happy to leave it at the theater when the credits start to roll.

Rating: C+

I ended up watching this twice over the weekend since the girlfriend fell asleep about 20 minutes in the first time. It’s a decent flick if you like typical predictable and romantic comedies…which I’m a complete sucker for.

Being a big fan of Tina Fey–please tell me that you’ve seen her Sarah Palin on SNL–it was going to be hard for me to be let down. Her character was pretty much Liz Lemon from 30 Rock, but that didn’t really bother me too much. She’s good at that successful career, but hopeless and awkward personal life kind of thing. That and she’s pretty damn hot…especially in the black dress she wears in the club scene. Amy Poehler was…Amy Poehler. I don’t particularly love her, she sometimes annoys me, but I don’t dislike her either. She’s usually good for a few laughs.