Despicable Me

I resisted this movie for a very long time. It just never seemed like a work that had much to offer me and my taste in films. Maybe that had something to do with the over the top marketing tie ins etc. well, I can now report that…I wasn’t entirely right, but I wasn’t entirely wrong either. The movie is at its strongest when it is focused on individual elements: sight gags, one-liners, slight satire. There are good moments sprinkled throughout its run time. But the overall story is weak and utterly predictable. Worse, in a story where the main characters are villains, every outcome is soft and pulls the punches. No-consequence cartoon violence is one thing, but this stuff here is for babies. Despicable? More like docile. That may fly with the toddlers (both actual and mental), but not with me. 

The Sound of Music

An ode to beauty, both musical and visual. From the very first shots this movie is gorgeous to look at, and impressive visuals fill the screen throughout, while the music and songs present a lovely tableau that provides delight and warmth throughout. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are splendid in their roles, as are the children, even if their transformations play a little too quick and easy (especially so with the Captain, who goes from hardass to softie in a relative blink). But that’s a quibble. Mostly, this story hits all the right notes, up to and including a touch of drama and derring-do at the climax. Even though it runs almost three hours this movie never drags; you stay engaged and entertained all the way to the end. No wonder this is perennially popular. You can do a lot worse than to include this one among your favorite things.

Mary Poppins

I dare you to watch this movie, after having seen the Simpsons episode that parodies it, and try to not laugh your ass off. It’s basically impossible. Having said that, the question is, how good is this film on its own merits? The answer is more complicated than you might expect from a movie that is so well known, if not an outright classic. Truth is, there’s a lot of weirdness in this flick: many of the scenes that blur live action and animation have an almost hallucinogenic quality to them (especially visually); the direction is kind of schizophrenic—in some parts the story plays it straight, in others it plays fast and loose with its narrative structure (literally, as when Dick Van Dyke's character breaks the fourth wall, the only character who does so); and the dance sequences either work well, or drag on too long. So where’s the appeal? Mostly in Julie Andrews’ terrific performance; when her Mary does something magical, you believe she’s really capable of it, and her vocal performances are peerless. It’s really her show, and her and some good touches of humor—intended, not secondary laughs—make this one still worth watching, if not exactly worth cherishing. A spoonful of perspective helps an earnest but flawed effort go down well enough.

Shrek 2

The promise here--appropriately, given the ogre theme--is like land in Florida: a lot of it turns out to be swamp. The film has its moments, but given the wit and fun of the original, we should get hours, not moments. The Puss in Boots character is a hoot, but he disappears for long stretches of the story. And the use of music, so fresh and hip in the original, sounds decidedly stale here. (It does not help that they picked some of the worst songs ever recorded.) I'm glad I saw (and paid for) a matinee--at $9, this would have been a rip-off.

The Princess Diaries

Well-worn plot, but wonderful execution. The acting's great, the writing's expert and sensitive--none of the characters ever strays into cliche territory--and the story and performers exude absolute charm. A "Best of All" inductee.