The Green Bee…..

What the hell? Okay so anyone following the trials and tribulations of The Green Hornet will know that it is a miracle that this movie ever got made. That being said, there is a ton of conflicting blog vomit on the subject. Being a movie consumer myself here is where I come down on the Green Hornet.

Overall this would have been a good, if forgettable summer blockbuster. I probably would have done pretty well too. I don’t know if it would have made enough to justify a sequel, but maybe. It really falls down in one area twice.

It is Seth Rogan’s take on Brit Reid. Brit is written as an idiot. Seriously think remake of Billy Madison, well not far off at least. He is a little kid trapped in a man’s body. Now that would be okay is that was the beginning of Brit development arc. Unfortunately, it isn’t. It is the beginning, middle and almost until the end, more like a short line then an arc. I have to say that I had no investment in Brit the character and grew more disappointed in Rogan as the movie wore on.

On the other hand, the visual style of the film I liked quite a lot. Also, Kato is far more interesting then previously described. I really like Jay Chou’s take on the valet/mechanic/body guard. I even liked the over the top villain of Chodnofsky. Straight out of the pages maniacal. And of course the gadgets were really fun. And yes there are a couple of laugh out loud moments, but all in all not enough to make this a successful movie. I would hope that if by some amazing feat a sequel does get green-lit that Rogan and company take a deeper look at Brit Reid’s motivations for being the Green Hornet.

Rogan phoned it in, but the rest of the gang are worth seeing.

Now that’s a bitchin’ tent!

As I am an avid reader, it might surprise some of you out there that I have never read any of J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series. (Stunned gasp…pregnant pause). Okay, now that we are over the shock of this post we can move on to the point. I am however, or more-so because of the above stated fact, a fan of the movies. The Potter films are an exercise in well-executed fantasy. I most recently saw the first half of the finale, the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

At this point I could launch into a sweeping review of the movie filled with spoilers and the like, but there are so many sites out there that can do it much better justice then I can. What I want to talk about is the totally sweet tent that Hermione has for camping. What looks to be a British campaign tent from about the 1870’s that sleeps two, is in fact a spatial rending deluxe multi-level home-away-from-home portable house on poles. I mean this set piece is huge and there are quite a few scenes set in it, from meals, to a brawl, to a dance hall moment of fancy. I could not help but think of how awesome it would be to have a tent like that.

I have some experience with tents. Ten years in Scouting will do that to you. I have slept in almost every style and make of a tent there is. I have survived blizzard conditions in a WWI era mountain tent (reversible brown/white, with sweet tube door you can pull in and tie closed), which turned out to be the warmest domicile I have ever had the pleasure to sleep in to the recreational family retreat (a nylon affair with “rooms” and enough space to sleep 10 with a “porch”) which had the added benefit of providing enough room to stand. Of the close to 300 tents I have slept in, nothing compares to the digs that Harry travels with in this movie.

I know most of you are heading out to see how the story begins to wrap up, but I implore you to keep an eye out for this tent. It really is a wonder.

Despicable Me....

When you find the time check out Despicable Me. At the outset it seems like a corny villain flick, but it has a lot more heart then that.

It starts out introducing Gru our antihero protagonist. He clearly has some issues, which really appealed to me. As a flawed character he has issues with his dog, his mom, his neighbor, and the Bank (formerly Lehman Brothers). He needs to up his evil mojo to reclaim some of his self confidence.

We are also introduced to VECTOR!, the up and coming tween aged scourage of civilized society. As annoying as I found him, I did love his lair. Anyone with a shark tank in their place is okay with me!

Dr. Nefario is the bumbling version of James Bond’s “Q”. I think they could have written him a little bit differently, but his restricted screen time does not damage the overall story.

The orpahage girls are cute but a bit of a plot device to advance the conflict. But they do have a couple of good oneliners.

The caper is the impossible task of stealing the moon from orbit. All of this by itself would really have left me thinking that this movie is a bit on the lame side. And then I met Gru’s minions. They might look like pill shaped cyclopses, but they steal the show. A lot of sight gags for the kids and a couple for the parents, really made this movie for me. I actually think that the Minions could have their own show. And they might, if enough people go and see it. Not unlike the breakout stars of Madagasgar’s penguins, I hope to see the minions return to the screen soon!

3.5 Minions out of 5