Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

A boy and his dog is a timeless story. Mr. Peabody and Sherman is truly a TIMEless story. I saw this movie with pretty high expectations after just seeing Frozen and The Lego Movie. Mr. Peabody and Sherman surprised the socks off of me. Not only is it chock full of hilarious gags (including one awesome presidential cameo) it also has a sequence that is on the level of the Carl and Ellie sequence from UP.
Mr Peabody & Sherman Poster.JPG
Mr. Peabody is not just a talking dog, he is a talking dog that also happens to be a genius. Not just a genius, he is the smartest being alive. But not even the smartest being is prepared for the challenges of fatherhood. Mr. Peabody finds an abandoned child in an alley and decides to adopt him. To teach him about history and life, Mr. Peabody invents the greatest invention of all time: a time machine. When Sherman and a girl from school decide to explore the past themselves (against Mr. Peabody's rules) they not only put themselves in danger, but the future of the entire world!

I think it is already clear that I loved Mr. Peabody and Sherman but just to reinforce that, let me say Mr. Peabody and Sherman made me do something that neither The Lego Movie or Frozen did: made me tear up. pretty early in the movie there is a flashback sequence that tells how Mr. Peabody came to adopt Sherman. Halfway through I began to lose it and I didn't even know why. All the sudden I realized what song was playing: Beautiful Boy by John Lennon. A little background: If you haven't seen Mr. Holland's Opus, go somewhere online and watch it. In a tearjerker scene, a father signs Beautiful Boy to his deaf son who he has always had a hard time relating to. It's a beautiful scene and also heartbreaking. This added so much to Mr Peabody and Sherman that I can't help but give it a solid A.

February and March: smallcaps

The Lego Movie: A

A hilarious, cameo full, family romp. A surprise ending insures you will agree that when it comes to this movie, EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!

Robocop: B-

A solid remake of the original. Some surprising violence for a PG13 movie and the plot sometime wanders into predictability but strong performances make this a fun flick.

300 Rise of an Empire: A-

If you liked the first 300, there's a lot here for you. Rise of an Empire takes everything from the first movie and ramps it up x10.

Need for Speed: B+

A solid alternative to the Fast and Furious franchise. Jesse Pinkman approves.