Film Review -- Ice Age: Continental Drift

The fourth installment of the franchise features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Wanda Sykes, Peter Dinklage, Queen Latifah, and Jennifer Lopez. Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth, and Diego the sabre-toothed tiger, along with Sid's pesky granny, embark upon another adventure when their continent breaks apart and they are separated from the rest of their herd, which includes Manny's wife Ellie and daughter Peaches. When their iceberg float is "captured" by Captain Gut and his odd crew, the gang must outsmart the pirates and find their way home before its too late. As always, the highlight of this film is the hilarious Sid, with the welcome addition of his granny. Sid remains one of my favorite animated characters, so my level of tolerance for some of the absurdities in the story is quite high, simply because I'm too busy laughing at Sid to mind. This film, however, was definitely an improvement over the forgettable second and third films, though the first remains unmatched. Still, it is an entertaining and silly but enjoyable family film.


Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+

Film Review -- Brave

This year's PIXAR entry tells the story of Scottish princess Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald) and her quest to save her family from a beastly curse. Fiercely independent, athletic, and outdoorsy, Merida defies the traditional duties required from a princess, much to the dismay of her mother, Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). After a quarrel between mother and daughter over Merida's (lack of) intent to marry, the younger flees the castle and ends up at the door of a witch "woodcarver" deep in the woods. Looking for a spell to alter her destiny, Merida receives a spell from the witch (voice of Julie Walters) that will "change her mother." Instead of merely changing Elinor's mind about her daughter marrying, the spell physically changes Elinor into a bear, an animal with dangerous ties to the family. Merida only has two sunsets to change her mother back into a human and take control of her destiny. The first positive quality of this film is that it's the first PIXAR film to feature a heroine -- one who can challenge anyone -- boys included -- in the smarts and wit departments. The film is also very different from its predecessors, set in the past and featuring lots of "green" scenery and thick Scottish accents. I loved the central plot of the film, due to the message of the importance of family that it transmits. Though predictable, as are most fairy-tale like stories, I was still genuinely touched by the film. Perhaps it isn't the best PIXAR film, but it is one of the most innovative.


Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A-