The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant (1999)

Directed by: Brad Bird
Screenplay by: Tim McCanlies

Genre: Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 86 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Netflix Watch Instantly

It came from outer space!

[IMDb]

Comments: I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge animation guy. Outside of TV shows like Archer, Family Guy, and South Park, there's not a whole lot that really captures my attention. However, I've heard so much about The Iron Giant over the years (and I've liked all of Brad Bird's other films) that when I saw this was another of Netflix's expiring titles, I decided to give 'er a go. And while I enjoyed the film, and can see why some highly revere it, there wasn't much that I really was able to dig into. I think it's time to go back to the gutter with my Netflix watches.

Batman: Year One (2011)

Batman: Year One (2011)

Directed by: Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery
Screenplay by: Tab Murphy

Genre: Animation | Action | Crime
Running Time: 64 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Viewed: Owned DVD

[IMDb]

Comments: Batman: Year One was a decent enough DC animated film, though I was bothered by a few things. First: why? Year One felt very similar to Batman Begins at times. We've been over-saturated with Batman for the past several years, so the last thing I need is to see ANOTHER origin story that's quite similar to Christopher Nolan's version. Second: Ben McKenzie was a terrible choice to play the caped crusader. As a definite O.C. fanboy back in the day, and someone who has enjoyed Southland, I think he's a decent actor. But in Year One, it sounds like he's taking a shit while reading Batman's lines. It's really bad. I think if I hadn't known McKenzie before this, I wouldn't have had as much of a problem, but as it stands his voice acting is bad (luckily Bryan Cranston's Jim Gordon is solid). Third, and lastly: Only an hour long? Going back to my first gripe, what's the point? You are telling a story that's been told before, and I don't see a sequel being made anytime soon, which would hopefuly progress past the origin story and make Year One meaningful. So when the story ended so soon I was left thinking, "that's it?"

Despite my objections, I always enjoy watching Batman related stuff so I enjoyed Year One. If there was a next part lined up, I'd probably be more optimistic. But as a stand-alone film, I'd have to recommend watching Batman Begins again instead. It pulls from the same story and is executed much better. Though I guess a case could be made that it sounds like Christian Bale is taking a shit when delivering his lines too, but it's a much more glorious shit.

Megamind (2010)

Megamind (2010)

Directed by: Tom McGrath
Screenplay by: Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons

Genre: Animation | Action | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 95 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Loaned Blu-ray

It's big for a reason.

[IMDb]

Comments: I've wanted to get into more animation films for awhile now, but I just seem to prefer live action given the choice. I've tried to rectify that at certain points, but it's never really worked out. Anyway, a buddy of mine let me borrow this as a "thanks" for letting him borrow John Carter; I'm notorious for not letting anyone, regardless of affiliation, borrow my movies. For whatever reason, I was in a trusting mood that day. So in return, I checked out Megamind tonight and rather enjoyed it. It's a fun romp that also serves as a good spoof of the superhero genre. I thought Will Ferrell's voice acting was really well done, and the story, while a bit cursory, was still entertaining. Will this lead to more animation diversions? Probably not, but you never know.

Beavis and Butt-Head - Season Eight (2011)

Beavis and Butt-Head (1993-1997; 2011-????)

Created by: Mike Judge

Season: Eight (2011)
Genre: Animation | Comedy | Music
Number of Episodes: 11
Episode Running Time: 30 Minutes
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: I don't claim to be a huge Beavis and Butt-Head fan, but I enjoyed the show enough when I was younger (the movie was probably my favorite part of the initial run). When I heard the show was being brought back, I almost completely dismissed it. What was the need? However, my cousin had mentioned that recent run was actually good, so of course I picked the show up when it was released on Blu-ray. And shit, my original opinion was way off. These are the best episodes of Beavis and Butt-Head that I've watched, and not only that, but the fact that they watch MTV shows in addition to music videos only makes the experience better (particularly 16 & Pregnant and Jersey Shore). If you've enjoyed Beavis and Butt-Head in the past, don't be wary that they were brought back in vain. It's the best decision MTV has made in ages.

Family Guy: It's a Trap (2010)

Family Guy: It's a Trap (2010)

Directed by: Peter Shin
Screenplay by: Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and David A. Goodman

Genre: Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi
Running Time: 57 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: Despite the forewarning at the beginning of this "Episode" from Seth that they really didn't want to do this, but Fox made them, I enjoyed It's a Trap as much as the other Star Wars spoofs. There's not much point in a review after that, because like before, you know what the fuck you're getting if you sit down to watch It's a Trap.

Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side (2009)

Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark
  Side (2009)

Directed by: Dominic Polcino
Screenplay by: Kirker Butler

Genre: Animation | Comedy
Running Time: 52 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: Feeling tired and lazy tonight, so... it's Family Guy. You know what you're getting.

Family Guy: Blue Harvest (2007)

Family Guy: Blue Harvest (2007)

Directed by: Dominic Polcino
Screenplay by: Alec Sulkin

Genre: Animation | Comedy
Running Time: 48 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned Blu-ray

[IMDb]

Comments: It's been awhile since I watched the Family Guy Star Wars series (I actually haven't seen It's a Trap yet), so I figured it's be a fun investment when Amazon had the Blu-ray trilogy on sale for $15. Granted, I didn't like Blue Harvest all that much when I first watched it, but... whatever. So after re-watching this special for the first time in a few years, I have to say that I enjoyed a lot more than before. The Blu-ray quality was pretty shitty, and just looked like an up-converted DVD. Otherwise, it was a fun way to spend an hour. It actually really made me want to watch the original Star Wars trilogy, so I may have to do that sometime soon. We'll see...

Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side (2009)

Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark
  Side (2009)

Directed by: Dominic Polcino
Screenplay by: Kirker Butler

Genre: Animation | Comedy
Running Time: 52 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Viewed: Owned DVD

[IMDb]

Comments: I've been a Family Guy fan for a while now. I never watched the show originally, but like many I purchased the DVDs and fell in love. The show's taken some criticism recently about lack of real plots and declining quality (some of which is certainly warranted), but I still find the show entertaining (and that's all that matters, right?). However, I found Blue Harvest, the first spoof of Star Wars, to be generally unfunny and one of the worst things to come out of Family Guy. Family Guy works best when doing quick spoofs, not the continuous overlong bits. Something Something Something Dark Side falls into many of the same problems (how many self-references can you make in one hour?), but when they hit the funny bone, it works. There will of course be the third Star Wars spoof, which I believe will be titled We've Got a Bad Feeling About This, but I can't imagine it being much better than the last two. Something Something Something Dark Side has some good laughs and is a step up from the last entry, but it's still not even close to as good as Family Guy has done.

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)

Directed by: Rob Zombie
Screenplay by: Tom Papa and Rob Zombie

Genre: Action | Animation | Comedy | Horror | Thriller
Running Time: 77 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

[IMDb]

Comments: First, let me say that I wholly support the live-action version of this film. To see Sheri Moon Zombie running around in all that glorious spandex (and less)... well, let's just agree that Rob Zombie is a lucky man (I even love her voice!). Add to that Rosario Dawson running around in a thong the entire time, and let me tell you, you've got the best film ever made on your hands right there. As for the animated version, I was taken aback at first, just because it's more of an adult Looney Tunes than an animated Rob Zombie film. But once I got adjusted to this, I did enjoy myself. There's nothing special about the film (despite the high number of animated breasts, which are apparently okay to jerk off to because the Japanese do it everyday), but I was both amused and entertained. The best part was without a doubt the musical numbers by the band Hard 'n Phirm, who apparently are a moderately successful comedy duo. One of the best was when Suzi X (Miss Moon Zombie) was being chased by Nazi zombies, and the band was playing a nice musical number simply describing everything going on ("holy shit she just jumped over that train!"). While The Haunted World of El Superbeasto isn't Zombie's best project, it's most certainly a fun way to spend an hour. I can see it being the kind of movie you watch with your friends while secretly ogling the animated boobs. And maybe discreetly pleasuring yourself, because that's alright. The Japanese do it every day.

TMNT (2007)

TMNT (2007)

Directed by: Kevin Munroe
Screenplay by: Kevin Munroe

Genre: Animation | Action | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
Running Time: 87 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Owned DVD

Raising shell in 2007.

[IMDb]

Comments: At first, I really wasn't into TMNT. Sure, there were animated green turtles flying around on the screen, but it didn't feel like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles we all know and love. Casey Jones never really acts like Casey Jones (Was April even in this movie? And, since when was she a ninja?), Splinter sure as hell didn't sound like Splinter (I feel bad as Mako, the voice actor passed away soon after the movie, but he was no Splinter), and the whole monsters and immortality storyline wasn't all that great. Add to that a lot of the Turtles-related plot was rehashed from the first film, so I was bummin' about the TMNT. However, I soon became accustomed to these "new" Turtles, and about halfway through the film started to get into it. In the end, I found that I enjoyed TMNT, despite its shortcomings. However, I'm still glad they're going back to live action for the next installment.

Up (2009)

Up (2009)

Directed by: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Screenplay by: Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

Genre: Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family
Running Time: 96 Minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Viewed: Theater

[IMDb]

Comments: Continuing the ever-impressive Pixar tradition, Up is yet another magical film that is without a doubt one of the finest animated films I've ever seen. The 3-D is amazing and never distracting, and the animation is just great. The story itself is well-written, but a bit sad. Actually, it's very sad. Throughout the film (especially the beginning), you may feel your eyes filling up. Many themes are adult-oriented (losing an unborn child, losing your wife, not having a father around), and I can see parts of the film bothering kids. Luckily, I hate kids, so I don't care what they think. Parts of the film are goofy, but they always end up working because of the strong story and sense of connection the audience feels to the characters. Up is a funny and deeply moving film that is definitely among the year's best so far. It is a movie that all ages can appreciate and enjoy, and one that I recommend to everyone.