Reviews

This was a very good movie, but a little too long. The set-up was slow but I knew what was coming so was willing to wait it out. Denzel Washington's character is a former CIA-type who now lives alone and works at a home improvement store. We get to see a lot (maybe too much) of that store. Luckily, the action in this movie finally started and it eventually became explosive and non-stop. Very fun to watch! Many of the characters were pretty one-note, with the exception of the villain and Chloe Moretz as a prostitute. Those two were very good. The other characters simply served the purpose of the story -- which basically was to let Denzel Washington beat people up and outsmart them single- handedly. You can see this was set up to have a sequel.

I watched this movie on VOD and then went out and rented it on DVD at Family Video and watched it again. It was even better the second time because I knew the twists and could see how they were set up. Incredible. The plot is very intriguing (and might be true). Two very cute urban explorers are blackmailed by Steve Railsback (as creepy as he was in the Manson movie, but in a different way). They have to break into a skyscraper that is about to be blown up. Railsback's character sends along his gorgeous security person to tail them (Nathalie Kelley from Fast & Furious), so to start we get to watch 3 actors that are, shall we say, easy on the eyes. Of course, the relic they are hunting for is historically important so there are others trying to get it as well. Everyone ends up in this dilapidated skyscraper that really blows up at the end! That big explosion scene alone is worth the price of the movie (the DVD behind- the-scene extras were great in showing how this really happened). Who survives? Who gets out? There's a lot of back-stabbing and twists & turns, with good (realistic) action scenes. Every character is well-drawn, complete with back stories that make sense and play into how they act. I really believed them. This movie is similar to National Treasure and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rent it or buy it and settle in for something that you will think about even after it is over.

I watch this show with my 5-year-old daughter and we both love it. The CG animation is beautiful-- very colorful and clear. So, to start, it is interesting visually. The stories have the right amount of adventure, humor and lessons. It is nice to see grandparents (in this case, King Babar) portrayed as wise yet "cool." He is not bumbling or stupid or out of it. Babar is clearly friends with his grandson Badou and with Badou's friends. The monkey is particularly funny and the porcupine also is funny. The teacher, Miss Stritch, is one of my own favorite characters. She's loving, a bit ditzy, but always manages to impart a useful lesson.

It's one of the few children's TV shows that I can actually sit through and enjoy. So many are downright boring or stupid. I highly recommend this!