Reviews

The new Disney Animation generation is still on a hot streak, thanks to the success and acclaim of their past, recent hits, Frozen and Big Hero 6. Their latest entry, Zootopia, gives a good omen that the studio is keeping Walt's vision alive to make great animated films like this.

Fresh from her home in Bunnyburrow, bunny Judy Hopps (voiced by Gennifer Goodwin from ABC's Once Upon a Time) arrives in Zootopia, a place where prey and predator both live in peace and harmony. Judy is there because she's fulfilling her lifelong dream of being a police officer for the Zootopia Police Department and trying to "make a world a better place". The good news: She's the first rabbit cop on the force. The bad news: She's assigned to parking duty.

On the job, she then meets Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman), a fox and a con artist. They don't get along at first, but soon they decide to team up to take on a case involving some missing mammals. It leads them to places such as a nudist spa, a arctic shrew mob boss' home and the DMV controlled by some sloths (in one of the most funniest scenes I've seen on the big screen in quite a while) to get clues in a period of 48 hours to crack the case.

This thoughtful and very funny film is good at the start. But, it gets more poignant and meaningful midway through. The missing mammals plot even has a twist at the climax that is worth a shocker for the audience.

The animation is simply splendid. Even the look of the city from its skyline to the areas surrounding the place looks lavishing. Kudos must go to directors Bryon Howard and Rich Moore. There's even homages to The Godfather and Breaking Bad and in-jokes to the past Disney films already mentioned in this review.

The voice cast, especially Bateman and Goodwin, are excellent. Other notables in the cast include Idris Elba as Judy's police buffalo chief, J.K. Simmons as the town's lion mayor, Pixar vet Bonnie Hunt (A Bug's Life, Cars) as Judy's mom and Saturday Night Live alum Jenny Slate as the sheep assistant mayor.

The film sends home a message that no matter who you are and what you are, we're all in this planet together to make it a "better place".

Until Pixar's Finding Dory arrives in June, Zootopia is currently in the top ranking for the year's best animated film. Take anyone you know to see it. And if the movie theater allows, take your pet too.

Rating:***1/2

Parent Advisory: Zootopia is rated PG for some thematic humor, rude humor and action. Suitable for ages 3 and up.

Seeing Jurassic World on the big screen is like taking a roller- coaster ride. In the beginning, it takes time to get ready for the action to rise up. Then in the middle, the excitement really arrives. By the end, we're totally amazed with leftover emotions of exhilaration and rapture. That what the long-awaited fourth installment of the Jurassic Park series delivers with a dose of a surefire thrill.

Taking place twenty-two years after the events of the first film, the dinosaur park that couldn't open has finally did with attractions ranging from a dino petting zoo to an aquarium. Heading the park's operations is Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron). In a way to increase attendance in the park, Claire plans to open a new exhibit featuring a hybrid dinosaur created by scientists of the late John Hammond's company, InGen. Claire brings in a dino expert and former flame, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), to check the genetic- modified animal for safety reasons.

But soon, all hell breaks loose when the hybrid dino breaks out of his cage and makes a rampage through the park killing many in sight and making a mess of the facilities. The rex even tries to mess with Claire's visiting nephews, Zach and Gray (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins). So, it's up to Owen and Claire to put a stop to this madness before it gets much worse.

Taking over the director's seat from Steven Spielberg (one of the film's executive producers) is indie director Colin Trevorrow. Trevorrow isn't no Spielberg, but he adds a lot of new juice into the franchise. The script (which was credited as a four-person job) works well with the usual summer blockbuster mix of action, romance and a sense of humor. The dinosaur effects are simply astonishing. Plus, Michael Giacchino's score wisely incorporates John Williams' themes from the original and uses them with fine panache.

As expected, the film is faithful to the 1993 picture from which it sprung. It recreates two of the film scenes when Owen and Claire pets an ailing dinosaur and in the dino-fight-to-the-finish climax, the two of them get trapped by two raptors (joined by a third this time). The filmmakers even recreated the now abandoned Jurassic Park Visitors Center, complete with old park Jeep Wranglers. The film also makes jabs at product placement such as Verizon Wireless sponsoring the latest dino exhibit, the "Samsung Innovation Center" and a Starbucks cafe located in the front of the park (not to mention Comcast- NBCUniversal employee Jimmy Fallon doing a instructions video for one of the attractions).

Coming off his success in Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt scores well with leading-man charisma as Owen. Let's hope his stock goes up after this. As Claire, Howard is wonderful, even after trying to go Sigourney Weaver-like on the predators. Together, Pratt and Howard scores with a touch of great chemistry that it's not hard to think if they'll both survive this ordeal. They're both supported by a fine supporting cast with Vincent D'Onofrio (of Law & Order:CI fame) as a power-mad security boss, Irrfan Khan as the new head of InGen and New Girl's Jake Johnson as the park's computer control guy (reminiscent of both Wayne Knight's Nedry and Samuel L.Jackson's Arnold from the first film).

When you mix the elements altogether, you might end up with one great thing. With that, Jurassic World roars as a great summer movie. Somewhere in heaven, both Michael Crichton and Richard Attenborough must be proud.

Rating:***1/2

Parent Advisory: Jurassic World is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril. Good enough for ages 15 and over but some scenes may be too intense and violent for children under age 14 at best, so I advise that it's best to go supervised by a parent, sibling or an older chaperone.

To be fair, I haven't seen the first Disney Planes film, because I wasn't part of its target audience (in other words, kids 12 and under). But seeing the sequel, Planes: Fire and Rescue, made me wonder why it could have been green lighted so fast. Maybe Disney wanted to cash in on this franchise like its predecessor, Cars, in the past. I don't know. I'm just a critic, not a studio executive.

In this sequel, world-renowned plane Dusty (comedian Dane Cook) breaks his engine and won't be able to race unless a new one is found. But when he causes a fire on the airfield, he blames himself. After that incident, he decides to be a wildfire air rescuer on Piston Peak. Leading the team is Blade Ranger (voiced by Ed Harris), a firefighter with his own secret. A deadly wildfire in the climax tests their skills and teamwork in motion.

The 3D animation and resounding visuals are amazing and Mark Mancina's adventurous score sounds remarkable, but this is a routine animated film made for the little fry with nothing much special for the over-12 crowd. There's echoes of Cars in this film with mentions of Rust Eze bumper ointment and Lightening McQueen's catchphrase ("ka-chow") and glimpses of the tractors from the 'other' film. But the script by Jeffrey M. Howard isn't that much funny for grown-ups and he even resorts to that overdone kiddie film cliché, the fart joke, to get a laugh. (Memo to Howard: fart jokes aren't that funny anymore.)

Teens and parents, if you want to see a grown-up fire film, I recommend seeing Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991) and Jay Russell's Ladder 49 (2004). Planes: Fire and Rescue is strictly made for the kids.

Rating:**

Parent Advisory: Planes: Fire and Rescue is rated PG for the action sequences and some peril.

Before Bill and Ted and their telephone booth, Sam Beckett and his quantum leap and Doc Brown and his DeLorean, there was Mr. Peabody, the talking dog and his boy Sherman. In the 1960's, they were a staple on The Bullwinkle Show. They took young viewers back in time and learning about the history of the world, thanks to the transportation of their WABAC machine. The 1960's were good times. Now, we live in a more innocent and different era. But are we really ready for a Mr.Peabody and Sherman animated film? The answer, my friends, is a proud yes.

Mr. Peabody (voiced by Modern Family's Ty Burrell) is a Harvard graduate, inventor of the fist bump and auto tune, a genius in math and athletics, a cool musician and a top notch seafood cook. He first finds Sherman as a little baby in the cardboard box and adopts him because Peabody wants something he didn't have when he was small, a home for him and didn't want his master to suffer as a result.

In his first day of school, young Sherman (Max Charles) tells his fellow classmate Penny (Ariel Winter from Disney's Sofia the First) that her answer about George Washington chopping down a cherry tree is wrong. It then leads into a fight between them during lunch, which causes Sherman to bite Penny. Mr. Peabody decides to resolve the problem between them by inviting Penny and her parents (Leslie Mann and Stephen Colbert) to his Manhattan penthouse for a party. He tells Sherman not to tell Penny about the WABAC machine. But Sherman breaks his rule and sends himself and Penny to Ancient Egypt, where she gets engaged to King Tut. Mr. Peabody and Sherman try to stop the marriage and succeeds. On the way back to the present, Peabody, Sherman and Penny make pit stops to Di Vinci's workshop in Rome and the Trojan War. But, along the way, there are some complications which causes the time cycle to break and bring the figures of the past to the present.

This is a giddy, heartfelt, laugh-out-loud-funny, guilty pleasure with something for everyone. It's faithful to the spirit of Jay Ward's classic cartoon and Craig Wright's script resonates to the relationship between father and son (or man to dog, in this matter). After spending a time in the live-action field, director Rob Minkoff (of Stuart Little and Lion King fame) returns to his cartoon roots and makes this a remarkable effort. The 3D animation is ingenious and superb.

Burrell makes a perfect voice for Peabody, along with some wonderful puns that could rival Billy Crystal's on a stand up comedy night. Impressive voice support also comes from Charles, Winter, Colbert (who does a fine Fred MacMurray/Charles Grodin impersonation), Stanley Tucci as Di Vinci, Mel Brooks as Einstein and as King Agamemnon, Patrick Warburton (who have been doing a lot of voice work after Seinfeld went off the air).

Thanks to the success of the Oscar-winning Frozen and The Lego Movie, animation is getting more popular nowadays and I hope this film continue this bandwagon as we move on into spring. Maybe, this film could impact dog adoptions to go up.

Plus, come early for a zippy, hilarious short, Almost Home. It involves aliens trying to find a home planets. Steve Martin voices as the aliens' leader. It's good fun, as well as the film that plays after.

Rating: Mr.Peabody and Sherman: ***1/2

Almost Home: ***

Parent Advisory: Rated PG for some mild humor and brief rude humor. A few off-color jokes, but it's still a smart and good companion for the entire family.

Well, my fellow readers, Disney has still got the touch. After going through bayous, high towers and video games, the folks at Disney Animation goes into the business of a winter wonderland with its new feature film, Frozen, and it excels with flying colors and a touching spirit that reminds one of the past "Disney Renaissance" films of the 90's.

Based on the fable of the Snow Queen, this story is about two sisters of royalty, pampered Anna (voiced by TV's Kristen Bell from House of Cards and Veronica Mars) and Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel from Broadway's Wicked), who has the power of snow. When they were younger, Anna and Elsa used to play together thanks to Elsa's magic. But, Elsa accidentally used her powers on Anna and her parents decided to hide Elsa from the outside world, protecting her witchcraft. Years pass, and soon Elsa becomes the new queen of Arendalle, after her parents' death from a boat accident. But, soon, when she has an argument with Anna, she mistakenly uses her powers and as a result, turns Arendalle from a spring place to a winter nightmare. Elsa then runs away, seeking isolation from the troubles she caused. Anna decides to find her with a help of mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff of HBO's upcoming show, Looking), his reindeer Sven and a moving and can't stop talking snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad of Broadway's Book of Mormon).

The plot is like Sleeping Beauty meets Edward Scissorhands, because Elsa is like a female version of Edward. They both were hidden from the rest of the world, but the difference is that Elsa has snow magic, while Edward has scissors. Jennifer Lee (who co-directs here with Chris Buck) has written a funny and likable script with a bit of the talking style you often hear nowadays on teen TV shows.

The animation is lavishing with stunning special effects and a real storybook-like texture to the characters. My favorite scene in the film was the amazing sequence when Elsa decides to make her own snow palace. My fine complements to the people at Disney Animation for a great effort.

Plus, the voice cast fits the characters perfectly. Bell and Menzel, respectively, are a perfect match to bring Anna and Elsa to voice life while Gad makes Olaf one of Disney's funniest sidekicks creations since Mushu (Mulan), Sebastian (The Little Mermaid) and Genie (Aladdin), with a sly and wacky attitude and a Martin Short-like voice.

The musical score by Broadway vet Robert Lopez (Avenue Q and Book of Mormon) and his wife Kristen is marvelous. It's filled with some hummable tunes including "For the First Time in Forever" and "Let it Go" (the latter performed astonishingly perfect by Menzel). This music may last in your head for days, maybe weeks.

As I said in the beginning, the spirit of this film contributes to the Disney animated films of the past such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Like these mentioned films, Frozen has the goods of a pure Disney film: a working story, love or hate characters, top-notch animation and a wonderful score.

This is a charming and winning Christmas gift for all from ages 3 to 103. Plus, in this "kiddie film" wasteland of bathroom jokes and copycat home video material, this is the perfect family film for everyone to see. Heck, even your pet may love it.

Hopefully with some big box office returns, it could finally put The Lone Ranger mess out of Disney's misery.

Note: Preceding the film is a brand new Mickey Mouse short, Get a Horse, where Mickey accidentally comes out of his black-and-white film, trying to save Minnie from Pegleg Pete, straight into the movie theater, and some mayhem happens. It's delightful and proves that Mickey's still got it after 85 years of entertaining moviegoers all across the world.

Rating: Frozen: ***1/2

Get a Horse: ***

Parent Advisory: Frozen is rated PG for some action and mild rude humor. Despite that rating, it's a perfect find for all ages.

After scoring a success with "The Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series, director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Johnny Depp reunites for a new take on the legendary western radio serial and TV series, "The Lone Ranger". But this time, boy, they really shot themselves in the foot big time for this.

Taking place in 1869 Texas, four years after the Civil War, lawyer John Reid (Armie Hammer) joins his brother Dan as one of the seven Texas Rangers. But, Dan and the other five rangers get killed and ambushed by outlaw Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner), who later kidnaps Dan's wife and their son. John becomes the sole survivor of the ambush and teams up with Indian Tonto (Depp) to save his sister-in-law and stop a plan that involves silver and an expansion of a railroad.

I haven't seen the TV show, but as a movie, it cripples on its own two feet like a dead horse in the film. It develops not much of a thrill and it's devoid of laughs (Even a dead horse isn't funny to me). Even, the action sequences, including the final showdown, feels routine. Plus, the script by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and Justin Haythe is genetic and has an 'assembled by committee' feel. Watching it on the screen is like seeing a first-draft script being trapped into a movie. Were the studio heads and crew were hurrying to put this on? They should have told the writers to change the script in its entirely.

The cinematography by Bojan Bazelli is stunning with fine visual images of the Old West and the score by Hans Zimmer is splendid, but you'll have to wait until two hours for the William Tell overture (AKA the Lone Ranger's theme) to come in.

Unlike his role as Jack Sparrow in the "Pirate" films, there's nothing great or spectacular about Depp's portrayal as Tonto. It's just a send-in-the-big-bucks role for him. Plus, Hammer is completely wrong as the Lone Ranger. A better actor like Josh Brolin could have worked with the right range and style to make this masked avenger come to life, but Hammer doesn't have it. As a result of this, I didn't find any chemistry between Depp and Hammer. The villains, played by Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson and Barry Pepper are strictly one-dimensional, and as a wooden legged head of a brothel, Helena Bonham Carter is wasted is a small role that could have worked better with Judy Davis or Kathy Bates in it.

Maybe, this movie could have been better with a more smart script and Brolin and Jackie Chan as Tonto with a perfect chemistry between them. But this Ranger is a disposable product in Hollywood assembled filmmaking.

Rating: *1/2

Parent Advisory: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, and some suggestive material. Plus, there's a scene in the film where Butch takes out a man's heart and eats it, off-screen. See "Monsters University" or rent the much more superior "Lonesome Dove" western TV miniseries, instead.

Like the Energizer Bunny, the people at Pixar Animation Studios keep going and going, delivering one good animated film after another. They have never made a bad film, yet. They previously took the sequel route with "Toy Story" (twice) and "Cars". This time, they decided to take the pre-sequel route with "Monsters University", a backstory to the hit 2001 film, "Monsters Inc." In the end, taking the pre-sequel route really paid off.

Set a few years before "Monsters, Inc.", green-eyed Mike Wazowski (voiced again by Billy Crystal) enrolls in the scare program in Monsters University to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a scarer for the energy company. But first, he begins to make enemies with his future buddy, Sulley (John Goodman, returning) and has to face the wrath of their Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren). When Mike and Sulley are banned from the program after failing the Scare Exam, they both get a chance to redeem themselves by entering in the Scare Games, a competition between fraternities and sororities. They enter to joining the least competitive of the fraternities, Oozma Kappa. The group includes a two-headed Bert and Ernie like monster, a elder member, and a bat-like creature who goes by the name of "Art".

The film begins with a lot of chuckles in its first half, but when after Mike and Sulley joins the Oozma Kappa, it becomes rip-roaringly funny. It even delivers a rousing third act with a exciting and heartwarming climax that sets the scene for the film it spawned from.

Director Dan Scanlon makes a good effort on his first animated feature. He succeeds in making the spirit of this film faithful to the original Monsters, Inc. The story uses the underdog formula, but it works well. The script by Scanlon, Daniel Gerson and Robert L. Baird doesn't try too hard for laughs and doesn't rely on pop-culture references to get them. The script succeeds in it's goal: to entertain perfectly. Plus, they added the character of Randall from the first film and establishes the reason why he didn't get along with the green and purple duo in the first place. Randy Newman's score is wonderful with a mix of college band music and his usual action film style.

The animation is, as in all of Pixar films, superb, whether you see it in 2D or 3D. (I saw it in 3D, by the way). Also, the animations give some homage to some classic films. The setting for the first event of the Scare Games reminded me of scenes from two films from 1987; the secret meeting hideout for the P.A.G.A.N cult in the movie version of the TV show, "Dragnet", and Arnold Schwarzenegger's first leg of the on-air race in the underrated action thriller, "The Running Man". Plus, a funny bedroom scene with Mike and Sulley reminded me of a similar one with Steve Martin and John Candy in another 1987 film, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (Remember, "those aren't pillows"?)

Crystal and Goodman are both sensational again as Mike and Sulley. Their chemistry together make their odd couple characters feel like an animated creature version of Felix and Oscar. Mirren is divine as Hardscrabble and the supporting voice cast, with the likes of Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Alfred Molina and "SNL" alum Julia Sweeney is solid.

This is a fine antidote to the big loud blockbusters and the raunchy, adult comedies populating our screens now and it's this summer's perfect family film, by far, so far. It's not a great Pixar masterpiece in the way of Toy Story or the original Monsters, Inc., but it works well. Will Pixar break its good film record or continue to score with its next film? Who knows?

Plus, it's best to come early for it or otherwise, you'll gonna miss one of the best and most intelligent animated shorts ever to come from Pixar in a full moon, "The Blue Umbrella". It's about a blue umbrella who chases a red umbrella in the middle of a rainstorm in a New York-like city. This precious short could make you deliver a tear in your eye. I'm hoping this short win the Oscar for Best Animated Short, come next year.

Rating: "Monsters University": ***

"The Blue Umbrella": ****

Parent Advisory: "Monsters University" is rated G. A clean and safe "Animal House"/"Revenge of the Nerds" for kids under 18.

After two decades of waiting, the long-awaited movie version of the hit musical Les Miserables has finally arrived and it was worth the hype and worth the wait. This film has come at a time when the nation is still recovering from the Newtown tragedies and Hurricane Sandy. One of the film's songs, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, and the rousing finale, gives a dramatic sense that we must keep our heads up and move on with our lives and the world all around us.

Spanning around two decades of a French Revolution-like era in the 19th century, the film begins in 1815 with Jean Vaijean {Hugh Jackman} being free on parole after 19 years being jailed for stealing a piece of bread for his family. He tries to fit in, but finding no work because of his parole papers, he decides to steal some sliver from a bishop. The police stop him, but the bishop decides to give Vaijean two candlesticks. For Vaijean, it becomes a change of conscience, and with that, he rips his parole paper to shreds. Soon, Jean tries to run away from the law and hide, while police officer Javert {Russell Crowe} is straight on his trail for the next 16 years. Along the way, Vaijean gains a daughter, Cosette {Isabelle Allen in early years, Amanda Seyfried in adult form} from factory worker-turned prostitute Fantine {Anne Hathaway}, has run-ins with the loony Thenardier innkeepers {Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter}, and helping to fight in the Revolution with her daughter's lover Marius {Eddie Redmayne} while trying to escape.

Tom Hooper of King's Speech fame has crafted a heartbreaking, powerful and brilliantly made musical epic this side of West Side Story. The script has the same plot and wall-to-wall singing as the musical, but some of the songs are changed in the movie {for instance, I Dreamed a Dream takes place right after Fantine becomes a whore}. With the film, Hooper has broke ground with having the cast sing their songs live on camera instead of going to a recording studio recording them. This new technique works so flawlessly that you forget who the real actors are singing the song. Like in The King's Speech, Hooper also succeeds in making his cast of characters as real as they are really seem to be. Plus, with giving the film a fast-paced style, hand-held camera-like images and filming one-shots on Dream and On My Own, Hooper may become the British's answer to Scorsese.

Jackman is wonderful as Vaijean, while Crowe's rock star-like voice adds a bit more authority to his Javert. Newcomer Samantha Barks is magnificent as the Thenardiers' daughter, and her rendition of On My Own is pure musical awesomeness. Cohen and Carter are both madcap funny as the Thenardiers, and Seyfried and Redmayne make a enchanted couple as Cosette and Marius. But the biggest standout in the film is Hathaway, bar none. Her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream is in a word, unforgettable. Here's hoping Anne has a spot at home saved for Mr. Oscar.

While Alain Boubill and Claude-Michel Schonberg's opera-like score is hummable in some spots, it has the texture and sound of classic British poetry. Their Master of the House is still one jolly showstopper, while the film's only new song, the sweet Suddenly could be a Oscar lock for best song.

We're now finally proud to have Les Miz sung on the big screen, and it couldn't come at a better time like this.

P.S. Bring two or three packs of Kleenex. You're really gonna need them just in case.

Rating: **** Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements {For ages 14 and up}

When director Sam Raimi stepped down as director of the Spider-Man movie franchise, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios decided to revamp the film series and take it to a brand new direction. With a new director, new cast and crew, a new story and into ten years forward after the first film, the question was, "what's the worst that could happen"? In fact, by the way I see it, nothing.

Watching The Amazing Spider Man is like seeing an old friend with old stories and new ones to tell. Connect one story to another, put them together and you get one fully-fleshed story in a new perspective.

There are changes from the first three films with having no Mary Jane, no J.Jonah Jameson and no Norman Osborne {although he's mentioned a little in this film}. But it is possible to watch this satisfying super reboot without having memories from the 2002 original.

Since his parents' death in a plane crash, Peter Parker {now played by Andrew Garfield} has long lived with Uncle Ben {Martin Sheen} and Aunt May {Sally Field}. In high school, he has a crush on Gwen Stacy {Emma Stone} and also, he's a target for bully Flash Thompson {Chris Zylka}.

One day, he discovers a suitcase with papers that belongs to his dad. Peter decides to finds out the secrets of his scientist father. To do that, he goes to dad's old job at OsCorp to investigate. While there, he goes into a modified spider lab. But one of the spiders bites Peter. Soon, weird things begin to happen as Peter discovers spider-like powers.

Then, one night, tragedy strikes as Uncle Ben is killed by a thief that Peter saw at a grocery store. Peter then decides to take action, so – first with a mask, then the spider costume- he tries to find his father's killer. But the police headed by Gwen's father {Denis Leary} thinks that Peter is a criminal trying to stop thieves.

Meanwhile, Peter's dad's former partner, Dr. Curt Connors {Rhys Ifans} is trying to regenerate limbs based on Lizard DNA. He tries to do the experiment on his left limb himself, but soon it makes him grow into a lizard. Peter -who is then now called Spider-Man- soon suspects that Connors is the lizard and he decides to find an antidote before The Lizard turns New York City into a land of non-human species.

Director Mark Webb {500 Days of Summer} and screenwriters James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves {Harry Potter film series} makes this reboot stand tall on its own two feet. They take the time well spent in the movie to develop on the story and they handle it well. They even beat a cliché from the original film series in the near end by not having Gwen being trapped by the villain while he fights with Spider-Man.

The film even shares some humor when Spider-Man is playing a game on his phone while waiting for The Lizard and when during a fight at school with The Lizard and Spider-Man, a school librarian {played by Marvel comics founder Stan Lee} is listening to some music and never sees and minds the fight.

Garfield inherits Tobey Maguire's role and he makes it his own. He put his own spin on the character and turns it into an electrifying, cool web.

Stone is radiant and delightful both on the outside and in the inside as Gwen Stacy.

Even though the actors are both past college age, Garfield and Stone take their high school characters seriously. The sparks on their romance fly here on screen as on off screen in real life.

Ifans is dynamic and sinister as both the large Lizard and the left limbless Connors.

Leary's strong policeman role makes a connection with the real life to the issue of having no real superheroes.

Field and Sheen hold their roles very well, respectively as May and Ben.

The camera work by John Schwartzman gives a remarkable scope to the flying and action sequences and makes the 3D version of the film worth the price of admission.

The special effects by Sony Pictures Imageworks does serve the story and succeeds in not having too much of it.

James Horner's score makes a fine and modest effort of not copying Danny Elfman's score from the original.

The film's moral is about finding about whom you are and what you're really made of. We all connect to that with Peter because we know who we all are not on the outside, but on the inside.

This is a perfect example of what a live-up-to-the-hype, powerful summer blockbuster should be. Please stay for the credits for a bonus scene. Trust me. You're gonna get ready for a sequel.

Rating: ***1/2

Parent Advice: Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence. Suitable for age 11 and up, if they don't mind the rating.

For some film trilogies, the third time is rarely the charm. But for viewers beyond 9th Grade {Ages 15 and older}, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted has little.

Picking up where we left off in Escape 2 Africa, Alex the Lion {Ben Stiller}, Marty the Zebra {Chris Rock, acting like an annoying party guest at times}, Gloria the Hippo {Jada Pinkett Smith}, Melman the Giraffe {David Schwimmer} and King Julien, the Lemur {Sacha Baron Cohen} decides to return home this time to the Central Park Zoo. But first, they attempt to pick up their fellow friends, the Penguins and the Monkeys in France's Monte Carlo.

The plan soon goes into danger mode when the animals are being chased by Captain Chantel DuBois {Frances Macdormand}. To hide, the animals then runaway with a group of circus animals including Stefano the Italian Sea Lion {Martin Short}, Vitaly the Tiger {Bryan Cranston} and Gia the Jaguar {Jessica Chastain, soon to star in Broadway's The Heiress this fall}. Soon, the zoo folks buy the circus and use it as their journey home from Europe to New York, while avoiding being caught by DuBois.

Directors and DreamWorks Animation veterans Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon handles the gimmicks for the 3D version amazingly well and the animation look rich and colorful enough. My favorite moment is this film is when the once- lousy circus gets its magic back in a sparking sequence set to Katy Perry's Firework.

But the film's big problem is blamed on Darnell and Noah Baumbach's script. It plays at an elementary school level and doesn't deliver much big laughs as the previous films. For the record, I laughed three or four times during the first 30 minutes and chuckled towards the end.

Even the Monte Carlo chase sequence in the film plays like a rehash from three different films.

Remember a van flying to land on a building? {See Speed}. Remember a person standing on top of a moving piece of transportation {See Back to the Future: Part II}. Remember a villain holding on a rope to catch the heroes, then falling? {See Chicken Run}.

The voice actors including Schwimmer, Cohen, Chaston, Smith and Short are really acting through the motions here. Cranston is miscast here in a role that should have worked better with Nick Nolte. I'm not sure if Stiller is feeling right at home with Alex or taking it forcefully. But Macdormand brings in a just-for-the-paycheck performance as Dubois. I didn't get win over by the captain's Edith Piaf- like song when she rounds up her fellow injured officers. I even didn't understand what she was singing about.

Kids will gobble this so-so taste more than parents, whichever version it is {2D or 3D}. Grownups without kids may want to sit towards the nearest exit just in case.

But I just don't know how the world is going to react to Madagascar 4 {if it happens}.

Rating: **1/2

Parent Advice: Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor. Suitable for ages 4 and up. Maybe parents or grownups could drop off their kids at the film and instead see Moonrise Kingdom, Prometheus, Rock of Ages, or That's My Boy for themselves {depending by the movie theater they're visiting}.

When it comes to family movies, it has to be thoughtful, entertaining and capable enough to hold on to the audience between age 1 and 101. "Fairy Tale: A True Story" takes that challenge and it really succeeds.

In 1917 England, two girls, Elsie {Florence Hoath} and her cousin Frances {Elizabeth Earl} discover real fairies in a garden. Later, they take photographs to give proof that the fairies are real. Soon, they become famous when Arthur Conan Doyle {Peter O'Toole} publishes the photos in Strand magazine.

"Fairy Tale" has the conflict of Human vs. Fantasy. The conflict connects with the film's theme, which is you must believe it unless you see the real thing.

The center of the film's story is Elsie and Frances. They're two girls who really see things as it happen. They grab our attention along with the story.

Ernie Contreras's unpredictable script makes the characters feel as human beings, not as cardboard people. There's even a cliché in the film with a reporter trying to get the real story behind the photographs, but it never gets annoying. Plus, there's a subplot with Frances's missing father which is handled well.

Hoath and Earl each give fine performances. The supporting roles are handled nicely with O'Toole as Doyle and Harvey Keitel as magician Harry Houdini.

Zbigniew Preisner's score gives a dreamy feel to the proceedings and Shirley Russell's World War period costumes are luscious.

Delightfully photographed and wonderfully acted, Charles Sturridge's film is a charming, perfect and winning family film. This is a movie come true for all ages.

Rating: ****

There is one question that lies in the center of Milos Forman's 1984 Oscar-winning film, "Amadeus": Did Antonio Salieri really kill Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? That question is handled unpredictably well in this splendid, majestic and never dated masterpiece of filmmaking; a morality play and a history lesson all mixed into one.

The film begins when Salieri {F. Murray Abraham, who won an Oscar for this role} is taken to an asylum in late 18th century Vienna for attempting to kill himself. A minister visits him and asks him why he tried to commit suicide. Salieri says that he tried to commit suicide because he thought that he had killed Mozart. He soon tells about his memories of his own life and Mozart's.

When we first meet young Mozart {Tom Hulce}, he acts like a little child. He is then invited to have an audience with Emperor Joseph II. Back then, Salieri was the court composer for the Emperor. When Salieri first listens to Mozart's music, he becomes jealous at him. Later, he realizes that Mozart's music is the voice of God. Salieri calls God an enemy and tries to stop Mozart once and for all.

Forman here turns all the ingredients of making a film into a tasteful and delicious whole. Peter Shaffer's script which he adapted from his play, gives a thoughtful and insightful look at Salieri and Mozart. Miroslaw Ondricek's cameras and Patriza Von Brandenstein's sets helps give old Vienna a realistic look and version.

Abraham and Hulce both deliver strong and unbelievable performances. As Salieri, Abraham gives a stunning portrayal of a man who is torn between the lord and one man. As Mozart, Hulce finds the right balance between comedy and drama. He plays his character with the brain of a child and the heart of a young man with a braying laugh that never gets annoying. The supporting cast including Jeffrey Jones, Roy Dotrice, Elizabeth Berridge and Cynthia Nixon all hold their own roles very well.

The film's final half hour is a striking moment to behold. In there, Mozart talks to Salieri about their music as Mozart becomes ill. This is a great narrative gem of a film that will put a smile and maybe a tear on both lovers and non lovers of classical music alike.

FYI: This is the director's cut version of the film. Both versions are highly recommended to watch.

Rating: 4 Stars

In the past few years, NBC has been in a long search for finding the next "ER", "Law and Order" or "Seinfeld". Plus, people have also been searching for the next "Glee". Well, people of earth, I'm proud to say that the search is finally over with NBC's "Smash".

Songwriters Julia Houston {Debra Messing, "Will and Grace"} and Tom Levitt {Christian Borle} are creating a brand new musical based on the life and times of Marilyn Monroe. Joining them on board is producer Eileen Rand {Anjelica Huston} and director Derek Wills {Jack Davenport}. But it's a battle for stardom as longtime chorus girl Ivy Lynn {Megan Hilty} and outsider Karen Cartwright {Katharine McPhee, "American Idol"} compete for the lead role of Marilyn.

The pilot has a funny and fast-paced start and it really never goes downhill from there. Creator Theresa Rebeck's script is sharp with smart and rib-ticking references to Michael Riedel of the NY Post, "Spider Man: Turn off the Dark" and the 1983 musical flop "Marilyn: An American Fable". The musical numbers give a lively touch to the show, especially a rocking and Billboard destined hit ending duet in the pilot between Karen and Ivy, "Let Me Be Your Star".

The actors are really taking their characters for granted as we are watching. Messing really makes us forget about Grace Adler and makes us start thinking about Julia. Jack Davenport acts like a young version of Alan Rickman. Hilty brings down the house with two numbers in the pilot and McPhee makes a fine impression in the interesting role of Karen.

All in all, this is a witty, fine written and intelligent look at Broadway and a perfect alternative to "Glee". This is truly one show that's sure to find a big audience and to make people fans of Broadway. This is really a show I'm looking forward to watch every week. Let's hope NBC keeps it alive for more seasons to come.

FYI: The show is executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

For 24 years, George Lucas has been developing a film about the Tuskegee Airmen, the all African American squad of army pilots during World War II. Now, the dream has come true and the final result of "Red Tails" is a too long, tedious, all noise and no heart time killer. It makes one yearn for the memories of Lucas's "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones".

In 1944 Italy, a group of four army pilots has been summoned to protect bombers over Germany. Along the way, they have encounters with friendship, romance, danger and overcoming death.

The film's director, Anthony Hemingway should have stuck to directing TV shows before filming this lackluster effort. John Ridley and Aaron McGruber's script feels third rate and mostly shifts into territories of melodrama and clichés. They should have taken out the bad subplot involving a romance between an Italian girl and one of the pilots and remained focused to expand on the story of the Airmen. The art direction looks like it's been borrowed from too many movies and the action sequences fails to generate any thrills. The visual effects from Industrial Light and Magic add no excitement to the action.

The young actors playing the pilots {David Oyelowo, Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds and Elijah Kelly} and the acting veterans {Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard} feel like they're taking their roles forcefully instead of seriously. Both Gooding Jr. and Howard proved one thing in their respective roles: They were both in the film just for the money.

All in all, this fails both in entertainment and as a history lesson. For the past four decades, Lucas wowed audiences by showing them how movies can take people to brand new worlds with "Star Wars" and "Indy". Now, this time, he has failed. Both Lucas and the Tuskegee Airmen deserved better.

In the end, the best thing to come out of this is the thing before the film itself. The "thing" that I'm talking about is the trailer for the upcoming and hopefully very funny "Three Stooges" movie.

Rating: 1 star

In 1991, when "Beauty and The Beast" came out, it has changed the way we have seen animated films. This was a movie that had pure heart in storytelling and a groundbreaking score that could take moviegoers straight to Broadway heaven without going to the real place. Now it's back in theaters in 3-D, and from the first minute, it has never been more crystal clear and magnificent than before in 21 years.

Belle{Paige O'Hara} is a daughter of a smart and funny inventor Maurice {Rex Everheart}. She has a love for her father and books but, she wishes for a better life. The town's most handsome man Gaston {Richard White} tries to get Belle's attention, but she refuses. Then one night, when Maurice tries to make a shortcut on the way to the inventor's fair, he is stopped by wolves. Maurice then finds shelter at a castle, but soon he becomes prisoner of the Beast {Robby Benson}. Later, when Belle finds her father in the dungeon, the Beast stops her from setting him go. But then, Belle decides to trade herself for her father's safety. Soon, Belle realizes that she is seeing magical things such as a teapot, a candlestick and a clock come to life. The magical things are really humans that have been cursed because of a spell that turned the prince into a Beast. Now the Beast must find a way to get back to his human self and Belle could be the one thing that could break the curse.

Fans of the original will feel like going back to cloud 9 and the brand new generation of kids will be amazed. The animation is like so brighter and beautiful than ever. The "Be Our Guest" and dance sequences have never looked better. Plus, the soundtrack has a clearer new sound thanks to today's technology. Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman's songs are so tuneful and hummable that Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter would give a run for their money.

The characters' voices really deliver. Benson gives the Beast a creature that has been long suffering because of a mistake and a strong voice that would have made Clint Eastwood proud. O'Hara gives a marvelous and Streisand-like voice as Belle. Angela Lansbury is a revelation as Mrs. Potts and the late great Jerry Orbach shines as Lumiere.

"Beauty" really shows us why we go to the movies for. It makes us laugh, cry, applaud, learn something and be wowed. It really delivers the same evidence for now in 2012 as it did in 1991.

Note: Before "Beauty and the Beast", the characters from Disney's recent hit "Tangled" are back in a very funny short ,"Tangled Ever After" showing the wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn. It will make cartoon fans remember the old days of the Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry. Also, stay during the end credits for a special treat.

Rating: 4 Stars

Some people fish for stories that reaches to the heart, but some has trouble finding its route. Mark Steven Johnson's "Simon Birch" is like that. It's a film with fine performances and a bit of spirit, but midway, it goes into a predictable route.

Based on John Irving's novel, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", the film, which takes place in Maine during the 1960's, is about Simon {Ian Michael Smith} and his best friend, Joe {Joseph Mazzello}. Simon was born as the smallest kid in town. The doctors and his parents didn't know if he was going to survive, but he did. Simon and Joe have been best friends. They hang out by the lake, go to Sunday school, and play Little League together. Soon, Joe's Mom {Ashley Judd} gets a new boyfriend, Ben {Oliver Platt}, a drama teacher.

But tragedy comes when Joe's mom gets killed accidentally by a foul ball that Simon hit during a game. After that, Joe begins to find a search for his father. Meanwhile, Simon tries to find out who he really is inside.

The film has a promising first half, but after the accident and before the satisfying final act, it goes into paint-by-the-numbers mode. In its 114-mintue length, it seems too long. Mark Steven Johnson's direction is a lightweight effort, but his script is half original and half automatic and has little character development. Songs from the 60's and Marc Shairman's score gives a dreamy touch to the proceedings.

Smith is very touching and funny as the title role, and throughout, we see him as a real character. But, he gives jokes that feels corny {for example, "I not sure whether or not they want us to play Little League or to pee"}. Mazzello {"Jurassic Park"} gives a smart and kind personally to Joe. Judd as Joe's Mom is wonderfully delightful, but has short time and Platt gives a little everyman effort to Ben. Jim Carrey's narration as Old Joe is kind, but distracts a little from the film's enjoyment.

The film is rated PG for mild language and adult themes. Parents may tell their kids "You didn't hear that word" when mild curse words are heard, and young viewers won't mind about the little adult themes. In the end, it's a too long but good family film that insults a little to the viewer's eye.

My Pick: Yellow Light {Think about It}

Fans of the movie genres known as "Musical", "Classic", and "Romance" and pure true lovers, lend me your ear. If you looking for the perfect romance musical, then the Oscar-winning "An American in Paris" is really the right movie for you. From the first minute, you, fellow viewer and reader, has been transformed into a cinematic world of lavishing color, enchanting magic and endless delights. After the end, even the whole movie stays with you for long as you can remember.

This is the story of Jerry Mulligan {Gene Kelly}, a former American GI living in Paris making paintings and making friends with pianist Adam Cook {Oscar Levant} and singer Henri Baurel {Georges Guetary}. He soon finds love in the form of Lise Bouvier {Leslie Caron}, but soon romantic problems develop and Lise is not sure of what to do with her future with Jerry.

This is one of the most delicious and most shining musicals around, and the superb score and choreography shows why this film feels not really dated. George and Ira Gershwin has mastered a genius of a lovely score right here, filled with so much many hummable songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Our Love is Here to Stay", "Stairway to Paradise" and so much more. This is really and truly better than most of the music we have today. The choreography by Kelly is and truly a revelation. The most memorable of these, the ballet in the end, is one of the most ingenious and wondrous musical numbers we have ever seen in the history of the American musical.

Kelly gives an everyday guy persona to Jerry. Once he becomes a character, we stay with him that way. The way he acts, the way he really dances, the way he sings, he really is a different type of a character. Caron really delivers in her first film role as Lise. She gives a lighting spark of radiance and power to the character. The moments that Kelly and Caron are together, the heart of romance goes aflutter and the viewer suddenly has gone love struck, rooting for them all the way.

Even the supporting cast is feeling the magic as we speak. Levant is very funny and sensational. He delivers the film's comic moment when he conducts his own orchestra performing his own piece in a hilarious dream. Guetary is all dapper and gay. He is truly a wonder performing "Stairway to Paradise". Nina Foch also delivers as Jerry's society friend, Milo. She delivers one of the film's best one liners when waiting for a date with Jerry and another girl, Jerry asks "Who is the other girl?" Milo says "Me."

Vincente Minnelli delivers a fantastic film here. Alan Jay Lerner's script is nothing short of delightful. The costumes and the sets by Orry-Kelly, Preston Kelly and Cedric Gibbons, respectively, are full of splendor and life.

This is really a magnificent and can't miss film to watch not just by yourself, but for the whole entire family, even your pet. Rarely has a musical felt so much lovely and perfectly as this.

My Pick: Green Light {See It}

One minute, you seeing in your own vision that something terrified is going to happen to the airplane after takeoff. Then, suddenly, it happens in real life. And this is just the beginning of "Final Destination", an always haunting but thought-provoking motion picture. From the first half-hour, you know that you're in for a different kind of thriller.

After the explosion, Death starts a design that leads to some deaths of the crash's survivors. One of the survivors, Alex {Devon Sawa} tries to figure out who get killed next and to stop and cheat Death. This is really one of those times to put your brain off logic and on focusing on what really happens next.

Devon Sawa is intelligent and not afraid as Alex and Ali Larter's performance as Clear is full of anguish. Plus, little comic support is provided by Chad Donella as Alex's pal, Tod.

James Hong's direction is intense and scary when it really needs to be. The smart script makes the viewer to keep guessing until the very end. The late Shirley Walker's score is chilling and reminds me of the old scores in the films of Hitchcock. The effects help give the death scenes a shiver to the body and bone as well as a shock to the mind. The final showdown and surprise ending has the same feeling as well.

The film gives a perfect after movie discussion for the question of "what happens if or when we die?" It even shows why the later sequels didn't have a heart and mind. Because the film was and always has been an original. This is one of the scariest movies out there and a perfect Halloween film. If Hitchcock himself was still alive, he would have been so proud.

My Pick: Green Light {See It}

Phone booths are a place where tourists and locals need to talk if they don't have a cell phone or for a secret purpose. But somewhere, on one street, married publicist Stu Shepherd {Colin Farrell} talks to his dream girl, Pam {Katie Holmes} on one of the last old fashioned booths in all of Midtown Manhattan. But then, the phone suddenly rings. Stu picks it up and a stranger calls to him and tell him to stay on the line. The stranger {Kiefer Sutherland} finds out Stu's secrets and information and then tries to get his and Stu's moment in the spotlight. Soon, before you believe it, Stuart is in for a long and terrified call.

This is the set up for Joel Schumacher's "Phone Booth". It's a little shallow but fun thriller about trying to invade the privacy of a person. Seeing it, I wondered that we don't know who to trust in real life, the stranger who is asking a question on the street, or the gritty beat of the streets that surrounds our cites, or the phone booths who many people put in coins to try to connect to people. I also thought that this movie couldn't focus on whether to become a real movie or a made for TV like production.

Farrell, who has no trouble with his American voice and felt right at home with "Minority Report" {2002}, is strong right here as Stu but a little melodramatic. Holmes and Radha Mitchell as Stu's wife, Kelly are underused here. Forest Whitaker gives a strong and understanding side to his character, the Police Captain. But the movie's real star is Sutherland. He's really and truly a smart and though provoking villain of trickery that reminded me of Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber in "Die Hard".

Schumacher's direction is a lightweight but documentary-style effort. Larry Cohen's script is both second-rate and developed with little character development. If I was Cohen, I should have took out a subplot that involved hookers trying to use the phone and let it stay focused on Stu and the stranger. Matthew Libatique's camera work is fast paced and the split scenes that he provided help support the story. The opening sequence feel too stylish and the ending is cloying and predictable.

At the near-end, Stu gives a saddening monologue about his life and secrets that shows an example of a character trying to make the right thing before deciding his doom. It gives a message that we must think what to do with our lives before trying to make it to the top. This film is not a tired exercise in our time, but I decided to give it a mixed recommendation anyway.

My Pick: Yellow Light {Think about it}

In the past, we have seen movies about of the topic of afterlife. There has been some good films {"Ghost"} and some bad ones {"Just Like Heaven"}, but for this critic, I think that Clint Eastwood's "Hereafter" belongs in the latter category.

This film has three sides of the story and three characters. The first character is France TV anchor Marie {Cecile DE France} who sees the dead and comes back alive during a tsunami. The second character is George {Matt Damon}, a former psychic who can see and speak to the dead. The last one is Marcus {Frankie Mclaren}, a kid who tries to contact his late twin brother in the afterlife.

Thought-out the film, I didn't know which character to care about. The film's beginning and ending looks fine, but the too long middle part is very predictable. The special effects including heaven and the tsunami feels like it came from another movie. Even Eastwood's direction feels and looks like a Lifetime movie drama. Eastwood was fine with films like "Mystic River", "Gran Torino" and "Million Dollar Baby" but, he never really feels right at home here.

Damon, who is at many times likable in some films, feels underused here despite his top billing. The two fine performances to come out of this is France and Mclaren.

Some films takes in-depth and understandable looks at what we will be seeing in the life after, but "Hereafter" should have took that risk in the first place.

My Pick: Red Light {Skip It]

In 2007, Michael Bay hit one out of the ballpark with "Transformers". But 2 years later,he got a strikeout with the second film in the series, "Revenge of the Fallen". Now he's back on bat with the third film, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon". This time, He gets a another strikeout.

This third film which looks like a 2 and a half hour toy commercial plug, deals with the battle for America between the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Shia Labeouf is still good as before as Sam Witwicky. Taking over for Megan Fox is model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Whiteley may have half of Fox's looks but none of the charm. The rest of the supporting cast including Patrick Dempsey, John Turturro, Frances Mcdormand and John Malkovich are mostly underused. But the only shining supporting star is Ken Jeong {"The Hangover" and TV's "Community"}. Jeong is very funny as Sam's co-worker, but his role lasts a few minutes.

Bay's direction is, as Roger Ebert would put it "eye candy for the blind". Ehren Kruger's script is too banal and drags the movie on too long. The visual effects are at times both impressive and corny. Armi Morki's cinematography make us feels like we are watching a music video.

Transformers fans will be wowed by it. But for the rest of us, we see it as a endurance contest. Just in case non-fans, bring in pillows.

FYI: The film is in both 2-D and 3-D versions. I saw it in 2-D. My advice: Skip both versions, go see Harry Potter instead.

My Pick:Red Light{Skip It}

After eight films and ten years, Harry Potter finally takes a curtain call, and what a outstanding curtain call this one is.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" is a film that puts the pieces from the past films all together and turns out to be not just by far,the summer's best movie, but the best "Potter" ever.

In this eight film, Harry finally tries to battle Lord Voldemort, who now has the elder wand from Dumbledore's grave.

Daniel Radcliffe {Harry}, Rupert Grint{Ron}, and Emma Watson{Hermione} are all back and better than ever. Ralph Fiennes gives a genius of a performance as Voldemort. Julie Walters is brave and wonderful in her expanded role of Ron's mom, and Alan Rickman is as always great as Severus Snape.

David Yates's direction is nothing short of superb and Steve Kloves writes a smart script that helps answers all of the series's past questions. Yates and Kloves made a wise choice of dividing the last book into two parts for the screen, and what a great choice it was.

At the end of the film, the audience I saw it with gave the film a fine standing ovation. It shows that once in a while, a film series has to end on top. With this masterpiece, this was no exception.

FYI: I saw it in 3-D. Whichever version you go see it in, It's still great.

My Pick:Green light{See It}

If you're looking for another Pixar masterpiece, you'll won't find it here. But if you are looking for a good time at a family movie this summer, Pixar's "Cars 2" is just the ride, no matter which version you see it in {3-D and 2-D}.

In this sequel to the hit 2006 film, Mater mistakenly becomes a secret spy, while his friend Lighting Mcqueen rides in the World Grand Prix. Mater uncovers a plan to stop Allinol gasoline.

Most of the voice cast is back, with some brand new characters. Owen Wlison is good but a little underused as Lighting. Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer are both clever and smart respectively as two new characters,Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. John Turturro is very funny as Lighting's newest rival, Francesco Bernoulli. But the movie's real star is Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. He steals the picture from start to finish.

John Lasseter is back in the director's chair and he gives the picture its magical, cool and dazzling vision. Ben Queen's script is smart and outrageous. Michael Giacchino's hot score helps gives the film its magic touch.

This movie is hip and cool as it gets. Together with a brand new remarkable short featuring the gang from "Toy Story 3", it makes it a perfect time at the movies for the whole family.

My pick: Green light {See It}

Rarely,some sequels gets good in the first few minutes and then, it loses its magic throughout the rest of the film {take "Beverly Hills Cop III" and "Batman & Robin" for example}. Well, Dreamworks's "Kung Fu Panda 2" gets it and it handles it with less irony and a little wit.

In this sequel to the 2008 computer animated hit, Po the panda and his gang of heroes try to save China from his parents's old nemesis,an evil peacock named Shen.

Jack Black returns as the voice of Po, and he gives the film its touch of laughter. He helps makes Po the Axel Foley of Animation. Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen and Dustin Hoffman are also back respectively as Tigress, Mantis and Shifu but this time, they are all a little bit underused. Gary Oldman gives a fine performance as the film's villain, Shen, but is close to other great villain performances such as Ursula and Scar. Also good is Michelle Yeoh as the voice of the Soothslayer.

Jennifer Yun Nelson handles her first film both a little slow and fast at times. Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger's script acts sometimes as an 3-part episode of a 90's animated Saturday morning series running for 90 minutes. The animated effects {both in 2-D and in 3-D} are not as eye-popping or great in the first but it still good.

When I saw it in 3-D, It was good for the first 25 minutes, but during the rest of the time, I began to feel restless and taking off my 3-D glasses twice. Whichever version {2-D or 3-D} suit you best, the kids will have more fun, but for the rest of the people, they will try to attempt making a good time at it.

My Pick: Yellow Light {Think about it}

If you want greatness and real power and heart in one summer movie? Well, with a smart and moving script,fast-paced direction and superior visuals,producer Steven Spielberg and writer/director J.J Abrams's "Super 8" delivers a powerful "yes". From the first minute to the last, this is pure movie heaven.

It's about a group of children who makes a film on a super 8 camera. One night, while filming, they see a train crash and it unleashes a secret creature that brings terror to the town.

Abrams helps keep the audience in their seats with his fast-timing and sharp direction and a wise and smart script that keep the viewers guessing. Cinematographer Larry Fong help gives the film its stunning and impressive images. The visual effects from the team at Industrial Light and Magic is a wonder to behold.

Elle Fanning and newcomer Joel Courtney respectively give bright and wonderful performances as the leads, Alice and Joe. Kyle Chandler {TV's "Friday Night Lights"} is good as Joe's father, Jackson. Ron Eldard, who plays Annie's father, Louis, gives a great and standout performance that's worth deserving of an Oscar nomination.

The film's ending reminded me of another Spielberg film, "Close Encounters of The Third Kind". They both give a message that no matter who you are, no matter what happens, you still need the strength to live.

This is one summer movie that let you hold on and never let go. Come next year, "Super 8" will hopefully become one of the 10 Oscar nominees for Best picture. Don't walk. Run to the box office now.

My pick: Green light {See It}