WALL-E

Release Date - June 2008
Rating - 4 Stars

WALL-E the new pixar movie directed by Andrew Stanton (Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Monsters Inc.) is the story of a robot that was created to compact and organize trash on Earth. After Earth was abandoned, WALL-E was left to clean all alone, except for the company of a brave cockroach. He spends his time collecting things that catch his interest and watching Hello Dolly. WALL-E longs for a companion and someone he can love and hold hands with, this of course comes from watching to much Hello Dolly. When the sleek and beautiful robot EVE comes to earth searching for plant life its love at first sight for WALL-E. The rest of the movie portrays the adventure he has as he follows her to the space station.

I was very hesitant to see this movie but in the end I loved it. WALL-E was the best Pixar movie since Toy Story 1 and 2. The story is so heart warming and full of emotion, and the integration of animation and real humans was done superbly and not in a cheesy way like Who Framed Rodger Rabbit or Cool World. There is not much talking the first 30 minutes of the movie which is fine because the visual effects are amazing! I thought there is no way pixar could ever get better at their animation but I was very wrong, this is easily the best animated movie ever made in any class of animation.

WALL-E is rated G and has nothing offensive in it, although it is not as much of a kids movie as other Pixar films. The 4-6 year old's we went with enjoyed it but I know they did not understand the plot or the message of it, and the kids under 4 had a hard time staying focused and attentive. If your a parent taking a child to a movie, I would not recommend this, unless you feel like taking a chance. It will worth it for you because it's an incredible movie, one you can see more than once in the theatre.

Hancock

Release Date - July 2008
Rating - 2 1/2 Stars

Will Smith Stars as the unlovable and often hated superhero Hancock. The movie opens with a great scene of him chasing down a few bad guys while destroying parts of LA, and if you have been to LA or spent time there it makes it even funner to watch him destroy the landmarks. Hancock is a depressed, alcoholic man with super human abilities that helps stop crime but no one appreciates his help because he is rude, brash, selfish, and destroys things whenever he is around that is until he meets Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, Arrested Development, Juno) a young PR rep who wants to help Hancock change his image and become happier. The plot felt lacking at times while we watched Hancock go from the change of worthless to worthwhile, and at times I was very annoyed at why Rays wife Mary (Charlize Theron, Monster, The Italian Job) acted so strange around Hancock, they do not tell you until almost the end of the movie. The movie revolves around Rays family and Hancock so there are no other characters that play big roles but when Will Smith is in a movie who needs any other big actors because he steals the screen, this is one of his best performances in any movie he has made. He does a fantastic job at making the character believable and you almost feel he is depressed in real life and has forgot what its like to be happy and treat people decently. It is fun to watch his transformation and his life change, event thought this movie has an original plot and idea this movie never could have worked without Smith. Hancock is rated PG-13 but is very much a border line R. There is a lot of swearing with constant use of the word a-hole and use of the f-word. There are some violent scenes that get intense at times and violent beating scene at the end of the movie. I like this movie very much but would not recommend it to people because of the content and what I feel is a deceitful rating. If your a Will Smith fan you will probably enjoy this movie.

Wanted

Release Date: June 2008
Rating: 3 stars

Wanted falls into the category of summer blockbuster and if you want a quick movie fix this is the film for you. Wanted sastifies all those movie cravings including action, and incredible special effects sequences.
The film stars veteran actor Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, and my favorite up-and-coming new star James McAvoy. Wanted is adapted from a comic book mini series which explains the fantasy spin on the age old assassin tale.
McAvoy plays Wesley Gibbs, just your average joe, although he can be a little neurotic at times; taking pills for his anxiety problems. Wesley has a crappy job, a girlfriend and best friend who walk all over him, and no hope for escaping his dull existence, that is until he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie).
Fox introduces Wesley to The Fraternity, a society of assassins that has been around for 1,000 years protecting society by keeping things in balance. From then on Wesley is swept up in a whirlwind lifestyle he never though possible.
The movie has great special effects and some really great action scenes, including someone jumping from a building as he shoots people on the next rooftop.
The plot is a bit sketchy but the action and cinematography more than make up for it. Jolie as usual gives a stiff performance, and the chemistry between Jolie and McAvoy is seriously lacking.
Wanted is rated R for sexual content, language, and extreme violence. There are a couple of sex scenes with rear male nudity, and a scene in which Jolie gets out of a bath tub and we see a shot of her naked backside (which isn't so great because she's scary skinny!) There is a heavy usage of the F word, most of which are unnecsessary and add bulk to an otherwise good film. The violence in the film is very heavy and graphic. If you don't like seeing bullets go through people's heads then this isn't a film for you.
I thought the film was fun and a good story with a stellar performance from rising star McAvoy, and as usual the token villain that is filled by Samuel L. Jackson or Morgan Freeman, in this case its Freeman.
Wanted is filled with some great action sequences and awesome special effects. I would recommend this movie for people who are fans of films like Sin City, Underworld, or Pulp Fiction.
Its definitely not a movie for anyone who is squemish!