Movie Review - Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Lauri Fraser, Guillaume Aretos, Allison Janney, Zach Callison, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Mel Brooks, Steve Valentine, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and more.

Directed by: Rob Minkoff Screenplay by: Craig Wright Additional Dialogue by: Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon Based on the Series Produced by: Jay Ward Original Series Segment Created by: Ted Key Music by: Danny Elfman

Premise: While Mr. Peabody attempts to smooth over an incident with Sherman at school, Sherman tries to prove to his tormentor that he's not a liar by revealing to her the secret of the WABAC machine. Unfortunately, once she goes with Sherman traveling, Penny decides she's not coming back. So, Mr. Peabody must leave the dinner party and go with Sherman to try to convince her to come back. Things, however, do not go exactly as planned. (Rated PG)

Review:

1)  Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Dreamwork's casting for this film was outstanding. Ty Burrell had just the right voice for Mr. Peabody. Max Charles was adorable as Sherman. Ariel Winter showed her lovely range as Penny. Allison Janney made her character glow with malicious evil.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Dreamworks always pays a great amount of attention to detail, and their work on "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" was no exception. Their renderings of the historical locations they traveled to were exquisite. Mr. Peabody's lab, the time tunnel, the WABAC itself all looked amazing. What was even more fun, however, were the bits in the art that seemed to be paying homage to other films or shows - the giant statues in the sphinx shaped like cobras, the WABAC's interior looking a lot like the bridge of the 1960's "Star Trek", a couple of other spots mirroring scenes from "Dr. Who".  

That they included art bits in the ending credits of the original "Peabody's Improvable History" was a perfect touch. This was definitely a work of love.

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" is based on a 1959-1964 segment which appeared as part of the "Rocky and His Friends" and "The Bullwinkle Show" called "Peabody's Improbable History". The main points in the original segments were how the two of them would travel to important points in history and the off the wall way they would make things work out, and that all would eventually revolve around a pun or two. These traditions were definitely kept in the film.

What's most impressive about "Mr. Peabody and Sherman' is how Dreamworks took this bizarre concept of a genius dog and his adopted son who travel in time and infused it with real parent and children relationship issues, as well as several current topics pertaining to education and other agencies. Mr. Peabody may be the most accomplished dog or human of his day, but parenting doesn't always work as straightforward as science. I think many parents will resonate with the trials and feelings Mr. Peabody showed.

Puns and wordplay, as well as visual gags, are everywhere as well as an infusion of serious topics for parents and children alike to contemplate. There's even history to learn as many important events get explored, all seeded with accurate information as well as the 'not so much' kind the original segment was famous for.

4) Music - Total Thumbs Up: Danny Elfman did some marvelous music work on this film. While it carries his unique signature, it also lent itself quite engagingly to each of the times the group visits. Even better, there were riffs scattered here and there from other films and shows - "Stargate", "Lawrence of Arabia", and "The Matrix" to name a few.

Conclusion: "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" is a fun film. It gave homage to the original as well as to many other science fiction shows and did so verbally, visually, and even musically. It is a fan paradise for bits of homage, in-jokes, as well as nostalgia. Yet, the fast plot and smart script will keep both adults and kids thoroughly entertained. The short before the film called "Almost Home" is hilarious.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (Son-in-law and Daughter Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Mind Sieve 1/6/14

Greetings!

Fan Fun

Dr Who Deleted Scene from the Christmas Special - too cute.

Teaser Trailer for Orphan Black Season 2 - Oh yeah! But not here till April. :(

Ripper Street Teaser - a show which we very much liked - Feb 22nd

Draft Day - for the sports fans! Actually, this looks like something I'd like too. :)

The Expendables 3 Teaser Trailer - looks like they're throwing even MORE names at this one. lol. Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, and Harrison Ford!

Social Media/Author Platform

From Social Media Examiner - The Top 10 Social Media Posts: This Year in Social Media by Cindy King. More social media than you can shake a stick at! :)

From Kristen Lamb - Brave New Bullying: Goodreads Gangs and Amazon Attacks - What Are Writers To Do? An emotionally charged blog and possibility to anyone doing social media. Eek!

Writing Advice

From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - Writing Resolutions for 2014. Brother Beard spouts some awesome wisdom.

Stay warm peeps! I hear this week is going to be COLD just about everywhere!

Movie Review - Ender's Game

Ender's Game

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Aramis Knight, Suraj Partha, Moises Arias, Khylin Rhambo, Jimmy Pinchak, Nonso Anozie, and more.

Directed by: Gavin Hood Screenplay by: Gavin Hood Based on the Novel by: Orson Scott Card Cinematography by: Donald McAlpine Original Music by: Steve Jablonsky

Premise: After passing an unexpected final test at school, Ender, the youngest in a family of five, is invited to join the International Fleet's battle academy. The academy exist for the sole purpose of creating a great general to lead Earth against the alien adversaries who almost destroyed them seventy years prior. Colonel Graff believes Ender will be the one they're looking for. But can Ender learn the skills necessary before it's too late for mankind? (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Asa Butterfield did amazing work in his role as Ender Wiggin. The strength and brilliance of the character are easy to see, as are Ender's doubts and fears. Some really nice performances too by all the young actors involved. Harrison Ford was a great choice to play Colonel Graff. And Ford was in the film a lot more than I anticipated, which was awesome. The choice of Viola Davis to play Major Gwen Anderson not only complemented Ford's acting but also proved the perfect foil for the Colonel as Ender moves up the ranks. I also loved the work by Nonso Anozie. This is the second feature I've seen him in, and he plays his parts so very well.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Because of the awesome efforts of the special effects team and others, this is definitely one of those films that must be seen in IMAX if at all possible. The cool Formic mother ships and the giant swarms of fighters as well as the Earth's fleets and its own ships made for some interesting fighting scenes. Even better were the changing points of view over the entire system as Ender shifted the virtual screen's direction how ever he needed them, calling for closeups, side angles, and more.

The Formic's home planet as well as the changed planet with the human base looked great - though I will say the whole jagged landscape for alien worlds is starting to get way overused recently. But it did look wonderful...

Totally loved the cool Zero G battle area. And the work on the Mind Game and the Formic themselves looked incredible. And wait until you see the cool people and fighter formations. Nice!

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: I read the book "Ender's Game" back when it first came out in 1985, so I remember little about it. However, this worked in my favor, as I had no expectations and also couldn't anticipate key points, and was therefore surprised by several turning points in the film.

A number of themes run the length of the movie - the precarious decisions when trying to balance our actions between peace and violence, fear winning over reason, nothing is strictly black or white, always question everything, and others. I loved how several of these only become clear later in the film and not when they're actually presented. Like Ender, the audience must make what they can with the information given, even when we realize some is being withheld.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: There are a number of fights in the film, and not all of them during training. But regardless of the type, they were expertly done. The mock battles in the Zero G chamber had great timing, were ingenious, and the kids made it all look so easy. The non sanctioned fights had a beauty and intensity all their own.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects were outstanding, and so was the cinematography. Just watching the shuttle depart from the basin between an amazing set of mountains took my breath away. And the sweeping views of the academy with Earth in the background, as well as all the views on the different planets that were visited made the extra ticket price for IMAX totally worth it. The space shots in the meteor belt, during Ender's travel to the final training camp, and others were beautifully done.

Conclusion: "Ender's Game" is most definitely worth seeing. The awesome graphics, cinematography, special effects, and acting, make it one of the better films of 2013. If you can manage it, definitely see it in IMAX. The extra detail is totally worth it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)

(Two awesome SF flicks in the same year - who knew? And about time! Yeah!)