THE FILM:

Based on the children's graphic-novel series by Aaron Blabey, Pierre Perifel's The Bad Guys is a high-energy animated film with a solid story, interesting visuals, and strong voice talent in Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, and Marc Maron. In the opening sequence, which is an unexpected and hilarious nod to Pulp Fiction, it is revealed that humans and animals coexist in the film's world. Mr. Wolf (Rockwell) leads a group of animal criminals dubbed "the Bad Guys" by fox governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) that includes safe-cracker Mr. Snake (Maron), hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), muscle Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), and master of disguises Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson). The crew does not appreciate the outside hate from Foxington, who labels them monsters, so Mr. Wolf decides to steal a valuable artif...Read the entire review

The Movie:

Apparently the Dreamworks film Boss Baby has become quite the little industry for the studio. What started as a couple of picture books when into that 2017 release that made half a billion dollars worldwide, followed by a Netflix show that recently finished its fourth season, and so 2021's Family Business is the first theatrical follow-up, with the gang appearing to be all here for it?

Writer Michael McCullers and director Tom McGrath reunite to helm this project, with all the familiar voices back in this animated joint. Tim (James Marsden, Sonic the Hedgehog), a baby in the first film, is now a stay at home Dad raising Tabitha (Arianna Greenblatt) and baby Tina (Amy Sedaris, Strangers with Can...Read the entire review

I don't know what's going on with me right now, but I suddenly can't make it through an animated movie about friendship with welling up a little. Apparently I needed a reminder that it's OK to let friends go, to force your own insecurities to give up their hold on your relationships, to believe that love binds even across distances. Seems about time for a gushy quote like "If you love them, let them go", and I guess that's basically what I'm saying, but I'm going to hold myself back from complete cheeseball at least. But I will say this; that the message is one that...Read the entire review

In 10 Words or Less
Cute concept and imaginative animation almost overcome struggling story

Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Alec Baldwin, good animation, dogs
Likes: Steve Buscemi
Dislikes: plot holes, unmotivated rude humor
Hates: unearned sentimentality

The Movie
The Boss Baby, which starts with Marla Frazee's picture-book concept and goes off on its own, far more involved path, is built around an undeniably amusing concept: an infant as a miniature businessman. Taking the core of Frazee's book--that an infant is not unlike a domineering new boss who runs their employees (or parents) ragged with their non-stop demands and tantrums--and attempts to build a mythology around it, making the Boss Baby (an ...Read the entire review

It's all starting to make sense, and the Rosetta Stone is Tate Taylor. The Girl on the Train was a best-selling book, a Gone Girl page-turner, a Fifty Shades romance, a Harlequin trash novel, but set up to succeed as a movie at least in the way those other two were able to, pulling the curious into the theatre and allowing them to leave alarmed but pleased. Tate Taylor threw a wrench in those works, however, and looking back at his past directing experience, we should have seen that coming. ...Read the entire review

Note: Portions of this review have have been reprinted from my theatrical review of Kung Fu Panda 2.

Picking up where the original Kung Fu Panda left off, Kung Fu Panda 2 finds Po (Jack Black) a real member of the Furious Five (also consisting of Angelina Jolie's Tigress, Jackie Chan's Monkey, Lucy Liu's Viper, David Cross's Crane, and Seth Rogen's Mantis), swooping in to save innocent bystanders when bad guys come out to play. Their newest nemesis: Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), a powerful peacock who has been stealing metal from all over the world in order to forge the world's first cannons, which are described to Po and the Five as having the power to "kill kung fu." Po may be the Dragon Warrior, but the destruction caused by Shen's cannons certainly concerns Po, the Five, and Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), e...Read the entire review

Even before his life is changed forever, there are hints that Po (Jack Black) is secretly a bit different. For one thing, Po is a hulking panda, and his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong) is a goose. Mr. Ping's lifelong ambition is to make noodles, while Po dreams of something bigger: being a kung fu master like his heroes, the Furious Five -- Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), and Mantis (Seth Rogen), who have been trained by the equally awe-inspiring Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Legend tells of a Dragon Warrior, a subject who will be chosen as a master to the Furious Five and save all of China from imminent destruction, and Po is ecstatic to find out that Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) is choosing the Dragon Warrior. All Po wants to do is watch the ceremony, but he ends up being chosen as the Dragon Warrior himself, a decision which shocks the Five, s...Read the entire review

The Movie:

After the runaway success of the Despicable Me franchise, thanks heavily to children around the world going apes--t for the protagonist's linguistically-challenged goofy yellow henchmen called Minions, it was only a matter of time for other animation studios to jump on the lucrative yellow pill-shaped bandwagon and come up with their own cuddly, cute, and clueless ripoffs. Months before the release of the Minions movie, where the interchangeable merchandise moneymakers got to star in their own vehicle, Dreamworks animation released Home, an absurdist and trippy road movie for little kids, about an aloof goo-shaped alien and a little girl embarking on a globetrotting adventure in a flying car.

When Oprah produces a movie, I worry. I'm just not the target audience for her show, her book club, or her taste. Maybe that's because I'm not a 40-year-old mother of three from Missouri, or maybe that's because I don't like cheese. Whatever the reason, I hear Oprah and I assume I won't like the content. Now Stephen Spielberg I like. He also produced the film, teaming up with Oprah to push this book-turned-screenplay. So we have a draw; better look to the director. Lasse Hallstrom has been directing over-dramatic movies since the 90s. Once Around, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, The Shipping News, Salmon F...Read the entire review

Think back through the fog of memory to the year 2010, when Pixar was still the reigning champ of CG animated movies. At the time How to Train Your Dragon was released, their last film was Up, an adventure story that was as heartbreaking as it was funny, and Toy Story 3 loomed over the summer. DreamWorks Animation's last two films, on the other hand, were the tepid spoof Monsters vs. Aliens and the first Madagascar sequel, which didn't feel nearly as warranted as a second or third Toy Story. Their reputation consisted of pop culture references and the "DreamWorks Face" (a half-grin with crooked eyebrow embraced by the heroes on almost all of their movie posters). It was in this environment that I received a press invite to How to Train Your Dragon, at 10 AM on a Saturday, requiring either 40 minutes in the car plus parking fees, or an hour ...Read the entire review

Please Note: The stills used here are taken from the DVD portion of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

The Movie:

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a movie about a headstrong horse who'll never, ever be tamed - he's "come into this world, wild and free," galloping through the American West "wild and untamed" - and if anyone tries to reign him in, he's "never gonna give in" (Bryan Adams' words, not mine). Gorgeously combining hand-drawn and CGI animation, the DreamWorks-produced feature comes to Blu Ray in a nice combo pack which retains the bonus features from the 2002 DVD edition.

With an uncluttered story devoid of most kiddie-movie clichés, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron counts as ...Read the entire review

The Terminal is such a quiet, charming, andbeautifully realized movie and yet it opened in 2004 to lukewarmreviews and onlymodest domestic box-office. I suppose part of it is that audiences werenotsure if they wanted to see an over two hour long movie about a manstuck in anairport terminal. Yet what some filmmakers would be incapable of makingwork,Spielberg turns into something incredibly moving and enjoyable that isfull ofsurprises. The Terminal is textbook movie magic.

The magical qualities that Spielberg brings toeverything heinvolves himself in are apparent here in strikingly bold strokes. Thisis oneof the director's best and most underappreciated films. The effortreunitedSteven Spielberg with collaborat...Read the entire review

Anchormanisone of the most successful and iconic comedies to bereleased in the past decade. There's a part of me that is stillsurprised byhow successful it's become but it's undeniable that the film has acertaincharm that makes it work more than most comedies produced in the pastdecade orso of the genre. The entire film harkens back to a lot of greatcomedies fromthe 80's and it does so remarkably well with a jubilant over-the-topapproachthat makes fun of some of the stereotypes and dated-cu...Read the entire review

Theo has racing in his blood...or, wait, whatever it is that garden snails have inside. He has racing in his something. Every waking hour and then some is spent daydreaming about blazing across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at a couple hundred miles an hour, just like his idol, racing sensation Guy Gagné. Look, though, this isn't some far-flung fantasy universe where bears and mosquitos and yorkiepoos

<...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/61896 Tue, 22 Oct 2013 11:47:45 UTC Recommended In 10 Words or Less The big green ogre on the great white way Reviewer's Bias* Loves: Fun musicals Likes: Shrek Dislikes: Most movie to stage adaptations Hates: How few broadway shows are on home video The Show For as creatively bankrupt as we critics and reviewers continuously label Hollywood, what does it say about Broadway that they continuously turn to Hollywood for ideas for shows, despite the fast majority of them failing to recoup their costs despite a baked-in familiarity for the audience? I remember sitting in the audience of the short-lived adaptation of 9 to 5, which featured a fantastic cast headlined by Allison Janney and Megan Hilty, and which picked up a haul of award nomin...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/61879 Mon, 21 Oct 2013 00:48:09 UTC Recommended THE FILM: Click an image to view Blu-ray screenshot with 1080p resolution. Solid voice talent and animation raise The Croods slightly above similar mid-tier animated flicks. Nowhere near as polished as the best efforts from Disney and Pixar, The Croods is still an appealing family adventure from DreamWorks Animation. Emma Stone voices wide-eyed cave girl Eep Crood, who has grown tired of her overprotective father and caveman family. The story's rebellious teenager and family bonding elements are familiar, but an unexpectedly quick pace and some decent humor m...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/60711 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:05:49 UTC Highly Recommended THE FILM: Click an image to view Blu-ray screenshot with 1080p resolution. Over a decade in the making, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is a meticulous, accomplished dramatization of the Great Emancipator's push to enact the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution before the end of the Civil War. Daniel Day-Lewis again totally transforms into his role, this time adopting the surprisingly modest voice of the sixteenth president. Lincoln is Spielberg's best film in some time; dense, expertly staged, historically accurate and rarely dull. The screenpla...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/59873 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:16:19 UTC Highly Recommended *Click on all images in this review for full 1080p screenshots. The Guardians of Childhood (book) series by William Joyce was quite the find for Dreamworks Animation, as it clearly held the potential to be a gold mine. From a marketing standpoint, it was brilliant in its simplicity. First, they'd be able to cash in on Christmas filmgoers by incorporating our f...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/60008 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:21:59 UTC Rent It Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones Year: 2012 I was a little late in seeing what many said was the film of the year and, before even seeing it, I was ready to believe them. I mean, come on; Spielberg directing, Day-Lewis starring, and John Williams producing the music. Add in the epic story of one of American history's most influential figures and how could it go wrong? Well, for good or bad I got to see things go wrong before I got to see the movie; losing Best Director to Ang Lee and then losing Best Picture to Argo. Apparently Lincoln wasn't the unbeatable cinematic giant it appeared to be when it first hit theatres, a...Read the entire review ]]> DVD Video https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/59818 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:59:47 UTC Rent It In 10 Words or Less A short, yet amusing holiday special Reviewer's Bias* Loves: Animation Likes: Madagascar Dislikes: Most non-Christmas holiday specials Hates: Single-serving DVDs The Show Whomever at Dreamworks thought up the idea of creating holiday specials out of their popular animated movie franchises hopefully has been rewarded well, as it obviously has been a successful venture. After all, why would we keep getting them on a regular basis if they weren't making the studio money? The latest brings back the now-seemingly ubiquitous animal empire of Madagascar, to celebrate the somewhat less-exploited holiday of Valentine's Day with an original animated special. Set before the days of ...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/57571 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:24:55 UTC Recommended The Show: Kung Fu Panda Holiday has just been released on this Blu-Ray/DVD set, but it originally aired in 2010 on the NBC network (with its annoying onscreen logo and more than five minutes of commercials) so this would place it before the movie Kung Fu Panda 2. The holiday in question here is not Christmas (despite a label on the outside of the package saying "New for Christmas") or Life Day for that matter, but the Winter Feast at the Jade Palace. Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman, as in the movies) calls on Po the Panda (Jack Black) to be the host of the Winter Feast, to be attended by all the "masters of kung fu". However Po is torn when he wants to invite his "dad" Mr. Ping (James Hong) and Shifu tells him the event is only for the masters. Meanwhi...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/57570 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:18:12 UTC Recommended *Click on ALL images in this review for full 1080p screenshots Just a few short months ago, Dreamworks put their stamp on the holiday home video market with a collection of Halloween shorts, and there's no question that it was a delightful treat. Of course, it had an advantage, as there really aren't too many worthwhile Halloween specials on the market, but Christma...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/58852 Fri, 16 Nov 2012 03:32:28 UTC Highly Recommended Sometimes a writer freezes at the outset. It's not writer's block, it's not the mythical "fear of the blank page." It's just there is no one clear way to get going. It reportedly took Steven Spielberg twelve years to bring Lincoln to the screen? He didn't know where to start, and neither do I. And though I doubt I'll end up in any place even remotely of the same quality as his film, I'll do what Señor Spielbergo eventually did and just get going. There have been many Abraham Lincoln films recently. In this one, he doesn't fight the undead, nor is it about the men who killed him. Lincoln is about the man himself, ...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/57835 Sat, 03 Nov 2012 12:23:47 UTC Recommended THE MOVIE: Please Note: The stills used here are taken from the bonus DVD included in this combo, not the Blu-ray edition under review. When People Like Us opens, we see Chris Pine performing in a role he seems born to play: a salesman. The Star Trek actor stars here as Sam, a hustler who works for a company that basically takes trash from different companies, calls it surplus, and moves it around the world for fun and profit. Sam is closing a big deal, but what he thinks is going to be a killer day becomes a killer for a bunch of reasons he didn't anticipate. First, he discovers a deal he made to ship some soup south of the border has gone the wrong w...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/56381 Wed, 24 Oct 2012 02:33:43 UTC Highly Recommended CLICK on ALL images in this review for full resolution screenshots Each October, I comb through my horror films and watch as many as my schedule allows, and this year is no exception. But, why do studios have to work under the assumption that we crave nothing but bad make-up and buckets of red corn syrup...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/52701 Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:28:08 UTC Highly Recommended The Film: So often, we're asked to enjoy animated films with an air of familiarity that harks to the first (or second, or third) entry in a series, where tag lines reemerge and the story walks and talks just like those that came before it. Kung Fu Panda 2 isn't immune to this; the mix of spirited brawls, throwbacks to classic '70s and '80s kung-fu cinema, and jabs at an unlikely, jiggly hero strays little from the formula that worked with Dreamworks' Oscar-nominated surprise hit from a few years back. Instead, the artistic gang has tweaked it a little by holding back on the humor and dialing up the explosive candy-coated action, while taking a serious angle by exploring the origin of Po, an orphaned panda fresh in the ways of the hand-t...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/53861 Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:43:03 UTC Highly Recommended In 10 Words or Less Animated adventure with a hint of humor Reviewer's Bias* Loves: Good animation, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis Likes: Action comedy, Antonio Banderas, the Shreck franchise Dislikes: Wasted talent Hates: Humpty Dumpty The Movie Though your humble reviewer has watched all four Shrek films, and enjoyed them to various degrees, outside of the first one, none would demand repeat viewings. However, those three sequels brought us the one character that escaped the franchise with a positive reputation: Puss in Boots, the feline Antonio Banderas avatar. So it made perfect sense for Dreamworks to take his boots and walk them over to a film of his own. But instead of ma...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/53827 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:28:27 UTC Rent It I guess you could call Steven Spielberg's War Horse "old fashioned," but I wouldn't deploy it as a compliment. Handsomely mounted and utterly sappy, it's the filmmaker's least successful picture since The Lost World: Jurassic Park; it has its moments, but they are undercut by inexplicable choices and the project's utter solemnity about itself. And it is almost entirely undone by the comically overwrought work of composer John Williams, whom Spielberg has allowed to go completely out of control. The film is based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, which also inspired the current Broadway play. It's the story of Joey, the titular steed, and Albert (Jeremy Irvine), the boy who raises him, trains him, and loves him. The film certainly takes its time getting said hor...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/53026 Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:13:44 UTC Recommended It's pretty fair to say that we all knew that the fourth Shrek film, occasional "Final Chapter" subtitle or not, was not going to mark the end of a franchise that gave DreamWorks animation the opportunity to just print money every couple of years; how in blazes were they going to walk away from that? Never mind that the story had long run out of steam--indeed, there wasn't enough juice for one sequel, let alone three. But that first sequel worked for one reason and one reason only: the introduction of Puss in Boots, a sly dandy of a feline, voiced by Antonio Banderas and played as a kind of cross between Zorro and Pepe LePew. Whatever life was to be found in Shrek 2 was because of his introduction into it, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that this was...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/52768 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:37:51 UTC Skip It Real Steel is a movie about robot boxing. I don't know what kind of pictures that premise puts in your mind, but I can tell you that personally, I don't envision lame father-son melodrama. Directed by Shawn Levy, the man behind the triumphant Night at the Museum franchise and the miraculously mediocre Steve Carell/Tina Fey vehicle Date Night, Real Steel is manipulative, uninspired, and occasionally obnoxious over the course of its 127 minutes. Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a world-class deadbeat who scrapes together the minimum amount of living from whatever fights he can get. When the movie opens, Charlie is having his robot awkwardly fight a live steer, which distracted me momentarily while I thought of how many weird animal abuse laws a fight like that might be breaking. When his ro...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/51096 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:22:38 UTC Recommended Director Jon Favreau has quite a playground with "Cowboys & Aliens," permitting the filmmaker a big-budget opportunity to stage classic western encounters while banging away with large-scale sci-fi elements. Although it lacks an extraordinary pace that would normally accompany the collision of two disparate genres, the picture is a comfortably entertaining slice of summer escapism, blasting away with a blissful discharge of six-guns and lasers. Waking up in the middle of nowhere, Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) finds himself wounded, without his memory, and in possession of a metal laser gun strapped to his wrist. Making his way to the nearest town, Jake mixes it up with the locals, incurring the wrath of cattle baron Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Before the two can successfully...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/49163 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:36:14 UTC Highly Recommended THE FILM: "I WANT TO LIVE!" Birthed as human insurance policies for the rich and famous, clones Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta live and work in a futuristic compound kept orderly by the fictitious threat of a pathogenic atmosphere outside. Everything is going swimmingly for the corporation selling these live donors, until Lincoln begins questioning his existence and rattling cages. Director Michael Bay adds some substance to his usual mayhem in The Island, a slick, entertaining thrill ride unfairly dismissed by critics and moviegoers when released in summer 2005. The Island questions how far humans are willing to go to extend their lives. How much would you pay, and, if necessary, could you take ...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/50047 Thu, 26 May 2011 22:21:45 UTC DVD Talk Collector Series Unless I managed to miss one, there are zero -- count 'em, zero! -- references to any current pop culture phenomena in Kung Fu Panda 2. Can this really be a "2" by the same studio that labored to bring us the second Shrek film? It seems impossible, but it's true: despite the abundance of "DreamWorks Face" plastered on the posters, the film, taken as a sequel or by itself, is exceptional, Pixar-caliber entertainment on every level. On the surface: like most animated movies these days, both Pandas feature an all-star voice cast of celebrities from all over the globe. It's certainly unique to hear Angelina Jolie sharing a scene with Seth Rogen, or Jackie Chan acting opposite David Cross, and it would be easy for the film to coast on its marquee names, but first-time...Read the entire review ]]> Theatrical https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/50040 Thu, 26 May 2011 01:29:06 UTC Highly Recommended 2008's "Kung Fu Panda" was such an unexpected delight, merging furious martial art action and a traditional hero's journey narrative to create a quirky, spirited comedy, making ideal use of star Jack Black's verbal idiosyncrasies and playful heft. The development of a sequel wasn't the most welcome news, threatening to sink a sublime feeling of creativity through cash-happy repetition. It's a relief to report that "Kung Fu Panda 2" isn't only superb, but matches the original picture in terms of scope and sentiment, once again following Po as he seeks to attain peace in his special bumbling manner. Now a kung fu master, Po (voiced by Jack Black) is thrilled to be given a chance to protect his homeland, fighting evil alongside Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane...Read the entire review ]]> Blu-ray https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/48772 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:38:54 UTC Highly Recommended Hey, I'm a cheap date. You show me a trailer with Natalie Portman writhing around half-nekkid, and I'll at least give the movie a look on Blu-ray. I had to brace myself for this one, though. No Strings Attached is a romantic comedy, after all, and that's a genre that doesn't always play that nicely with that pesky Y chromosome of mine. There's also the whole thing with Ashton Kutcher being on the bill, and his filmography's not exactly teeming with winners. Turns out, though...? I kinda like it. You know the story. Boy Read the entire review ]]>