Summer Movie Fun (2nd Edition)

(Back dated from the beginning of when I started to write the post)

Lovin' me some summer movies:



"Get Smart" - Starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, and Terence Stamp, with James Caan, Masi Oka, and Nate Torrence with cameos by Bill Murray, and Patrick Warburton. While this is a star studded summer movie release it was low on my radar screen for this summer it looked funny but I thought it would have been bumped to the Netflix queue. My wife however had different plans, and I'm glad she did. "Get Smart," while trying to stay true to the original concept and story of the TV series had its moments where it updated itself to current events and topics. That is what, in the end, made it funny. The TV show, as I understand it, was sprightly built upon slap-stick humor and sight gags. The movie however, allowed itself to not only be visually funny and comedic but also threw in a healthy dose of satirical commentary in the mix. This action/adventure/comedy was well cast and the ensemble played its part through and through. Hathaway's "straight man" to Carell's slightly less "straight man" was well crafted and executed with extreme grace and simplicity. Johnson and Arkin showed they could subtly enjoy great comedic roles and shy away from the limelight. The cameos and supporting rolls were great throughout peppering comedic spice to this already great buffet of comic entrees. I must admit I was surprised at how much I liked this movie it made me laugh throughout and the plot (while pretty obvious) was simple enough to lend itself to comedy yet satirical enough to give it a strong bite. 4.5/5 Remotes

"WALL-E" - Starring the visual art talents of the folks at Pixar and the voice talents of Jeff Garlin, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver, and (of course) John Ratzenberger, with a cameo acting and speaking role by Fred Willard. (Note the voices of WALL-E and EVE are Ben Burtt and Elissa Knight respectively, however, their voices were altered sound more robotic). WALL-E tells the heartwarming story of a little robot left to clean up earth after the humans have left. The graphics and visual effects alone make this movie worth the price of admission. However, as always, the great team at Pixar have written a storyboard and crafted a piece that tells a truly human tale. As an undertone WALL-E also acts as a cautionary fable for all who believe that our truly consumer society can survive. The movie tells a story through love, hope, compassion and humor to inspire and uplift the viewer. WALL-E is much more than an "animated movie" for kids to laugh and giggle at while on the family vacation in the DVD generation but is truly a comment on society that all ages should heed and enjoy. The best movie so far this summer both in voice and in visual. 5/5 Remotes