Rudo y Cursi, Wall.E, The Spy Next Door

This week's post is what you might call a mixed bag.

#1 - RUDO Y CURSI

Stars - Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna

Director - Carlos Cuaron

Memorable Quote - Goddamnit I cannot find any good quotes online and can't remember any either :/

Review - I had high expectations for this movie, being a fan of Y Tu Mama Tambien, and having high opinions of just about everyone involved in the making of the movie. With such an all-star production group it did not disappoint: much like Invictus, this is not really a sports movie, though there is more than one football scene in it. The point here is the lives and actions of Rudo and Cursi themselves, and the mistakes they make that could have been avoided. The entire plot hinges on a simple, not-very-funny joke: the idea of my right being different from your right, and the chaos that ensues from misunderstood directions. This mistake occurs at the two most important points of the brothers' careers, and marks a transitional period for both of them - first from rags to riches, and then from riches to rags. Although it is a funny film and most of it feels quite light-hearted, the outcome of the story is a stark reminder of the fact that everything, including fame and fortune, is only transitory. But the final scene brings it round full circle, showing that you don't need those things to enjoy your life or the people in it, and that the show will always go on with or without you. This works particularly well because of the existing relationship between Bernal and Luna, which really shines through, as well as the influence of the Cuaron brothers as real-life inspiration for their acting. Also, trivia fact - I own one of those Eiffel Tower snow globes. An entertaining film with a message as well, and the camerawork in the final tense penalty scene is beautiful. Well worth a watch. 4.5/5

#2 - WALL.E

Stars - Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver

Director - Andrew Stanton

Memorable Quote - n/a

Review - There has been a lot of hype surrounding this movie, and it manages to do quite well considering that most of the dialogue is just noises and repeated words. The plot is quite interesting in that it follows the robots rather than the humans, and that the robots are the ones who help the humans get back to earth - makes a nice change from the usual 'robots will destroy us all' thing. I'm not sure I would exactly call it the best film ever made, and it is lacking in some areas; much as it is cute to see Eve and Wall-E together, there was not much of a human connection with an of the characters, and most of the ideas behind it were just silly. First of all, if they've been on board the ship for so many generations all sat in the chairs and not touching each other, how do they get babies? Storks? Anyhow, this is a children's movie and as such should not really be rated too harshly on such plot holes. The graphics were alright but there were no real moments of beauty; the best character for me was probably M-O, but the cynic in me tells me that all I'm seeing is a robotic version of the squirrel from Ice Age. A good effort, then, but not as spectacular as I had expected. 4/5

#3 - THE SPY NEXT DOOR

Stars - Jackie Chan, Amber Lavetta, Billy Ray Cyrus

Director - Brian Levant

Memorable Quote - 'I've brought down dictators. How bad can three kids be?'

Review - Yet another kid's movie! How does this keep happening? Anyway, Jackie Chan is always pretty damn cool, that's taken as read. Here we have your stereotypical working single mother, with one cute young daughter who can't speak properly, one nerdy son who wants to be cool, and one teenage daughter with an attitude problem. The nerdy son, by the way, is far too young to be saying those things about girls, surely? Well, this is a nice, safe, predictable movie, though Chan of course makes it so much better than it had the potential to be. The glasses suit him, too. Some of the fight scenes were hilarious, particularly in the kitchen. Other than that there's not much to say about this; the villains were ridiculous, the storyline silly, and the characters mostly just stereotypes with a dash of personality here and there that was not fully developed. Watch it if you have kids or like Jackie Chan; otherwise, don't bother. 3/5