Movie Review: Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Felonious Gru (Steve Carell) has given up on his career as a super villain, and now enjoys a quiet life as father who makes less-than-delicious fruit jellies in his basement.  But when a new bad guy threatens the world with a powerful mutagen, Gru joins the Anti-Villain League, lead by the all-too-British Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), in hopes of thwarting any nefarious plans. And since he wasn’t so keen on living a life as a jam chef, a return to the crime business is exactly what Gru has been longing for – even if he’s now on the other side.

Despicable Me 2 isn’t as fresh and fun as the first, but it is a crowd-pleasing animated spectacle sure to make kids smile -- and maybe a few parents. The same wit and clever writing that made the first film stand out is still here, but it’s hampered now by an excess of minions. Lots of minions. Too many minions. The cute little guys overtake the film, forcing the smarter moments to sit in the backseat, which is a real shame. Because I’ve got to tell you, they’re kind of a one joke act — all they do is screw things up and hurt themselves over and over again.

Movie Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

 

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) sported a mohawk as a young boy, skateboarded with his friends, and had an idealistic, punk rock image of how he would live his life. But along the way, reality trapped him. The monotony of daily life took over his identity, and Walter found himself working as a Negative Asset Manager -- or a photo archivist -- for Life magazine, living an adventurous life vicariously through the images of photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn).

Walter “zones out” constantly and day dreams that he’s another man, one less suppressed by the world and more in control of his own destiny. Sometimes his dreams mold perfectly into reality, culminating in a beautiful, surreal amalgam of wish fulfillment. Other times they are less enchanting, becoming manic special-effects-ridden spectacles that don’t fit well with the tone of the film – in fact, they sometimes detract from it.  While the fantasies work to add to the depth of the themes and characters, toning them down wouldn’t hurt at all.

Much like its protagonist, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty suffers from an identity crisis, unsure if it wants to be a wacky family comedy or a quieter, sweeter film about a man who is inspired to live a fulfilling life. It’s the latter that works far more, and it’s the former I could do without completely. I found myself wishing Walter’s fantasies were more grounded, giving me more insight into what goes on in his head.

The strange thing is that, while I know this movie is flawed (and makes a much better trailer than it does a two hour film), it still moved me on a level that few other works have accomplished. If you can get past its zany shortcomings, this really is one of the better movies of the year — when the tone and images on screen fall into sync, the result is truly spectacular.