Planet 51

Planet 51 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFckTBGrTI8

So it is my daughter's 9th birthday and I was thinking of something special to do. I asked her what she would like to do and she flattered me by asking me if she could go to a movie, just her and I. I thought that it was a great idea. I asked her what movie she would like to see and she narrowed it down to Planet 51 and Disney's Christmas Carol. I gave her a description of both and she quickly said Planet 51 ("We can't go to a Christmas movie, it is not Christmas yet...Duh Dad!" Her words, not mine.) So Planet 51 it was!
After having our family supper my daughter and I left on our date for the 7pm show. It was great to see my daughter so excited, not only because she was getting to go to the movie theater but she was getting an oppertunity to spend time with Dad without having to share my time with her three other brothers.
We walk into the theater and the place was packed. I was surpised, seeing that it was a Tuesday. We got our popcorn and pop and found our way to our seats. My daughter had only been to a theater a few times before and it was fun to watch her take in the surroundings and the awe of the screen as it flashed local ads.

The lights dimmed and these were the previews that played:


The Princess Frog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0j7EactM9s


Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel


After the previews the movie began. Here is a quick overview of the movie:

American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders--like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

Theatrical Release: Friday, November 20, 2009 (Wide; 3,035 theaters)

Starring: view full cast

• John Cleese
• Gary Oldman
• Dwayne Johnson
• Jessica Biel
• Justin Long

Directed by: Jorge Blanco

Genres: Adventure Animation

Distributor: TriStar Pictures

Box Office Total: $14,587,026

MPAA Rating: PG for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor.


Things I liked about this Movie
Lem is a good kid. He wants to be successful in his new job and maybe even work up enough courage to ask his pretty neighbor, Neera, out on a date. But things just never seem to work in his favor. When Chuck shows up, Lem ends up losing his job and offending Neera because he’s convinced that he needs to protect and defend their "guest." In fact, as things get more complicated and the war-hungry General Grawl enters the fray, Lem has to put his very life on the line for the human spaceman.

Chuck returns the favor later on: The nutty Professor Kipple wants to remove Chuck’s and Lem’s brains for study and Chuck steps forward, getting him to let Lem go. Chuck tells Lem that the teen "has the right stuff" because he stood up in the face of opposition to do what he thought was right.

In the end, even Glar, a hippie-like pal of Neera’s, makes a sacrifice for Chuck’s sake, allowing soldiers to beat him up—to keep them from noticing Chuck’s rescuers.

Any Sexual Content?
One voluptuously shaped green gal wiggles past an ogling policeman, then warns him to keep his mind on finding aliens.

After the alien landing is made public, Skiff approaches Lem with a cork to protect him against "alien probes." Later, Chuck gives Lem lessons on how to approach a female. Skiff spots the two in a mock embrace and yells out, "The cork! Remember the cork." There are references to "hotties" and "mating."

Lem and Neera kiss. And in a movie clip from a previous Humaniacs movie a young couple kisses while parking in the moonlight. (A Humaniac suddenly attacks and the female parker yells out, "I knew this would happen if we made out!") A guy soaks up magazine pictures of a Marilyn Monroe look-alike.

Chuck stands up from an operating table and his sheet falls away. We see his upper chest and his bare legs from the back. His new friends, though, get the full monty. One quips, "That’s a funny place for his antenna."

How Violent is this movie?
There’s no blood—red or green—but there is lots of painful-looking slapstick. For instance, Chuck falls and lands crotch-first on a large globe, then crumples in agony to the ground. Soldiers discharge their laser weapons, passersby run screaming and a tank demolishes a car. A roomful of guards end up accidentally shooting and electrically shocking one another. (No one dies.)

Prof. Kibble repeatedly mentions wanting to remove and study Chuck’s brain and the brains of his "mind-controlled" victims. And we see two soldiers wheeled out of surgery with their brains in jars on a separate tray. The professor advances on a tied-down Chuck with a huge buzz saw-like blade. Later, the two brainless soldiers pick up the saw and drag Kibble away, saying, "You really must try it."

During the film’s credits a cartoon snapshot shows a human baby "bursting" out of the chest of a little green man. During a Humaniacs clip, large humanoids shoot death rays from their single eyes and evaporate screaming innocents.

Is there any Crude of Profane Language?
Euphemisms and stand-ins include "frickin’" and "gee." Chuck steps on a rubber duckie and exclaims, "What the … duck?" An inappropriate joke tries to get away with comically stressing the beginning of As-tro-naut. Name-calling includes "moron" and "nutcase."

What about Drug and Alcohol Content?
Chuck tells Kibble, "You don’t want my brain. I spent four years at a party school—it’s mush!"

My Personal Conclusion

This movie was interesting in idea, but in my opinion a big disappointment in delivery. I was looking forward to an animated film with some corny comedy and witty humor but instead I got a animated film chalked full of potty humor. Here is what I mean. What passes for humor in this cartoon twist-’em-up is something akin to a paperback book of fart jokes that a sly-eyed teen might hide under his mattress to keep his mom from finding it. A couple of examples (among many): When dogs on Planet 51 urinate, they expel acid. Skiff talks of feeding his dog candy in an experimental effort to have him poop jelly beans. And an actor dressed as a toothbrush for a toothpaste commercial says, "What I really do best is a suppository." A kid throws up at the mention of human aliens eating his brain.
Unfortunately, more than once, my daughter turned to me during the movie and asked me what the characters were talking about becuase of the crude comments. This is were this movie fails. A parent shouldn't have to explain adult content or derogetory comments to one's daughter while watching a supposed child friendly animated movie.

If you are asking for my opinion, you can skip this movie and wait for a more child friendly feature to take your children to.

2012 is Finally Here

So, is the end of the world on the way? No, I don't think so, but this movie does a good job of displaying otherwise. Originally i wasn't going to watch this movie and just wait for it to come out on DVD but it seams that the universe was convincing me otherwise. For example I was in Wal-mart, doing some day to day shopping, and a kid no older than the age of 5 goes by me singing, "It's the end of the world and we are all going to die!" (put to the tune of "Ring around the rosie"). No more than an hour later I am in my car listening to some talk radio (ok, I admit it! I like talk radio.) and the discussion leads to global destruction if we don't take care of our planet. Even though there was no mention of the movie 2012, that is where my mind wondered. So...why not I headed for the theatre to check out this movie.

I headed into our local theatre on a Tuesday afternoon for the matinee show of 2012. I am not a huge fan of crowded theaters, hence the matinee. Unfortunately it didn't matter. Even for a weekday matinee the theater was packed, eager with people waiting to see a movie of destruction and chaos (it was actually mainly old people who can't stand being out after 8pm. The sent of soap and perfume was almost unbearable). After I got my free popcorn (free popc
orn Tuesdays) I found a secluded corner and nestled in for the 2 hour and 38 minute flick.

Of course what is a movie without the Movie Previews! I don't know why but when ever I go to a movie I look forward to the previews just as much as I do the movie. Here are the previews I saw for upcoming movies:

-Avatar
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdxXPV9GNQ)

I am really looking forward to this movie.









Sherlock Homes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI


So here is the jist as to what 2012 is about (just enough to give you a taste and not enough to ruin it for you.

Synopsis
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. "2012" is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Is this a Spiritual Movie?
The idea that the world ends in 2012 is based on a calendar formed by the ancient Mayans (though it should be noted that the Mayans also had predictions covering at least another 2,700 years, meaning they must not have thought it was the end). The talk show host tells us that other civilizations echoed the prophecy and claims that the Bible predicts something of the sort, too. ("Kinda," he says.) As his final broadcast is coming to an end, the host tells his listeners he hopes they have all made their "peace with God."

Jackson and his young daughter, Lilly, sing the gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" on the way to Yellowstone. We see religious services on television and hear a pastor say he and his followers believe in "the gospel of the Lord Jesus. We have nothing to fear." The president spends time in a chapel and, in his final address, recites Psalm 23.

When it looks as if he’s about to die, we hear the president whisper to his deceased wife, "Dorothy, I’m coming home." Another politician refuses to tell his aged, forgetful mother about the end of the world, explaining later that she deserves to "meet her Maker on her own terms."

Catholics gather in St. Peter’s Square to listen to the Pope: The service is cut short by a massive earthquake that destroys the Vatican, whereupon we see a massive crack in the roof of the Sistine Chapel which opens a fissure between Michelangelo’s Adam and God.

Of course we see a man on a street corner holding a sign saying, "Repent! The end is near!" And Buddhist monks play ancillary roles.

Any Sex?
Gordon, a surgeon who specializes in breast implants, apparently lives with Kate (Jackson’s ex-wife). When he tries to cuddle her in the supermarket, he tells her that women pay thousands of dollars to have him handle their breasts. He says, "You get it for free." Jackson tries to take his children to a spot in Yellowstone that he and Kate used to love, whereupon his son says, "I don’t want to know where you and Mom had sex."

One woman wears skimpy, cleavage-revealing outfits. Several couples kiss.

How Violent in this Movie?
If I described every scene of violence in 2012, this story would use up more bandwidth than YouTube. So let’s start with the obvious: The film ultimately kills off about 6 billion people.

2012 showcases what the ultimate apocalypse might look like if it were a Six Flags thrill ride. We see water swamp the Himalayas, Los Angeles fall into the Pacific, quakes tear cities asunder and, yep, Yellowstone blows sky high. Planes crash in massive fireballs, trains plummet off their tracks, cars slam into pillars of earth and aircraft carriers take out the White House. People drown. They fall. They’re consumed by fireballs. They’re thwacked by massive, flaming dirt clods. They’re crushed by machinery.

Along with the rest of those 6 billion hapless souls, many of the main characters die. We don’t see the gory instant of doom for any of them (the camera moves on just before the tidal wave crashes down, or hovers above the machinery as someone’s body slips into the gears), but we’re meant to feel their loss.

Before the end comes, we hear that governments have been killing people who wanted to tell the world about its impending doom. The curator of France’s museums is subsequently killed when his car explodes in the same tunnel in which Princess Diana perished. We see news footage covering the aftermath of a mass suicide.

Is there any Crude of Profane Language?
One f-word. Four s-words. Nearly 20 misuses of God’s name (paired with "d‑‑n" at least five times). Jesus’ name is abused twice. "A‑‑," "h‑‑‑" and "b‑‑tard" are also blurted out. An obscene gesture is made.

What about Drug and Alcohol Content?
Characters drink wine, champagne, whiskey and beer.

What other negative aspects?
Noah talks back to his dad and disobeys him (albeit to help him). A politician tries to convince folks to not reopen an ark door. Lots of people lie, or, at the very least, withhold the truth.

My Personal Conclusion

All in all I thought the movie was pretty good. There was obviously tons of special effects and plenty of scenes that kept you on the edge of your seat. Even though the movie was alright I have a hard time saying that it was GREAT. My reasoning is...how MANY TIMES CAN WE DESTROY THE WORLD!!! Within the last 10 years there has been so many epic world destruction movies that we are getting to the point where we flatly say, "Oh...another movie about the world coming to an end...that's nice; EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SEEN THE WORLD DESTROYED IN AT LEAST 30 OTHER MOVIES RECENTLY!" I'm not upset, honestly. I just think Hollywood needs to give it a rest for a decade or so.

The acting was ok, it wasn't oscar material, but it was ok. Especially for the fact that this is a movie about special effects and not so much on acting. I'm a big fan of John Cusack so that helped ease some of the pain coming from some of the bad actors that played with him in this movie (I will not devulge these actors by name for legal reasons...but they know who they are).
So, sorry guys if you don't see any of these actors strolling down the red carpet during the next Oscars show.

This is my opinion, and no it doesn't have to be yours. Tell you what. Why don't you watch the movie and let me know what you think? I would love to hear your comments.