GadgetJax Reviews: Some kind of animated movie that will not be named in order to avoid spoiling a joke.

I've spent the last 3 months telling everyone and their mother that I would get around to reviewing Inside Out because it's my new favorite Pixar movie, but I keep forgetting for one reason or another. Well, now that I've got that idea in my head, how about we finally review it?

Nope. Nada. I'm not gonna review it. Let's look at Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs instead.

"Nyerrgh! But Jax, why not?!? You've been promising to do one for it for forever! Ugh, I'm boycotting all your stuff now, you liar!"
    While it is true I've been planning it as a review for a while, I feel like Inside Out is one of those movies that you can't really give a review to; 80% of the magic behind what makes it so good is the sentimental value of it, which means I'll be dodging spoilers throughout the entire review.
    Besides, it's fun to troll around with your expectations. That's what makes me meta!

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I'm sure most of you have heard about Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, but there's one thing about it I'm sure most of you don't know; the movie is based off of a children's book! Odd, right? Well, don't worry at all about that fact because the movie doesn't follow the plot of the book at all.
    Wait, an animated movie based off of a book that has almost nothing in common with it's source material? Where have I heard THAT before?!? Hhhhhhhhnnnnngggg!!!!
    Don't worry about it for now. The book is a very basic tale and doesn't outline anything important that would affect the movie (unlike another 'unspeakable' movie), so the movie feels like an expansion of the original story of the book instead of a re-telling of it.
    Our story starts on a small island called 'Swallow Falls' and follows the story of Flint Lockwood, a wannabe inventor who is discriminated as a child because his ideas are dumb. There's a short montage of some of Flint's inventions over his childhood - all of which have disastrous results, to be honest - and then the movie leads straight to Flint's later years. Since Swallow Falls is a distant island, food is very limited, so many of the locals eat nothing but sardines and the like. Seeing his big chance to demonstrate his inventing skills, Flint builds a machine that can create food using nothing but water as a base.
    It's pretty obvious how this will end, right? Flint's machine ends up rocketing to the sky (I won't bother explaining it) where he believes it's gone for good, but the wator vapor in the clouds causes the machine to start rapidly producing food - which then rains down to earth. Understand? Good. Let's cover the good & bad now.
    The good about this movie is that it's a visual masterpiece. Is it as aesthetically beautiful as something like 'Epic' or 'Rio'? No, but the art style of this movie is focus on absorbing you with lots of colors at once, which matches the theme of the movie very well. There is a lot of attention to detail on the design of all the giant food in the movie, and despite how absurd the premise of the movie is, it makes the design feel quite real. As for the characters themselves...
    ...they could be best described as 'turbo-charged'. Practically everyone in the movie is animated at a mile-a-minute, which makes everything feel quick-paced and lively. There are even a few intentionally slow jokes that are downright hilarious because of how they contrast from the feel of the story!
    Speaking of jokes, this is an animated comedy for the most part. A good deal of this movie focuses on visual humor with the raining food, but there are a few other kinds of jokes thrown in as well. Most of these are funny, but then there are the occasional 'toilet' jokes that are absolutely awful. Some good, some bad, but what can you expect in a day and age like this?
    The one thing about this movie I don't like, though, is that the ending is quite unsatisfactory. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, per-se, but it'll leave you pretty annoyed. I would personally recommend watching the 1st and 2nd movies back-to-back because it gives the movie a seamless feel - and the fact that the 2nd one takes place 8 seconds after the events of the 1st. No joke. 

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs should be the model for all future animated movies based off of books, as it takes the original story and builds upon it instead of altering it around. Even though the over-exaggerated animation & few instances of toilet humor could drive off the average viewer, I sincerely recommend this movie to everyone out there.

Minions Review by Zack

Minions

The minions are back at it again and those indestructible idiots are looking for a new boss...

It was awesome as all get out, really touching and, oddly enough, reminds us of how human inhuman things are. 

The origins of minion kind are going to be on DVD soon so get ready to R.O.F.L. 

-Zack

GadgetJax Reviews: The Incredibles by Disney Pixer

The theme for Summer Reading this year involves Super Heroes! To tie in with it, I decided to do something obviously related to Super Heroes, but what?

"Okay, how about one of the original Super Hero comic books, like that classic '60's Spiderman & Batman?"

*Reads*

"It's a story, but not much for a review. How about one of the Marvel movies of recent times?"

*Watches*

"Oh, dear. OH, DEAR. That was NOT a movie I would consider suitable for a review at ALL. Okay, I need something good, but it has to be kid friendly! C'mon brain! Give me an idea!"

*Sorry, Jax! We wasted all of your best ideas coming up with this running gag!*

"Drat! Well, it's 11:45. I better head down to the Library now. I'm helping out at their showing of the Incredib-"

*Pauses*

"Perfect!"

The Incredibles is a Pixar Movie. Personally, I would call it their best movie, but considering just how emotional things like Up and Toy Story can get, I'm not sure if I can call The Incredibles the best of them all without being chased at with torches and pitchforks - so I'm gonna review it instead!

The world of The Incredibles is your typical city in a typical hero story: Town constantly attacked by the villain of the week, the supers (yes, that's what they call them) come and save the day, rinse and repeat. Everything seems like your typical hero movie for the first few minutes until the plot twist...

Due to many of the supers helping out many others in need when they don't want it (things like stopping a suicide, which is actually quite frightening for a PG movie), they are forced by law to never commit any more acts of heroism with their powers ever again. This plot twist is great because it creates a very complex scenario about the individual sense of right that everyone has: Is it right to avoid doing the right thing because the law prohibits it? Another thing that makes this twist so great is that you don't need to understand it to enjoy the movie. If you're a little kid and you can't follow with it, it's not a problem! You'll be quite entertained by the jokes and fight scenes anyway!

As for the main character, the protagonist of the story is Bob Parker(aka Mr. Incredible). Once the law forbids supers from being supers anymore, he marries fellow super 'Elastagirl' and starts a family. Ironically enough, all of his children are born with super powers as well, which leads to a few really touching moments later on due to that law I mentioned earlier. 'Dash' wants to compete in sports, but isn't allowed to because of how his incredible speed would give him an unfair advantage over every other competitor. 'Violet' wants to be a normal child like all of her schoolmates, but can't due to the supernatural abilities of herself and her family.

The animation behind the movie is still amazing as ever. It's been 10 years since it came out in theaters, but the detail is still amazing. Characters look very vibrant and filled with personality, and since many of them share personality traits with the more typical kind of person, it's easier to relate to each problem that they individually encounter in the movie.

The comedy is spot in this movie, but kind of like Big Hero 6, the entire movie sort-of falls behind because of it. Believe me, the jokes in this movie are great, but there are just one too many fat jokes. They aren't that bad at first since they all revolve around Mr. Incredible, but they get very boring after the 40 minute mark because they get so repetitive. The idea behind a joke is the 'I get it!' moment, so when every joke with Mr. Incredible is built the same way, there's no 'I get it!' moment anymore, which kills the comedy in the later portions for him. Other characters are still continuously funny like Frozone's 'Super Suit' scene, but considering that Mr. Incredible is the main character, you would expect more from him.

Just like previous reviews, there's only so much you can compliment a movie for without spoiling it, so how about we end this review on a positive note? The Incredibles is great, and anyone that likes Superhero movies or Disney movies will love it - and it's getting a sequel directed by Brad Bird! Huzzah!!

Jurassic World Review by Zack

This smash hit took a bite out of the world's wallet opening weekend by raking in more than half a billion dollars. This movie roars to life with an all star cast of both Humans and dinosaurs maybe even a few hybrids. So if you liked the old ones this one will take a bite out of you heart.

GadgetJax Reviews: Big Hero 6 by Walt Disney Animation Studios

Big Hero 6 is a really great movie. Yes, it is. I'm not trying to butterscotch up this movie as a joke, it really is quite good.

The premise is, as strange as it seems, not so simple. It's about a young boy named Hiro Hamada, who likes to compete in a special kind of sport that involves combat between small robots. Kind of like Pokémon, honestly. His older brother, Takeshi, creates a special kind of robot for healthcare named 'Baymax', and Baymax later inspires Hiro to create his own personalized robots that can benefit mankind, outside of the robot combat that he's so familiar with. I really can't say much about the story and the plot without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at that. It may seem straight-forward at first, but it really isn't the obvious "Good vs Bad" plot you would expect.

 For being an animated movie about robots, Big Hero 6 is actually quite emotional. There are many sudden tear-jerking moments, and the plot can get a bit difficult to follow if you are a younger viewer.
 This movie also has a lot of comedy. A lot of it. The best part about it is that the comedy is usually used for relief, allowing viewers to quickly get a bit of a chuckle after a tense moment.
 The animation quality is just as stunning as Frozen, which was really the only part of Frozen I enjoyed.(It's a long story, but anyone who hasn't heard my Frozen opinions can see them here: It mixes just right with the cartoony vibe of the movie and the serious tone of the plot, though it stays away from the realistic tone used in things like 'The Adventures Of Tintin'.

So, I finally found something to review that's perfect, right? No. I mean, I did do a review of Tangled back in the day that I gave a perfect score, but that was prior to me moving to my writing phase. I didn't really have a good concept of critical reviewing at the time, and now I've grown to realize that there is no such thing as a perfect game/movie/book. So, what are the biggest flaws in Big Hero 6?
 First off, the comedy can become grating in many spots. There are at least a total of 3 parts in the movie where an entire movie is dedicated to a slow-moving joke. It really throws off the pacing of the movie, and while the jokes are still quite funny in those parts, they do overstay their welcome.
 Oh, don't even get me started on the 'Supporting' characters. Y'know, pretty much everyone that isn't the hero, his robot, or the villain. Many of them have one-sided personalities that can get quite annoying, especially since this movie follows the obvious trope of a 'Five-Man Band' plus a robot.
 Lastly, the music. Unlike Frozen, Big Hero 6 doesn't really have a song that just 'sticks' to it. Yet, I personally like that choice, because I do NOT need a second 'Let It Go' in my life. Thankfully, the choice of outside group music is still good, especially a quick joke revolving around 'Eye Of The Tiger'.

Even with the decent amount of flaws it has, Big Hero 6 is still a great movie. It comes to home video pretty soon, so if you're around the library in the next month or so and you see a copy of it, pick it up. It's defenitely worth your time.

GadgetJax Reviews: 'Frozen', by Walt Disney Animation Studios (This gun be good)

Okay, everyone. Real Talk. Have you ever seen a movie that you really liked, but then started hating for 'no reason'?

I think there really isn't any point in me drumming up suspence anymore, since you already know what I'm reviewing. You read the title, so why am I trying to act impressive?

No reason, I just like to over-do things. But I'm telling you, the only overdone thing here, is my toast. :)

So, Frozen. *takes a deep breath* I'm going to try and be as unbiased as I can during this review. I'm going to acknowledge what it does right, what it does wrong, and I won't be bashing it to a pulp just because I don't like it. Oh, and one more thing...

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

So, Frozen. The plot is standard Disney fare. Princesses (Anna and Elsa) get caught up in some problem, needs help from some wandering guy (Kristoff) with an animal, exactly what you'd expect from Disney. The animation is done really well, and the attention to detail is quite impressive in certain scenes! The dialouge stays funny when it needs to, but still transitions into the serious portions without any real contradiction. Another thing that makes this movie 'memorable' is the characters themselves. Olaf has some of the best lines in the entire Disney franchise, and his curious-yet-naive personality fits him really well! Also, the soundtrack for this movie is quite catchy.

Now, for what I don't like... *Inhales like crazy*

While I know that a lot of people like positive reviews, I'm going to tell you all real quickly 2 reasons why I choose to usually review things I don't like.

Reason #1: "All comedy is derived from grief". I like being funny when I do these reviews, so choosing a book/movie/topic that I'm not fond of allows me to express myself in a way that is humorous to the audience.

Reason #2: "It's easier to tell you why a car doesn't work, rather than why it does work". What it means is that it is much easier to tell you the flaws of media, rather than what makes it good.

So, with that out of the way, let's get straight to the broken car reviewing- er, Frozen. No, I don't plan on reviewing cars...

First issue, this soundtrack is TOO catchy. Some of the music is nice and upbeat, but other songs get grating over time because they feel either out of place or too slow to match the mood. The (in)famous 'Let It Go' is something that I enjoyed only a few times before starting to hate it because of how slow the lyrics are, and the logic behind it. So, Elsa was isolated in her castle, she escapes it to feel 'free', but her idea of being free involves isolating herself into another castle? I don't understand the logic behind that.

Next problem, some of these characters aren't the greatest. Actually, what I mean to say is that everyone is a great character EXCEPT Anna. She isn't a mean character, but she does little to progress the plot, and it often feels like she impedes the story, rather than progressing it. Her foolishness got her hurt by Elsa in the intro, HER stubborness drove Elsa off the edge and made her flee Arendelle, HER persistence got her hurt by Elsa in the Ice Castle, HER cluelessness got her to get Hans into the Castle to take over, oh, and speaking of Hans...

This movie did not need a villain. It really didn't, and the movie would have been much better without one, since the whole conflict of the movie revolves around Elsa, who is NOT a villain. Until his unveiling near the end of the movie, Hans is one of the most likeable characters in the entire movie. Him revealing to be the villain feels like a Last Resort effort on the behalf of Disney, because he steps out of characteristics that have already been established. Also, he did NOT know about Elsa having ice powers until AFTER the blessing request that he made with Anna, so that means that Hans must have been a good guy, but changed his mind during the event of the film FOR NO REASON. I imagine this choice like this:

Phil: Well, looks like we're just about finished with the script for Frozen!

Franklin: Looks nice so far! Wait a minute, I just realized something... we don't have a villain!

Phil: Okay, but it's too late to introduce a new character to the plot, so what should we do?

Franklin: Let's throw darts do decide which character turns evil!

Phil: Sounds great!

-_-

Back on the subject of Anna, she does do a few things to help progress the story, such as purchasing those tools for Kristoff and saving Elsa's life near the end (before getting chilled), but she just feels like a dead weight to the plot. Not a 'Jerk' kind of dead weight, similarly to characters like 'Patrick Star', but enough to make you mad at her after 2 or 3 viewings of the movie. I know none of the problems she caused were voluntary on her part, but if you were to discover that your sister had magical Ice powers and then she proceeded to freeze the entire region, wouldn't you start focusing more because the situation is tense?

And that's all I got to say for Frozen. I wouldn't say it's a bad movie, but it defenitely doesn't deserve all the money it makes. Highest Grossing Animated Film? Yeah, that doesn't seem at all like a scam. So, if I don't like the movie, then why did it sell so well?

It has 2 Princesses. Olaf is funny. Let It Go is catchy the first time through. But that's about it.

I don't give scores to my reviews anymore, but if I honestly had to grade Frozen, I would personally give it only about a 7/10. It's good when it's good, but bad when it's bad.

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Want to see more of what I do? Head on over to Pokemon TCG Headquarters, my personal blog all about the Pokemon Trading Card Game. I try to update it as much as I can, and the more support I can get from you guys, the quicker new posts for both of these blogs can come out! As always, have a happy 2015, and take care everyone! http://tcghq.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-pokemon-tcg-headquarters.html