Review – Despicable Me 2

Not as cute as the first one, but still quite entertaining. The filmmakers have clearly figured out that the Minions are the main draw, but there’s enough of Gru and the girls to keep the story stuck together. Production values remain high. Mildly amusing

Review – Monsters University

This is an apt prequel to Monsters Inc. The story takes us back to Mike and Sully’s college days, serving up a predictable arc of rivals-to-best-friends. I was particularly pleased that they didn’t skimp on the animation quality at all. Indeed, the production here is even more sophisticated than the first movie. It’s good to see Disney continue to distance itself from the horrible sequels it used to churn out. Mildly amusing

Review – Despicable Me

One of the greatest challenges facing the creators – especially the writers – of kids’ movies is coming up with ways to keep them from getting way too treacly. One possible solution: make the bad guy the main character. In this production, a supervillain trying to outdo a rival adopts three orphaned girls as part of a scheme to infiltrate his competitor’s lair. Our antihero’s transformation from evil genius to loving dad follows predictable paths, but it’s still an entertaining story. The animation is good. And of course the Minions steal the show. Maybe I was just in an unusually good mood when I saw this, but I found it a fun experience. Mildly amusing