Genres: Comedy, Kids/Family and AnimationRunning Time: 1 hr. 28 min.Release Date: July 9th, 2010 (wide)MPAA Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action.Distributors: Universal Pictures
Directed by: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
JJ Rating: B+
See It Again: Maybe.Own it: No thanks.Recommend it to: those that enjoy being entertained by animation. It’s good enough for that and it has likable characters.
Gru (Steve Carell) wants to be the bestest super-villain ever! BUT…Vector (Jason Segel), a once sidekick, stands in his way of achieving such glory! Then Gru adopts three little girls just to use them to get into Vector’s home to steal back what was stolen from him in order to achieve such glory! However, they alter him in ways he hadn’t thought possible for a villain of his caliber. Despicable Me.
Steve Carell was perfect to play Gru. I fell into the story and followed along without even thinking of who voiced Gru. He had his own distinct voice that wasn’t Carell’s. I like when the voice is the character’s and not the actor’s. There’s a weird thing, though, with Toy Story that Woody and Buzz sound just like the actor’s who depict them, but the way they use their voice to embody the character allows for a similar mentality. Liken to how they are different characters in movies, they don’t sound the same because of how they use their voice, even though you can recognize them; which is different with Brad Pitt and his new movie Megamind. Watching that trailer, I hear Brad Pitt and that’s it. Maybe it’ll be different when the film comes out, but his voice is just his voice—no added character. It bugs me. Everyone in Despicable Me did an awesome job with their voices. Russell Brand as the old, old, old, old man Dr. Nefario was fantastic. Will Arnett, Rob Hubel, Jason Segel, Julie Andrews all added to the consonance of the film’s projection. I got lost in the story forgetting the voices I knew.
Ah, the Minions were hilarious. They’re so quirky and bizarre that if you watch one side you’ll miss something a certain Minion does on the other. Their clever usage was maximized perfectly, definitely the best part of the film. There’s a lot of little parts were it would be fine without them, but with them they enhance Despicable Me, unique characters do that.
Despicable Me has a level of cuteness because of the three little girls. Each one having their own personality just like three friends do in TV shows or in other movies: the Smart One, the Tough One and the Sweet One. Their use in the story was to simply wear Gru down and make him into mushy mush. As predictable as that was from the onset, the charm wasn’t lost on me. The adorable scenes toward the end flowed nicely and I didn’t feel shoved into caring.
Despicable Me’s main problem is it doesn’t have the Pixar touch. There’s no powerful caring going on. The difference between Pixar and Universal is that Pixar is the cool, poet guy who can make you laugh, swoon and cry without making you feel like a loser. Universal is like the guy that makes you laugh because of his fart jokes and silly nature, but makes you feel awkward when he turns serious and tries to get you to care about his pain. Universal continues to try to nestle in to that same spot in the heart that Pixar already owned since 1995, but they continue to miss the mark just like other animation studios. Normally the king of the hill is easy to win if you continue to try, but Pixar has dug in their heels and will not budge, nor will they share the spot. They continue to reign supreme, though Universal did move up a notch with Despicable Me and their adorably evil creation Gru.
Rajesh Khanna made significant contribution in bollywood films in the 70s and most of his films are still remembered for strong storybase and good music. He impressed the viewers with his performance in the film Aradhana, opposite Sharmila Tagore, in 1969, which was directed by Shakti Samanta. The songs composed by SD Burman and sung by Kishore including “roop tera mastana”, and Rafi “gunguna rahi hai bhwar” became everlasting hits.
Rajesh Khanna acted in films having realistic stories like Khamoshi, which was the hindi adaptation of Suchitra Sen’s legendary film Deep Jele Jai, where he was insane and had been cured by Wahida Rehman by pretending to be his better half. His film Anand, directed Hrishikesh Mukherjee, also had a unique story, where the cancer patient is being treated by Big B, and the person knowing that he is not going to survive for a long period, makes everyone laugh and entertains the patients and doctors in the medical centre. Salil Chowdhury had provide immortal tunes like “kahi door jab din dhal jaye” and “maine tere liye hi saat rang ke sapne chune” sung by Mukesh, and “zindagi kaisi hai paheli” sung by Manna Dey, and the songs contributed to the immense success of the film.
His film Bawarchi, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee was the hindi adaptation of Tapan Sinha’s film “golpo holeo satti”, where he acted as the cook in the house who taught the members of the house to be hardworking and help each other for the successful running of the joint family. His film Safar, was the hindi adaptation of Arundhuti Debi’s film Chalachal, where he is the painter who has an affair with Sharmila Tagore. The songs in the film composed by Kalyanji Anandji including “zindagi ka safar”, sung by Kishore Kumarhad touched the hearts of filmlovers.
His film Amarprem, was the hindi adaptation of Uttamkumar’s film Nishipadda, where he was sympathetic towards a tawaif played bySharmila Tagore, who had to accept the trade due to social circumstances. The songs composed by RD Burman and sung byKishore Kumar including “chingari koi bharke”, “kuch to log kahenge”, have not lost their appeal, and are sung by contestants in the musical competition titled “K for Kishore” in TV channels these days. In fact RD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarellal and Kishore Kumar had a major contribution in the success of Rajesh Khanna’s films. His films like Roti, Aap ki kasam, Aan milo sajna, Kati Patang, Hathi Mere Saathi, have become everlasting hits and are seen even today, by the present generation when shown in different TV channels.
Abhishek Bacchan, the son of Big B, had shown a lot of promise in the films he had acted till date. His first film Refugee, oppositeKareena Kapoor, was well appreciated by the filmlovers for its innovative storyline. He showed all the skills required for being a fine actor, in his first appearance in the film Refugee.
He played the role of a refugee who had helped the citizens of both the countries India and Pakistan to cross the border and travel to the other country whenever they wanted to meet their relatives in the respective countries. The film had a very unique message, that the landscape, way of living, language and culture of both parts are the same, yet the line of control had created a barrier of though and hostile relationship between the citizens of both the countries. Abhishek gave adequate lips in the songs composed by Anu Malik and sung by Sonu Nigam, including “panchi nadiya pawan ke jhoke”, “mere humsafar”, etc.
He made a lasting impression in the minds of the viewers with his performance in the film Bunty aur Babli, opposite Rani Mukherjee. He had cheated different persons in the film along with his wife, and the police also could not track his misdeeds. At the end of the film Big B, arrested him as he could think in the same way. The songs in the film were big hits like “dharak dharak”, “kajra re”, etc.Aiswariya Rai, also performed in an item number and created a significant impact.
His other notable films include Yuva, where he balanced the strong performance of Rani Mukherjee, with his own acting. The film was shot in Kolkata, and he adapted to the storyline. He was also sublime in the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, along with Shahrukh Khan, Big B, Rani Mukherjee and Preety Zinta. He had the big task of proving before the audience that he never imitated his father and mother (Jaya Bacchan) and displayed his own style of acting.
His performance in the film Guru, Umrao Jaan, opposite Aiswariya Rai, showed his own style of dialogue throwing. With notable performances in the films Dhoom 2, Sarkar, Abhishek had shown that he is a promising actor, and if he gets good script, he has the capability of providing realistic performances. The viewers expect strong performance from him in the years to come.
Baraka (1992)
Devils On the Doorstep (2000), China, bw
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Junebug (2005)
The Kite Runner (2007)
The Namesake (2006)
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
The Promise (2005) China
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002), Australia
Red Cliff (2008) China
Rendition (2007)
The Triplets of Belleville (2003) France-Belgium-Can.-UK
Together (2002) China
Under the Sun (1998), Sweden
United 93 (2006)
Up (2009)
Up In the Air (2009)
We of the Never Never (1982) Australia
Where In the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)
Among those we chose not to review, The Hangover was the most disappointing; hardly a laugh, it's baffling to think that films like that can make so much money and thus perpetuate the trend.
The best of these: Baraka, Devils on the Doorstep, Hurt Locker, The Namesake, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Together, Triplets of Belleville, Under the Sun, United 93
[Republished for Jewish Heritage Month, for my Jewish friends; personally, I lean more toward Taoism and Buddhism myself.. non-judgment, non-killing, no invisible man in the sky]
These are all the holocaust films I found in my research, both ranked and unranked. I'm sure I've missed some, and some are borderline,see the note below the list. Many of these will not be for children, and some are definitely not for the squeamish, as this is about as horrifying as mankind can become.
RANKED1. Schindler's List [Spielberg, 1993] #27 [photo top]
2. Shoah [Lanzmann, 1985] #119
3. Salo [Pasolini, 1975] #240
4. Army of Shadows [Melville, 1969] #296
5. Triumph of the Will [Riefenstahl, 1935] #455
6. Night and Fog [Resnais, 1955] #457
7. Life is Beautiful [Begnini, 1997] #495
8. Come and See [Klimov, 1985] #559
9. Hitler: A Film from Germany [Syberberg, 1977] #857
10. Au Revoir Les Enfants [Malle, 1987] #1083
Ironically, Oskar Schindler was a failed capitalist who saw an opportunity to succeed with cheap Jewish labor in WW2, and only later developed a conscience. Shoah is absolutely gut-wrenching, interviews with survivors from both sides, and not for the squamish; it has some horrifying descriptions, but is a 9 1/2 hr masterpiece of devotion to a cause. Triumph of the Will doesn't deal with the holocaust directly, but one can see the roots develop in this brilliant piece of propaganda filmmaking. Army of Shadows is an engrossing film of the French underground, based on a true story. Come and See is a harrowing Russian film of the Nazi invasion of Belorus, a defenseless agrarian region of small villages.
UNRANKED1. A Generation Apart [1984]
2. A Secret [2007]
3. Adam Resurrected [2008]
4. All My Loved Ones [2000]
5. America and the Holocaust [1994]
6. Angry Harvest [1985]
7. Anne Frank Remembered [1995]
8. Anne Frank: The Life of a Young Girl []
9. Anne Frank: The Whole Story [2001]
10. Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State [2005]
11. Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning [2007]
12. Billy Graham: The Hiding Place [1975]
13. Bonhoeffer [2003]
14. Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace [2000]
15. Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The [2008]
16. Boys From Brazil, The [1978]
17. Century of Simon Wiesenthal, The [1994]
18. Charlotte Gray [2001]
19. Children of Chabannes, The [1999]
20. Civilization and the Jews [1984]
21. Conspiracy [2001]
22. Counterfeiters, The [2007]
23. Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, The [2009]
24. Dear Mr. Waldman [2006]
25. Defamation [2008]
26. Defiance [2008]
27. Devil's Arithmatic, The [1999]
28. Diary of Anne Frank, The [1959]
29. Diplomats for the Damned [2008]
30. Drancy Avenir [1997]
31. Edges of the Lord [2001]
32. Ever Again [2006]
33. Everything Is Illuminated [2005]
34. Fate Did Not Let Me Go [2003]
35. Fateless [2005]
36. Forgiving Dr. Mengele [2006]
37. Frontline: Shtetl [1996]
38. Fugitive Pieces [2007]
39. Garden of the Finzi-Continis, The [1970]
40. God On Trial [2008]
41. Good Evening Mr. Wallenberg [1990]
42. Goodnight, Mister Tom [1998]
43. Hidden Child, The [2007]
44. Hidden Heroes [1999]
45. Hiding Place, The [1975]
46. Holocaust: Dachau and Sachsenhausen [2005]
47. Holocaust: Ravensbruck and Buchenwald [2006]
48. Holocaust: The Liberation of Auschwitz [2005]
49. Holocaust: The Liberation of Majdanek [2006]
50. Holocaust: Theresienstadt [2005]
51. I Have Never Forgotten You [2006]
52. I'm Still Here [2008]
53. Imaginary Witness [2004]
54. Incident at Vichy [2002]
55. Inheritance [2006]
56. Into the Arms of Strangers [2000]
57. Jacob the Liar [1975]
58. Jakob the Liar [1999]
59. Last Days, The [1998]
60. Left Luggage [1998]
61. Lies and Whispers [1998]
62. Long Way Home, The [1997]
63. Making Choices [1005]
64. Man in the Glass Booth, The [1975]
65. Massacre in Rome [1973]
66. Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz [1995]
67. Memory Thief, The [2007]
68. Miracle at Midnight [1998]
69. Miriam [2006]
70. My Heart is Mine Alone [1997]
71. Nazi Officer's Wife, The [2003]
72. Ninth Day, The [2004]
73. November Moon [1984]
74. Pawnbroker, The [1965]
75. Rape of Europa, The [2007]
76. Reader, The [2008]
77. Rose Garden, The [1989]
78. Rotation [1949]
79. Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Rescuers[2003]
80. Secrets of the Dead: Escape from Auschwitz [2008]
81. Shadows in Paradise: Hitler's Exiles [2008]
82. Shop on Main Street, The [1965]
83. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days [2005]
84. Sophie's Choice [1982]
85. Steal a Pencil for Me [2007]
86. Triumph of the Spirit [1989]
87. Verdict on Auschwitz [1993]
88. Voyages [1999]
89. Watermarks [2005]
90. Who Betrayed Anne Frank? [1998]
Of this list, I would definitely rank the films Garden of the Finzi-Continisand The Shop on Main St., also the Oscar-winning The Counterfeiters.
Note: Other films may belong here, some of these may not. I thought about Seven Beauties but since it was about POW's and not the holocaust directly, I didn't include it. The Night Porter was about the long-lasting effects of the war on a former prisoner and her torturer, brilliantly played by Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde, directed by Liliana Cavani, also not included above. I would also rankNowhere in Africa (Oscar for foreign language film), about a Jewish mother who takes her daughter to Kenya to escape the war.
