10s Movie Review - The Secret Life of Pets

Director: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud
Genre: Animation/ Family
Runtime: 91 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan

Description: The quiet life of terrier Max (Louis C.K.) is upended when his owner (Ellie Kemper) takes in Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a stray whom Max instantly dislikes.

Review: After the resounding success of “Despicable Me” and the immensely popular spin-off “Minions”, Illumination Entertainment is looking for something new. A second franchise perhaps. With its explosion of non-verbal humor and cuteness, does “The Secret Life of Pets” have the right ingredients?
The film starts with a fun compilation of all the pets and their owners, with an introduction to our main character Max. The main premise of the film is what happens to the pets after their owners have left the house.
New York is portrayed colorfully, as well as the many pets and owners the city has. It’s not just a simple series of visual jokes like a dachshund using a mixer as a massager. Dog Max doesn’t build a party like his friends, but sits desperately waiting at the door, wondering where his owner Katie is. He is completely obsessed with her return. The opening scene beautifully depicts the world of pets and the relationship with their owners, and carries a Pixar-like atmosphere. Possibly a little too much, at least more then the previous films from the studio.
Max leads a lazy dog life in an apartment complex, where the animals lead a completely different life once the owners are out of the house. He himself is very happy with his owner, until competition is brough into the house in the form of Duke. The huge Duke and little Max compete for the household and in an attempt to frame each other, the both end up in the outside world.
The life of the New York pets is portrayed beautifully and playfully, with a nice balance between uncomfortable and homely. Unfortunately, this balance is not maintained throughout the film, in the middle part of the film everything revolves around confrontations between Max, Duke and crazy animals they meet along the way.
The conflict between Max and Duke is set up well, but they never develop a memorable chemistry. And the psychotic bunny Snowball is just a bit too much. And maybe that’s because Kevin Hart voices him. It doesn’t really fit and he always annoys me.
Nevertheless, “The Secret Life of Pets” has more atmosphere and content than the infinite joke storm of “Minions”. It is also a better film for young and old. It’s beautifully animated, filled with witty characters and occasionally offers more than superficial animal madness.

Rating: 3 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Loft

Director: Eric van Looy
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rhona Mitra, Rachael Taylor

Description: Five married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city--a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved.

Review: Director Eric van Looy made “Loft” in 2008, a Belgian film. A very strong thriller. The Dutch made their own version, also good for Dutch standards. Then Van Looy decided to remake his own film in Hollywood. Sadly this is the least one of the three.
The story is the same. Five married men decide to share a penthouse loft in the city. They can use it whenever they want, for their deepest fantasies. But when a dead body is discovered there, their bubble pops. And since there were only five keys made, all five men are suspects.
How is it possible that this doesn’t succeed? The script is the same, the director is the same and it has some really strong actors. Some of the dialogue was rewritten and exchanged some of the jokes. This brings it one level down, because it’s pretty juvenile humor. But it’s also the cast that brings this film down. Eric Stonestreet, whom I love in “Modern Family”, is miscast. He’s just not good as the rude and sexist Marty. Karl Urban, who can easily play a womanizer, plays his role so flat and one-dimensional. His character completely disappears. James Marsden is solid, but Wentworth Miller and Matthias Schoenarts (the last one was also in the original) did the best job and played their roles like they were intented.
The female cast is just ridiculous, no one noteworthy and all very forgettable.
It’s also very clear that Americans aren’t as explicit, because both the Belgian and Dutch version had an erotic edge which is completely missing here.
“The Loft” is a film you can probably skip when you have seen the Belgian and Dutch version, because they are both much better. Sad, because it could have been successful in Hollywood too.

Rating: 2 / 5