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 - Man Up

Director: Ben Palmer
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Lake Bell, Simon Pegg, Rory Kinnear, Sharon Morgan, Olivia Williams, Phoebe Waller-Bridger

Description: Single Nancy takes the place of a stranger’s blind date, which leads to finding her perfect boyfriend (Simon Pegg)

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 4: A BRITISH COMEDY

Review: A whimsical twist of fate or coincidence is always a tasty entry to a romantic comedy. If at least one of the upcoming lovebirds is deliberately cheating on the whole thing, it's actually even better. The lie is revealed early on in the story, which creates a whole new dynamic between the characters. As far as plot is concerned, the British romcom “Man Up” is not that special, it’s the leads that level it up.
Director Ben Palmer, best known for his television work, was allowed to work on a screenplay by Tess Morris for his second feature film. With “Man Up”, Morris focusses primarily on the blossoming romance between Jack and Nancy. She portrays the female protagonist as a hard to match wallflower who would rather sit in her bathrobe in her hotel room watching “The Silence of the Lambs” while enjoying lots of candy than showing herself at a wedding party with far too happy thirty-somethings.
Once on the train, sighing about the lack of direction and love in her life, she meets the bitchy Jessica who reads a self-help book and especially advises Nancy to take it up herself. She leaves the book, which serves as recognition for her blind date, to Nancy. At London's Waterloo station, Nancy comes into contact with Jessica's date Jack and she decides to break through the rut of her life by playing along with the game while bluffing. It's easy to guess that the two of them feel a huge connection and have a great afternoon and evening ahead of them. With fear and trembling it is looking forward to the moment that Nancy's big secret will come out, just because it all went so well.
The two, played by Lake Bell and Simon Pegg, have great chemistry and they are the heart of the film. Pegg has been one of my favorite comedic actors for a while and he proofs why. But even in this film some jokes just don’t work. The entrance of character Sean, an old classmate of Nancy, add a little ridiculousness to the film. Jokes revolving around him are a bit tasteless at times and a bit silly. Here it feels more like an American comedy. But overall the humor is strong and subtle and the characters are relatable.
“Man Up” is a fun British comedy with charming leads.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 25: In a World...

Director: Lake Bell

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 89 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Lake Bell, Rob Corddry, Alexandra Holden, Eva Longoria, Ken Marino, Demetri Martin, Fred Melamed, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman, Michaela Watkins, Geena Davis, Stephanie Allynne, Melissa Disney, Olya Milova, Corsica Wilson, Yelena Protsenko, Carly Chaikin, Kanicza Bravo, Jason O’Mara, Talulah Riley, Erin Soto, Mara Lane

Description: The underachieving voice coach Carol (Lake Bell) finds herself competing in the movie trailer voice-over profession against her arrogant father (Fred Melamed) and his protégé (Ken Marino).

 

Review: On September 1st 2008 Don LaFontaine dies. Maybe that doesn’t ring a bell, but you might know his voice. LaFontaine was one of America’s most famous voice actors, who voiced for 5.000 movie trailers and 350.000 commercials and videogames. He opened the trailers by saying the words ‘In a world…’ Actress Lake Bell decided to direct her first movie with the concept of voice actors.

Bell, who also wrote the script, plays leading lady Carol Solomon, a voice coach who dreams to do what LaFontaine did. But that’s not that easy. First, the world of voice-overs doesn’t have any room for female voices. Second, her own dad Sam Soto is the man of the hour in this business. And then there also is Gustav Warner, an upcoming voice-actor, who stands in her way.

The angle of “In a world…” is original and brave. That Lake Bell was ambitious is clear. And she succeeds in a way. Hollywood criticizing Hollywood, it has been done before. Bell does it very subtle and it’s unmistakable, but you have the feeling there could have been more. The movie is carried by strong characters. The somewhat chaotic Carol is the centre of your attention, but also Fred Melamed as her dominant father Sam.

It’s a good directorial debut by Lake Bell and I enjoyed this movie.

Rating: 3,5/ 5