RBR: Despicable Me 2

The first Despicable Me was a pleasant surprise thanks to the wonderful voice work by Steve Carell and the story containing a lot more heart than you would expect given that it centered around a notorious supervillian and his quest to take over the world. Given its box office success it was only natural that a sequel would be made in short order. This second effort contains some of the same charm as the original, but also feels like a missed opportunity. This time around Gru (Carell) is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help stop another evil villain. There are two problems with this set-up. First, the actions of the villain in question are rather undefined so it becomes hard to become invested in seeing him captured. Second, the Anti-Villain League quickly dumps Gru after he opts to focus on a criminal that the organization does not believe is the culprit. It makes you wonder why they bothered seeking out a villain in the first place if they were simply going to dismiss him so quickly. Really all of that set-up is a lazy way to pair up Gru and a female agent who works for the AVL who has the hots for him. Of course being a sequel the film also amps up the amount of screen time for Gru's Minions. This is a case where more is not exactly more. Overall, this sequel still has some decent laughs and looks great but remains underwhelming. Kids will no doubt love it, but for everyone else they are better off rewatching the first film. Rating: ***

RBR: Hop

I'm sure when it was originally pitched, Hop sounded like a great idea. You take the winning formula of films like The Santa Clause and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and you apply them to the underutilized genre of Easter films. It's a sound strategy in theory, but this film fails in every possible way. This is a dumb, poorly conceived, unfunny film that makes me feel sorry for all who were involved. The plot involves the Easter Bunnny's son, E.B., uninterested in taking over the family business, leaves his home on Easter Island and ventures to the U. S. in hopes of being a famous drummer. On his journey, he meets Fred O'Hare (these Easter puns doing anything for you yet?), who also is a slacker in need of direction. Together they encounter several plot holes, lame jokes, and annoying characters before eventually learning a weak lesson in responsibility. Clearly the film is aimed at children, but if this is what passes for serviceable entertainment for young ones, our future society will be in severe trouble. The only thing notable about this film is that it now gives us the Easter equivalent to the lump of coal in the stocking at Christmas time. Parents can threaten bad kids that they'll find a copy of this film in their Easter basket if they don't behave. In case it wasn't clear, skip this one at all costs. Rating: *

NMR: Arthur

It's difficult for me to write a review for this film because it gave me nothing really to work with. It's neither great nor terrible. Ultimately, it's a wholly unnecessary remake that was done in order to combine a popular comedian with a known franchise. While I was not particularly fond of the Dudley Moore original, there was nothing I saw here that provided justification as to why this story needed to be told again. The highlights of the film come from seeing Arthur (Russell Brand) enjoy and abuse the excesses of his wealth. Things like dressing up as Batman and driving in a replica Batmobile or waging in a bidding war with himself at an auction house for old suits of Abraham Lincoln provide at the very least a smile on your face. However, there's nothing really enjoyable about the love triangle storyline that becomes the focal point of them. Both Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte, who plays her father give unlikable performances. And Greta Gerwig, the woman who Arthur truly falls in love with, has no screen presence or charm. Brand actually has more chemistry with Helen Mirren who plays his nanny Hobson. She, like John Gielgud in the original, is always reliable for a quick quip in an attempt to keep Arthur in line. It's hard to say whether a recommendation is waranted for this film. It neither pays homage nor ruins the name of the original. On its own, it provides a few mild laughs, but nothing more. This is a low risk, low return film. Rating: ***