MOVIE REVIEW: THE CROODS: A NEW AGE

 

Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans -- a family that's a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. As tensions between the new neighbors start to rise, a new threat soon propels both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together.

Director: Joel Crawford

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran

Release Date: November 25, 2020

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for peril, action and rude humor.

Runtime: 1 h 35 min

Review:

The Croods: A New Age which randomly appears 7 years after the original is more unfocused than the first film but still a fun family film.  The story in this sequel is more straightforward but it allows Joel Crawford to move the story into weird and surprisingly psychedelic areas.  Crawford moves the story along a steady pace getting into the story fairly quickly introducing the new characters/cast.  The returning cast easily gets back into their characters and have great chemistry with newcomers Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann.  Dinklage and Mann play great foils to the Croods as the hipster Bettermans who are slightly more evolved.  Dinklage and Cage in particular seem to be having a ball throughout the film with it all climaxing with a great Punch Monkey finale.  Stone, Keener, Leachman, Mann & Tran also get their time to shine with a strong girl power story thread that has them all saving the day.  Its message is sweet but it’s not anything revelatory like some of the prestige Pixar films.  This sequel isn’t as consistent as the original but it’s still a lot of fun in parts but be warned some sequences might be a bit too intense or scary for very small children. 

B

MOVIE REVIEW: HOT TUB TIME MACHINE

ON DVD

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE



Disappointed at the way their lives have turned out, four longtime friends reunite at the ski resort where they used to party and find themselves transported back to the year 1986 by a magical Jacuzzi. Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Jacob (Clark Duke) have all seen better days; Adam's and Nick's love lives are in the dumps, Lou is clinging to his hard-partying past, and video-game addict Jacob can't even muster the courage to walk outside. A fun stay at the ski resort where the gang made some of their best memories seems like just the thing to cheer everyone up, but after a night of heavy drinking in the hot tub, the four friends wake up to find they're about to live through the '80s a second time. Determined not to make the same mistakes twice, Adam, Lou, Nick, and Jacob decide to take full advantage of the unique opportunity presented to them, and create the lives they've always wanted. Chevy Chase, Crispin Glover, and Lizzy Caplan co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Steve Pink

Cast: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover

Release Date: Mar 26, 2010

Rated R for strong crude content, nudity, pervasive language, drug use and strong sexual content

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Comedy, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Simplistic to the point of absurdity Hot Tub Time Machine is one of those movies that should be a hell of lot funnier than it actually is. First time director Steve Pink has a clean slate to work with because of the simple and basic premise that is laid out in title. The problem is that Pink doesn’t quite know what to do with it, so he goes for gross out gags and predictable jokes more often than not. It’s not that it isn’t funny from time to time but it isn’t nearly as funny as it could be. The cast does what it can with the jokes, giving laughs from time to time but never consistently. John Cusack is kind of spotty here, occasionally going through the motions but he does end up in outfit very similar to what he wore in Say Anything so you can’t complain too much. Rob Corddry is on full blast throughout, over the top and mostly funny with occasional spats of annoying. Craig Robinson is solid always delivering strong delivery on his lines. Clark Duke isn’t given much to do outside of spouting out generic nerd speak. Chevy Chase walks through the set from time to time and seems as confused as to why he there was we are. Crispin Glover is given the task of carrying a running joke that goes on way too long for it’s own good. Somehow with 4 writers behind the script it’s the best they could for him. It’s a shame that Hot Tub Time Machine doesn’t just go balls out and runs with the insanity and silliness of its premise.

C-