April 2022 – Movie Madness

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Movie Madness: Week 11

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was originally based on the book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. Though the plot was loosely referenced for the making of this film, a characteristic that made it stand out after a decade of animation is the rubberhose movement and extremely over-the-top expressions. This was a big leap after Sony Picture’s last film: Monster House. Pairing these elements to a beloved story we all heard before bedtime, Sony Picture’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was a hit. Making 243 million dollars and was “Certified Fresh” rating of 86% on rotten tomatoes. though its audience has grown up since its 2009 release it has made a resurgence over the years on the internet. This speaks volumes about the film’s animation, story, and overall influence on pop culture. If you are feeling nostalgic, or even a little hungry, give this movie a watch.

Final Thoughts

Favorite clip from the movie

Cam

Eric

https://youtu.be/aX6j99Vvjf8

Lauren

April 21, 2022April 21, 2022

Croods 2

Movie Madness: Week 10

In the sequel to The Croods (2013), Croods 2 continues off of undeveloped plot points of the first and runs with it. Much of the tone is the same compared in the first movie. However, the second movie just seemed sillier and slapstickish in humor the further you got into the movie. Croods 2 left a stronger impression than the first movie though its release was hindered in the height of the pandemic. The facial animations captured of the 3D renders captured every detail in their faces perfectly. Giving the characters elasticity and overall enhancing the characters. Out of all the media covered on Movie Madness, Croods 2 was the first to consistently use split-screen and slow-motion action to emphasize characters and scenes. Though it may not be a diamond-in-the-rough masterpiece, it is a good watch for anyone who enjoys slapstick or Nick Cage.

Final Thoughts

Opinions on the movie

Cam

The entire movie felt like a fever dream. I liked hearing my boy, Nicolas Cage, but overall not a big fan of the movie. It felt all over the place and a lot of the humor was a miss for me

Eric

For Croods 2: I thought that it was a very mid movie, good for a single time watch, but I definitely wouldn’t need to see this again.

Lauren

It was just another movie for me. I could laugh at a few parts so its not a waste of time.

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022

Invincible

Movie Madness: Week Nine

From last week’s review of Netflix’s Arcane, we thought it is only fair to go over another show that came out of nowhere in 2021. Invincible, based on the comic published from 2003 to 2018, was adapted into its first season on Hulu. Its surprisingly gruesome fight scenes, adult themes, and mystery as to ‘who killed the guardians’ were what hooked its audience. Though the animation for this show was nothing stellar, the Hannah Barbera animation style (limited in movements) gave this show charm similar to that of the old DC animated series. You could really tell where they put the budget in when you see some of the fight scenes later in the show. Overall, the storyline and voice acting really makes the show shine. (Especially J.K. Simmons Omni man). However, when the animation is given the attention it deserves, (final fight) it really makes you wonder why marvel cant do something more like this.

Final Thoughts

How did you feel about the adult themes in Invincible?

Cam

My favorite type of superhero content includes violence, so I really enjoyed the adult themes in Invincible. Just seeing Omni-Man go ham made me go “YOOOOOOOO”

Eric

I enjoyed the more adult themes within the show. I thought it was pretty refreshing to see the animation be a lot more gruesome with some of its scenes.

Lauren

I really wish we could have more animated shows like this. We need more adult animation so it can finally be seen to be more than a medium for younger audiences to enjoy. Shows like Invincible and Arcane are setting a promising path.

April 7, 2022

ARCANE

Movie Madness: Week Eight

yes, it’s time to cover another animated series. Arcane really shot out of nowhere onto Netlfix in the midst of 2021. As most of its audience knows, Arance is based on the 2009 game League of Legends. Sticking close to its guns (lore from the game) and stylized animation style; Arcane saw a smashing success worldwide. People who were familiar or unfamiliar could follow and get enthralled in the story. The 3D animation style took a similar movement to that of Spiderverse (2018) being animated on 2s. The snappy motion-captured really gave the characters the attention an animated movie from Disney would give. The expressions read clearly and sold voice actors’ performances as beloved characters. If you are familiar with League of Legends, you are in for a wonderful surprise as Netflix adapted it into one of their rare smash hits. If you aren’t familiar, it is still highly suggested to watch.

Final Thoughts

What did you think of this game-to-series adaptation?

Cam

Arcane’s animation is very very good. Heimerdinger is the best. Just don’t play league of legends after watching it. Trust me

Eric

Even though I have never really had any interest in League, I did find this game-to-series adaptation fun to watch. I really enjoyed the art style throughout it and how the different colors could contrast. It felt pretty captivating and there weren’t really any moments where I lost interest.

Lauren

Netflix really has a lot of hit-and-miss experiments. I was really not all that interested in watching Arcane since I knew nothing of league and thought I would be left in the dust as the story progressed. Holy cow was I wrong. Watch it.