Tuesday 2 July 2013

Monsters University

"I'm gonna be a scarer!" shouts little Mike Wazowski, the most adorable, not scary monster on the block. No matter who tells him off, he still keeps his eyes on his ultimate goal.

It's a sweet story of how a kid wants to be something he obviously wasn't built for. He believes that if he just practiced and studied hard, he'd become the top scarer. Having the son of a famous scarer (Sully) as competition only becomes an impetus to succeed.

But as the plot moves on, you can't help but think that there's no hope for Mike. Despite his knowledge of what to do and his fiery spirit, he just isn't cut out to scare.
And when his place in the school is threatened, he has a choice- to keep on fighting, or to accept what he was and step down.

I give two thumbs up to the designers and layout artists. They did their job awesomely. The storyline was twisty and fun, yet it held a bittersweet emotion as well. Which, really, is to be expected of a prequel to Monsters Inc.

I would give it a 4 out of 6. Bring your kids to it, watch it yourself, or with friends. The ultimate lesson is applicable to all: Don't try to be who you're not. Instead focus on what you are and fly!

Monday 1 July 2013

Now You See Me

Abracadabra! And poof the rabbit disappears.

Except it isn't a rabbit. It's 3 million euro. And it's not a hat, it's a bank in France, in which money was stolen and magically transported to Las Vegas at the same time. The clue is to not look too closely. You'll miss it if you do.

Now You See Me was magic crafted on the massive scale. We all hear of magicians committing crimes with their sleight of hand, but never in the setting of the elite.

The Four Horsemen are four extraordinarily talented magicians and hypnotists. Working for an unknown boss, they set up shows and give the audience their money's worth, literally. But every time they do, someone loses money big time.
Here comes in the FBI, who send their man to try to bust the Four Horsemen before they push through with another "magical" heist.

It was made well, with the phrase "the closer you look, the less you'll see" coming actively into play. The explanations were brilliant and of genius design. Everything was accounted for. And to top it off, the ending was completely unexpected. If you watch Now You See Me, no matter what your brain will predict, it will be different.
I'll give this a 5 out of 6. It was something worth watching.

But one word of advice: if you watch it, it shouldn't be confusing or a cliff-hanger. If it is for you, then you've watched it wrong and have looked too closely.