Despicable Me 2 is Just Plain Cute

Despicable Me 2 (3 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud (Despicable Me)

Written by: Ken Daurio, and Cinco Paul (Despicable Me, Hop)

Voiced by: Steve Carell, Kristin Wiig, and Benjamin Bratt

The first film took everyone by surprise as a solid hit, with great of word of mouth from audiences.  Put three cute orphans, some odd yellow creatures called minions, and a character voiced by Steve Carell, and you get one great film.  I was not surprised there was a sequel to this, and there will most likely be a third, the second is raking in money.  I just hope this does not follow in vein of Shrek.

The sequel follows Gru (Carell) in domestic bliss with his three young girls Lucy, Margo, and Agnes.  Gru puts on a birthday party, is cooking chicken, and even throws on a fairy princess outfit to please the young children, it appears his villain days are numbered.  At the end of the party Gru is approached by Lucy (Wiig), captured and brought to the headquarters of the Anti-Villain League (AVL).  Gru is asked to join and help them capture someone who is plot turning people or animals purple and even more evil.

The first film took me by surprise, like many others, I remember the trailer and thinking this looks pretty lame. There was something about the first film, a charm, which held me, this villain being changed and his heart warmed, much like the Grinch by these three young girls, which made the first film truly unique.  The sequel keeps up the funny/cute/charming aspects, but the novelty was missing.  I loved the first film, and I liked this one.  There were of course some great jokes for adults, but without Gru balancing the villain and father role the film was not as much fun as the first.  There were of course some moments where Gru showed his more fun darker side, but they were not as many. 

One of the other elements I like about the series is that Gru is a single dad raising three young girls, and he does a great job, but this film implies he needs a woman or mother to complete the picture.  I wish the film would have avoided the "family" agenda.  With that said the fun chemistry between Gru and Lucy was great, Wiig was the perfect voice actor for this role.  Wiig does just as much voice work as she does acting on screen, and I think this film succeeds because the voice actors add so much to the characters. 

Dreamworks is a machine with there films, and see dollar signs more doing more creative projects the way Pixar has done (although Pixar has gotten worse with this lately).  I do not want this film series to lose the mojo it has going, so with a third one pretty much guaranteed, please do not let go of the themes, or try too hard the way Shrek 3 did. With any of my minor complaints this film has terrific animation, and just plain cute.

Celebrating The Office Part One: Michael Gary Scott

At the beginning there was Michael Scott, and it was good!  When The Office started back in 2005 Steve Carell was the first boss at the then Dunder Miflin Paper Company.  After seven seasons (137 episodes) Steve Carell said goodbye to his work team/family, and stepped down from boss role.  After sevens seasons of "That's what she said," bad relationships, Dundies, and awkward moments he left, but there are so many great moments, and they honest can't be summed up with words.  Steve Carell's Michael Scott is one of the most memorable characters in television history, and his character has been missed on The Office, here are some of the best quotes, to start off a great tribute week.

Best Michael Scott Quotes

"I am downloading some NP3 music"

"The worst thing about prison was the Dementors"-from 

"You know what they say fool me once strike one, but fool me twice...strike three"

"The suddenly she's not yo ho no mo"

"You don't know me, you've just seen my penis"

"You cannot take the hilarious black guy from the office"

"That has an oaky afterbirth"

"Corporate has made it my responsibility today to put an end to 10,000 years of being weirded out by gays."

These are obviously just a few of the great Michael Scott quotes from seven years.  Carell's send off arc as Michael Scott was one of the best stroy lines I have ever seen within a comedy series.  Part of me wishes the show ended there, namely because i hated Andy as the next boss, but I am excited to see how everything wraps up, especially with a Dwight and Angela wedding, and with Michael Scott returning?  Below is a montage of the best moments with Michael Scott.

The Way Way Back is a Heartfelt Coming-of-Age Journey to Understanding Adulthood, filled with great Laughs

The Way Way Back (4 out of 5 Stars)

Directed and Written by: Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash (wrote The Descendants)

Starring: Steve Carell, Liam James, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, and Allison Janney

Films of this nature are highly scrutinized, and the poster and advertising set the stage for this.  The poster on the The Way Way Back say from the studio who bought you Little Miss Sunshine and Juno.  This film is like both of these movies, and even stars some of the same people, yet in this Steve Carell is a bit of a dick and married to the person who played his sister in Little Miss Sunshine, and Allison Janney doesn't love dogs she just is too involved in everyone's business, and sexually repressed. 

People are going to cal this film this years "insert indie dramedy" or compare it to Adventurland and there is problem that takes away from the spirit of the creativity of this actual film. I could go on and on forever about the comparison of film, but and while Back has those similar threads its film with a fun unique feel.  The film once again like this years Oblivion has similar tropes to the "Little Miss Sunshine" film, but is also a great film in its own right.

Back centers around Duncan (James) who is heading to a Summer vacation home with his mother Pam (Collette), her new boyfriend Trent (Carell), and Trent's daughter Steph (Zoe Levin).  As soon as this foursome get out of their car they are greeted by Trent's neigh Pam, who gets too close too soon, possibly because she is recently divorced, but she also spits out truth about her sons lazy eye, her gay ex husband and much more within the first five minutes of meeting her.  As the Summer progresses Duncan can't help but feel out of place; he does not feel comfortable surrounded by all these people especially Trent who he feels mistreats him, and his mother.  

Duncan eventually meets and is befriended by Owen who owns a water park called Water Wizz.  After the two meet over Pac Man there is an instant mentor friend relationship which develops as Duncan taks on a job at the water park, and realizes that people care about him.  Duncan is lost and finds solace in the world of misfits who go to, and and work at the water park, including the films writer director pair, Faxon and Rash who are incredibly funny.  As much as the film explores Duncan's development, the film is about maturation of adulthood, and relationships from all levels.

One thing I respect about this movie is the way Faxon and Rash as first time directors, and now more experience screen writers crafted this world.  One of the interesting things about the film, is that as you sit through the film you wonder if this was meant to be set in the 80s with the music (REO Speedwagon), the fact that it centers around a water park, the station wagon, and much more.  Yet the great thing about this film is that themes of divorce, isolation, and friendship transcend the concept of decades.

Faxon and Rash who co-wrote (and each won Oscars) with Alexander Payne for The Descendants, created something less melodramatic, and more earnest.  This script hits the write notes, never feeling heavy handed or shoving the emotional journey down your throat.  The moments they created within their script then directed within the big screen felt natural, free flowing, and never out place.  Their script may fit a bit of a formula, but their direction along with the wistful emotions they evoke of nostalgia negate any lazy aspect of the film.

One of the key things to highlight within the film is the truly great ensemble assembled within this film, Carell, Collette, Janney, Maya Rudolph, Rockwell, Rash, Faxon, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry, AnnaSophia Robb, and Liam James.  The young actors who play the water park regulars also add some entertainment.  On paper this cast is a dream comedy cast, and they flex their dramatic muscles of course too.

In a Freaky Friday world Steve Carell plays a dick, and Sam Rockwell plays the good guy.  For those familiar with both of their work their pattern has been the exact opposite for most of their careers.  Do they pull it off?  Rockwell steals the film channeling some great Bill Murray (from his own mouth in interviews).  Rockwell is fantastic in this film as Owen who has a bit of Peter Pan syndrome, never wanting to grow up as he works at Water Wizz, but meeting Duncan helps him to realize he's the adult and he becomes a pseudo father figure to him.  Carell's Trent is simply put a dick, and Carell steps out of the "nice guy" roles and makes you hate him more than ever before, pulling off a solid transformation.

While Rockwell gives the best overall adult performance in the film, the scene-stealer is of course Allison Janney, her one liners are some of the funniest in the film.  Pam's character recovering from her divorce is just willing to say things how they are, but as you learn her veneer is a mask for loneliness you feel the character has fully formed, and you see this land many of the "adults" have made is a mask to hide from the real world.

At the center of all of this is Duncan, and Liam James starts this character from scratch; he is quiet, and watches as the world around him forms.  As he starts to run away from these adults who do not have their stuff together (but think they do); he runs to a world of adults who find solace in one another, and soon Duncan begins to grow on his own.  Susanna states "This is Spring Break for adults."  James is a solid younger actor, he gives the good as he begins to grow up himself, yet wanting his mother she does not need to settle for happiness.

Back was sold for the most money ever at Sundance, 10 million dollars, and the film had a production budget of only four million.  That's pretty impressive.  While the film does not reinvent the wheel, there is something special and fun about the story told here.  You can feel the personal touch from both Rash and Faxon, which make this movie beyond like able.  To me this is the combination of an homage/passion project, which make some of the best films.  Combined with these elements the cast is one of the best I have seen in a long time, making this one of the most enjoyable films of the year.

Goodbye Michael Scott: Why Do People Leave Their Television Series (and can these shows Succeed)

For the most part comedy series keep their main characters throughout the whole series.  There are times in a series where people have left comedies: Shelley Long left Cheers, Valeria Harper and Cloris Leachman left The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Ron Howard left Happy Days, M*A*S*H had a bunch of cast members leave including Gary Burghoof, and McLean Stevenson.  These are not the only folks to leave television comedies at the height of their fame, but these are some of the most memorable.

Over the past few few weeks I have been re-watching The Office (USA).  The show centered around Michael Scott who works as a manager at Dunder Mifflin, a paper company, and the people he supervises.  Throughout the years the show became a true ensemble piece focusing not only on Michael, but Jim and Pam, and their love affair, Dwight and his quirky beet farm, Stanley's cranky attitude, Meredith the drunk, Angela the uptight accountant, Oscar the gay guy, and many more.  While a show can be a great ensemble there are certain characters/actors who are the glue which hold a show together.  Michael Scott is one of those characters, and saying goodbye to his character this week (again) was another painful experience.

Before I relive my pain of losing Steve Carell's Michael Scott, let's look at some of the names above, and examine why those actors leave the show, and how their absence affected their perspective series.

Shelley Long left Cheers for a couple of reasons; she wanted to explore her film career, and based on listening to behind the scenes talk she was mistreated by the cast because of her attitude.  Long acted like Diane off the set, as much she did while on camera.  Diane was a central part of the show; she added the conflict, she was the opposite of all the other characters the refined woman working in the bar.  Diane also added that extra heat with her on and off again relationship with Sam.  The Sam and Diane would they won't they was the talk of everyone, it was "water cooler gossip."

Kelsey Grammer helped ease the transition of a Diane-less Cheers, and the show survived and did quite nicely after she left.  While Diane may have been the center of the show, she certainly was not missed (viewership remained strong).  Long's career took a massive nose dive, and while she gets somewhat small guest work these days (Modern Family) she has not had a steady on screen career since she left the show.

Gary Burghoof, and McLean Stevenson from M*A*S*H had the same career fate as Long, but M*A*S*H lasted much longer after Stevenson left and a year or two after Burghoof.  These characters were important to shows ensemble, but the shows lived on while their careers faded.  Sometimes celebrities think they can do more, but often the reason they are popular is because the of the show itself rather than the star, or even the character.

Some characters may have left their incredibly popular show to go and star in their own series, with the character of the same name.  Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman both left The Mary Tyler Moore Show in order to provide more context for their character.  Harper's show Rhoda was a big hit, and won the actress an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role.  While after this series she was known for diva demands, and booted off the show Hogan Family (they killed her off), the actress had a lot of success.While Cloris Leachman never won an Emmy for her show Phyllis; she is now one of the actors to win the most Primetime Emmy Awards and stars in the hit sitcom Raising Hope.

The situation with Harper and Leachman is a rare occasion, but the reason their parent show remained successful was because Mary still had her workplace, and both Rhoda and Phyllis were part of her outside world.  The creative minds behind Moore's show were brilliant, they created one of the most well balanced television sitcoms of all time.

Let's jump back into the modern example, of Carell leaving The Office.  I personally applaud Carell for leaving this show, while he was on top and the show was reaching its creative downturn.  Throughout his last season the show did a wonderful job wrapping up his stories with his co-workers, with him outsmarting Oscar, outgrowing Todd Packer, and finally getting the girl, Holly. Michael's goodbye episode was one of the saddest sitcom episodes ever, and losing him was like losing your most valuable player.

The Office attempted to build excitement with Will Ferrell as a potential boss, but this was temporary, and failed on all levels.  Then they paraded a variety of potential celebrity managers from Jim Carrey to Ray Romano, and eventually ended up with James Spader, who eventually became the CEO, and was replaced by Andy Bernard (Ed Helms).  While Helm's Andy should have been the original choice the show wasted time with outsiders.

After Carell left show the show has gone on to last two more seasons (this being the second and last).  While the show has lasted two more years fans have seemed to abandon ship.  I gave the show a shot, and have watched episodes here and there, but the show just has never felt the same without Michael.  While the ensemble is still funny, the show should ended two seasons ago, and let go of the thought that they could continue on without their fearless leader in Dunder Mifflin.

With the show ending this year I have grown nostalgic, and for the first time navigate the open waters of a show with Steve Carell all of the way through for the first time.  I am not looking forward this experience, and I will back peddle if I was wrong.  The moral of the story is that shows need to know when its time to say goodbye, rather than allowing actors to leave.  The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one example of this working well, but even the show runners and actors knew that after seven great seasons it was time to throw in the towel, and end on top.