The Tale of Despereaux

Rating: G

Movie Release Date: December 19, 2008

DVD Release Date: April 7, 2009

Plot 411: This is the tale of a courageous mouse who isn't afraid to be different.

Review: This wasn't exactly what I expected but it was watchable (probably only the one time). What animated film isn't, right? Like most fairy tales, there's a narrator who does the whole, "Once upon a time" thing. I actually found her (Sigouney Weaver) to be quite boring and unnecessary. But for all I know, they're just copying an effect from the original book. I thought the main idea of a heroic mouse had so much potential but was left waiting for more. To me, the movie seemed pretty flat throughout. There was never really a moment where I felt like I was rooting for Despereaux. In fact, the movie didn't even really seem to be about Despereaux as much as I'd have liked it to be. I really enjoyed the animation techniques though. It really had that storybook feel to it with its warm tones and lighting. It's as if I was watching the pages of a book come to life. Definitely a great effect. The scenes had the ability to pull you into their world. Big time names helped out with the vocal talent - Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy and Stanley Tucci.

Watch It: With the kids because they'll get a kick out of Despereaux's huge ears.

Skip It: If you don't have to watch it. It's not one of those cool kid films made for adults.

Trailer:

Magnolia

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: January 7, 2000

DVD Release Date: August 29, 2000

Plot 411: A small snippet of the lives of several people who experience love, loss, death, regret, loneliness and a number of other human emotions.

Review: This was a tough one to sit through. It's over three hours long and is basically a collage of people's lives. You have to watch till the end to even figure out what the hell is going on or where the movie is going. I'll sum it up for you: The movie is preaching forgiveness. This movie has an all-star cast of great actors, including Julianne Moore, Tom Cruise, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alfred Molina. Cruise's character is especially interesting in an obnoxious, chauvinist way. He's as over-the-top as he was in Tropic Thunder. It is difficult for me to reconcile this image of him with the Scientologist version of himself. Very difficult indeed. I can't say that'd I'd recommend this one to most people. It'd probably fit well with the arthouse crowd, film students and maybe the indie flick watchers. The mainstream moviegoer will probably find it too slow going. There is a tremendous amount of character development, although it's splotchy with all the vignettes. It's one that focuses on the people and dialogue, and I think it really stretches the emotive capacities of the actors. There are a lot of close-up shots where they really need to show emotion on their faces and in their eyes.

Watch It: If you're one of the groups I've mentioned above.

Skip It: If you think you could fit two blockbusters into the same timeframe.

Trailer: