This Week In Cinema: April 01-07, 2012

It’s all animation all the time this week!

Three movies this week, the slow output continues,

Donkey’s Christmas Shrektacular (Donkey’s Caroling Christmas-tacular, 2010, Walt Dohrn & Raman Hui, United States Of America) **

Cute for what it is I guess, and my daughter sure seemed to dig it. Problem is that like most of the DreamWorks Animation shorts there’s really nothing to the film other than a few funny sight gags, a one liner or two and some pretty good animation. Yeah, I chuckled a couple of times, but not enough for me to have actually enjoyed what I was being presented with.

The Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper (2005, Gary Trousdale, United States Of America) ***

Unlike the first short, this one has a story that fits the short film format. It helps that I have a soft spot for the penguins from Madagascar. The animation is also well done, and the jokes come from the accepted absurdity of the penguins. What can I say, it’s pretty stupid, but it’s the absurd kind of stupid that I dig.

Despicable Me (2010, Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud, United States Of America) ***

Quite funny and witty, that’s how I would describe Despicable Me. The concept is very cool, having the focus be on a villain and his not so villainous exploits makes for a lot of funny situations. The story is also pretty well layered, with some surprising depth in terms of Gru’s focus and how once he finally focuses on what he really wants he’s a nearly unstoppable figure of destruction. The animation is pretty slick as well, if not always congruous. Good movie, and a fun time.

Wrap-Up:

Another slow week for movies, but two out of three films were good watches and that’s not a bad week at all. Despicable Me easily takes home movie of the week honors. Until next week, watch more movies!

Cheers,
Bill