Cars, In Planes' Sight

You've probably read it everywhere by now (maybe even saw it for yourself) --Planes is indeed Cars with wings. Observe these character spoilers!

HEROIC HAS BEEN
Doc is to Skipper as Skipper is to Doc. But we liked Skipper's back story better. Plus, he rose from it all and fought the bad guy in an aerial dogfight, creaking bolts and all. Coolness.

TOUR GUIDE LOVE
Sally toured McQueen down the Canyons. Ishani toured Dusty around India. Both to give emotional insights about the story and to create a spark towards a blooming love affair.

GREEN AND MEAN
Chick Hicks and Ripslinger. Separated at birth. Connected by... eeeeviiil!

RUNNING...er flying... JOKE
Mater and El Chupacabra are the comedians of each movie.  El Chupacabra is crazy in love while Mater is plain crazy.  El Chuppie, however, was given a better production number with a better singing voice.

Planes mirrored the formula Cars ran on except for the part where the hero, Dusty Crophopper, totally changed the game by going against what he's designed for to win an international race. That part is... 'Planes is Turbo with wings'. :P

Still, my boys loved this animation flick for its dynamic action scenes, brilliant colour, and that fact that it involved war planes. No plane can be cooler than fighter planes. And the scene where all the planes pitched in to help Dusty get back on his wings is a beautiful, genuine touch.

So, even if Planes is not the most original of Disney's offerings, I'm not totally knocking this movie out of the sky. It's for kids. And kids love airplanes!

Watch, release your inner child, and enjoy!

What The Conjuring Didn't Conjure

I would call The Conjuring your Demonic Possession + Exorcism Starter Kit.
Not too flashy, not too creepy --it can be the first film you use if you want to introduce your children to the macabre side of film making. Of course, not too many parents would actually do that. But I did. And my boys were like, "That's it?"

The poster was cool though. Hands down. And the hype that went with it certainly got me excited and scared at the same time. But yeah, being a Horror flick geek, it was kind of a let down for me. I know that's being unfair. It's just that I'm grossly exposed to Asian Horror (read:  The Ring, Ju-on, Tale of Two Sisters, and so much more) that prides itself for its excellent command of suspense and impeccable  use of SFX.  I'm also a fan of Paranormal Activity's brilliant editing.  And The Exorcist's spot-on acting, disgustingly perfect make-up, and shocking script. In The Conjuring, the demon never even cussed.

It had its moments though. I thought the sleepwalking girl perpetually knocking her head on the closet was cool.  The freaky doll, Anabelle (Chuckie's cousin, me thinks), had time to shine. I would've liked it better if she was the focal point of the story. The demon combing her hair while sitting in a rocking chair was admittedly, chillingly awesome. Sadly, Anabelle was just a side story.
However, the end did hint on a part 2 --so her potential might just resurface. That is, if THIS will even be allowed a part 2.

So yeah.

But don't take the word or the biased judgment of a frightening film fanatic. Watch The Conjuring so you don't miss a thing. Just do me one tiny favor. If you're watching on DVD, push play at exactly 3:07am. Thank you.

Final word: Still, nobody does demonic possession quite like you do, Regan. Nobody. *slow clap*
(You have no idea how terrified I was while uploading this photo. Lol!)

The R.I.P.D. Dead Ringer Review

The Rest. In. Peace. Department. You'd think it's an incredibly original movie-making idea (except for the fact that it's a translation of a comic book cult hit). But really, what it is is a cinema fest of dead ringer bits. First off, it's a fun-filled version of Constantine. Dead people running about re-killing each other.... except made to look like Rush Hour in the action department.

The old guy vs young guy tandem isn't anything new either. That non-chemistry between 2 generations that always makes good formula for shits and giggles still works --so why fix it? Think Ghost Rider horseback rider and motorcycle rider editions, complete with creepy characters. Or, M.I.B., complete with creepy characters and swanky secret HQ.

Oh, and the evil master plan --to open a portal welcoming all the baddie souls into the city of man. Kinda like The Avengers, eh?

So after that pale intro, why the heck would you waste your time on R.I.P.D.?

Powerhouse cast
Ryan Reynolds. Jeff Bridges. Kevin Bacon. Mind Blown.

Partner deceit
I love plots that make you question your comfort zone. And Kevin Bacon definitely brought evil ex-partner to light in the darkest manner. It's official. Bacon does bad good.

Human sacrifice
Well, this is new. No one does sacrifices to open up evil dimensions anymore. Plus, Stephanie Szostak makes a cute sacrifice.

Firepower
It's like watching team Fortress 2 The Human vs Dead-but-still-kicking Abomination Version. Lots o' guns, lots o' fun!

Fight scenes
Since everyone's dead, everyone gets their heads pummeled with cars and concrete and they bounce right back up. It's Tom and Jerry in the real world! Oh boy, oh boy!

The blond bombshell and old Chinese man 
This is pure comedy genius! This is the only part of the movie that got me laughing like a loon. If you must watch, do it for the bombshell and the Chinese man.

So, are those reasons convincing enough? Mmm... probably not. For practicality's sake, R.I.P.D. is better watched on DVD than on the big screen. And with lots of buttered popcorn.

Bonus! It's an original but a dead-on cringe-worthy moment: Mary Louise Parker biting Jeff Bridge's scraggly beard in an awkward show of gross seductive force. Uh-huh. I'm still having nightmares about that one.