Cedar Rapids Review

Cedar Rapids stars Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) as a small town insurance salesman who gets sent out of his comfort zone to an insurance convention in Cedar Rapids. As a fish out of water he struggles to fit in and make his boss back home proud. Supporting cast include John C. Reilly and Anne Heche. John C. Reilly plays the typical loud, obnoxious character that directly contrasts Helm's character. It's the classic 'Odd Couple' situation that works time and time again. Heche was quite charming and entertaining....a pleasure to watch.

Fox Searchlight pictures never seem to disappoint with their smaller budget Sundance Film festival movies, and this is no exception. These simple, character driven films tend to make you care about characters and root for them, in some ways more than a hero in a huge, big budget blockbuster. It is fun to identify with the underdog who has to make some tough decisions and step outside of his comfort zone.

If you are looking for a night out and some lighthearted entertainment I'd recommend Cedar Rapids if you can find a local theater playing it. If the cost of going to a theater is a factor then Cedar Rapids can be enjoyed just as much at home if you want to wait for it to be released on DVD. You don't need the big, loud cinema experience to identify with this film.

It is tough to compare this film to big budget Hollywood films, but to qualify it I have to consider how entertained and interested I was. That being said I rate it 7/10.

Mars Needs Moms Review

I was fortunate enough to get tickets to a recent advance screening of Mars Needs Moms. Considering the cost of movies these days I never miss an opportunity to see a free movie in theaters!

Disney sure seems to be trying to find it's place lately by stepping outside of the "Disney Box" by making films that don't necessarily fit the classic Disney Stereotype. Mars Needs Mom's is one of these uncharacteristic departures. I expect it will do well at the box office, at least because there aren't many family films out there, and considering the long cold winter we are having, getting out of the house with the kids is a must!

The main story is about Milo and his mom, so their characters had the most emotional depth, and the most believability. Seth green was a fairly convincing child (Milo) and I cannot say enough about Joan Cusack as 'Mom'. The emotions invoked with their relationship certainly hit home with me and had me welling up at least once. The characters of Gribble, Ki, Wingnut, etc certainly helped carry the story, but I can't see any of them having a Disney ride dedicated to them.

This is another Robert Zemeckis produced motion capture/computer animated film (as seen previously in The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol). The animation seemed quite realistic for the human characters. The 'dead eyes' look from some of the aforementioned films seems to have been improved to the point where it no longer distracted. Seth Green did a great job as a child and, as the credits roll, you can see them acting some of the scenes. I am sure it is easier to direct adults, but I wonder if casting an actual child for the Milo motion capture would have brought a little more of an authentic feel to it. The rest of the animation (brief space scenes, alien characters, and space interiors) certainly didn't blow me away, but as a means to tell a story it worked. The realistic look of earth and the human characters seemed to contrast all alien environments, which may have been intentional, but I somehow doubt it. The use of 3D was subtle and not gimmicky which does improve the home theater experience.

The movie had a few laughs here and there, mostly just dated pop cultural references from the 60's and 80's which sure amused the loud laughing woman behind me.

The story is quite simple; Milo and his mom aren't seeing eye to eye about mom's rules and consequences of breaking them which results in a fight that is left unresolved because Kevin's parents forget him at home alone when they leave for...oh, I mean because mom ends up the victim of an alien abduction. This prolongs the emotional tension and reminds us again and again the importance of family.

As a means to get out of the house and amuse the kids I'd recommend this film, but I don't think it has the impact of an epic film that will go down in history. It has a few moments of emotion, a few laughs but overall I suspect it will be soon forgotten. My favorite moment was my 4 year old son's comment after the movie, "I want to go to the red earth!"

I'd rate it a 6.5/10.