MINIONS: The Rise of Gru

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming this Friday from director Kyle Balda, Illumination and Universal Pictures comes the story behind MINIONS: The Rise of Gru.

Twelve-year-old Gru (Steve Carell) is not your average kid growing up in the 70’s. While all other children want to be doctors and teachers when they grow up, Gru wants to become a member of the supervillains Vicious 6. What he does not know is that the Vicious 6 have just ousted their glorious leader Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin).

So now interviews are being held by the remaining members Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Nunchuck (Lucy Lawless), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren) and Stronghold (Danny Trejo). Gru can not believe he is actually going into interview and must tell his beloved Minions, especially Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto (Pierre Coffin) that he must now go alone.

Trying to prove himself, Gru takes a medallion that has powers and once the Vicious 6 realize it has been taken, they are on the hunt for the kid. That is until Kevin sees Gru being kidnapped by Wild Knuckles and with Stuart and Bob, they are off to find him in San Francisco but so are the Vicious 6.

Finding it difficult to navigate the streets of San Fran, the minions meet Master Chow (Michelle Yeoh) who teaches them a bit of the martial arts to help them rescue Gru! In a sort of change of heart, Wild Knuckles has taken a shine to young Gru and puts his skills to the test.

All of this leads to a smack down in San Francisco’s Chinatown!

Carell as Gru manages to take an older Gru’s voice and bring it down to a twelve-year-old’s size. As usual, his vocals bring fun and giggles to the character he has made so famous since DESPICABLE ME in 2010.   

Henson as Belle Bottom is a funky 70’s supervillain that wants so much more. Seemed quite easy for her to turn on her own mentor because absolute power corrupts absolutely. Arkin as Wild Knuckles is an aged supervillain who didn’t see betrayal coming. Well, now he wants revenge and he will use Gru to get it. Typical bad guy but well-done Mr. Arkin.

Yeoh as Master Chow was very funny but then again, I enjoy everything Michelle Yeoh does so welcome to the animated world. Van Damme, Lawless, Lundgren and Trejo as the other pieces of the Vicious 6 get a chance to show a little of their own evilness along with their fantastic gadgetry. I wonder who had a part in that? 

Brand gives us a look at a young Dr. Nefario and his part in Gru’s history as well. I was thrilled to hear Julie Andrews again as Gru’s mother. There is a look at her interesting side as well.

Other cast include RZA as the biker, Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins, Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario and the beloved and iconic Ms. Julie Andrews as Marlena Gru.

Illumination, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the industry’s leading producers of event animated films. Bringing the DESPICABLE ME franchise, to include Minions, features some of the world’s most renowned talent. To read more please visit www.illumination.com.

Universal Pictures has films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films that have entertained generations such as the recent JURASSIC PARK: Dominion. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MINIONS: The Rise of Gru is a film that is great for family’s this holiday weekend and I’m sure it will do well. Coming in at one hour and twenty-seven minutes everyone has a chance to have a good giggle.

The story itself, I have to say, felt a bit disconnected. In the sense of why didn’t they call it DESPICABLE ME: The Rise of Gru instead of MINIONS: The Rise of Gru. Honestly, Gru got more screen time than the Minions in the plot of the story. So, yes, I was expecting more Minion-ness.

That being said the film is fun, charming and entertaining. The music was definetly 70’s and THAT I liked a lot. It’s always a treat when a film truly knows how to use music to its advantage and MINIONS: The Rise of Gru plays that funky music well.

In the end – it’s kung fu fighting time!

 

 

More Than a Tennis Match – BATTLE OF THE SEXES Serves on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital from directors Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the BATTLE OF THE SEXES.

This film tells the story of two tennis players in 1973 – Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) who is frustrated by the treatment in pay of women players and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) who is frustrated by life!

When King discovers that women players are still being overlooked when it comes to the tournament winnings, she confronts Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman). Kramer tells her that people want to pay to see men play more than they do women which enrages King to the point of a mutiny.

Deciding to break away, she recruits other women players to start their own tournaments and find companies willing to make the winnings worth while. That means more time away from home as husband Larry (Austin Stowell) cheers on her career. Riggs is watching all of this with interest much to the irritation of his wife Pricilla (Elisabeth Shue) who wants him to forget the court life.

Stopping before a tournament in San Diego, King meets Marilyn (Andrea Riseborough) and finds herself drawn to her. Dealing with her feelings of betraying her marriage and who she truly is comes with a price for King. Someone who notices is teammate Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee) who predicts doom.

Riggs decides he wants back in to the tennis life and comes up with the idea to take on the top women’s tennis player in a battle for court superiority. Thinking it is King he will be playing, it quickly becomes clear that Court is woman he will play. The media turns the match into a frenzy that hits women players the hardest at its end.

Not to take it, King agrees to play Riggs next and another frenzy begins both on and off the court. Riggs marital life has hit an all time low and King’s husband realizes that their life together is fracturing.

Neither one of them is going to let anything stop what is to come for game, set and match!

Stone as King is actually quite stunning in this role. She totally made me forget that she wasn’t King and I don’t mean just in the haircut and glasses. During this era it was clear that the majority believed a woman’s place was in the kitchen (a saying used many times by Riggs) and Stone plays this duality with strength and grace.

Carell as Riggs is just crazy with his ability to rev up a crowd. We are use to seeing Carell in roles that are quiet, contemplative or hilarious but never as a man who couldn’t stop himself from grabbing attention any way he could. He also gives an uncanny performance that brings Riggs front and center but also reminds us of how far we’ve come from such a display.

Riseborough as Marilyn clearly lives her life as openly as one could in the early 70’s and wants King to do the same. When she meets Larry in the hallway scene I can honestly say my jaw dropped not knowing what was to happen next. Shue as Pricilla thought she had tamed her wild tennis player/gambler/womanizer but clearly the caged animal escaped. It was good to see Shue in the film.

Other cast include Wallace Langham as Henry, Ashley Weinhold as Kristy Pigeon, Mickey Summer as Valerie Ziegenfuss, Fidan Manashirova as Judy Tegart Dalton, Martha MacIsaac as Peaches, Natalie Morales as Rosie Casals, Sarah Silverman as Gladys Heldman and Alan Cumming as Ted Tinling.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

BATTLE OF THE SEXES brings fantastic performances by Stone and Carell who carry this film from beginning to end. Yes this is about a tennis match watched around the world but more importantly it is a closer look at the lives of these two amazing tennis players.

King’s life began to change in so many different ways because she decided to stand up for herself. Knowing that her work & sport was not being valued, I wonder if she knew that it would also change her personal life as well. What an time to be living a double life and Stone’s performance gave us that look.

Riggs was just a man wanting to find a place for himself when the world his wife created for him just didn’t fit. Taking the chance of putting himself as the loud-mouthed bad guy in the early 70s, it worked and allowed him to find his own life. Carell brought all of that out and showed us the insecurities as well.

This is a story that needed to be told and directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton dared to take it on. A story that delves into the lives of sports figures could be touch and go but the two directors gave it humor, tension and a peek at the world in the 1970’s and not just in sports.

In the end – he made a bet and she made history!

DESPICABLE ME 3 Expands the Family Fun on Bluray!

Jeri Jacquin

Get the family together because they family is back on Bluray & DVD from directors Eric Guillon, Kyle Balda and Pierre Cofflin along with Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment with DESPICABLE ME 3.

Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are on their next mission for the Anti-Villain League going after Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a once child star who took his role into adulthood. With his keytair and 80’s dance moves, Bratt gets away with a diamond as large as his head!

Returning to the AVL headquarters, Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) announces that he will be stepping down. Taking his job is Valerie Da Vinci (Jenny Slate) and her first move is to fire Gru. Lucy threatens to walk if she follows through with the firing and now both are out of a job. The Minions aren’t happy when Gru refuses to return to villainy and stage a walk out.

Going home to explain it all to Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Nev Scharrel), the parents assure the girls it will all work out. That’s when a stranger shows up and announces that Gru has a twin brother names Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell). Not believing it Gru forces his Mom (Julie Andrews) and he learns the truth about his family.

Packing the family up, they fly to Dru’s luxurious estate and Gru learns more about who his father was. He also learns that Dru wants to be villainous and it’s Gru’s chance to capture Bratt while Lucy works on her Mom-skills. Bratt isn’t about to make anything easy as he has plans for tinsel town.

In their efforts to strengthen their family, Gru, Lucy and Dru along with the girls learn that love of family is amazing and there is no bad guy big enough to break them apart!

Recently at CinemaCon, Steve Carell spoke about his iconic work as Gru saying the DESPICABLE ME franchise is filled with “characters that are funny for adults as well as kids and that’s what has made it all successful”. How did the voice of Gru come to be? Carell says, “I tried voices on my daughter and when I did the voice of Gru they told me that was the one. Gru’s voice was like I flew over Eastern Europe and Dru’s voice had to be different. It had to be very fun, free and giddy in a way”.

Wiig as Lucy is trying her best to be a good Mom and it takes being herself to let everyone know that no one messes with Mama Bear! I just think the character of Lucy is crazy cool. Cosgrove, Gaier and Scharrel as Margo, Edith and Agnes are just girls growing up in a different household that is filled with unexpected adventure and they roll with it.

Parker as Bratt had me cracking up! His shoulder pads, keytar and dance moves along with a balding mullet and bubblegum means he isn’t about to let Gru, Dru, Lucy or anyone else stop him from a little Hollywood payback.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

The Bluray & DVD also includes the Bonus Features Deleted Scenes, Minion Moments, Character Profiles, The Making of Despicable Me 3, Developing Dru, The AVL Files, Freedonia Visitors Guide, Despicable Me TV, “Doowit” Sing-Along, “Yellow Light” Music Video and the All New Mini Movie: The Secret Life of Kyle.

DESPICABLE ME 3 is going to give families over and over again everything they have come to love about Gru, the girls and even the minions. This may not be the average family but it sure is one filled with love, excitement, understanding and fun. One would have thought that completed the family.

Of course not, Illumination expands their family with Dru and a unicorn, well of sorts, which means a double dose of excitement. There are the usual jokes with the minions trying to be jail house rockers but they know where they truly belong. The animation is strong, vibrant and has such creativity that I am always surprised yet not surprised.

Gru and Dru have found one another which means Lucy and the girls have their hands full. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing but if Illumination wants one more story line I have a few ideas that I wouldn’t mind sharing!

So gather up your own minions, fill up the popcorn bowl and cuddle on the sofa with holiday family fun of the family kind with DESPICABLE ME 3.

In the end – ohhhhhhhh brother it’s good to be bad!

Three Men Come Together Again for the LAST FLAG FLYING

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from writer/director Richard Linklater and Amazon Studios is a journey bringing the past and the present today for the LAST FLAG FLYING.

It is 2003 and Larry Shepherd (Steve Carell) walks into the bar of Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) who at first doesn’t recognize him. Eventually Sal realize he is talking to Doc, a man he served with during the Vietnam War they are both happy to see one another. After a night of drinking, he asks Sal to join him on a little adventure.

That leads both men to the doorstep of a church where Rev. Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) much to the amusement of Sal. When the three have dinner with the Reverend and his wife, Doc asks the two men if he will go with him to retrieve the coffin of his son who was recently killed in Iraq.

Absolutely stunned, the two men agree and on their trip the discussion of what happened to the three of them in Vietnam is hinted at. Arriving at Dover Air Force Base, Doc learns from Larry’s buddy Washington (J. Quinton Johnson) how his son died. That changes everything as Doc decides to take his son home for burial much to the aggravation of Col. Wilits (Yul Vazquez).

It is on the train ride home that Sal and Mueller talk about what happened in Vietnam, Doc keeps himself together and Washington escorts Larry home. The thirty years between Vietnam and Iraq brings about conversations that needed to be had and closure to souls wounded by it all.

Some friendships go on forever.

Carell as Doc is absolutely stunning and that’s the only word for it. There isn’t a lot of dialogue for his character but then again I wouldn’t expect there to be. Every emotion that pours out of Carell is heartbreaking and endearing in different ways. As a man who has lost a son, it isn’t the only thing he has lost in his life. There doesn’t seem to be a resentful bone in his body and even when he shows a moment of anger, it is justified.

Fishburne as Mueller is a Reverend who has embraced a different life. Once a wild Marine, he is now a settled man with a wife who holds him true to the collar he wears. There are moments where Fishburne completely lets loose and it sends the audience into fits of laughter. When he embraces his faith, he reaches out to Doc and shakes his head at Sal.

Cranston as Sal is completely out of control! He doesn’t like it when people play games, believes in shooting straight from the hip and doesn’t give a damn if he drinks from dusk till – well dusk again. Thrilled to be with his Vietnam buddy Doc, he is shocked to discover the life that Mueller chose after their time in war. He calls everything out, embraces the insanity of life and finds that he has been missing out once he gets his hands on a cell phone. As Carell is the emotion of the film and Fishburne is the spiritual guide, Cranston is all the chaos with no filter in between the two men and he rocks it from start to finish.

Johnson as Washington is a young soldier that is trying to do what is right both as Larry’s best friend and as a Marine. He gets to know Doc, Mueller and Sal which helps him understand so much more about being a soldier. Vazquez as Wilits is a man on his own mission who clearly doesn’t understand what being a parent is all about.

Other cast include Deanna Reed-Foster as Ruth, Graham Wolfe as John Redman, Jeff Monahan as O’Toole, Richard Robichaux as Anorak and an appearance by the wonderful Cicely Tyson.

LAST FLAG FLYING is an emotional roller coaster and I am not kidding. One minute the audience is laughing so hard they are crying to the next minute of crying so hard they can’t breathe. These three actors are so different yet in this film are perfection with the story they are telling.

The heartbreak that the character of Doc experiences can never be understood and I don’t think I could even try but that doesn’t stop us all of embracing every bit of his love, anger and laughter. Asking two men he hasn’t seen in 30 years to join him doesn’t require an explanation because I personally feel that all is revealed as it should be in the film.

One of the two best scenes of the film is when they are all in the back train car and the laughter is strangely contagious with Carell’s Doc having a laughing fit that had me in tears. The second is the scene as Sal convinces Mueller and Doc that it’s time to come to terms make that one event in Vietnam and make it right.

Of course I’m not being specific because the entire film is an experience that drains every emotion and I gave every bit of that willingly. LAST FLAG FLYING reminds us that war, no matter how many years in between changes young men that eventually become older men with regrets.

These three actors couldn’t have performed any better if they tried and LAST FLAG FLYING is beautifully told and excels in every way.

In the end – their last mission wasn’t on the battlefield.

DESPICABLE ME 3 Expands the Family Fun!

Jeri Jacquin

Get the family together because coming to theatres this Friday from directors Eric Guillon, Kyle Balda and Pierre Cofflin along with Illumination Entertainment is DESPICABLE ME 3.

Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are on their next mission for the Anti-Villain League going after Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a once child star who took his role into adulthood. With his keytair and 80’s dance moves, Bratt gets away with a diamond as large as his head!

Returning to the AVL headquarters, Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) announces that he will be stepping down. Taking his job is Valerie Da Vinci (Jenny Slate) and her first move is to fire Gru. Lucy threatens to walk if she follows through with the firing and now both are out of a job. The Minions aren’t happy when Gru refuses to return to villainy and stage a walk out.

Going home to explain it all to Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Nev Scharrel), the parents assure the girls it will all work out. That’s when a stranger shows up and announces that Gru has a twin brother names Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell). Not believing it Gru forces his Mom (Julie Andrews) and he learns the truth about his family.

Packing the family up, they fly to Dru’s luxurious estate and Gru learns more about who his father was. He also learns that Dru wants to be villainous and it’s Gru’s chance to capture Bratt while Lucy works on her Mom-skills. Bratt isn’t about to make anything easy as he has plans for tinsel town.

In their efforts to strengthen their family, Gru, Lucy and Dru along with the girls learn that love of family is amazing and there is no bad guy big enough to break them apart!

Recently at CinemaCon, Steve Carell spoke about his iconic work as Gru saying the DESPICABLE ME franchise is filled with “characters that are funny for adults as well as kids and that’s what has made it all successful”. How did the voice of Gru come to be? Carell says, “I tried voices on my daughter and when I did the voice of Gru they told me that was the one. Gru’s voice was like I flew over Eastern Europe and Dru’s voice had to be different. It had to be very fun, free and giddy in a way”.

Wiig as Lucy is trying her best to be a good Mom and it takes being herself to let everyone know that no one messes with Mama Bear! I just think the character of Lucy is crazy cool. Cosgrove, Gaier and Scharrel as Margo, Edith and Agnes are just girls growing up in a different household that is filled with unexpected adventure and they roll with it.

Parker as Bratt had me cracking up! His shoulder pads, keytar and dance moves along with a balding mullet and bubblegum means he isn’t about to let Gru, Dru, Lucy or anyone else stop him from a little Hollywood payback.

DESPICABLE ME 3 is going to give families everything they have come to love about Gru, the girls and even the minions. This may not be the average family but it sure is one filled with love, excitement, understanding and fun. One would have thought that completed the family.

Of course not, Illumination expands their family with Dru and a unicorn, well of sorts, which means a double dose of excitement. There are the usual jokes with the minions trying to be jail house rockers but they know where they truly belong. The animation is strong, vibrant and has such creativity that I am always surprised yet not surprised.

Gru and Dru have found one another which means Lucy and the girls have their hands full. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing but if Illumination wants one more story line I have a few ideas that I wouldn’t mind sharing!

So gather up your own minions and head to the theatres to begin your summer with family fun of a different kind with DESPICABLE ME 3.

In the end – ohhhhhhhh brother it’s good to be bad!