Home (2015)

Directed by Tim Johnson
Written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based on the book "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex
Starring Jim Parsons, Rhianna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Matt Jones

When the Boove discover sanctuary on Earth from their enemy the Gorg, the abduct all humans and jam them into Australia, stealing everything else. But when an unpopular Boove named Oh jeopardizes his species' peace, he is hunted down. While on the run, he finds a lonely girl who escaped capture and helps her find her Mom.

In a time where many animation studios are staying a float by adding more things for the parents in their family movies, Dreamworks has stepped in and taken the reigns with the films directed towards younger audiences.

Unlike movies from Pixar and Disney Animation (two different entities that just happened to be owned by Disney), in which plots are often darker and have heavier content that is both kid friendly and holds the adults' attention, "Home" aims for an even younger audience and neglects to think about the parent's in attendance.

Their first mistake, in my mind, was casting both Rhianna and Jennifer Lopez. Perhaps it is the crowd I surround myself with, but I don't know many people over the age of 16 who listen to those artists religiously. Or at the very least, enough to be excited that they are in a movie. Not only was it meaningless from a marketing standpoint, but from the acting side, it just gave the movie lower quality voice performances.

With a soundtrack plagued by Rhianna  and Jennifer Lopez songs, the entire movie just felt like an advertisement for her. Sure, when a musician agrees to be in a movie, they usually lend a song for good measure. But the songs just did not fit the scenes they were in. The became a distraction rather than an enhancement.

The plot of the movie itself, although cliché, was an interesting enough start. They definitely had a foundation and enough jokes and gags to make a good movie. And the casting choices weren't an immediate deal breaker. I just can't pinpoint where the filmmakers went wrong. It's a decent movie, but I feel a lot of little mistakes cost them the quality of the movie after such a promising short film.

My Rating: 5/10

The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)

Directed by Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt
Written by Gideon Dafoe
Starring Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant and Imelda Staunton

A pirate Captain, named Pirate Captain sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals and win "Pirate of the Year" with the help of his lovable crew. But when greed comes over him and persuades him to sell his pet Dodo bird, Polly, to the Queen of England, it soon becomes a mission to get Polly back.

You know, sometimes you just want to watch a mindless and fun movie. But when that movie surprises you with witty jokes and laughably bad puns, it becomes a great experience. Created by the company who made "Wallace and Gromit", I shouldn't have expected anything else.

There is something about stop-motion animation that makes it stand out above all other mediums. I'm willing to bet money on the fact that each scene is animated by hand frame-by-frame. It's just so impressive and I feel it doesn't get enough credit.

This movie is no exception. With beautifully crafted characters and sets, this is just another example of how stop-motion animators are among some of the most talented people in the world. Because it is such a pain staking process, I feel that many of them would not participate in the project unless the script was solid.

"Pirates: Band of Misfits" is a fun, adventurous movie with plenty of laughs.  It is light hearted and clever and I would recommend it to anyone of any age. It is truly a movie for adults and children alike.

My Rating: 7/10