Review - Kung Fu Panda 2

I have an issue with Jack Black. Not a major issue like hatred or anything. It’s just… Most of his movies are the same. It involves a man-child whose living a life under a rock until something happens that shake said life and the man-child needs to grow up and deal with the issues. Sometimes I think he is not really acting but just being himself. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. For the most part, I did enjoy some of his movies. Like School of Rock. And of course, Kung Fu Panda.

So of course, when Kung Fu Panda 2 comes out, I was excited to see it. The first Kung Fu Panda was quite a good movie. It had comedy, action, drama and lots of slapstick, courtesy of Po.

In the first movie, Po was just an ordinary panda that was working at his father’s noodle shop but has big dreams about being a kung fu master. He got his chance when he crashed a ceremony and was named the Dragon Warrior. Nobody believed he was actually the Dragon Warrior, until he defeated Shenlong, once in line for the title.

Now, Po is back with more awesomeness. This time, Lord Shen, a peacock gone mad, is hell bent on taking over the world with a new weapon that uses the technology of fireworks and metal and obliterating kung fu. Po and the Furious Five are called to put the kibosh on his plans.

This was a nice progression, storyline-wise, from the first movie to the second movie. Especially with the addition of Po’s muddled past. The Furious Five all have had their back stories told via the short animated film years back.

And they way they tie it to the current villain was quite nice too. Years ago, a soothsayer predicted that a warrior of black and white will stop Lord Shen. Lord Shen then did something about it, to stop the prophecy from coming to pass.

The voice acting was on top form, like in the first movie as well. Besides an all-star cast of Jack Black (Po), Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Lucy Liu (Viper), Jackie Chan (Monkey), Seth Rogen (Mantis), David Cross (Crane), Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), we now have Michelle Yeoh as the Soothsayer, Gary Oldman as Lord Shen, Danny McBride as the Wolf Boss, Dennis Haysbert as Master Ox, Jean-Claude Van Damme as Master Croc and Victor Garber as Master Rhino.

Like the first movie, this movie has comedy, action, drama and lots of slapstick. But as the curse of sequels go, The Kaboom of Doom could not really match Kung Fu Panda’s level.

However, I do find the part where Po needed rescuing from the Furious Five a lot a bit grating on the nerves. No, I am not talking about the group attack. Plenty of times, he needed to be saved by Tigress or someone. He’s supposed to be the Dragon Warrior. I get that his training was the shortest of all of them but it just seemed like he was relying too much on the others. Other than that, it’s a fun movie. :)

Trailer - Kung Fu Panda 2

Another Super Bowl preview... Po and the Furious Five is back again...

"Year One" - Review And Trailer - Jack Black And Michael Cera

Summer is here and school is out. That means the beginning of the summer movie blitz - starting with Apatow's "Year One."

Starring Jack Black and Michael Cera you can imagine the type of humor in store. Directed by "Ghost Buster's" Harold Ramis, this film explores what happens when two cavemen are kicked out of their tribe.

In year 1, Zed (Jack Black) and his caveman friend, Oh (Michael Cera), are two bungling cavemen just trying to survive. Zed is a bad hunter with no skills, and Oh is a plant gatherer. Zed is thrown out of his village after he eats the forbidden fruit, and Oh decides to travel with Zed on his heroic journey to the end of the earth.

They find a much different world outside of their prehistoric village. They find themselves wandering in Bible country meeting Cain, Able, Abraham, and other Bible people along the way, and are sold into slavery ending up in Sodom.

There is a definite "Monty Python" look and feel to the film, and the jokes seem to come at breakneck speed at times. Most are funny. Some take a minute to sink in. And others are downright sacrilegious.

You can imagine what happens when they encounter Adam and Eve (Harold Ramis and Rhoda Griffis), Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd), and Abraham (Hank Azaria).

In an interview with MTV, Cera described it as a comedy set in Biblical times with Black's character, Zed, looking for some kind of meaning for his life.

Overall, Black and Cera pull it off, and seem to have a summer smash hit on their hands - and probably a cult following.

The movie is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence. This is a last minute change as the original rating had been "R".

Watch "Year One" Movie Trailer


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