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Tag: ron jacobsohn

  • Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Despicable Me 3

    Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Despicable Me 3

    Despicable Me 3 is one sequel this summer which will not let you down. It is colorful, imaginative sometimes silly but eventually just plain enjoyable. However, the Minions, who still steal every scene they are in, have kind of lost their way in the storyline to the point that even in the movie they declare a strike until a new devious plot for them will be created.

    Eight years after the Minions burst into our lives, they still go what it takes. Those movies are clever in subconsciously installing very important ideas about family values. In the first one Gru gave up evil. In the second he got married. Now in the third one, he rekindles his relationship with his long-lost twin, Dru (both voiced by Steve Carrell). Yet it wouldn’t be a Despicable Me movie without a juicy villain, so say hello to Balthazar (voiced by Trey Parker) who is plotting to steal the world’s largest diamond.

    In our day and age, no animated feature can live without a great soundtrack and Despicable Me 3 is no different adding at least five new Pharrell Williams tracks that surely will bring some hits to be nominated for Best Song…

    It rarely is the case with sequels, yet the third movie in the Despicable Me series might end up becoming the best one. It was action-filled and exciting and deserves my thumbs Up.

  • Ron Jacobsohn Reviews The Mummy

    Ron Jacobsohn Reviews The Mummy

    This third reboot of The Mummy for Universal Pictures and a lot is riding on this big money-making machine for the studios being the franchise has already earned over a billion and a half dollars.

    The star of the new The Mummy is Tom Cruise, who gets to fight an ancient Egyptian princess awoken from her tomb and now angry enough to want to take over the world, with the help of Mr. Cruise, if he wants it or not.

    This 125-million-dollars budgeted movie is so heavy on the special effects it has almost but forgotten it wants to tell a story too. For Alex Kurtzman, big-budgeted effects-filled flicks are very new as a director, so maybe it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise he got lost between all the effects and the narrative. The one thing you can’t mistake is that this is a Tom Cruise driven vehicle. If you are a Tom Cruise fan, this shouldn’t bother you too much, as you should be used to it. Rumor has it that, Cruise had final approval on everything in this flick.

    Universal is hoping to create a trilogy of this reboot, which it entitled Dark Universe, yet it will all depend on how well it will fair at the box office if the studio will keep pouring money into it. The studio needs a new blockbuster franchise but it remains to be seen if the rebooted The Mummy will fill that void.

    I was somewhat entertained but not enough, so I heavy-heatedly have to give it a Thumbs Down.

  • Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

    Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

    The long-awaited debut of Captain Underpants on the big screen is finally here and although the movie is different from the books, it still manages to keep the spirit and humor of Dav Pilke’s source materials.

    Since its debut in 1997, the Captain Underpants series sold fifty million books in the U.S. alone. Dreamworks Animation hopes to cash-in on the success as it helps the series transition onto the screen.

    From the get go this movie channeled for me the Peanuts series, so don’t be surprised that once you get over the silly “fart jokes” this movie has a very solid message about friendship.

    Our two protagonists, George and Harold, are fourth graders who can’t stop themselves from creating constant havoc at their school. Their latest prank is hypnotizing their principal, with a ring from a cereal box, to believe he is an imaginary super hero called; you guessed it, Captain Underpants. But fear not there is a happy ending…

    The production team behind the movie is spearheaded by director, David Soren, who already left his mark on the animation world as the director of the Madagascar movies. In this movie, Soren created a down-to-earth world filled with fantastical happenings that somehow seem logical when you watch it. The perfect casting of Kevin Hart, as George, and Thomas Middleditch, as Harold, help give the movie real heart.

    This movie will help you connect with your kids or just let your inner fourth grader burst out into the world.

    Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is sheer entertainment and deserves my THUMBS UP.

    Ron Jacobsohn

     

  • Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

    Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

    The fifth installment of the popular Disney franchise felt like it was running on autopilot, it hit all the right marks but it didn’t go anywhere.

    Once considered a risk-taking Oscar nominated actor, Johnny Depp came back as Captain Jack Sparrow, most likely for the reportedly fifty million dollar paycheck.

    If like me you have seen all the movies in the series, you are about to be disappointed. However, if you are a first timer to the Pirate series you probably will dig all the state-of-the-art effects and shticks by Depp.

    My personal highlight in the movie was the cameo by Sir Paul McCartney as Uncle Jack, which film buffs will cherish forever.

    And if you think Disney is going to put the Pirates franchise to bed after this one… think again…

    Dead Men Tell No Tales was well acted, had nice effects and was entertaining but at two hours and nine minutes a bit too long for my taste. I give it a THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE.

    Ron Jacobsohn

  • Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Allied

    Ron Jacobsohn Reviews Allied

    This is the much anticipated big screen coupling between Brad Pitt and Academy Award Winner, Marion Cotillard, which doesn’t disappoint visually but falls flat when it comes to chemistry.

    Director Robert Zemeckis is a great visual master and Allied is no exception. Creating the World War II era Morocco and England was carefully crafted and looks stunningly believable, but what does not come across is sense of urgency, the drama and tragic outcome that fails to impact. It almost feels like Zemeckis gets lost in a movie where he doesn’t need to create effects and stunts and animatied characters that transcend into the real world.

    Pitt and Cortillard are phenomenal actors so it was quite disappointing that I didn’t get drawn into this tragic story of two spies falling in love and trying to life in suburban wartime England. I am sure the traumatic end of the movie was heart wrenching on paper but it just doesn’t deliver on the big screen.

    Allied was going to be this big awards contender for Paramount but it feels like it’s falling short of being Oscar caliber. I had such high expectations going into it because of all the coverage the maybe love affair between the two stars got in the BradGelina divorce media blitz but it just wasn’t there.

    I give “Allied” a THUMBS IN THE MIDDLE.

    Ron Jacobsohn