DVD Movie Review - How to Train Your Dragon 2

How to Train Your Dragon 2 brings back all the charming characters from the first movie, while adding even more fantastical lore.

STORY:

Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is now five years older and his relationship with his village Berk, main squeeze, Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera), father (Stoick voiced by Gerard Butler), and lovable dragon, Toothless, has grown.  While Hiccup's father wants him to become Berk's chief, Hiccup has dreams of exploring new worlds and finding new dragons.  During his travels, he discovers an icy land full of dragon poachers and learns of a man that is trying to conquer the world with a dragon army.  Hearing the news, Hiccup's father prepares for war, but Hiccup is determined to make peace.  Can Hiccup and his cohorts save the day before Berk is turned into rubble from an evil invading force?  Only fantastic storytelling, wonderful animation, and hysterical dialogue will tell.  Fire-breathing dragons, obese dragons, dopey dragons, baby dragons, and silly Vikings ensue.

"The problem with you, Hiccup, is you're just not that attractive.  Take a look at me for 

instance.  A perfectly well-groomed man."

THOUGHTS:

It's very simple: if you liked the first How to Train Your Dragon, then prepare for a film just as good.  Not only is the story as engrossing as the first, but the characters have evolved (except for Hiccup's friends, they're still the same goofballs, but they do help even out the film's serious tone with humor), the story has grown up, and the dragons are every bit as interesting and charismatic as the first go-around. 

Since the previous movie revolved around unlikely friendships, the second is able to dig deeper into Hiccup's character.  He now has hopes and dreams of his own, but also dilemmas that he must overcome.  Hiccup isn't just a teenager discovering the world anymore.  He's now becoming a man that constantly thinks about his future and the future of the ones he loves.  So the tone of How to Train Your Dragon 2 sits a little more on the drama/mature side of the two films.  But don't misunderstand; this movie has just as much silly humor spread throughout. 

Dragons, no matter how nice they seem, are still dangerous.  Exhibit A: this Night Fury was

photographed wearing his owner as a necktie.

THE VOICE TALENT AND DRAGONS:

The bulk of the nuttiness is handed off to Hiccup's pals, Snotlout (voiced by Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Tuffnut (voiced by T. J. Miller), and Ruffnut (voiced by Kristen Wiig).  Not only do they bring comedic backgrounds to the film, but they also unleash truly laugh-out-loud moments in the story.  And Gobber (expertly voiced by Craig Ferguson) has some of the best one-liners in the film.

Jay Baruchel as Hiccup is of course, the heart of the movie.  Without him putting his all into the performance the film would sink to disaster levels. Luckily, he pulls off Hiccup with ease, even adding a slightly older feel to his voice and emotional range.  Gerard Butler gives his best performance since the last How to Train Your Dragon and America Ferrera fills the role of Astrid perfectly—especially when she's mimicking Hiccup.  There are a few other roles that have been added to the roster, but they'd give away some of the story, so they'll remain omitted from this review.  But their performance is every bit as good as everyone else's.

Now, what dragon movie would be complete without dragons?  Toothless is every part as remarkable as his human friend.  Just like the first movie, his animation and personality, along with body movements and facial expressions are nothing short of amazing.  And watching the rest of the dragons interact with the Vikings never ever gets old.

"No, no, no...I'm completely serious.  This Night Fury is absolutely, one hundred percent, 

paper-trained.  And he won't eat the furniture or your children while you're away."

THE ANIMATION:

People say Avatar has some of the most beautiful CG seen in the film industry, but How to Train Your Dragon's flying sequences are easily just as breathtaking…and this movie is no different.  From dragon riders flying through clouds, skimming across water, and now crashing into snow and ice, How to Train Your Dragon 2's scenes are beyond beautiful.  If you didn't catch this film in the theaters, you're doing yourself a disservice by not watching it in the highest definition available.  But not only are the environments gorgeous, the characters have also had some minor tweaks.  This second film could have been lazy like most animated features that take old character designs and bring them into a new film (animated characters seem to never age, no matter how many films they're in), but How to Train Your Dragon 2 took what they already had and added maturity to each and every character without hurting the look of a single design.  Hiccup now has a slight beard beginning to show, and Astrid's face has been shaped to resemble more of a women's instead of a young girl.  From a pure technical stand point, this is the best tiny detail of the film.  It shows the animation department put not only love, but also care into creating each and every character.

"You have to remember to floss, or you'll just keep getting crap stuck between your teeth.  What 

is that? A femur?"

CONCLUSION:

How to Train Your Dragon 2 continues the story of Hiccup and Toothless and adds more depth to an already fantastic world.  As stated above, if you enjoyed the first film, then have no fear purchasing this one for your collection.  With gorgeous animation, wonderful character additions, excellent writing, and a loving studio to put it all together, there's not one thing wrong with How to Train Your Dragon 2.  It's what every sequel to an animated movie should be…and more.

5 out of 5 Stars (well done DreamWorks…well done)

DVD Movie Review - The Art of the Steal

With a main character named Crunch Calhoun and a cast filled mainly with B-actors, your first instinct may be to overlook The Art of the Steal.  But if you give it ninety minutes of your time, this heist movie might actually surprise you.

"Hey, what's the matter?  Haven't seen a couple of grown men playing with each other before?"

STORY:

Crunch Calhoun (Kurt Russell) wants to plan one last art heist and then call it quits.  And in the middle of the perfect plan, something happens and Crunch finds himself in the elegant prison system of Poland.  Fast forward seven years (five and a half with good behavior) and Crunch is out and ready to put his criminal life behind him.  In the middle of building a new career as a dare devil—famous for breaking bones and almost dying repeatedly—his old career comes back to haunt him in the form of his brother, Nicky Calhoun (Matt Dillon).  Roy Orbison's "In Dreams," pirates, magic pens, giant vaginas (yes, you read that right), and brotherly love ensue.

"You know, they call these things books.  One day, if I have the time, I'd like to open it 

up and look at the pictures."

THOUGHTS:

After reading the movie's caption and realizing another heist movie is not what the world needs, stop…take a breath, and then ask these questions: "Do I like humor?  Do I like somewhat silly humor?  Did I like The Usual Suspects?  Did I like Ocean's Eleven?"  If you answered yes to one or all of those questions, then you'll love The Art of the Steal.  It's one of those heist movies that's constantly moving, constantly making you laugh, and constantly using witty dialogue to hammer home plot points. 

Kurt Russell may look like his better days are far behind him, but he's just as goofy in this film as he was in Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York, or Captain Ron.  He still knows how to be the comedic leader with funny one-liners and outrageous facial expressions.  Fortunately, the movie's laughs aren't just from Russell.  The rest of the characters lend a hand in the joke department too.

Matt Dillon doesn't garner too many laughs, but he's perfect as the dick brother that pickpockets nine year olds for fun.  Jay Baruchel plays Francie, Crunch's sidekick that doesn't want to be prison raped.  He's basically playing himself like he does in every other movie, but his timid manners and squeaky voice never get old.  Kenneth Welsh nails old-school Irish as Uncle Paddy, the man with simplistic logic and a geriatric seductiveness that women can't seem to deny.  Jason Jones spends his time as a short-tempered Interpol agent alongside his calm, sarcastic partner, Terence Stamp (The duo spews some of the best quips in the film).  Devon Bostick pops in for a short cameo decorated with candy jokes, and Katheryn Winnick slides slightly over the line of "just another pretty face."

"Alright!  Alright!  I'll never leave the toilet seat up again.  I promise."

Like other heist movies before it, The Art of the Steal, moves at a brisk pace.  Schemes and plans are hastily thrown together and the assembled men are always moving in different directions with different agendas.  But you won't see high tech gadgets or bombs or people clad in black scaling down tall buildings and then making an entrance through an air duct.  This is old-school thievery, where sleight of hand and a master forger is all you need.  The main theft may be hard to grasp at times, but you'll never feel overwhelmed or confused.  Just follow along as Crunch falls deeper and deeper into a pit of lies and enjoy the many twists.  But the real magic of the movie isn't the reveal at the end (even though it's a doozy) it's the movie's ability to keep every escalating problem and sound-proof idea riddled with humor.  You'll be sweating one minute, wondering if they'll get caught, and the next minute you'll be watching two men discuss the proper pantyhose to wear during a robbery.  It's the perfect balance of smart and hilarious.  In fact, this being a "heist" movie may be the only problem some movie-goers have with the film, since the genre has been beaten to death for decades. 

With all the goofy antics and witty dialogue, the ending is probably predictable, right?  Wrong.  Not only will your mind be wrapped up in every little detail as the team attempts to steal a priceless book, but the ending will have so many twists and turns that you'd have to be Nostradamus to predict the finale.  And even then your prediction would only be in some vague mixed-language quatrain.

So the plot is over the top?  Of course.  Any movie involving fake Amish beards, the gospel according to Jimmy and a three foot tall vagina is not taking itself too seriously.  So this story couldn't happen in real life?  Well, let's not go that far, because art thieves and master forgers still exist in this day and age.  Okay, but what about the giant vagina?  Get your mind out of the gutter.  This movie is filled with hilarious writing and all you can think about is a giant vagina.  In your defense, it is one of the funnier moments of the movie.

"I don't know...I grabbed the color I thought would compliment my complexion, but I'm still 

a little hesitant.  What do you think?"

CONCLUSION:

If you enjoy the "Aha" moment at the end of a film, or just appreciate a band of misfits trying to pull off the perfect crime, then The Art of the Steal is right up your alley.  With witty dialogue and an onslaught of laughs straight through until the end, there's nothing this film needs to improve.  Now, if you hate heist movies or comedies (that's a shame), then don't come within fifty feet of this film.  For everyone else, The Art of the Steal is well worth the rental price and may even become a permanent installment in some movie-goer collections.

4 out of 5 Stars (minus 1 star for the cliché heist genre)