2008 - The Lego Movie

This has quickly become one of my son's favorite films, and he has been dying to re-visit it since we watched it way back when.  He's counting down the days till it becomes available on DVD.  The best part about watching it this time was how he got excited as certain things approached.  Watching films with nerdy excitable kids is one of my new favorite things.
I don't love the first act of this film, though in retrospect it's a perfect set-up for everything that follows.  Once we're moving along though this film is a rocket - and it's got one of the best third acts I've seen in recent years, and potentially ever in a family film.
Feel free to check out my previous review of this.  This film has it all - a fun story, great characters, lots of laughs - but most of all it's a conversation piece, and has been between my son and I.  Is it also a blatant commercial for toys?  Maybe a tinge - but it's a great goddamn toy!

1983 - Olympus Has Fallen

Wanted to watch something mindless in the back ground as I got some work done, and this fit the bill quite nicely.  It wasn’t exactly commanding my full attention - but there seemed to be a whole lot of flash and not a whole lot of substance in terms of the who, what, why, etc… Although is that really what this kind of film is about?  The action sequences move along nicely - but it’s all just set pieces for the sake of it - lots of big explosions with little meaning - so all well and good if you’re into that sort of thing.  Bring me a character story amidst an action film.  This was good old fashioned cowboys and indians.  Didn’t love, nor hate it.  

1962 - The Lego Movie

In theory the idea of a Lego Movie is terrible.  Seriously.  And when I was asked what it was about, I told someone that the plot was, actually, about how to play with lego.  Which sounds ridiculous.  But it's true - and it's awesome.  It took me a little while to get into it if I'm honest, but part of that was getting my little guy and his popcorn sorted out - so I absolutely need to see it again just to watch it clean and without distractions.  I don't want to say too much about it - the reviews kind of speak for itself, but I will say that the film has one of the smartest third acts in a kid's movie I've ever seen - and what might be my favourite final line of a film - the funniest anyway.
If you've ever played with Lego you should love it.  Unless you're dead inside...

1915 - Now You See Me

I am a sucker for a big flashy con-film - and throw together a cast like this and I'm all-in.  It's the story of four-magicians brought together - why?  They aren't entirely sure - but they're about to become Robin Hood-esque Magicians on a heist that even they don't understand.
To talk about this film properly requires me to go into SPOILER MODE.  But before that I'll say - I liked it - I will absolutely see a follow-up if they make it (although it felt like this whole con had been someone's life's work) - but I did find that the characters were a little one note - and it was almost entirely plot based - nothing wrong with that - I just think the film could have been a lot richer otherwise.

Okay.  Now SPOILERS...

You know that the film is going to end with the twist of us realizing that one of the characters is going be the mastermind - it's not going to be a new character - films don't do that.  They kept pointing at the French lady (also this film seemed to have a bizarre racist slant agains the French...), so it's too obvious to make it her - she's the assistant - and Morgan Freeman's character is too obvious as well.  Ruffalo seemed like the biggest twist, and so to me it only made sense to make it be him.  That said, I just don't know about this twist - I'd have to re-watch the film to make sure it fit and wasn't just parlour tricks.

All that said, it was good popcorn entertainment and I will, indeed, take second helpings should they come my way.