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7/10
It's not perfect, but Men in Black III is a fun return for the series.
26 May 2012
In 1997, the first Men in Black came out. It was something no one had ever seen before: a sci-fi movie crossed with the buddy comedy and action genres? To this day it remains one of my personal favorite movies. However, I was disappointed with its sequel, Men in Black II. The film felt like a almost a carbon copy of the original. Ten years later, we have Men in Black III. It's quite a surprise to see this franchise after it was pretty much left for dead. But is it any good? Yes it is. Men in Black III is a fun movie, a cool and nostalgic trip down memory lane. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still a blast.

The film takes place in 2012, 10 years after the second movie. Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are still partners, working for the Men in Black, a secret government organization which monitors all alien life on Earth. But one day, J goes to work and finds out that K was assassinated in 1969. J must then go back in time and team up with a young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to fix the future and stop an alien invasion.

The cast is rock solid as always. Will Smith looks like he's having a blast as the cool, wise ass Agent J. Tommy Lee Jones plays Agent K, the expressionless, relaxed veteran. Jermaine Clement plays the films villain, the vicious Boris the Animal, and Emma Thompson is just alright as the new leader of the MiB, Agent O. But the real star of the show is Josh Brolin as a young Agent K. The whole movie you forget he's just an actor and believe he's really a 29-year-old K. His performance is very believable and well done.

The special effects and makeup, some of the most praised parts of the MiB series, are very good. Danny Elfman's score is also top-notch, sounding very Men-in-Blacky (Is that even a word?). The set pieces too are very cool. You feel like you are in 1969, with not only New York City, but also a scene later in the film with the Apollo 11 mission taking off.

However, the flaws of the film are in the script. The screenplay is very funny, and is well written, for the most part. The problems lie within the plot holes and goof-ups. The relationship between Agent K and O could have been fleshed out more. I was left unsatisfied with that plot line. For the goof-ups, there's one instance where J is talking to Young K, and he mentions "Jedi Knight Mind Tricks". K then looks like he knows exactly what he is talking about. That part of the film takes place in 1969. Star Wars came out in 1977. Whoops.

Another problem with the film was that it was just too long. At some points during the film I was a little bit bored. They probably could have shaved off about 10-15 minutes of the film and it would be fine.

In conclusion, Men in Black III is a surprisingly fun movie. It's very funny, very well acted, and very cool. Unfortunately the script and longer running time prevent it from being a classic like the first movie. Still, if you just want some great fun at the movies, definitely give MiB3 a go.
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Ratatoing (2007 Video)
1/10
Hilariously bad animation brought to you by Video Brinquedo!
25 January 2012
Pixar is arguably one of the greatest animation companies of all time. Almost every film to be produced from them are masterpieces, while even the weaker ones are still great films. Therefore, because of Pixar's success, many have tried, and failed, to replicate their success.

But one company, Video Brinquedo, brings this to a whole new level. The Brazilian company flat out copies popular films. And they suck. Horribly. And nothing says this more than Ratatoing.

Ratatoing, if you didn't know already, is a copy of Ratatouille. But there is a big difference between the two films. And I mean BIG difference. While the animation of Pixar's films take painstaking amounts of time to make, this film's animation looks lazy, cheap, and unfinished. The quality of the animation looks like N64 quality. If you don't believe me, watch the trailer. Or see the cat, that looks like a orange ball of fat walking on two legs like a fatso.

The story goes like this: Marcel Toing (quite possibly the funniest name for a character I've heard) runs the most popular restaurant in Rio, Ratatoing. Many try to steal his recipes, but fail. Every week, him and his friends Carol and Greg go and raid the human restaurant for ingredients. Meanwhile, some of the dumbest villains in film history try and stop Marcel and friends so their own eateries can get more business. That's it. If you think I'm leaving something out, trust me, that's as deep as the story goes.

The voice acting. Dear god the voice acting. The characters all sound annoying and laughable or stupid and forgettable. It's a bit understandable, because all the actors are from 4kids cartoons. And don't even get me started on the dialogue. Greg's catchphrase, "Precisely" is repeated 7 times (yes I counted) throughout the film, and the innuendo is so obvious you are left facepalming. Also, count how many times they compliment the food. I dare you.

And yet... it's funny. Watching the train-wreak unfold is so hilarious that you can't take your eyes off it. The animation, dialogue, stupid characters, and story are so bad that it's incredible something like this was made. But I recommend you see it in a group, so you don't go insane.

Should you see Ratatoing? If you have some buddies, love Z movies, and want to see how low animation can go, go for it. But for the rest of you, stay far, far, FAR away from this one. But I guarantee, if you see this film, you will look back at my review and say: "Precisely!"
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