Kung Fu Panda 2

Probably my favorite children's film in the past 15 years is Kung Fu Panda (Toy Story was 1995 so it's out of the time frame). The story was original and yet hearkened back to the mythology of kung fu films and fighting styles and all the hoopla and grandiosity of kung fu films I had seen (not that I had seen many but the ones I had stuck with me). Jack Black was a perfect match for the panda and the art of the film and lighting was just magical in every way...the fact that they incorporated different art styles to show dreams and flashbacks was original to me and I could watch the original over and over. This is the sequel...it matches everything I liked about the original...there are segments that drag a bit and the finale could have been "bigger"...but the added positives out rule any negatives...

Positive One: Gary Oldman as the Evil Peacock...Gary Oldman is just perfect here as you can recall so many of his bad guys in older films and see Oldman as this little evil peacock

Positive 2: Word had it that Charlie Kaufman was a big fan of the original and they gave him a crack at adding to the script..it was fun to watch the film and look for possible Charlie added script and or "polish"...I found one that I am sure must be him and it was a dream sequence involving a radish

Postive 3: an added dimension to the character of Tigrees...this could also be a negative since I think they just spend too much time on the Panda...I know he is the lead but the other characters could add so much to these stories.

Negative 1 or possible Positive You Decide: The end sets up a Panda 3...but the focus will be on more Pandas...which conflicts with my above thesis that we already have too much Panda

PLUS

Playlist: Youth in Revolt

This was the film where Michael Cera finally played a character other than Michael Cera. Or at least that's what everyone kept saying to me whenever I mentioned that he's never played anything other than himself. I had my doubts. As usual, I was right (by "usual" I mean, "for the first time".)

YiR is another amusing, quirky comedy--nothing hysterical, but enjoyable. Cera is his usual self, meaning he's himself as a high school kid in love. The big twist here (as opposed to his character's last name, Twisp) is that he develops a smooth criminal alter ego named Francois Dillinger. Francois has a moustache. Not exactly Russell Crowe in The Insider, but it's a start. So, he's going to me Michael Cera playing Scott Pilgrim. So what? I like Michael Cera. Everyone likes Michael Cera. That's his superpower. Probably got bit by a radioactive bunny.

Some good supporting casting to note: Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, and Zach Galifianakis (though Zach is sadly underused, as he was in Up in the Air. Here, he basically plays a slob with a beard. Talk about typecasting.) But it's a testament to Zach's rising star power that both YiR and UitA misleadingly featured him in ads. He's the buzz boy right now after his cannonball splash onto the public radar in last year's The Hangover. That was Todd Phillips' latest stake (after Road Trip and Old School) to the claim of best mainstream comedy director.

While that's not an actual thing, if anyone could be said to have held that title, it would be Harold Ramis. Proof? Caddyshack, Vacation, Groundhog Day. It's almost poetic that his latest film, Year One, came out the same month as The Hangover. Year One felt like a holdover from Ramis' prime in the 80s. The jokes were DOA, the tone was flat, and it felt more like a string of gags than a fully developed story. That can work and has worked, but you really need to be at the top of your comedic game to pull it off. Mainstream comedy is a tough genre to survive--you have to be equally funny to people with actual senses of humor and also the rest of the idiots out there. It's a small window. Phillips has missed twice already (Starsky & Hutch and School for Scoundrels, though blame Ben Stiller's ego for the former).

The two movies also may have marked the passing of a second torch. Year One's Jack Black seems to have hit the funny wall. Though him hitting a wall might be more entertaining than some of his recent movies. H-Wood is a fickle town and he better watch his back because Zach is the same age, has the same look, but is still the cheaper option. Just saying. Next up for both: Black has Gulliver's Travels this Christmas in what looks to be his attempt to tap into the Night at the Museum market; Zach has Phillips' Due Date with Robert Downey Jr. this fall.

Oh, Jack Black's Year One co-star? Michael Cera. Playing Michael Cera dressed like a caveman.