Director: Roger Allers, Jill Culton, Anthony Stacchi Starring: voices of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing, Billy Connolly Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes Theatrical Release: September 29, 2006 Shop for Open Season Merchandise

Plot Summary

In Columbia Pictures’ new action-adventure comedy Open Season, the first feature-length animated film from Sony Pictures Animation, Boog (Martin Lawrence), a grizzly bear with no survival skills, has his perfect world in the tranquil town of Timberline turned upside-down when he meets Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), a scrawny, fast-talking wild mule deer. Elliot arrives in Timberline missing an antler and strapped to the hood of a truck, courtesy of the paranoid über-hunter Shaw (Gary Sinise). Against his better judgment, Boog frees Elliot. Elliot attempts to return the favor by “freeing” Boog from his idyllic existence with his beloved Park Ranger Beth (Debra Messing), who raised him since he was a cub. Things quickly spiral out of control. The two troublemakers are relocated together to the wild… just three days before open season! With hunting season upon them and Shaw in hot pursuit, Boog and Elliot must learn to work together and unite the woodland creatures…(from MovieWeb.com)

Film Review

Open Season is just one of the many animated films hitting big screens this year. The film takes a domesticated bear out of his element as he teams up with an outcast deer in his first experiences in the wild.

Familiarity runs amuck in Open Season. From the teaming of a big fish-out-of-water character and an unwelcomed talkative sidekick (a la Shrek) to the release of domesticated animals to the wild (Madagascar, The Wild), you may constantly feel like Open Season is something you’ve seen before. However, its execution and main plot points are unique to this story. For instance, Boog is the film’s central character – a bear that was adopted by a park ranger and kept as a pet in her garage. He doesn’t know anything else to life except being with his owner and performing tricks for the local townspeople. Boog is released to the wild against his wishes when the town begins to feel he could be a threat – an idea put in their minds from his newfound encounters with a mischievous little buck named Elliot. Also, the film’s chief villain isn’t another animal, but a mullet-wearing redneck hunter named Shaw, who simply views all animals as future meals or wall decor. Before the film’s end, all hunters are painted as the villains and Open Season becomes a poster ad against hunting.

Although I’ve never been a fan of either of the leads, Martin Lawrence is perfect as Boog while Ashton Kutcher does a fine job bringing a healthy amount of delirium to Elliot. Both main characters are sweet hearted and genuine which adds to their likability. The humor is random and fast-paced, but is broken up by some slower moments when the film will pause for a sentimental moment or sad spot. Most of the jokes are spot-on in an Emperor’s New Groove meets Over The Hedge kind of way. But standout moments include when Elliot coerces Boog to raid a convenience store together after hours, they argue over who is the bigger loser, or fight behind a curtain in front of an audience in such a way that unintentionally looks like Boog is mauling Elliot. Sometimes the envelope is pushed just a tad to earn its PG-rating, but it never goes too far like Shrek might.

Open Season also earns its PG rating for some of the more intense moments involving the hunter, Shaw. Although his scenes probably aren’t more intense than the über-creepy misfit toy scenes in the first, G-rated Toy Story, he’s out for the animals’ blood, and the chase is often more on the darker side. In one particular scene, Boog finds himself in Shaw’s cabin and surrounded by animal heads mounted on the wall. He even knocks a rabbit head off the wall by accident, causing its eyes to roll out (it’s not as gross as it sounds, but the whole scene is rather creepy). Apart from a few brief moments like this, the film is pretty upbeat. Other objectionable content is a few bits of crude humor (including Boog throwing up onto a window), and 1 instance of the word “cr*p.”

The animation in Open Season is really beautiful. The animators take the stylized cartoony approach instead of going for realism, and it really adds to the fun of the film. Bearing more of a resemblance to Monsters, Inc. than something like The Wild, the nature scenes are detailed and the animal fur, lifelike. I thought it all fit the mood of the film quite wonderfully.

Overall, I enjoyed Open Season. While it suffers a bit from unoriginality at times, as well as a bit too heavy-handed of an anti-hunter message, it’s a fun outing. Often funny, often enjoyable, and even touching, Open Season is one of this year’s better animated offerings.

Director: Gil Kenan Starring: voices of Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes Theatrical Release: July 21, 2006 Shop for Monster House Merchandise

Plot Summary

Monster House is an exciting and hilarious thrill-ride tale about three kids (voiced by Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner and Spencer Locke) who must do battle with a mysterious home that is determined to eat every trick or treater in sight on Halloween. (from MovieWeb.com)

Film Review

Monster House is the latest to surface amongst a sea of disposable CGI-animated feature films hitting screens in recent months. Taking the form of a horror film aimed at children, Monster House is a hit n’ miss (mostly miss) story that has promise, but fails on oh so many levels.

While the movie’s animation may be an acquired taste, the film has pretty much no cute factor. And while an animated film doesn’t have to be cute to work, this becomes just one of the many strikes Monster House has against itself. The main characters are two outcast children named DJ and Chowder who get left home alone on the eve of Halloween with an irresponsible gothic baby sitter who calls herself Zee. DJ and Chowder have suspected that something isn’t right across the street in old man Nebbercracker’s house, and things escalate when Chowder’s beloved basketball lands on the man’s property. In an attempt to retrieve the ball, DJ is caught by Nebbercracker and the man ends up having a heart attack after getting all worked up (and it appears that he dies). This unleashes the fury of the “monster house.”

The film’s heroes are nothing special. While I tend to gravitate towards the underdog, these kids just plain aren’t very likeable. And no one in the film seems to have any responsibility nor any drive to be responsible. DJ’s parents just seem to let him do whatever and also appear to just be rather incompetent. Simply put, what message does Monster House send?

The horror element to Monster House is still a bit much for kids. I’d have to go out on a limb and even say it’s got to be downright scary for a lot of them. And besides that, some elements also may just plain be disturbing. For one, we get a first person perspective from DJ as Nebbercracker flips out and collapses on top of him. It’s creepy, disturbing, and suitable for being filed under “inappropriate” for a children’s film. Also, when it’s revealed why the monster house is possessed, the origin of the spirit in the house is rather disturbing — that and the allusion that when someone is pulled into the house, they’re eaten alive (which is explained before the film’s end). The goth baby sitter’s pseudo-boyfriend Bones is also a creep. He tears up DJ’s stuffed animal and licks it in a perverted way before later making a pass at Zee (but she actually does something admirable by throwing him out of the house because of it). If you’re looking for a role model within the pixels that make up this animated film, I don’t think you’ll find any.

To make matters even worse, the movie isn’t even really all that funny. When the kids do actually make a joke or say something that is supposed to generate a laugh, it just feels awkward and sorely unfunny. The only characters that do seem genuinely funny (but still, only at times), are the cops, voiced by Kevin James and Nick Cannon. Besides those characters, misfired jokes include stupid jests about puberty and just silliness that never warrants even a chuckle. You find yourself wanting to laugh but realize there’s nothing there to work with.

Despite an interesting premise, some somewhat exciting action sequences, and intriguing animation, there’s not much to save Monster House from the land of animated film obscurity. Director Gil Kenan and producer Robert Zemeckis may have thought they could pull off such a tall undertaking, but its the kind of project that — dare I say — probably would have been best pulled off by the likes of Tim Burton. Instead, all we’re left with is an empty house with nobody home.