Latino movie reviews

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (Movie Review)

‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ is an adorable, fun, adventure for the whole family, with some minor setbacks. The 3D version of the film pops out with florescent colors, shapes and stunts, which kids are sure to love. The biggest set back is the storyline, in the sense that kids will surely want to go pay a visit to the circus thinking it’s a place where wild animals belong and this idea I can’t endorse; unless the parents are conscious enough to explain that this movie is the best way to enjoy that experience.

In the third installment of this successful franchise the four friends that were stranded in Madagascar: Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria de hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer); decide they miss the big city where they came from, NYC and it is time to return home. First they must take a detour through Europe with the help of the two lemurs King Julien XIII (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer). The only way they can safely do that, so that an evil animal control officer Capitaine Chantel DuBois (France McDormand) doesn’t catch them is by joining a traveling circus. Here we are introduced to a couple of thrilling new characters, including Stefano the Italian Sea lion (Martin Short).  

The movie is filled with funny moments and a lot of entertaining action, including the chase scenes in Monte Carlo. This animated film is so keen on detail that is hard not to appreciate the beautiful shots, such as the ones taken in the streets of Rome with precise images of the Coliseum, the Vatican and Capitoline hill. The light show in the last sequence is hypnotizing with all the colors and shapes. The soundtrack is full of upbeat music, which adds more entertainment to the film.

Capitaine Chantel DuBois is one of the best evil characters I’ve seen in a children’s movie, she is a combination of animals inside a superhuman which makes her unstoppable and unmatchable; obviously great work on McDormand part as well as the animation crew. All the original characters are just as quirky and silly as in the past movies, specially Rock and his character Marty; Stiller’s lion is still the brains behind it all, Pinkett Smith’s hippo is the “mom” – as she described in our interview- and voice of reason to all specially to Schwimmer’s giraffe. Short’s Stefano the sea lion is my favorite new character and Bryan Cranston’s tiger Vitaly is not far behind.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie because of the captivating animation and job well done by the actors. My biggest fear is that it might represent the wrong idea as what a circus that has animals is like, wild animals do not belong in a circus and they are not meant to entertain humans. That point being made clear by this reviewer, I hope people keep that in the back of their minds and opt instead to enjoy this movie for what it is, a fictional work that doesn’t represent at all what a real animal circus hides behinds the scenes.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Movie Review)

‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ is charming, I would say even funny at points, but despite of the star-studded cast the story is too feeble to be worth your money at the movies. This film brings together English actors that are considered royalty to many because of their extensive CVs and talent; this alone will make many people want to check out this dramedy. But once more the formula of putting too many stories together in one movie is exhausting and unsatisfying.

In this film 7 British retirees are lured to spend their retirement in exotic India, in what once was a beautiful palace, now a place in ruins for the elderly. They are enticed by the owner of the hotel Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) who is the most positive person on earth no matter the circumstances. Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) a recent widow begins to learn how life works, since her husband was the decision maker of the household. Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) tired of his job, goes into early retirement to relive past memories of his life in India. Douglas & Jean Ainslie (Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton) venture into a cheaper life, where they hope to find peace in their marriage. Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) is a sour woman that has no choice but to go on this trip for health reasons. Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) is a helpless romantic, who despite his age is still looking for love. Finally, Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) realizes time is catching up with her and although she’s had various divorces this might be her last chance at finding true love.  

There’s no denying that this film is full of warm, heartfelt moments but notwithstanding its length there are many holes in the story and the predictability of it leaves very little mystery behind it. Like most movies that use this formula of trying to tie seven stories into one, it fails because the public can’t connect with any of the characters. Of course these actors are still top notch, their stories are interesting and India is a perfect exotic place because of the noise and the color, but the film tries to embark on too many subjects which makes it hard for it to fulfill even one.  

They say, as we get older we go backwards and live over our teenage years and childhood; so at some point in this film these grandparents begin acting like teenagers, which becomes a bit irritating more than it is funny. We get some clichés along the way, that: it’s never too late to start over, a person who risks nothing has nothing, and we all have a fear of making the same mistakes again. The movie hopes to be inspiring and it might touch people that have had to start over at a later age in their lives, but although there are obstacles here it fantasies it all too much and it becomes a Disney movie where the characters are too old and most of their problems have extremely easy solutions. However, if you still feel like catching these actors that have made cinematic history, I suggest doing it from the comfort of your home.