These characters are better suited to being on the sideline of a larger film. Sure they sell merchandise, and the kids in the theater seemed to be having a good time, but this film doesn't begin to compare to the quality of the heartwarming and funny Despicable Me films. The best part of the film happens during the end credits, when it starts to feel a bit more like a real Despicable Me film. I guess I knew going in that a feature-length film starring gibberish-speaking yellow blobs wasn't going to be very good, but even with my hopes so low it still managed to be a bit of a disappointment. Maybe catch it on Netflix for the few cute laughs it offers.

2.0 Stars (out of 5)

We go for the singing, and that part is great, but the quality of the comedy has gone down a bit since the first one. There were long stretches of silence in my theater during what should have been the big comedic set-pieces, but they just fall flat on their face. Then they start singing and things pick up, and for a few moments, you actually think you're watching a decent film. The performance at the end and the original song made the whole thing worth it. I'd watch another one to be honest, but my expectations are low on actually laughing at the "jokes".

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

I would call this film "serviceable". It accomplishes what it sets out to, hits all the Sparks marks, but just didn't pull me in. I took issue with how it tried too hard to be too many things, never really satisfying all of them in the end. The dual storyline is handled well in the first half, but after a bit I found myself not caring at all about the current-day characters. The trailers may have promoted the film as the story of a bull rider and young woman finding love despite being from different worlds, but reality is it's a love story about a couple that meet in the early 1940's, as described to a young couple, with a few brief sequences of bull riding thrown in. It succeeds more in its historical fiction than it does as a modern romance or a sports film. The message of the story is clear by the end, as is the case with Nicholas Sparks films, but the movie is unfortunately dull and all over the place.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

It's nice to finally see a Hobbit film with a conclusion... Now if only it had a beginning and a middle. I'm not a fan of the idea of splitting this story into three parts and I am not a fan of seeing characters that weren't in the book added, (or created even), just to increase the running time of these films. This one at least was the shorter of the three, but it felt very much like a long ending. There was little time for build-up or retrospect. It jumped into the action and never let go, but not in a good way. In any case, at least it's over now and I'm happy to see it go. I love Martin Freeman's Bilbo. it is the only thing that allows me to actually feel something during these films, and luckily, unlike the last one, he's actually in most of this one.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

All the hubbub aside, the film isn't that great. It certainly has its funny moments. I always enjoy the comedic chemistry between Rogen and Franco. Unfortunately the film relies too often on really dumb butt jokes for its tent-pole laughs. The funniest parts to me were the throwaway lines like Franco's character claiming this will be bigger than Frosty/Nixon. The smart stuff was smart, but the butt stuff was more front-and-center. Towards the end things get a bit violent and Rogen plays it straight, reacting to every horrific act he sees the way I might in the situation, which was great, and actually pretty funny. Overall, they make some decent points about North Korea, and even illustrate how they're able to win over visiting media (or people like Dennis Rodman) in a salient yet hilarious manner. It would've benefited from a tighter cut of the film and just a couple less butt jokes.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

I have enjoyed Jason Reitman's earlier films, but this one feels incomplete, or at least unbalanced. The narration (by the wonderful Emma Thompson) is completely unnecessary and always feels out of place. I can see that they're trying to tie together all of the ensemble storylines but it comes off as sloppy. The acting is fine and I like how they show the on-screen communications over the actors. It's a nice way to avoid always displaying close-ups of screens, similar to how House of Cards displays text messages. Oftentimes this film reminds me of Disconnect from two years ago, another movie about people trying to connect in a digital world. Both these films feature too many characters to really delve into one story fully. Maybe it's because we're already well aware of the dangers of cyberspace and the films offer nothing new, but these movies are like The Net from the nineties, they will be forgotten quickly as technology evolves at a rapid pace, leaving them dated and hard to relate to.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

This felt a bit too manipulative to be enjoyable. Chloe Grace Moretz gave an incredible performance, but it wasn't enough to save the film from its shortcomings. I enjoyed some of the editing technique, especially some montage work and flashbacks. It really had a life-flashing-before-your-eyes feel. Walking out of the theater I couldn't help but think about how unsuccessful this movie was compared to The Fault in Our Stars, which is another recent teen-tearjerker, but one that is built on a more solid foundation.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

If only the characters and plot were as well constructed as the special effects surrounding them. Computer generated tornadoes have come a long way since 1996's Twister, but other than the found-footage angle, this film doesn't offer us anything the 90's version didn't. Watching this film, I couldn't help but think of similarities between it and Jan de Bont's Twister. Sure, a film about storm chasers is going to easily be compared to its predecessor, but it specifically features new technology one of the main characters has waited his whole life to try out: for Twister it was the Dorothy II, designed to study the center of a tornado, and for this one there was the Titus, a heavily armed vehicle designed to study the center of a tornado. There were countless action-sequence setups that were similar throughout, and unsurprisingly the film's climax is about a gigantic F5 tornado, bigger than any seen before. Once the main characters are securely anchored to the ground they get to witness something miraculous, the center of the storm. We've seen this film before, only the previous incarnation had more heart, story, better acting, and a great score. Into the Storm is held back by its quasi-found footage style and its lack of moral footing. It sometimes comes off as a high-budget Sharknado, but that doesn't mean it isn't some fun disaster porn.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

A little film that dares to tackle the big issue of abortion... And from a down-to-earth realistic approach. It does a good job of navigating this cinematic uncharted territory without sounding preachy, without going overboard, and without being cheesy. Jenny Slate carries the film as a likable and relatable young screw-up, but her talents alone are not enough to carry this thin story along as it meanders from one set-up to the next. Even with its short running time it still manages to drag on and feel long. Even though it's about a comedian, and filled with jokes, it's never really very funny. It has heart and it has true romance, but it didn't completely win me over overall.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)

You got to hand it to Seth MacFarlane for the quality of his work. The score is amazing, the location breathtaking with intricate sets, period-piece costumes, and believable props, make-up and production design. But, and this is a big but, this movie is not a good movie. The script probably could've used a few more revisions, a few more connections between the sub-plots and main plot, and a few more reasons to make us care at all about any of the characters. He did a pretty good job with Ted, even eliciting a tear from me when Ted miraculously comes back to life at the end. That magic is missing here. Maybe he should stay behind the camera from now on. Not sure if we are ready for, or if he is ready, to be the star of a film and in the flesh.

2 Stars (out of 5)