9

Spanks - 4

Director - Shane Acker

Writer - Pamela Pettler & Shane Acker

Voices - Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly, Fred Tatasciore & Elijah Wood

Release Date - 9 September 2009

MPAA Rating - PG-13

9 is the first full length animated film from director Shane Acker and it is based off the original short film he made in 2005. The film takes place just after the fall of humanity when the 9th of a scientist "stitchpunks" comes to life. He finds a talisman next to him and picks it up then sets out to find out what this object is and why he was created. He quickly finds another like him who says there are more stitchpunks before he gets attacked and taken away. And the mystery of this world continues to unfold.

9 has a very unique look created by Acker and his animators. The world they created looks a lot more real than the animated features by Pixar, Dreamworks, etc. The "camera" work also has the fell of a live action movie with the use of zooms and focuses. The world is steampunk like in that it looks like it is set in the first half of the 20th century, but the technology is similar to today. Its very different than any other animated film.

The film moves along fast and it doesn't slow down for one second. Most films have few scenes that are slow and mess up its pacing, but not 9. The stitchpunks face some kind of danger the whole way through and it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole film, I can't wait to watch it again.

Step Brothers

Spanks - 4

Director - Adam McKay

Writers - Will Ferrell, Adam McKay & John C. Reilly

Starring - Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen & Richard Jenkins

Release Date - 25 July 2008

MPAA Rating - R

Step Brothers is a hysterical film. I laughed from start of the first reel to the end of the last. Its like Talladega Nights but a thousand times funnier. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are great together. You might be skeptical after watching the trailer for the first time. I was. I thought, it doesn't look that funny... but it is.

The film is about to 40 year old guys who just meet and become step brothers because their parents get married. However, they are not your normal 40 year old guys. Remember how you and your siblings acted towards each other and with each other when you were 11 years old. That is Ferrell and Reilly in this movie. Because of their parents getting married they are forced to grow up, get jobs, and apartments.

I think this is going to be the most quoted movie of the summer. "You better not close your eyes, because as soon as you do, I'm gonna punch you square in the face!" and many more you will hear in the streets that are not PG rated like that one.

If your looking for a smart comedy like Stranger Than Fiction, this one is not a good choice. But if you want fart, poop, and funny childish things like that in your comedy, this movie is for you.


*The song in the trailer is called "North American Scum" by LCD Soundsystem"