Movie Review - Free Birds - By Niels Mank

Free Birds is an amazingly cute movie about two turkeys that travel back in time to remove turkeys from the Thanksgiving menu.

The movie begins with a turkey named Reggie (voice of Owen Wilson) who is trying to convince his flock that they are all being fattened up so they can be eaten. He then goes on to tell the audience that turkeys are dumb and think that they are being taken to turkey paradise when they get called to the shed. 

Reggie wakes one day to see a bright light outside and thinks his time has come, but when he goes outside he is greeted by the President of the United States. He has been chosen as the pardoned Turkey for the year. 

He is then flown to the president’s home at Camp David and finds a relaxing life of eating pizza and watching TV. Just when he thinks he has the best life, an intruder named Jake (voice of Woody Harrelson) barges in and kidnaps him. Jake says they are destined to save all turkeys by traveling back to 1621 and stopping the Pilgrims from having turkey at their first Thanksgiving. The rest of the movie takes Reggie and Jake through time to 1621 as they attempt to remove turkeys from the Thanksgiving menu. This movie is a must see for any family. The surprising comedy keeps even teenagers glued to the screen to see what happens next. 

Movie review - Thor - The Dark World

The newest release from Marvel, Thor – The Dark World, begins with Odin narrating a story about how his father had defeated a group called the Dark Elves led by Malekith, who had the power to turn the universe dark and destroy all life by using a mystical cloud called the Aether. He explains how Malekith lost most of his army and in an effort to survive locked himself and some of his men away in a “hibernation” type sleep. 

Odin’s father then hid the Aether where it could never be found. The movie then cuts to the current realm of Asguard. Loki is locked up in the dungeon as his punishment for his crimes while on Earth. Odin is alive a well and ruling Asguard. Thor is off restoring order to the nine realms after the fallout from Loki, and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) returns as the cute and clumsy scientist searching for Thor.

Jane, while searching for Thor, finds the Aether and becomes “infected” with it. Thor in an effort to save Jane brings her to Asguard. Now that the Aether has been released, Malekith is awaken from his sleep and vows to regain control of the Aether and turn the world dark. He uses his powers to invade Asguard and kills one of the main characters. He then leaves Asguard to wait for the aligning of the nine realms which will allow him to turn the entire universe dark all at once. Thor in an effort to stop this evil doing must enlist the help of his brother Loki who is the only one that knows how to get off Asguard without being detected. Thor must come to terms with his brother whom he does not trust and work together to defeat the enemy.

This movie is a must watch for any Marvel fan. Although the story is not very detailed it keeps you wondering what is going to happen every minute. This is a great addition to the Marvel saga.

Movie Review - Bad Grandpa - By Heath Chase

Have you ever noticed how often the elderly get away with things the middle-aged or even teenaged person would not? If not, you're going to see a lot of these situations in Bad Grandpa, the new comedy brought to us by none other than the Jackass crew themselves. Unlike the Jackass films, this one incorporates a plot, something that I did not expect and something that I believe made the movie better than it already was. The film stars Johnny Knoxville, whom everyone now recognizes as the face of Jackass. Who they don't recognize him as is Irving Zisman, an 80-year-old man who happens to be a very, very bad grandpa. His grandson Billy, played by Jackson Nicoll, is adorable and childish on the outside, but hilarious and conniving on the inside. The point at which these two unite is when Irving's daughter is arrested and requests that he drive her son cross country to his father who resembles nothing, but pure disgust, but is delighted by the $600 check he will get every month for having the child. It's not until the two hit the road that the story truly begins.
 

I loved how the movie was portrayed, with every pit stop, be it a bathroom run or a food break, leads us to more and more comical stunts and pranks. It was extremely original, having a movie with a story, but with 90 percent of the scenes being in real time with real reactions. The trailer did show a lot of the film's highlights, but even so I still found myself belly laughing at every one. I can't find any other word to fit this movie other than just plain and simple "fun." The performances were phenomenal, with the kid being an excellent asset (I still don't know how he kept a straight face) and its ending had me smiling from ear to ear. Bad Grandpa was funny and fun, there's no other way to put it.