American Teen is an interesting documentary following a group of kids as they go through their senior year of high school. It doesn't get too in depth on any of the four main kids, but gives enough that I remembered why I'm glad high school is over. Intercut with the teens interviews and clips of them in their daily activities, are cartoons symbolizing their hopes and fears. I enjoyed the movie, but I didn't love it. Some of the scenes felt too scripted to be a real documentary.
Hamlet 2 has several laugh-out-loud moments, most of which come at the expense of Steve Coogan ("Tropic Thunder")'s pride. Coogan stars as a failed writer/actor who now teaches high school drama and must write a great play to save the program from cancellation. No cows are sacred in this movie and that mostly adds to the humor. Sometimes, though, it's too over the top. A funny movie, but not the year's best comedy.
I was really entertained by Kung-Fu Panda. Jack Black ("Tropic Thunder") voices the title character, a dreaming, over-weight panda who is inexplicably chosen to be a kung-fu hero. The film has a good message, if you believe in yourself, you can do anything. And the animation is really good.
Revolutionary Road seemed to get the most press for reuniting Kate Winslet ("The Reader") and Leonardo DiCaprio ("Body of Lies"). They play a married couple in the 50s who realize that their dreams no longer coincide. This is a really depressing movie. The acting is mostly good, except when DiCaprio starts channeling Jack Nicholson for no reason. And just when the film has dragged you down so far, Michael Shannon ("Before the Devil Knows Your Dead") busts in for some much needed shock and humor. It's worth seeing. Just take some anti-depressants first.
Now, Hotel for Dogs, on the other hand, is a super cute story of two orphans who start a home for stray dogs. Pretty much just like the title implies. I thought the story was sweet. But my husband said it was dreadful and that my pregnancy hormones were influencing my reviewing skills. I told him that he better get used to this kind of thing. Because once we have a kid, we're going to be seeing a lot more movies like this.