Movie review: Hop

Since I didn't really want to sit through Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules, I elected to take my daughter to see Hop. I'm glad I did. While the critics have mostly panned the movie, I found it to be funny and enjoyable. Is it the best kid movie ever? No. But it's a lot better than sitting through another Barbie animated movie.

Russell Brand lends his voice to E.B., the son of the Easter Bunny. Unfortunately for his dad, E.B. doesn't want to be the new Easter Bunny. He wants to play the drums in a band. When it comes time to hand down the title, the young bunny runs away to Hollywood. He winds up meeting Fred, a (human) son that also wants more than what his father has planned. The two dodge an elite force of ninja bunnies as they try to find their place in the world.

To be honest, I really like Russell Brand. I was very surprised to hear that he was going to be in a family-friendly film. (Maybe Katy really has mellowed him.) Amazingly, I even liked him toned down. James Marsden, though, takes a little bit of getting used to. It's OK for a cartoon rabbit to mug for the camera. It's not so cute when it's a grown man. I didn't let him get in the way of enjoying the movie though.

I suppose this is a movie that completely depends on your mindset going in. If you are going to to see a funny animated movie, you'll probably like it. If you're going in looking for the best of everything, you won't find that here. It's just a cute feel-good movie.

Movie review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

My husband and I went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall today. Here's the premise of the movie: Peter (Jason Segel) has been dating television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for the past five years. One day, Sarah suddenly breaks up with him. It turns out that she has been dating rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). In an attempt to forget about Sarah, Peter goes on a Hawaiian vacation, only to find out that Sarah and Aldous are at the exact same hotel. Peter befriends most of the hotel staff, including customer service rep Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis). With their help, he realizes that he is more than just "Sarah Marshall's boyfriend." I expected Sarah Marshall to be funny. However, I didn't expect it to be this funny. The script, which is absolutely brilliant, was written by Segel. There are also a few original songs he wrote for the movie as well. All of the actors gave amazing performances, though I have to admit that I loved Russell Brand the best. This isn't a movie that you can go see with your kids though. There are a lot of sex jokes and quite a few penis shots. (It is rated R, in case you weren't paying attention.) But if you are of age and have a good sense of humor, I think you will really enjoy the movie. I know I'll be buying the DVD the day it comes out.