Gnomeo and Juliet Movie Review

Feeling down in the dumps and like the sun will never come out today, never mind tomorrow? Then Gnomeo and Juliet is the movie you ought to see. It is not your typical Romeo and Juliet re-telling that’s for sure. Not only do the neighbors feud with each other, but they have passed on their dislike to one another to their garden gnomes who are the main characters. The blue gnomes, the Montagues, (Gnomeo’s family) and the red gnomes, the Capulets, (Juliet’s family) compete against each other using lawn mowers and feud, which turns out to be surprisingly fierce and funny. Some of the Shakesperean language found in this animated film might be lost on the younger viewers, but the bright colors, Spanish talking pink flamingo and easy to follow story line more than make up for it. It takes Shakespeare to a different level and proves that you don’t have to be a professor in English to appreciate Shakespeare. The movie is full of laughs and all around feel-good family film. I definitely recommend seeing an anything but typical Romeo and Juliet re-telling; just don’t watch this film instead of the original one if you have a Shakespeare exam. Five stars for these star crossed gnomers.

Chop Kick Panda Review

When I first heard of Chop Kick Panda right away I thought it was a pre-quell or in some way or form related to Kung Fu Panda (Po), his brother even? But it isn’t. Lu is the Panda in this short, forty one, minute film about a panda who is a janitor at his son’s school. Lu decides to teach his students and his son Tae Kwan Do, only he can’t perform the art form that well because of being rather over weight. Po and Lu are alike in that neither one really knows how to do the art form, but through determination and some throbbing hands (at least in Lu’s case), they learn to succeed in their art forms. Not to down Chop Kick Panda or the laughs that it can ignite in some viewers when characters fall over or have things fall upon them , but when you get down to the grit of it all, Kung Fu Panda had a humorous and memorable story line, likeable characters, and a good message. Chop Kick Panda however falls short when compared to such a successful film as Chop Kick Panda. After watching this film it made me wonder why a movie so close to another successful film was produced, at least the main character could have been changed that would have given it a more unique story line. Kick Pow Kangroo anyone?