Movie Reviews

I have to eat my words—Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was much more delectable than your average plate of spaghetti and meatballs. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I laughed throughout the entire film, striking a perfect blend between slapstick and referential, or kiddie and adult, humor. I was put off by the over-explanatory title, which seemed to set up a premise I had no interest in seeing—raining food? Really? —But it worked, it all worked. The unique animation, the vocal performances, the comedy, the moral lessons all amounted to one of the more enjoyable family films I have seen this year (not as good as Up, typical of those Pixar geniuses). But one thing about Cloudy, I did not get the chance to see it in 3D, but I can imagine that, with all the food that comes towards the screen, it’d be even…tastier. Zombieland was another one that left me pleasantly surprised. With the cast, I knew there was potential for it to be a fun time at the movies, but my doubts overshadowed that potential because of how often comedy and horror fail to mesh—I was wrong. The movie works because it never lets up; it stays consistent with its over-the-top violence/gore and comedic bits that’ll have you laugh until you scream. The amount characters stays limited and the movie shies away from too much sentimentality between them, leaving the audience free to revel in the videogame-like fun of this post-zombielyptic land. Also, it has to be mentioned, there is a cameo from a well-known actor that kills, coming in at just the right time to kick the humor back into gear. So there it is—proof that you can never be too sure what to expect from a movie, no matter how formulaic or tired it may seem, because Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Zombieland are far from being either.