Escape to the Movies: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

[Ashley Blalock]

Gordon might actually be a good concept for a show if they manage to pull it off right. Gotham is a pretty interesting place and it's filled with interesting good people and bad people, but sometimes it seems like it's hard to build on that when everything is being overshadowed by Batman.

If rumors are true and big name villains are going to be on the show instead of Gordon and the good cops having to stop rather generic bad guys and girls then I'm interested. Fingers crossed that unlike Arrow it's a place with meta-humans, I know Batman doesn't have a huge number of meta-humans in his rouges gallery but super hero show need a few powers sprinkled in.

 

[Darth_Payn]

I loved the first film and although it seems this one may have been under cut by just how complete its predecessor was i'm glad it's at least a good movie.

So i'm still the only animation geek who generally enjoyed Cars huh?...

No, I saw it right after my breakup years ago and quite enjoyed it. It's not the best movie in the world, but it is the only time the voices of George Carlin, Paul Newman and Larry The Cable Guy all shared the screen at some point. I find that to be an impressive feat, being that Larry The Cable Guy's shtick felt suitable to the role. Also, it was kind of cute, so you are not alone.

I'm not an animation geek, however. You are alone on that one. Sorry.

EDIT: I never saw the first Cloudy, but the previews for the sequel looks hilarious, so maybe I'll watch it when it comes around my town. Great review, Bob.

George Carlin was in CARS?! How did I miss that? I never thought a guy like him with his rep would do a kids' movie. Then again, I had the same reaction about Sarah Silverman in Wreck-It Ralph.
OT: The first one's pretty funny, so this new one's on my maybe list. Kind of surprised about the Steve Jobs angle. As for a Gordon-centric show: I'm on board. I think it should be an ensemble-type show, so it's not just Gordon, but Montoya, Bullock, and some other fan favorites.

The problem with any Commissioner Gordon show is always going to be Brubaker and Rucka's "Gotham Central" books, and comparisons to the prior planned TV adaption of those.

If those two write for it, then that's just gravy.

 

[Winthrop]

Cloudy had some fantastic moments and genuinely funny gags (for me 'that jell-o' was the killer line), but the essential premise just annoyed me too much to let me enjoy it. Even given that ultimately the fast food turned into a disaster, the film still felt a lot like a love letter to the joys of fast food, and when all that food was falling, I simply couldn't stop myself from feeling grossed out by it, even when all the characters were loving it. I mean - hamburgers and/or ice cream falling from the sky? Ewwww! Nothing about that sounds fun or pleasant to me.

Also, it was yet one more animated movie about a kid with Daddy issues. I mean, seriously, Hollywood, do *none* of your fathers love you? Just in my top-of-the-head list of other animated movies featuring problematic father-son relationships I can think of Finding Nemo, How to Train Your Dragon, Happy Feet, Ratatouille, Kung Fu Panda, Arthus Christmas, ...

To be totally honest I think most people have issues with their father. Some have it very seriously, others not as much but still have some issues. Also I thought the Crane and the Panda got along in Kung Fu Panda. Or are you talking about the bad guy?

 

[Flatfrog]

To be totally honest I think most people have issues with their father. Some have it very seriously, others not as much but still have some issues. Also I thought the Crane and the Panda got along in Kung Fu Panda. Or are you talking about the bad guy?

It's probably true (if a bit depressing) about the daddy issues, but it's such a tired trope for establishing characters. It's a bit like Jim's episode a while back where he was talking about the way writers use vulnerable kids as a cheap way to create peril and emotional attachment in their stories.

Kung Fu Panda - yes, they got on, but the father was still trying to hold the son back from his dreams. Another very tired cliche from the Hero's Journey playbook.

 

[Something Amyss]

The first movie is actually good? Really thought it was just going to be poor and cluttered with pop culture references that don't do anything.

Gonna watch it now.

It was, kinda. I expected nothing from it, because it's ostensibly based on (read: shares a name and some premise with) a short children's story with little to fit the typical three-act structure of Hollywood. What I got was something that was, actually pretty good. It didn't blow me away, but it was still better than Cars.

>.>

The sequel didn't give me much hope either, and I'll wait for it to come to Netflix or something. But that's not beause the first was bad, just because I don't enter sequels with high hopes anymore.

 

[Something Amyss]

George Carlin was in CARS?! How did I miss that? I never thought a guy like him with his rep would do a kids' movie.

Carlin was "Mr Conductor" on Shining Time Station (along with Ringo Starr). So you had the 10 Words You Can't Say On TV creator telling you about the escapades of Thomas the Tank Engine.

After that, nothing surprised me.

Plus, Denis Leary got himself a role as a taciturn but loveable cat in a line of kid movies. Nothing is sacred in Hollywood.

 

[Looming_Shadows]

Bob, MAN, you have GOT to do a Breaking Bad Big Picture episode, mainly on the finale which by Vince Gillian standards WILL leave everyone with open mouths!

 

[jthm]

Does anyone else want bob to quit it with the terrible boston ahccent? Pixah. I know he lives there, but his earlier videos didn't have ah trace of the second most irritating aaccent in aall the English language (first being the stereotypical Brooklyn accent). Shit is distracting, ahdds nothing to the presentation and makes it ahll the more distracting from whatevah point he's tryin'a convey becahse we know he can spake without it.

It's like he's a cross between a boston mobster movie character and new england version of foghorn leghorn.

 

[Daria.Morgendorffer]

George Carlin was in CARS?! How did I miss that? I never thought a guy like him with his rep would do a kids' movie.

Carlin was "Mr Conductor" on Shining Time Station (along with Ringo Starr). So you had the 10 Words You Can't Say On TV creator telling you about the escapades of Thomas the Tank Engine.

After that, nothing surprised me.

Plus, Denis Leary got himself a role as a taciturn but loveable cat in a line of kid movies. Nothing is sacred in Hollywood.

Carlin was also Rufus in the Bill and Ted movies.

And Denis Leary was a Ladybug in A Bug's Life.

 

[daibakuha]

The ludicrous Avengers get a shitty tv spin-off show, Bob is intrigued. The at least equally good/stupid Batman franchise get a spin-off show, it's OVER-EXPOSURE.

That's because its Batman

this is a hero with about 20 different comic books, 15 different tv shows (BTAS, new batman adventures, justice league, justice league unlimited, the batman, batman beyond, batman the brave and the bold, whatever batman series is running now), has a part in every animated justice league movie, has more movies than any DC hero second to Superman, is getting shoehorned into the next superman movie

Agents of Shield isn't an "avengers" spinoff, its a MCU spinoff. At least it has different characters and plots than just batman.

Marvel has overexposed superheros too, but not to the same extent as Batman at this point. Hell the first episode of Agents of Shield didn't have any known superheroes in it. Which let's it add to the universe instead of trying to cash in on it.

 

[Something Amyss]

Carlin was also Rufus in the Bill and Ted movies.

And Denis Leary was a Ladybug in A Bug's Life.

Yeah, but I never think of Bill and Ted as kid's movies.

Didn't know the second one, though.

 

[Winnosh]

Hang on now Bob, Cars was nowhere near bad. I can understand if people didn't love it and thought it was just passable, but bad? No way.

He was attacking Cars 2. On the other hand, why everyone seems to hate Brave, I have no idea.

Cars was an amazing and deep movie dealing with the death of small town America and actually going into some of the reasons why smaller roadside towns vanished. Cars 2 was a stupid cash grab.

 

[-Dragmire-]

Cloudy has ALOT of charm and its slap-stick humor is similar to Tom & Jerry, there's a part with Flint and Sam on a dock that cracks me up every time.

Just for reference a lot is two words. If it's one word, it means you are giving a certain amount of resources for a specific purpose (IE allotting $50 in your budget each month for entertainment, etc).

I still make that mistake. I recently looked back at some elementary english tests I have in my memory box, turns out I was taught that way....

I wonder if that was an issue for other people considering alot/a lot is one of the more common mistakes seen in casual writing.

 

[RJ Dalton]

Cloudy has ALOT of charm and its slap-stick humor is similar to Tom & Jerry, there's a part with Flint and Sam on a dock that cracks me up every time.

Just for reference a lot is two words. If it's one word, it means you are giving a certain amount of resources for a specific purpose (IE allotting $50 in your budget each month for entertainment, etc).

I still make that mistake. I recently looked back at some elementary english tests I have in my memory box, turns out I was taught that way....

I wonder if that was an issue for other people considering alot/a lot is one of the more common mistakes seen in casual writing.

Probably. The US Education system is shit at teaching writing. And pretty much everything else.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

Bob, MAN, you have GOT to do a Breaking Bad Big Picture episode, mainly on the finale which by Vince Gillian standards WILL leave everyone with open mouths!

After he gives us the Jaberjaw episode he teased us with one time only to go straight to beating the "sexism in gaming" horse past the dirt and into the earth's mantle and giving that person who shall not be named far more attention than she deserved.

also this thread has caused me to make at least 3 visits to IMDB just to see if so and so actually really did play that part! for example Dennis Leary was in a bug's life, as was Kevin Spacey. Holy Crap!

I'm so cold and alone out here...

Aww ... cute puppy looks cold and sad

that is just. . . adorable. poor critter. here, have some warm blankets!

 

[Raiha]

i love your videos bob but you need to pick an accent. i'm cool with either, but not both at the same time

 

[Arcanite Ripper]

God damn; I think you're talking faster then Yahtzee now. I had to press replay more then once to catch up, until the less-than-30 blanket summerization at the end made my efforts a waste of time. Was this review rushed perhaps? Sounds like how i'd format an essay at the very last minute.

Well anyway. Fun movie, despite the stretch for a sequel premise. Not much more to say about it though. It sure is September.

...Now that I think about it, that's probably why his review was as such.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

I think "Buy my book!" should turn into a full Simpsons-style couch gag. The one in this episode was actually pretty funny, and I reckon you can probably come up with more.

 

[ellers07]

Hey, if this Gordon series gets anything from Gotham Central, I'm a happy man.

I'll agree with that. That was a great comic series and it could make for an enjoyable tv show.

As for Pixar, they may not always come up with the best movies, but Pixar at their worst is still better than most.

I've never seen Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but now I'm kind of intrigued. Maybe I'll have to check out both.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

George Carlin was in CARS?! How did I miss that? I never thought a guy like him with his rep would do a kids' movie. Then again, I had the same reaction about Sarah Silverman in Wreck-It Ralph.

Oh boy, this is going to blow your mind then:


(He appears in person too around 4:00 or so)

OT: I didn't know the first Cloudy was actually good, I guess I'll give it a watch to see if I want to follow it up with the sequel.

EDIT: Hell, someone beat me to it, though visual aids never hurt.