Illumination – Matthew Liedke on Film

“Despicable Me 3” went unseen and unreviewed at this site in 2017 because of a busy schedule. Considering there’s not an ongoing arc in the series, it doesn’t look like it’s a necessary watch.

That’s certainly apparent in “Despicable Me 4,” as the animated sequel gives the family an entirely new scenario to deal with, and there’s little mention of any unresolved matters from 3. So, in part four, Gru (Steve Carell), an Anti-Villain League agent, manages to put a former rival of his behind bars.

That rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), escapes prison and vows revenge. The villain’s action forces Gru, his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) their daughters and new-born baby to go into a sort of witness protection program. However, plenty of shenanigans still ensue.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Despicable Me 4’ doesn’t offer full cinematic experience”

The “Super Mario Bros.” movie was a bit of a frustrating experience.

Not as frustrating as some of those secret “Super Mario Sunshine” levels, but still frustrating nonetheless.

In the animated film, the titular brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) set off on a new adventure, which is opening a plumbing business. Their first job doesn’t go well, but determined after a setback, the brothers decide to take another job, fixing a major pipe leak underneath Brooklyn.

In the process, they enter one pipe that shoots them to a whole other world. There, Mario finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom and meets its ruler, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is determined to stop the invasion of the evil Bowser (Jack Black). Mario decides to help, as Luigi has fallen into Bowser’s clutches.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ is not quite super”