Director: Steven Knight
Writers: Steven Knight
Stars: Jason Statham, Agata Buzek, Vicky McClure

Synopsis: Homeless and on the run from a military court martial, a damaged ex-special forces soldier navigating London’s criminal underworld seizes an opportunity to assume another man’s identity — transforming into an avenging angel in the process.

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DIRECTION
First of all, it’s weird seeing Jason Statham with long hair, or any hair at all really, and that threw me off. That being said, Steven Knight’s directorial debut isn’t too bad. The cinematography used in London is really well shot and edited really well. There are several great swooping cameral shots that make for some fun transitions in this film. Knight’s script is a little dry at times but the way he pieces it is intriguing at times. The best win for Knight, outside of his cinematography, is how he utilizes Statham and get’s a little bit more out of him than what we normally see. Not a bad debut at all.

Grade: B+

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SCRIPT
The story centers around a ex-British soldier (Statham) and how he is now homeless and on the run as he fled the military after being blamed for a terrible tragedy while he was serving. He steal another man’s identity temporarily and is using a nun to help him get a few things in order. In the middle of that he begins working in the city’s criminal underground. The story becomes a little dry in places but we see Statham in some action, which is what we expect to see. However, this isn’t an action-driven movie. He’s motivated by the nun who is encouraging him to do the right thing and restore his life. While it has it’s flaws, it’s not terrible by any means.

Grade: B

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PERFORMANCES
Statham’s performance is a little surprising to me as his character isn’t the same butt-kicker we’re used to seeing. Umm, don’t get wrong, he has those moments of beating people up that we’ve seen before, but he goes a little deeper than that. As a man seeking revenge and not happy with where his life is, he shows a little emotion and has a little more than what we’ve seen before. While it’s not terribly outside his zone, it’s enough for me to enjoy it and see the potential he has to do something else. The other actors in this film are just background and barely deliver but Statham stands out for sure.

Grade: B+

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SCORE
Dario Marianelli has done some great work before but the score his doesn’t really add a lot to the film. The second act of the film gets some great score music and that part lifted it up a little but the music here only serves as background noise and it does its intended purpose.

Grade: B-

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Overall Grade: B

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Writers: Ken Daurio (screenplay), Cinco Paul (screenplay)
Stars: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove

Synopsis: Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

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DIRECTION
Despicable Me 2 brings back the same directing duo from the 2010 film in Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. Like that film, they do an admirable job here, putting together a decent story with impressive visuals and a talent voice cast. The story is a little disjointed at times, focusing on one aspect when it probably should be focusing on another, but having the Minions play a bigger role this time around was a good idea on their part. The visuals are quite good and sequences are shot well and it appeared as if seeing it in 3D would actually be worth it. And the voice cast is just as strong as the first film, giving solid performances all-around.

Grade: B

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SCRIPT

The first Despicable Me centered around Gru getting out of the villainy business and learning it’s okay to be a good guy, something that comes about because of three adorable kids he ends up adopting at the end. So Despicable 2 follows right off of that, exploring his parenting and his search for a woman to complete the family. During all of that, Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help them find, well, a villain. And in doing this, they team him up with Lucy. At this point, you can kind of see where this is going to end up. It’s all done well and is sweet for the most part, but certain areas (Gru’s relationship with his three kids and Lucy) are explored enough to make it tug on the heartstrings like the first film did. But what this film does do better is give us more of the Minions, Gru’s weird-looking yellow workers. Instead of being in the background, there front and center this time around and play an integral part in the story. They are funny and provide the best moments (particularly at the end), and it makes sense that they’re getting their own film as they are what everybody loves.

Grade: B-

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PERFORMANCES
The voice acting in Despicable Me 2 is one of its highlights. Steve Carell shines as Gru, the villain-turned-domesticated-parent, using that deadpan Eastern European accent to somehow bring a likability to the character. And his chemistry with Lucy, voiced wonderfully by Kristen Wiig, is enjoyable to watch, especially since the two characters are big-time contrasts of one another. The three kids are extremely cute, especially Agnes, the youngest who is voiced by Elsie Fisher. Benjamin Bratt is solid as Eduardo, although his character is mostly stereotype. But the real stars of the film are the Minions, voiced by directors Coffin and Renaud. They speak in their only little gibberish language and are just extremely fun to watch.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Heitor Pereira’s score for Despicable 2 isn’t very memorable and really doesn’t add a ton to the film; it’s just kind of there. But Pharrell Williams, who seems to be everywhere right now, brings some original songs to the mix and they are pretty memorable. He not only sings the title track “Despicable Me,” but he also sings “Happy,” which is kind of a dance-happy song that is used perfectly in the film.

Grade: B-

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Overall Grade: B-