Nerd in the 'Noke

The Lego Batman Movie (2017), PG, 104 minutes - Do you like Batman?  Did you like 2014's The Lego Movie?  If you answered 'yes' to either of those questions, you will love this flick! The Lego Batman Movie accomplishes something that, on paper seems virtually impossible: it strips down the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Will Arnett) to the basics while at the same time cleverly and seamlessly referencing every era of the character's history from both film and print. Lego Batman is used to being the solo hero of Gotham.  No problem is too tough to handle on his own and he thrives on the city's adulation.  What he's quick to deny though, is that he is lonely and that his solitary existence at Wayne Manor/Island is beginning to weigh on him.  The more light-hearted nature of the Lego-based movies allows for the sometimes-over-the-top exploration of his relationships, not just with allies such as Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), Dick Grayson/Robin (Michael Cera), an...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), PG-13, 101 minutes - This reboot of the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise came out last weekend and has already been successful enough at the box office that a sequel has been announced with a scheduled 2016 release.  That's all well and good, but what I had heard about the film itself over the past week was that it fell flat and wasn't really all that good.  I tend to try not to let a bunch of critic-speak sway my desire to see a film, but sometimes that's difficult to do when the prevailing opinion is negative.  I had a little free time earlier today and I decided to give it a shot and what I found was a film that at its core, got the TMNT vibe down pretty well. Now admittedly, there's not much depth to the story here, but honestly, upon re-watching the original 1990 live action Ninja Turtles movie prior to seeing this, there wasn't much there either.  This go around, the world's favorite wisecracking ...

The Lego Movie (2014), PG, 100 minutes - I can't even begin to guess how many hours of my youth were blown playing with Legos.  Either building whatever the directions intended or creating my own designs, Legos were a big part of my childhood.  In more recent years, the Lego brand has expanded from models of towns, castles, and spaceships to include licensed sets (Batman, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars for example) and have even extended to video games.  The latest advancement is a move to the big screen, and as the film's theme song rightly proclaims: 'Everything is Awesome'! The Lego Movie, while obviously targeting a younger audience (I was the only adult that did not have at least one kid accompany them at the screening I went to), has more than enough to offer adults as well (dialogue, situational humor).  Emmet Brickowoski (Chris Pratt) is your typical every-man.  He lives his life by the book, literally living life by Lego directions....

Despicable Me (2010), PG, 95 minutes - I was a little worried when 15 minutes into the movie I had already seen about 3/4 of the footage from the trailers that had been released for Despicable Me (including the teaser that first hit theaters last summer). Luckily though, it manages to be pretty entertaining. Despicable Me tells the story of Gru (Steve Carell), a 'super' villain who has stolen many 'famous' landmarks in his career. He is outdone by a young up and coming villain named Vector (Jason Segal) who managed to steal one of the great pyramids, leaving in it's place an inflatable replica. Vector interferes with one of Gru's plots by stealing the shrink ray that he is after. Gru quickly realizes that he will not be able to infiltrate Vector's hideout without help. He enlists the help of 3 girls by way of adoption after he sees them gain entrance to Vector's lair by selling cookies. From there the Despicable Me shows us Gru's attempts a...