Zookeeper (2011) Poster

Having seen the trailer for this film and looked at it here. I saw this poster and thought well I really do not need to see this film now. The trailer shows Kevin James trying to win Leslie Bibb and yet you get the attached poster showing the animals pushing him towards the Roasrio Dawson character which was where you think it will end up anyway as it is standard fare but hey why not just show you the whole story in the trailer and posters.

It just goes to show where Hollywood is today that they have no surprise in film any more they just want to tell you everything before you see the film and yet they wonder why no one goes to the movies anyway.

Why not do what Simon Pegg and Nick frost wanted to do with Paul when they wrote the film and released it they wanted it released with no reference to the fact that Paul was an alien and imagine the impact when you were in the cinema and out of the dark here comes Paul it would have been an awesome reveal in the cinema and would have gone down in film history but the execs decided that it was to much and wanted to show what the money had been spent on so we get nothing but alien in the promotional material.

Zookeeper (2011) Trailer

I have seen this trailer a couple of times it is the film of the year where the big comedy star gets to act ll silly and stupid with some funny partners. In this case it is Kevin James with a cast of zoo animals who get to to show him how to get the woman of his dreams, Leslie Bibb with Rosario Dawson in the wings, my cynical heart asks wonder how this will play out?

I laughed at the trailer the Gorilla, going to TGI Friday's screams product placement but it is pretty funny, just glad it is not McDonalds.

I will probably skip this film at the cinema to childish even for em that enjoys the children's films and I will wait for it coming out on DVD.

UK Release Date - 29th July 2011

Crocodile (2000)

Watched this film for some reason, I cannot remember why but was probably hoping to rediscover the coolness of Lake Placid, don't hate me for liking that film. Anyway this is like a cheap knock off version with a group of teens and a crap CGI crocodile and really nothing very surprising happens in this film. Another one of these films where half way through I realised I had seen it before and thought so memorable that I did note even remember seeing it.

If you love the animal monster film then there is probably something in it for you and it is directed by Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame so a chance for you to a completest in that regards. It is not so bad it is worth watching and in some scenes it is so bad it's funny but overall not really worth the effort unless as mentioned you fall in to one of these categories.

So I am going to say a 2 star avoid for Crocodile, so not worth the effort.

Bolt (2008)

Format - BluRay
Date - 21 January 2010

Bolt tells the story a dog who plays a heroic dog in a hit TV show and has some trouble recognizing that he doesn't even have superpowers. This becomes something of a hindrance when he is accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York City. From there he has to make his way home with the help of a manky old cat and an overweight hamster in a plastic ball. Written by wolf_stoned

Thanks to IMDb for the plot summary.

This story is an animated story of a dog trying to go home to his person, Penny. Now this is a kids film and there are a lot of references I picked up in the story, you have "The Truman Show" elements, Bolt does not know his life is not real. "Homeward Bound" never seen this but it is an animal crossing the country story, unlikely allies. And the final reference I get is "Inspector Gadget" to me it really is paying homage to those cartoons with a slight difference, even in the name of Bolt's person.

I was aware of this film when it came to the cinema, however at the time was not inclined to go and see it. I knew the basic concept without the detail and i am unhappy I missed this, I think that the 3D while not needed is great when viewing animation in the cinema. The film is a riot of comedy with some great lines and some good gags, there is a lot of sentimentality and as a n adult you can predict how it will go, but still a great film.

The voice acting was actually quite subtle I was not aware who the main cast were so it did not draw me out of the film. Bolt is played by John Travolta, but he is simply in the position of saying the lines, at no time did I suspect that it was Travolta's voice. Mittens the cat is voiced by Susie Essman, Rhino is voiced by Mark Walton, Penny is voiced by Miley Cyrus, there are also a couple of other big actors including Malcolm McDowell and Greg Germann. The acting is great, the writing is superior and BluRay quality is sublime to view.

I have to recommend this film, especially if you like animation, it is not as good as say the Incredibles, Monsters Inc or UP, but still a masterclass for children.

I give this 4/5