Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer) in Theatres on June 6, 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

Hazel's
Rating: 3/5
Review: I love those penguins! Though after watching the movie, I felt there was something missing. Yes the film entertained me, gave some hearty laughs but it didn't really connect with me, nothing to bring home or think about. I liked Madagascar 2 better; haven't watched 1 though
Recommendation: Can be missed unless you're the type of person who likes brain overload (with so many things happening). 3D would definitely be more overwhelming!

Audience
Rating: 4.1/5
Liked the Movie: 82% (n=80,961)

Critics
Rating: 3.4/5
Liked the Movie: 75% (n=81)


Reviews

"A fun and fast family entertainment." Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

"A riot of splashy colors, silly 3-D gimmicks, big, broad kid-friendly gags - and those professionally pesky penguins." - Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

"This is the rare animated property that has consistently improved on its ho-hum origins." - Justin Chang, Variety

"Dazzlingly colorful and frenetic, Madagascar 3 is silly enough for young kids, but boasts enough surprising smarts to engage parents along the way." - rottentomatoes.com

"Your brain goes breathless and giddy struggling to keep up." - Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"If you typically check the ingredients on the stuff you feed your kids, here is what you'll find in "Madagascar 3": jokes, Katy Perry music and less than 2 percent of character development and emotional warmth." - Rafer Guzman, Newsday

"Despite a script co-written by Noah Baumbach, "Madagascar 3" can't upgrade its own shtick, becoming a craven example of a fast-buck, no-fun family film." - Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News


Movie Info

Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple and of course, King Julien, Maurice and the Penguins are all along for the comedic adventure. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style. -- (C) Dreamworks

Rated: PG

Running Time: 1 hr. 33 min.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy

Directed By: Eric Darnell

Distributed By: Paramount / Dreamworks

Cast
Ben Stiller (Alex)
Chris Rock (Marty)
David Schwimmer (Melman)
Jada Pinkett Smith (Gloria the Hippo)
Sacha Baron Cohen (King Julien)
Frances McDormand (Captain Chantel DuBois)
Martin Short (Stefano)
Jessica Chastain (Gia)
Cedric the Entertainer (Maurice)

Source: rottentomatoes.com

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Jason Lee, Justin Long, Jesse McCartney) in Theatres on January 8, 2012

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)

Audience
Rating: 3.3/5
Like the Movie: 52% (n=20,693)

Critics
Rating: 1.8/5
Like the Movie: 13% (n=68)


Reviews

"In between the cutesy musical covers (from the Go-Go's to Lady Gaga), the young rodents engage in harmless slapstick and even learn a bit about themselves." - Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic

"For kids, familiarity, silliness and Dave's unconditional love make it appealing. For adults, the best it has to offer are nostalgia and a running time under 90 minutes." - Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times

"Lazy, rote, and grating, Chipwrecked is lowest-common-denominator family entertainment that's strictly for the very, very, very young at heart." - rottentomatoes.com

"It's an uninspired and instantly forgettable film. But it completely succeeds by its own standards: an 87-minute rainy-day distraction that will probably make a zillion dollars." - Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

"Maybe for the next installment, they can go off to college and find something better to do than making these silly movies." - Claudia Puig, USA Today

"Good news: The shrill CG rodents, who last infested theaters in 2009's Squeakquel, are stranded on a jungle island with little hope of survival. Bad news: They've brought us along." - Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly

"Well, at least it isn't in 3D." - Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

"Puns like these would be unforgivable coming from a human. From high-pitched rodents, they prompt calls for an exterminator." - Jake Coyle, Associated Press


Movie Info

The vacationing Chipmunks and Chipettes are turning a luxury cruise liner into their personal playground, until they become 'chipwrecked' on a remote island. As the 'Munks and Chipettes try various schemes to find their way home, they accidentally discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems. -- (C) Official Site

Rated: G

Running Time: 1 hr. 27 min.

Genre: Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy

Directed By: Mike Mitchell

Written By: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Cast
Jason Lee (Dave Seville)
Justin Long (Alvin)
Matthew Gray Gubler (Simon)
Jesse McCartney (Theodore)
Amy Poehler (Eleanor)
Anna Faris (Jeanette)
Christina Applegate (Brittany)
David Cross (Ian)

Source: rottentomatoes.com

Happy Feet Two (Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt) in Theatres Since November 23, 2011

Happy Feet Two (2011)

Audience
Rating: 3.6/5
Like the Movie: 62% (n=14,667)

Critics
Rating: 2.8/5
Like the Movie: 42% (n=83)


Reviews

"97 minutes of nonstop joy." - Richard Corliss, Time Magazine

"The animation remains impressive, and there are some very funny moments, courtesy of the talented cast. But fans of the original will want to lower their expectations." - Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

"The animation is as eye-popping as ever, but Happy Feet Two's narrative is too noisily incoherent to recapture the Oscar-winning charm of its predecessor." - rottentomatoes.com

"Happy Feet was one of the greatest and most original animated films, but the sequel can't even decide what it's about for the first 40 minutes." - Kyle Smith, New York Post

"The gotta-move protagonist of the first animated, Antarctica-set feature -- a misfit young Emperor penguin named Mumble -- returns for the sequel. Only this time he's all grown up... and a lot less fun." - Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

"For all the noise and flapping, the movie, like its heroes, remains flightless." - Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

"If it weren't for the comic relief provided by Will and Bill, tiny shrimplike crustaceans known as krill and voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, this would be a forbidding return to Antarctica indeed." - Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune


Movie Info

Happy Feet Two returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica in superb 3D. Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven-a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces. Erik learns of his father's "guts and grit" as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures-from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals-to put things right. -- (C) Warner Bros

Rated: PG

Running Time: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genre: Animation, Kids & Family, Art House & International

Directed By: George Miller

Written By: George Miller

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast
Elijah Wood (Mumble)
Robin Williams (Lovelace, Ramon)
Hank Azaria (The Mighty Sven)
Brad Pitt (Will the Krill)
Matt Damon (Bill the Krill)
Hugo Weaving (Noah the Elder)
Pink (Gloria)

Source: rottentomatoes.com