Showing posts with label Jay Baruchel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jay Baruchel. Show all posts
This Apprentice Needs To Work A Little Harder
Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) has been searching for hundreds of years. There is an apprentice, somewhere, that has the ability to help him reunite with his beloved Veronica (Monica Bellucci). Balthazar possesses a ring that will identify this apprentice and he will search the world over in attempt to find that one person. He never thought that search would lead him to a young boy, but it does.
Dave (Jay Baruchel) is discovered as a young boy who wanders into a shop in New York. After a strange first meeting with Balthazar and his nemesis Horvath (Alfred Molina); his young life is changed forever.
Fast forward 10 years and Dave is now doing his thing at the college level. As a Teaching Assistant he tries to help impart his knowledge on college students. When he finds one of the student’s in his class is the same girl he has had a crush on for years, things get a little uncomfortable. But his life is about to change as Balthazar is back, and he needs to train his apprentice.
As Balthazar puts Dave through the paces both are unaware what the future holds, only that it will be up to Dave to fight the battle that will hopefully free everyone from the impending destruction that will take place if the evil Morgana is released on society.
Is Dave up to the challenge? Is Balthazar up to the challenge? Will we get to see brooms that move on their own? These questions and more will be answered.
Mention The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to anyone over the age of 35 and you will bet loving remembrances of one of the most memorable sequences from Disney’s Fantasia. But now the youth of America have another version to call their own. Nothing like the one I knew as a kid; we are treated to action throughout this fish out-of-water tale.
The action while fun and over the top, was more than one person could handle. It is an over the top video game on the screen and that’s not a totally bad thing. Young kids that are looking for that nonstop thrill (that’s not rated PG-13 or worse) will be in heaven with the action in this film, it just doesn’t always translate. The brief homage to the Fantasia sequence was welcomed and appreciated. The fact was, the film stayed in just the average range.
The story feels a bit murky and muddled and I longed to peer above the surface and enjoy this film. But I just couldn’t. Baruchel is a fun talent and should be around in this type of role for a while to come. Cage is serviceable here, and seems to have fun with the role. It just doesn’t expand much from the center.
Overall, this is a great movie if you are a 13 year old boy. For everyone else, it’s just a mild magic trick that will elicit the polite applause. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has a bit of work to do before it can be “hired” but it is nonetheless pleasant to work with.
C+
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci
Rating: PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.
Runtime: 111 minutes.
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Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) has been searching for hundreds of years. There is an apprentice, somewhere, that has the ability to help him reunite with his beloved Veronica (Monica Bellucci). Balthazar possesses a ring that will identify this apprentice and he will search the world over in attempt to find that one person. He never thought that search would lead him to a young boy, but it does.
Dave (Jay Baruchel) is discovered as a young boy who wanders into a shop in New York. After a strange first meeting with Balthazar and his nemesis Horvath (Alfred Molina); his young life is changed forever.
Fast forward 10 years and Dave is now doing his thing at the college level. As a Teaching Assistant he tries to help impart his knowledge on college students. When he finds one of the student’s in his class is the same girl he has had a crush on for years, things get a little uncomfortable. But his life is about to change as Balthazar is back, and he needs to train his apprentice.
As Balthazar puts Dave through the paces both are unaware what the future holds, only that it will be up to Dave to fight the battle that will hopefully free everyone from the impending destruction that will take place if the evil Morgana is released on society.
Is Dave up to the challenge? Is Balthazar up to the challenge? Will we get to see brooms that move on their own? These questions and more will be answered.
Mention The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to anyone over the age of 35 and you will bet loving remembrances of one of the most memorable sequences from Disney’s Fantasia. But now the youth of America have another version to call their own. Nothing like the one I knew as a kid; we are treated to action throughout this fish out-of-water tale.
The action while fun and over the top, was more than one person could handle. It is an over the top video game on the screen and that’s not a totally bad thing. Young kids that are looking for that nonstop thrill (that’s not rated PG-13 or worse) will be in heaven with the action in this film, it just doesn’t always translate. The brief homage to the Fantasia sequence was welcomed and appreciated. The fact was, the film stayed in just the average range.
The story feels a bit murky and muddled and I longed to peer above the surface and enjoy this film. But I just couldn’t. Baruchel is a fun talent and should be around in this type of role for a while to come. Cage is serviceable here, and seems to have fun with the role. It just doesn’t expand much from the center.
Overall, this is a great movie if you are a 13 year old boy. For everyone else, it’s just a mild magic trick that will elicit the polite applause. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has a bit of work to do before it can be “hired” but it is nonetheless pleasant to work with.
C+
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci
Rating: PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.
Runtime: 111 minutes.
Dragons…EVERYWHERE!!!
How to Train Your Dragon rode into theaters in 2010 and surprised me. It delivered a fun, quick-witted adventure for kids and adults alike while exploding from the screen visually. I was a bit
skeptical when they announced the sequel. Could they maintain what they had? Or would this feel like another cash in of some quick dollars? Alas – this dragon is still breathing fire and flying as fast and high as ever.
Here, the dragons are like a dog would be. Lovable, loyal and fun to look at throughout, you want them to succeed and that is how we relate to them, as a family pet. Hiccup and Astrid have grown, and we are still intrigued by the relationship and cheering for the growth.
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How to Train Your Dragon rode into theaters in 2010 and surprised me. It delivered a fun, quick-witted adventure for kids and adults alike while exploding from the screen visually. I was a bit
For this film, dragons have now begun to be accepted. They are pets and friends. They are an integral part of life. Hiccup is still around and he’s grown! His Night Fury, Toothless, and him are still friends and they are exploring the areas that there are no maps for. On one of those journeys they find that they are not alone. There are those who wish to create a dragon army and control the world. And there are Dragon Rider’s that are trying to save the dragons from this fate. But there is more than meets the eye to the mysterious Dragon Rider.
Dragons do exist and are friends to the humans around. Now can Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), Astrid (America Ferrera)and the mysterious Dragon Rider join forces to try and help the dragons not only survive, but prosper for generations to come. But are they too late?
Story, it’s all about story. Sure visuals in this latest installment are spot on. Even having seen it in 3D the bright colors and visually stunning landscapes pop from the screen. (3D is notorious for its dark feel and muted colors.) But this all doesn’t work without a story that makes you believe in the dragons themselves.
Here, the dragons are like a dog would be. Lovable, loyal and fun to look at throughout, you want them to succeed and that is how we relate to them, as a family pet. Hiccup and Astrid have grown, and we are still intrigued by the relationship and cheering for the growth.
Instead of the typical tone of animated films where characters never grow, these characters have gotten older and yet we still relate to them and want them to succeed. It’s due to the filmmakers and the story they have presented that we still love dragons.
B+
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Dreamworks Animation / 20thCentury Fox Pictures
Director: Dean DeBlois
Voice Cast: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera
Rating: PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor.
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes