Kung Fu Panda

Plot Summary: Po, a panda and an unlikely hero, is declared Dragon Warrior and trains with Kung Fu masters to defeat the evil snow leopard, Tai Lung.

Movie Groupie Jabber: I'm not much for animated flicks but I enjoyed this one a lot. The plot was easy enough to follow, there was just the right amount of humor, and there was LOTS of action. (As you know, I'm a bit of an action addict.) The celebrity voices didn't get in the way of the story (except maybe Angelina Jolie) which I appreciated. I also enjoyed the message of the movie which was appropriate for both children and adults. The final test was the opinions of my nieces and nephews. We saw it together and they loved it.

My score: 85

Metacritic: 73

Rotten Tomatoes: 88

WALL-E

Plot Summary: A robot left alone on Earth leaves his home and journeys into space when he falls for another robot sent to Earth from a space station.

Movie Groupie Jabber: Wow. This movie has recieved such high praise from top movie critics around the nation. And it IS a cute, enjoyable flick. However, I can hardly say it's one of the best movies of the year. WALL-E is a robot with a very limited vocabulary (about 3 words), and I missed the witty dialogue I enjoyed in many other movies I've seen this summer. And, yes, the animators did a terrific job expressing WALL-E's thoughts and emotions without dialogue, but I have to be honest and say I missed it. I loved WALL-E's green theme, especially how animators showed that humans have not only trashed Earth, but the Moon and space as well. That was effective. But the movie is a bit slow and I wondered what audience it targeted. I think it would be very difficult for a 8 year old to sit through the whole thing without getting antsy. And it just didn't offer me enough as an adult viewer. Maybe I'm just too cynical to enjoy it's simple, sweet theme. I liked WALL-E, but feel it's overrated.

My score: 84
Metacritic: 94 (!)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97 (!)