An animation 4-for-1 review. Madagascar, ParaNorman, Pirates, & Arietty.

After months of seeing hits and disappointments of untold hype, the summer movie season has finally come to a close. With awards season right around the corner, I decided to take some time to review some animated features I’ve had a chance to see. Many of you have probably already read my review of Brave, but I haven’t had a chance to review any others. From what I’ve watched, it’s looking to be a strong year for animation, and we still have promising movies like Frankenweenie, Rise of the Guardians, and Wreck-It-Ralph to go. Today you get a four-for-one. Enjoy!

Mini-Review: Big Miracle

Depending on my schedule, this may be my last review of August. I've still got a review of some animated features I've seen to get done, as well as one for the great new TV series The Newsroom, but whatever my schedule may be, enjoy this one.

The Expendables 2 review.

OH MY GOD!!! THIS WAS LIKE THE GREATEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!

Okay, so that above statement isn't true. Without ever trying too hard, The Expendables 2, a movie that recreates the mindless high octane thrills of the 80's, is even bigger and better than the guilty pleasure original. It features a cast of former and current action stars including, but not limited to Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Terry Crews, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and the catch-phraseinator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island review.

Just caught up with this one on Blu-Ray, and while it's certainly not smart, it makes as an adequate guilty pleasure. Continuing after Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2 sees Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) going on an adventure with his step-father Hank (Dwayne Johnson). Sean is searching for his grandfather (the exuberant Michael Caine), a Vernian who believes the tales of author Jules Verne to be based on truth rather than fantasy. Hitching a ride with a sleazy helicopter pilot and his daughter (Vanessa Hudgens as Sean's obligatory love interest), they set forth to find the legendary Mysterious Island, complete with big special effects, terrifying monsters, and in your face 3D.

My top five most anticipated movies for the rest of the year.

Hype. It's an overwhelming thing. For movies, in particular. Whether it be for stars, directors, or just the premise in general, everybody can either embrace it, or wonder what the big deal is, myself included. I've had cases where I was one of the few who never once bought into a movie's hype (Ridley Scott's overlong and confused Prometheus, for one example), and times where the fanboy within me couldn't be more excited to see a movie (Pixar's heartfelt and hilarious Brave, for another). But Kingdom of the Crystal Skull kind of hype is the worst, where a movie is so built up that the end product is bound to disappoint. We're not sure if we'll even like a movie that won't be released for months, but it always gives you something to look forward to.

So that's the focus of today's post. Here is where I'll be listing my top five most anticipated movies for the rest of the year. If you don't see a favorite of yours on here, it's because I haven't heard of it, I'm not quite looking forward to it enough to put it on here, or nothing about it interests me at all (that last one's for you, Cosmopolis).