We the Children

We the children continue to enjoy the great Kung Fu Panda series and give Kung Fu Panda 3 a resounding thumbs up. From saving multifarious species, Po’s attention this time around is dedicated to saving his own kith and kin. A great entertainer

15.5/20

More Panda More King Fu

In Kung Fu Panda II, The Kung Fu Panda quintet (Po the Panda (Jack Black), with the tigress (Angelina Jolie), monkey (Jackie Chan, viper (Lucy Liu) and mantis (Seth Rogen)) are at peace, and Po is in nostalgia mode with the goose father. In the meantime, Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), the ambitious peafowl, has a new weapon at hand, and seeks to take over China. Not if Po can help it. What starts off as a rescue mission for a single village soon erupts into an action-sequence-a-minute all out battle between good and evil. And it remains to be seen whether the sheep oracle’s (Michelle Yeoh) prophecy of the black and white warrior defeating Lord Shen will come to pass. With a galaxy of stars providing the voice-overs, Po the high-energy lovable fighting panda, can effortlessly chop and kick his way through many more sequels to come

14/20

The Lobby

The Runaway Jury covers the science and scheming behind professional lobbying in America. The gun lobby with its vast resources versus a single widow fighting for her right to justice. The story of John Cusack and Rachel Weisz is a bit of over-the-top idealism, but this movie unlike the former two reviewed here should be treated purely as entertainment perhaps a shade more than the others. The right to bear arms for self defence and for sport is supported even by Obama – and that means a 5 year lease of life at least! And not quite as slam dunk an argument as rejected insurance claims, or racism.

Parenthood

Today we went out with Rikk to Barista for the first time. He started crying almost immediately. It was only with patience and comforting him, that we were able to get him to settle down. Parenthood is teaching me patience and self-discipline. Kramer vs Kramer explores the pain of divorce and throws Meryl Streep's self-indulgent departure ostensibly for self-discovery in harsh light against Dustin Hoffman's renewal, self-sacrifice and determination. Through a great deal of patience and discipline, the man Kramer develops a hitherto nonexistent bond with the son Kramer, without giving away too much by way of career. In contrast, The Pursuit of Happyness pits Will Smith in an elemental struggle to secure a permanent position in a big brokerage while battling poverty and being a single parent. It is interesting that after a gap of 27 years material success is clearly shown as pretty much an imperative in the latter movie, and is something of an afterthought in the former. Who says times are not getting tougher??