Turbo (2013)- David Soren

★★★★

 

How frustrating would it be to live as a slow-moving snail? Day after day, never moving with any urgency, fully accepting that this, my friends, is as good as it gets. Heck, these poor guys actually sit watching their friends and family get picked up by crows and run over by a violent toddler on his Big Wheel. Enter the lovable Theo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds). He refuses to settle into this extremely mundane situation, as he dreams of one day being a famous racer. Theo’s older brother, Chet (voiced by Paul Giamatti), however, does things the “normal” way. He has fully accepted his place in the world, and desperately wishes his brother would do the same.

That’s when the miracle happens. Theo goes for a soul-searching walk (I mean skudge) and ends up over a freeway, staring down as the world zooms past him. While day-dreaming about speed, he is sent falling to the ground below, where he ends up sitting on the hood of a hot-rod street racer about to begin a drag race. Theo enjoys the high-speed journey to the fullest until he is sucked into the engine, nearly killing him, but instead filling his body with nitrous-oxide, and then spitting him to the ground.

When he awakens in the morning, Theo discovers that he has gained the power of speed whenever his heart races. Coincidently, he and Chet are caught by a human named Tito (voiced by Michael Pena), who partakes in snail racing, along with the other occupants of the strip mall where he and his brother (voiced by Luis Guzman) run an unsuccsessful taco shop.

After Theo (who now only answers to “Turbo”) lets his talent be known, Tito begins to see an answer to the problem facing everyone in the struggling strip mall- the Indianapolis 500. Tito borrows money from all of his friends, and they take off to enter Turbo in the greatest racing competition of the year. Naturally, Turbo brings his new-found racing snail friends along for the ride, adding plenty of humor at every turn.

I don’t think it’s possible to have a plot for a film be more unrealistic. Forget about the talking animals which we expect in all family films, but how on earth did this snail become allowed to race in the Indy 500? It just doesn’t make any sense- and you know what? I don’t care in the slightest. “Turbo” is an extremely fun film that has been created with the sole purpose of making the audience smile…. and they succeeded. What makes it so enjoyable? The extensive list of highly entertaining characters, of course. Yes, the majority of the film is dominated by Turbo and has brother, but then you have the supporting actors (and snails) who add plenty of humor and excitement. It is one of the greatest voice casts I’ve ever seen in an animated film. Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz and Michael Bell play the dare-devil racing snails who befriend Turbo, and Michelle Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins and Ken Jeong are the shop owners of the strip mall. (Ken Jeong, in particular, is hysterical as a short Asian nail saloon owner.) And if that isn’t enough, Bill Hader shows up to be the dreaded villain, Guy Gagne- racing legend. Seriously, these guys are too much fun for words- well almost.

Many animated films come out every year; some you know will be good, others you hope will be good. “Turbo” was in the “hope” category, but it fully delivered and delighted. Now we just have to wait for the sequel!

http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=lasthemov-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00E00PM40&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=E3E3E3&bg1=E3E3E3&f=ifrhttp://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=lasthemov-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00E00P5JC&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=E3E3E3&bg1=E3E3E3&f=ifrhttp://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=lasthemov-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00E00PEGQ&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=E3E3E3&bg1=E3E3E3&f=ifrhttp://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=lasthemov-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00E00OGE2&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=E3E3E3&bg1=E3E3E3&f=ifrhttp://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=lasthemov-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00E00ORZK&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=E3E3E3&bg1=E3E3E3&f=ifr

Escape to the Theaters This Week! July 17th-21st, 2013

This is a real busy week at the theaters, as we have films opening on Wednesday, the 17th, and Friday, the 19th. There are also more titles from which to choose, so it will be interesting to see who will win the box office weekend. In addition to these new selections, there should also be some hold over from “Pacific Rim” (2013), “Grown Ups 2” (2013), and of course, the still surging, “Despicable Me 2” (2013). So, which film(s) will you be watching?

Movies Opening in Theaters July 17th, 2013

• “Turbo” (2013) Rated PG, 96 minutes: DreamWorks Animation presents this 3D event that features… the world’s fastest snail! That’s right everyone, Turbo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) dreams of moving faster, and after an accident involving an engine full of nitrous oxide, that is exactly what happens. Now his ambitions of racing in the Indianapolis 500 are finally going to come true. Directed by David Soren, “Turbo” also stars the voice talents of Paul Giamatti, Maya Rudolph, Snoop Dogg, Michael Pena, Michelle Rodriguez and Samuel L. Jackson.

Movie Opening in Theaters July 19th, 2013

• “R.I.P.D.” (2013) Rated PG-13: Rest In Peace Department. This afterlife, law enforcement group recruits the greatest lawmen of all time for the special mission of hunting down the dead souls that refuse to leave Earth. Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges are the new-partners who must overcome their differences and find a way to save the world, before it’s too late. Basically we have a combination of “Men in Black” (1997) and every other buddy cop film ever made.“R.I.P.D.” also stars Mary-Louise Parker and Kevin Bacon, and is directed by Robert Schwentke (“Flightplan” & “Red”).

• “Red 2” (2013) Rated PG-13, 116 minutes: This is the sequel to 2010’s comedic action film, “Red,” about a former CIA operative (Bruce Willis) trying to find a way of life that doesn’t involve violence or killing. Once again, he gets himself and his girlfriend (Mary Louis-Parker) mixed up with some established former colleges (John Malkovich & Helen Mirren), as well as some new characters (Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones & Lee Byung-hun), for a barrage of mischief and mayhem.

• “The Conjuring” (2013) Rated R, 112 minutes: In this horror film, Vera Farminga and Patrick Wilson star as real life supernatural investigators, Lorraine and Patrick Warren, who have their work cut out for them with the Perron family (Lili Taylor & Ron Livingston), whose farmhouse is being haunted by a demonic presence. Early reviews for this film have been quite good, citing that it is similar to the horror films of the 1970’s, with the focus being put on the characters and not on visual effects.

Also being released on July 19th, 2013 in a limited capacity:

• “Only God Forgives” (2013) Rated R, 90 minutes: From writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”) comes this action film about death and revenge. Ryan Gosling stars as a drug-smuggler, who is asked by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) to find and kill the man responsible for his brother’s recent death. Expectations for “Only God Forgives” have been very high, but the early European reviews seem to be less than favorable, mostly stemming from the endless violence. 

• “Girl Most Likely” (2013) Rated PG-13, 103 minutes: A down-on-her-luck playwright (Kristen Wiig) half-heartedly attempts suicide to attract attention from her former boyfriend. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out well for her, and she ends up in the care of her estranged mother (Annette Benning). Also starring in this comedy are Matt Dillon and Christopher Fitzgerald.

• “Blackfish” (2013) Rated PG-13, 83 minutes: This is a documentary film that focuses on the dangers of keeping the orca, Tilikum, in captivity. This film premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and thus far has earned mostly positive reviews.