Ted Review

'Family Guy' creator Seth McFarlane has a movie. It's called 'Ted' and it's about a deadbeat car salesman who lives with his girlfriend and his talking teddy bear. The situation is familiar and the comedy is very similar to the aforementioned show as well as 'American Dad' and 'The Cleveland Show'.

The film stars Mark Wahlberg as the sympathetic loser John Bennet and Mila Kunis as his girlfriend Lori. McFarlane uses his remarkable voice to bring to life the titular character Ted. The film starts off strong and sweet with young Johnny growing up as a shy and lonely kid. His inability to make friends forces him to wish for a best friend. The narrator (Patrick Stewart) reminds us that nothing is more powerful than a boy's wish so Ted comes to life, scaring the shit out of John's parents.

Much like Macaulay Culkin the bear enjoys a brief but intense period of fame. But when the years finally catch up with him he's a drunk, drug-addicted, swearing teddy bear with an unhealthy adoration for the movie 'Flash Gordon'. Johnny and Ted waste their lives watching television and cracking rude jokes. Lori, the only grown-up in the entire movie, feels John is wasting his potential. In true Hollywood fashion she makes him decide; live a forfilling life with her or an unfilling one with Ted.

This is a well-explored story in many romantic comedies over the last few years. Logically, it's not the most interesting part of this film. The character Ted is the main attraction and he doesn't dissapoint. McFarlane makes him crude but equally endearing. His relationship with John feels genuine, quite an accomplishment for a CGI teddy bear.

The humor is truly that of McFarlane. If you like 'Family Guy', warts and all, chances are you like 'Ted'. It does suffer from the fact that it's a live-action feature. Some jokes would work a lot better in an animated medium like 'Family Guy' but don't really hit the right tone for live-action. There's only a few of these misses  and the amount of succesful gags almost make you forget about them. 

There's also an entertaining sub-plot about an obsessive fan (Giovanni Ribisi) and his overweight son. Both of them are screwed up in a fun way and try to kidnap their biggest idol. This part of the movie doesn't get as much attention as the troubled relationship between Lori, Johnny and Ted making it feel like padding. It might have worked better if it had been integrated more organically into the story. 

What makes 'Ted' memorable is its good natured tone. There's lots of cracks at ethnicities, sex, diseases, the mentally handicapped, 9/11, the physically handicapped, prostitution and religion but at its heart the film is quite sweet. With its music (obviously inspired by John Williams) and its romantic/bromantic sensibilities the film is not only funny but also heartfelt. 

ParaNorman Review

Stop-motion has always been the go-to form of animation for off-beat stories. Tim Burton famously employed it to bring stories like 'Vincent', 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and 'Corpse Bride' to life. With its charming jerkiness stop-motion tends to feel more real than many computer-generated films.

Chris Butler's 'ParaNorman' is probably the best looking film of its kind. But no movie can get by on looks alone. The story and the characters should be good as well. That's where 'ParaNorman' excells. The story revolves around a kid named Norman who's ostracized by his peers because he claims to have a sixth sense.

He's allowed to speak to the dead, making him the town's Haley Joel Osment. Being a nerdy kid we first meet Norman when he's watching zombie flicks with his deceased grandmother. His entire life he's around the living dead, making him more than a little awkward. But when his strange uncle Penderghast warns him about a witch's curse he's suddenly the town's only hope for redemption.

'ParaNorman' owes a lot to the horror films from the late seventies and early eighties. It's colourful, yet dark and the zombies are moaning lumps of rotten green flesh. Every time these creatures show up they're accompanied by a John Carpenter-esque synth beat. There are some moments that are meant to make you jump but they're mostly good-natured. This is probably why the film works as well as it does. The material lends itself perfectly for a mean-spirited little tale but instead it's very friendly and touching.

The design of Norman himself and the world he inhabits is wonderful. It's style is very far away from Tim Burton's curly gothic look. Instead 'ParaNorman' is a little less clean. This world seems less like a fairy tale and more like an eighties Amblin film. All the characters, especially the zombies, are characteristic and soulful. The voice cast that gives them life is equally exceptional with Kodie Smit-McPhee as Norman, Tucker Albrizzi as a fat kid with a heart of gold, Christopher Mint-Plasse as Norman's dimwitted bully, Bernard Hill as the lead zombie and John Goodman as Penderghast.

The film's theme is a familiar one. It's about accepting those who are different. Coupling this theme with the subject of witch trials fits perfectly. Like the famous Monster of Frankenstein the witch and the zombies want nothing more than to be taken for who they are. It might not be the most original message out there but it's still very relevant. And the way this film weaves this message into its story is nothing short of perfect. That's why 'ParaNorman' is my film of the summer. It should be yours as well.