Vaughn Chronicles

FRED CLAUS (D+)

I wasn’t going into Fred Claus with much expectation… okay, I really was. I always go into holiday movies with a good amount of expectation, no matter how bad the trailer was. The sad part was, the trailer for Fred Claus was much more funny than the actual movie. Christmas being my favorite holiday, I had my hopes up there. Two things killed this movie for me, Vince Vaughn and terrible CG (Computer Graphics).

First off, Vince Vaughn’s character, Fred, felt like the same characters he played in Wedding Crashers and The Break Up. You might know what I’m talking about. If not, I’m talking about Vince Vaughn’s signature “Ramble on about something, throwing in witty comments, then abruptly change the subject in which to confuse the person hes talking to”. That shit gets old, quick.

Secondly, the CG in this movie was one of the worst I’ve seen in a VERY long time! I was very, very disapointed with Director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Shanghai Knights). How could a Director let something as shitty as this slide? Was he high while editing this all together, were the people pre-screening it high before release? I don’t know what the budget was for this, but good lord was this a perfect example of laziness.

The reason I gave this D-rate movie the hardly earned “+”, was the fact that I really enjoy watching Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, and panning shots from the legs up of Elizabeth Banks in a little elf costume (not as a short, stubby elf thank god).

BEE MOVIE (B+)

This flick is completely underrated. This movie was funny, fun to watch, and honestly a refreshment being with whats currently out in theaters. People complained about the lack of detail the movie had, but thats what I liked about it. Pixar does detail like no one else, so why does everyone else have to? I felt the lack of detail on the characters, but the complexity of their environments, like the honey factory was a lot of fun.

Renée Zellwege’s voice throughout the flick really bothered me. It sounded very nasally, and I felt her voice hurt the movie slightly. Her character didn’t feel real, the animation felt a little forced in some parts.

Patrick Warburton’s Ken was funny at times, but felt more annoying as the movie progressed, as we had to listen to the big man bitch about pretty much everything.

In the end, there were a lot of jokes I got, that the rest of the audience obviously missed. I think thats the reason Bee Movie isn’t getting the credit it deserves.

~Vaughn