Jay Baruchel

The other day we had a happy family – daddy, mommy, and the kid – trip to the movies, because there was no way I would allow us to skip “How to train your dragon” – a much awaited animation from Dreamworks.

There are options to see it both in full 3D and regular, in Greek (dubbed) and in English (with subtitles). Language decision was the easiest (English of course), but the 3D option got me thinking for a second. On one hand it is a much richer experience. On the other – we were with a kid who is too hyperactive to sit through the whole thing without moving much. Finally I decided to go for the 2D version, because wearing glasses is an extra obstacle.

Now, back to the animation. It was widely promoted all over the place, with ads and several trailers. I knew that I wanted to see it for a while, and after seeing more trailers I knew that I won’t be disappointed. Just the stuff they showed in the promos was enough to enjoy. But the full length feature is so much more. It’s unbelievably good. It’s awesome. It’s fantastic. It’s an absolute must see!

It excellent on just so many levels – the story, the characters, the way it is drawn, the action sequences, the flying, the humor … pretty much everything is perfect. While I am used to being pleasantly surprised by the animation, the story got me this time more than anything. While it was childish and cartoon-worthy, there was a certain depth to it, at times it was even philosophical, going around issues which you don’t usually see in kid’s movies. And yet it was light and fun and inspiring.

Overall, a highly recommended for both kids and adults. Probably even better in 3D. I’ll give it a well deserved 5 out of 5.

Managed to catch “Fanboys” in the cinema. I’ve seen the trailer of it some time ago and thought that I should watch the movie. And I was right. I guess most movie fans, and especially those of “Star Wars” religion among you, will enjoy the film. It’s pretty light, with lots of movie-related jokes, and a touch of drama, which only makes it so much better.

I found the cast to be quite interesting. Main characters are played by not yet so famous young actors (they needed the geeky look after all) – Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Dan Fogler. But while they move through the film, there are many familiar face such as Danny Trejo, Seth Rogen, William Shatner and even Kevin Smith. Even though their roles are very short, almost cameos.

While this film is not a masterpiece by any measure, I did enjoy it quite a bit. 4 stars.