I haven’t blogged about any movies in a while, so here is a quick rundown of the four movies we watched on the long plane rides to and from France.

Kung Fu Panda – Another animated Dreamworks movie that I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.  I know I sound like a Disney fanboy, but the fact that this movie was ever muttered in the same breath as WALL-E makes me sorta sad.  WALL-E was an amazing, beautiful, remarkable, deep movie, and Kung Fu Panda was just a silly flick with Jack Black.  Don’t get me wrong – I chuckled a few times.  But like the other Dreamworks pics, there’s really no plot, it’s just an excuse for  a big name actor to do an animated movie.  I was not that impressed.

Four Christmases – As far as dumb romantic comedies go, this one wasn’t too bad.  And what made it work?  Vince Vaughn.  The guy is just plain funny.  Sure you could argue that he plays the same character time and again, but it’s a good character, and it works for him, so let it be, OK?

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist – Also in the “actor-who-always-plays-the-same-role-but-makes-it-work” category is Michael Cera.  Teen comedies tend to be cut from the same cloth, and this one didn’t stray too far from the formula, it just gave the story an indie-rock coat of paint.  It wasn’t the best Cera flick of all time – that remains Superbad – but it wasn’t awful either.

Flight of the Navigator – Yeah, remember that one?  Somehow Wifey and I got to talking about this old 80’s chestnut a while back, and we decided it was time to revist it.  I remembered a bit of it, but there was a lot of stuff I’d forgotten about, like the little alien the kid adopts.  Paul Reubens sounds totally different when he first is the voice of the computer, and then sounds exactly like Pee-Wee when he gets his “personality.”  This movie was also sorta short on plot, but it’s always fun to reminisce with an old-school 80’s movie.