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Visitors Review

2012-05-20 02:27:22

Corny movie but it's the only 3D one available!

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Blu-ray 3D) (Blu-ray) I'm starting to feel like a guy who bought a BetaMax --- only to find out that everyone else bought a VHS.About every other movie in the past 2 - 3 years was released in 3D and every A/V store in the country was selling 3D TV's and BluRay players --- like the ones I've got on my A/V rack and on my wall.I really love the overall performance and picture on that 46" Samsung HD/3D LED backlit TV but "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" is not the fare of your normal american adult male --- the guys who are willing to spend that kind of money for a TV and BluRay player.This sucks!When are "adult" movies going to be released in 3D BluRay --- I'm not talking "porn" but something where someone might use an offensive word like "darn"!

Raghavibaggy-Drawers 2012-05-19 22:24:46

A Legacy of Violence...

The Disney studios dropped traditional animation. It is, for historicalreasons, a travesty and this is definitely the end of an era foranimation, and cinema in general.I must say the trailer for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs did notmake this movie very appealing. I am glad I prescreened this movie. Idefinitely will NOT be taking my 4 year old daughter to see it. She wasso frightened by the violence in ROLLERBALL that she was shaking and wehad to leave the theater.The violence in this movie is on the same par.I loved ROLLERBALL, but it wasn't for my daughter. Cloudy with a Chanceof Meatballs, on the other hand, doesn't have any redeeming qualities.The story was weak and contrived. how bad is it? See it in theaters:no. Wait for the DVD: no. Wait for it to come on TV: no, watchsomething else... after all, the storyline probably does not go muchfurther than the average "GOOF TROOP" TV episode, the dialogues and theviolence surely deliver good sound entertainment.For animation fans, which I am, I don't think we should try to compareCloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with a Scorsese film for it would notlive up to that but still, this one comes highly recommended -- unlikesome of the dream-works 3D flicks. This epic actioneer kicks major buttand features Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in tandem with anotherCGI icon -- Buzz and Woody --who can also hold their own when the goinggets ultra-violent.In the case of both the Aliens and the Lakota Sioux the defeats weresmothered to contemporaries (who deified the Alien Dad and the othersin their Martian camp, and Custer on his little hilltop) because justas Buzz and Woody went on to smash the Martians, the Americans went onto destroy the Sioux (Crazy Horse, who won Little Big Horn, was killedwithin one year while under arrest)...I tend to feel that this film says most of what there is to say aboutsuch themes. For that reason, and if you are so inclined, you may wantto track it down. Don't wait for it turning up on ITV as a SundayMatinée though.

2012-05-17 15:59:48

Grandkids love it!!

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) Seems to be another hit with the grandkids! They are 5 & 7 and they sat and hardly moved for the entire movie! Only gave it 4 stars because I still don't think it's in the same league as Shrek, Nemo, Ice Age etc... Just a nice cute movie.

jaemiewaters 2012-05-17 00:51:53

great 3D movie a great family movie

it is a great 3D movie and it is a great family movie i think you willenjoy this wonderful movie there is nothing like this i hope you reallyenjoy this amazing 3D movie it is a big hit i never saw a movie quitelike this before cloudy with a chance of meatballs is one of the bestmovies ever created well i think so i never saw a movie like this ohthis movie is the perfect family film it is a hoot this is one of thecoolest movies of all times there really is nothing like this it is ahuge hit this is one funny movie i enjoy this movie a lot and i hopeyou enjoy it to there is only two things that are better and those areThe Last Airbender 3D and Hugo 3D this is a must see movie for everyonewell i think so it is a great movie

2012-05-15 15:21:19

Underrated

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) Best animated flick I think may have ever seen, PIXAR included. This film is too underrated!!!

2012-05-14 20:34:21

cloudy with a chance of meatballs

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Single-Disc Edition) (DVD) I bought this movie for our pre-schoolers and their families to watch on a big outdoor screen. I think it was a bit too 'old' for preschoolers. They enjoyed the book. They did love being outside, running around and eating snacks with their families though.

2012-05-12 04:55:06

Digital copy only works on PSP???

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) The Digital copy only works on PSP??? I'm wondering if the Blu-Ray will work on a non-sony blu-ray player.

2012-05-11 14:27:11

The Book > The Film

Ever since it was released back in 1978, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has become a popular children's book. It's not only filled with beautiful artwork, but it also showcases some clever ways on how food of gigantic sizes can be dangerous. I remember reading the book repeatedly when I was a little kid, and I always found myself enjoying it. Judi and Ron Barrett have done a wonderful job with this one. Cut to thirty-one years later, and we have a film adaptation. Now, the small kids of today will no doubt admire it for what it is: a fast-paced, ADD-induced animated film filled with food and comedy. Unfortunately, however, those who have actually read the book when they were very young will probably find a part of their childhood obliterated. Sony Pictures has demoted the spirit of the children's book, and has made a horrible adaptation. It is more of a colossal dissatisfaction at least for me, because it could have been done properly. Now, I have to admit I might sound biased towards the film, considering that the original children's book played a part in my childhood. But the book had such a huge impact on me when I was a little kid that I simply cannot find the film enjoyable.So what's wrong with this animated film? Well, there are four major problems with CWACOM. The first problem can be quite obvious: the horrid look of the film. In the original book, there is a sort of mysticism that surrounded the artwork, and it gave the actual story some capriciousness and charm. In the movie, it's all quirkiness and NO charm. There is nothing ethereal about the foods that fall from the sky. Nothing is visually stimulating. In fact, it seems like it's all just an excuse to showcase some of the same tedious CGI animation that we've seen many times before (only this one is slightly more mediocre). The second problem with CWACOM is the pacing. Now, the flow of the film is fine during the first half, but the second half is just torture. It's so fast and so ADD-inducing that it's almost tiresome. Kids with ADD would enjoy this; I'm not so sure about everyone else. Third, the characters are.....well.....uninteresting. They don't have any real personas: they lack charisma, wit, and most of all, uniqueness. But what's worst about these characters is that it's very hard to look at them. I don't know who designed these fictional individuals, but they certainly made them look grotesque and uncanny (especially Flint and Samantha). I know it's supposed to be a family film, but the characters look WAY too cartoonish for their own good. But I think the biggest problem with CWACOM is that it's really overproduced. I think you'll notice right away that many scenes involving food are bloated with wall-to-wall action sequences and non-stop comedic segments. There is so much going on, especially in the third act of the film, that it can give you a very nauseous feeling if you're not accustomed to watching giant-sized cheeseburgers and spaghetti flying everywhere, or pancakes and sandwiches destroying everything they land on.To be honest, out of all the bad things to have come out of this, it's not really one of the worst animated films of all time. There were a few jokes that did make me laugh, and I did like the music by Mark Mothersbaugh. Unfortunately, it's still an animated atrocity. The basic premise of the children's book remains (food falling from the sky, etc.), but everything else does not. The animation is unpleasant to look at, the characters are unlikable, and all the food and the destruction are just too much to handle. Again, kids will probably love this one, but everyone else might be disappointed. I am. I did not have a fun time watching this movie. Compared to the book, it's a big letdown. The opportunity to create a great adaptation has been wasted.Grade: D

2012-05-10 02:05:36

Ok 3D movie

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Blu-ray 3D) (Blu-ray) Good movie,very funny!...The 3D is a different story,not as good as i thought it was going to be.Most scene's with the pop out's.. lack the attention you should get out of it,It does make you feel more involed in the movie which,all 3D movies i think should!...so all in all this movie is worth seeing in 3D,but the 2D is just fine as well..I give the movie 5 stars and the 3D 3.5 stars.

2012-05-09 13:28:13

Absolutely perfect movie, BAD SONY!! please read

This movie is outstanding and should be in everyone's collection. It is a fun thrilling, touching ride. Make sure you've eaten before seeing though :) My family and I have watched this several times already and only owned it a week.The BAD - SONY. Can't believe with all this technology you have resorted to ONLY including YOUR proprietary digital copy for PSP ONLY!! Even the other companies provide PC AND MAC versions of their digital copies (Win media / quicktime), 2 rivals. There's a reason you lack in your product offering and its because you ALWAYS do this. You separate yourself so far from everyone else to win the FORMAT war, that most of the time you LOSE. Include your PSP format, I get that, but give us something else to use for our kids for travel! I suggest you release a free digital copy in another format for those who can show proof of purchase. I will be writing your company. This product would be 5 stars no doubt if they would have provided the standard digital formats EVERYONE else does, but plus their PSP format.I want to recommend this movie, but I am so mad to give Sony any more money because of things like this with them....

Danny Spark 2012-05-01 08:22:00

A fair cut above the average animated family flick,

"Sony Pictures Animation Presents A Film By... A Lot Of People"That's all the opening credits of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballssay. And for me, it forebodes that the next 90 minutes won't be bland,cheesy schmaltz that's all the rage in animated films nowadays, bothCGI and non-CGI. It predicts a movie which will be fairly witty, which,despite being nothing new in animated films, is a far more refreshingapproach than the company's earlier films Open Season and MonsterHouse.Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader), is a young mad scientist who lives in asmall island, famous for its sardines and lack of any other food, whichmakes a bit of money off tourism. Flint is aching to invent some sortof scientific breakthrough that will save his town. He manages tocreate a machine that converts water into food, but once heaccidentally flies the machine into the sky, it begins sucking waterfrom the clouds and produces... well, raining cheeseburgers. From thenon, Flint becomes a sensation is his town (thanks to the greedy townmayor, voiced by Bruce Campbell), but cracks begin to show when thefood starts getting bigger...Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs turns out to be not only witty, butalso intelligent and self-aware, and at times rather touching. Thereare some predictable jokes and degrading factors (like the pet monkeySteve, who has no purpose to the film other than standing around andbeing cute), but on the whole the jokes are very well thought out andcleverly executed, and the characters mostly come off as likable too.There are some nice choices for the voice actors (Mr. T has arefreshing turn as the over-the-top police officer and Bruce Campbellis amusing as the horrid mayor), and the characters themselves arepretty likable too.The animation is great; the huge food really does look good enough toeat; they really do get all the textures right. It's impossible toleave the film without your mouth watering. Anyone who has justfinished eating a full all-you-can-eat buffet I'd advise not to watch.Chances are you'll either vomit or force yourself to eat more... andthen vomit.The voice acting is very good too. There are some nice choices (Mr. Thas a refreshing turn as the over-the-top police officer and BruceCampbell is amusing as the horrid mayor), and each actor gives a fullamount of enthusiasm and effort into the voices of their characters.Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a very entertaining animated filmwhich, in my opinion, has enough charm and clever jokes to be one ofthe best animated films of 2009 (probably second to Up). It's not quiteup there with Pixar, but it definitely beats most DreamWorks animatedfilms. I'm astonished it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar.

jbelka97 2012-04-30 21:18:36

For an animated movie, this is gold.

I am glad I watched this movie. It was surprisingly one of the bestanimated movies I've seen! And, no, I'm not 7, I'm an adult, and Ifound it fantastic! One night, I was home alone, and caught myselfwatching this instead of Football!(If you knew me, you would know thebig deal)Pros: Hilarious. Excellent animation, excellent plot (ummmmm, sortof),great characters, great film.Cons:Not a whole lot of em, some things that will go over kids heads,it's not educational AT ALL, (like you were expecting that), and somecuss words that are not necessary, like "hell", but thats as bad as itgets.My suggestion: Watch it. And try too hold your bladder.

IamLegend_Zanth 2012-04-27 09:03:44

Funny, imaginative, and very well done

When i first heard about this movie, i simply laughed at the title. Ihad never read the book, and had never even heard of the story. Iwasn't even gonna go see it until i was invited too. But man oh man, ami glad that i did. Cloudy with a chance of meatballs is one of thefunniest movies i have ever seen. I was almost barfing with laughter atsome points. My friend and i were laughing for an hour after the movie!The voice-overs in this movie were excellent. Bill Hader was perfect asthe nerd boy dreaming of being a great inventor. I am not a huge fan ofAnna Faris, but she did amazing job of playing the part of the peanutprone, Jello loving weather reporter. Mr.T was also a hilariousaddition to this well developed cast.This movie is also awesome eye-candy. and right up there with most ofthe pixar films. there were some parts that you were justthinking................."Wowy" this is well done. I didn't even see itin imax and i was still pretty impressed with it.This movie is probably the funniest movie of the year, and it hascertainly earned a place in my personal favourite list. If you want tolaugh non-stop for almost an hour and a half, then i highly suggestthis movie. If you don't laugh at this movie, well, i'm sorry, but youhave some serious issues that you need to work out.Ĕ¥Ё Дм ₤ệğəŋđ

2012-04-26 23:36:36

cute movie

This is a cute movie but its honestly not anything special.. I as well as my kids had a bit of a time trying to finsih the movie once half way through.. it got kind of boring.. it may be better suited for toddlers but i wouldnt recommend for school aged children.

timeaftrtime 2012-04-25 01:23:21

Not only does justice to the book but takes its own sweep of originality and charm

Anyone involved with the elementary school world as at least heard ofthe Barret classic "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." As a teacher, Iwas thrilled to learn it was to be made a movie. As usual, however,that leads to the problem of whether it would stick too much to thebook to be entertaining for the screen or a Hollywood catastrophe thatsteals only the title?I know it's irritating to read from those book loyalists, but it's onlya fair comparison. I felt this movie found a perfect balance ofbig-screen awesomeness and the charm of the book.For book enthusiasts, they pretty much had everything right. This filmdoes indeed follow the plot of the book. Entire illustrations arerecreated for the movie with stunning nods to Ron Barret's artwork.Then again, one must keep in mind that the book was an extremelygeneral plot. The movie goes into detail, very much into detail, ofwhat was going on in the town. We have the classic nerd, Flint Lockwood, a lovable and goofy characterwho embodies the wannabe coolness and social awkwardness anddesperation of every social outcast. He's almost painful to watch, butI think it's what makes him so likable--you feel sorry for him. Anywho,in a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his father, he invents amachine that turns water into food. And hence the coming of thetrademark weather of Swallow Falls (later renamed to Barrets'Chewandswallow). Honestly, I was surprised at the plot they got going out of this--whilestill maintaining the basics of the book. It had an ADHD spirit withwonderfully over-the-top characters. This will probably annoy many asoul, but I thought it a winning combination for those who can put upwith it all. Really, you need the heart and mind of a child for this,but if you can summon those up, you will be impressed.I saw it in the normal format, but I'm sure it was an intense hoot in3D. That might have been a bit much for me, but I'm sure the kids lovedfood flying at them. Regardless, the animation was stunning, combininga tribute to Ron Barret's amazing illustrations in background withpleasantly cartoony characters. This was much better than expected. It was creative, extremely fun, andpaid reference to everything from "Independence Day" to "The TwilightZone". You may need the heart and mind of a child for this, but if youcan summon those up, you will be impressed.

2012-04-24 21:28:56

FUNNY AS ALL HAM!

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Two-Disc Edition) (DVD) Incredibly funny film with great pacing. If you're a fan of Arrested Development, I feel like you'll enjoy this type of humor. A lot of jokes and bits get repeated references. GREAT STUFF!

tieman64 2012-04-24 09:50:10

Deeper than Wall-E, but less confidently told

Fun, fast and funny animated comedy which revolves around a youngscientist who invents a machine which causes food to rain from theskies. Like Pixar's "Wall-E", the film points fingers at Westernover-consumption, greed and consumer capitalism, and the effect thislifestyle of decadence has on the environment.Unlike "Wall-E", however, the film is not preachy, its metaphorsdisguised with wild antics and much mayhem. Consider one scene in whicha fat Mayor sails on a giant slice of toast, and then begins to eat thetoast until his "boat" sinks. It's a metaphor for man irrationallyconsuming his way to disaster, but it's played for laughs and lasts nomore than a couple seconds. The film is filled with such "visualmessages", but never feels didactic.This being an animated film, "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs"utilises a virtual camera which possesses a sense of freedom and energywhich conventional films lack. For this reason, these films are alwaysworth keeping up with.In terms of flaws, like most of these animated films, the picture isfar too busy, never letting any scene or character breathe. Still, themayhem is in service of something worthwhile. In marrying a tale of"being yourself" with "mega consumption", this flick, perhapsunintentionally, taps into French philosopher Bernard Stiegler'swritings, in which he argues - take a deep breath - that the techniquesused to create consumer behaviour amount to the destruction of psychicand collective individuation, and that the diversion of libidinalenergy toward the consumption of consumer products results in anaddictive cycle, leading to hyper-consumption, the exhaustion ofdesire, and the reign of symbolic misery. Despite its air of outwardjuvenility, that's the message this whacky film is trying to convey.Incidentally, "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" was made by SonyPictures Animation, late comers into the world of CGI features. Pixarled the way and then came DreamWorks, now Sony is hoping to cash in onthis billion dollar global market by using the formulae of bothstudios. They've only made three films thus far, "Surf's Up" and"Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" being the best two.7.9/10 – Environmentalism is in vogue. But is it a coincidence that theChinese character for "crisis" is a combination of the characters for"danger" and "opportunity"? Worth one viewing.

2012-04-23 18:52:26

Funniest movie of the first decade of the 21st century

This review is from: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Two-Disc Edition) (DVD) The title is a little reaching- but really this was the first cartoon which perfectly married youth and adult humor with the animation that a cartoon format provides. Your imagination will soar as this movie gives you a lot of warm fuzzy feelings in your brain. Yes this has been a good experience- the review that is. I have had a long day and felt like sharing my opinion with fellow Amazonians.

plasticanimalz 2012-04-17 01:04:25

On Par With Pixar

I feel I need to make a comment, simply to dispute FordPrefect-42'scompletely inaccurate portrayal of this film. I can't imagine whatpedestal of animation quality he holds to other films and what filmsthose are if he considers CWACOM only "simple" animation? I saw thefilm with about 20 animators, all from major studios, in their 20's and30's and everyone absolutely loved the film and raved about it. I'veworked in animation for 12 years and I'm happy to see that someone elseis finally making films equally as good as any Pixar movies. The filmwas engrossing from beginning to end. The script was excellent, thevoice acting was fantastic, the animation was great, and it was highlyinventive and creative. It was clever, all the characters were highlylikable, and I laughed out loud at least 3 times, which, I almost neverdo. I absolutely love this movie and rank it up there with my Pixarfaves, along with Iron Giant. You can tell that a lot of love and carewent into this film as opposed to the typical studio, churn out, beatsomething to death and market the crap out of something. And very fewstudios do that anymore, other than Pixar and some smaller indieproductions. It's all about the big money machine rather than lettingartists and creatives do what they do best, which is sad and a shame.There is a reason why Pixar and TV animation studios like CartoonNetwork and Nickelodeon deliver over and over again. And that isbecause they trust the artists and animation professionals to do theirjob that they're trained to do and don't try to tamper with thecreative process by throwing executives with zero creative or animationexperience into the mix. Their is no better way to kill a film or showthan let a team of creative execs. with no writing experience write theoutline for the project. Cough...Disney. Get a clue people. Having astudio exec. with a law degree tell an animator with $150,000 animationeducation what he should be doing is a recipe for a heartless pile ofcrud. Hopefully, with success like Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs,execs will finally realize that animators other than Pixar actuallyknow what they're doing and release their choke hold that has beenkilling the life out of any good animation for the past 15 years.

2012-04-16 04:56:55

Not for kids...

This review is from: Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (Amazon Instant Video) I disagree with the reviewer that said this was not for adults & more geared towards kids ... this movie could not hold my son's or my nephews attention at all, they were so bored that they ended up leaving to go play instead of sitting to watch this!The only thing geared towards kids was the graphics & animation ... our kids thought the story was boring & they are not at all interested in watching it again.