I have to admit, going in to see Cars 2 today had me nervous. After all, I wasn’t all that fond of Cars from the word go. This much Larry The Cable Guy in one place had me downright quaking. “Git ‘er done” is on my list of most annoying catch phrases of all time, locked in a tie for first with Carlos Mencia and his condescending chalkboard screech “Dee DEE dee!”. But then I remembered, this was a Pixar movie, and Pixar has yet to do a bad movie. Would Cars 2 be the first?

Cars 2 takes us back to Radiator Springs, where the Lightning McQueen racing empire is shaping up nicely. Lightning’s just taken his fourth Piston Cup, and is looking for a little down time following a great season. But that’s not to be as soon enough, oil magnate Miles Axelrod has introduced a new sustainable superfuel, and to prove its value, he’s launched a worldwide Grand Prix race on three countries’ soil in a bid to show off what it can do. But when a shadowy organization starts using the superfuel to take out the racers, it’s going to be up to…of all cars, Mater…to step in and save the world from a conspiracy that goes a lot farther than anyone might expect.

There’s a lot more Mater in this one than in the previous, and Lightning McQueen is actually almost of secondary importance here. This may be strange, no mistake there, but it’s also decidedly interesting. This complete yokel is going to save the world? It’s like an Ernest movie, mixed with a James Bond thriller and set entirely on a giant Hot Wheels track.

There are also a huge number of shoutouts and “Hey-it’s-that-guy” effects going on in here. Watch for Bruce Campbell to show up in yet another voiceover, as well as Sig Hansen from Deadliest Catch, and a nod to Ratatouille, among others. And of course, you’ll get extra value by way of a Toy Story short, which is pretty funny in its own right.

Frankly, I was afraid that this one wasn’t going to come off–a sequel to one of the worst Pixar movies yet?–but I definitely enjoyed this one more than the previous. There’s a lot of action here, good laughs…it’s a fun summer movie. Don’t look for this to be really involved, or even make sense in a lot of parts (What is a crab boat doing in a movie where everyone consumes gas and oil?), but still, it’s a very fun title.

The Screenhead Ten Scale joins the contrarians on this one and gives Cars 2 an eight out of ten for being an exciting, fun ride that’s well worth the Pixar name. It’s no Up, no Toy Story Pick A Number, but it’s a fine addition in its own right.

It’s a big week for sequels, folks, so today we’re going to take a run at Kung Fu Panda 2, which is going to be one of two that hit today. Is this one going to be as good as the original?  That’s the question no doubt on everyone’s mind and the question we’re going to answer today.

Kung Fu Panda 2 takes us back to the Valley of Peace, though with one critical distinction: Po, the noodle shop worker, is now Master Po, the Dragon Warrior, who protects the valley along with the Furious Five, pretty much as he’s always dreamed he one day would. But when a new villain with an ultimate weapon emerges, a weapon so powerful that it could destroy kung fu itself. So how does a kung fu master like Po fight back against a weapon that can destroy kung fu? Well…do you expect any less from Master Po?

Indeed, Kung Fu Panda 2 has one great strength going for it: the fact that, here, you can see Jack Black play something other than a tubby loser with a guitar. No, here, he’s a tubby loser who happens to be a panda. And that, along with plenty else, makes this one pretty well worth watching. Here, Black is working with that which got him typecast early on and doing something relatively unique with it. Admittedly, not much, but still; when it comes to Jack Black movies, you take what you can get.

This particular installment depends a lot more on action than it does on comedy. The first one was largely the opposite–even Po’s training sequences had plenty of laughs in them as the inept panda managed to become a kung fu legend. But now that he actually is, a lot of the laughs are gone and replaced with action, which is a bit awkward here. A movie focused on the clumsy panda now suddenly a master who’s still a bit clumsy isn’t really that funny. At least, not as funny as it was.

Still though, there’s plenty going on here, and there’s enough action for most anyone, even done in the grand Chinese action movie style, which is a serious plus.

If you came here for the funny, you’ll be fairly disappointed. But action buffs–especially those fond of action in the Chinese style–will be much, much better suited here.

The ending, meanwhile, is something of a setup for the third one–at least, that’s what it looked like from the ground level; I haven’t actually heard of a Kung Fu Panda 3 set for release–so it’s a bit on the disappointing side, but still perfectly serviceable.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Kung Fu Panda 2 a solid eight out of ten. It’s long on the action, short on the funny, and a reasonably entertaining experience you can take the family to.

Screenhead held a giveaway for the DVD and Blu-Ray release of The Illusionist.  We picked the winner Insiya who says, “Count me in.”  We not only counted you in the giveaway, but you won  (1) copy of the DVD/Blu Ray Combo pack. Congratulations!

From the Director of the Oscar-nominated classic The Triplets of Belleville, a down-on-his-luck magician meets a young girl who is convinced his magic is real in this 2010 Academy Award nominated film.

The Illusionist is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. I strongly recommend you see this movie.

The movie is a heartwarming story of a magician while touring concert halls, theaters and pubs encounters a young girl at the start of her life’s journey. Alice is a teenage girl with all her capacity for childish wonder still intact. She plays at being a woman without realizing the day to stop pretending is fast approaching. She doesn’t know yet that she loves The Illusionist like she would a father; he already knows that he loves her as he would a daughter. Their destinies will collide, but nothing – not even magic or the power of illusion– can stop the voyage of discovery.

The animation is realistic and characterized perfectly for the film, pure artistic splendor.

Directed by Steven Spielberg from producer Peter Jackson The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn trailer finally arrives. The movie stars Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

Written by Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat and Joe Cornish the movie is in 3D Motion Capture Film. Jamie Bell as Tintin is the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure with Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham.

The movie opens in theaters on December 23, 2011

The folks out at Lions Gate have been doing a lot of Marvel stuff lately, and considering that we just got through with the theatrical release of Thor, it’s probably no real surprise they came out with Thor: Tales of Asgard. They sent out a copy for me to review, and the end result wasn’t half bad.

Thor: Tales of Asgard takes us to a time before Loki was evil, and before Thor was the hero of Midgard–or rather, Earth–said brothers took a few folks (otherwise known as the somewhat famous Warriors Three) out on a quest for the lost Sword of Surtur. But this quest goes from treasure hunt to apocalypse in rapid fashion, and now Thor, Loki and the Warriors Three must work to save Asgard from a horror beyond even their imagination.

What will really surprise you here is how well put together this is. Yes, it’s a cartoon, but it’s actually a solid piece. It’s got a decent plot package–of course, purists here will likely be somewhat dismayed by the portrayals of the various characters, which seems to be at least somewhat off canon by a fair margin.  But then, that’s been the kind of thing we’ve been dealing with in these sorts of movies for years now; it’s never exactly according to Hoyle when it comes to the canon.

But still, it’s feature length (well, not too far short, anyway), it’s involved, it’s actually got some nice twists packed in here too…in short, it’s a fully-featured feature, and there’s plenty to like about it.

That’s actually been the case with a lot of Lions Gate / Marvel work, which is, admittedly, something of a surprise, but a very welcome surprise at that. I’m happy to see how well this was developed. And of course, for those who like action in their movies, you’ll have plenty of that. You’ll also have a few good laughs, which are also welcome, and best of all, you’ll almost be sad to see this one end. It was a good story, while it lasted, and though there may not be as much of it here as some would like, there’s enough of it to make it worthwhile.

So if you’re looking for a shot of Thor before he was Thor, then Thor: Tales of Asgard will give you a bit of that unique adventure you were hoping for.

The Screenhead Ten Scale, in response, gives Thor: Tales of Asgard an eight out of ten for putting on a fine show, just not so much of it is they should have. It’s well put together, and a valid feature in its own right, but just a bit lacking in the end.

Screenhead is hosting a giveaway for the DVD and Blu-Ray release of The Illusionist. We have (1) copy of the DVD/Blu Ray Combo pack to give away to (1) of our readers.

From the Director of the Oscar-nominated classic The Triplets of Belleville, a down-on-his-luck magician meets a young girl who is convinced his magic is real in this 2010 Academy Award nominated film.

The Illusionist will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

The movie is a heartwarming story of a magician while touring concert halls, theaters and pubs encounters a young girl at the start of her life’s journey. Alice is a teenage girl with all her capacity for childish wonder still intact. She plays at being a woman without realizing the day to stop pretending is fast approaching. She doesn’t know yet that she loves The Illusionist like she would a father; he already knows that he loves her as he would a daughter. Their destinies will collide, but nothing – not even magic or the power of illusion– can stop the voyage of discovery.

The animation is realistic and characterized perfectly for the film, pure artistic splendor.

To enter the giveaway, post your name and we will pick the winner May 21, 2011.

A bit of something exciting for you today, folks–the crew out at Disney (yes, Disney, like with the mouse) sent out a copy of The Avengers Volume One for us to review, and thus, that’s what we’re bringing you today.

The Avengers Volume One gives us a whole lot of backstory, as we get a look at Earth’s mightiest heroes in all their glory. We’ll join Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Ant Man and The Wasp as they fight, regularly, to keep the world safe from various supervillains. The DVD package, meanwhile, gives you a whopping seven episodes of the assorted adventures of the components of the great Marvel team. This one won’t be so much about the Avengers as it will be about the individuals who make up the Avengers.

I didn’t follow this on the Disney Channel (mostly because it was Disney XD and I wasn’t in a mood to shell out the extra cash to step up for a channel that has maybe three or four things worth watching, tops), so getting the chance to catch it all at once without commercial interruption on DVD was an opportunity I could scarcely pass up. And am I glad I got the chance.

This really is some great stuff. It’s well drawn, well put together, the plots aren’t a complete joke and that means you’ve got an overall solid package here. Some purists will likely take issue with Nick Fury’s character (we’re clearly going with the Sam Jack version as opposed to the original), but there are plenty of happy surprises to make up for the lack of purity. For instance, pay close attention to the Grim Reaper’s voice. Yes, that’s none other than Lance Henriksen, one of my top five all time favorite actors. And you’ll see why he’s one of my favorites right here. See, it doesn’t matter what he’s in, it’s still good stuff. He’s been in some great movies and some godawful slop, but it doesn’t matter. He will always–ALWAYS!–turn in a good performance. And he’s not making this one an exception. Oh, and better yet, one of my other top five favorites, Jeffrey “Herbert West” Combs, will make an appearance as The Leader, which is even better news.

It’s hard not to recommend this one for any comic book fan who wants to see the fruits of Disney’s purchase of Marvel, and anyone who likes a little good old fashioned comic book dust-up should be happy here besides.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives The Avengers Volume One a nine out of ten–they did a fine job with this one, and it’s well worth your time to watch. Assuming of course you haven’t already seen it.

The folks out at Comedy Central packed up a copy of South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season for me to review for you, and here’s the surprise–this is terrific stuff.

South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season takes us back to South Park where, once again, we will have ourselves a time. Friendly faces everywhere, humble folks without temptation…well, actually, there’s plenty of temptation as Randy faces his addiction to the Food Network, and marijuana. Cartman will face the many, many, many sins of his past as both himself and as his anti-heroic alter ego The Coon. Even Kenny and Kyle will discover tragedies in their past in this thoroughly epic and thoroughly comic season.

It’s hard not to find something to laugh at here. Whether you favor political comedy, movie parody, or just the utterly ridiculous (when you watch half the men of South Park trying to get their hands on medical marijuana, and the results of same, it’s just a sight to see. Really. You must see this.), you’re going to find something big here.

But where the fourteenth season of South Park really does well is in its epic multi-episode shows. There are two sets of them here, and that’s two more than the previous season offered. Not only will we get the three-part epic known as Coon 2: Hindsight (followed promptly by Mysterion Rises in which we find out the secret identity of Mysterion, and Coon Vs. Coon And Friends, in which Cartman co-opts Cthulhu. And you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to type that.), but we’ll also get the two-part epic 200 / 201, the special two hundredth episode of South Park in which most of the past comes back to haunt the town, from Mecha Streisand to Moses from Jewbilee to the grand question of just who Eric Cartman’s father is (protip: it’s not his mom).

If you’ve ever enjoyed South Park, the fourteenth season will give you everything you wanted to see and then some. If you’ve never enjoyed South Park, you’re probably not reading this anyway. But know this –you’re missing out.

This is one of the best seasons of South Park in recent memory, and it’s going to have loads of laughs. It’s better if you understand all the source material (get better acquainted with early South Park, Jersey Shore, NASCAR and comic books for some of the best jokes), but it’s still got lots to love all by itself.

The Screenhead Ten Scale knows when it’s been beaten and gives South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season a ten out of ten. There’s so much in here that’s great that it’s hard not to give it full marks, if for no other reason than spectacular value. So if you haven’t already seen it–even if you already have–you’ll want to catch it again.

Winnie the Pooh hits the theaters in the U.S. on July 15, 2011 and the international markets this spring. Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing three songs for the film, including her own take on the classic “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do” and the original end-credit song “So Long,” which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward.

“This has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s delightful.”

I am drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. She has just the right voice for such a classic theme from the Sherman Brothers. Her personality and music embodies the underlying spirit of the movie.

Director Don Hall says,”We’re taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She & Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”

When asked about her favorite character,“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. “It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”

For the end-credit song, Deschanel teamed up with Ward to perform “So Long,” a song Deschanel wrote. “When I was writing ‘So Long,’ I just held the images for the end credits in my mind,” she says. “I spent a number of days tinkering with ideas, melodies and chord progressions that I thought would fit the images, the new music being written and the original Sherman Brothers stuff– but still be my own thing. The song definitely has its own feel, but also pays respect to the original.”