MOVIE REVIEW: Need For Speed

Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a video game world? Need For Speed kind of answers that question.

In a video game world, you can drive recklessly and there are almost no consequences! 

Wheee!

You can totally borrow military helicopters from your friends! 

It's on loan, I swear!

You can host a well-known private street race annually that is highly illegal and law enforcement won't even bother to search your ISP! 

Somehow Michael Keaton still has Batman's money.

You can crash at high speeds and (almost) no one dies! 

That'll buff out, right?

Time in the Brig is supplemented by the fact that the soldier guarding your cell has an iPad and she'll totally let you borrow it! Everything you do is cool as long as it's in revenge!

You dirty rat!

Okay, so I went into this film with low expectations. It's a movie about a racing-themed video game, how much COULD I expect? Honestly, I walked out of the theatre having seen exactly the film I was anticipating to have seen. It's not like the filmmakers had pre-existing characters to build upon to make an interesting storyline. Besides, who goes to see a movie about fast cars and fiery crashes expecting an awesome story? No one. The dialog is predictable, and yes, I do believe the phrase "need for speed" is uttered at least once in the film (sorry Goose). And yes, they even manage to play the game in the movie ABOUT the game! It's so meta!

Making Mustangs cool again!

"But, are the cars cool?" you ask. Well, of course they're cool. Bugati, Mazerati, McClaren, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Konigseg... if you can name a multi-million dollar car, it's in there. Plus, there's an exact replica of the game-featured Mustang (although, I honestly don't think Mustangs are all that cool, even souped-up versions, sorry). And yes, they're shiny and they go fast. That's the whole point.

Shiny expensive cars go FAST!

Parents, your teenage boy is probably going to bug you to see this movie. Also, as soon as your sparkly-vampire-obsessed teenage girl finds out that Benjamin from Twilight is in there, and you get to see his butt, she'll probably bug you to go see it too. 

He's over there, on the right.

Heck, mom will probably enjoy looking into Aaron Paul's crystal blue eyes for almost two hours (and sorry, no, he's actually the only character in the film who doesn't say "the B-word" that his character on Breaking Bad made famous). 

Intense hot guy stare!

Yes, I know I'm totally jaded about a movie about fast cars, but that's just me. Lots of the bloggers I saw this with actually enjoyed it. There are some neat car tricks in there and obviously lots of metallic eye candy. Just, don't go in expecting Ocsar-worthy performances and you'll be good to go.

Need For Speed is rated PG-13 and opens in theatres nationwide TODAY! Grab your gamer geek or gear-head friends and go check it out if you like fast cars and/or good looking people. It's all in there. 

*All images in this post are courtesy of and copyright DreamWorks Pictures.*

P.S. Disney totally paid for our concessions to see the movie. I got an ICEE as big as my head, no joke. And it was awesome. So, thanks Disney for the ginormous frozen beverage! 

Image thanks to Meredith of SuburbanCouponMom.com!

Disclosure: I was provided a free screening of this film for review purposes. Opinions are entirely those of TV Mom and TheTVMom.com. Please see my Disclosure tab for more information.

Yes, I've finally watched Bravest Warriors!

Thanks to our awesome Loot Crate this month, the TV Household decided to take the dive into the world of Bravest Warriors. I have seen Catbug pretty much everywhere at this point--and I LOVE him!--and wanted to add to my geek-lore background and finally know what he's all about.

Image copyright Frederator Studios.

It's for SURE not a "kids show", that much is certain. I knew that going into it. However, I was surprised in the fact that it's definitely not as bad as I was expecting it to be. Since we don't have viewing limits on TV Boy (yes, we're unschoolers, it's a thing here...), he watched along with us and loved it. Most parents are probably not so lenient with their kids' viewing habits, and I understand that. Chances are, though, if they have a fan of Adventure Time, they may have noticed the animation is pretty much identical (being that it's another Pendleton Ward creation, that's not surprising). While the visual similarities abound, the differences do even moreso. I will say that Bravest Warriors has more continuity and more of a storyline than Adventure Time does, and it's not quite as strange.

That said, it's definitely worth watching first before you let your kids dive into it whole hog. If you have teens who are interested, let them have at it. There isn't anything on there that they wouldn't see in a primetime sitcom, really. Be sure to pop over to my article on About.com to see more about the show!

New "Magical Animal Battle" series episodes on DVD

I've mentioned how I feel about the "Pokemon Formula" shows before. I feel like I'm watching the same battles with different critters... over, and over, and over again. But they wouldn't make them if kids didn't go bananas over them!

Image courtesy Shout! Factory.

The same is true for these two series, Monsuno and Kaijudo. (Both also include a tabletop game version, the former with little cores that plastic animals pop out of and the latter a card game a la Magic: The Gathering.)

Image courtesy Shout! Factory.

My friends at Shout! Factory have released new DVDs for both series, Monsuno: Combat Chaos and Kaijudo: Darkness of Heart. Both are available now in stores and online. Check out my reviews and episode synopses by clicking on the links.

Regular Show... Yeh-yah!

Regular Show is one of my favorite Cartoon Network shows at the moment. The humor is similar to Adventure Time, but not nearly as weird. In fact, the characters Mordecai and Rigby remind me of guys I went to school with over the years, and some of the stupid stuff they'd do in the name of fun. (Those of you who know me from that era, you get to guess to which of you I'm referring... muah-ha-ha-ha!)

So, you all know how much I LOVE my job, right? Because I really do. I get to do reviews of awesome stuff... like Regular Show: The Complete First and Second Seasons on Blu-ray. That's right, my friends at Cartoon Network hooked me UP. And I tell you what... this one got a full five stars from me. Why, you ask? Well, the discs included just about everything I could want in a Blu-ray release: Animatics? Check. Commentary? Check. Behind the Scenes stuff? Interviews with people who work on the show? Checkedy-check check. I am a happy cartoon geek with this one! I can't wait until it "hits the street" in a couple of weeks so fans everywhere can snap this baby up.

Image courtesy Cartoon Network.

In short, I highly recommend picking this one up when it releases on July 16th. You will NOT be disappointed if you're a fan.  And if you know me "in the real world", maybe if you're nice I'll lend you my copy. Maybe.

Adventure Time Seasons 1 and 2 on Blu-ray

"Come along with me..." Adventure Time! I know I have a LOT of readers who are fans of this show. I, personally, think it is beyond weird, but I see the appeal. It's different than other shows (and boy is that an understatement!), it's amusing, and the music is actually pretty rad. Plus, I tend to love anything voiceover actor John DiMaggio touches.... (by the way, if Mr. DiMaggio's people end up finding this post somehow, he is on my list of legendary voiceover actors to interview! Call me! Pretty please?)

Things are finally dying down here in the TVhousehold (boy, I need to think of a better term for that... I don't live in TVLand, and I might get sued if I use that one... hm. I'll sleep on it I guess.) after two birthday parties, two separate cakes-with-fondant-that-I've-never-used-before, a birthday trip to the zoo, family, TV Dad's and my seventh wedding anniversary and subsequent Columbus-area food tour (did you see all my tasty treats on my TVMom Instagram account?)... I was finally able to give these discs the attention they deserved!

Image courtesy Warner Home Entertainment.

Image courtesy Warner Home Entertainment.

So, here it is, my discussion on the Adventure Time seasons 1 and 2 Blu-rays! Check it out and be sure to pick up your copies, in stores now!

Sanjay and Craig, a first look!

Memorial Day weekend, Nick premiered their newest cartoon series, Sanjay and Craig. From the previews of it, I honestly thought there was no way I could like the show... until I heard the cast list. I'm a HUGE fan of Chris Hardwick (who voices Craig the snake), so there was hope.

Image courtesy Nickelodeon.

 After the premiere, I have to say, I'm actually impressed. The show is funny and fresh. The animation reminds me of Bob's Burgers, but don't hold that against it. Check out more of my thoughts on the new series, Sanjay and Craig, at the Kids' Cartoons page on About.com!

Welcome back to the '90s with Rocko's Modern Life

Image courtesy Shout! Factory.

Those of us who grew up in the '90s will surely remember Rocko and his wacky friends. We can now relive our childhood (or for some of us, our teen years) by owning Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series on DVD. A fabulous 8-disc set with every episode ever aired, including the pilot version of "Trash-O-Madness".  If you loved this cartoon, you have to own this one, and at only $25, it's tough to pass up!

Check out more at my About.com page!

Degrassi: Las Vegas SPECIAL SNEAK PEEK

Image courtesy Teen Nick (c).

I don't normally post about shows on Teen Nick, but I'm a HUGE Degrassi fan myself*, so this one gets an exception. If you've been keeping up this season, you'll already know that drop-out Drew has asked Bianca to marry him, and after the fundraiser for the school, he scored tickets to Vegas to push their wedding up sooner because his mother Audra is not being supportive. Adam, Imogen, and Fiona tag along as the wedding party and planners. Meanwhile, Katie, Marisol, Mo, and Jake are headed to Mexico for Spring Break.

The hour-long "Degrassi: Las Vegas" special will air this Friday, December 14th at 9pm Eastern on Teen Nick channel. (And yes, you'd better believe I have my DVR set for it!) BUT! As a special treat for my readers, you get two very special Sneak Peeks of the episode right here at The TV Mom, thanks to my friends at Teen Nick!





*Disclaimer: Yes, I'm almost thirty and I still watch Degrassi religiously. So sue me. I've been watching it since the mid-90's when Teen Nick was still "The N" and Drake was still Jimmy BEFORE he was shot. Yeah, I'm hardcore.