Shortcut to Happiness (2003)
Dec 8, 2021Pact with The Devil
Alec Baldwin’s financially troubled modernised remake of The Devil and Daniel Webster comes to the screen as a compromised vision
Amy Poehler
Southland Tales (2006)
May 4, 2008Near-Future L.A.
Richard Kelly of Donnie Darko fame makes a work set in a near-future L.A., a sprawling film bursting at the edges with too many characters and subplots but not uninteresting
Shrek the Third (2007)
Jun 24, 2007Animation/Fairytale Spoof
The third of the Shrek films settles in with a formulaic blandness where the characters turn up more because everyone expects them to than the film finds much for them to do
Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
Apr 21, 2008Dr Seuss Adaptation/Animation
Animated adaptation of the Dr Seuss book is an amiable effort that captures a certain zaniness but ultimately seems to be forcing Seuss's slim original to inhabit the formula of the modern animated film
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)
Oct 1, 2010Singing Chipmunks
The first of the sequels to Alvin and the Chipmunks. Marginally less grating than the first film but that's being relative – all the things that one hated the first time are back
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)
Jan 20, 2012Singing Chipmunks
It may say how doomed the Western world is that people have paid to watch three films so far all centred around these annoyingly cutsie helium-voiced chipmunks. This is marginally less annoying that the preceding two
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011)
May 7, 2011Animation/Fairytale Parody
A wholly unnecessary sequel to Hoodwinked!, this again runs the fairytale characters over with modern quips and pop culture references
Free Birds (2013)
Nov 1, 2013Animation/Time-Travelling Talking Turkeys
Animated film designed for the US Thanksgiving holiday. With a completely insane plot involving turkeys travelling back in time to stop turkeys being served at the first Thanksgiving
Inside Out (2015)
Jun 20, 2015Pixar Animation/The Personalities Inside a Girl's Head
Pixar have slumped into terminal sequelitis during the 2010s – this was only the second original work they have made during that time. While not perfect, it goes regains the creative heights from five years earlier
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Aug 31, 2024Pixar Animation/The Personalities Inside a Girl’s Head
Inside Out, set around the personified emotions in a girl’s head, was one of the breaths of fresh air among Pixar’s slip into terminal sequelitis during the 2010s. Now it gets its own sequel