Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is an unpopular high school student who decided to become a superhero even though he has neither special powers nor abilities. So he dons a green spandex suit and becomes Kick-Ass.

Okay, so the main hero Kick-Ass pretty much had his ass kicked everytime he tried to help someone out. He provided the comedic relief as he tried to save the world but end up getting beaten up. It’s a good thing that he’s not the only superhero in town.

Enter Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), who is probably the best ever little person I’ve seen in a movie; beating Yoda by just a few punches. She commands the viewer’s attention whenever she’s on screen. I bet she can beat the hell out of GoGo Yubari in a death match. Without Hit Girl, Kick-Ass will just be another superhero movie. Hit Girl made it into a great one.

Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse): Yeah, that’s right! We’re superheroes! You love us!

Superbad’s McLovin Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays an important role in Kick-Ass. Chris D’Amico went from being an annoyance into one of the most important characters in the movie. His life is complicated being a son of a crime lord who wants to be a superhero as well.

The pacing of Kick-Ass was perfect. There were no dead spots and provided all the right elements to make it interesting all throughout its runtime. It had the correct mixture of teen angst, bloody violence, and comedy.

Kick-Ass is not for everyone, especially those who don’t like violence and gore. If you like Kill Bill and Superbad then you’ll definitely love this one. I didn’t know that a foul-mouth preteen girl can make such an impact that contributed to this movie’s greatness.

Astro Boy featured voices of Freddie Highmore (Astro Boy), Kristen Bell (Cora), Nicolas Cage (Dr. Tenma), Samuel L. Jackson (Zog), Donald Sutherland (President Stone), Eugene Levy (Orrin), and Charlize Theron (narrator).

When Astro Boy rolled on the screen, nostalgia kicked in.  The opening sequence reminded me of the Jetsons though.  It’s a slight cue that we’re not in Japan anymore.  Then the familiar figure of Toby comes into the picture and we learn how Astro Boy came to be.  It deviated from the original anime but the story was well-made and it kept the audience entertained.

Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore): I was made ready.

The Westernized version of Astro Boy tackled complex issues such as robotics and yet you know it’s directed at the kids.  The characters were not two dimensional with some lingering in the gray side.  One thing missing from the movie is the anime’s classic theme.  But fanboys will surely recognize Osamu Tezuka’s animated self in this Astro Boy version.

The re-imagination of Astro Boy didn’t stick to the original story but it worked.  This is the Astro Boy of this generation.  The movie introduces him to the young ones and hopefully will influence them into watching the original anime series.

From the time capsule to the unveiling of the predictions, Knowing made me want to find out what will happen next.  The story is well-made but I do have some complaints with regards to some elements of the story.

Like when they already knew the end is near, Diana (Rose Byrne) stated that she can’t let anything happen to her daughter Abby (Lara Robinson).  Instead of empathizing with her character, she made me laugh because everyone on Earth will be extinct and she’s still worrying about a single person.  Maybe that’s how selfish mothers can be.  Well, Diana did learn that if you don’t believe your mom, you’ll die.

Then there’s a scene where John (Nicolas Cage) gave a command to Diana and their kids to gather all the important stuff that they can in ten minutes.  But instead of helping them get all the essential items, he takes his phone and spent that time talking to his father.

John Koestler (Nicolas Cage): The numbers are the key to everything.

The world as we know it ended in the Knowing but with a twist.  Turns out, the whisperers were aliens and they have a Noah’s Ark-like spaceship that will take Caleb and Abby to another planet.  The number codes were left by the aliens as a guide for the kids to stay safe from harm.  Yup, Nicolas Cage died but the kids are last seen running towards the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.  Talk about mixing religion with science.

It didn’t help that Nicolas Cage stars in this movie. As an assassin, he broke all four rules he said was important for his job. The story was so predictable that you could guess what the ending might be in the first 10 minutes of the movie. After that, you wish that the pace would pick up or an act of god could save the plot but no beacon of hope came for the viewers.

Joe (Nicolas Cage): I was taught four rules. One. Don’t ask questions. There is no such thing as right and wrong. Two. Don’t take an interest in people outside of work. There is no such thing as trust. Three. Erase every trace. Come anonymous and leave nothing behind. Four. Know when to get out. Just thinking about it means it’s time. Before you lose your edge, before you become a target.

I should have followed rule number four and got out of the movie when I thought that the movie is going nowhere. I saw the original Thai movie and I liked it more than the Hollywood version. I don’t know why the Pang Brothers have agreed to remake their movie. In the original, the assassin was deaf-mute but in the Hollywood version Nicolas Cage’s character was normal but his love interest was the one who was deaf-mute.

*Spoiler*
Joe shot himself in the head, also killing the man who hired him for the Bangkok job.

Astroboy will feature the voices of Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane and a lot more. Here’s a sneak peak of next year’s blockbuster hit!