Matthew R. Reis: Film and TV Critic

Unlike a fish out of water. (Now on DVD) 3 1/2 Stars As featured in: The Ithacan Note: This is my very first professional film review ever (it's roughly 2 years old.) I've come a long way since then and hope to improve even more. “Ponyo,” the latest film from Academy-Award- winning director Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”), is a charming, family-friendly film. Packaged as an old-style animated movie, “Ponyo” uses the dying technique of traditional hand-drawn animation to tell its story. This process makes the film feel older than it is and adds a level of realism and humanity to the movie. The eccentric characters and larger-than-life story contribute to the magic of “Ponyo.” “Ponyo” isn’t meant to be a massive box- office hit like “Wall-E,” “Cars” or “Toy Story.” This is apparent, thanks to its less-than-stellar box-office take of about $3.5 million. Unlike most recent animated films, which are CGI-laden and full of beautiful high-definition imagery, “Ponyo’s” visual s...

Jack in the box (Now on DVD) 2 1/2 Stars Blog exclusive! The first Jackass movie is still the best entry in the Jackass trilogy, but this third incarnation is still dirty, delicious fun. All the guys are back, Steve-o, Chris Pontius, Bam Margera and of course Johnny Knoxville to deliver some hurt, laughter and gross out moments. Jackass 3D's use of 3D is decidedly bad. First of all, half the movie isn't even in 3D which is lame especially when you consider the price premium these types of tickets carry. The best the 3D visuals have to offer is the extra rounded stomach of Preston Lacy. Yet not mentioning how gross poop looks in three dimensions would be an injustice to the film's cinematographer. 3D is decidedly better at grossing you out than 2D. The movie is fast paced. I guess it makes sense that the MTV generation would benefit from watching an MTV film. With numerous stunts, probably numbering 20-something, you will be hard pressed to not laugh (or hurl) at som...