Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) - Lots of fun in 4th IA chapter

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An action-packed adventure at sea is promised on this splashy poster for Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier's Ice Age: Continental Drift

A rift is taking place in our mammoth family, where Peaches has become a teenager. Now the continental plates start moving and breaking up, literally breaking up our friends. The larger group of them gets into trouble with an evil pirate ape on an iceberg ship.

 

Ice Age: Continental Drift is written by Michael Berg (Ice Age (2002)) and Jason Fuchs (Argylle (2024)) and directed by great Ohioan filmmaker Steve Martino (Horton Hears a Who! (2008)) and Michael Thurmeier (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)). It is the 4th film in the Ice Age franchise (2002; 06; 09).

The plot is simple and manageable, but the film scores on lots of funny gags and jokes: Ray Romano (Made for Love (2021-22)), franchise newcomer Wanda Sykes (Chivalry (2022, TV-series)) and others shine in the impressive voice cast, - and the filmmakers strike a good balance between the story line and episodes featuring the series' popular squirrel Scrat, whose obsessive hunt for an acorn of course is what causes the continental plate movements! This is fun and feels like a throwback to the classic Looney Tunes (1930-69) short animations. 

The animation is fantastic to boot here, colorful and vivid to the eyes. Ice Age: Continental Drift is a fun-filled family treat.

 

Related post:

 

Steve Martino: Horton Hears a Who! (2008) - Belly-laughs and fantastic imagination in great family animation (co-director)

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 95 mil. $

Box office: 877.2 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 9.23 times its cost)

[Ice Age: Continental Drift premiered 26 June (Buenos Aires) and runs 88 minutes. Production took place in Connecticut. The film opened #1 to a 46.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#2-#4), grossing 161.3 mil. $ (18.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were China with 67.8 mil. $ (7.7 %) and Germany with 67 mil. $ (7.6 %). It was the year's highest-grossing animation and the 5th highest-grossing film of the year over-all. Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, translating to 2 notches under this one. The franchise returned with Ice Age: Collision Course (2016). Martino returned with The Peanuts Movie (2015); Thurmeier with Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe (2015, short), Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (2016, TV movie) and theatrically with Ice Age: Collision Course (2016). Romano returned in Ted (2012). Ice Age: Continental Drift is rotten at 37 % with a 5.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ice Age: Continental Drift?

Pootie Tang (2001) - C.K.'s off-beat sketch character mega-flop

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A painted caricature of the protagonist makes up this poster for Louic C.K.'s Pootie Tang

Hiphop star PT (Pootie Tang) is respected and loved by all, but his lyrics about abstinence from harmful products earn him an enemy in the shape of the country's worst company ...

Pootie Tang is written and directed by Louis C.K. (Tomorrow Night (1998)). It is based on a sketch from The Chris Rock Show, which C.K. wrote for from 1997-99.

It is a totally ludicrous movie that parodies gangsta rap hiphop and the black pimp style following the hit-and-miss principle. A lot misses the mark, and the plot is paper thin to the point of being almost transparent. But a part of the film is also rather funny. Not so much co-star/co-producer Chris Rock (Spiral (2019)), - and Jennifer Coolidge (American Reunion (2012)) deserves pity for the ungrateful role she covers here, but Lance Crouther (Class Act (1992)) as Pootie Tang and J.B. Smoove (Woke (2020-22)) are pretty funny.

Pootie Tang seems to be designed for watching over a blunt with a homie or three.

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: 7 mil. $

Box office: 3.3 mil. $

= Mega-flop (returned 0.47 times its cost)

[Pootie Tang was released 29 June (North America) and runs 81 minutes. Shooting took place in New Jersey and New York. C.K. has said that he was fired during the film's post production phase and has distanced himself from the film. It opened #12 to a 1.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it diminished from then, grossing 3.3 mil. $. The film was not released in other markets. Roger Ebert gave it a 0.5/4 star rating, translating to a notch under this one. C.K. returned with 14 short and TV credits prior to his theatrical return I Love You, Daddy (2017). Rock returned with a voice performance in Osmosis Jones (2001) and physically in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001); Crouther in 2 TV credits but never again in a feature, - he has instead kept busy as a comedy writer; and Wanda Sykes (The Good Fight (2021, TV-series)) in 4 TV credits prior to her theatrical return in Monster-in-Law (2005). Pootie Tang is rotten at 27 % with a 3.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Pootie Tang?