Movie Spotlight: Hell Baby

Hell Baby is a 2013 movie written and directed by the hilarious Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant.  Hell Baby stars Rob Corddrey, Leslie Bibb, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Ian Black, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel, David Pasquesi, Riki Lindhome, and Kumail Nanjiani, along with Lennon and Garant.  Jack (Rob Corddrey) and Vanessa (Leslie Bibb) move into a (unbeknownst to them) haunted house in New Orleans known as the "House of Blood."  Vanessa begins acting strange soon after they move in, and though Jack wants to believe it's just because of the pregnancy, there's really something more sinister going on.  The Vatican sends Father Padrigo (Thomas Lennon) and Father Sebastian (Robert Ben Garant) to help, but they are easily distracted by sandwiches and strippers.  A rottweiler keeps showing up in the yard, staring at the house, which I'm going to assume is a nod to The Omen, which also featured rottweilers and was about a demon child (and is also my favorite horror movie).

I love many of the actors in Hell Baby, and they all did a wonderful job, especially Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel as two of the worst cops ever...they would be right at home on Reno 911.  Some of the movie's biggest laughs come from Keegan-Michael Key as the neighbor who tells Jack and Vanessa about the history of their home and has no boundaries. The first time I heard about Hell Baby, I knew I would love it (I do write plays about Satan, after all) and was disappointed that it never played in a movie theater near me... I'm glad it's on DVD now, so I could finally see it.  I loved everything about it, and the hell baby was pretty scary...though to be fair, I think regular babies are kind of scary too. ; )   Of all the movies I've written about on my blog, Hell Baby is my favorite...this is one I'm going to have to add to my personal collection.

My rating: 9/10

Escape from Planet Earth

Last night I watched the animated movie Escape from Planet Earth and thought it was pretty good!  The movie is rated PG, 89 minutes long, and features the voices of Rob Corddry, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner, Jessica Alba, Craig Robinson, George Lopez, Ricky Gervais, Jane Lynch, and Sofia Vergara.  I mostly watched the movie because I love Rob Corddry, William Shatner, Ricky Gervais, and Craig Robinson, but I ended up enjoying the whole thing, and most of the characters are aliens, so that was a bonus.  Rob Corddry plays Gary Supernova, an alien who works for mission control on the planet Baab; Scorch (Brendan Fraser) is his brother, who is not very bright, but is seen as a hero.  When Gary finds out that Scorch might go on a mission to the "Dark Planet" (Earth), he tries to stop him, but Scorch goes anyway...and when he is trapped by General Shanker (William Shatner) and taken to Area 51, it's up to Gary to save him.

I didn't like the movie as much as I've liked some other recent animated movies (such as Despicable Me and Megamind), but overall I enjoyed it and think that kids will really like it.  I especially liked Ricky Gervais' character, Mr. James Bing, a talking computer, and wished he had been in the movie more...and I'm on board with any movie where Rob Corddry plays the main character (I've loved him in everything I've seen him in!).

My rating: 7/10

http://www.escapeearthmovie.com/