Review round-up: Hulk, Otis and Wall-E

Rather than bog you wonderful readers down with review after review, and seeing as how I've fallen a bit behind on movies I've recently seen, I thought I'd cram three in for the space of one.

While not as in-depth, I think these bite-sized doses will get the job done just fine.

The Incredible Hulk:
Yippee! Directors have finally figured out "comic book movie" doesn't necessarily translate to "let's just phone this one in and rake in the millions."

While I absolutely hated 2003's Hulk (I mean, a hulked out Poodle? Really?), I have to give director Louis Leterrier and actors Edward Norton and Liv Tyler credit for pulling off the nearly impossible feat of making a sequel far and away superior to its predecessor.

The story is lukewarm, but the performances and action more than make up for that. Stacked up against the likes of the phenomenal Iron Man, Batman Begins and other quality superhero flicks, The Incredible Hulk holds its own.

Otis:
I don't expect anyone to have actually heard of this one, so consider this exposure my good deed for the day.

I'm a fan of low budget, indie horror movies, and Otis is exactly that. Despite the bankroll and straight to DVD status, however, Otis is a quality watch for fans of the genre.

Don't let the poster fool you, there's little in the line of blood and gore in this one. Otis is about a seriously troubled dude who kidnaps girls and makes them live through six weeks of hell leading up to "prom" before dispatching them in horrible ways. Again, these ways are only described. There's not much to get your guts tied up over.

When a girl goes missing and her family proves to be the vengeful type, the dark hilarity ensues. Expect to be disturbed. Expect to laugh a lot. Expect to enjoy a surprisingly entertaining horror flick.

Wall-E:
While I won't go so far as to say Wall-E is Pixar's best movie to date, the animation is mostly great, the messages are more direct than ever and the story is oddly adult.

While the kiddies are busy enjoying the cute voices and silly antics of Wall-E and his robot companions, adults can expect to receive a large portion of brainfood to chew on throughout the movie's runtime.

It's slow to build, but that's part of the charm. Wall-E sacrifices some of the usual razzle-dazzle for story and, though a bit heavy handed, the story succeeds.

I definately dug Wall-E.