Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang

I am reviewing another movie screening at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival (April 9 to 27) at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater. So without further ado this is Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang.

We meet two brothers named Zip (Raúl Rivas) and Zap (Daniel Cerezo) being sent to summer school. The school is run by a man named Falconetti (Javier Gutiérrez) who always enforces the rules. Zip and Zap make friends at the school with a boy named Micro (Marcos Ruiz) and another boy named Filo (Fran García). Zap is often sent to a room called The Meditation Room for misbehaving. While inside he finds a bag of marbles. So Zip, Zap, and the others decide to make a secret club who will go around the school and pull pranks. The first prank is vandalizing a statue of the school's founder.  The next day, when Falconetti is having the statue cleaned he finds a map to some hidden diamonds.

The Marble Gang starts pulling ever more pranks until they get a message saying that someone knows who they are. So they go meet the mysterious person. It turns out that the person is Falconetti's niece Matilde (Claudia Vega) who is visiting. She asks if she can join the marble gang. They say no and then leave to put salt in the teacher's food. While doing that they see a hooded figure dumping toys into a pit. They are scared off by him.  The next day they find out that the hooded figure is a security guard. It also turns out that Matilde went back to put salt in the food. So they let her into The Marble Gang. They go see what is in the pit; it turns out that it is full of toys. They also find out that Falconetti is following the map to find diamonds. So they break into his office and make a copy of the map. They also find out that the school's founder Sebastian Hope (Álex Angulo) did like kids and having fun but Falconetti changed it when he took over.


     ***SPOILER ALERT STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END RUINED***

They are trying to figure out the map but Falconetti finds out that they are the marble gang. So he sends them all to The Meditation Room. But it turns out that they need to start in The Meditation Room to find the treasure. They find a secret door. They go through some traps and make it to the treasure room. But it turns out that the treasure wasn't diamonds it was toys...why do I feel like I have seen this before? Anyway Falconetti locks them in the treasure room. But using another puzzle they escape and Falconetti is arrested for child endangerment. The End.



                                  ***SPOILERS OVER KEEP READING***


Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang is a great movie. The plot is really original. The cinematography and lighting is beautiful. The only thing I didn't like is that the plot is cliched at times. Other than than that this is one of the better family movies I have seen in a while.

  WORST COMMERCIAL EVER

Muppets Most Wanted

Hello. I am reviewing the new sequel to The Muppets (2011) which I already reviewed. So without further ado this is Muppets Most Wanted.

We start at the end of the last movie. Then it turns out that they are getting a sequel. So they sing a song about it. But Kermit (Steven Whitmire) is having a hard time coming up with an idea for a plot to the movie. But luckily a man named Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) say that they can do a Muppets World Tour. Dominick says that he is The Muppets new tour manager. Meanwhile in a Russian prison the world's most dangerous frog Constantine (Matt Vogel) breaks out. It turns out that Dominick works for Constantine. So the first stop on the world tour is Berlin (where Dominick will meet Constantine). Unfortunately Kermit is having trouble cooperating with the other Muppets. So he takes a stroll to calm his nerves. But Constantine ambushes him and glues a mole to his face so that Kermit looks like him. The guards from the prison arrest Kermit and Constantine takes his place. So they do the show but while they are performing Dominick and Constantine break into the museum next door. They steal a map and leave.

Meanwhile in Russia, Kermit is in prison. We get a random musical number. He keeps trying to break out but keeps getting stopped by a guard named Nadya (Tina Fey). She asks if he wants to host the prison talent show. He says no but Nadya says that he has no choice. Meanwhile in Berlin a detective named Jean Pierre Nepoleon (Ty Burrell) investigates the crime scene along with Sam The Eagle (Eric Jacobson). Meanwhile Dominick and Constantine read the map that says that they have to steal a key from Madrid. Constantine doesn't want to run The Muppet Show so he tells them that they can do what ever they want. Which leads to Gonzo (Dave Goelz) doing the indoor running of the bulls (you can guess how that goes), Miss. Piggy (also Eric Jacobson) singing songs that hurt peoples ears, and Animal (also Eric Jacobson) doing a drum solo so long that the audience falls asleep. Meanwhile Constantine and Dominick break into a museum and steal the key. Dominick and Constantine just need a locket that they are stealing from Dublin Ireland. So Jean Pierre and Sam Eagle think that the Muppets may be committing the crimes. So they interrogate them which goes nowhere so they let them go. They make it to Dublin but Fozzie (also Eric Jacobson), Walter (Peter  Linz), and Animal find out that Constantine is evil. So they go to Russia to beak Kermit out.


         ***SPOILER ALERT STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END RUINED***


They make it to jail and meet Kermit and use the prison talent show as a cover to escape. Meanwhile The Muppets do a show in Dublin and Constantine and Dominick steal the locket from the bank and frame Fozzie. Constantine comes up with another evil plan. He proposes to Miss Piggy and says he wants to be married in London. Meanwhile Jean Pierre and Sam think that Fozzie was been stealing all the stuff in order to steal The Crown Jewels. Miss. Piggy is about to marry Constantine but Kermit stops the wedding. Constantine and Dominick are captured by Kermit and the gang. We get one final song. The End.




                                                  ***SPOILERS OVER KEEP READING***

This is a great movie. A lot of the jokes are funny. The Muppets are their hilarious selves. Jean Pierre and Sam Eagle make a good duo and Constantine is enjoyably hammy. The songs are also pretty good too. But the plot has been done before in movies like: The Price and the Pauper, Earnest Goes to Jail, The Parent Trap (and its remake), and many more. Other than that that this is another great Muppet movie. Next week I am reviewing Zip and Zap and the Marble Gang.

REJECTED HORROR MOVIE NUMBER 40: THE HEADLESS GINGERBREAD MAN