BIG SCREEN: Pixels Revieux (Rated PG-13)

Hearing that Adam Sandler is in a movie has a similar effect on me these days as hearing that Keanu Reeves was in a movie had on me back in the 90s. Cringe. Pass.

But, that’s mean and sort of unfair. Everyone deserves a millionth chance, right? Besides, my kid really wanted to see Pixels, so off we went. Because that’s what moms do. Sigh.

Pixels opens in 1982 with two kids excitedly rushing to a newly opened arcade. (Behold, the arcade! The only thing my kid has ever found appealing about my childhood. He audibly gasped at the sight of a huge room full of flashing, beeping, blinking video games. As he should. Arcades were, indeed, awesome!) One of the kids finds that he has insane gaming skills and winds up the runner-up in a world championship. These skills come in handy when, 30 years later, aliens misinterpret old video game feeds as declarations of war, and use the games as models for their attacks on Earth. The president (Kevin James) calls on that washed up video gamer, aka his best bud Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), to lead a team of other former gamers (Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) in saving the planet.

I was very surprised to see Sandler and James turn in much more understated performances than they usually do, instead letting Gad (you know him as the voice of Olaf from Frozen!) and Dinklage (Game of Thrones/Elf) steal the show. Gad plays an uber-nerdy conspiracy theorist given to hilarious outbursts, while Dinklage is an overconfident, delightfully creepy dude with bad hair and questionable scruples.

I fully expected a giant bucket of stupid from this movie, but it was way more entertaining than I imagined. I love being pleasantly surprised! The soundtrack, video game graphics, and 3-D are cool, and while the story is certainly silly, they kept the pointless gags and really bad dialogue to a minimum, which was a huge relief. Adam Sandler seemed a bit haggard and tired, to be honest -- but I’ll cut my middle-aged brother a break. A little more energy from him would have been nice, but years of silly voices and over-the-top performances are sure to wear a dude out eventually, I suppose.

Overall, Pixels is some no-harm, no-foul fun, but earns its PG-13 rating pretty much solely from some scattered bad language, in case that kind of thing bothers you. It opens on Friday, July 24. Go here for local showtimes and theaters.

BIG SCREEN: Minions Revieux (Rated PG)

Spin-off movies face really high expectations, especially if the original movies were as universally loved as Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2. And for any contemporary family movie to be really great, it needs to (a) entertain the parents, as well as the kids (b) save up some surprises that aren’t revealed in the trailer, and (c) make my kid laugh so hard he can’t catch his breath. I’m happy to report that Minions succeeds on all levels!

As the movie opens, we get to witness the very origins of the Minion species, and their incessant drive to find the baddest bad guy to serve -- all narrated in Geoffrey Rush’s delightfully dulcet tones.They make some bizarre, hilarious choices throughout history, but when they get stuck in a masterless rut, three intrepid guys -- Bob, Stuart, and Kevin -- set out to find a great villain that will get them back on track, and save all Minion-kind.

The year is 1968, and the greatest villain of the moment is actually the world’s first female super villain, Scarlet Overkill, voiced by Sandra Bullock. The trio is given a trial run as her henchmen, and their lives -- and the future of all the Minions -- depends on their success. So, naturally, many mishaps and much mayhem ensue. (And the soundtrack, by the way, is extra groovy!)

I had high hopes, but low expectations going into this movie. I’ve been disappointed by far too many spinoffs (Penguins of Madagascar) and sequels (Night at the Museum 3) lately, and I was also concerned that the Minion gibberish would become annoying at least halfway through the movie. But I was pleasantly surprised. The movie is full of fun plot twists you just don’t see coming, and there were countless times when I wanted to hit the rewind and/or pause button because I was certain I’d missed funny stuff, given the many layers of comedic details they crammed in. (Another hallmark of a good movie -- immediately planning to watch the DVD!)

Minions opens in gazillions of theaters today. For local theaters and showtimes, go here.