This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Alvin and the Chipmunks is a cinematic masterpiece with it's beautifully pitched music that is not only excellent and but does not stilt the film. And the pacing. It let's emotional scenes grow and allow time for them to breathe and the comedy is edited very snappily and it all blends together seamlessly. The attention to detail in the animation is superb and the subtlety in the voice acting really gives an art-house buff like me really something to chew on. And the cinematography, capturing beautiful strokes of scenery, and the direction that really captures tone and every shot is set up so masterfully it's reminiscent of Michael Haneke. It also has the wonder and magic of Spielberg and the blending of CG and practical effects has not been as impactive since Jurassic Park. The emotional punches hit also and gives off such visceral and raw emotion you feel like you are standing with the Chipmunks. The characterisation is superb, with a fantastic screenplay slowly revealing characters nuances quietly so you are always engrossed in the characters and relationships and the story while intricate with hidden metaphors, also is a great platform for the characters to show their traits during stressful situations. I think the only flaw with this film is that you have to pay close attention to get the full experience so I would recommend only hardcore film buffs to watch this film as it is an essential piece of cinema, more impactive than the Godfather and more intricate and intellectually mature since Synecdoche, New York. A masterpiece of art-house cinema and I highly recommend. 10/10

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011): Dir: Mike Mitchell / Cast: Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Andy Buckley, Michael P. Northey: Third in this tiresome and annoying franchise. The subtitle physically refers to the fact that Dave and his fuzzy companions are stranded on an island, but it also symbolizes the behaviors of the chipmunk personalities. That is about the height of any intelligence coming out of this waterlogged screenplay. Dave and his singing chipmunks are on a cruise and one thing leads to another until they end up on an island. This is quite boring and Mike Mitchell does his best as director whose film is totally dependant on the chipmunk talking visuals. Mitchell previously made the underrated Surviving Christmas as well as the retread Shrek Forever After. Jason Lee is well cast as Dave, the chipmunks owner and manager but the role is routine and cardboard at this point. The same goes for David Cross as Ian the scheming villain who reemerges in a pelican mascot outfit on the cruise. Jenny Slate plays a total moron named Zooey whom the chipmunks and chipettes encounter on an island. The reference to Cast Away is one of the better jokes but this character is so brain dead that viewers will likely lose any sympathy for. Andy Buckley is flat as the annoyed cruise captain. Michael P. Northey is billed as the Hawaiian Shirt Guy, and that is about as creative as this junk gets. While Alvin, Simon and Theodore are visually amusing, watching the chipettes in bikini outfits dancing to techno music is enough to make a person toss this family oriented crap overboard. Score: 3 / 10

After watching the first movie, and loving it, I was hoping that its sequels would have delivered in the same manner. Having not had the time to watch Nº2, I came across this one and decided to watch it. By the end of the movie I had smiled and laughed in some parts, but overall the plot was very uneven. I am not gonna bicker too much since it is a family movie and the little ones probably laughed and had a lot of fun. To summarize some of the problems I had with the movie, I believe that some of the characters were a bit too cartoonish (I shouldn't be surprised though) and a weak plot guideline that doesn't leave anything to the imagination. The movie also lacks any real thrills, which hurts its chances with more mature audiences. I will say that the performances of Jason Lee and David Cross were what I expected. Alvin and company are undoubtedly a good way to spend an afternoon with your family watching movies, but do yourself a favor and don't watch it alone.Rating 6/10

I have 3 kids and have sat through some truly awful movies but this is unbearable. My children loved the first 2 and they were OK to watch for an adult, especially the first one. This one, however, is absolutely despicable. I get that Hollywood is all about the money, especially now days with "the brand" but really??? How anyone in a position of power at a studio could allow this movie to be released is void of a conscience. It is truly unwatchable. DO NOT spend your money on this "movie". We kept waiting for something funny or interesting and nothing ever appeared. My kids waited for a couple years for this and we're SO disappointed. If the writers of this movie are gainfully employed, I have missed my calling as a writer. Bummer.