A DISAPPOINTING FORECAST : CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2

Sequels scare me. Especially if I really like the previous film as much as I liked Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. There definitely is some wisdom in not fixing something that isn’t broken. But therein lies the paradox ; if you are making a sequel, by definition it has to be a new film and yet you can’t quite let it stray too far from the original either. It’s a tricky job, sequels. It’s also the reason they so often go very wrong. I mean think about it, save a few notable examples (The Godfather trilogy being a notable one) really GOOD sequels are very few and far between. This one is not bad. It is not the first film – but definitely not bad.

So, the second story picks up pretty much where the first one left off. The clear-up operation is about to begin when the cavalry barrels in unannounced and definitely uninvited. The cavalry is “Live Corp.”, the world’s number one high tech company. And they have a miraculous proposition. Not only will they clear up the island, they are offering Flint a job! For the young scientist this is an opportunity he simply cannot miss. Not least because it affords him the opportunity to work with his all-time science hero Chester V. So it seems like a very exciting new start for Flint, Sam and all our old friends from Swallow Falls. However they quickly realise that often, if something looks too good to be true – it often ain’t… The problem is, Flint may just be so blinded by Live Corp and his hero-worship for Chester that he may just miss all the warning signs…                      

There were a couple of things about this film that really made me laugh. First up, let’s call a spade a spade, Live Corp is very, very clearly Apple. The whole idea that Apple “pure evil” etc. is of course a common joke – at least in the adult world. There are also quite a few food related puns floating around there and um… Ok here is where it starts to get a little tricky - cause yes the puns a funny but there are way, way too many of them. This is what makes me think this film edges slightly closer to a kid’s movie as opposed to an adult one. Because let’s face it, a steady stream of bad puns are a lot funnier if you’re around 10 as opposed to around 30. The same thing goes for the animals or rather the foodimals. I mean, don`t get me wrong, they are funny and amazing. The creators of the animation must have had SO much fun creating them. But they`re just… Presented to untidily. I mean I know the island is an ideal place to present it - the  machine spews the animals out all random and higgledy piggledy so this is the perfect way to present them. In completely random order. I would have slightly preferred  some kind of rhyme or reason. That and the whole sexless reproduction thing had me in stitches - in the same way the puns and random order of animals did this may escape the attention of younger viewers but for the older ones… Oh yeah, the machine just spits out the babies. The foodimals just adopt them and that`s that. Such typical Disneyesque family values, I had to laugh.

So… Yeah. It`s a bit more of a kids film. Which is possibly why I was slightly disappointed watching it. But then again, I suppose there is nothing actually wrong with old fashioned values. Back in the day animation was a medium almost exclusively for children`s films – cartoons for adults are a relatively new phenomenon. And I mean come on, almost all animation fans are big kids at heart it is not that hard to adapt to be absolutely honest…  But well… It`s the whole sequel thing, isn`t it  - these are characters you know well and you have high expectations personally tinged with your own personality and imagination. It can be a bit tough to be faced with the objective reality of it at the best of times. Then there is the fact that now the angle has subtly shifted and it`s now a tiny tad more of a kids film which puts you in an odd position vis a vis the film. I mean, if you think about it – the strawberry (thisll mean more to those of you who have seen the film) but yeah, think about it. Isn`t it the typical cuddly cute sidekick (who typically can`t speak – think telletubbies). So in a sense the characters we know haven`t developed but have actually infantilized (also, while I think of it, remember the one and only kiss between Sam and Flint right at the beginning of the film - the puffed out cheeks as the tips of their lips come together). I mean as a marketing ploy, I get it, cinema is an incredibly competitive market and appealing more to the kids (who can very effectively get their parents to spend money) makes sense. But yeah… If you don`t have a niece or nephew or little one to take to the movies you may find yourself wondering what the heck you are doing there at some point… That said, I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning… 

TIME TO THAW THOSE "FROZEN" HEARTS WITH SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED DISNEY...

The newest Disney sensation! An Oscar ® winner no less! Naturally I had to jump on the bandwagon and get my mitts onto this one as soon as possible – not least because of the complete and utter sensation it seemed to be causing all over the internet. A modern adaptation of The Snow Queen (you know something, I literally hadn’t thought of that until I saw it in the credits at the end) Frozen shows us once again that Disney is doing its best to keep up with the times. And to give them their dues, they haven’t done a too shabby job at it either…

Elsa and Anna are two sisters, two princesses to be precise, and heirs to a small kingdom. There Elsa is the elder sister and heir to the throne one day but there is a slight problem – a problem that must be kept a secret even from her own sister Anna. Elsa has been born with the power to freeze practically everything she touches; she can make it snow or freeze almost at will. Almost. Because, truth be told, Elsa can barely control this power. That said, with the support of her parents she can keep her power in hand (haha see what I did there? Oh never mind...), until an unfortunate accident orphans her and her sister, forcing Elsa onto the throne. Elsa tries to keep everything under wraps, however the stress of the coronation brings the whole secret tumbling out and starts a chain of events that threatens the very existance of the kingdom… There is only one person who can stop it all – but can Anna, an eternal optimist who has grown up in practical isolation in the palace step up to the plate?

Frozen has been hailed as progressive and a big change for Disney’s general rules all over the internet and I will have to join my voice to the chorus up to a point. I mean true, the basic tropes do not change – the whole prince- princess deal, fairy tale endings and the fact that the structure of the story is so predictable that you can predict which attempt will fail and which will succeed with literally no prior knowledge of the script are all there. But let’s give the film it’s due, it has tried to do some things differently. And it seems to have succeeded.

One point that I have seen made time and time again is that only one princess ends up with a man. In fact she technically ends up with two at one point – making the rather original point (for Disney) that love is not as clear cut as “you meet someone, you fall in love and that’s it”. Not only that, but the handsome prince turns out to be the complete villain in the end. It is the rather more homely looking Kristoph who gets the girl when all is said and done – thus admonishing the trope that all good guys are automatically good looking. I mean, naturally both the princesses are stunning and Kristoph isn’t exactly a troll (even though he was raised by them) but hey… It’s a step in the right direction.

And then of course there is the matter of Elsa not having a beau. But then again, when you think about it, it isn’t so surprising. Not because of the rather obvious problems potentially caused by her uncontrolled powers either ; messages of true love surpassing all physical obstacles have been given under conditions that are more trying than these.  It was only when I was reading Disney’s “behind the scenes” snippets of the film when I realised that I put two and two together. Elsa is in fact the result of years of head scratching and wondering what to do with the actual Snow Queen in the fairy tale. I mean sure, you could make her your archetypal villain queen but Disney has an over-abundance of them and I mean look, it turns out they have been trying to make this film since the ‘40s for God’s sake they’re not going to wait 70 years just to do something they have done a million times over once again. The result? A very clever compromise and a way of making the film about sisterly love as opposed to romantic love. This too is part of a trend if you think about it – I mean Brave wasn’t about romantic love either, it was about mothers and daughters, I mean heck, romance didn’t even raise its head in Brave.  And I love the diversification of topics by the way. True it’s a rather small and conservative step (we have moved from spouses to family which isn’t exactly a gargantuan leap) but give it it’s due, we have moved. Better than nothing. But hang on, back to the matter of Elsa being single; you see where I’m coming from, right? I mean at the end of the day, in her origins Elsa is the villain – even though she is innocent in this version of the story – so we couldn’t really have her being rewarded just for learning to be good, right? Being good is the first step. If she is good for long enough, she will get a spouse. Anna has been good. She has been trapped in the palace for most of her life (Rapunzel anyone?) and yet kept her pure heart (and her sanity by the way. I mean excuse the spoiler but if I had lived the life Anna lived, I would have been either a psychopath or a gibbering idiot by 12. That said, her first social contact in decades and she is merely slightly awkward… Oh Disney…) and she even overcomes obstacles and makes sacrifices to save her sister. So she gets her reward.

Soo… Yeah. This IS, in fact a typical Disney film in a lot of ways. I mean fair enough, steps have been taken in all the right directions, but they are rather small steps. Still, as I have said before in this same post, they are steps. We have moved. And we can’t expect messages that are so entrenched and have proved such successful sales tools to change overnight. Basically, if you like Disney, you’ll like this. If you don’t, mark my words, you’ll still find the songs catchy. The film got the Oscar® for Best Music for a reason J

AND THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE FAMILY... ESPECIALLY THIS FAMILY... "DESPICABLE ME 2"

Phew, ok. Now, let’s try something a little happier, shall we? For all my “realism”, even I can’t abide 100% darkness the whole time. And when I say “let’s lighten things up a bit” I’m going all out. As we discussed above, the world can be a dark and scary place. Luckily we have things like family, laughter and more importantly animated movies to get us through the dark places…

I am deeply suspicious of sequels. I always have been. I strongly believe in leaving at the top of your game and all that. I know that the crew behind Despicable Me was good. But still… Good crews have tried other sequels and failed. This could have been the same. I mean it’s a good bet the kids would love it anyway but would we? The answer is yes. Yes, we would.

Gru and the crew are back. Although God only knows Gru didn’t want this. The plan was to give up “villaining” all together now and concentrate on legitimate business and family life- Gru does have three kids to raise now you know. How will they live? Well Dr Nefario and the minions are helping Gru develop a line of jams and jellies… It’s err… A work in process. But yeah. Sadly for Gru, his criminal talents are needed and they are needed urgently. There is a brand new super-criminal afoot and there is only one person the Anti Villain League can think of to help stop him: Gru! He takes a bit of convincing but Gru finally agrees to do “one last job”…  Coupled with the rather eccentric agent Lucy, Gru sets off to work saving the world once again. But what with teenage daughters and disappearing minions,  he may not quite have his mind on the job…

This is another one of those ones where I’m dying to literally tell you all about it but I don’t want to mess up any of the surprises. Suffice it to say that all our friends that we know and love are back and up to more tricks. The kids are as adorable as ever and Gru, not surprisingly, has got more of handle on parenting this time around. Look out for the minions – as if you needed telling – they have a considerably larger piece of the action this time around. I’m so glad they’re getting their own movie – aren’t you? Never fear, as you probably know, the rumours are in fact a reality. Check the end credits for this film if you don’t believe me J

So ok, I love Despicable me and I love the minions, but am I going to say “it’s perfect” and gloss it over? Well, no. I was a little upset that the series felt the need to “round off” Gru and the girls into a perfect family (oh come on. You KNEW Lucy was a love interest the moment I mentioned her. Don’t pull that face. You totally did). Having spent the larger part of my life growing up in a single-parent family I resented that a tiny bit. It’s a personal thing. I mean yes, of course having two parents is the ideal thing, no one can dispute that. But still, my point is single parent families do just fine thank you very much, they don’t necessarily need to be “rounded off” for the sake of being rounded off. But then again… I guess the film is more about love. And the fact that being a family doesn’t necessarily mean being blood relatives. The love comes, it brings people together and at the end of the day it even conquers “small details” like genetics. Which, I suppose, is also a worthy message. Ok yeah, it totally is. Besides it also puts out the message that love can come at any age etc. Gru is a “proper grown up” as opposed to the young 20-somethings (I can officially say that because the only two I’m getting in my age is on the far right from now on. Except if I live to a 120. Which is well… Unlikely.) finding love and settling down right at the beginning of “things”. So yeah. Actually a good mix of relevant real-life messages with your comedy. That’s exactly the kind of thing I like to see in a film. 

SOMETIMES, AT CHRISTMAS, YOU WANT TO SHAKE THINGS UP A BIT : "MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO"

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. It has very little to do with the religious side of it. For as long as I remember my family has celebrated Christmas despite there being at least three different religions (not counting sub-divisions) and a whole slew of atheists in the mix. It’s an excuse to get together, eat, drink and exchange presents. I mean of course, all families are complicated and no doubt there is at least one family member you would have rather avoided until, oh I don’t know, next Christmas. Or the Christmas after that. But you have got to put those differences aside. It is the season of Peace and Love. And you just can’t get into fights over whether animated movies “count” or not over the dinner table – for some reason people seem to find it awkward…  Besides, it’s always good to not sweat the small stuff and let a bit of the season’s magic into your life. It has been a long year. It’s time to unplug and relax for a bit.

This is why I think that this film is, in a bizarre way, an ideal Christmas movie. It’s definitely for the whole family, it involves magic, wonder and all the good feelings you associate with Christmas. I mean ok, it’s an anime movie. Not what you would initially think of as a Christmas movie. But it is an anime classic, courtesy of Hayao Miyazaki, master of anime. Trust me, it’s worth giving a whirl. Let me try and convince you.

Satsuke and Mei  have just moved to the country. It’s a lovely old house with loads of nooks and crannies to explore. It’s a bit of a mixed bag as far as emotions go and the girls’ mother is very ill and has to be in hospital. But their Dad is doing his best to cheer them up and between exploring the surroundings and meeting their neighbours the girls have a lot to occupy their minds.  Speaking of neighbours, some of them are a little bit stranger than others. Satsuke isn’t quite sure what to make of her little sister’s claims of seeing a giant grey furry creature in the woods… But as time goes by she begins to realise that there are more to her little sisters’ claims than she initially thought… The question is what will happen when this magical world collides with the two sisters’ real world problems?

Now first of all, let me just say how happy I was to see this fellow on television as part of the Christmas season films! I love this huge international world we live in where cultural niblets from all over the world find their way into our living rooms. Granted, Miyazaki is about as big and international as it gets for anime; if you know one director it will probably be him and if you know one studio that specialises in anime it will be “his” studios – Ghibli. That said, I am confident that this may well be the first step of a voyage of discovery for some. Anime gets a bit of a bad rep. Well, sometimes this is justified. But come on, there are many “unsuitable” films out there – we don’t brand the entire film industry as “unsuitable” do we? My neighbour Totoro is a beautiful film with heart-warming characters that younger viewers with empathize with and that the “big kids” in the audience will simply adore. Just enough excitement and home again in time for tea. We have all the “trappings” of “big brand” animated entertainment but with some local flavour and a personal twist as opposed to the studio films we have grown to love but also anticipate down to the finest detail. I can personally guarantee this film will be a welcome addition to the film cabinet of anyone who wants to take a step away from the every day. A small step. But just enough J  

AND SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT RE-VISITING OLD FRIENDS: "TANGLED"

But of course Christmas is also about traditions. It’s about coming back to your roots (family meetings being a key personification of this fact) and all things being equal it’s about spending some family time, having way too much good food and having a bit of a rest at the end of the year before you embark on doing the whole thing all over again. It’s good to have familiar things around one at times like this. That’s why “Christmas films” is an entire genre; the themes are familiar but we watch them time and again and we all have our favourites we will never, ever tire of. That’s why we love Disney movies at Christmas time. And that’s why, much to my joy, there was a whole slew of re-runs on television of the year’s films. I had missed quite a few. Tangled was one of them. We all love our fairy tales right? That’s what Disney basically does – tell us fairy stories. What it has been very clever about doing though, is taking the classic fairy stories we all know and love and putting a spin on them. The stories keep up with the times, they fit in with the lives of the younger generations – lives a million miles apart from ours at their age. And yet, somehow, we all crowd round these films and enjoy them. Yes I am a massive fan of Disney. And Pixar.

Tangled is the story of a beautiful princess. When this princess was born, she had one magical quality : her hair. Her hair not only grew whenever she sang, it had the ability to heal and rejuvenate the people around her. The only pre-requisite is that the hair stays on the princess’ head as the moment it is cut, it loses its’ magic. Now of course this is an incredible resource for anyone – but a particularly wicked witch decides that she wants the hair all for herself. So the takes it. Princess and all. Having taken it/her as a baby she also has the time to make up a cover story. As far as Rapunzel is concerned the witch is her mother, the outside world is a very dangerous place – she has never left her isolated tower in her life – and her existence will be entirely lived out in that tower. Except, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men; so will go the witch’s plans. For all her conditioning and upbringing, Rapunzel still dreams of the outside world. This year she is turning 18 and despite all her mothers’ tactics she dreams of the outside world. And she is getting a little too big to be contained in the tower… However, for all her strength of character Rapunzel has never, ever lived in the outside world so she will need a guide. And she will get a guide in the shape of a passing rogue, Flynn Rider… But is the outside world all Rapunzel dreams of and more? Or is her “mother” actually right? Is she really simply too ill-equipped for the outside world?

I love what the film has done with the classic story of Rapunzel on so many levels. I mean, fairy stories have such a lot to work with though, don’t they? First of all, fairy stories only provide the bare essentials about their characters. No backstories, no actual character development, they are just dropped in fully formed and our imaginations have to do the rest of the work. This story gives Rapunzel a personality. And it is by no means perfect. I mean yes, she is a Disney princess so she has the “makings” of perfection (as it were), but to start with, she is far, far from it. On the outside world Rapunzel really struggles to cope. And like a lot of us who leave the safety of our family home to face the great “outdoors”, she has to grow up very quickly. This point is precisely why Tangled is so easy to empathize with. It is, essentially, about leaving home. A universal theme everyone can empathize with and we have all struggled with. For all the magical elements, the songs and comedy, it’s about taking those first faltering steps out of the nest… And the best part of it? This is a Disney fairy tale… So guaranteed happy ending in the end (oh come on, that’s not a spoiler). The film is, in short, a warm, relatable modern fairy tale. Our heroine is a Disney princess with just a spot of relatability (is that a word? It should be!) and it guarantees a new meeting with old friends – a bit like Christmas itself. 

"MONSTERS UNIVERSITY" BECAUSE SOMETIMES,YOU JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL...

I was REALLY looking forward to this one. You all have probably figured out by now that I’m a bit of as sucker for Pixar. I… Ok, yes, it’s unprofessional but what can I say. I’m a fan. I’m positively biased. That is not to say I wasn’t a tad bit worried about Monsters University. I mean, come on, a prequel? It feels a little bit like scratching the bottom of the barrel to me. There are absolutely quillions of talented screenwriters out there, surely, if we wanted to revisit Mike and Sullivan, our friendly duo from way back when, an imaginative “new development” could be found. That being said, I simply had to check it out. I mean, it was a rainy afternoon, I had nothing in particular to do, Pixar monsters seemed to me the perfect thing to cheer me up. At the very least I could b.tch about them on the blog later, which would definitely cheer me up.

Hence, here we hurtle back through time and universes to see how the “dream team” of Mike and Sullivan all began. I couldn’t help but giggle to realise they were taking the whole prequel thing very seriously. Because we start tracking Mike at around, if I’m not much mistaken, primary school. But no worries – it’s completely relevant. It is at this early age that Mike decides he wants to be a “scarer”. You know, the most prestigious and brave monsters around, who ventured into the human world and collected “scream energy” to power the whole world. Thing is, Mike looks a little too much like a tennis ball on legs to be considered scary(at this particular point, he is a very small tennis ball on legs with braces). So um, how can I put this… He is not considered to have the most realistic aspirations in the world. That said, he works his socks off, does not give in and lo and behold, he makes it into the prestigious “scare programme” in Monsters University. Now, a lot of us know how going on to university, moving away from the small town to follow your dreams may seem like the end of all the problems we ever had – Mike definitely thinks so. And if the worse comes to the worse, he has always been a swat, he has his trusty textbooks to get him though… Right?

Ok, first of all, all Pixar fans out there can heave a sigh of relief. It is everything a Pixar movie always promises to be. Perfect accompaniment to a rainy, grey afternoon, your favourite blankie and a touch too much chocolate. It’s a bright burst of imagination full of good-natured adventure and humour, and tons of laughs, delicately placed throughout the story. You’ll love it. You can take your little one or younger sibling to see it with a clear conscience. Unless you are categorically exhausted, you are very probably not going to fall asleep watching this one (that being said, Mom actually fell asleep watching Star Wars… Need I say more?).

Like I said, this is classic Pixar. That being said, is it a Pixar classic? Hmm. I’m not that sure. I mean yeah, sure, every film has a “underlying message”. In  this particular case there are several. I especially applaud the open call to not necessarily rely on “book learning” to achieve your dreams. There is also the very Hollywood trope of “disparate characters coming together as a team” (and with Monsters as a template they REALLY went wild on the disparate characters) and, just to counterbalance the first point I mentioned, not relying on natural talent and working with it to truly achieve your dreams.  Now, I am not saying films shouldn’t have such social messages. Especially since the target audience is the younger generation. But, you know, quite apart from adults watching it too, kids today are pretty damn smart. I think Monsters University borders on the “public information film” fine line with this one. I don’t know, maybe it’s me getting jaded, but it was all way too close to the surface for my liking. Think, for example, of Up!. Now that was one heck of a film. Priceless too. Yet with that famous opening sequence that has made grown men cry. With that, the adults are just hooked. Lost love is such a common theme in a lot of lives – if not necessarily by death – we end up rooting for him all the way through the film. But when you strip away the finery it’s actually the story of a hardened, jaded character “rediscovering life”. I mean, step back and squint a little it could actually be A Christmas Tale. I mean theme-wise. Clearly there were no ghosts in Up!,  Yet, like I said, you don’t notice it at all unless if you think about it. And you can make monsters as colourful as you please, it is THIS kind of imagination in the storyline that gets my pulse racing these days. I mean, it’s not like kids didn’t love Up!. Come on, talking dogs! The cone of shame! What more do you want? Like I said, I reckon we should give the younger generation a tad bit more credit. I mean, admit it, they’re way better with gadgets. I reckon they can easily handle a film.  

"WRECK-IT RALPH" - BECAUSE A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST

Aah the arcade. I wonder when that one is going to bite the dust completely. Or perhaps it already has bitten the dust? Not quite sure. I have never been too much of a gamer. I do remember having a ting, pokey little arcade at the top of the hill we lived on though. I always loved the idea of going there – yearned to, in fact – but Mom was adamant. I guess it was for the best. I’m pretty sure the deprivation is not the source of any psychological problems, so there you go. Anyway. It’s funny really, just because the film was released recently, one automatically assumes it is set in the present day, though of  course there is nothing preventing it from being set a few decades back… God I’m on a good old ramble tonight, aren’t I? Don’t be mad. It’s all related to the film in hand. Sort of.

Well, whenever it may or may not be said, Wreck-it Ralph is set in a universe where at least one arcade in particular is still going strong. Sure, there are daily concerns about “work” and survival – if your game goes “out of order” or you’re too unpopular, you get the plug pulled on you and you have nowhere to go – but basically, the show must go on. In this particular case, the show is the game.

Now we all know that every story needs to have a villain but Ralph, the particular villain of the story, is not really happy with his lot. He doesn’t want much, just a friend or two, and maybe a decent place to live that is not a dump. A literal dump. His fellow characters tell him to just embrace who he is and “get on with it” as it were. However, one day, Ralph simply has enough. And as anyone who is familiar with the game knows – he has a bit of a temper on him. An argument with his fellow game characters ends in a wager of sorts: if Ralph can win a medal of some sorts, they will let him come and live in the big house. Thing is, in this game, Ralph can’t win a medal. The solution seems simple enough to Ralph: find another game to win a medal in. However, as you can imagine, as Ralph moves from game to game in search of his medal, every move he makes has unforeseen and sometimes disastrous consequences. Let’s hope Ralph turns out to be as good at fixing things as he is at wrecking them…

First of all, I need to commend Disney on this one. But then again, they have been at this business for a while, so they sure know how to mix ‘em, as it were. It is the perfect blend of adult content vs. being suitable for younger viewers. I mean, if nothing else, seeing the arcade games alone should put a warm fuzzy feeling into the heart of any red blooded gamer. And shall I tell you something, even if you’re not a gamer. Anyone who knows me knows I’m no gamer by any definition of the word but even I saw stuff I recognised. If you were even remotely into arcades – you’re going to love it. Trust me.

I was ranting and raving in my post just above about the messages and stuff in the film. Let’s have a gander at this one. Basically, the film tells us, you can actually be happy where you are (oh come on, that’s not a spoiler. You totally knew that was the way it was going). It’s all about changing your attitude. Oh and keeping lines of communication open. It’s all very recession – politics. I mean think about it, the usual message is that if you work hard enough, you can change everything. The film gently reminds us that sometimes, we don’t need to. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is a bad message at all, but after all the economic turbulence we have been through lately, I really thought the message was quite poignant. Very make do and mend. And of course, it’s not like some things don’t change rather drastically. In fact, true blue Hollywood, there is a love interest thingy going on in there (whereby a typically “masculinised” single woman is “feminised” by love – but the relationship has so much comic value, I can actually forgive them for that. Besides, don’t sharpen your claws too much ladies, I don’t want to give too much away, but let me just say there is the idea of a female president floating around in that movie too. I like that idea. I really do =)

RECAPTURE THE MAGIC ON "THE POLAR EXPRESS"

I know. We’re in august. It is in no way, shape or form near to Christmas. But what can I tell you, it was a tiring day. I know I ranted and raved about realism and happy endings in the last post but it really wasn’t a “realism” and “minimalism” kinda evening. I had had a little too much of that in my day already. What I needed was to settle down and be transported to a world where I knew everything would turn out alright in the end. Preferably a magical world – I needed it to be as far from “reality” as possible. This may be the main reason I gravitated towards a Christmas film, I’m not exactly sure. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that if you have had that kind of day, or alternately if it's actually Christmas and you want a seasonal film that you don’t watch every day, this is the fella for you.

Now, this is quite a modern little number. Not only is it made, in its entirety, in computer animation but it adopts the rather cool “anonymous hero” stance. Our hero is a little boy. He is just approaching that age when the magic is about to leave his world. And the exodus of magic has begun with father Christmas. The little boy wants to believe, but everything around him seems to be telling him loud and clear that there is no such thing as Santa. So that Christmas eve, when he closes his eyes and pretends to sleep, trying to catch Santa out as he does every year, deep down inside he doesn’t have much hope of it happening. Until he hears something quite extraordinary going up his street. A train. The magical Polar Express has come to take him on a journey… After all, anything is possible on Christmas Eve…

I think Christmas and New Year bring out the “mushiest” in us because they are much like the ends of long, tiring days. Just like a particularly rough day at the office, a whole year has gone by. You are tired. You want to see your loved ones and rest your brains – and bones. You have had reality by the bucket-load. You want good feelings, a hearty meal a drink or three and a few days off… Surely you see the parallels? That’s why films like this go so well with Christmas.

Of course one has to remember that this film was made in 2004 – which is “way back when” by technological terms. I feel that the storyline would benefit a lot from a big special effects overhaul. Heck, it could even be a combination of CGI and real actors as opposed to a “cartoon” from beginning to end. I’m not completely nuts about big explosions and fight scenes with magical weapons but magical lands… You’ll always get my heartstrings with that one. Especially at the end of tiring day.

But the thing is,  will it ever be a classic? I’m not that sure. I think the problem is, the story is sweet but the message is slightly outdated. In complete opposition to the previous film, we are encouraged to “believe” in this one. And we all know kids today. They are just as likely as us to smile at that message understandingly and with an air of superiority. It’s sad really, but I wonder how many kids today really believe in Father Christmas? We live in an era where mothers quiet their crying toddlers by giving them their smartphones and tablets to play with. The tiny tots can browse better than we can and I find that scary seeing that hooking up the printer ended up becoming a major challenge for me. I am yet to purchase a smartphone – or a tablet. And of course it’s great that children have so much knowledge at their fingertips so quickly. It is also great that we live in an era of science where we know more about the world around us than ever before. Still, must this mean that all sense of “magic” must be knocked out of children at as early an age as possible? The jury is out in my opinion. I mean, I’m an adult, and I physically need magic and fantasy in my world. It’s computer generated magic, that I grant you, but given the realities of this world… I reckon it will do… 

THESE FELLAS NEED NO INTRODUCTION : "WALLACE AND GROMMIT – THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT"

I do not know a single person in the UK who doesn’t let out an exclamation of delight at the mere mention of Wallace and Grommit. I’m not entirely sure how well they travel but here they are almost universally adored. I mean, I’m sure there are some “haters” out there somewhere, stop-motion animation is not everyone’s cup of tea (or so I am told. I don’t see how this is possible but you know… It takes all sorts…). But the humour, the characters, the sheer imagination involved in the series combined with the decidedly British sense of humour… You can’t beat it. You really can’t. Not in this neck of the woods anyway. That’s why I have always thought a proper “film” (as in feature length) of the series was long overdue. Now, I know that this one has been around for quite some time, but just never got round to watching it until recently. I was later surprised to discover a few friends of mine who hadn’t heard of it at all. Hence, here is my review of it ASAP. This is definitely one you NEED to know about.

We return to the world of Wallace and Grommit, in their same old house in the same sleepy little town. As we all know by now, the professions of this gruesome twosome tend to change from episode to episode however, and the flavour of the week is humane pest control. You see, this particular little town is very much into its gardening but as it so happens it also has a big problem with rabbits – who aren’t, as you probably know, very conducive to gardening. But never fear, Wallace and Grommit will not only safeguard your garden, they guarantee that no fluffy bunnies are harmed in the process. You may, at this point, be asking yourself what exactly they do with the bunnies once they are caught. That, my friends, is the 64 million dollar question. Wallace and Grommit do not, as such, quite know what to do with them either. But they are under a tad bit of pressure to figure something out fast, not least because the annual giant vegetable competition is approaching. The entire town will be participating, as usual, and the last thing anyone wants is an outbreak of rabbits. Wallace, always the inventor, does not despair and continues trying to work something out. It is during these endeavours that the duo unwittingly unleash “the curse of the were rabbit”. As if normal rabbits were not causing enough trouble…

What I like the most about Wallace and Grommit is that it is, to my mind, one of the best examples of family-friendly fun. And having, alongside the brilliant Peter Sallis, a constant of the show, names like Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes lending their voices to the characters only improves matters – if that were at all possible.  I know what everyone is always saying these days about children growing up so fast and not being as “naïve” as we were when we were their age but still. Given half a decent chance, audiences of literally ALL ages could enjoy Wallace and Grommit. Like a lot of good animations, the adult “in-jokes” are there, kept at a “decent” level, but providing not a few giggles along the way as you go. Besides, it is really what Wallace and Grommit is all about. It’s almost a sort of return to a more innocent time a bit pastoral, small town life and all that.  A return, brought rather smartly up to date with the fact that Wallace is the archetypal “absent-minded inventor” along with your typical country bumpkin. How do these two co-exist? If you don’t already know, it’s high time you found out…

For the fans, I’m delighted to tell you that this film is everything we know and love about Wallace and Grommit. I believe it was last week that I was mentioning how it’s good to have some “comfort films” close to hand where you know exactly what you’re about to see and in fact are watching it BECAUSE you know what you are about to see as it were. And this film is filled to the brim with the Wallace and Grommit type humour we all know and love by the bucked load. I don’t want to give too much in the way of the storyline away, simply because I was completely blindsided by, shall we say, a development in the story, providing the perfect surprise mid-way.

In short, if you’re a Wallace and Grommit fan, you will love it. And if you’re not a fan, well, this might be the day you become one. I promise you, you won’t regret it.  

A STEP INTO THE PAST AND OUT OF THIS WORLD : "CORPSE BRIDE"

I know. I can’t quite believe I missed this one either. I mean, it’s Tim Burton, it’s an animation, it’s a musical… What more can one want from a film?  I mean, fair enough I didn’t know it was a musical until I actually started watching it so I might as well give you a heads up too. But for me, that kind of thing is more of a pleasant surprise. And of course Johnny Depp is, as always, there in the foreground along with Helena Bonham-Carter - so, the usual suspects. Not to say that Tim Burton is getting cliché (because he is not), you know what elements usually come up in a Burton movie by now – and I don’t just mean the actors. It’s the atmos, it’ s the wonderfully imaginative storyline it’s the brilliant animations… If all these things aren’t as “superlative” for you as they are for me, well, you have a problem. If, however, you know what to expect and can’t wait to get your grubby paws on it, well, step right on in.

Back in Victorian England marriage was just as much a matter of business as it was a matter of love. In some situations this state of affairs remains today. But our story today is particularly interested in one such “business” marriage in a small village in Victorian England. Victor (Johnny Depp), the son of the newest “nouveau riche”s in town is to be wed to Victoria ( Emily Watson) , the daughter of an old aristocratic family who is very down on their funds. However, when nervously practicing his wedding vows in the seclusion of the forest, he inadvertently marries a corpse. Now, while this doesn’t seem like the easiest of mistakes to make, it is a lot tougher to actually undo what has been done. The Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter) has long been waiting for her true love to come along when she got jilted by her lover when she was alive and she is determined not to let Victor go. Thus whisked down to the underworld Victor now faces a rather novel set of problems. Not least how to get back, as his “living world” wedding is supposed to be taking place in a matter of hours…

First of all, fans rejoice. This is, as I said at the beginning, everything a Tim Burton film should be. And despite great talent, it can be touch and go. Take for example, a later burton, “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, yet another musical starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. It has all the ingredients, and yet… I don’t know. Was it my moo when I watched it? Was it something else? Something was missing. There wasn’t that “va-va-voum” we’re used to. But this one has it. If you feel like dropping out of the real world for a few hours and taking a wild journey into the imagination of one of the most creative minds of our generation, this is the fella for you. You will laugh until you cry. And in bits, you might cry when you’re not laughing. I must admit, yes there were tissues involved in my experience. But then again, that subtle play on the heartstrings is the other reason I like Burton so frigging much.

I don’t want to give too much away because imaginative twists and surprises are a staple of this film. But just one small note. If you’re slightly worried, from a feminist point of view that the film boils down to two women fighting over Johnny Depp, fear not. The film has little to do with marriage in fact, as far as its main message goes, and a lot more to do with letting go of your past to be able to move on in life… You’ll have to watch it to see what I mean, but it’s really quite something. Trust me on this. 

A SEQUEL 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING : "THE SNOWMAN AND THE SNOWDOG"

Anyone living in the UK knows that this one had to make the cut this week. Ok, it isn’t technically a film, heck it’s only 23 minutes long actually. But it’s a Christmas tradition. We have waited for the sequel for nigh on 30 years. Admittedly, back in the day when I first watched it I was actually traumatized by The Snowman. Not because the snowman melted. Because in my mind, somehow, the snowman actually abducted the child – heck, I was relieved he melted! The fact that I was terrified of heights even back in those days when I was knee-high to a grasshopper wouldn’t have contributed to my enjoyment of the flight scenes. But all the same. Come on, this is a historical moment peeps.

Now, this is usually the point at which I tell you what the story is about. But, fair warning, we got into an extremely heated family discussion as to what the premise of the story was. I, therefore, missed a large part of the first five minutes. But I will try and reflect my school of thought. There are several opposing schools of thought (yes, every detail matters, we're that kind of family). And naturally I’m not checking this online. I am confident in my film analysis abilities. So there. (Edit: Just before posting this update I actually did a Google search: YES it is the ORIGINAL HOUSE with a DIFFERENT boy. In case anyone who participated in the afore-mentioned heated discussion is reading). 

The story takes place in the original house of the snowman. Only it is years later and there is a new family living there now. The little boy of the family is about the same age as our original hero, although it’s all a bit sad in that his beloved dog has just died. Anyway, one day, when playing in his room, he discovers the old box where the original snowman’s things along with a picture of said snowman and our original hero are kept. Our current hero likes this idea and next time it snows, makes a snowman with said materials. He then goes on to construct a snow dog in memory of his beloved  dog.  Lo and behold, on the stroke of midnight the snowman comes alive – and so does the “snow dog”! . Let the festivities begin J

Ok, one thing. They have changed the soundtrack. They actually axed “walking in the air”. There are several music professionals in the family whose professional opinion it is that they should have at least done variations on the theme as they flew over the city. Apart from that though, it’s spot on. I feel that following the original style of animation was absolutely the right call. And even though, I mean, naturally there is nothing wildly original about it, it is just a warm, fuzzy bundle of joy to watch.

One alarming thing I learnt about myself though is that I actually have now got into the rather antisocial habit of  blurting out the ends of films – or rather my predictions of them – which these days often turn out to be right (ehm ehm. Not to blow my own trumpet or anything.) I did the self-same thing and somehow amazed the family at the end of this one as well. I would normally jot down being able to predict the end of the film as an actual minus, but in this case… Well. We’re watching it because it’s a classic folks, not for its originality value. Merry Christmas. 

"HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" AND OTHER CAUTIONARY TALES

Ok, wow. I appear to have stumbled on a modern classic in the making. Not only did this one make the IMDB Top 250, it was nominated for 2 Oscars® and a plethora of other awards besides. I really, truly can see why. I mean yes, it is an animation, it is definitely a film suited for children but on the level of artistic work and on the level of the message it gives, it is one of the most surprising films I have seen in a while.

So, meet Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel). Hiccup is a viking. As such, he is expected to be a fearless warrior, loud, athletic and good at killing things. These are all necessary qualities to have where Hiccup lives as his village is on a small island in the middle of the sea. And said small island is plagued with… Dragons.  Dragon killing is now quite a prestigious job, and Hiccup is the son of the village chief so technically he should be going straight for it only… Hiccup is puny. He cannot take orders. And is much better at inventing, fixing machinery and the like. He isn’t completely “off topic” as it were though, as he also invents a machine for catching dragons. No one believes him at first. And even when the machine works and a dragon is caught, no one but Hiccup is there to witness it. But then something strange happens. Hiccup fully intends to kill the dragon and bring its head back to the village to prove he isn’t a complete waste of time. The thing is… He can’t bring himself to. The dragon is injured and cannot fly and these two outcasts begin making friends. As Hiccup learns more and more about his dragon, he begins to suspect that there is another way to cope with the island’s “dragon problem”. The thing is, can he convince his entire village to try his method?

Now, I love this film. I love it because of the messages it gives children. The message here is twofold. One, the most obvious, is not (as classical videogames would have it) to automatically go about killing something that is different from you but to try and learn more about it. Observe, understand, “make friends”. It encourages children to look for the peaceful way out even in the most unpromising looking situations. I mean come on, with the recent exception of Shrek, how many stories has the dragon been the good guy in? Ok, there was Narnia – but that was a while ago, what else? Exactly. So moral? Even the bad guys with the worst reputation can be understood and maybe even turned around from their evil ways. Don’t assume. Think first.

Secondly, ok, Hiccup is the typical “outcast” character. You know, bookish, not physically fit, bad at fighting, all that. It isn’t exactly uncommon for films to encourage the young to follow their hearts against societal pressure but they rarely encourage them to actually stand up to the order of society and change it if they feel something is wrong. I mean, not only is that basic message brilliant in itself, in this story a single person CAN make a difference. With nothing less than scientific observation to actually back him up – as opposed to magic or some other deus ex machine. Isn’t that something? I think you should get your little ones sat down in front of this asap. They will both enjoy and learn. 

FUN AND SONGS IN THE SUN AS AUTUMN COMES - GO TO : "RIO"

Now to be fair to my boyfriend though, he doesn’t always provide me film advice complete with spoilers. In fact, more than once and open mouthed at my ignorance on the matter, he has sat me down in front of a film and insists I watch it. Rio was one of these films. And credit where it’s due, this film more than hit the spot on many different levels. It’s an animation for starters and I ALWAYS have room in my heart for those fellas, as you will have noticed. Secondly, this is definitely one of the better examples of the afore-mentioned genre, complete with songs, dance numbers (well, sort of) and LOADS of fun. Plus quite a worthy message hidden in there too.

Now, as you can guess Rio and Brazil feature a lot in this story. Not surprising as our story begins in the rainforests of Brazil. Blue (as he will later be known) is a baby blue macaw whose peaceful existence is interrupted by poachers who seize him and take him away to far off lands, far from his family. It’s terribly sad of course but it sort of works out. Chance means that Blue finds a very loving owner who takes care of him well and with whom he grows up. And he has a very peaceful life, that involves hot chocolate, marshmallows a peaceful life in a book shop and no flying. At all. Not that Blue really needs to fly, but anyway. But then, quite suddenly, into this peaceful existence erupts a scientist who explains to his owner that Blue’s breed has been hunted and exported almost to extinction and he is the last remaining male blue macaw of his kind. And the thing is, the last remaining female, Jewel, lives in Brazil. As you can imagine, the scientist is pretty eager they should meet. Now Blue’s owner is quite attached to her routine (as is Blue) but in the face of this great duty, off they go to Brazil. Here Blue will come back together with his roots. Find love. And spread his wings a bit – literally and metaphorically.

Well, topic wise, as you can see, it is pretty much a typical Hollywood animation film. Obstacles overcome, love discovered, family unit restored, and personal growth achieved. But we have said it often enough here. It is not, what you say in cases like these. It’s the way you say them. And this film says all of that with a lot of gusto. And a LOT of talent.  I mean, seriously, films don’t just randomly get nominated for Oscars for best song you know.  Besides, we have Ann Hathaway lending her voice to Jewel – and she does such a spectacular job. There’s a reason she’s one of my favourite actresses, seriously. And Blue has the voice of the equally talented Jesse Eisenberg of whom I have written on these pages more than once. In short, this is one of those really, really fun animations that you can watch with the smaller members of the family with the greatest of ease, and yet really enjoy yourself as well… And as the little ones (and some of the big ones) watch, hopefully messages on animal smuggling and illegal trafficking will be picked up too. Oh don’t worry, it’s all very subtly done. Not in your face or anything. You can’t really avoid it either though, and it is, you have to admit, a rather worthy lesson to be learnt by us all.  And what more you could want from a film, I honestly cannot imagine. 

"THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN" - RELOADED

Well now, here we have a film trying to live up to very famous ancestors. I mean, of course Tintin has had many “films” made of it before, but to the best of my knowledge, this is the first computer-generated / non “cartoon” (oh you know what I mean) cinema film made about it. And I mean, even if it weren’t, one goof, one error, one detail out of place and you will have a hoard of angry fans of many ages descending on you like the proverbial heard of locusts – ready to tear you to pieces. And yet, of course, be it the storyline or the effects etc, you have to still be able to have done something that no one else before you has done. It takes one heck of a director to be able to do that. Steven Spielberg for example.

So, what adventures, what dangers and mysteries do Tintin and Snowy find themselves embroiled in this time? This time, Tintin stumbles on the mystery quite by accident when he decides to purchase a rather ornate and beautiful model ship in the flea market. The ship attracts an inordinate amount of attention from the word go, strange men offering extraordinary amounts of money to buy the ship off him. Tintin, naturally, gets suspicious and refuses to sell. His journalistic instincts and quick wits will lead him to a sunken treasure, a story spanning half way round the globe and a family curse and feud involving the Haddock family… This time, a lot is at stake – not least Captain Haddock’s family honour!

First of all, I thought the film thought up a brilliant way of “introducing” Tintin and Captain Haddock. Secondly, the film is brilliant. Of course, as we mentioned above, there are quite a few challenges to making this film. It has to, up to a point anyway, follow a formula. It’s expected, it’s even wanted by the fans. However, it has to be an original artwork in its own right at the same time.  Now, a director like Spielberg is one of the best people to face these challenges, because he works mainly in the minefield of mainstream Hollywood movies. The fans of these “genre” films want certain very specific things from the films they watch. But you simply cannot regurgitate a single magic formula – there is no way of holding on to an audience under those circs. So you have to find just the right balance of the familiar and the original to make a really good film. I don’t think I need to spell it out to you guys, Spielberg has done this quite a few times in his time, and he has, in actual fact, done it again. The film is a wonderful, exciting ride into an adventure filled world that we are, in fact, quite familiar with. The film may be – and in fact is – an animation, but do not sneeze at this fact, as the film was so successful artistically, that it has gathered nominations and awards in contests as prestigious as the Oscars®, BAFTAs and Golden Globes. If ever a progeny lived up to a famous ancestor, this one is it people. Not to be missed. 

BRAVE - A MOTHER - DAUGHTER TALE...

Ok. It’s a Disney – Pixar movie. Needless to say, I am going to rant about this one. Like a lot of people I spoke to, until I actually set foot in the cinema, I had only the vaguest idea as to what the film was about. A brave young girl, finding your own destiny, there were the vignettes with the three little brothers, Billy Connolly comes into it at some point… But I mean. It’s Pixar. How bad could it be? Naturally it was brilliant. Calendars may claim I’m going to be 30 in an alarmingly short while but my inner child needs Disney. And Pixar. Especially the two together. And don’t you hide in the back there, I know a lot of you out there agree with me.

So what IS Brave about, I hear you cry. Well, the premise of the story is quite a classic one. But I mean, is there really such a thing as a truly original story these days? I reckon not. With the exception or real life tales (because the truth is almost always stranger than fiction) I find that that you can foresee the course a lot of tales are going to take, especially in more mainstream films. But it’s not always about the story is it? It’s also about the execution. Especially in Pixar. And with me anyway, the fact that I could pretty much guess what was coming in no way meant I didn’t wave and shout at the screen (there were a lot of children in the cinema, I think it went unnoticed) and get very weepy frequently (the only thing stopping a full-blown bawl was the fact that I had makeup on and was going out later that evening). “Oh do get on with it!” I hear you cry. Fair point. So here is what Brave is actually about.

The person who is brave is Merida. She is a princess, the daughter of the head of a Scottish clan who lived in ancient times, when magic still lived in the world. But along with magic, existed families, tradition and duties. And although Merida would infinitely prefer riding, archery and woodland adventures as daily duties, her mother insists she must learn to be a lady. And if Merida wasn’t in enough trouble with learning to sow and play musical instruments, the day comes when tradition dictates Merida should marry one of the sons of the clan chiefs. Merida is NOT amused by this prospect, especially when said clans, clan chiefs and their sons arrive almost unannounced (to Merida at least) on her doorstep.  What Merida needs, as far as she is concerned is to change her destiny. And that would involve nothing short of a miracle. Or magic. This is why Merida jumps at the opportunity when fate leads her to a witch’s cottage in the woods. Surely a little magic can only help her predicament? The thing is, as we all know, when making requests from witches and other magical creatures, one needs to be specific. If one is not, one can find oneself in trouble. A lot of trouble…

This film is all a Disney film should be, with all the benefits and gloss of coming out of Pixar. It’s brilliant. It’s funny. It’s very emotional. And the reason it’s emotional is that it’s all about mothers and daughters. It’s a funny old bond, isn’t it really? One’s mother is often the one person you can count on through anything and everything and yet mothers and daughters especially almost seem to be made to fight. I should know, and if you don’t believe it ask my Mom. My Mom means everything to me now, she’s my confidante, agony aunt and I would be completely lost without her. But the road leading to this point in our relationships was fraught with screaming, slamming doors and flying furniture (I'll give you a hint, my mother neither screams, nor throws furniture. What can I tell you, I was a difficult teenager). That’s what this film is about. I defy any daughter who is close to her mother today to watch it and not need a slew of tissues (one little girl sitting near us actually had to be physically cuddled and comforted by her Mom during the film at some points. But don’t worry, the film doesn’t go all Bambi on you). Now. You go and watch Brave. Then do me a favour, go and give your Mom a hug if it’s physically possible. I know that’s what I wanted to do. (Mom, consider yourself cuddled. I love you.)          

INDULGING OUR INNER CHILDREN: "ANTZ"

I guess the new and high level of technology available to all these days is setting the standard higher for everyone, but I feel that animations especially have really gone their own way. More and more of the greats – I mean the great actors – lend their voices to animated characters, the worlds created in studios, be it Pixar, Dreamworks or Disney are more and more extravagant. It’s time for animations to up their game slightly. It’s like the job market; there comes that time when everyone has a degree, getting a masters is what one has to do to stand out… Now Antz, I felt, combined just enough of everything, to the point that we can say with some confidence that even if they haven’t hit on the ideal combo, they are pretty damn close. The actors are talented, the “new world” is, if not original definitely imaginative and the story is, if not actually completely original, chock full of witticisms that make it easy to forgive any banality on its part. Cheeky is the word I’m looking for. For this little number we are headed off underground; and no less than the great Wood Allen lends his voice to Z, an ant with an attitude problem.
But this is not some kind of typical “Woody Allen” attitude problem. In fact by some standards Z might well be considered a rather usual, typical ant/person. The problem is that he has an attitude at all. He has his own personal outlook on stuff. He doesn’t want to be like the rest of the crowd. He has a mind of his own. This is definitely NOT a good thing if you live in an ant colony. But while Z is yet to figure out how exactly to survive in the colony; he is forced head-first, first into love with possibly the one woman /ant in the anthill that is completely inaccessible to him and then into the heart of an intrigue that may well determine the fates of thousands of his fellow-ants… The question is, will Z be able to get his act together and rescue his relationship AND the colony?
Now as you can see as far as the story goes, this is nothing original. Nothing original AT ALL. However, and I don’t want to point them all out to you one by one but there are some little humorous touches that made me laugh out loud. The thing with animations is that when you do sit down to watch them – with me this is always the case at any rate – you don’t expect anything too complex. That’s why when you see all the small references they seem to count even more. Still, I like the way being competitive has pushed the genre to be better – even though I am no great fan of mass commercialization. In the humor present in this movie I also felt a touch of Woody Allen. It could be psychological of course, simply because I knew Allen was in the film, because fair is fair his name is not stated as one of the writers but still… And the rest of the cast do a pretty fine job too; Sharon Stone is Princess Baka (Z’s love interest) and Christopher Walken (always a steady favorite of mine), Gene Hackman, Sylvester Stallone (of whom I hadn’t heard of in donkey’s years) and Jennifer Lopes (don’t snort, she actually does a good job of it here =) ). In short, the movie achieves nothing completely original, one has to be fair. It is a bit of a classic example. But unlike most “classics” it is has a lot of sensitivity and originality in it, it is obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the making of it and that gives it quality. Class. Highly recommended, chuckles guaranteed.

INDULGING OUR INNER CHILDREN : "BOLT"

I liked this film. I think I did anyway. I mean don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy watching it – most of it anyway – but… What I think I mean by that is that all in all I found it a touch infantile. However, there is something rather endearing about the whole thing, especially if you’re a soppy git like me who gets all “awww” about little children and their dogs even though they are animated. Plus the whole thing does contain a few clever twists and some bits you simply have to laugh at… I dunno, not the brightest contestant in the lineup but it does hold its own…
Bolt is a super-hero. He is the dog of Penny who is the daughter of a prominent scientist. Penny’s father is responsible for very, VERY important discoveries and his arch enemy Dr. Calico and his cats are constantly out to get him. Bolt must assist Penny in saving the day – and sometimes even the world – time and time again… That’s what Bolt thinks, anyway. In reality, Bolt is the star of a very successful TV show and his loving mistress Penny is an actress. I mean, she is his mistress and she adores him but she is not the daughter of a scientist. (Think “The Truman Show” with a dog.)Penny has a successful career and Bolt has an adrenaline-filled life. Until, that is, the show’s director decides to end one episode on a cliff-hanger. Penny is abducted; Bolt is separated from her and taken to the trailer as he is meant to save her in the next day’s shooting. Bolt however, cannot rest until his precious Penny is safely home, so he escapes from the trailer and… Gets shipped to New York, by mistake. Now, what is a dog who has no idea of what real life is all about and thinks he has super powers to do in the big city? Will he ever get home? Will he ever see Penny again?
My mild problem with this film is the fact that it mixes something completely and delightfully original with something completely and utterly banal. I mean, cute kids and pets getting separated dates from the heyday of the Lassie TV series for Heaven’s sake, we kinda should have moved past this, especially considering it is painfully, PAINFULLY obvious that they will be reunited in the end. The “Truman Show” angle is however, not that bad. It affords a lot of comedy possibilities, some are good (I’m thinking Bolt’s two fellow cast-members, two cats, who know that Bolt thinks he’s a super-hero and regularly make fun of him through the skylight of the trailer – rather a nice touch those two.) Some are good, but get a bit old after a while (I’m thinking the whole pigeon thing from beginning to end I mean it starts of being not that bad, but wears a little thin towards the end.) The mainstay of the comedy is of course Bolt thinking he’s a super-hero and the attempts on the part of a “hostage” he takes to explain to him what is really going on. Again, nice but a little predictable…
That being said, like I said, the film is cute. In fact it is CUTE. And it is impressive that modern animation technology means that a dog that actually doesn’t exist can be so darn adorable… John Travolta lends his voice to Bolt, which gives the little pooch a bit of an edge. And the major advantage of this one is that you can happily set the little ones in front of it, watch it with them without getting too bored and while being able to get up and make snacks and coffee without missing too much. Gets a thumbs-up from me at any rate…

INDULGING OUR INNER CHILDREN : "THE ROAD TO EL DORADO"

Ok, I have to admit, this is a funny one. In more senses than one. I mean yes, animations are usually valued on their ability to make one laugh, and as far as that is concerned this one is very, very high up there indeed. It errs slightly, ever so slightly on the side of the infantile. But only just. I mean, as you watch it yes, you feel that it is a bit immature. But at the same time they have caught onto such brilliant points in the film that you cannot help liking it in the end or laughing. I don’t quite know how they did it, but this gruesome twosome really stole my heart.
Tulio (voice of Kevin Kline) and Miguel (voice of Kenneth Branagh) are two buddies and con-artists from 16th century Spain. They make their living basically off short-cons, loaded dice and such like and have a pretty OK deal of the whole thing all in all, until their lives change forever by the acquisition of a map. This map is supposedly the map to the legendary golden city of El Dorado in the new world. This means more gold than the two buddies could possibly imagine, it is an opportunity not to be missed. And as luck would have it, Cortes is just about to set sail to conquer the new world and so our two friends decide to tag along. Now the new world is indeed full of gold, adventure and opportunities, and our two friends are waist-deep in all of them pretty fast. But it fast becomes very clear that whether they will actually survive the ordeal to tell this tall tale is another matter altogether.
Like I said. There is a serious lack of “adult jokes” in this one. Do not compare it to something like Antz; which is constructed in a way that is hilarious both for adults and for kids. But the thing with Eldorado is that it is so good at what it does, you can’t help enjoying it. I mean, don’t forget – and I feel we have a bit these days – that good, clean, old-fashioned humor can also be hilarious if done well. We are rather used to double-ententes, allegories or sexual humor, well it doesn’t all have to be this way. I mean, think back at Tom and Jerry cartoons. Basically kids’ stuff, but you watch’em and love’em right? It is “immature” on one level but it’s just… So funny. So really, who cares! This is pretty much the same deal. Good clean fun for adults and kids. And that, let’s face it, is hard to find these days…

AN LASTLY, A MODERN TWIST : "HAPPY FEET"

Ok, we’ve had the classics, we’ve had the off-the-wall versions, how about musicals today? I had a couple in my selection. And until I watched this one, for a completely different reason, I had a completely different film in mind to make up this trilogy. However, the more I watched Happy Feet, the more “right” putting it here seemed. I mean, it is an all-singing, all dancing extravaganza with a star cast this one… I mean, so what if the ones doing the singing and dancing are animated penguins?
Mumble Happyfeet (who borrows the voice of Elijah Wood) is a seemingly perfectly normal penguin. I mean, his father Memphis (Hugh Jackman – or the voice thereof) did drop the egg for a few seconds when he was incubating but still… His mother Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) loves him all the same. But as Mumble grows, a problem emerges. A little-known fact about penguins is that they can sing. Indeed, they must sing. This is how they find their one true love; singing is what their society is constructed around. And Mumble cannot sing to save his socks. He can do something else, it’s this funny jigging around with his feet, but the older penguins do NOT approve of it. Besides, what with the great fish shortage, times are tough, there is no time or energy to be wasted on such frivolity. However, Mumble is determined. He knows in the roots of his claws that what he is doing is right. And that there is a way for him to somehow fit in and belong. Oh, and that he can figure out what is happening to the fish. Mumble is about to go on a voyage of discovery beyond his wildest dreams…
Even the most hard-hearted anti – animation – and - musicalist among you will not be able to resist this one. The songs are so skillfully chosen and so well performed that you simply cannot help toe-tapping and heck, even singing along. And the range of songs is just soo great that you are bound to come across at least one of your old favorites – I did! (Somebody to Love by Queen – I startled the entire household by spontaneously breaking into song; since I was actually watching the film on a laptop with earphones, it took some explaining afterwards not least because my level of singing is round about the same as that of Mumble, as anyone who was karaoked with me can testify). The themes are well-known ones. Society, change, being a late developer, not fitting in at high school (yes, penguins have a high school), finding your feet (ho ho) and, last but not least, (and rather unavoidably) the evil things mankind is doing to the planet and how we have to do something about it. So, Ok, you will not discover new worlds with this one. But it will sure as heck rock your world. I mean, pollution is an important issue, and as we are NOT doing anything about we should be reminded from time to time. As for the rest, well… We can all relate to each and every one of those themes on some level so we may complain that they’re classics but they are classics for a reason… In short, watching this film was some of the best fun I have had in a very, VERY long time. If you have somehow missed it, this is definitely one to catch up on…

STRANGE YET EERILY FAMILIAR... PREPARE FOR ADVENTURES WITH CORALINE

As a general rule, it is safe to say that animations can be divided into three general categories. First, there are the ones that are strictly for kids. This is usually a matter of subject matter more than anything else. Although adults can – and do – watch them, chances are that they will be bored withf them. Secondly, there are the ones for the whole family. This, I find, is generally speaking the largest category. Nothing too bad happens in this lot, but the story is exciting, there are varying levels of jokes, some stuff that the kids may miss but adults will pick up on and laugh at, all in the context of the film of course (I’m thinking “Cloudy with a chance of meatballs” as a prime example). I put those age-old classics like Tom and Jerry into this category as well (be honest with yourself, if you come across a Tom and Jerry cartoon on TV over breakfast, you do NOT change the channel. Why? Because it’s good, old-fashioned slapstick comedy for all ages). And thirdly, there are the “adult” animations. And if by adult you think I mean smut, think again =) these are animated movies strictly for older children and adults. They can either be quite complicated as far as the storyline is concerned or slightly scary (for the kids at any rate). Modern technology ensures that there is a goodly dollop of all three on the markets these days. And one of the latest additions to the third category (well when I say latest it does go back a few years, but still…) is Coraline. Now, just checking out the creative credits gives one high hopes for this film. First and foremost, Coraline is the brainchild of Neil Gaiman, that weird and wonderful person responsible for the creation of so many different worlds… And the director is none other than Henry Selick. Don’t be fooled, you have actually heard of him. I mean, ok, you’ve heard of the Nightmare before Christmas, no? Ok, newsflash, Tim Burton DID NOT direct this. Henry Selick did. Tim Burton produced Nightmare Before Christmas but never directed it. Now, take the mind that created Jack Skellington and his weird world, mix it with Neil Gaiman and what do you get? That’s right, a winner…
Coraline Jones’s life has definitely NOT taken a turn for the better. She and her parents have moved out into the countryside; a sensible move seeing as they are both writers for garden magazines and Detroit is not the ideal place for a garden. But Coraline is lonely, she misses her friends, her parents barely have time to cook, much less to spend time with her and won’t (ironically) even let her go out into the garden to plant things as it makes too much of a mess later. Their only neighbors are two actresses who cannot stop dwelling on the good old days, Mr. Bobinski who is decidedly either mad or drunk (possibly both), their rather terse landlady and Wybie (short for Whyborn) her nephew. Thus, Coraline is seriously disgruntled with her lot until she discovers a mysterious door. The door leads to what seems to be an alternative universe. And as every single aspect of Coraline’s life “sucks” at that point, things over there seem to be nothing but good. Her parents have nothing but time for her, her favorite food constantly fills the house, the neighbors are charming and the alternative universe is filled with nothing but wonder… Coraline is sorely tempted to stay, but as she stays there, this trip to wonderland slowly reveals itself to be a real nightmare… A particularly terrifying one, as her “other mother” will stop at categorically nothing to keep her there… For ever…
First of all, I am a MASSIVE fan of this style of animation. This kind of animation is closer to old style drawing (and I strongly suspected it WAS drawing only some of the special effects in the film makes me think otherwise – if someone knows any better, please give me a nudge). I have categorically nothing against the completely computer simulated versions, but this is not, on any level, pretending to be real. You know, it is a wild, beautiful, completely imaginary world, it has a style to match, and it is NOT afraid to show it. I mean, put aside the subject matter, simply watching the film, and the things you watch on screen afford you pleasure.
As for the story, well, the subject matter is no different from any fantastic tale you can think of – I mean vague parallelisms could even be drawn with Odysseus, you remember the one where they stopped at the island of those sirens but the sirens were in fact monsters that killed the sailors who stopped? Something like that… Not only would the details of this one be completely lost on smaller children, the “bad guys” and what they threaten Coraline with would scare them witless. I mean, think Nightmare before Christmas and put your hand on your heart; didn’t some of the things that happened there give you the creeps on some level? In a good way though. Believe me, even the rather corny “there is no place like home” message buried not too deep in there somehow becomes palatable with this coating… I can quite see why it was up for an Oscar ®