OH! And I plumb forgot to say I did watch The Croods this weekend~

I really don’t want to say much because spoilers, but after a week of cable TV (hotel living is where it’s at), what grinds me the most is how lackluster Dreamwork’s advertising is. GUH! The TV spots! I feel like it did this film no justice in appealing to any sort of proper demographic! It’s like Megamind all over again…

But yes, don’t really want to spoil it, because there is a lot of great in the film. My favorite part…gah! I can’t say it out loud. I’ll just put it under a cut…

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Paranorman: a quick review

Just finished this gem of a movie by Laika, and seriously, it has all the great visuals, subtle humor, and strong message without all the “ease” of cg/traditional animation creation. I was quite blown away with this tiny story, in a tiny town, with a tiny protagonist, that packed quite a giant punch overall.

Quick plot intro, if you haven’t heard about it: Norman is a kid who can see and speak to the dead (spirits, etc). Pretty much everyone thinks instead that he’s a little weirdo, but when a curse that brings the dead back to life comes into fruition onto their town, it’s up to Norman to save the day.

Essentially, the story plot/catalyst/concept are quite simple and straightforward…so the depth of the film is in the atmosphere and character interactions—from Norman to his family, allies, enemies, and even random dead people. Although the personalities are a little two-dimensional, the characters’ attitudes towards each other really play out well as the driving force of the film. Underlay all that with a solid message about society vs outcasts (with morals for both ends of the spectrum), and overlay it with tons amusing quirky moments…you end up with a winner right there.

Rise of the Guardians: a review

Honestly I’ve been anticipating this film ever since the first trailer was released (if not earlier) and my time had finally come. I was even more stoked to get to watch it with a bunch of my friends, in an early morning empty theater, ANNND with the limited edition 3d glasses they handed out for ROTG viewers. So I may be a little biased, but usually whenever I have high expectations for a film I’m usually let down…but this little  fun packed movie totally delivered for me and I already can’t wait to see it again.

A no-spoilers review, bare bones so to not bore you: This film is beyond gorgeous (eyegasm much?), with a compelling, new folklore. The character designs and backgrounds are so detailed and full of life…and for a 1.5 hour to spin a whole mythology like that, I was quite impressed how little blatant exposition was given. There was such a natural flow of the character’s interactions and sequence progression that it kept me on the right page at the right time. It never felt like they were explaining about what they were showing me, they were just…showing me, and I understood. Plenty of meanings to unravel on your own.

I would say tho with the amount of information/scenes that they need to get through, it did feel like they were really pushing the pace. It was barely enough time to giggle over some quips, or to take in all in the action…or once, to let the emotion to settle properly. It would make great for rewatch value, but it did feel a little intense how everything was speeding past.

Overall, just a gorgeous movie that I think really evokes the essence behind the Guardians…the beauty of childhood innocence and magic. How this movie can be filled with warm nostalgia and fresh innovation at the same time is an amazing accomplishment.

Spoiler/favorite parts under the cut!

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quick reservations about Brave

No spoilers under the cut, but thought I’d write down some thoughts…just evaluating brand and a small reflection on the film.

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FFFFFFS.

JUST. CAME. BACK. FROM. BEST. PREVIEW. SCREENING. EVER.

EVER.

Spoiler-free movie review, but MY FUCKING GOD i will have to contain all my feels under a read more.

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watching Chicken Little for the first time

10 minutes in, already think it’s the worst opening ever (referencing other successful films/stories, and how this movie is totally not going to be that), and already annoyed me about 3 times with jokes that will be incredibly dated. Cell phones in class. Really. Also how does a completely anthropomorphic animal world watch movies like Indiana Jones? Not to mention the other unfunny jokes and uninspiring designs.

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Black Swan: a quick review

How slow am I, really.

Anyhow, it was INTENSE! The ending act/climax was spinning so out of control I could barely bear it…it was conveyed so well, this downward (or upward?) spiral of madness. Not sure if I have the balls to watch it again. I wish I could find some way to question all the “how”, “what”, “omgishwhatjusthappenedhermindisfulloffuck”, but trying to detail everything out would sorta ruin the muddled reality of it all.

And Natalie Portman did well…so well…I mean, I personally hate those fragile personalities so much, and I pretty much wanted to like break her princess face and pull that stick out of her ass most of the movie. So a job well done.

Why bother giving it a rating. It deserved any award/nod it got. Nothing more for me to say.

Spoiler AHOY

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War Horse: a review…then fade to black.

Went to watch this for my day-off with Emily and Kay. To be completely honest, I wanted to watch this movie only cuz I heard about Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch were in it. Aside from that, I knew nothing about what this movie as about. (at ALL. Never seen a trailer, etc. Probably a poor way to start this sort of movie.)

Quick summary: A horse, a high-spirited thoroughbred, is born, and a silly farmer buys him at a high price to plow a field. The farmer’s boy, Albert, trains him and names him Joey, but soon the horse is sold into the war to pay off the debt. Joey travels between tons of people, seeing all sorts of people affected by the war, and the rest is spoilers.

Rating: B

The good point of this movie is it’s very pretty, and Spielberg captured the environment very nicely. However…I was distracted I could see how many of the shots were so deliberate. The choices in the shots were done in a way that was to get the best composition, the most beautifully orchestrated shot, and it was just so planned that I couldn’t help but notice it. Things like having people moving and stopping at a certain point, not to stop moving to talk or to turn, but because that’s where the camera wanted them to go. The shots weren’t chosen to improve the story or to push the emotion, but to make it look pretty.

This detail boils up down to a super-slow pacing, as a lot of the shots were long cuts for scenery enjoyment with little to no important dialogue. The first 5 minutes pretty much passes with barely any dialogue, and it just doesn’t intrigue people about Joey at all. It’s just a horse being born. And the film rarely picks up any pace from that….as the rest is just a horse pretty much surviving.

One thing that did feel too fast in this film was how quickly characters come and go. This movie was probably removed about 10 different characters from the screen after they each had their 15 minute little plot piece. They make good use of that time to tell us who that character is and what they stand for, but in the end, with all the long shots and quick deaths, you end up barely caring for any of those characters and nothing memorable comes out of it.

A lot of this film just felt like such a set up to me…to make the perfect-looking horse movie. So then it loses the heart and meaning of how I’m supposed to care about the lives this horse touched, or even the horse himself. He did little except be there…well, and apparently be a thoroughbred that can pull a plow.

It’s not a bad movie, but not one I’d really watch again or being ground-breaking. I guess I expected a bit more from Spielberg, but I can probably blame it on the editors. Seriously, fading to black isn’t the answer to cut to the next plot point.

Home on the Range: a -fairly harsh- review

This is one of the few disney movies I haven’t seen, so I finally got around to watching it. Short summary for those who don’t know about this movie: A crazy yodeling cattle hustler is putting farms out of business, and the last farm’s 3 cows go out to hunt him down to save the farm. I guess they’re racing against time, an overzealous sheriff horse, and whatever else is thrown in their way (like…a saloon house. o_O)

But there are way too many conflicts between characters (mood swings much? ) And with a…fairly non-intimating villain, I’m not sure what I’m really rooting for aside from them to stop arguing with one another. Also I’m pretty sure there was barely any character development, story movement, or proper motives in this film. It just gets from point A to point B, with little change in character quality or depth.

Other complaints are
1) really stale slapstick jokes that i’m not sure what age group would find them entertaining (kungfu hoofed animals a-HOY) and
2) random coincidences that drive the plot…it’s like WHATTT? THIS TRAIN TRACK HERE WILL TAKE US RIGHT TO THE SPOT WE NEED TO GET TO? Also i’m always weirded out when movies introduce an eccentric pivotal character in the 3rd act (sorry Treasure Planet, I’m looking at you. I think this particular point is a personal preference tho.) 

Is it bad the best part is when that one horse sounds like Kronk? 

OMG THE LION KING IN THEATERS

The theater wasn’t empty…so I didn’t sing. Ah well.

but GAWDDDD SCAR HAS THE BEST LINES EVER

TIMON AND PUMBA LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

AND ANYTHING WITH MUFASA