Recommended: WALL-E
Filed Under: Film, Recommended Media, SF Films, Speculative Fiction, Top Post
Do you remember that Disney CG film Dinosaurs? It’s original concept involved a feature length movie with animals that only emoted, and never spoke. Having always been a big fan of computer animation, I was excited at the early rumors of the film. Unfortunately, Disney execs got involved and the result was the talky-travesty that we eventually saw. Okay, so maybe “travesty” is a strong word. It wasn’t a bad film– It just failed to live up to it’s potential as a work that stretched the boundaries of its format.
WALL-E succeeds in many, many ways, but the most fascinating aspect for me was the extent to which Pixar relied on nonverbal communication to convey the story. I have a strong feeling that in preparation for this film, the animators watched reels and reels of silent comedy films; Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin especially. Watch the movements of WALL-E, and I think you will see some of the exaggerated mannerisms of those silent film stars. Wall-E is all angles, but angles that can change their composition to one another, so he meets the basic principles of computer character animaton established by John Lasseter so many years ago with Luxo. He can squash and stretch.
(This review contains spoilers.)
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Recommended: Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull
Filed Under: Film, Recommended Media
We saw the latest, and probably last, of the Indiana Jones franchise last night. This is gonna be chock full of spoilers as I discuss many aspects of the film. Come back after you’ve seen the movie and let’s discuss!
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Viewed: There Will Be Blood
Filed Under: Film, Recommended Media
It was okay. I’m mostly just excited that I finally get those “I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE. I DRINK IT UP!” jokes. Those were killing me. I hate being on the outside of a meme-joke
I’m trying to remember the last time Daniel Day “IDRINKYOURMILKSHAKE” Lewis did a piece that didn’t involve him snarling and shouting a lot. My Left Foot?
Favorite Films of 2006
Filed Under: Film, Recommended Media
This is not a year end review post. Okay, maybe a little.6. The Fountain. Winner of the 2006 Cohen Brothers Cinemagraphic Award Usually Reserved For the Actual Cohen Brothers When They Can Be Bothered To Make a Film. This is on the list because it was very pretty to look at, even if the plot left me sleepy. I still like watching Rachel Weis very much, but my patience is wearing thin for Hugh Jackman. He can act, so why doesn’t he?
5. Hollywoodland. The movie that reminded me why I used to like Ben Affleck, and the movie that was to L.A. what Black Dahlia really wanted to be. I was drawn into the mystery, left wondering what had really happened to the man who was superman, the man who killed himself with a Nazi pistol. Or did he?
4. Little Miss Sunshine Steve Carrell is worth watching in anything except The Office. I can’t get into that show because it is too realistic and I like my television to be a reprieve from the reality of office labor. Lest I focus on his small roll too much, all of the actors in this film put in a great performance. I still hate Greg Kinnear, but he plays parts that want me to, so that’s probably a compliment to him. Has Kinnear ever played a sympathetic character? He’s like that popular guy from high school who was always nice to you in person, but you knew he really didn’t like you, he just wanted your vote for student body president. Everybody knew that guy, right? No? Just me? Moving on then.
3. The Prestige. The actors were all drained of their emotions via a special process prior to filming, but I really enjoyed this for the setting, for the subject matter, and for the plot. It had a few small problems, but I was thrilled anyway. Christian Bale is really creepy, like, always. I imagine that children are especially frightened of him. I wonder if this bothers him?
2. Casino Royale. How weird is it that my second favorite movie of the year as of thinking right now was a James Bond movie that everyone seemed to think was doomed to fail? Sure, it needed about 15 minutes of poker-playing cut from it, and more (LOTS MORE) naked Eva Green (thank you, Mr. Internet, for making up for this deficiency in my celebrity nudity diet), but I loved how it took the Bond standards and turned them on their heads. I especially liked the car chase.
1. Brick. Jesus, that kid from Third Rock from the Sun can act. Noir dialogue plus crazy teen actors with mad skills plus high school setting equals, I dunno, usually I would say a really bad high school production of The Big Sleep. Instead, we have Brick, which mesmerized me completely. I want to make movies like this some day.
Movies I have yet to see but am sure will be added to the list:
Pan’s Labyrinth
Children of Men
Volver
The Queen
Overlord
Thank You For Smoking
