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| yambu |
 Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:59 am |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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Ghulam wrote: Bartist said, "If you liked "In Bruges," you definitely need to see this one."
I thought of it too. Also "Waking Ned Devine".
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 4:59 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12939
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Brave is disappointing, although it looks nice. The story is about a conflict between a mother who wants her daughter to choose a husband and a daughter who doesn't want to, at least not yet. I agree with the daughter; she's far too immature to be choosing husbands, especially since the candidates are doofuses. The solution is to turn the mother into a bear; the rest of the story is how to reverse the spell before mom is stuffed and mounted.
There's a conflict between animation style and story here; the story is simply not substantial enough and needs a lighter touch.
The short is La Luna, which is charming and pretty and was up for an Oscar last February. It lost to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, and I agree with that, but it's nice to see La Luna in its entirety. I won't spoil it for you; it's one of of the loveliest ideas Pixar's come up with. I wish they'd had that much imagination during Brave. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 7:35 pm |
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Syd, a local critic of ours saw the same faults as you in Brave. Some other critic's comments were similar. They also found the visuals very well done just like you.
Speaking of animated movies, though this should be in , Couch With A View, I watched The Incredibles for a third time, the first in the theatre. Definitely up there with the best of full length animation films. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:26 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12939
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| Finding Nemo is going to be re-released in 3-D. There was a preview before Brave which, since I went to a 2-D showing of Brave, was also in 2-D. I hadn't seen it in so long that I thought it was a sequel. I'd forgotten how stunning it is; it doesn't need 3-D. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 12:02 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Finding Nemo has not been equaled by any animated film (except Toy Story 3) since its initial release. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:48 am |
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| Without doubt, animated films have a way better batting average than the non-animated films. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:53 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Gary--I don't really agree. Of course, I'm one of the minus-one-percent who was (were?) totally underwhelmed by Wall-E, Ratatouille, and the original Toy Story, so I'm probably not the go-to source for critical comment on animation.
I was also not blown away by the charming Up.
On the other hand, I challenge you to find anyone anywhere who is a bigger fan of Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story 3, or Finding Nemo. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:32 am |
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"...totally underwhelmed by Wall-E, Ratatouille, and the original Toy Story..."
I Really liked Wall-E. Ratatouille, not very much and the first Toy Story, also not very much. My favourite was Toy Story 2. TS3 was very good but it was a little too dark for me, though very well done.
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 10:15 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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Caught Moonrise Kingdom tonight, which is twee and artificial and sentimental. The kind of movie where the audience laughs loudly and then says "aww" after almost every joke. But I laughed and "aww"ed too, and I have a good time, even if I wondered how the general audience for this kind of movie realizes how close it is to The Sound of Music (which is, of course, also a movie I like, but it is also a movie more ready to accept itself for what it is and what it means to do).
The movie has something of a Charles Schultz quality in the way very young people are very serious and hyper-intellectual. There's even a dog named Snoopy. Surprisingly, bringing adults into this universe doesn't hurt it at all. Maybe because they are adults but not "grown ups."
The only thing I couldn't stand is Bob Balaban too cute and twee and sentimental by far, dressed like a garden gnome, usually stuck at the bottom of the frame, and narrating in a monotone the events of the movie.
I always feel like Anderson is, aesthetically, like the proverbial little kid on the playground who hits himself so the bullies don't have to. Though his movies are completely unrealistic and very square, he makes sure he makes the joke about how unrealistic and hopelessly square they are before the critics can, piling on the stilted groupings of his characters and shooting his movies so that no one can accuse him of failing at any kitchen sink realism, and populating them with people so impossible in real life that the critics won't accuse them of being unrealistic.
He'd be a more daring moviemaker intellectually if he were less outlandish cinematically. |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:23 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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| Loved your review, Joe, but I have to ask: what does twee mean. And before anyone rolls their eyes, I've heard it before but not in any context that makes sense. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:18 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12939
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Marj wrote: Loved your review, Joe, but I have to ask: what does twee mean. And before anyone rolls their eyes, I've heard it before but not in any context that makes sense.
I use the phrase "Too cute for words." It's not meant as a compliment. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:22 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12939
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Joe Vitus wrote:
The only thing I couldn't stand is Bob Balaban too cute and twee and sentimental by far, dressed like a garden gnome, usually stuck at the bottom of the frame, and narrating in a monotone the events of the movie.
Oh crap, it's definitely a Wes Anderson movie. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:12 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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| Marc |
| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:31 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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Quote: He'd be a more daring moviemaker intellectually if he were less outlandish cinematically.
Wes Anderson is the most daring filmmaker in the USA. And his films are visually among the most creative of any filmmaker on the planet. Calling his movies "twee" is intellectually lazy. There's a darkness under the storybook exteriors.
To dismiss his films by calling them "artificial" is like criticizing Dali for being surreal. Wes Anderson celebrates artifice. Watch the special features on Criterion's The Darjeeling Ltd. DVD and see to what lengths Anderson will go to create his own fantastic world...without CGI or expensive special effects. His movies almost have a handcrafted look and feel. They're dreamworld is organic.
Shooting Moonrise Kingdom in 16mm gives it a graininess that is absolutely perfect in a movie that seems to be made from instructions in a Boy Scout Manual. A movie carved out of celluloid.
I was so impressed by the look of Moonrise Kingdom that I bought a Bolex 8mm camera on ebay just to play with film again. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:44 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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Marc,
I don't think he celebrates artifice as much as he hides behind it. Now, Baz Luhrmann is someone who celebrates artifice. Not that I like his movies any better...People have been celebrating artifice since the 18th century. You've got to add more to it than that if you want to be considered innovative or interesting.
Marj,
Twee means...well, you know now. And thanks for the compliment. |
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