U - 103mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 10th August 2011
Well it has been a while since my last post so sorry about that- I'm sure you were just lost without my views on what you should be watching so I'm going to make up for it with a couple of reviews and new movie trailers thrown at you all in one day. First up are those blue critters they call "The Smurfs".
Despite me trying to be as neutral as possible before settling down to watch a film I found myself preparing for the long haul when I decided to watch The Smurfs. As a kid I never really got into them but did occasionally catch a TV show or two so wasn't flying completely into the unknown like some of the more recent comic book characters that I have reviewed.
U - 112mins - Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 22nd July 2011
Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy busy busy! Anyhoo, let me start by saying happy 25th birthday Pixar who have consistently brought us the best animated films around. Long may that continue as it looks set to with their new and original film Brave [trailer here]. Before we dive into Cars 2 though we have to remember this is a Pixar film and so we get our bonus short before the main event. This time around we have a Toy Story short set just after the end of the third film. There are going to be two groups of people when it comes to this short- those who can't get enough of Toy Story and so want even more and those who felt that Toy Story 3 brought the series to a fitting end and so why drag it out and stop producing new and original shorts? I think I fall into the second group so I will let the short do the talking and be prepared for another Toy Story short before the new muppets movie.
Cars 2 picks up several years after the first with Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) ruling the Piston Cup. This leads him to be invited to the first World Grand Prix where he can pit himself against the best of the rest and in particular Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) the cocky Italian stallion F1 car. McQueen's crew led by Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) gather together and set out on the trip of a lifetime to Japan, Italy and England to fight for the right to be named the best in the world. While McQueen is off racing, Mater finds himself caught up in the secret world of government spies and espionage.
First off the graphics and world in which Pixar create is stunning with no little detail overlooked. Bringing some of the scenes into real world venues also helped to show off the talent of the people at Pixar. It was also interesting to see how cars go about your average human tasks such as flying on a plane and even going to the toilet with the phenomenal background detail dragging you into the film- plane pigeons were one of many nice touches. It sounds strange to say but at some points you almost forget you are watching cars.
PG - 90mins - Animation/Action/Adventure - 10th June 2011
Po (Jack Black) returns in another kung fu animation adventure which sees our ever hungry panda face up to a new and devastating threat in the form of angry albino peacock (Gary Oldman) Lord Shen. Having been cast out by his parents years before for his atrocities, Shen has been biding his time returning with a new technology that threatens to enable him to conquer China.
Po is joined once again with the Furious Five as well as a few new characters to try and save not only the local people but also the very fabric of kung fu and all that it stands for. Aside all of this, we also learn about the childhood of Po and how he came to be at the doorstep of Mr. Ping (James Hong) and his noodle restaurant.
This film definitely takes on a darker feel when compared to the first and will surely give the younger kids in the audience something to keep them awake at night. It also has more packed into its story with extra depth and variety than the first did not necessarily have ie. lineage and upbringing and the effect that has on us as adults.
The animation is fantastic and despite not hitting the heights of a Pixar movie is up there with some of the best that I have seen to date. My favourite scenes are the fighting scenes in particular one where they are assaulting Shen's stronghold. The combination of action with the impressive visuals drags you right into the fight alongside the characters.
Po can get a bit annoying/repetitive at some points as the Jack Black from within is released and a torrent of 'awesome' and similar such catchphrases are rattled off one after the other but this did seem to be toned down slightly from his usual self so I began to think of Po as Po rather than Black in a panda costume.
I think this is a case of the sequel running the original very close and I would be hard pushed to say which one I preferred. Whereas the first was original and purely a kids flick this builds strongly on the first opening it to a wider audience with more of a slapstick feel to it which has me just siding with this one as the better of the two. Why don't you make up your own minds as it's definitely worth a watch on the big screen.
Next I take a look at documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father. [my review] Trailer below (This is one of those movies where the less you know the better so if you are ever going to watch it then ignore the trailer and hunt down a copy instead).
Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms
PG - 100mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 28th January 2011
It has been well over 10 years since the Walt Disney Animation Studios branch of Disney has had anything to shout home about as they have struggled to live up to their past successes (Lion King, Aladdin all the way back to Snow White in 1937) and compete with the modern animations of it's sister company Disney Pixar.
Tangled is based on the Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel (the film's title was only changed from Rapunzel shortly prior to its release) who as traditional tales go was locked away in a tower with only her long flowing hair as a chance of rescue. As a baby, Princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is kidnapped by Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) from the palace for her magical healing powers that have been passed onto her. Locked away in a tall tower and believing she's Gothel's daughter, she longs only for one thing- to get out into the world and see the floating lights that appear every year on her birthday.
As luck would have it Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), a thief, finds his way into her tower when hiding from the palace guard and Rapunzel fearing he is one of the evil monsters her mother has warned her about knocks him out. When he comes to she strikes up a deal that in exchange for him escorting her to see the lights and keep her safe, she will let him go and return his stolen loot.
The best thing about this film is the characters and their mannerisms. Gothel is vanity personified with snide remarks aimed at Rapunzel, Ryder the perfect amount of cockiness and all of the token extras play their part well. My two favourite though say absolutely nothing and easily steal the show. Both the chameleon (Rapunzel's best friend) and a guard's horse, Maximus are fantastic. Seeing a horse which acts more like a dog got me going but this was topped by the chameleon who seemed to have an expression that summed up the mood perfectly every time. A little legend!
In terms of graphics, they are some of the best I have seen in an animation with the detail in her hair in particular being most impressive. But then this should be expected as Tangled does now hold the record for most expensive animation and second most expensive film ever made coming in at a noteworthy £157.5 ($260) million.
As with all Disney, there was a couple of sing-a-longs thrown in for good measure and although they will not live long into the memory in the way that others have, (hakuna matata anyone?) they were still catchy and you will find yourself tapping along or humming a tune or two for a while after the movie has finished.
This movie got me laughing and even having watched it a second time I was still giggling away throughout. It works for both adults and children and the witty way in which it was written appealed to me greatly. I will happily be watching this again so it has most definitely worked its Disney magic on me. Disney might well be back!!!
And in related animation news, the new Tintin trailer has just been released and it's looking darn impressive to say the least. Want to see it? Click here. Next up I look at the less well known sci-fi drama/thriller Primer. So check it out below.
Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms
U - 96mins - Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 8th April 2011
Rio is an animation from the same people that brought us Ice Age and so it has a fair amount to live up to. It follows the tale of a blue macaw, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) who is bird-napped as a chick and smuggled into the USA to be sold. During the move though, he falls from the back of the truck and is found by Linda (Leslie Mann) who takes him in and looks after him.
The years pass by until Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), a extremely bird obsessed ornithologist pays them a visit and offers them a chance to come to Brazil as Blu is the last male of his species and the last female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), resides in Rio. Blu (who cannot fly) has lived a sheltered, comfortable life with Linda and is all the more happy for it whereas Jewel is the stark contrast and longs to be free from the cage that restricts her as she has tasted freedom before. So when the two meet, the fun starts to happen.
First off, Blue is one happy bird with the animation and his characteristics reflecting that. You immediately like him and this feeling doesn't fade with time. In fact each character has their unique quirks which enables the comedy to flow seamlessly. I was never gulping for air but the jokes are well written and non-stop with the movie certainly having its moments.
Rio, the movie, brings alive the carnival nature and flamboyant mood that one normally associates with Rio, the city, by including a couple of musical numbers into the story. Unfortunately they are not up to the standard of Disney- they are not very catchy or memorable. It's more pop music and rap with Will.I.Am lending his talents to the vocals than the traditional song associated with animations. The background music however certainly get across the energy and vibrancy of Rio with plenty of samba flooding your ears from the off.
The visuals of Rio are impressive (though not quite as good as Rango) and during the flying scenes in particular the city and its surroundings are well captured with many of the iconic landmarks easy to spot. It probably helped that the director Carlos Saldanha was born and raised in the city and so was able capture the true feeling of the place that other directors would not have been able to.
Did this live up to Ice Age then? Very nearly and I wouldn't mind watching it again to see how it handles a second viewing.
U - 95mins - Animation/Comedy/Family - 1st April 2011
What with Easter fast approaching, there was bound to be a movie that tried to exploit this market just as there is every Christmas with the swathe of below average Santa Claus movies. Hop gave me some hope that it might rise above the average though as it was made by the same people that brought us Despicable Me (but then again they also gave us Alvin and the Chipmunks, twice and soon to be thrice!)
This movie has obviously set it's target market at the kids and so there is no shortage of lovable furry characters and simple smirks to be had at their bumbling about. This means the movie isn't going to make you think all that hard. It follows two main characters- a rabbit E.B. (damn that's original although I'm embarrassed to say it took me longer than it should to make that connection) voiced by Russell Brand and Fred O'Hare, James Marsden, (spot the next connection), a human, in both the animated and real worlds. Both have overbearing fathers who want something for them that they themselves do not.
Deciding that being the Easter bunny is not the life for him E.B. makes for the big lights of Hollywood to try and show off his skills as a drummer and prove his father wrong. There he runs into Fred and their relationship gets off to a slow start. E.B. is very much the protagonist causing problems all over the shop that Fred has to keep resolving which is where I think most of the laughs are expected to come from. Add to the mix the pink berets (a crack squad of ninja bunnies) and a couple of token celebrity experiences from the Hoff and Hefner and there is enough to keep the plot moving forward.
The animation holds up quite well and there are only a few times in the movie where you can sense that the animators just didn't quite make it work. I'm still not totally convinced by movies that put animated characters in the real world when the movie is not an action adventure or sci-fi but they are getting better at it with Paul being a good example of the tide starting to turn.
It was slightly disappointed that Hop leaned so heavily on the template that made Despicable Me a relative success. Despicable Me has the excitable yellow minions and Hop has just added feathers and in some cases another eye to give us the chick minions lead by Carlos (Hank Azaria). Although they provide some of the better comic moments they don't really have that same impact as the critters from Despicable Me.
Now don't get me wrong this isn't a bad movie, it's just that anything aimed so one dimensionally at children with no real overlay for adult jokes or anything other than 'aww look at the cute fluffy bunny' is not really going to get me going. If you've got young kids then this will be an ideal way to spend an hour and a half otherwise wait for it to hit the TV screens.
Next up is the romcom How Do You Know [my review]. Haven't really reviewed many in this genre yet so thought I'd add to it. As always, cast your eyes below for the trailer.
Finally a big thanks to all those who are reading my articles as this site just broke the 1000 visits barrier today!!! Cheers everyone!
Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms
PG - 107mins - Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 4th March 2011
With western films seemingly on the comeback in recent years, it was only a matter of time before an animated version of the wild wild west made it to our screens and it has done so in the guise of Rango.
Rango (Johnny Depp) is an eccentric chameleon with ambitions of one day becoming the thespian that he believes he is destined to be. Fate casts him a die and as with many animated films these days catapults him from within his comfort zone, accompanied by his ever trusty sidekick Mr. Timms (a plastic goldfish) into the barren and unforgiving wild... the wild west in fact. As usual Depp brings his own unique style to the character of Rango really making it his own.
Rango meets up with many other inhabitants of the desert (20+) who are quirky and unique animals in their own right giving the movie real depth and I have to say that the visuals in this are stunning. They are some of the best out there and it really is starting to get to that point that you forget it is an animation with the scenery and hot dry climate being portrayed looking top notch. Add the gritty aforementioned critters who look like they have been worn down by the desert sands over time and it's a hats off to the animators who have outdone their Pixar/Dreamworks rivals (it's a Nickelodeon production for those wondering).
The movies humour is great and combines lots of slapstick, good one liners and excellent facial expressions that really got me going but this I felt is traded off, if only slightly, as the movie advances so that the plot can develop further. As usual with these films there is some subtle and some not so subtle comic references for the older generations that are likely to swoop over a few younger heads. Links to old wild west films are strewn in as well with the spirit of the west and the man with no name making their traditional western appearances. In fact more so than usual I would say that the humour is based more towards an adult audience than that of a children's one.
Throughout the movie four singing mariachi owls accompany Rango narrating his tale a la the three mice from Babe, well not quite but you get the gist- maybe more akin to the rooster from Robin Hood and provide another perspective that does well to break the movie up and add to the comedy of it all. The mariachi owls music and the movie score also draws you in and any movie that can play Ride of the Valkyries on a banjo and still make it sound good wins my vote! Hans Zimmer (Batman, Inception, Gladiator, Lion King to name but a few) working his musical ability once again.
All in all Rango has managed to combine great jokes, funny characters and stunning visuals within a solid story. The combination of Depp and Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean 1,2,3) has worked well again and it seems to have broken the mould in so far as it's a children's animation and yet I can see the adults coming away with the bigger smiles.
Favourite quote (highlight to view):
Owl 1 (In your best Mexican accent): "Here in Mojave desert animals have had millions of years to adapt to the harsh environment, but the lizard -- he is going to die."
Owl 2: "When is he going to die."
Owl 1: "Soon."
