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2009 Four-Point Four-Film Roundup
Belated happy holidays! I've been home in Nova Scotia for the month, doing family things, seeing old friends, and meeting new folks, like comic artist ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
beatonna! She drew me a Louis Riel and a li'l Poe. I'm a happy fangirl! ^^ So yes, it's been an excellent break.
Christmas times is movie times in my family, and I made good this season, catching up on non-anime dvd rentals and getting to four of the five films I meant to see in theatre. (I've only missed Sherlock Holmes so far.) Instead of posting a ton of long reviews, I thought I'd work on my brevity and do a Four-Point Four-Film Round-Up. So here's the What, the Who, and the Pros and Cons of some of the last theatrical features of 2009. Still time to see them, folks! And here's why you should (or shouldn't).
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
What: A wry animal comedy about clever Mr. Fox, who can't give up his coop-raiding habits and leads his family into a world of trouble.
Who: Based on a book by Roald Dahl, directed by Wes Anderson, with voices by George Clooney and Meryl Streep, among others. The result is a marked mix of British and American: Dahl's deligtfully nasty English farmers make an odd contrast with American folk music in the opening scenes.
Pros: Visually interesting in its use of pure stop-motion animation with few obvious "effects": the hills are patchwork quilts, the smoke cotton wool, and the puppets endearingly awkward. A nostalgic low-tech look in an age when stop motion is approaching the slick fluidity of cg. Compare Coraline.)
Cons: The humour is often dry and will not be to everyone's taste. Also, minus feminist points for not allowing Mrs. Fox to participate in any adventures after having kids.
The Princess and the Frog
What: The archetypically perfect Disney Princess story of Tiana, a New Orleans waitress aspiring to restaurant ownership, and the playboy frog Prince she comes to love over the course of a madcap adventure. Much lauded for including the company's first black Princess.
Who: Directed and written by Ron Clements and John Musker (the team behind Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, among others), with Tiana voiced by the "other Dreamgirl" Anika Noni Rose. Thankfully, does not use big-name celebrity actors in every single role.
Pros: Made me remember why I love Disney: fantastic music, beautiful cel-style animation, likeable characters, funny gags, and a villain with suitably cool powers. I left the theatre dancing, elated, thinking "Finally, a new Disney movie!"
Cons: Made me remember why I criticize Disney. Can we get over the jazz-and-voodoo image of black culture now, please? And the heteronormativity? For all you free-wheeling guys and career-minded girls, the message is this: what you want is not always what you need, and what you need is to GET MARRIED, Prince to Princess. Think I'll go watch Utena now...
Avatar
What: Fern Gully for adults. Marine Jake Sully jacks into a hybrid clone alien body as part of a program to convince alien "savages" to step aside in the name of capital-industrialist progress, only to fall in love with the requisite Hot Native Female and join her cause.
Who: A James Cameron picture, in his signature High Hollywood Epic style. Stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, plus an enjoyable performance by Sigourney Weaver as the tough-as-nails scientist.
Pros: Stunning visual effects, the next step up from Lord of the Rings, blur the boundaries of live-action and animation yet again. A big budget gives the film creative creatures and a compelling sense of energy.
Cons: The story has not caught up to the sophistication of the effects. It tries to be environmentalist and anti-imperial, but still relies on Noble Savage and Good White Man tropes in other guises.
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
What: The dark, Faustian fantasy of an aged immortal who can't stop gambling with the Devil, even when his 16-year-old daughter's soul is on the line.
Who: "Heath Ledger and Friends" -including Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who take over the role of the shifty cad Tony after Ledger's passing, upstaging director Terry Gilliam in the movie's credits.
Pros: The concept of the "Imaginarium," a travelling Victorian stage-magic sideshow that allows people to enter directly into their own imaginations is enchanting, and lets Gilliam play with absurd, surreal imagery right out of Monty Python. Go for the jellyfish, stay for the chorus-line of bobbies in drag!
Cons: The plot often feels like an excuse for the imagery, resulting in a story that's convoluted and perplexing, especially at the end. And I say that as someone who likes weird plots.
Coming up in 2010: thoughts on my newfound love of 9 (the cg animation, not the musical) and a review of Tom Lamarre's new book, The Anime Machine. So much to say, so little time!
beatonna! She drew me a Louis Riel and a li'l Poe. I'm a happy fangirl! ^^ So yes, it's been an excellent break.Christmas times is movie times in my family, and I made good this season, catching up on non-anime dvd rentals and getting to four of the five films I meant to see in theatre. (I've only missed Sherlock Holmes so far.) Instead of posting a ton of long reviews, I thought I'd work on my brevity and do a Four-Point Four-Film Round-Up. So here's the What, the Who, and the Pros and Cons of some of the last theatrical features of 2009. Still time to see them, folks! And here's why you should (or shouldn't).
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
What: A wry animal comedy about clever Mr. Fox, who can't give up his coop-raiding habits and leads his family into a world of trouble.
Who: Based on a book by Roald Dahl, directed by Wes Anderson, with voices by George Clooney and Meryl Streep, among others. The result is a marked mix of British and American: Dahl's deligtfully nasty English farmers make an odd contrast with American folk music in the opening scenes.
Pros: Visually interesting in its use of pure stop-motion animation with few obvious "effects": the hills are patchwork quilts, the smoke cotton wool, and the puppets endearingly awkward. A nostalgic low-tech look in an age when stop motion is approaching the slick fluidity of cg. Compare Coraline.)
Cons: The humour is often dry and will not be to everyone's taste. Also, minus feminist points for not allowing Mrs. Fox to participate in any adventures after having kids.
The Princess and the Frog
What: The archetypically perfect Disney Princess story of Tiana, a New Orleans waitress aspiring to restaurant ownership, and the playboy frog Prince she comes to love over the course of a madcap adventure. Much lauded for including the company's first black Princess.
Who: Directed and written by Ron Clements and John Musker (the team behind Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, among others), with Tiana voiced by the "other Dreamgirl" Anika Noni Rose. Thankfully, does not use big-name celebrity actors in every single role.
Pros: Made me remember why I love Disney: fantastic music, beautiful cel-style animation, likeable characters, funny gags, and a villain with suitably cool powers. I left the theatre dancing, elated, thinking "Finally, a new Disney movie!"
Cons: Made me remember why I criticize Disney. Can we get over the jazz-and-voodoo image of black culture now, please? And the heteronormativity? For all you free-wheeling guys and career-minded girls, the message is this: what you want is not always what you need, and what you need is to GET MARRIED, Prince to Princess. Think I'll go watch Utena now...
Avatar
What: Fern Gully for adults. Marine Jake Sully jacks into a hybrid clone alien body as part of a program to convince alien "savages" to step aside in the name of capital-industrialist progress, only to fall in love with the requisite Hot Native Female and join her cause.
Who: A James Cameron picture, in his signature High Hollywood Epic style. Stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, plus an enjoyable performance by Sigourney Weaver as the tough-as-nails scientist.
Pros: Stunning visual effects, the next step up from Lord of the Rings, blur the boundaries of live-action and animation yet again. A big budget gives the film creative creatures and a compelling sense of energy.
Cons: The story has not caught up to the sophistication of the effects. It tries to be environmentalist and anti-imperial, but still relies on Noble Savage and Good White Man tropes in other guises.
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
What: The dark, Faustian fantasy of an aged immortal who can't stop gambling with the Devil, even when his 16-year-old daughter's soul is on the line.
Who: "Heath Ledger and Friends" -including Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who take over the role of the shifty cad Tony after Ledger's passing, upstaging director Terry Gilliam in the movie's credits.
Pros: The concept of the "Imaginarium," a travelling Victorian stage-magic sideshow that allows people to enter directly into their own imaginations is enchanting, and lets Gilliam play with absurd, surreal imagery right out of Monty Python. Go for the jellyfish, stay for the chorus-line of bobbies in drag!
Cons: The plot often feels like an excuse for the imagery, resulting in a story that's convoluted and perplexing, especially at the end. And I say that as someone who likes weird plots.
Coming up in 2010: thoughts on my newfound love of 9 (the cg animation, not the musical) and a review of Tom Lamarre's new book, The Anime Machine. So much to say, so little time!