Movie Review: Despicable Me

Despicable Me *** ½
Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud.
Written By: Ken Daurio & Cinco Paul & Sergio Pablos.
Starring: Steve Carell (Gru), Jason Segel (Vector), Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario), Julie Andrews (Gru's Mom), Will Arnett (Mr. Perkins), Kristen Wiig (Miss Hattie), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith), Elsie Fisher (Agnes).

Gru is a supervillian that would fit right in to the most ridiculous James Bond movie. He is tall, bald, has remarkably skinny legs and sounds like a Russian Arnold Schwarzenegger at times. He wants to be the best villain of all time – and he is pretty evil, as we witness early on in the movie when comes across a little boy crying over his split ice cream cone, and then makes him a balloon dog to cheer him up, only to pop it right after just because he can. His latest plan isn’t to take over the world, like many Bond villains, but instead to steal the moon. His rival, Vector, has just stolen a pyramid in Egypt, so Gru decides he needs to go even bigger if he is going to top him.

To do so, he needs a loan for the Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers a helpful sign informs us), but the Bank Executive thinks that Gru is getting too old, and that perhaps he should support Vector instead. Besides, in order to do what he needs to, Gru needs a shrink ray to make the moon a more manageable size, and Vector has stolen it, and despite his best efforts, Gru cannot break into Vector’s house. It is helpful that there “lairs” are really just two houses in the same suburban area. Gru hits upon an idea when he sees three orphan girls going door to door to sell cookies, and Vector opens his impregnable fortress to them. It isn’t long before Gru has adopted the three girls, not because he loves them, but to use them to get inside. But the three girls are so cute and lovable that not even Gru can hold out for long.

Despicable Me is one of the best, funniest animated movies of the year. It helps that they have the best voice cast this side of Toy Story. Steve Carell is great as Gru – disguising his voice, but you can still tell it is him. Jason Segal gets even nerdier then usual as Vector and Russell Brand is wonderful as the aging, hard of hearing Dr. Nefario, who always seems to get Gru’s order mixed up. Best of all may be the three little girls – particularly the lovable Agnes voice by Elsie Fisher, who voice matches the almost impossible cute animation for her character. Look into her eyes, and listen to her talk about her love of unicorns – especially if they are fluffy – and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her. And don’t even get me started on the wonderful minions.

Despicable Me is inventively animated for beginning to end. The theater near my house where I saw it, wasn’t playing it in 3-D, and perhaps that’s just as well – I’m growing increasingly tired with the technology, and can count the number of times that 3-D has actually enhanced a movie going experience on one hand, with a couple of fingers left over. The film is almost impossible colorful, and I fear that 3-D may have taken the edge off of those colors – which is a shame, because it works wonderfully here.

I continually find that many animated movies have grown lazy – slapping together stories and characters that don’t really interest audiences, simply to make a quick buck. That’s why, Toy Story aside, we get so many animated sequels that just are not very good. But Despicable Me feels fresh and alive – it draws us in almost immediately, and its rapid fire jokes almost all hit their marks. To put it quite simply, I had more fun at Despicable Me than I did at almost any other film this summer.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 ****
Directed by: Lee Unkrich.
Written By: Michael Arndt & John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich.
Starring: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Ned Beatty (Lotso), Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head), Michael Keaton (Ken), Wallace Shawn (Rex), John Ratzenberger (Hamm), Estelle Harris (Mrs. Potato Head), John Morris (Andy), Jodi Benson (Barbie), Emily Hahn (Bonnie), Laurie Metcalf (Andy's Mom), Blake Clark (Slinky Dog), Javier Fernandez Pena (Spanish Buzz), Timothy Dalton (Mr. Pricklepants), Jeff Garlin (Buttercup), Bonnie Hunt (Dolly), Jeff Pidgeon (Aliens), Whoopi Goldberg (Stretch), Richard Kind (Bookworm).

I think the reason why most sequels fail to live up to the movies that came before them is that most filmmakers are lazy. They do not try anything new in the sequels – they simply recycle what worked in the first movie, add a new character or two, and throw the result onto the screen. Iron Man 2 is a perfect example of this. Yes, it is a fine movie and an entertaining one, but it lacks the freshness of the first movie – we are no longer surprised by how good Robert Downey Jr. is as Tony Stark, and as such the movie has a slightly warmed over feel to it. The best sequels in history – like The Godfather Part II – takes characters that we know and love, but push them farther into unknown territory. The Godfather Part II would not be as good as it is if Michael had simply become a clone of his father – something most filmmaker would have done. Because Coppola and company pushed his story further, into unchartered territory, the movie is a masterpiece.

The same thing can be said about Pixar’s Toy Story 3. This is not a lazy sequel that simply repeats what happened in the first two installments. This is a film that moves the characters we have grown to love in the past 15 years, and pushes them forward, into much darker terrain. As a result, Toy Story 3 immediately joins the ranks of the best sequels ever made – and perhaps the best final installment of a trilogy I have ever seen. If that sounds like hyperbole, think back to all the third installments in a series’ history and tell me if any of them can match this one. I don’t think there is one.

In this film, Andy is about to head off to college at the end of the week. His once beloved toys are stuck in a toy box in his room that he never goes into. They haven’t been played with in years – and their numbers are dwindling thanks to various yard sales in the intervening years. His little sister, who has also outgrown toys for the most part, will be moving into his room and his mom tells him that he has to either pack everything for college, put them in boxes in the attic, or thrown them out altogether. He decides to put the few toys he has left up in the attic – with the exception of Woody, his beloved cowboy action figure given to him by his father. He will go to college with Andy, most likely to sit on a shelf and be ignored. The toys aren’t happy about going to the attic, but they have resigned themselves to the inevitability that it will happen. And perhaps one day, Andy will have kids and they’ll be played with again.

But then things go wrong, and instead of the attic, the toys end up being donated to a daycare – with Woody in tow as well. When they arrive, they are greeted by a big, purple teddy bear named Lotso Hugs (voice of Ned Beatty), who tells them that they will love it there. They get played with all day every day – everything a toy could want. And best of all, when these kids grow up and move on, another group takes their place. Woody wants to head back to Andy’s, but the rest of the toys don’t relish the idea of going to the attic and staying there for years on end, and decide to stay. Woody gets out, but ends up somewhere else with another group of toys – toys who know the truth about the daycare center, and just how much danger Woody’s friends are in.

I won’t reveal more of the plot, except to say that Lotso is perhaps the most evil teddy bear in history, and that as the film moves along, it actually takes on some rather serious issues. The toys are in essence a family, and at first they have to deal with being abandoned by a loved one, and eventually they even have to face death head on. While I don’t agree with the critic who thought the entire movie was an allegory about the Holocaust, I at least understand why they thought so. The film gets dark and intense in its final act – much darker than either of the two previous stories, and perhaps darker than any previous Pixar entry. Based on the cheers of joy coming from all the kids in the theater when I saw it however, I don’t think kids, except for the smallest ones, are going to be that effected by the movie’s serious themes though – to them it will be another exciting adventure with their favorite toys. Their parents however maybe surprised by how much they care for these toys. For the third summer in a row – following Wall-E in 2008 and Up in 2009, Pixar has succeeded is making me cry at a movie aimed at children.

Please don’t make the mistake in thinking that Pixar has somehow gone completely dark in this third installment. This one is still just as funny and charming as the original two movies were. Tom Hanks is still perfect as Woody – in fact, I would say that Woody has become perhaps the best role of Hanks’ career – Tim Allen is still gloriously clueless as Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the series regular lovabale characters – mu favorites always being Wallace Shawn’s insecure T-Rex, and John Ratzenberger’s cynical piggy bank Hamm – are still a joy. The new characters are all a welcome addition. I quite enjoyed Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, a stuffed porcupine that is what I would call a “Method Toy”, who takes his job as seriously as Robert DeNiro. Michael Keaton is easily the most fun of the new characters as Ken, who takes an immediate shine to Barbie, and is glad that finally someone at the daycare cares about fashion. But far and away the best is Ned Beatty as Lotso. Beatty has quite a range in his voice, coming across at first like a genial old grandfather type – kind and thoughtful. But when you cross him, he gets an edge in his voice and he becomes downright scary. As good as the villains in the first two movies were – especially Kelsey Grammar as Prospector Pete in the second movie – Beatty outdoes them both and becomes the series’ best villain.

I have to admit that when I heard that Pixar was making Toy Story 3 this year, I was a little disappointed (especially because next year’s Pixar movies is Cars 2). They have hit at a consistently high level almost all decade – the lone exception being Cars, which would be a triumph for any other animation studio, but for Pixar was a little disappointing. After the triumphs of originality that were Wall-E and Up in the past two years, I wanted them to continue to push forward with new movies, and new characters. But I should have known better than to doubt them. Pixar has been the most consistent creative force in American movies for the past 15 years. The key to their success is that they spend as much as time writing their stories as they do at making the movies themselves. The films still look better than any other animation studio in the world – and that is true in 3-D this time, which for my money is the best use of 3-D in an animated film since Coraline – but what makes them special is how seriously they take their movies, how much trust they put into children to follow them to darker, more troubling places that most studios wouldn’t dream of pushing them into. Toy Story 3 is a sequel, but it is just as original as anything Pixar has done in the few years – and just as brilliant. This is quite simply one of the best films of the year.

Movie Review: Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After ***
Directed by: Mike Mitchell.
Written By: Josh Klausner & Darren Lemke.
Starring: Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Walt Dohrn (Rumpelstiltskin / Priest / Krekraw Ogre), Julie Andrews (Queen), Jon Hamm (Brogan), John Cleese (King Harold), Craig Robinson (Cookie), Jane Lynch (Gretched), Conrad Vernon (Gingerbread Man).

The first Shrek movie worked as well as it did because it was original, clever and funny in the way it skewered fairy tales and Disney animated movies with an irreverent style that worked on one level for kids and another for adults. The second film was more of the same - still fun and clever - but rather forgettable after you left the theater. The third film was simply lazy - it felt like they rushed it into production to capitalize on the series popularity, and didn’t care if the film was good at all. The less said about the forgettable Christmas special the better. Before watching Shrek Forever After, I thought that the filmmakers had gone as far as they could with these characters, and it was time to put them behind them and move on. But I am happy to report that Shrek Forever After is the best of the series since the first film. It seems that this time, the filmmakers actually cared about the story and the characters, and came up with a fine film for the whole family. Yes, the originality of the first film has worn off, but this film is as good as a fourth in a series can be expected to be.

When the film opens, Shrek is getting worn down by family life. He has no time for himself, is tired of the same routine day after day, and is sick of being looked on as a hero. He is an ogre, and wishes that he could go back and be treated like that again - feared and hated, and most of all left alone. After a fight with Fiona, he meets Rumpelstiltskin, who is angry at Shrek because when he rescued Fiona from that tower, he screwed up his plan to take over the kingdom of Far, Far Away. Shrek doesn’t know this, so he allows himself to be talked into signing a contract where Shrek can spend a day like he used to before he got married and had kids. The only catch is he has to give up a day from his past in exchange. He agrees, but finds out the day that Rumpelstiltskin took was the day Shrek was born. So now, everything has been completely changed - Shrek never met Donkey, never rescued Fiona, never did anything, because he never existed. If he cannot put things right in 24 hours, he will disappear forever. In effect, this is a version of It’s a Wonderful Life, with Shrek looking at the mess the world becomes when he was never born.

The film is clever and fun pretty much beginning to end. The voice actors have always been good in this series - even in the third installment - and the slip into their roles like slipping into an old shoe. Myers is always amusing as Shrek - even if he isn’t in most of his other roles. Murphy has made Donkey into one of his definitive characters. Diaz is fine, if the least of the three main characters as always. Banderas does his best work of the series as Puss in Boots - who has become fat and lazy. The main new addition is Walt Dorhan as Rumpelstiltskin, who is wonderful doing a Jack Black impression (I was convinced it was Black until I saw the credits).

As with seemingly all animated films these days, Shrek Forever After is in 3-D. The effects are fine, but I’m starting to get a little tired of having to wear the glasses, especially since they don’t really add much to the visual look. The effects here are seamless - which is much better than something like Clash of the Titans where the effects were a distraction - but doesn’t add anything either. If I didn’t get in for free, I’m not sure I would pay extra for the privilege of seeing these effects.

Shrek Forever After is far from groundbreaking, but what it does it does well. The movie is fun pretty much from beginning to end. If you liked Shrek, but like me started to believe that the series had lost all its steam, then I think you’ll enjoy Shrek Forever After. That doesn’t mean I hope there is a fifth installment however. They have advertised this as the final Shrek adventure - and I think it is time to give up while they are ahead.

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon *** ½
Directed by: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders.
Written By: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders based on the book by Cressida Cowell.
Starring: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), America Ferrera (Astrid), Jonah Hill (Snotlout), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs), T.J. Miller (Tuffnut), Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut), Robin Atkin Downes (Ack), Philip McGrade (Starkard ), Kieron Elliott (Hoark the Haggard), Ashley Jensen (Phlegma the Fierce).

How to Train Your Dragon is a terrific animated adventure that everyone is going to love. I have found that a lot of recent kids films seem to split the audience – either they are completely juvenile and focus on toilet humor and pratfalls, which the kids love, or they try so hard to appeal to parents, that they forget that the kids are the real target audience for the film. So the kids love it, and the parents hate it, or vice versa. How to Train Your Dragon is that rare kids films that is going to please everyone.

Jay Baruchel gives an excellent vocal performance as Hiccup, a young Viking and son to the tribal leader Stoick (Geard Butler) who is a source of constant ridicule and disappointment. He isn’t as strong or as tough as the other Vikings. He is more intelligent and sensitive. Their village has lasted for generations, despite the problem that dragons live nearby and occasionally attack the village. Every Viking needs to go through Dragon training to learn how to defend themselves – but Hiccup appears to be at the bottom of his class – much to his chagrin, as he is in love with Astrid (America Ferrera), who is at the top. But Hiccup has a secret. He has created a machine that launches a net to catch dragons, and to his dismay it has actually worked, although no one will believe him. He fires it off and catches a famed Night Fury dragon, but when he walks out into the forest to finish the dragon off, he cannot bring himself to do it. The dragon is as scared of him as he is of it. So he releases the dragon, but he has an injured tail, and cannot fly. Hiccup goes to see him again and again, bringing food, and different things to try and help him fly. The two bond. But when Hiccup’s secret gets out, he knows there will be hell to pay.

The film was directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, who also made Disney’s Lilo & Stitch a few years ago. Like that film, this one is visually inventive, and very well animated. The different types of dragons – and there are a lot of them – are all unique and creative. They start off appearing scary, but as the movie goes along, they become big softies – particularly the Night Fury, which Hiccup names Toothless, who is very much like a lovable dog. The human characters are just as well animated, and are brought to life by wonderful voice actors – not only Baruchel, Ferrara and Butler (who has, in my mind, never been better) but also by Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller and Kristen Wiig. Pleasantly enough, none of these actors try and make the movie about their voice work – but just do solid work in support of the movie, and the result is wonderful entertainment.

How to Train Your Dragon will please children, who will like all the visual excitement on the screen – especially the breathtaking action sequences that are expertly handled, without becoming too scary. Adults will probably enjoy the clever screenplay more – it is filled with wonderful one liners. Both will enjoy the story, which is exciting, yet emotional. This is that rare kids film that I would have no problem recommending to anyone – regardless of whether or not they have children.

2009 Year in Review: Animated Films

This has been a wonderful year for animation. Normally, the Oscars only nominate three movies for best animated film, but this year, they are going to nominate five as there were so many animated films released. The pleasant surprise for me is that while I sometimes struggle to find three quality nominees for this category, this year I would be happy for any of the top nine animated films on the list below getting a nomination (although, one sadly, is not eligible). In addition to these 10 there were other animated films that I saw - but they were mostly disappointing like Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol, Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the opening of anime epic Evangelion 1.0. I would have loved to have seen A Town Called Panic before the deadline, but alas, it was not in the cards.

10. Monsters vs. Aliens (Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon)
Monsters vs. Aliens is just straight ahead, fun family filmmaking. A group of aliens come to attack the world, and all human weapons are useless against them. So the American government unleashes a group of monsters to attack them – including their newest member a giant woman (with the voice of Reese Witherspoon). The real reason to see the film is the entertaining byplay between the other three monsters – with the voices of Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie and Will Arnett, and of course the hilarious vocal styling of Stephen Colbert as the inept President. The 3-D animation is also top notch. Not a great film by any means, but it sure as hell is entertaining.

9. 9 (Shane Acker)
This is certainly among the best looking animated films of the year – a stylish, futuristic movie where people have been wiped off the face of the earth, and the only things left are a group of rag dolls created by a mad scientist and the machines that wiped out humanity in the first place. There is not a frame of this film that is not breathtaking and gorgeous. If only the story, which is a little too pat and predictable, had been better, this easily could have been much higher on the list.

8. Mary and Max (Adam Eliot)
Another one of those movie that barely secured a release, this melancholy, black and white stop motion animated film is decidedly not for children – even though the main character Mary is a child for most of the movie. She is an overweight kid in Australia with no friends, a distant father and an alcoholic mother, who finds an interesting name in the book down at the post office for a guy in New York City and decides to write him a letter. Max has mental problems of his own. There pen pal friendship lasts for years and keeps both of them going through hard times. Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers a wonderful vocal performance as Max. This is an intelligent, thoughtful animated film, and while it is a little drawn out (I think perhaps a short would have been better), it is still a wonderful animated film.

7. Sita Sings the Blues (Nina Palfrey)
This movie, only available online because of copyright issues, is one of the most joyous do-it-yourself movies I can ever recall seeing. Reeling for a breakup, director Nina Palfrey decided to make this wonderfully absurd animated take on the Hindu story the Ramayana, about God Rama, and his long suffering wife Sita. The result is a movie that mixes animation styles, modern storytelling and wonderful jazz music from the 1920s (hence the copyright issues) into a hybrid of movie that is simply a joy to behold. I cannot wait to see what Palfrey does with a real budget.

6. The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore)

This barely released Irish animated film surprised many by getting a best picture nod at the Annie Awards this year. But if you had seen the film, you wouldn’t be surprised. It is a charming, classically animated story of a little boy in Kells whose strict Uncle will not allow him outside the walls of their town, and is busy trying to prepare for an invasion by the Vikings. Then a new man arrives in town, with a secret book, and asks the boy to help him with it. The Secrets of Kells is a grand adventure story, very well animated with charming voice work. I hope this finds an audience on DVD – it deserves one (and its shocking Oscar nomination this morning should help it get one!).

5. Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki)
Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest animators in cinema history. His previous films include at least two masterpieces – Princess Monoke and Spirited Away. His most recent film, Ponyo, does not reach those heights. It is a little too cutesy and predictable for that. Yet, it is still a wonderfully animated film about a little girl from the sea who wants to become human and be with her friend forever. The film is magical for kids, and a wondrous visual experience for adults.

4. The Princess and the Frog ( Ron Clements & John Musker)
It had been over five years since Disney made one of their classically animated movies – and almost 10 since they did one properly. But The Princess and the Frog brings Disney animation back in a marvelous way. Set in New Orleans, the movie is about an industrious young woman who works hard to make her dreams come true – that is until she kisses a Prince who has been turned into a frog, and turns into one herself. The movie is animated in the classic Disney style – which is wonderful to see again – the music by Randy Newman, which recalls some of his old music – works wonderfully well. Cinematic comfort food of the highest order.

3. Coraline (Henry Selick)
Henry Selick is finally out of Tim Burton’s shadow with this wonderfully dark, creepy kids movie from Neil Gaiman’s novel. Coraline is a little girl stuck in a big old house with no friends or siblings to play with, and parents that ignore her. She enters a dark mirror world where everything is like she dreamed, but there is something decidedly off about the whole thing. The film has a wonderful look – the 3-D is among the best I have seen in a theater so far – and the movie doesn’t try to lighten Gaiman’s dark original. The director of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas is finally getting his due.

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
Wes Anderson’s films have always been so closely controlled by the director, so colorful and intricately detailed, that the move to animation seems to have been preordained from the beginning of his career. Finally, he can have absolute control over every aspect of the visual look of his films, making the characters move just how he wants them to. The film is brilliantly well detailed – the different animal and human characters all have a distinct look and way of moving – yet the film is more than just a visual delight (although, it must be said, it is one of the most delightful visual films of the year), but also a touching, bittersweet family drama. Just because the family at the center of the film are foxes, that doesn’t mean they are any less human.

1. Up (Pete Docter)
Pixar seemingly always makes the best animated film of the year. The reason is simple – they spend as much time and effort on writing their films as they do in making them the best looking animated films, so the result are emotionally powerful films that stick in your mind (and your heart) long after they movie is over. Up is a movie about a widow who wants to go on an adventure – by himself – and he finds that without friends and family around him, it is all meaningless. The movie switches gears from emotional tearjerker, to soaring adventure, to gripping action, and never loses sight of its goal. This ranks among the best movies that Pixar has ever made.

Movie Review: Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues *** ½
Directed By: Nina Palfrey.
Written By: Nina Palfrey.
With the Music of: Annette Hanshaw.

Sita Sings the Blues is a stellar example of what you can do by yourself at home on your computer. Written and directed by Nina Palfrey, Sita Sings the Blues is a wonderful, hilarious, original animated film that she made after returning from India and being dumped by her boyfriend. The film is an adaptation of the Ramayana, the story of the Indian God of War Rama, and his wife Sita, and has mixed with it the jazz music by Annette Hanshaw. The result is pure movie magic.

Sita is so in love with her husband Rama that she follows him into the forest when he is banished to the forest for 14 years by his father at the behest of his evil stepmother. She is kidnapped by a warlord, and when Rama comes to rescue her, resulting in a bloody war, he then rejects her because she feels she may longer be pure. But she passes his test of fire, and he takes her back again. Then he gets her pregnant with twins, and then banishes her to the forest because his subjects are doing the same thing. When he comes across his twin sons, now teenagers, years later, he wants to take them back to the kingdom - but once again questions Sita’s purity. Apparently Rama was a bit of a douche.

Palfrey brings a modern female sensibility to this story. She switches animation styles between four unique animation styles. In the “dramatic” sequences, she uses a more flat animation style, when the “shadow puppets” come on to comment on what is happening, it almost appears like an episode of South. The musical numbers are thrilling fluent and alive. Finally, there are scenes from Palfrey’s own life that reminded me of that old TV show Dr. Katz. The result is an ever changing animated film. If you didn’t know that the songs in the movie were recorded in the 1920s, you would swear they were written for the movie. Palfrey uses the songs to advance the story, and to reveal Sita’s personality.

Of course, when you make a movie like this, some people are going to be offended. Some Hindu groups have claimed that Sita Sings the Blues mocks their religion. I disagree. I think the movie celebrates a classic Hindu story, and brings it into the modern day. The shadow puppets observations on the story are witty and often hilarious. The same process could be used to tell the story of any religion. As with everything, you have to have a sense of humor about it.

Sadly, Sita Sings the Blues will not get a theatrical release, and will only come out in a limited edition DVD run of 4,999, because apparently Palfrey did not clear the music rights. But you can download and watch the movie for free on the internet. The movie has already reached untold numbers of people, been praised by film critics like Roger Ebert, and has become a cult sensation. I hope this is the start of a long career for Palfrey. She is talented, not just in terms of her animation ingenuity, but also in terms of writing, which is something much rarer. Imagine what she could do with a real budget.

Note: To watch Sita Sings the Blues follow this link. Believe me, you will not be sorry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzTg7YXuy34&feature=player_embedded

Movie Review: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel **
Directed By: Betty Thomas.
Written By: Jon Vitti and Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger based on the characters created by Ross Bagdasarian.
Starring: Zachary Levi (Toby), David Cross (Ian), Jason Lee (Dave), Wendie Malick (Dr. Rubin), Justin Long (Alvin), Matthew Gray Gubler (Simon), Jesse McCartney (Theodore), Christina Applegate (Brittany), Anna Faris (Jeanette), Amy Poehler (Eleanor).

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel is much better than any movie about singing chipmunks has any right to be. No, it’s not a new classic kid’s movie or anything like that. Most of the adults who end up seeing the movie are going to go with their children, and they will probably enjoy the film a lot more than they expect they will. Most other adults will never see the movie anyway. I believe you have to judge a movie based on what it aims to achieve. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel does pretty much what it wants to do - be a funny, entertaining movie for kids.

I grew up watching the TV show, loving every minute of minute. Trouble making Alvin, smarty pants Simon and my favorite, sweet chubby Theodore. They were rock stars who always got their “dad” Dave Seville mad at them. The two movies based on the TV show have pretty much kept the story in tact. Jason Lee is Dave, and he yells “Alvin” at the top of his longs as well as anyone could expect him to. Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney provide the voices for the chipmunks, and although their voices have obviously been changed, you can still tell it’s them under their (especially Gubler, who I watch every week in Criminal Minds, and keeps his unique delivery in tact).

In this movie, Dave is hurt because of an accident caused by Alvin, and has to stay in Paris recovering. His cousin Toby (Zachary Levi, from another of my favorite shows, Chuck), has to watch the chipmunks. He is a 30 year old slacker who plays video games all days. To make matters worse, the chipmunks are starting high school. The girls love them, but they run afoul of the jocks, who torment them.

Not only that, but they meet the Chipettes -Brittany (Christina Applegate), Jeanette (Anna Faris) and Eleanor (Amy Poehler), who also come to the school and challenge their singing supremacy. Before they get to the school though, Ian (David Cross), the villain from the first movie gets his hands on them, and sees them as their ticket back to the big time. Of course, along the way, everyone learns some valuable lessons about loyalty, friendship and family, and everything works out for the best.

The movie goes quickly enough, and the time passes pleasantly. There is nothing in the movie that gets you to forget that you are watching a movie about singing chipmunks. No it doesn’t transcend its genre or anything, and most of the jokes are aimed at five year olds (although there is a Dutch oven joke, that although of course it is a fart joke, still made me laugh). I still loved poor Theodore, who in this movie becomes depressed and is just too cute for his own good. The film is what it is. If you have kids, they will love it. If you don’t, you weren’t going to see this movie anyway - so why the hell are you reading this review?

Movie Review: The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog *** ½
Directed by: Ron Clements & John Musker.
Written By: Ron Clements & Rob Edwards & Greg Erb & Don Hall & John Musker & Jason Oremland.
Starring: Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen), Keith David (Dr. Facilier), Michael-Leon Wooley (Louis), Jennifer Cody (Charlotte), Jim Cummings (Ray), Peter Bartlett (Lawrence), Jenifer Lewis (Mama Odie), Oprah Winfrey (Eudora), Terrence Howard (James), John Goodman ('Big Daddy' La Bouff).

It has been a number of years since Disney has made an animated film in their classic style. The last one was 2003’s Brother Bear, but it was another disappointment – both artistically and financially – for the studio following The Emperor’s New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo and Stitch and Treasure Planet. In response, Disney decided to all but shut down this wing of the animated branch. The glory days of the 1990s behind them, they decided they couldn’t compete with the new computer animation, so they didn’t try. For people like me, who loved Disney animation, this was a sad time. It wasn’t that people didn’t want to see this style of animation anymore – it’s that Disney got away from what they did best.

This alone makes the release of The Princess and the Frog a major event. I am also glad to say that this is in fact Disney’s best since the glory days of the 1990s that ended with Tarzan in 1999. It is a fun, family friendly musical comedy with catchy songs, a heartwarming story and a good message for the kids. It is in short, another classic from Disney.

The story takes place in New Orleans, sometime earlier in the 20th century. As a little girl, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) is taken along with her mother Eudora (Oprah Winfrey) on her seamtress jobs to the house of Big Daddy La Bouff (John Goodman), and his spoiled little girl Charlotte (Jennifer Cody). All Charlotte wants to do is grow up and marry a Prince, so she can become a real princess. Tiana on the other hand, wants to make her daddy’s dream come true and open her own restaurant. When we flash forward to the kids now as adults, nothing much has changed. Charlotte is still a spoiled girl (she has a good heart though), and is very excited at the arrival of Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) of Maldonia in New Orleans. Tiana is working two jobs just to save enough to make her dreams come true. The arrival of Naveen though brings out an evil plot by Dr. Facillier (Keith David), who practices voodoo. With the help of Naveen’s put upon manservant Lawrence (Peter Bartlett), tired of running behind the spoiled Prince who does nothing but party, Dr. Facillier turns Naveen into a frog, and has Lawrence take his place. The plan is to get Lawrence to marry Charlotte, to get their hands on Big Daddy’s fortune. Naveen, now a frog, comes across Tiana, dressed in one of Charlotte’s Princess dresses, and mistakes her for the real thing. He convinces her to kiss him, but because she’s not a real princess, he remains a frog. Worse, she becomes one as well. Chased into the Bayou by Dr. Faciller, who needs Naveen back for his blood, they meet two friends – Louis (Michael Leon Wooley), a confused gator who can play the trumpet and wants to be in a jazz band, and Ray (Jim Cummings) a Creole firefly. They decide to take them to Mama Odie (Jennifer Lewis), to try and get them changed back.

The Princess and the Frog is lovingly animated and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements – the directors responsible for such films as The Great Mouse Detective (a childhood favorite of mine), The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. In short, they know how to handle a Disney animated film, and they do a great job her. The characters are wonderfully animated, and the pace never lets up. The songs by Randy Newman, while they may not be as great as songs in past Disney movies, are still excellent, and allow for some great musical numbers. The wonderful “Down in New Orleans” is a loving tribute to the city, the great “Almost There” is a inspirational little song, and the creepy “Friends on the Other Side” is a wonderfully spooky tune.

The voice work is also wonderful. Forgoing a trend in animated movies, this one does not fill up the cast with name brand stars. True, you recognize Oprah’s voice, but she blends in well with the rest of the cast. Anika Noni Rose has wonderful voice work, and is a great singer, and Bruno Campos makes a lovable, playboy prince. Best of all is Keith David who is creepy and spooky as Dr. Faciller.

I also liked the message of the movie. After generations of stories about helpless Princesses who have to wait for their Prince Charmings to come along, Tiana is the exact opposite. She works hard for everything she has, and this time it is the Prince who needs to grow up, and be saved, by the woman. The fact that for the first time, we have an African American woman at the heart of the movie is just icing on the cake.

I suspect that kids are going to love this movie. Even little boys, who may be dragged along with their mothers and sisters, are going to have fun with The Princess and the Frog. It’s hard not to. This is a joyous film. Welcome back Disney.

Movie Review: The Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells ***
Directed By: Tomm Moor.
Written By: Tomm Moore & Fabrice Ziolkowski.
Starring: Brendan Gleeson (Abbot Cellach), Liam Hourican (Brother Tang / Leonardo), Mick Lally (Aidan), Michael McGrath (Adult Brenda), Evan McGuire (Brendan), Christen Mooney (Aisling), Paul Tylack (Brother Assoua), Paul Young (Brother Square).

The Secret of Kells is a refreshing old fashioned animated life. Not only is the film not filled wall to wall with computer effects, but wonderful looking, hand drawn animation, but the story is winningly old fashioned as well. It is a dark fantasy, yet perfectly good for kids. There is more excitement in this film than in most animated films that work so hard at being funny and colorful from beginning to end that they induce headaches.

The film is about Brendan (with the voice of Evan McGuire), a young boy living in a monastery in Ireland during the time of the Vikings. His Uncle, the Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), spends all of his time fortifying the walls of their town of Kells in the hopes that the wall will hold off the inevitable invasion by the Vikings. Brendan is a curious boy, but he does what he is told – which is to stay inside the walls and not cause trouble. That is until Brother Aidan (Mick Lally), and his strange cat arrive. Aidan is legendary, as he has been working on a book that will bring light to the world for years. Now old, he has been run out of his hometown by the Vikings, and found his way to Kells to see his old student Cellach. But Cellach has no time for such silly things as books. But to Brendan, Aidan is the most exciting thing that has happened in a long time. On an errand for him, Brendan ventures into the surrounding forest where he meets Aisling (Christen Mooney), an eccentric young woman with long flowing white hair, who knows every inch of the forest, and refers to it as hers.

The film has a wonderful visual look. The characters all have distinctive appearances, not quite looking real, but more like moving geometric shapes. The animation has a flow to it that is wonderful, especially in the scenes in the forest, a magical atmosphere is created. The eventual siege of the town by the Vikings is told almost entirely in blacks and reds – the Vikings are all black except for their glowing red eyes, and as they burn the town to the ground, it is engulfed by flames.

I have a feeling that if kids see this movie (and that’s doubtful as it’s only getting a cursory release to qualify it for the Oscars this year), they will enjoy the story of the young boy on an adventure. It’s not a million miles away from something like The Sword and the Stone.

The movie is short, which helps to make the time pass quickly, but also has the effect of rushing through a little too much at points. Particularly the ending feels rushed, as if the filmmakers just wanted to end the movie instead of truly exploring its characters and what really happened. But no matter, The Secret of Kells is a refreshing animated film – one that kids will enjoy, and adults will as well. Let’s just hope they get a chance to see it.

Movie Review: Mary & Max

Mary and Max ***
Directed By: Adam Elliot.

Written By: Adam Elliot.
Starring: Toni Collette (Mary Daisy Dinkle), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Max Jerry Horovitz), Eric Bana (Damien), Barry Humphries (Narrator), Bethany Whitmore (Young Mary), Renée Geyer (Vera), Ian 'Molly' Meldrum (Homeless Man).

Animation can be used in a lot of different ways. Sadly, North American audiences still mainly see it as kids stuff, and don’t really seem to pay all that much attention to animated films aimed at adults. Mary and Max is a wonderfully animated movie, and while there is no violence, no swearing and no sex, it is still not really a movie for kids. There is an air of sadness that hangs over the entire film.

Mary is a little girl living in Australia. She has an ugly birthmark on her forehead, and no real friends. Her mother is an alcoholic and her father either spends all his time working or in his shed doing his taxidermy. She is utterly, completely alone. One day, at the post office she gets an idea to mail a letter to America. She has been told that babies come out of the bottle of beer glasses in Australia, and wants to know if the same thing happens in America. She picks out a name at random from the book – Max Horovitz – and writes him a letter that asks the question, and also details her life. Thus is the beginning of a very strange pen pal friendship.

Max lives in New York City. He was born a Jew, but is now an atheist. He is in his 50s, massively overweight and has Aspersers. Like Mary, he is utterly, completely alone. Intrigued by Mary’s letter, he rattles off pages of typewritten screed where he details his own life in rather literal detail. The two start exchanging letters on a regular basis throughout the years. They have both finally found a friend – even if that friend is on the other side of the world.

Mary and Max is told in mainly black and white claymation. There are dashes of color that director Adam Elliot sprinkles throughout the film, but mainly the film has a dark look to it – which only serves to highlight the lives of the characters, who are both in their own way depressed. As the movie moves along, the color scheme changes at times when things get a little brighter for the characters, and then darkens again. Although a movie about pen pals does not seem like the typical movie to be animated, it works amazingly well here.

The voice work also helps quite a bit. As a child, Mary is voiced by Bethany Whitmore, who has innocence about her voice that works well for the character. She does not have a good life, but she has hope that it going to get better. When she becomes an adult, Toni Collette takes over as the voice, and there is a forced cheeriness about her voice as she tries to convince herself that she is happy. Eric Bana is good in support, and Barry Humphries may have the most lines as anyone as the narrator. But the star of the movie, vocal wise, is Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max. I knew he was doing the voice before the movie started, and I still didn’t recognize the voice as his. It sounds almost like Richard Lewis, but with more sadness and despair threaded through it. It is one of the best vocal performances of the year.

Mary and Max meanders a little bit in places. Watching the film, even though I was utterly involved in the lives of the two characters, I had the suspicion at times that the film would have worked better had it been shorter. Things seem a little too drawn out at points to try and stretch the movie to feature length. But that is a small complaint about what is really a touching, insightful little movie. Don’t let the fact that it is animated fool you. This movie is about real people.

Movie Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox ****
Directed By: Wes Anderson.

Written By: Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Starring: George Clooney (Mr. Fox), Meryl Streep (Mrs. Fox), Jason Schwartzman (Ash), Bill Murray (Badger), Wallace Wolodarsky (Kylie), Eric Chase Anderson (Kristofferson), Michael Gambon (Franklin Bean), Willem Dafoe (Rat), Owen Wilson (Coach Skip), Jarvis Cocker (Petey), Wes Anderson (Weasel), Karen Duffy (Linda Otter), Robin Hurlstone (Walter Boggis), Hugo Guinness (Nathan Bunce), Helen McCrory (Mrs. Bean), Roman Coppola (Squirrel Contractor), Juman Malouf (Agnes), Brian Cox (Action 12 Reporter), Adrien Brody (Field Mouse).

Just because Wes Anderson’s latest film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, is a stop motion animated film, that doesn’t mean that it is any less of a Wes Anderson film. It has the same visual look - the exacting attention to detail in terms of its cinematography, art direction and costume design, the same musical fixations on the 1960s and the 1970s, and the same basic themes - about children’s disappointments in their parents - particularly their fathers. The audience I saw the film with was mostly made up of kids and their parents, who seemed confused by what they saw on screen. Like Spike Jonze’s recent Where the Wild Things Are, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a kid’s movie that is more about families and their disappointments than really for children.

Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is the best thief in the area. There is not a farm that he cannot infiltrate and steal chickens, geese or whatever else he wants. But when he finds out that his girlfriend (Meryl Streep) is pregnant, and the two decide to get married, he agrees to give up his thieving ways. 12 Fox years later, their cub Ash (Jason Schwartzman) is on the cusp of adolescence, and Mr. Fox is bored with his new life as a newspaper man. He is also tired of living in a hole. So he purchases a tree and moves the family in. This is when Cousin Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) comes to live with them as well, because his dad has “Double Pneumonia”. Mr. Fox takes an immediate liking to Kristofferson. He is athletic, just like he was, and unlike Ash, who fancies himself an athlete, but doesn’t have the talent. But the real action in the movie begins when Mr. Fox notices that his new house faces the three biggest farms in the area. The farms belong to Boggis, Bunce and Bean, three notoriously cruel farmers. Mr. Fox cannot help himself; he decides to rob all three farms with the help of his new friend, the dimwitted possum Kylie (Wally Wolodarsky). Of course, things do not work out like he planned they would.

The surface level of the film is brilliant. It has a distinctive look that marks it as different from even other stop motion animated films. The characters move with a jerkiness that fits their characters. When the wind blows, the hair on the animals ruffles. The characters all have their own unique ways of moving, and very specific character design. The film is full of color, and visual inventiveness. As with the other Wes Anderson films, the humor comes out of the details. I love Owen Wilson’s Coach trying to explain the extremely complicated game of Whack Bat, the details of the robbery schemes, and a throwaway moment when Mr. Fox and his crew sneak over to hide behind a motorcycle, and come out riding a miniature version of the exact same bike. The dialogue has many hilarious moments in it (I particularly love how they replace every bad word with “cuss”, as in “You cussing at me”). Brilliant.

Yet, as with all the other Anderson films, Fantastic Mr. Fox has an emotional underpinning that many people are going to overlook. Anderson’s films have always been praised for their visuals, but often times the pain and emotions in his films have been overlooked in critics rush to praise his exacting attention to detail. But the characters in Fantastic Mr. Fox belong to a family much like the others that have populated Anderson’s films. Ash resents his father, who is distant from him, and seems to like Kristofferson a lot more than he likes his own son. Mr. Fox is not unlike Royal Tenenbaum, from Anderson’s best film, as his is a lovable rogue (which makes Clooney perfect for the role, and he delivers one of the best performances of his career in the role). We like him, but we feel like perhaps we shouldn’t. He is not really a good father or husband, or at least he isn’t at the beginning of the movie. He does learn as he goes through though.

Fantastic Mr. Fox also contains some startling moments that we do not expect to see in an animated film that at least hopes to reach children. Rat (Willem Dafoe), is the one animal around that does not fall in line with Mr. Fox, and their encounters become increasingly tense, until they reach fatal levels. But the physical pain and violence in that scene is nothing compared to a scene between Mr. and Mrs. Fox, where she lashes out at him and tells him that she never should have married him, leaving him alone in front of a downfall of water in the films most memorable image.
This year has been full of movies aimed at children that have been more mature than most aimed at them. Not only Fantastic Mr. Fox and the aforementioned Where the Wild Things Are, but also Pixar’s Up. All of these films deal with more serious issues than most kids movie do. They treat children with respect, and think they are intelligent. Even if these films are not really appropriate for the youngest of viewers, older kids should like these movies. But even if they don’t, adults should. This is one of the best films of the year.

Movie Review: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol ** ½
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis.
Written By: Robert Zemeckis based on the story by Charles Dickens.
Starring: Jim Carrey (Scrooge/Ghost of Christmas Past/Ghost of Christmas Present/Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come), Gary Oldman (Bob Cratchit/Marley/Tiny Tim), Colin Firth (Fred), Robin Wright Penn (Fan/Belle), Bob Hoskins (Mr. Fezziwig/Old Joe), Jacquie Barnbrook (Mrs. Fezziwig/Fred’s Sister-in-Law/Well-Dressed Caroler), Lesley Manville (Mrs. Cratchit), Cary Elwes (Portly Gentleman #1/Dick Wilkins/Mad Fiddler/Guest #2/Business Man #1).

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol has been turned into a movie so many times that it is almost pointless to try and do it all again. According to Wikipedia, this is the 21st film version of the story. It has inspired many different retellings and reinterpretations. In the past year for example we had two horrendous versions - An American Carol, a right wing screed about the dawning realization of a liberal filmmaker that he is an idiot, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a terrible romantic comedy about a playboy played by Matthew McConaghey, realizing he has lost his way. The best version is probably the 1951 version with Alastair Sim as Scrooge, but the version I have watched the most is undoubtedly A Muppet Christmas Carol with Michael Caine. So any version of the story that is going to come out has to do something at least a little bit different.

Robert Zemeckis’ version continues the same style he used to make The Polar Express and Beowulf. He essentially animated over top of real actors performing their roles. It is a mixture of live action and animation, and yields a film that is visually masterful. I have often found that the new trend of 3-D is simply a gimmick to get more money out of people, but when Zemeckis does it, the 3-D simply adds to the texture of the film itself. It makes it even more involving. A Christmas Carol is no exception. You cannot fault the movie for taking liberties with the original text. This is perhaps the most faithful adaptation yet of the story. The film even uses much of the same dialogue just as Dickens wrote it.

Jim Carrey takes on numerous roles in the film. He plays Ebenezer Scrooge himself, along with the three ghosts who come to visit him. He makes each character unique. His Scrooge is a crotchety old man, and is thankfully free from too much of Carrey’s characteristic overacting. He plays the role straight, and does a fine job. The Ghost of Christmas Past is the most visually interesting of the three ghosts - basically just a floating head and light, but Carrey perhaps plays the role too quietly, too subtly. Each line reading seems to be extended beyond the amount of time it should take. His Ghost of Christmas Present is a huge, jolly man with a love of life that is contagious. And the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is truly frightening. I know some kids at the screening I went to were scared of the ghost so be warned. Gary Oldman is the other major actor in the movie, playing Bob Crachit, Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim himself. Again, he plays all three roles straight, not going over the top at all. In fact, he is kind of lifeless in all three roles.

And therein lies the problem with the movie as a whole. No matter how visually interesting the film is, and no matter how faithful a rendition of the classic tale this is, the movie itself is pretty dull. I have seen this story so many times, and yet every time I pop either the 1951 version or A Muppet Christmas Carol into the DVD player, I never fail to get swept up into the story, the performances, the music and everything else about the film. With this version, there just isn’t much there to sink your teeth into. I am glad I saw the film in a theater, where the 3-D effects makes the movies amazing visuals pop, but this time the story just seemed to sit there on screen.

Movie Review: Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone

Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone ** 1/2
Directed By: Masayuki & Kazuya Tsurumaki & Hideaki Anno.
Written By: Hideaki Anno.
Starring: Spike Spencer (Shinji Ikari), Allison Keith (Misato Katsuragi), Brina Palencia (Rei Ayanami ), John Swasey (Gendo Ikari), Greg Ayres (Kensuke Aida), Leah Clark (Hikari Horaki), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Ritsuko Akagi), Justin Cook (Toji Suzuhara), Caitlin Glass (Maya Ibuki), Bill Jenkins (Keel Lorenz), Jerry Jewell (Kaworu Nagisa), Mike McFarland (Makoto Hyuga / Eva), Phil Parsons (Shigeru Aoba), Monica Rial (Pen Pen), Kent Williams (Kozo Fuyutsuki), Stephanie Young (Yui Ikari).

From what I under, Neon Genesis: Evangelion was one of the most ambitious anime series in Japanese history. Because of some financial, and other problems, creator Hideaki Anno was never quite able to end the series the way he wanted it to. Even after doing two different versions of the ending (which apparently involves characters masterbating over unconscience bodies of their friends and life on earth being transformed into primodial goo - I may have to watch this series), he still didn’t get it right. So now, more than a decade after the show ended its show run (26 half hour episodes), Anno has decided to turn the series into four feature length movies, where he’ll be able to tell the story who he wants to. Judging on its reception in Japan (where the film was one of the top grossing films of the year), the other three installments will be coming shortly. However, unless he does a better job of telling his story in the next three installments, I am not sure I will be sticking around for all four.

The movie takes place in a future where most of humanity has been destroyed by two huge explosions. The residents of Tokyo III are under constant threat of attack from the “Angels”, so short of alien lifeform who want to destroy all life on earth by causing a third explosion. Since the Angels cannot be destroyed by convential means, the only way that they can be destroyed is through giant Evangelion (or Eva) robots that can only be piloted by two 14 year olds - Rei, who is the more experienced pilot, whose suit is version 0, and Shinji, who is the son of the creator of the Eva suites, who has just been pulled from his normal life and told that only he can save the world. He does not really want to have that responsibility placed on his soldiers - he stays because he wants to finally get the attention of his father - not to mention of the beautiful Rei, and perhaps even the older Misato, who is his commanding officier, but also takes him in when he has no where else to go.

Watching the movie, it gave me a chance to see just how wildly ambitious the television must have been. The film tries to marry its science fiction premise to a teen angst drama to a provocative examination of religion and philiosophy. The film also tries at moments to be a rather surrealistic comedy - one character has a pet penguin named Pen Pen who seems to serve no purpose other than comic relief. The problem with the movie is that at only 98 minutes, it tries to cram so much into its running time, that it seems like all of the ideas are rushed, and not properly developed. The same goes for the characters, who spend a lot of time moaning about their lot in life, but we never really feel their pain or connect with them.

The animation is at turns mesmerizing, and cheap looking. The action sequences are brilliantly well realized, and often quite exciting. However, when the characters talk to each other, it is in the cheap anime tradition, of mouths that just seem to stay open as a string a words come pouring out. I find it hard to believe that money problems played a role in this decision for the movies, so it must have been a stylistic one. If so, it is a bad one.
I was more intrigued by the movie than I was entertained by it. It suffers some of the problems that many movies in another language do when they are dubbed into English - the dialogue becomes stilted at some points. But the ideas in the movie are so big, that I will be coming back if Evangelion 2.0 ever comes out here. I want to see just how this series progresses.

Movie Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ** ½
Directed By: Phil Lord & Chris Miller.
Written By: Phil Lord & Chris Miller based on the book by Jodi & Ron Barrett.
Starring: Bill Hader (Flint Lockwood), Anna Farris (Sam Sparks), James Caan (Tim Lockwood), Andy Samberg (Baby Brent), Bruce Campbell (Mayor), Mr. T. (Earl Devereaux), Bobb’e J. Thompson (Cal Deverauex), Benjamin Bratt (Manny), Neil Patrick Harris (Steve).

There is a manic energy to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs that is charming for a little while, but then becomes rather exhausting by the end of the film. It is an animated film that children are going to love, as it moves so quickly, and has such wonderful use of color, that they will not help but be entertained - especially if they see the film in 3-D. And even if the adults in the crowd are not going to love the film as much as they love a Pixar movie, the time will pass pleasantly enough. I just wish that the film went just a little bit farther, and was just a little bit better. By the end of the film - and at just over 80 minutes it’s a short one - I was bored.

The movie is about Flint Lockwood (with the voice of Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader), a young man who has been trying to be an inventor ever since he was a little kid. The only person who ever believed in him was his mother, but now that she is dead, his father (James Caan) wants him to go into the family business of selling bait. They live on a small island where the only industry was sardines, but that was before the world realized that sardines are super gross, and stopped buying them. Flint dreams of helping out his small town with one of his inventions, and purely by accident, he seems to have found a way to do it. He has invented a machine that turns water into food, and when the machine accidentally gets shot into the stratosphere, it starts raining food on the town. This draws the attention of the Weather Network, who sends intern Sam Sparks (Anna Farris) to cover the story. She is incredibly smart, and really cute, but feels the need to cover up her intelligence. The Weather Network wants their women cute and perky, with no brains, and so she acts like a simpleton.

Of course, there is a problem with the machine that starts out great, and ends up needing to be stopped by Flint before it destroys everything. Along the way, Flint bonds with his father, romances Sam, and learns to accept himself for who he is. And so does Sam. And pretty much everyone else in the film.

I really enjoyed the opening scenes in the movies, which have a madcap energy to them. The voice cast is universally excellent - Hader is lovable and funny as Flint, and Farris somehow manages to be just as adorable as she is on film. The animation has a strange, retro look to it that fits in wonderfully well. There are some wonderfully inventive animated sequences in the movie - the best one being a snowball fight, where Flint runs around like a videogame character, mowing down whoever gets in his way.

In fact, there really is nothing wrong with the movie itself. What it does, it does fairly well, and the time passes pleasantly enough. The only problem I have is the films last act degenerates a little too much into a series of boring clichés, and chases sequences that do not add to the movie. Sure, the kids will like the movie, and for parents, the time will pass pleasantly enough. But the movie never quite gets to the level of a truly good movie. Its fine, but it should have been better.

Movie Review: 9

9 ***
Directed by: Shane Acker.
Written By: Pamela Pettler & Shane Acker.
Starring: Christopher Plummer (#1), Martin Landau (#2), John C. Reilly (#5), Crispin Glover (#6 ), Jennifer Connelly (#7), Fred Tatasciore (#8), Elijah Wood (#9), Alan Oppenheimer (The Scientist), Tom Kane (Dictator).

9 is a visually stunning animated film that takes place after the end of the world. Humanity has been destroyed by a war with the machines they created to make their lives easier. Now, the earth has all been destroyed. The only residents left on earth - or at least in this place on earth - are nine rag dolls created by a scientist, and one machine that tries to capture them. The last of these rag dolls, known as 9 (because of the giant 9 on his back) has just come to life and ventured out in the wasteland that the world has become. He quickly meets another rag doll 2, who befriends him, but then is dragged away by the beast. 9 comes soon finds the clan, led by 1 (Christopher Plummer), a scared man (who wears a Pope hat), who tries to convince the dolls to simply hide out in the church until the beast is gone. 9 wants to go after 2, and he thus sets into motion the events of the movie. 9 also has possession of a strange disk, and when he finds the place where it goes, he puts it in, and brings back to life the machine that destroyed the world in the first place.

9 is a visually stunning movie from beginning to end. It creates a complex visual environment, full of dark places that stick in your mind after the movie is over. The church, with its large stain glass window of Jesus, is particularly interesting. It fits in nicely with the films atheist overtones. 1 is a coward, who rules through fear mongering and intimidation, using his lunk head muscle - 8 - to control the rest of them. Now that 2 is gone, he joins 3, 4 and 7 as dolls who have disappeared into the outer world. 1 does not understand the need to venture out. He is safe and secure in his church, and feels no need to explore the outer world, or the larger meaning of why they are there in the first place. 5 (John C. Reilly) is a little more adventuresome, but is a follower, not a leader. He latches onto 9, because with 2 gone, he has no one else. 6 is little more than an idiot savant, constantly drawing his incoherent drawings. I loved the character design as well, particularly the strange eyes, which iris in and out like they are blinking. There is never a moment of the film that is not visually amazing and striking.

The storyline however is a little too pat and predictable. After all, this is the same basic storyline that the Terminator and Matrix franchises had, with dolls in place of the humans. And the screenplay never really does anything new or different with it. You know from the beginning how things are play out, and we are never wrong. It seems like the director, Shane Acker who also came up with the storyline of movie, seems way more interested in the visuals then the story. And the visuals are stunning. The action sequences are well handled, and intense.

So while 9 is not a great movie, it is a great movie going experience. I hope that Acker continues to make animated films in the future, because we need more adult oriented stories in the genre. But I also hope he lets someone else write the screenplay, so that the storyline can match the visuals.

Weekly Top Tens: The Ten Best Anime Movies

I am by no means an anime expert, but I do enjoy the art form. With most American studios solely concentrating on computer animation these days, it is nice to know that there are still some places making traditional, hand drawn animation in the world. A few weeks ago, the undisputed master of anime Hayao Miyazaki released his latest film, Ponyo, it is another great one, so I decided to make a list of my ten favorite anime films. I did decide to limit the number of Miyazaki films on this list to 2, since otherwise, he could have easily taken up half the list (Satoshi Kon, who in my mind is quickly becoming Miyazaki’s equal also has two on the list, as does Yoshiaki Kawajiri). But since I gave him the number 1 and 2 spots, I think he’s well represented. Anyway, here’s my list.

10. X (Rintaro, 1996)
X is perhaps the most visually stunning film on this list. I am told (by my wife, who knows a lot more about this stuff than I do), that it is because the film is done by Clamp, who masters in this genre. There is a pervasive dreamlike atmosphere for the entire film, and the action sequences, full of gruesome violence, are simply spectacular. So why does X not rank higher on this list? Simple. I have no idea what the hell is going on in the movie. Apparently, if you read the manga series, or watch the animated television series that goes along with the movie, you know who the three main characters are, and what sort of apocalypse is happening in the film. But for a casual viewer like me, I simply gave up trying to follow the plot, and simply marveled at the imagery. It is certainly a technical masterwork.

9. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Yoshiaki Kawajiri, 2000)
The original 1985 anime film is also quite good, but for me, the sequel is better than the original in almost every way. D is a half-man, half vampire (whose father may in fact have been Dracula) who is now a vampire hunter (kind of like Blade). The film owes a debt to John Ford’s great The Searchers (which is one of the most influential films of all time), as D is hired by a nobleman to get his daughter back, who was kidnapped by a vampire, or kill her if she has already turned. What is not known is that the woman herself is in love with the vampire, and simply wants to be with him. The film is bloody and action packed, all of it handled very well by director Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The only thing that mares both Vampire Hunter D movies for me, is the parasite who lives in D’s hand, which talks to him all the time. It is a little annoying, and unnecessary, but it’s a minor knock on a great movie.

8. Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995)
There is a reason why Ghost in the Shell is one of the most well known anime movies to Western audiences – it is one of the best. It is an intelligent science fiction/action movie. In the film, people’s minds can be “ghosthacked” filling them with false memories, and making them do things that they would never otherwise do. The ghost in this case is essentially the human soul. The film also involves cyborgs, who are now completely robotic, but still seem to have a soul, or ghost, inside of them. Ghost in the Shell is an incredibly complex, intelligent movie – it puts most live action movies to shame with the intricacies of its plot and character development – and in the hands of director Oshii it is also visually stunning. The 2004 sequel to the film is also quite good, but cannot live up to the original, which is simply amazing.

7. Paprika (Satoshi Kon, 2006)
Dreams are a big thing in anime, and in Paprika director Satoshi Kon does something quite different and new with them. The film is set in the near future, where a new tool is available to psychologists – one that allows them to enter their patient’s dreams to help figure out what is wrong with them. Dr. Chiba is the first to use this new device – the DC Mini – even though it has not been approved yet. She takes the form of a girl known as Paprika, to help her patients (including a cop) discover what is bothering them. When three DC Minis go missing, Chiba has to try and get them back. Whoever stole the device, is using them to infiltrate people’s dreams, and drive them to do insane acts, like trying to kill themselves. Eventually, the dream world and reality merge, threatening to destroy reality with a powerful man’s dream of becoming omnipotent. Kon’s film is visually alive and interesting, the film has a strange, dreamlike tone to it (much like X), and the film is a complex rumination on both the good, and evil, that technology can do. With this film, along with another on this list, Satoshi Kon has proved himself a worthy successor to Miyazaki, should that master ever decide to stop making movies.

6. Akira (Katsuhiro Ôtomo, 1988)
While Akira was certainly not the first anime film of all time, it is responsible for bringing anime to the masses in the Western world. Otomo’s groundbreaking action film, set in a future world where Tokyo has all but been destroyed and is now ruled by biker gangs, is certainly one of the best films anime has to offer. It is more than just another action film however, as it is actually a rather intelligent movie, delving into themes of identity, power, envy and greed. The film is magnificently well animated – being more than 20 years old, yet it still looks as good as anything made today – Akira was groundbreaking at the time, and remains a must see to this day.

5. Ninja Scroll (Yoshiaki Kawajiri, 1993)
Ninja Scroll is perhaps the most violent, most disturbing anime movie I have ever seen. Set in feudal Japan, the film opens with a group of Samurai on their way to a remote village who are ambushed and slaughtered, leaving only one woman alive. She is almost raped by the killer, before being saved by the films hero, who kills the attacker. But this is not the end of things – the killer is part of a mercenary gang known as the Devils of Kimon, who will stop at nothing to avenge the death of their comrade. They continue to come after the hero again and again, who is forced to team up with the girl he saved, and a mysterious stranger, to try and fight off the Devils of Kimon. Ninja Scroll is a movie of almost non-stop violence and action – a lot of it graphic and disturbing. But it is extremely well animated, the characters well developed. This is certainly not a children’s cartoon, but it as exciting as anime gets.

4. Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1998)
Perfect Blue is a rare anime film, in that it is not science fiction, action or fantasy. It is instead an intense psychological thriller. Mima is a pop idol who decides to give up her singing career and become an actress. This angers many of her fans, including a stalker known as Me-Mania, but Mima goes through with it anyway. She accepts the lead role in an intense new movie where she will play a stripper and rape victim. Her manager Rumi warns her that this will ruin her reputation, but she accepts anyway. Then people involved in the movie start being murdered, and Mima finds evidence that she herself maybe the killer. Because she has come to identify with her role in the movie too much, fantasy and reality for her are merging, and she doubts her own innocence. Perfect Blue is a wonderful thriller, intense, violent and disturbing, but it also more than that. The three main characters in the movie – Mima, Me-Mania and Rumi – are all delusional in one way or another. All of them have trouble telling the difference between fantasy and reality. Perfect Blue is a great thriller – an anime version of Alfred Hitchcock, mixed with a little David Lynch. A truly great film, and the one that proves that Kon is the real deal.

3. Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1988)
Like Perfect Blue, Grave of the Fireflies is different from most anime films, as it is a straight drama, not a genre film of any kind. In the closing days of WWII, two orphans – Seita, around 12, and his toddler sister Setsuko. Their mother is killed in the firebombing of Kobe, and the two children are left to fend for themselves, after being abandoned by their extended family, in the closing days of the war. As food starts to run out, Setsuko begins to hallucinate due to hunger, and slowly begins to starve to death. The film is grim in the extreme, which may make it seem to some to be unsuitable for animation, but in actuality, the animation is perfect for this film. By using animation, the film is able to focus on the pain and suffering of a toddler – something that you could never do properly in a live action film. Here is a film that is more emotional and resonating than almost any live action film could ever hope to be. A masterpiece.

2. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
Princess Mononoke is the first anime film that I ever actually fell in love with, and as such, it will always have a special place on a list like this. Before I saw this film, I knew virtually nothing about anime, or its master Hayao Miyazaki. But Princess Mononoke, with its wonderful mixture of fantasy and history, it’s amazing animation and it’s fully realized characters made me see the possibilities for this genre. The film centers on Ashitaka, who in a fight with a boar demon, has his armed wounded. In order to heal the curse of the wound, he must travel west, to the area where the boar came from. He comes across Irontown, a prosperous town which is at war with the surrounding forest. In order for Irontown to remain as rich as it is, it needs to continually destroy the forest that surrounds them, angering the animals and spirits who call it their home. Princess Mononoke is an utterly gorgeous film to behold – among the most beautiful ever made really. Every frame is full of imagination, and the film addresses the environmental concerns that always play a role in Miyazaki’s masterpieces. Princess Mononoke also contains some of the best action sequences in anime history. All in all, Princess Mononoke is a masterpiece of any genre.

1.Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
Ask me on another day, and I may switch this one with Princess Mononoke as Miyazaki’s best film, and the best anime film ever made. But most days, I would go with Spirited Away, which is a truly magical film. Less concerned with action than anime other films, Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a 10 year old girl who enters a magical city in the hopes of saving her parents, who quite literally made pigs of themselves. While in the city, Chihiro discovers that not everything is as it seems, as the evil Yubaba, a witch who runs the spa, likes to steal people’s names to keep them in her service forever. The film is a technical marvel – full of images that haunt the viewer for long after the movie is over. The movie casts its spell over the viewer, who cannot shake the film. The film is Miyazaki’s most perfect mixture of fantasy and his environmental concerns – one of the most memorable sequences involves a polluted river who comes to the spa to get clean. This is the film in which all other anime films will be measured against – the only one ever to win the Oscar for animated film, and one of the most gorgeous films ever made.