Gwash!

Movie Review: Inception (Spoiler-Free)

2010-07-19T08:16:00.005-04:00

Joining the ranks of Hollywood's most ambiguous cinema is Inception, an adrenaline-filled thriller from Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight. While I can't say that I've been the biggest fan of his movies, Inception certainly lived close to the top of my must-see summer movie list. Cinematically, Inception is masterfully crafted. It grabbed me from frame one with its fantastic command of the senses. Beautiful imagery abounded, while the orchestra rose and dove at just the right moments. Although Inception banks on its complex and surreal premise (which I will try not to divulge in this review), it still makes time for some nice character-driven drama and backstory, the lack of which is generally my biggest complaint with Nolan's work. I wouldn't say it's worth shouting "Best Drama" over, but it's enough to keep me from complaining. As Inception navigates through its mind-bending dreamscapes and unravels the mysteries that lie within, I was aware that I was currently engaged in one of the most fascinating movies of the past decade. This one has certainly upped my opinion of Christopher Nolan. I might even go as far as to say that I'll be looking forward to his next project. My praise, however, isn't without its drawbacks.

Mysterious ambiguity is one of the strongest tools a filmmaker can utilize. As J.J. Abrams calls it, the "mystery box" will always be more appealing than a blatant answer. Tell or show a viewer everything and nothing is left to the imagination. When mystery abounds, we can form our own answers; answers that satisfy us. When nothing is left up to our minds, we are left with individual answers, some of which will most likely dissatisfy us. Inception answers a lot of questions, leaves some open, and presents even more questions when the credits roll. Inception is one of those movies that will be talked about for years and debated about on internet forums for even longer. In that respect, it is the best kind of movie. The kind that is totally worth your money's worth. The kind that demands a second viewing. We don't just pay for two and a half hours of film, we pay to be part of a huge social phenomenon. On the downside, I personally felt that the intricacies of Inception's core concept were far from perfect. I'm going to compare it to TV's Lost. Lost made no sense upon a first series viewing, and a little sense upon a second. It's only when thought about and discussed that all the pieces fall into place. We see the grand master plan and it is immensely satisfying. Then we have Inception, which seems a masterpiece at first glance, but then seems to crumble under the weight of its own complexity once the thought process begins (such as with Spielberg's Minority Report).

I left the theater with zero regrets. It my mind, Inception received a 5/5. Then I started to ask the questions that it demanded I ask, and unlike with Lost, I couldn't put the puzzle pieces back together. I couldn't create a through-line. Unfortunately, I still feel like this. I can't rave about it because at this moment in Josh Sobel's life, Inception doesn't make sense. It is flawed. It overran itself with "rules" so that whatever ambiguity was left would seem nonsensical because it didn't seem to fit with this grand scheme of "rules." As I said, this is a movie that demands to be seen more than once. Perhaps I'll change my mind after I do see it that second time. Perhaps once day I'll be able to rave about Inception and hail it as the masterpiece that I thought I had just seen when first I left that theater. But for now, I give Inception a 4/5.

Movie Review: "How to Train Your Dragon"

2010-03-27T01:44:00.002-04:00

How to Train Your Dragon is undoubtedly the most solid entry to the Dreamworks lineup since the first Shrek. Dreamworks has long been caught in the rut of trying to cater their movies to everyone. Instead of trusting themselves as moviegoers (Pixar is famous for this), they focus the majority of their attention on appealing to children, who in turn bring their parents along for the ride. Throw in a pop culture reference every five minutes and everyone's happy, right? Apparently the massive critical success of their earliest and purest works (The Prince of Egypt, Antz) weren't enough. It's been a long time but it seems that Dreamworks is finally beginning to see the error of their ways. They're actually learning from Pixar. Kung Fu Panda made a huge leap in that direction and How to Train Your Dragon takes them even further. No longer stuck in the rut of comedy first, drama second, Dreamworks really embraces the medium of computer animation and uses it to tell a compelling story full of adventure and heart. They've still got a ways to go to catch up with Pixar, but this one is certainly closer than they've ever been.

Helmed by Lilo and Stitch directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, How to Train Your Dragon tells the story of young viking Hiccup and his dragon pal, Toothless. It's a little bit of The Iron Giant, a little Avatar and a dash of Pocahontas. The story doesn't really stand on its own but the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless is pure gold. It really makes it work. Again, it's nothing new but the bonding between a boy and his pet never really wears out its welcome. It's a fresh take and it's just executed so well, even if the emotional build seems devoid of a cathartic climax. The character designs and animation add to the movie a lot of depth and relatability that is even somewhat rare in Pixar films. Add to this some really exhilarating and liberating sequences of adventure and you've got a movie that's easy to recommend.

I've got tons of praise for this movie, but that's not to say I was entirely satisfied. If there's one area that Dreamworks seriously needs to grow in, it's taking risks. Pixar dives head-first into all areas of human emotion. They're not afraid to kill off characters. They're not afraid to have a story play out in the dark ways it may in real life. Although both How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda are great movies and provide a lot of fun, they both share the same core problematic areas that prevent them from becoming classics. It's as if the producers let the directors tell the dark stories they desire, and then steal the reigns for the closing acts. Though Dreamworks is surely leering away from placing wide appeal above good storytelling, they still play it safe by the time the curtain falls. Characters don't die, there's always a happy ending, etc. This one does a MUCH better job of this than Kung Fu Panda, but I was still left with a slight emptiness, as though there was some wasted potential left over. It's a really fun ride and it's got a lot of heart. I just feel that they should have pushed the story a little bit further and made some leaps of faith. The ending tied things up a little too neatly for my taste. Though I always enjoy movies I've seen in 3D much better the second (2D) time around. 3D just distracts me and can make a great film feel awkwardly disjointed, but it was certainly used to great effect in How to Train Your Dragon's awesome flight sequences.

I may not be completely satisfied with How to Train Your Dragon, but that doesn't mean you won't like it. It's a lot of fun and a lot more solid than recent Dreamworks fare. It may not be Pixar level, but it certainly shows that Dreamworks is taking huge strides in the right direction. I'm excited to see where the next step will take them.

Game Review: Final Fantasy XIII

2010-03-21T02:01:00.008-04:00

I love movies so much more than games. I do, however, love Final Fantasy games more than all of the movies in the world. Why? Because to me, getting to know and love a cast of characters for 40+ hours is so much more impactful than after 2 hours. Yeah, a multi-entry saga like The Lord of the Rings can have a serious impact after its total 10+ hours of film, but it still can't come close to emulating the emotional satisfaction I feel when I complete a Final Fantasy game. It's been nearly a decade since I've experienced this. Final Fantasy X was the last entry in the series that I consider to be a "real" FF (Final Fantasy). FFX is also what first inspired me to pursue storytelling and animation as a career. It's definitely one of the greatest stories ever told, and without a doubt, my personal favorite story. Ever. Imagine my anticipation for the coming of what appeared to be the first "real" entry to the series in nine years! Finally, another FFX! By the way, all FF games are completely self contained and feature unique worlds, characters and stories. Only a few elements carry over through individual installments, giving them each a familiar, yet entirely original feel. So, did it meet my expectations? Well, I'm pretty sure that would be impossible. It is, however, a great game. Unfortunately it's not one of the stronger entries. Luckily, Final Fantasy XIII is far greater than the sum of its parts.

The futuristic city world of Cocoon floats above the abandoned wilderness of Pulse.Hovering above the wilderness of the world called Pulse is Cocoon, a self contained human paradise. It was created by the god-like beings known as fal'Cie (pronounced fal-see) to protect humans from the dangers of Pulse. The fal'Cie would occasionally deem a human their servant, which would be known as a l'Cie (pronounced luh-see). If the l'Cie falied his (or her) "focus" or took too long to complete it, he would turn into a cie'Th (pronounced seeth). If success was achieved, he would turn into crystal and gain "eternal life." To humans, either fate was worse than death itself. In Cocoon, there was no need for l'Cie, in fact nobody had been turned into a l'Cie in hundreds of years. They were deemed myth, and everything of Pulse origin was feared and loathed. When six Cocoon citizens are turned into l'Cie by a Pulse fal'Cie, they are labeled enemies of their home, Cocoon. Can they defy their fate?

Final Fantasy games are story-centric. They always follow a similar formula, too. A group of unlikely heroes must band together to topple some form of corrupt government, which usually leads to the reveal and pursuit of a much higher, world-threatening power. Nearly every entry in the series has done a great job of keeping that concept completely original and fresh. The members of the creative team at Square-Enix are expert storytellers. They've proven it time and again. It's a little unfortunate that the first time it comes across slightly stale (at least when compared to their enormously positive track record) is with the first game whose level of production matches that of CG movies (thanks to the PS3). It really does have an INCREDIBLE story at it's core, but the way in which it's told certainly isn't as masterfully crafted as its predecessors. The world is deep and vast, and once I finally got a grasp on what had been going on behind the scenes, all of the seemingly aimless segments of the game's plot fell in to place. Still, some plot aspects seemed awkwardly forced, as if the great cast of characters were constantly being thrown into situations that the writers deemed "had to happen." It's not always like this, as there are a few multi-hour segments that feature some of the best storytelling in the series. Outside of the cutscene-featured plot I also had to read many entries of the "datalog" to really appreciate the world and story. This is something I really loved. Similar to the appendices at the end of The Lord of the Rings, the datalog provides a vast amount of information about the deep workings of the huge world Square-Enix created. Unfortunately, a lot of this game's players simply aren't going to take the time to read it, and will therefore miss out on a LOT of the game's inner plot. Although it's a great addition to the game, I really wish a bit more of it had been worked into the cutscenes to make the plot flow a bit better. A few slow areas and forced events aside, FFXIII really does have a great story. It's really the characters that make it work. They are some of the best characters in the series. They're endearing, relatable, and by the time I reached the end they had become an active part of my life. Yeah, they start out as jerks and have some seriously messed up motivation, but the realization of their own flaws just makes them that much more relatable. I became incredibly involved in their struggle to defy their fate. On many occasions I found myself yelling at the bosses I was fighting because I was so furious at what they were putting my dear friends through! And now it's all over. I miss them already!

Complementing the story is a fantastic battle system. A heavily evolved version of the classic turn-based combat the series founded two decades ago really takes the gameplay in a great new direction. Rather than inputting the commands of each party member and waiting for your next turn while enemies wallop you, the player controls only the party leader in a seemingly real-time experience. You enter manual commands (multiple chained abilities per-turn) while also actively switching sets of "roles" for your party to fit the current situation. The system really puts you in control of the tactical flow of the battle, rather than having you input every single command. It takes a LOT of strategy, especially since the battles are moving incredibly fast. The handy "auto-battle" command sounds like a cheap way to let the game play itself, but it's honestly a life saver. The complex battle system can be excruciatingly punishing at times, but that just makes it all the more rewarding. Leveling through the Crystarium (a simplified version of FFX's sphere-grid leveling system) is also a welcome change to simply gaining level-ups after a battle. It allows some freedom to choose which roles you develop for each character. There's also a fancy weapon/accessory customization feature.

As far as level design goes...Yeah, it's linear. Linearity doesn't really bother me as long as there's a great story driving me. I mean do many gamers seriously enjoy getting lost? Not me! During some of the plot's slower chapters I did start to notice just how claustrophobic and narrow some areas could be, but it did little to detract from how beautiful the scenery is. The narrow corridors do have one huge benefit. When you finally make it down to Pulse, the reveal of the open landscapes and natural environments rank among my absolute favorite moments in gaming history. It's just so liberating!

The game looks and sounds great. No need to elaborate much here. It may not be as visually impressive as Uncharted 2, but it's got a level of polish that generally isn't seen in a game. There are tons of changes in scenery, each containing equal attention to detail. The character models, however, are hands down the best seen in a game. Ever. Best facial animation, best motion capture, best hair...You name it, FFXIII wins. Prerendered FMV's (full motion videos) are also the best ever seen. and run in full 1080p on the PS3. The music is also fantastic and memorable, despite a few tracks that seriously don't fit the mood well (harmonica solo...). Oh, and the voice acting is top-notch. It adds yet another layer of believability to these incredibly human characters.

It may seem like I'm tearing the game apart, but it's really just nitpicking. Though I wasn't entirely thrilled with the experience while I was playing, it now all blends into a single fantastic memory. If I had never played a Final Fantasy game and then dove straight into FFXIII, I would probably call it the greatest game ever made. The team at Square-Enix has made so many absolute masterpieces that even a game like FFXIII, which I consider to be one of the greatest games of the current console generation, will come across a tad disappointing when compared to FFVII, FFIX and FFX. It really is a masterpiece. It's just that I've come to expect nothing short of perfection from Square. FFXIII makes a number of missteps; some large and some small, but for each of the game's downsides, there are many upsides that blow all games in recent memory out of the water. In the end, the game comes to such a satisfying climax that my mixed reactions of the past 45+ hours all instantly melded into a single, complete memory of fondness and love. Go in with an open mind and I assure you that an incredibly satisfying fantasy epic awaits you.

Overview:

Pros:
+Has a great story at is core.
+Endearing, relatable characters.
+Fantastic character backstory, development and drama.
+Top-notch voice acting.
+English lip-sync!
+Cutscenes are beautiful and are at the same production level as a CG movie.
+Emotionally investing and rewarding.
+Satisfying ending.
+Some great and memorable music.
+Epic.
+Enthralling action scenes.
+Pretty scenery.
+Nice art direction.
+Exploring Pulse is fun.
+Deep and involving battle system.
+Incredibly addicting. It makes the hours pass like minutes. Literally. I played for 22 hours straight at one point and it felt like 5.
+Challenging difficulty once it gets going.
+Incredible final bosses.
+Generally impressive AI.
+Tons of deep coverage on the worlds of Pulse and Cocoon in the datalog.
+Snow getting punched in the face.

Cons:
-A few long stretches of seemingly unmotivated plot developments.
-Some claustrophobic level design.
-Paradigms (sets of battle roles) reset whenever characters are swapped. There seriously needed to be a "save paradigm set" feature.
-AI-controlled party members don't always target the leader's target.
-The great story isn't told as well as it could have been.
-Lots of essential plot will be lost to players who refuse to read the datalog.
-Menu animations are too slow. I wanted to click faster than it would let me.
-Gameplay could use more variety. Towns to explore, sidequests other than monster hunts, more mini-games, etc.
-Some music has awkward placement.
-The final location in the game is really ugly.

Consensus:
Far greater than the sum of its parts, Final Fantasy XIII overcomes its would-be glaring flaws with great characters, a fantastically addicting battle system and a deep, complex world. There's also a great story hidden away at its core, but it might require a little extra effort to uncover than simply watching the cutscenes. Go in with an open mind and I assure you that an incredibly satisfying fantasy epic awaits you.

Movie Review: "Adam"

2009-08-30T02:55:00.004-04:00

Adam is a very honest story. It's not perfect, but it overcomes its few narrative shortcomings with great performances and a very sincere heart. Adam centers on a man (Hugh Dancy) who has lived in New York City his entire life. Adam has Asperger's Syndrome (a mental disorder that hinders the way the brain functions in regards to social interaction and the senses). Soon after Adam's father passes away, a young woman named Beth (Rose Byrne) moves into his apartment building. Beth finds Adam and his Asperger's very mysterious and intriguing. The two enter a relationship. There's not a whole lot of important plot throughout the movie; the focus is primarily on how the two grow through their relationship. It's rather simple, but it retains a soothing, tender tone throughout and ultimately proves to be a very honest, emotional story. It's not groundbreaking and it doesn't redefine the romantic comedy genre in any way, but it's great entertainment and provides a very accurate and informative portal into the mysterious mind of someone with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's is a very under-the-radar disorder. Watching Adam is certainly a great idea for anyone interested in learning more about Asperger's, or for anyone who has an "aspie" in their life.

Having Asperger's myself, Adam is a very personal movie to me. I can relate to the character more so than any other character in film history. Adam has a much more intense case of Asperger's than I do, but I was surprised at just how much I found myself relating to the character. I may not have enjoyed it as much if I was merely a general audience member with no personal connection to the character. I still believe that it was a pretty solid film, but I'm open to the possibility that it may just be because of my initial connection to the character.

Wow, that was a short review.

Recap

Positive:
-Tender
-Emotional
-Accurate portrayal of Asperger's Syndrome
-Calming tone
-Relaxing, fitting music
-Great performances
-Adam's wise mentor
-Chemistry
-Honest and true to life
-Tackles a very serious aspect of Asperger's that I didn't expect to be brought up

Negative:
-A few plot points are forced
-The ending scene is a little underwhelming
-A few key areas of Asperger's that could have added a lot to the movie were left out

Consensus:
Adam isn't perfect, but thanks to strong performances and a true-to-life script it ultimately proves itself as a very honest and tender love story with a truly sincere heart.

Movie Review: "Inglourious Basterds"

2009-08-26T23:53:00.005-04:00

Quentin Tarantino generally has a strong and very different goal with his many films. Pulp Fiction is a collection of independent stories, each containing a beginning, middle and end. These stories have funny, snappy dialogue to keep you hooked. You know going in that there's really no ultimate goal. It's a bunch of stupid characters getting themselves mixed up in absurd situations. The entertainment comes from watching these stories unfold, even if they have no ultimate meaning. Kill Bill - Vol. 1 is a violent, mindless barrage of style and action, in which Tarantino jumps around from style to style because he feels like it, and it generally works. Even when it starts to get old, the awesome fight scenes suck you back in. Kill Bill - Vol. 2 departs from that persona and delves into a much more character-driven story with a surprisingly emotional core. Quentin has created these gimmicks for himself, but smartly never stays with one for too long. This prevents him from getting corned into a straight Tarantino style, similar to how Tim Burton's movies are always awkwardly similar (with the exception of Sweeney Todd). It's easy to spot a Tarantino film because his gimmicks are similar, but they are still different enough to remain fresh.

At this moment I feel as if Quentin Tarantino tried to resurrect all of his past created gimmicks into one movie for Inglourious Basterds, without putting focus on one over the others. I'm not getting a solid vibe as a whole. It has great dialogue, unprecedented changes in style, gross-out violence, some emotional character drama, and multiple stories that come together in the end. However, these Tarantino gimmicks come and go, never really dwelling on one or taking advantage of how entertaining they can be. The dialogue in individual scenes can be very immersive and snappy, but the script as a whole moves so incredibly slow that the endless conversations start to grow very old. There isn't enough action between talk for the dialogue to stand on its own. Every forty-five minutes or so there will be a quick, two minute scene of action and violence. The conversations just aren't interesting enough for me to want to listen to them for two and a half hours like I did with Pulp Fiction. The style changes every once in a while like with Kill Bill - Vol. 1, but it's very subtle. If the entire movie isn't constantly switching the style around, it seems kind of pointless to me for it to change without a lot of motivation. There are a few moments of surprisingly deep character drama, but it doesn't last. As with all the aspects of this movie, it never stays in focus for long. The story consists of multiple plots, as with Pulp Fiction, but the individual plots aren't self-contained at all. They come together in the end in a decently satisfying climax, but it almost doesn't seem worth it. With Pulp Fiction I was fine with not knowing how these stories would connect because they were independently entertaining. I wasn't very independently entertained with a lot of Basterds' separate story lines.

I loved a lot of individual aspects of the movie. The opening scene is very immersive and emotionally affecting. It's often very funny. Brad Pitt is great. The violence is crazy. I just can't seem to grasp Inglourious Basterds as a whole. I can't grasp a core. I think how slowly paced and dragged out it was really made it hard to down. Snappy dialogue loses its snappiness if put into the entirety of a slow-moving movie.

As of this moment I really didn't personally like Inglourious Basterds. I expected a movie about Brad Pitt and his team of soldiers slaughtering a bunch of Nazis. That was what the trailers and marketing campaign suggested. The marketing team succeeded in attracting a large crowd, but failed in advertising what was actually delivered. Even the title is misleading. Aldo Rain and his Basterds are present for less than half of the films' lengthy scenes. They were the best part of the movie. Whenever Brad Pitt was on screen it was fantastic. My biggest complaint was that we didn't get to see much of them. Maybe I would have liked it more if it wasn't called Inglourious Basterds and therefore didn't cause me to enter the theater expecting a movie that centered on them. Maybe a movie that blends all of Quentin Tarantino's gimmicks together was a good idea and did work. Maybe I'm just blinded. All I know is that Quentin's individual gimmicks have worked on me in the past when focused and blown out to the extreme, yet now when they are toned down and combined, seem to bore me.

Recap

Positive:
-Smart dialogue
-Brad Pitt
-Funny
-"The Bear Jew"
-(In)Glorious violence
-Some serious character drama
-Celebrity cameos

Negative:
-Resurrects past Tarantino gimmicks in very toned down ways that only initially worked because of how over-the-top they were
-Extremely slow
-Individual stories come together in the end, but don't really stand on their own as entertaining plots
-Aldo Rain and his Basterds barely get any screen time
-Not enough action to balance out the scenes of dialogue

Consensus:
Inglourious Basterds combines toned-down Tarantino gimmicks from the past that can provide some episodic fun, but it ultimately isn't balanced enough to stand as an entertaining whole.

Movie Review: "District 9"

2009-08-17T23:53:00.010-04:00

District 9 was shrouded in a lot of mystery. I can't accurately review it without giving away the general plot. If you haven't seen it yet, read at your own risk.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was a terrible movie, yet I still labeled it worth seeing and recommended it. [Link] It insulted my intelligence, portrayed women as sex objects, and stereotyped African Americans as derogatory, mindless imbeciles. It also featured one of the most nonsensical and contrived plots I've ever seen. I overlooked such an immense amount of crap because when it came down to it, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy watching it. There's a part of a lot of us that loves watching robots beat the crap out of each other and seeing people get their heads blown off. It's mindless and unintelligent but I don't care. I can temporarily suspend my intellect and indulge myself in glorious displays of action and violence. Along comes District 9. It's made for one-fourth of the budget of Transformers and was helmed by an absolute newcomer who hadn't directed a feature film in his life, Neill Blomkamp. Not only does District 9 far exceed Transformers' level of heart-pounding action and violence, but it does so without forcing me to turn off the intellectually driven side of my brain. It takes itself extremely seriously and contains some really serious social commentaries (though it's never forced on you; you can take it or leave it). It has considerable depth and emotion. It also contains some of the most intense, heart-pounding, testosterone pumping, blood-and-guts filled action scenes of any sci-fi film in history. It's not flawless, but it really melds together into a great sci-fi masterpiece that provides immense amounts of entertainment.

The movie opens with a documentary about the current situation. It's very believable and realistic. Twenty years ago a large alien spacecraft entered our atmosphere and became immobile above Johannesburg, South Africa. It just sat there and sat there. Eventually, we physically cut into the ship and found hundreds of near-death aliens trapped inside, starving for food. The aliens are completely CG and look more convincing than most of todays visual effects, despite the small budget. They seemed harmless enough and so we relocated them to "District 9," a place where they could live while we still kept a close watch on them. The aliens (or "Prawns") multiplied and became more and more savage. We decided to relocate them to a larger and more controlled area. District 9 centers on Wikus (pronounced Vikus) Van Der Merwe. He is played by Sharlto Copley, who has never acted in a film in his life. Wikus is a less than average man who is elected to go door-to-door of the aliens' shack's and convince them to sign a notice which would permit us to move them to the new location. Through these scenes we are introduced to the Prawn's lifestyles. We have been treating them like savages, and they have therefore become savages.

As Wikus wanders about the Prawn camp, setting fire to nests and convincing the creatures to sign the eviction notices, the documentary style gradually (and somewhat awkwardly) morphs into a standard film narrative (though it keeps its shaky cam stylings) as the plot begins to focus. In one of the Prawn shacks, Wikus foolishly examines an alien canister and his face is sprayed with a black liquid. Unbeknownst to Wikus, contact with this alien liquid would slowly start to rewrite his DNA. In an almost straight copy of events from "The Fly," Wikus begins to turn into an alien himself. As it turns out, MNU (the company dealing with the alien interactions) was actually mainly focused on studying and emulating the Prawn weapons. They are unlike human weapons in that they operate on a molecular level, and can only be manned by a Prawn. Now that Wikus has Prawn DNA, he becomes a test subject to a greedy organization that will sacrifice anything for selfish gain. The horrific processes they put Wikus through in the name of science are extremely disturbing and heartwrenching. It is all against his will. They won't even allow him to see his wife. District 9 is a LOT more emotional than I expected. I teared up at one point. Wikus ends up escaping his confines and locating the Prawn who created this chemical. His name is Christopher Johnson (you heard me) and he also has a son. Christopher is a very likable character and is somehow much more intelligent than any other Prawns. This was really just the introduction, and is as much as I'll give away of the plot.

The whole alien segregation theme that the first trailer established serves as more of a backdrop for the rest of the story. It's not forgotten, but the plot certainly shifts focus into more of a violent sci-fi action romp from here on. I don't think it's a bad thing. It still retains a respectable amount of character development and social commentary through the action-oriented scenes. Wikus is initially focused on nothing but getting himself back to normal, and is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to make that happen. Along the way he starts to realize that maybe that's not all that matters, and that he just might be fighting for the wrong side. Wikus and Christopher also form a nice bond with each other.

The action scenes are incredible. The last forty minutes of the movie just might be my favorite action scene ever. They're gruesome and gloriously violent, keep you on the edge of your seat, and had me cheering audibly. There's awesome alien weapons, the smartest mech I've ever seen, exploding heads, and exploding bodies. It's some of the best entertainment I've seen in years, and it didn't require me to turn off my brain! Sometimes the plot faltered a bit and lost specific focus, but the incredible action scenes were so immersive that it honestly made up for any flaw that I'd point out.

All of this is paced out perfectly. Not once did I check my watch. It hooked me from the very beginning and never let go. It's original, beautifully violent, emotionally affecting, really solid and fun entertainment.

Recap

Positive:
-Gloriously violent
-Emotional and heart-wrenching
-Mostly original
-Top-notch effects, despite a small budget
-Awesome alien weapons
-The smartest mech ever
-Intelligent
-Well paced
-Hooks you from the beginning and never lets go
-Incredibly entertaining
-Social commentaries are present for those that are into that kind of stuff, but isn't forced down your throat

Negative:
-Awkwardly fades in and out of the initial documentary style
-Borrows a lot from "The Fly"
-Plot focus shifts a few times
-Interestingly negative take on the human race...or maybe just on mega-corporations and Africans...not sure if that's a negative or not
-A pretty silly "goodbye" scene, in comparison to how realistic the rest of the movie was

Consensus:
District 9 is a gloriously violent, superbly realistic and emotionally affecting cinematic experience that provides more pure fun and entertainment than almost any movie I've seen in years - and all for one fourth of the budget of Transformers 2.

Movie Review: "(500) Days of Summer"

2009-08-09T02:58:00.011-04:00

(500) Days of Summer roots itself in reality, yet maintains a whimsical, almost magical atmosphere. It's a fun, funny, entertaining, relatable, heart-warming, satisfying (yet simple) portrayal of human emotions in relation to destiny and fate. I say it has succeeded. "It's not a love story; it's a story about love." The film's catch-phrase is entirely accurate, and proves for a very original and satisfying experience. There is a fine line between originality and gimmickry. (500) Days of Summer successfully executes this balancing act, and then some. Nearly every element fits together perfectly into a wonderful modern fable that doesn't just ignite happy feelings inside, but honestly causes one to stop and think about how we view certain aspects of life that we might otherwise glance over.Through a broken timeline, we are introduced to the only two center characters of the story. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Although there are many supporting characters, the extras really fade into the background and allow us to focus on who the story is really about. Tom grew up believing that he would only be happy when he found his one true love (brought on by depressing British music and a misinterpretation of the movie The Graduate). Summer, through her parents' divorce, lost all belief in love and destiny. The two enter some form of a relationship, with Tom in search of true love and Summer avoiding anything serious. This story, at its core, is about destiny. It's not some fairy tale portrayal like Slumdog Millionaire, but a completely realistic examination of how coincidence and our own choices affect where we end up in life.

The storytelling is filled with great craftsmanship. There are no glaringly obvious flaws. Top-notch production values and performances only add to this great story. The whole tone and mood of this movie is just great. The colors are mellow and relaxing, while the music fits perfectly at all times and never quite crossed my personal line into the territory of being considered too indie. The performances are really great and nuanced. I love Zooey Deschanel to death. It's also really funny. Another aspect that really stood out to me (I think this may have been intentional) is how timeless it is. There were little-to-no shots involving technology, and the clothing styles all seemed to be able to fit many time periods. It will make the appeal of this movie last long beyond the current decade.I really love this movie; even more so than when I started writing this review. There's just so much great stuff going on and it really left me with a great feeling inside. I can't wait to see it again. It takes all these original aspects and blends them together into a great movie without becoming gimmicky. I really don't feel like writing anything negative about it. They're such minor things; they don't detract at all. They certainly aren't worth a star, or even a half a star, so I give (500) Days of Summer 5/5 stars.

Recap:

Positive:
-Realistic, yet whimsical
-Very mellow and calming audial/visual experience; some nice color editing and very fitting music
-Zooey Deschanel is adorable
-Great, nuanced performances
-Realistic portrayal of destiny, unlike Slumdog Millionaire
-Didn't send my Indie Radar into the red zone
-Heartwarming and touching
-Breaks the norm without becoming too gimmicky
-Timeless
-Funny
-Really makes you think

Negative:
-Awkward (I felt uncomfortably embarrassed for the characters many times)
-Broken timeline can sometimes be a bit confusing
-Their first date is to IKEA?
-One or two sequences seemed to force originality/indieness
-I feel like I'm missing something because I haven't seen The Graduate

Consensus:
Nearly every element of (500) Days of Summer fits together perfectly into a wonderful modern fable that doesn't just ignite happy feelings inside, but honestly causes one to stop and think about how we view certain aspects of human emotion that we might otherwise glance over.

Movie Review: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

2009-07-19T03:49:00.017-04:00

I'll Begin with a recap of what I've thought of the series so far.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:
Not the absolute best in the series, but it's one of my personal favorites. It's whimsical, light-hearted, magical, enrapturing, and heartfelt. It's a little slow at times, but I don't mind it. It's one of the most enrapturing films ever (at least to me). This one makes me want to live in Harry's world.
My Rating: 4.5/5

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:
Not as engaging as some others, but still full of wonder. It's got great mystery. Tom Riddle and the Basilisk are great, too.
My Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:
Without a doubt the most solid in the series, but I could have done with a few less scenes that had an entirely blue overtone. The replacement of Dumbledore's actor is the only real downfall. This film has my favorite John Williams score to date. Sirius and Lupin also add a lot to an already great world.
My Rating: 5/5

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:
In my opinion, the weakest of the series. It's not a terrible film, but at this point, Harry Potter lost the enrapturing, serene, magical quality that the first three films possessed, and in my opinion has yet to fully gain it back. This has to do, in large part, to John Williams being replaced as composer. The music apparently made this world work for me.
My Rating: 3.5/5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:
More solid than Goblet of Fire, but still a far cry from Azkaban. It's got some really good stuff but it's also got some weak spots. It cuts out some major plot points, at times is stumbly in the storytelling, I wanted to murder Professor Umbridge whenever she was on screen, and Sirius' death is completely thrown in and recieves almost no reference afterwards. Harry seemed more upset when Cedric died in Goblet of Fire than when his own godfather is murdered. The fact that Sirius' theme ("A Window to the Past") was completely absent from the death scene killed it even more for me. This one was my favorite of the books, but one of my least favorites of the movies. It's still good though. The second half, in particular, is very exciting and has some great character stuff going on. Dumbledore is a pretty insane waterbender, by the way.
My Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's strength lies in its tone. GOF and OOTP tried taking the series in more mature and darker directions, but dwindled in familiar territory while adding many new elements, which sometimes caused an awkward mixture of the old and the new. HBP completely ditches the old and takes the series into an extremely serious, mature, dark, and at times almost horrific direction. I assure you that this is a good thing. No longer was I attempting to find a happy balance between the whimsical days of the early installments and the dark present. I haven't been very fond of the past two entries in the series; I always found myself wondering where the whimsical magic went. HBP is full on into the darker side of things, which was easier to grasp than trying to find the medium. It's quite unnerving and has many horror elements, which work well. Thanks to the slow (but immersive) pace, eerie cinematograhy, and dark subject matter, HBP proves to be a very riveting and dramatic experience.

HBP certainly comes across as the most solid entry since POA, but its tonality can be very blinding. At its core it has the weakest, most stunted plot in the series. It's got some really good stuff going on, but I had quite a few gripes. HBP was my least favorite of the books. Not much of importance actually happens and the "Half-Blood Prince" mystery has little-to-nothing to do with the actual plot (and yet is somehow the title of the entire book). The book's strength lies within it's character studies. We find out a LOT about Tom Riddle (Voldemort) through various flashbacks. These flashbacks are cut down to two for the film. We are left instead to focus on multiple subplots for the duration, none of which ever seem to relate to each other in any way. It's very segmented and episodic. The different plots may, in and of themselves, be quality entertainment but prove, as a whole, to make up a very uneven storyline. Some very key scenes were also cut, including the only action scene (they had decent reasoning) and a certain someone's funeral. And do I even have to mention how terrible any composer comes across when they are following John Williams? I don't know why, but I lost a lot of magic when Williams left after POA. The music seems like it was composed by a machine. No heart.

One of the larger subplots is the budding romance between Ron and Hermione. It can be very sweet but is completely unprefaced. Sure, there have been hints throughout the series towards it, but out of nowhere in HBP, Hermione is head-over-heals-in-love with Ron. He doesn't return the favor and acts like a jerk throughout the entire film. Ron and his new girlfriend, Lavender Brown, can be quite bothersome. One scene where Hermione is crying over Ron's inconsiderateness was a bit overdone; it was as if her mother had just died. It's not as bad as I'm making it sound; I really appreciated this love triangle. It's done in a very touching way. I felt really bad for Hermione (and ask myself what in the name of Merlin's beard is she thinking; having feelings for such an inconsiderate jerk). The romance was a highlight of the movie. I even found myself embaressingly audibly awe-ing at one particular part (spearmint toothpaste).

Another great aspect of this film are the other relationships (non-romantic) between characters. Harry and Dumbledore share some excellent screen time, while Draco Malfoy has some really intense and emotionally heartwrenching personal struggles. He was really one of my favorite parts of the movie. He was very impressive and I really felt for him. Snape is also great; stealing scenes by just standing there. He's even better than he usually is in HBP. You can really see the struggle in his eyes.

Also worth mentioning is the humor. It's the funniest in the series. There's some really great gags, and Daniel Radcliffe in unusually funny.

Despite its flaws, I was mostly content with being blinded by the tone. It was a very affective tone and I was riveted throughout every minute of the nearly three hour run-time. I really enjoyed it, but there are a few things that I'm still struggling to accept. The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so skip this section if you haven't seen the movie or read the book yet.

SPOILER ALERT! During the scene where Dumbledore is being murdered, there is a significantly huge difference from the book. In the book, Harry is hiding under an invisibility cloak when the assassins come. Dumbledore, who knows what is about to happen, hits Harry with a temporary paralyzing spell (to ensure that he doesn't try to act the hero and get them both killed). Harry is helpless. He lies there under his cloak, unable to move a muscle as he watches his father-figure and headmaster murdered before his eyes. In the movie Dumbledore tells Harry to hide below, and makes him promise that no matter what happens, he must stay there and not react. Harry promises. Harry is free to move about. Dumbledore is murdered and Harry just stands there, completely against his rebellious character. I understand the motive behind this change. Director David Yates wanted to show Harry growing as a character. He obeyed Dumbledore, despite himself. I'm fine with that, but this poses a problem: Harry would then naturally blame himself for Dumbledore's death, since he had the ability to try and stop it. In the scenes that follow, Harry shows absolutely no guilt. Not once does he mention anything about "wishing he had tried to stop them" or anything of the sort. This irks me to no end. I'm fine with changing it so that there's more character growth, but refusing to acknowledge the consequences is absolutely amature. Harry would have felt guilty since it was within his power to stop it. Period. And while I'm in the spoiler section I'll briefly mention that I was mostly satisfied with the way Dumbledore's death was handled; despite the funeral being cut. I got a brief tear.
END OF SPOILERS!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a great piece of cinema, despite some plot issues (due to both source material and adaptation). It's riveting, but certainly has the least re-watch value of the entire series. It's not the strongest and it's not the weakest. It's great but it doesn't stand well on its own. It's an adequate bridge to the epic, two-part climax that awaits us in a year-and-a-half's time.

Recap:

Positive:
-Extremely high production values (especially cinematography)
-Snape has some great moments
-Malfoy has a great character struggle
-Great tone
-Professor Slughorn was great
-Funny
-Emotional
-Some sweet stuff between Hermione and Ron

Negative:
-Slow pace at times
-Little re-watch value
-Harry goes against character
-Segmented, episodic plot
-The "Half-Blood Prince" has almost nothing to do with the overall plot
-The funeral was cut
-Lots of interesting backstory on Tom Riddle was cut
-The book's only action scene was cut (they had decent reasoning)
-No Voldemort
-Very few characters show any growth
-Lavender Brown
-Ron is a jerk
-We never see Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts (his dream job)
-Fenrir Greyback never turns werewolf
-Still no John Williams

Consensus:
A superbly well made bridge that provides great entertainment for a single viewing, despite some weak storytelling and plot alterations.

Movie Review: "Dragon Hunters" (One of the Most Enjoyable Animated Films of the Decade!)

2009-07-12T18:50:00.020-04:00

Aside from Pixar films and a few from Dreamworks, the 3D animation genre has generally been chock full of crap. I was checking my updated RSS feeds yesterday when I saw a review from bluray.com for a movie called "Dragon Hunters." I had never heard of this movie, so I clicked on the link. It turned out that it was a 3D animated movie that was created in France, and recently brought over to America. (Before you run and hide because it's a foreign film, relax in the fact that they completely re-animated the lip-sync to match the english voice cast, which includes Forest Whitaker. It feels like it was made entirely in America.) At first glance I thought this was simply another straight-to-DVD release of some crappy movie from a second rate animation company. I have never been more wrong. I started reading the review and saw that the reviewer was assaulting it with praise. The screenshots showed some really great character designs and visual beauty. I was extremely intrigued and went over to youtube.com to watch trailers. The animation looked really great. I knew I had to see this movie.

"Dragon Hunters" unfortunately didn't get enough financing for a theatrical release stateside, and is now already on DVD and Blu-Ray. I really wish I could have seen it in a theater; it's just that kind of movie. The visual surroundings are mind-boggling. It takes place in an alternate medieval/fantasy world. All land masses float freely through he sky in chunks, separating the worlds. Some even have their own centers of gravity. It's a world that has all but been destroyed by the dragons (especially the World Gobbler). There are pieces of nuanced debris floating everywhere, granting the audience knowledge of what this world used to be. It's not an entirely original idea, but it's executed beautifully and proves to be a very immersive world. It's just so beautifully lit and rendered. It really is one of the most visually rich animated films of all time. The animation (meaning movement) is perfection. It's absolutely at a Pixarian level. Facial expressions are executed believably; faces are very flexible. Comic slapstick is hilarious. I laughed a lot.

"Dragon Hunters" centers on a trio of wandering "warriors." Lian-Chu (Forest Whitaker) is a huge, Asian man whose village and family were destroyed by the World Gobbler when he was a child. He can be fierce, but has a really caring heart. Knitting is one of his hobbies (his mother taught him how). Gwizdo is his partner in crime. A con-artist of sorts, Gwizdo sweet talks the villagers into paying them some gold to let Lian-Chu rid them of their dragon problems. They are accompanied by a hilarious dog/dragon/pet/thing named Hector, who "talks" through a series of grunts and snarls which often sound very similar to familiar English words. The trio is off scamming some villagers when they happen across a young girl named Zoe. Zoe is on a quest to find "Silver Knight Gothic," a legendary dragon slayer, to defeat the World Gobbler, which will soon re-awaken from its long slumber. Lian-Chu saves Zoe from some electric dragons. Zoe decides that Lian-Chu is knight-enough for the job. Gwizdo then creates an elaborate story about how "Knight" Lian-Chu is a great dragon slayer and has had much success. Zoe takes them back to her uncle, King Arnold, who sends them on the quest to slay the World Gobbler.

The story can be a bit cliche at times, but it works. The characters could have been a bit more real in their decision making, but it's decent enough. It generally flows along at a seamless pace, moving from great character driven scenes to fantastic action scenes, which are incredibly fun to watch. This is one of the most enjoyable movies I've ever seen. It's got great pacing and the action scenes had me on the edge of my seat. This is what animation is supposed to be. It's constantly got a slightly goofy edge, while still managing to be entertaining and intense. The storytelling does seem to take a slight downward spiral towards the end, but it does little to ruin the overall experience. It's still a great movie.

Some of the character designs really stand out, others are so-so, and one or two seem really amature. King Arnold (pictured to your left) was awesome, as were the three main characters. Zoe's eyes were very far apart, which subtracted some potential emotion. There were some great smaller characters, including Sir Lens Flare. By far the most disappointing aspect of the entire film was the design of the World Gobbler, himself. He's extremely silly looking and unmenacing.

Some other notable elements of production included a very nice musical score, great voice acting, and generally high production values across the board. It really does set the bar to the level that all animated films should be, despite some slight storytelling flaws.

Recap

Positive
-Visually rich
-Immersive world
-Some of the most entertaining action scenes ever
-Great production values
-Fantastic, nuanced animation
-Some really great character designs
-Great voice acting
-Good music
-Very funny
-Seamless pacing

Negative
-Slightly weak storytelling towards the end
-Some weak character designs in comparison to the majority of them
-Terrible design for the World Gobbler

Consensus
An incredibly enjoyable adventure that overcomes its slight storytelling flaws with a colossal level of imagery and excitement.

Mini Movie Review: "Whisper of the Heart"

2009-07-11T03:03:00.004-04:00

I usually only review big theatrical releases, but every once in a while I'll see a great, unknown film worth telling the world about. Studio Ghibli's "Whisper of the Heart" is one of those films.

"Whisper of the Heart" was written and produced by Hayao Miyazaki. It was the only film to ever be directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondō.

It blows my mind how Studio Ghibli, as well as many Japanese film makers, manage to tell such captivating, engaging stories with little-to-no attention-grabbing gimmicks or forced conflict. "Whisper of the Heart," in a very similar manner as "My Neighbor Totoro," centers its story on a very simple girl who isn't at all exceptional in any way. She doesn't get swept up in an unlikely fantasy story, nor does she achieve greatness beyond her years. It's such a simple story; it doesn't really venture out of her simple city life, and yet retains a great level of adolescent fun and charm. This girl, Shizuku, is just approaching the end of middle school. She loves to read and write stories. She notices that the name Seiji Amasawa is on the library check out card of nearly every book that she checks out. Seiji is a great mystery to her. She eventually, through a series of very simple, yet charming events, meets Seiji.

For a while I thought the story was going to be about how you should jump right into life and break the default boundaries, particularly regarding age. It's not. I started to think that these middle-schoolers were being portrayed as being far more mature than they should be. It turns out that they're just as foolish as the rest of em. The very last scene is a simple and perfect way of showing this. "Whisper of the Heart" shows how it's important to enjoy your young, carefree years.

It's a bit more flawed than Totoro, and has more pre-teen social drama than I'd like, but it retains the same simple charms as Totoro. It's definitely worth watching if you like Miyazaki's work.

Some Facts:
-One of my favorite songs, "Take Me Home, Country Road" is featured as a large part of the plot.
-There is a semi-important cat statue called "The Baron" which later served as the inspiration for a film by Hayao Miyazaki called "The Cat Returns."

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" - Review

2009-06-28T03:46:00.007-04:00

Movies provide entertainment to almost everyone in America. I've never met anyone who has said "I don't like movies." People get enjoyment from many different aspects of these films. Most of the enjoyment that I get from movies comes from the more personal, character driven, thematic, relatable experiences that the characters go through. There is a part in all of us that enjoys a visual thrill ride. Not being a big fan of the first "Transformers" film, I went into the sequel knowing, full well, that all I was going to be in for was a massive-scaled, special effects extravaganza filled with giant robots and explosions. Here are my afterthoughts.

Many films boast themselves in saying that they "have something for everyone." Many movies do have a great balance of genres. The "Indiana Jones" series has a great balance of plot, character, action, comedy, and suspense. The Coen brothers' "Fargo" has a strangely melodic balance of very dark, murder-filled crime drama and black comedy. The first "Transformers" wasn't a catastrophe. It was first and foremost a fun, summer action movie that everyone could enjoy. It had a decent plot, but suffered from too many characters, multiple focal points in the storyline, and extremely cheesy one-liners from the transformers, themselves. I'm not a fan, but I wouldn't insult anyone for enjoying it. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" fails, epicly, in combining genres. Does it "have something for everyone?" Perhaps, but those areas do not mesh well in the slightest. Every scene seemed to have a completely different tone and overall genre. First you'd have a scene that was full of non-stop action and explosions that took itself very seriously. Then you'd have a scene that felt like it was plucked right out a completely goofy teen comedy. And then there were a few scenes in there that awkwardly took the serious action scenes and threw in some cheesy one-liners to top it off. And about those one-liners...It came close to beating "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" for the script containing the most cheesy, single, stand-alone lines of dialogue that physically make you hang your head in shame and embarrassment.

The entire plot of the movie was unbalanced. It was as if you could completely divide the movie into three parts or so. The focus of the plot seemed to shift completely to a different storyline multiple times. I will say this: the second half of the film was far easier to down and was far more enjoyable than the first half.

The first movie had way too many human characters to focus on. This time they had too many transformers. So many unnecessary, silly, pointless characters were thrown in for no apparent motivated reason. Optimus Prime and Megatron took complete back seats. Optimus was completely absent for the entire middle hour and a half of the movie. He barely had five minutes of screen time. Megatron is back, but apparently he got every ounce of dominative legitimacy ripped out of him during those two years he spent at the bottom of the ocean. The new introduced villain (The Fallen) was intriguing and had some very interesting plot attached to him, but the movie focused on him for such a small portion of time. One of the new transformers, however, was awesome, although a bit out-of-place (but I didn't even care because everything else in this movie was even more out-of-place). A crusty, old, archaic, cane wielding decepticon-turned-autobot named Jetfire.

The sequel does a much better job of establishing leads and side characters' separation. John Turturro's character, who was extremely annoying and unlikable in the first movie, had a complete turn around for this one. He was likable, and had a large part in the plot. Megan Fox, who I'm generally completely put off by, was also much more of a personal and relatable character this time around. Casting someone even sluttier than her in the movie was a great idea; it made her seem like much less of an object than America has made her out to be.

There's so much about this movie that I can pick apart. It makes me very mad at Michael Bay. Negatives aside, though, I would be a fool to say that I'm above reproach and don't enjoy watching giant robots beat the crap out of each other. The movie is a blast. Luckily, most of the out of place, unbalanced, cheeseball comedy comes within the first hour. the storyline then switches to one of it's many plots and stays there for a while. I found the second half of the movie to be very enjoyable.

The movie had great production values, and was very well put together. The effects were all quite believable, the action scenes were well directed and were very fun to watch, the music was better than a large chunk of recent film scores, and the out-of-place comedy was sometimes very funny. Normally I'd say that eye candy and action aren't enough means to pay $10 to see a movie, but "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has enough top-notch awesomeness to bring my opinion to the level of saying that it's worth seeing at the theater.

Positive
-Great production values
-Convincing effects
-Good musical score
-Funny
-Fun to watch
-Awesome fight scenes
-Lots of eye candy
-Jetfire
-Better character personalities than the first film
-Intriguing backstory on The Fallen
-John Turturro's character is fun and likable, compared to his personality in the first movie
-Megan Fox actually seems like a real person
-Shia LaBeouf screaming

Negative
-Poorly paced
-Unbalanced and inconsistent
-Too many transformer characters
-Too many shifts in the focus of the storyline
-Cant seem to decide if it wants to be a straight-up comedy or an action movie
-Filled to the brim with cheesy one-liners
-Optimus Prime and Megatron are barely in the film
-Megatron is a pansy
-Not enough focus on The Fallen

Consensus
An extremely inconsistent, unfocused thrill ride that retains a strong appeal due to it's awe-inspiring, visually immersive action scenes and epic scope.

My Score
6.5/10

"Up" Review

2009-05-30T23:58:00.009-04:00

I write movie reviews because it helps me gather my thoughts together and determine what I actually thought of the movie. I'm reluctant to write this review because, as with all Pixar films, perfection doesn't need to be critiqued.

Up, directed by Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), is a fabulous character-driven story about Carl Fredrickson, a man who had made a promise to his recently deceased wife long ago. He promised that they would go on an adventure to Paradise Falls, South America, and live the rest of their lives in peace. At a very old age he finally decides to fulfill that promise by attaching thousands of balloons to his house and then he will float away to bliss, escaping the foul business men who are forever attempting to gain the rights to knock down his house and make room for more industrial buildings. A young wilderness explorer (boy scout) named Russell in seek of his "assist the elderly" badge was aboard the house as it took off, unbeknownst to Carl. On their journey they encounter a giant, rainbow colored bird and a group of dogs with collars that translate their barks into English.

Positive: Everything (and that's not surprising at all). Up has great animation and visuals, a perfectly crafted, emotionally touching story that has many motifs that re-emerge as the story unfolds in ingenious ways (in the same vein that The Iron Giant does with Superman), lovable characters, absolutely hilarious supprting characters and gags, none of which seem forced at all like in many Dreamworks films, and a fitting musical score by Michael Giacchino (although he certainly seemed to resurrect some old, slightly altered, melodies from Ratatouille).

Negative: Nothing severe. The villain's insanity level seemed a bit high compared to the small amount of backstory on him we were provided with. It's easy to fill in the gaps and see how he ended up the way that he is, but I still think it would have been wise to add a small monologue or two about how much he's gone through so that there wouldn't be such a sporadic shift in his bizarre character. Oh, and it bothered me that characters had no nostrils...

Consensus: Up blends all the elements flawlessly together to create an amazing, uplifting and emotionally affecting experience. It's a deep, creative, tear-jerking, hilarious, wonderful journey that we can all relate to in some form or another.

Note: Pixar was already the only production company in history to have released this many "certified fresh" (per rottentomatoes.com) films consecutively, and now they add another to the roster with its tenth. Every single Pixar film has achieved over a 90% score on the tomatometer (the percentage out of hundreds of certified professional film critics that gave the film a positive review) with the exception of Cars, which still retained a respectable 75%. Up ties for third place along with Finding Nemo (my personal favorite Pixar film) with a whopping 98% (keep in mind that the majority of films that are released nowadays recieve a sub 50% score, and a pretty decent chunk obtain a sub 10% score), just behind Toy Story and Toy Story 2, which both obtained a flawless 100%.

I don't understand how anyone can actually doubt that an upcoming Pixar film could actually be anything other than incredible. Their track record proves that you have nothing to fear. With ten films down, each attaining masterpiece status, you can be certain that Pixar never lets anything out of their doors other than the very best of the best. Unlike every other studio out there, they realize that "quality is the best business plan." That's a direct quote.

"Star Trek" Review

2009-05-10T03:11:00.005-04:00

I left Star Trek with a very bizarre mixture of feelings. I knew I had just witnessed a nearly perfect piece of film-making and yet I felt strangely unfulfilled and empty. I then forgot I had even seen it ten minutes later. Here's the rundown:

The Good: Pretty much everything. This is film-making at it's absolute best. Great character development and focus, nicely refined story, great score, and it does correctly what other films right now try so hard to get right (particularly when it comes to cinematography and the "shaky cam" effect). It grips you right from the start and takes you on an exciting sci-fi thrill ride, the likes of which have not been seen in a decade. It's got a great cast, perfectly executed cinematography, a great original score by Michael Giacchino (it actually has a main theme!), no CG really stood out as fake looking or out of place, it's got some really great, emotional moments that can move you to tears simply because of the shear beauty in which it's crafted, and it all flows together quite well into a great package. Mad props to "Lost" creator, J.J. Abrams for making this seemingly impossible to direct film appear like it was a piece of cake.

The Bad: Not much. The villain, Nero, was pretty underdeveloped compared to some of the other characters. The movie seems too short. It's not that short, but it flies by so fast. I didn't look at my watch once. The main plot all takes place over the course of one day, which is pretty un-epic, contrary to the feel the trailers gave off.

The Strange: I left feeling strangely unfulfilled and empty. I'm not a serious trekkie and it's been years since I've seen any of the older movies, so I can't say for sure how I would have felt seeing this as an add on to an already epic series. I really don't like what exactly this movie is. It's obviously grounds for a future franchise, but this film in and of itself was far too self-contained for me. It felt like I was watching an episode of an amazing new Star Trek TV show. If this was the pilot episode of that show, it would have blown my socks off, but it's not. It's a movie; a movie with potential sequels to follow. I'm not sure how Star Trek has worked in the past. Is there any ultimate goal? Evil nemesis that lurks the universe through more than an episode or two? Does the Enterprise crew really just prowl the universe like policemen, stopping evil-doers and protecting the innocent with absolutely no through lines that connect each adventure? This movie was extremely self-contained. The threat and villain surfaced at the beginning, and were taken out by the end. Even though it was an extremely epic threat and changed the course of everything, it still seemed to be on such a smale scale compared to what it could have been. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it. It's just strangely set apart from anything that will follow.

Consensus: A nearly flawless piece of work whose great cast and overall tone create a completely enthralling experience, despite how self-contained the expertly crafted plot may be.

9/10 Stars

"Adventureland" Review

2009-04-05T23:12:00.002-04:00

Adventureland is a very chill coming-of-age story from the director of Superbad. I consider Superbad to be one of the greatest comedies ever; expertly balancing vulgarity and sincerity, while never overstepping the boundaries that separate high school adolescence from adult raunch-fests. I was very excited to see what director Greg Mottola would have in store next.

Adventureland is about James; A recent high school graduate. His father's job-loss forces him to work a terrible job at the local theme park instead of traveling through Europe for his would-be graduation present. This extremely uncomfortable and ultra awkward stage of his life is the last stretch of experiences that ultimately help him grow up before he goes off to college.

It's a very solid movie; containing little to no flaws. There's not a lot to it, however. It's definitely worth seeing, but maybe not worth paying $10 to see. It's a very simple comedy. It's genuinely funny, but not to a huge extent. Adventureland's comedy isn't the real focus, though. It focuses on the drama going on between the extremely awkward Michael Cera-esque star and the friends he makes at Adventureland. Even though it's slow moving, it all works out. It's ultimately a very heartfelt, sweet coming of age story that's definitely worth a watch. A giant plus are the great performances by the stars. And Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are hilarious in their quick scene stealing moments.

Is it as good as Superbad? No, but it's not necessarily worse. It's great for what it was, but what it was was very simple. There's nothing wrong with simple. I liked the movie a lot. Just don't expect another Superbad.

Thoughts on Life, Love, Beauty, and Opportunity

2009-01-03T00:44:00.006-05:00

I've always been one to believe that movies can change our lives. This past month has only proven that point further for me. I watched two movies over the course of this past month that were distinctly different, and yet extremely similar at the same time. They both were about individual life journeys and what they lead to. One was about an unextraordinary man who does extraordinary things with his life; the other about an extraordinary man by default who ends up accomplishing nearly nothing. Watching these two polar opposites really got me thinking about life in a way that I never have before.

The first film I mentioned was Forrest Gump, which I had seen many times before, but not within the past few years. The second was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

On Christmas day, after many hours of sitting at home doing nothing, I decided to go to the movies and watch Benjamin Button. It was an amazing experience. When the movie ended I thought I loved it. The next day after it finally really sunk in. I started to get this really murky feeling about it. I had heard that it was penned by Eric Roth, the screenwriter of Forrest Gump, and I just kept comparing it to Forrest Gump in my head. The two were so similar. An epic telling of one man’s life, told through flashbacks, narrative voiceovers, etc. Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies of all time, and naturally, Button didn’t quite live up to it, nor did it need to since they are completely different movies, but for some reason I kept comparing the two and finally I realized what bothered me about Button: He was a complete and utter failure at life. Even living backwards, gaining opportunities when others are losing them, he still ended up doing nothing worth while with his life. When I realized this I started getting very depressed, and started to feel very put off by the film, and now I have no interest in ever sitting through it again.

Ever since then I had this constant urge to watch Forrest Gump again, which I did yesterday. I had forgotten how much I loved it. It’s such a beautiful story about a completely unextraordinary man who accomplishes so much with his life and touches so many people in such extraordinary ways. Such a far cry from Button; so inspirational and full of emotional beauty. Forrest has such problems, but he’s such a beautiful person. And his love for Jenny is just so beautiful. This film is the epitome of true beauty. It’s so uplifting. He’s hindered and yet takes every single opportunity thrown at him, and has a very happy, prolific life full of love and joy, even though his Mama and his Jenny both pass away. Button has just as many opportunities and takes none of them. Forrest makes me so happy inside; Benjamin Button is dreary, depressing, and makes me feel down on myself.

Two movies, two polar opposite lives, two fears for my future. When I watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I fear that I will miss all of my opportunities in life and end up as much of a failure as Benjamin. When I watch Forrest Gump, I worry that I’m not going to end up having a life as prolific and inspiring as Forrest’s. What opportunities should I be watching out for? What should I be putting first? What matters most in life? Have I already missed some big opportunities? Is success even worth it if I don’t have any friends to share it with? Will I ever find my Jenny? What if she’s come and gone and I didn’t even realize it? Will I really be happy animating for the rest of my life?

I’ve got so much going through my head right now and it’s costing me a lot of sleep. I’m going off four hours of sleep and a Red Bull right now, so bare with me.

~Random dead-end thought time!~

-Benjamin Button, no matter how much it depresses me, has a true, good, core moral: “Our lives are shaped by opportunities, even if we choose not to take them.” There’s not much I can do about that right now besides keep my eyes open and take a few risks.

-Are relationships (both friendly and more) more important than my future career? I’ve set my sights on Ringling College of Art and Design for quite some time, even going as far as to taking off a year to try to get in again since I failed last year. I would most likely be the only one I know attending, and would be forced to make new friends. I find it harder to make good friends than most people; it’s taken me years to develop the strong relationships I have right now, and they are truly great. I really don’t want to leave my friends here. I love them all so much and have no interest in making new friends. They were my life and now most of them are out of my life. And now I’m hearing them say that none of them have really made good friends at college? That really worries me. If they can’t make new friends, surely I can’t either. Would I really be happy going to Ringling (alone), graduating (alone), moving to California (alone), living (alone), getting my dream job (alone) and possibly never finding a wife or even as good a group of friends as I have right now? Is that really worth it? Pixar’s Cars, even though I consider it their weakest film, teaches us a very valuable message. The hero is the star of racing. He’s living the dream and has everything he wants, but he slowly realizes that he’s miserable because he has nobody to share it with. I do not want to end up like that. I need something to come home to after work to balance out my life. Even when you are doing what you love, it gets old when you do it every day of your life. I feel like that right now, which is certainly not good since I’m just starting out. When work is the best thing in your life and you don’t enjoy it, you have a problem. I have nothing to come home to; just my empty room.

-Last year I took my life for granted. I had friends, we hung out, and I usually enjoyed it. Then everyone went off to college. I was sad, but I got used to the new, much more boring life. Now that everyone's back, I'm starting to realize just how good what I had was. It's going to be even harder to say goodbye the second time around, believe it or not. I took it all for granted and now I wish I could go back and relive each and every moment over, because it just flew by, and I had no idea how much I'd miss that life...Cherish it - for real. If you are still in high school, please cherish the time you have right now before you have to say goodbye. Don't make the same regrets that I now realize I have.

So there you have it: the thoughts of Josh Sobel, never before released to the public. Any suggestions, comments, advice, etc. are welcome.

And Tim, Jesse, Nic, Kate, Max, Samantha, Sammi, Alexa, Sarah, Cliff, Chris, and everyone else who’s name didn’t happen to pop into my head at this exact, unimportant moment in time: I love you all.

Ringling Trip!

2008-12-10T22:23:00.003-05:00

So I visited Ringling College of Art and Design yesterday. It went really well. We stayed in a cheap little motel right across the street, complete with HDTV and a kitchen. Too bad the shower had no hot water...Sarasota is nice, kinda like a lesser Downtown Fort Lauderdale. Ringling itself is like a little town, it's pretty great. It looked a lot different on the outside than all the pictures let on for some reason. I find it curious that such a prestigious art school is has Martin Luther King Blvd. running straight through it. HA.

The inside is pretty amazing. Hundreds of film posters lining the halls, all of which have had between 1 and 40 Ringling alumni work on them. Just so impressive. What's even more impressive is the fact that Pixar hired seven students of last years graduating Computer Animation class! SEVEN! And that's not even with the other companies that hired. Out of 40 graduates, that means probably half got their dream jobs right out of college...That pretty much makes any loans I have to take out completely worth it. I could pretty much see my entire future unfolding for me as I got the tour...The tour guide was a pretty awesome Game Art student, by the way.

Another amazing thing about Ringling...REAL FOOD WITH THE MEAL PLAN! Crazy buffet and stuff...it's so far above other colleges in that way...

So after the tour I met with an admissions guy named Eric Kaster. He was really nice. He was really tough, but all in all, he was really just trying to make my portfolio, which he said was actually very good, stand out above the other "good" portfolios and make sure I get in. I was really surprised by some things he said, like the fact that he was ok with some pieces being drawn from photos, and wanted me to keep my character stuff in. He said I have a MUCH higher chance of getting in this year than last year. My hopes are definitely higher than they were last year.

So I'm really hoping that this time is the one. I don't know what I'l do if I don't get in again. I'm fine taking out tons of loans for a school like Ringling that has such a high success rate, but I'm not too comfortable doing it for somewhere else, which may be good, but not entirely fool proof...

REVIEW - Miyazaki's "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea"

2008-11-30T02:29:00.005-05:00

I just got to see Hayao Miyazaki's new film "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea." I'm not the biggest Miyazaki fan on the earth, nor do I watch a whole lot of anime, but I do love the movies of his that I've seen to death. My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away - they're all great. It's so refreshing to take a break from all of the over the top CG headaches that America keeps putting out (no offense to to companies who do it well, like Pixar).

Now, going into Ponyo, all I knew were these 3 things:
1. It's about a cute little jellyfish with a human face.
2. It's directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
3. It has the absolute catchiest theme song in the world.

With these expectations, I was kinda caught off guard when 20 minutes into the movie it takes a drastic plot twist that the trailer did not show. I'll tell you it because it happens so early in the movie. Ponyo...turns into a human 20 minutes in! So the majority of the plot takes place with her walking around on land.

It took me a while to adjust to this concept, because my mind was ready to watch an Iron Giant-type movie about a boy taking care of his cute girl-fish-thing. Once I adjusted, I fully enjoyed it.

I'll cut straight to the one negative and get it out of the way. This movie is actually really really really simple. There's very little plot at all. But everything else about it is so great that you completely ignore the lack of plot and completely enjoy it in its innocence. It's a movie about kids, which I love. It adds such a great sense of wonder that you rarely get nowadays. I love scenes that are about nothing but seeing something for the first time. Scenes like in Wall-E when he's flying through space in sheer awe of what's around him and in Beauty and the Beast when Belle enters the library. Ponyo is CHOCK FULL of these. It's so great.

The art of this movie is mind boggling. No CG whatsoever (thank God...). Everything is hand-painted beautifully. The color is unbelievably serene and calming. It's absolutely gorgeous. That fact alone makes this movie completely worth it. It's also got great characters. Miyazaki captures little children so well. Another great detail about Ponyo, as well as most of Miyazaki's movies, is that there is really no complete villain.

By the way, you may not realize this, but Ponyo is literally Miyazaki's interpretation of The Little Mermaid. Same story, but DRASTICALLY altered.

Recap:
Positive:
-AMAZING visuals; beautiful colorful backdrops, great, nuanced animation, endearing characters.
-The catchiest theme song ever.
-Full of wonder and awe.
-They gave away nothing in the trailers.
-No CG.

Negative:
-Extremely simple plot.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a great, beautifully rich film, worth seeing by anyone, but die hard Miyazaki fans might feel like they're missing something, due to the very simple plot.

HD YouTube Test

2008-11-20T15:44:00.011-05:00

HD YouTube test...didn't work.

Bolt Review

2008-11-15T22:37:00.006-05:00

I just got back from an early screening of Disney's "Bolt" in 3D. I've had high hopes for Bolt ever since I found that John Lasseter (Pixar guru and director of Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, and Cars) was now the creative overseer of not only Pixar, but Disney as well. I had been constantly hearing that he was whipping Disney back into shape and turning them into a once again successful animation studio. Ever since Disney stopped creating traditionally animated movies, they've been in a steep decline. Under Lasseter's supervision, Bolt was hopefully going to be the turning point for Disney animation.

The question is: Did it succeed?
The answer: For the most part.

Bolt succeeds on a number of levels, but it also has a few flaws that really hinder it. It's certainly not at a "Pixarian" level, but it's certainly a massive jump from "Chicken Little" and "Meet the Robinsons." It's biggest flaw is the fact that it's really just not an interesting story. But even so, Lasseter made sure that the simple, perhaps even cliché story they were working with was executed in the best way.

Partially what makes Pixar movies so great, is the unbelievably realistic sense of heart and emotion that the characters go through. Now that Lasseter is overseeing everything, he's been trying to implement Pixar's expertise into Disney's films as well. With Bolt, there's definitely character development, struggles, and heart, but it all seems a bit too familiar. It's all very stereotypical.

Another flaw Bolt has that doesn't affect the movie tremendously is the fact that a pretty decent chunk of the first half of the movie is paced out extremely slowly. Even the dialogue could have been sped up quite a bit. But it gains a lot of speed once it's half way through.

Negative criticism aside, it's still a lot better than the majority of animated movies popping out today. It's got great character design, decent animation (though not very nuanced), good heart for what it was working with, and there's two or three parts that had me barreling uncontrollably with laughter.

It's worth seeing, but it's just not that exceptional in the end. It's good, but it's also forgettable. It’s still a far cry from any of Pixar's films. Although it's not exactly the jump I was hoping for from Disney, it certainly proves that Lasseter is proving to be a giant positive influence on them. Lasseter probably came in halfway through this project, meaning that future animated Disney films will continue to get better with Lasseter on board from the beginning. Especially with Disney now returning to traditional animation with "The Princess and the Frog," which will be directed by the directing veterans of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin (Bolt was directed by two first time directors).

-Recap-

Positive:
-Great character designs
-Good animation, though not as nuanced as Pixar's
-Beautiful colors and scenery
-Can be downright hilarious at a few parts
-Heartfelt emotional struggles, though cliché
-Executed well for the simple story they were working with
-A big jump from Disney's recent animated failures
-Digital 3D effect is very impressive (Definitely see it in 3D if you can afford an extra $2)

Negative:
-Slowly paced for the first half
-Simple and uninteresting story
-Emotional struggles are far too familiar
-It's not exceptional in any way; it doesn't stand out and is pretty forgettable

Overall: 7/10

New Layout FINISHED

2008-10-04T02:32:00.000-04:00

It's all done...

New Layout

2008-10-03T22:22:00.001-04:00

It's still in progress but it's live and almost done.

AWKWARD MISSIONARY BEES!

2008-09-29T21:06:00.004-04:00

It's finished. Watch. It was for all of January's Virtuality episodes. My job.

Vector art, animation, voices, editing, etc. all by me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ShVnKy37s

I'm posting the link instead of the embed so as to FORCE YOU TO CLICK THE HIGH QUALITY BUTTON!!!

INVERSE KINEMATICS!!!

2008-09-18T18:02:00.004-04:00

Flash CS4 is going to have an IK (skeleton) system!!! That pretty much makes flash animation 4000000x more efficient. I'm pretty dang excited, especially since my new job has me doing Flash animation all day long all week long. You can find a demonstration of the IK in Flash on youtube by typing Flash CS4 IK. I'm too lazy to go get the link...

GOOGLE CHROME

2008-09-02T18:25:00.009-04:00

I am posting this using the new beta internet brower called CHROME from Google. It's pretty nifty. Handy interface and features. I actually think I'm gonna start using it instead of Firefox. Definitely wait until the full release, though; the beta is full of bugs. My only complaint (besides the fact that the back and forward buttons on my mouse don't work with it): The logo Looks like a freaking Pokeball!

Character Sketches and Facial Expressions

2008-08-28T08:51:00.005-04:00

Does Anybody Read My Blog?

2008-08-24T02:21:00.003-04:00

Is there a single person who sees me post anything? Do I have a reason to continue to blog? Just wonderin.

11 Second Club

2008-08-05T13:59:00.001-04:00

So I came in 106th place...ouch. But that's out of 161, so I guess it's not horrible for a first try with no experience.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

2008-08-03T18:11:00.009-04:00

So over the past few weeks I'd been hearing some pretty amazing stuff about the Avatar series finale "movie" called Sozin's Comet. IGN even said that it's possibly in the top ten movies of all time, even though it's not actually a movie. When the show first came out I thought it was pretty cool and even watched a pretty good chunk of season 1, but then I never managed to keep up with it. I had never seen any of seasons 2 or 3, and now, before I knew it, the entire show was apparently coming to an end.

The hype surrounding the series finale got me interested, and naturally, I wanted to see it, but wanted to see the rest of the series first, or else the finale wouldn't have as much as an impact on me. So four days ago, I went to http://www.avataruploader.co.uk and started watching from the very first episode.

Now, four days later, I have completely finished the series, and I have seen Sozin's Comet. I blasted through the series in less than a week. It was a lot better than I expected it to be, especially for an american produced, asian inspired anime show on Nickelodeon. Yeah, it's got some problems with forced storytelling and writing, but I can excuse those flaws because of how amazing the character development, humor, visual epicness, and emotion are.

I haven't gotten this attached to a set of characters since Final Fantasy X. They're just so deep and likable. And Sokka is probably the funniest character in any form of animation I have ever seen. Not to mention the foaming mouth guy. There's so much inner struggle that goes on. From Katara's fight with the hatred she has for the man who killed her mother, to Prince Zuko's search to regain his honor and the way that his loving uncle, Iroh, forgives him through Zuko's many mistakes, to Sokka wanting to prove himself as the man his father never was, to Aang having the weight of the world on his young shoulders, Avatar has so much emotional involvement, it's hard not to care. The character development and relationships are so deep and moving. That is what I'm going to miss the most about this show.

Aside from emotional commitment, the 'bending' in the show is awe inspiring. All fantasy-obsessed boys are fascinated with being able to control flowing energy with one's hands. Avatar is all about that. Controlling Air, Water, Earth, and Fire through your body. It's pretty dang awesome. Especially in the series finale. Sozin's comet had some of the most amazing shots of raw power I have ever seen.

Overall, the show was very enjoyable. it all blends together into a very personal experience. Despite the occasional forced storytelling, and the awkward different feel that season 3 starts out with, it all ends well. I love it and think everyone should watch the entire series.

And in case you don't know, M. Night Shyamalan is writing and directing a trilogy of live action Avatar movies. I'm not a big fan of his latest films, but he is a good director, so hopefully he will do a good job with someone elses material.

PS: If you want to watch it, go to the link in the second paragraph. The only errors I've found throughout the series is that "The Swamp" episode is actually a repeat of the one before it, as well as another in season 3, but I forget which one. If you come across a broken episode, just type in "watch Avatar episodes" into Google and find that episode at another site. This site is the best choice in my opinion, however. The best way to view them is to download the new Firefox 3, which can zoom the entire page with ctrl and +, since the episode players can go fullscreen or anything.

"UP" TEASER TRAILER!

2008-07-26T20:06:00.006-04:00

The "trailer" is actually the official site itself. You get a look at the full house and the main character. Click the image for a bigger picture, and click the link below for the site/teaser trailer.

http://www.disney.go.com/disneypictures/up/

Art From Upcoming Animated Features

2008-07-26T17:08:00.006-04:00

I came across some leaked character artwork from some upcoming Pixar and Disney movies. Click them for bigger versions.

Newt - Pixar

The Princess and the Frog - Disney

Rapunzel - Disney

The Bear and the Bow - Pixar

The Little Matchgirl

2008-07-25T23:59:00.002-04:00

There was a project from Disney scheduled for release in 2006 entitled "Fantasia 2006" which was then canceled. Before it was canceled, they finished production on one traditionally animated short: an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Matchgirl." Since the movie was canceled they released this on a Little Mermaid DVD. I like it a lot.

TR2N

2008-07-25T00:46:00.006-04:00

So umm Tron 2 was just announced today with 3 minutes of surprise footage at Comic Con today. That's pretty insane. I've never seen Tron, but I can still realize that this probably the geekiest announcement of the year. To read the synopsis of the clip, go to the the following link.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37618

EDIT: Crappy quality video.

The Shawshank Redemption

2008-07-22T20:24:00.002-04:00

Saw Shawshank for the first time. Dang Good. Too bad I already knew the twist :(

Disney's Animation Renovation!!!

2008-07-19T00:59:00.008-04:00

I have been very annoyed with the fact that Disney Animation has gone completely downhill since they stopped making traditionally animated movies and moved into 3D, as I'm sure many others are. They fired all of their traditional animators who all have a lifetime of expertise, and hired a bunch of 3D animators who know how to use software pretty well. Animation is an art form, not a automated computer package. It requires More tedious attention than almost any other for of art, and so many people who major in animation nowadays simply get taught how to use software and are left with little to no time to focus on their animation art. These are the people Disney hired. They have have constantly been trying to meet the standards for animated movies that Pixar has now set, as are all the other big animation companies. Disney owns Pixar, but they are smart enough to let them keep doing what they're doing. But they have taken advantage of Pixar in one HUGE way. A way that could completely revitalize Disney and bring them back to (or at least close to) their glory days. That way is JOHN LASSETER.

I had understood that John was involved at Disney now in some way, but after reading an article from Quint at 'Ain't it Cool News' I realized that he is pretty much running the company! He is completely renovating Disney Animation Studios and attempting to bring them up to a level worthy of creating animated features.

He has an office at Disney and an office at Pixar. Thank God they're still letting him be at Pixar, too. He's the heart and soul of that place. He closed down all the bathrooms and water fountains by the offices, forcing everyone in the studio to go to the lobby multiple times a day, which forces chance encounters and employee interaction, which causes creative juices to flow. This is a standard created by Steve Jobs when Pixar was founded, and they still use it. John has been sitting in on lots of animation dailies and director meetings, forcing them to stop just getting by and forcing them to make quality films. Lasseter always says "Quality is the best business plan."

So I'm pretty excited to see what's gonna come out of this reinvigorating renovation of Disney. We'll soon find out when "Bolt" comes to theaters in November. It's definitely a cliche concept, but with Lasseter involved, it could turn into something really special.

And if you want to read the article, click here.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-18T03:25:00.007-04:00

I was quite impressed. I liked it a lot more than the first. It was so full of insanely clever mind games from the joker and unexpected twists. The new Batman movies aren't really my thing, but I can at least admit that this is one amazing piece of cinema.

It's great, but it has one fatal flaw. Batman/Bruce is honestly just a secondary character. Gordon/Dent/Joker all seem like the stars of this one. Batman just pops in once in a while and does his silly growling voice and then disappears. It's weird, I know. I'm still trying to accept that, but I really can't since the films are named after him. But whenever he shows up you think "Oh, yeah. This is a Batman movie." This is such a character driven film. So much deep character developement goes on, but absolutely none revolving the hero. I was pretty disappointed by that. But everything else is top notch.

11 Second Club - July Entry

2008-07-15T15:20:00.008-04:00

It's finally finished! This was really my first finished shot that I've animated. I'm not really satisfied with the outcome, but I learned so much from my mistakes this time around and I'm really excited for next month's when I'll know how to avoid the mistakes I made this time.

You can vote for it by signing up at 11secondclub.com if you want. Voting starts on the first of the following month.

No hope left for the PS3...

2008-07-14T15:55:00.008-04:00

I've always been a huge Sony supporter. The PS2 changed my life. But now that Final Fantasy XIII has been confirmed for Xbox 360 as well as PS3 instead of a PS3 exclusive...I just don't know... This was one title that would give the PS3 lots of hope. Oh well. I'll still get a PS3 once I have an HDTV so I can do the Blu-ray.

Animation Mentor Vs. College

2008-07-14T13:41:00.005-04:00

~VS~

So I'm still trying to decide what education to go with for my future.

On one hand I could take Animation Mentor and probably get the best animation training out there but no core art training and be done in 18 months. And I'd also be limited to only ONE job position, which means if I can't land a job in animation, I'm screwed without a bachelor's degree. On the other I could go to a physical college, get core art training, as well as training in all areas of CG, but it would take me four years and a debt of over $100,000.

Either way, I can't start this coming year. I would start AM right now, but you need credit or a co-borrower to take out the loan, and I have neither. And obviously since I didn't get into Ringling I can't go there this year. Since I'm still undecided on which path to take, I'm going to keep working on my life drawing skills so I can get into the animation program at Ringling, and also get a credit card and start to build up credit so I can take out the AM loan if that's what I decide to do.

Another problem is that I really don't think I'm going to be a good enough animator when I finish at Ringling to get into the industry. I'd still want to do AM after that, which would mean another SIX YEARS until I can start submitting demo reels and potentially move to California. Six years compared to two possibly being enough. And saving myself $100,000+ along the way as well...

It really seems like Animation Mentor seems to be the best choice for now. If the 18 months and $16,000 proves to not be enough, I can always do college afterwards.

Makes sense to do the quicker, cheaper route first, right?

PS: If you're into animation, there's a pretty awesome little mini lesson on internal emotion vs. outward expression on Pixar employee Carlos Baena's blog, located in my blog list to the right.

Batman: Gotham Knight

2008-07-14T00:31:00.007-04:00

I just watched Batman: Gotham Knight.

If you don't know what it is, it's an anime movie split into six interlocking stories, from six different directors, each with its own interpretation, look and feel for Batman. Very similar to the Animatrix, which I haven't seen.

It was very interesting seeing all the different ways the same character and world could be portrayed. It wasn't amazingly entertaining or anything, but it's definitely worth seeing if you like good film or Japanese anime.

RSS

2008-07-13T21:49:00.005-04:00

So I just discovered RSS feeds. I've always gone through like 20 links in my bookmarks checking for updates, and I had no idea I could do it all from one page! Google Reader is amazing. All the updates I need all from one place.

If you want to know how all this works, watch this video:

The Gay Shoulder Troll...

2008-07-13T02:33:00.009-04:00

...who actually isn't gay at all.

Doug Jones. He's amazing.

Credit goes to Mark Cruz for this wonderful use of the English language.

My Hellboy II Review

2008-07-12T15:42:00.010-04:00

I will start with this statement: THIS MOVIE PACKS MORE BRILLIANTLY AMAZING VISUAL CONCEPTS INTO TWO HOURS THAN ANY MOVIE HAS EVER DONE!

I saw the first Hellboy for the first time a week ago. I always thought of Hellboy as some big red guy walkin' around acting all corny. But the trailer for H2 was amazing, so I rented the first one and was really surprised at its cinematic awesomeness. Aside from the cheesy dialogue in the last fifteen minutes. But overall I liked it a lot.

I just got back from seeing Hellboy II. I was expecting visual amazingness, and what I got was just that - and a lot more. This movie packs more brilliantly amazing concepts into two hours than any movie has ever done. Every five minutes some incredible prosthetic or animatronic will show up, causing you to get very upset at the fact that so much of movie making today revolves around poorly done CG. Guillermo Del Toro, the director of The Devil's Backbone, Blade II, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, The Orphanage, and the upcoming Hobbit films, has so much creative juices flowing through his brain, and they all pour out through Hellboy II, creating one of the most visually lush worlds I have ever seen in a film. For those who went into Pan's Labyrinth expecting it to be an amazing fantasy epic and were disappointed to find it being more of a war drama than anything else, will find their satisfaction in Hellboy II.

The movie leaves you thoroughly satisfied, but it didn't start out as perfect as it ends up being. The first half hour of H2 is extremely bizzare. It opens with a flashback to when Hellboy was being raised. Very childish and annoying, it's not a satisfactory scene at all. And then the doctor starts to read Hellboy a bedtime story about the elves and the golden army, which then visually turns into an unnessesary sequence of digital puppets performing the story, presumably because he had just been watching a show with a marionette on the TV. It then ends with Hellboy wondering if the story is true or not and it shows the title sequence (which is amazing, by the way) and we are shifted to the present time.

The rest of the first half hour is filled with extremely corny dialogue, but it quickly picks up and causes you to completely ignore the films few flaws and forces you to marvel at its amazing surreal alternate reality.

It amazes me to believe that Guillermo has create this entire world with such a little amount of CG. There is a sequence in a 'troll market' where there are at least 30 non-CG creatures walking all over the place. The fact that they would spend so much time and money to design and create these creatures when they have only one or two shots in the film astounds me, but gives you an extremely rewarding final product.

Aside from visuals, the film has another great element that carries it: It is heavily character driven as well. There is some very interesting character development and choices that are made throughout the movie, and some that will really surprise audiences by going against the normal comic book tendencies. It also introduces a new semi-central character made entirely of ectoplasmic gas, kept together with a Bioshock esque bodysuit, Johann Krauss, voiced with a German accent by Seth McFarlane (creator of, and the voice of about half the cast of Family Guy).

Oh, and about The Hobbit. I've pretty sure it's in the perfect hands. The only thing that worries me a little is the fact that Guillermo is also writing it. There was some pretty cheesy dialogue in Hellboy, but I've sure with a much more serious overtone for the Hobbit, and Peter Jackson over him, he'll do just fine. Guillermo Del Toro seems to do a good job differentiating tone through his different films.

Character driven, visually stunning, and filled to the brim with tons of never before seen concepts make Hellboy one of the most original movies in years, and it will leave you craving for a lot more.