Now, before I write this review, I have an announcement. On Friday, January 5th to be exact for those who read this another day, I went to my first class of "Introduction to Film" at my college. Now, this would really be insignificant, had my professor not said that we would be required to write a weekly review and record it in our college blog. Now, this blog is separate from this one, but I felt that since I already write reviews on this blog, I see no reason not to give more reviews instead of less. Now, this will not hinder my normal schedule, in fact many of my existing reviews may in turn be used on the other blog BUT because my class is on Film and not Animation, I will be reviewing movies now and then that do not fit in my existing parameters. Please note that when this happens, these reviews will not count for my regular weekly reviews, but will rather fit as a secondary review, which I will post Saturday nights, as opposed to the regular ones I post Sunday nights.
Now, with that out of the way, V for Vendetta.
This movie is definitely one worth watching, one way or another. I have always enjoyed an Adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novels, sometimes more than his original works (which I will get to more in my review of Extraordinary Gentlemen). The movie was intended to be a debate between Fascism and Anarchism, the two greatest political extremes, though according to Moore himself, the movie has more or less become a lukewarm debate over liberalism and Neo-Conservatism.
I don't know about Moore, but when I think Liberalism I think Biological experimentation and Political Parodies of Fascist dictators. All jokes aside, I really feel Moore overreacted in his opinion of the film, though as the creator, he has every write to voice his opinion.
The movie is about two people: V and Evey. V is a Political Terrorist who has, in my honest opinion, the greatest opening monologue ever, saying what could be the longest Alliteration ever done seriously (he uses the letter V). Evey is an employee at the major local news network of Great Britain, called BTN.
The story is very Narratively driven and I really don't like it when I end up spoiling parts of the film, but seeing as how successful it was and how it is nine years old now, I feel no fear in doing so. However, I will try to put my spoilers at the end.
V, himself, is not a 100% complex character. It is the mystery, the government, the politics being mentioned that are the biggest that are the story's depths and I feel that the movie does an incredible achievement in bringing those ideals to light. In fact, not only does this film discuss so many interesting things about the dangers of a Fascist government, it has also been praised for its overwhelming support of Gay rights. Neither of the characters are made a caricature of what most film and media use to represent Homosexuals, and this was 2005, nearly a decade ago, which really says something about how controversial this movie must have been when it came out.
V is a political terrorist who wears a Guy Fawkes, which may have inspired the Anonymous group's use of it today. He was a victim of inhumane experimentation set in a concentration camp run by Adam Stanler, who for the entire film, kept sounding like I heard Adam Sandler, making it a bit comical to imagine Adam Sandler as the leader of Fascist England.
V has survived an explosion at the camp only to have his entire body burned to a cinder. He now seeks to overthrow the corrupt government of England and start an anarchistic revolution. He is quite clever in many of his attacks, using misdirection to avoid the cops as he escapes from using the local news to give his manifesto.
The movie is very good, using many different symbols and allegories to provide a compelling, if one-sided, story. One cannot harsh the film too much for painting the villains as very one-dimensional, since almost the entire film was done to tell the mystery of V and the growth of Evey. I hear that Moore had written the original V for Vendetta with much more balance and wrote the government as very complex individuals, but V for Vendetta went and did what it was made to do, and I greatly enjoyed all the turns made in it.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Polar Express (2004) - An Animation Review
The theme of this movie is NOT subtle. often you will get this in movies that symbolize religion, but if you were over twelve and knew about christianity, you'd easily see the symbolism between believing in Santa and believing in God.
For one thing, the movie is 100% about believing in something you have no proof of believing in. And if that weren't all, that thing the kid doesn't believe in is Santa, a being who is omniscient ("knows when you are bad or good"), omnipresent (can go to every house in the world), and omnipotent (Can make any present in the world).
the plot of the movie is very weird and chaotic. rather than there being a quest of some kind, the movie is about a kid, who's name is never revealed, voiced by Daryl Sabara and motion captured by Tom Hanks, who gets invited, on christmas eve no less, to take a ride on the Polar Express to go to the North Pole. At first he is hesitant, but he gets on luckily before he misses the train. He becomes acquainted with the conductor, voiced by tom hanks, a young girl, a know-it-all, and a young boy who's name is Billy. Billy is the only one who's name is ever revealed and he is very interesting.
The movie, rather than have a traditional story, is more an enchanted road trip, set on a train. Like any road trip, the story is about a bunch of tiny stops along the trip that shows the main character that there is more out there. Typically this is done in comedies for the result of doing skits in different regions, but sometimes a road trip can work for symbolic introspection as well.
Apparently, when on the train, the conductor gives each passenger a ticket where he fancifully punches holes to write letters on them. it is unknown about what happens if you loose your ticket, but the young girl does due to the fault of the main character. He finds it though and tries to give it back. Finding the girl being taken onto the roof of the train, he fears she's going to be thrown off, so he goes on top to find her, only instead, he finds the Hobo.
The Hobo is my favorite character in this movie. He seems to be a ghost due to his constant disappearing and reappearing and his ability to dissolve into the snow. He only seems to come around to question the main character's faith, though he also seems to be looking out for the kid. His mannerisms and performance is very fascinating.
Anyway, after a seen that would make for an interesting roller coaster sequence, he end up in the engine room where he finds the girl, operating the controls while the engineer and fireman try to fix a light. They get it done, and after a sequence involving some character exploration for the little girl, they both stop the train and get it running again.
After some action sequences, they return to their bunks, but before then, the Hobo has one last scare at the main character, attacking him with a scrooge marionette and calling him a non-believer.
The movie then settles down and the make their way to the North Pole. Now, not much exciting happens, but instead of going with the group, the girl, billy, and the main character get lost and end up in the inner workings of the factory. They see how everything works and how the elves operate. There's even some interesting karma to be done to the know-it-all who tries to open his presents early an gets nothing by underwear. I like to believe that there's an enchantment that makes anyone who does this get underwear, as a sort of punishment for impatience and greed.
All in all, they make it to the festival and Santa appears. but due to some strange magic and some great writing, the main character can't see Santa or hear the bells of his sleigh. He finds a loose bells and after finally choosing the believe in everything, he can hear the bell and sees Santa right in front of him. Santa then chooses to offer the first gift of christmas to the main character and asks what he wants. he only whispers it to him, so we can't hear, but Santa gives him the bell he picked up, most likely to make sure he will always remember.
Unfortunately, he looses the bell right away and fears he will never believe in this again. The conductor finishes punching the stamps and reveals word words that impart great meaning and lessons to the kids. The girl getting Lead, the know-it-all getting Learn, the main character getting Believe, and billy getting a cool one that switches from Depend, Rely, and Count On. After which they all return home, bid farewell, and the main character wakes up the next day, unsure if everything was true or not.
But low and behold, Santa found the bell and left it under his tree, his parents unable to hear it, though he could. The bell served as a constant reminder of the existence of Santa, since whenever he stopped being able to hear it, he knew he was loosing faith.
The movie is really good. the subplots surrounding the girl getting confidence in her decisions, billy learning to trust and make friends, and the know-it-all learning humility are all nice subplots, but they also serve as good analogies for those in religious faith.
Billy, a poor kid with no friends, finds it impossible to enjoy christmas due to his poverty, something the well off girl doesn't seem to understand, and it is never really explained to her. Billy, being poor, probably saw christmas as nothing but a disappointment since he never got what he wanted or anything.
The girl in return, represented the everyday believer. Someone who's had no reason not to believe and has found more joy in believing than not believing.
And the know-it-all, who represents those who believe they are perfect because they believe and have no faults. Even though he never outright admits the being perfect, his refusal to wait for christmas to open his presents, his hostility at times, and his general arrogance are clear indicators that he case a very high ego created because of his intellect.
And the main character represents the target audience: those that don't believe for one reason or another and feel empty because of it. Now, this movie is not an attack on atheists, or agnostics, or anyone who follows another religion, but rather those that loose faith in something key and important in their life.
The movie is certainly an art piece, and those that tend to get angry at religious symbolism in general ought not to watch it since the whole core theme of it is faith, but if you want to see a good movie, then this is one.
Also, just a last minute detail, the movie's animation and art quality is incredibly detailed and beautiful. it is lagging a bit due to advancements int technology, but they still have some great bits there. So if you want to see it for a purely artistic merit, go for it.
For one thing, the movie is 100% about believing in something you have no proof of believing in. And if that weren't all, that thing the kid doesn't believe in is Santa, a being who is omniscient ("knows when you are bad or good"), omnipresent (can go to every house in the world), and omnipotent (Can make any present in the world).
the plot of the movie is very weird and chaotic. rather than there being a quest of some kind, the movie is about a kid, who's name is never revealed, voiced by Daryl Sabara and motion captured by Tom Hanks, who gets invited, on christmas eve no less, to take a ride on the Polar Express to go to the North Pole. At first he is hesitant, but he gets on luckily before he misses the train. He becomes acquainted with the conductor, voiced by tom hanks, a young girl, a know-it-all, and a young boy who's name is Billy. Billy is the only one who's name is ever revealed and he is very interesting.
The movie, rather than have a traditional story, is more an enchanted road trip, set on a train. Like any road trip, the story is about a bunch of tiny stops along the trip that shows the main character that there is more out there. Typically this is done in comedies for the result of doing skits in different regions, but sometimes a road trip can work for symbolic introspection as well.
Apparently, when on the train, the conductor gives each passenger a ticket where he fancifully punches holes to write letters on them. it is unknown about what happens if you loose your ticket, but the young girl does due to the fault of the main character. He finds it though and tries to give it back. Finding the girl being taken onto the roof of the train, he fears she's going to be thrown off, so he goes on top to find her, only instead, he finds the Hobo.
The Hobo is my favorite character in this movie. He seems to be a ghost due to his constant disappearing and reappearing and his ability to dissolve into the snow. He only seems to come around to question the main character's faith, though he also seems to be looking out for the kid. His mannerisms and performance is very fascinating.
Anyway, after a seen that would make for an interesting roller coaster sequence, he end up in the engine room where he finds the girl, operating the controls while the engineer and fireman try to fix a light. They get it done, and after a sequence involving some character exploration for the little girl, they both stop the train and get it running again.
After some action sequences, they return to their bunks, but before then, the Hobo has one last scare at the main character, attacking him with a scrooge marionette and calling him a non-believer.
The movie then settles down and the make their way to the North Pole. Now, not much exciting happens, but instead of going with the group, the girl, billy, and the main character get lost and end up in the inner workings of the factory. They see how everything works and how the elves operate. There's even some interesting karma to be done to the know-it-all who tries to open his presents early an gets nothing by underwear. I like to believe that there's an enchantment that makes anyone who does this get underwear, as a sort of punishment for impatience and greed.
All in all, they make it to the festival and Santa appears. but due to some strange magic and some great writing, the main character can't see Santa or hear the bells of his sleigh. He finds a loose bells and after finally choosing the believe in everything, he can hear the bell and sees Santa right in front of him. Santa then chooses to offer the first gift of christmas to the main character and asks what he wants. he only whispers it to him, so we can't hear, but Santa gives him the bell he picked up, most likely to make sure he will always remember.
Unfortunately, he looses the bell right away and fears he will never believe in this again. The conductor finishes punching the stamps and reveals word words that impart great meaning and lessons to the kids. The girl getting Lead, the know-it-all getting Learn, the main character getting Believe, and billy getting a cool one that switches from Depend, Rely, and Count On. After which they all return home, bid farewell, and the main character wakes up the next day, unsure if everything was true or not.
But low and behold, Santa found the bell and left it under his tree, his parents unable to hear it, though he could. The bell served as a constant reminder of the existence of Santa, since whenever he stopped being able to hear it, he knew he was loosing faith.
The movie is really good. the subplots surrounding the girl getting confidence in her decisions, billy learning to trust and make friends, and the know-it-all learning humility are all nice subplots, but they also serve as good analogies for those in religious faith.
Billy, a poor kid with no friends, finds it impossible to enjoy christmas due to his poverty, something the well off girl doesn't seem to understand, and it is never really explained to her. Billy, being poor, probably saw christmas as nothing but a disappointment since he never got what he wanted or anything.
The girl in return, represented the everyday believer. Someone who's had no reason not to believe and has found more joy in believing than not believing.
And the know-it-all, who represents those who believe they are perfect because they believe and have no faults. Even though he never outright admits the being perfect, his refusal to wait for christmas to open his presents, his hostility at times, and his general arrogance are clear indicators that he case a very high ego created because of his intellect.
And the main character represents the target audience: those that don't believe for one reason or another and feel empty because of it. Now, this movie is not an attack on atheists, or agnostics, or anyone who follows another religion, but rather those that loose faith in something key and important in their life.
The movie is certainly an art piece, and those that tend to get angry at religious symbolism in general ought not to watch it since the whole core theme of it is faith, but if you want to see a good movie, then this is one.
Also, just a last minute detail, the movie's animation and art quality is incredibly detailed and beautiful. it is lagging a bit due to advancements int technology, but they still have some great bits there. So if you want to see it for a purely artistic merit, go for it.
Arthur Christmas (2011) - An Animation Review
First, an apology for the early review of this movie. This movie is very good and such a short review is such a stupid thing to do, but without further delay, the real review.
Second, I meant what I said before though about the realism factor. Throughout the film, there's always the feeling that there's something bigger at work here. Whether it is the apparent accident with Grandpa back in the day that almost started World War 3, or it is that really weird event where Santa was discovered in the 1800s and Christmas was shut down for so many years and led to the Elves going crazy. It really paints a picture of just how important Santa really is to the elves.
When the elves begin to panic, it begins to be seen that these Elves need the human Santas to take charge, otherwise they would just run christmas without the Santas if they feared they would leave. With the exception of that really annoying yes-man elf that follows Arthur's older brother and that really motivated packing elf, who seems to end up becoming one of 2011s best animated characters.
Unfortunately, I recently saw the Nostalgia Critic episode of Arthur Christmas over christmas and it sadly means many of my thoughts about it are related to that video. I will try to keep this review original since I started writing these reviews to start saying what others don't always say, but if I sadly do, remember the quote by Rolan Barthes, "A writer can only imitate a gesture forever anterior, never original: his only power is to combine different kinds of writing". And yes, I stole that quote from OanCitizen's review of Cloud Atlas. The irony.
Now, to continue.
In the movie, Arthur is the mail reader who reads and responds to every letter written by a child to Santa. This clearly is used to show just how connected Arthur is to all the children, more so than anyone else, even his father, Santa himself.
Now, due to an accident (that he technically caused) a package is left undelivered to a child and he is terrified of what kind of heartbreak will soon follow the next day. His brother, who basically runs the whole operation nowadays, doesn't seem to have grasped the importance of the situation and shoves Arthur off. He has been fighting for his father to finally retire and give him the role of Santa and it has become very clear that in trying to prove his superiority, he has lost sight of what it means to be Santa.
The same can be said for the Grandfather, who used to be Santa but lost his position to his son and has forever been feeling inadequate around the house, just sitting with his old dog(reindeer), so he tricks Arthur into taking him and the deer-drawn sleigh out to hand-deliver the present themselves. Hitching a ride is the previously mentioned hyper-motivated packing elf and they travel, trying to find the little girl who was missed.
Mayhem ensues when the government catches wind of Arthur's adventures and the world believes that Aliens are invading. Ironic how the government is more willing to predict aliens instead of Santa.
Arthur's father and brother also catch wind of this and chase after them and the whole adventure ties to an end with all four of them banding together to deliver the present.
The movie is really good, with all sorts of little details going around that makes the whole movie feel more real than anything else. The use of the Aurora Borealis to magically power the engines makes sense for why they live in the north pole besides the seclusion. And the advancements in technology makes sense in a time progression. I'm sure back in the day, Santa only delivered presents to kids around him, then he expanded his reach the more villages he found, and as time went on and more villages were discovered, he had to get it done in one night so he had to advance his technology more and more.
A brilliant movie and I look forward to Sony's next animate film.
Second, I meant what I said before though about the realism factor. Throughout the film, there's always the feeling that there's something bigger at work here. Whether it is the apparent accident with Grandpa back in the day that almost started World War 3, or it is that really weird event where Santa was discovered in the 1800s and Christmas was shut down for so many years and led to the Elves going crazy. It really paints a picture of just how important Santa really is to the elves.
When the elves begin to panic, it begins to be seen that these Elves need the human Santas to take charge, otherwise they would just run christmas without the Santas if they feared they would leave. With the exception of that really annoying yes-man elf that follows Arthur's older brother and that really motivated packing elf, who seems to end up becoming one of 2011s best animated characters.
Unfortunately, I recently saw the Nostalgia Critic episode of Arthur Christmas over christmas and it sadly means many of my thoughts about it are related to that video. I will try to keep this review original since I started writing these reviews to start saying what others don't always say, but if I sadly do, remember the quote by Rolan Barthes, "A writer can only imitate a gesture forever anterior, never original: his only power is to combine different kinds of writing". And yes, I stole that quote from OanCitizen's review of Cloud Atlas. The irony.
Now, to continue.
In the movie, Arthur is the mail reader who reads and responds to every letter written by a child to Santa. This clearly is used to show just how connected Arthur is to all the children, more so than anyone else, even his father, Santa himself.
Now, due to an accident (that he technically caused) a package is left undelivered to a child and he is terrified of what kind of heartbreak will soon follow the next day. His brother, who basically runs the whole operation nowadays, doesn't seem to have grasped the importance of the situation and shoves Arthur off. He has been fighting for his father to finally retire and give him the role of Santa and it has become very clear that in trying to prove his superiority, he has lost sight of what it means to be Santa.
The same can be said for the Grandfather, who used to be Santa but lost his position to his son and has forever been feeling inadequate around the house, just sitting with his old dog(reindeer), so he tricks Arthur into taking him and the deer-drawn sleigh out to hand-deliver the present themselves. Hitching a ride is the previously mentioned hyper-motivated packing elf and they travel, trying to find the little girl who was missed.
Mayhem ensues when the government catches wind of Arthur's adventures and the world believes that Aliens are invading. Ironic how the government is more willing to predict aliens instead of Santa.
Arthur's father and brother also catch wind of this and chase after them and the whole adventure ties to an end with all four of them banding together to deliver the present.
The movie is really good, with all sorts of little details going around that makes the whole movie feel more real than anything else. The use of the Aurora Borealis to magically power the engines makes sense for why they live in the north pole besides the seclusion. And the advancements in technology makes sense in a time progression. I'm sure back in the day, Santa only delivered presents to kids around him, then he expanded his reach the more villages he found, and as time went on and more villages were discovered, he had to get it done in one night so he had to advance his technology more and more.
A brilliant movie and I look forward to Sony's next animate film.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Episode 11
Ok people, I'm back, and I have unlimited internet again, which means i don't need to wait until 2am to watch a movie and review it. Sadly because I had to watch it online and I can't get access to the twelfth, I will be a sitting duck for the 13th this week. Ah number 13, you have scorned me again. But let's discuss this episode for now, since I have 2 old movies to re-write a review for and the newest episode of Once Upon a Time to watch. No, sorry, I won't be reviewing Once Upon a Time: 1. because really, i never read the original source material for all the fables they use, and 2. The show is in its 3rd season and i don't plan on doing a recap of 2 whole seasons first, especially since the show is so complex.
Now, the new(er newer) episode. This is a GREAT episode. we have character growth for everyone (not so much Simmons or Fitz, but the mystery behind their growth is enough that I count it. I'm really interested in what is going to happen with Fitz since he's gotten so serious). Melinda has showed that she acknowledges Skye's usefulness and I think accepts her as one of the team, everyone has done their part to go against Agent Hand's orders of focusing on Centipede first and Coulson second.
Agent Ward still hasn't gotten much in terms of growth, but i don't think it really matters by now. He's sort of been established as who he is and I'm pleased with where he stands. He's loosened, learned to rely on others more, and the chemistry between him and May is intriguing and makes me want to know more about where it's going to go.
But this episode really shines with Skye, who is sent rouge by Melinda and she successfully tracks down Coulson pretty much by herself. She even proves she can take care of herself when things go south and they even go in her favor.
I'm not going to drone on about what she does since you should just watch the episode, but let's just say, you know how spies and detectives are portrayed like they apparently are super creative and intelligent, when really they just get played against idiots and get really lucky? Well, maybe it's because we've spent so long watching her grow as a person, but Skye has kicked all of them to the curb and demonstrated just how good an agent she really is.
And she is rewarded with her security access bracelet removed and has been turned back into a member of the team again.
Oh, and we don't exactly learn WHAT SHIELD did to Coulson, but we did find out that it was incredibly painful and unethical and that Coulson never went to tahiti.
up next, re-writes
Now, the new(er newer) episode. This is a GREAT episode. we have character growth for everyone (not so much Simmons or Fitz, but the mystery behind their growth is enough that I count it. I'm really interested in what is going to happen with Fitz since he's gotten so serious). Melinda has showed that she acknowledges Skye's usefulness and I think accepts her as one of the team, everyone has done their part to go against Agent Hand's orders of focusing on Centipede first and Coulson second.
Agent Ward still hasn't gotten much in terms of growth, but i don't think it really matters by now. He's sort of been established as who he is and I'm pleased with where he stands. He's loosened, learned to rely on others more, and the chemistry between him and May is intriguing and makes me want to know more about where it's going to go.
But this episode really shines with Skye, who is sent rouge by Melinda and she successfully tracks down Coulson pretty much by herself. She even proves she can take care of herself when things go south and they even go in her favor.
I'm not going to drone on about what she does since you should just watch the episode, but let's just say, you know how spies and detectives are portrayed like they apparently are super creative and intelligent, when really they just get played against idiots and get really lucky? Well, maybe it's because we've spent so long watching her grow as a person, but Skye has kicked all of them to the curb and demonstrated just how good an agent she really is.
And she is rewarded with her security access bracelet removed and has been turned back into a member of the team again.
Oh, and we don't exactly learn WHAT SHIELD did to Coulson, but we did find out that it was incredibly painful and unethical and that Coulson never went to tahiti.
up next, re-writes
Saturday, January 4, 2014
A notice of Apology
I'm sorry everyone. Not to make excuses, but combining late drives and the ridiculous fact that when I'm at my parents house for vacations the internet is so full of crap that I can't even watch Youtube without throwing it down the toilet, I end up having to wait until 2 in the morning to watch any of my movies to review. And because I had to wait that late, and I have been moving around so often, I realized quite quickly, that my last two, maybe even three reviews, were so terrible, I am going to have to re-write them. Now, I'm not going to be an idiot and replace a burnt out engine with one just as likely to burn out, so I will be going on hiatus until College starts up again. Once I'm back on Campus, I will be able to put my reviews on full time.
Also, for all of you who will be waiting patiently, once I get my bearings back again, and all my terrible reviews have been cleaned up, I will be reviewing all the Alan Moore adapted movies, from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, to V for Vendetta, to even Watchmen and any others that I didn't know about.
And After that, I will be testing to see how much my fan-base is actually interested in this review, by holding a contest. It's my love letter to you all, I will review whatever Animated or adapted movie you people want me to review. More info will come when the event gets closer.
Happy Holidays everyone
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