Tangled (2010)

07 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

(This one is best sung to the tune of the tavern song “I’ve Got a Dream”)
 
A pregnant queen is dying; so as the kingdom’s sighing,
They seek a magic, sun-begotten flower.
They locate it, and it heals,
But one Mother Gothel steals
The newborn babe for her renewing power.
 
She raises fair Rapunzel as her child,
Keeping her locked up for her own good.
For eighteen years and counting,
Claustrophobia’s been mounting;
She dreams of going out, if she just could.
 
But then a crook
Invades her nook
With a highly valued crown that he just took.
With a frying pan he’s tackled,
And Rapunzel keeps him shackled
With tens of feet of hair, like in the book.
 
She just wants to see lights floating, which Mother’s not promoting,
But this Flynn Rider is her guide and ticket.
He agrees to take her out,
And she frolics all about.
Though guilt is there, she manages to kick it.
 
Flynn takes her to a thug-infested tavern,
Only for her charm to earn esteem.
They escape from those pursuing,
And there may be love a-brewing,
As she gets ever closer to her dream.
 
But Mom appears
To give her fears,
But Rapunzel doesn’t like the things she hears.
She is sure that Flynn does love her
As the lanterns float above her
Till Mother (with some bandits) interferes.
 
As she goes back home, her heart is broken,
But then she discerns her Mother’s lie.
Flynn is set to die, until his cohorts save the guy.
He returns to defend, just in time to meet his end;
Gothel will not let her scheming go awry.
 
But as Flynn is lying dying,
He is still not done defying;
He cuts Rapunzel’s hair and all its magic.
Mother Gothel turns to dust;
Happy endings are a must,
So magic tears don’t let things get too tragic.
 
Flynn (or Eugene)
Recovers clean,
And they reunite her with the king and queen.
As the kingdom’s happy, very,
Both Rapunzel and Flynn marry,
And “happy ever after” ends the scene.
__________________
 

With its past-participle title akin to Enchanted and Frozen, Tangled may not have returned to the good ol’ hand-drawn animation of the Disney Renaissance, like the so-so Princess and the Frog did, but it revitalized the princess genre Disney does so well, leading to the even more popular Frozen (and hopefully many more to come). It’s got all the right ingredients: a spunky young heroine, a dashing hero, a selfish villain, funny animal sidekicks, and catchy Alan Menken music. Is it as good as the Renaissance films? Perhaps not quite, but I still love it.

While past Disney films left most of the humor to the animal sidekicks, the humor in Tangled is much more prevalent, with running gags and knowing looks giving it a more modern sensibility than the somewhat more serious stories of Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Most of the humor is indeed funny (I love the frying pans), but it’s as if the filmmakers were trying too hard at times, such as with Flynn’s “smolder.” Still, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are undeniably likable as the two leads, though they reportedly weren’t satisfied with their voices.

Despite all the hilarity, there’s also a decent mix of heart. With her inward turmoil over disobeying her “mother,” Rapunzel is one of Disney’s most relatable princesses, and her romance with Flynn/Eugene recalls Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in its promotion of being yourself over attractive fakery. (There’s also a “bunny attack” joke that seems lifted directly from Ella Enchanted.) The brief scenes with Rapunzel’s parents instantly engender sympathy for their loss, and the final reunion is just plain heartwarming.

Upon first hearing the songs, I considered them rather unmemorable, but as I’ve re-watched the film, I’ve grown to love them just like those of Disney’s golden years. They can’t compare with Menken’s best, but I’ve hummed “When Will My Life Begin?” a time or two. As perhaps you can tell, my favorite is the show-stopping “I’ve Got a Dream,” which is hilarious, excellently rhymed, and (along with “Mother Knows Best”) the main song I can envision on the Broadway stage. The final song, Grace Potter’s “Something That I Want,” is catchy enough to earn a place in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame as well.

I followed Tangled’s progress during its production and had high expectations for its painterly animation, and the animators delivered. Almost everything—the solitary tower, the water in the dam scene, the equine details of Maximus, and especially Rapunzel’s seventy feet of luscious hair—is an astounding achievement in its combination of CGI and traditional animation. The floating marshmallow lantern visuals to “I See the Light” are particularly dazzling.

Exceptional animated films usually leave me immediately wanting to see them again, and Tangled was no exception. Though there are some departures from reality, such as how Rapunzel’s long hair never gets dirty and seems to weigh nothing, it possesses few of the Frozen-esque plot holes that people like me love to point out. With its exquisite animation, great characterization, quality music, and continual comedy, Tangled is a winning return to Disney excellence.

Best line: (Flynn, while sword fighting a horse with a frying pan) “You should know that this is the strangest thing I’ve ever done!”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 10
Originality: 6
Watchability: 9
 
TOTAL: 47 out of 60
 

Next: #154 – The Homecoming: A Christmas Story

© 2014 S. G. Liput

177 Followers and Counting

 

As Good As It Gets (1997)

06 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The gruff Melvin Udall has clear OCD
And acts like a jerk, as the world can agree.
He relocks his door and wastes way too much soap
And proves he’s a prejudiced, vain misanthrope.
He won’t step on cracks and is hooked on routine
And mistreats his neighbor’s dog just to be mean.
 
This neighbor named Simon is artsy and gay
And bears Melvin’s insults with patient dismay.
One day, after painting, his subject’s own chums
Beat Simon and rob him and run for the slums.
While Simon recovers, old Melvin is pressed
To care for his dog as an unwanted guest.
 
He deals with this change with unspoken objection,
But soon he can’t hide from the dog his affection.
Yet he’s at a loss and almost goes berserk
When his favorite waitress can’t come into work.
He pulls many strings so she’ll come and be done
With worrying for her young asthmatic son.
 
His reasons for helping her seem oh so strange,
And his jerk-ish tendencies still do not change.
Though Carol is flustered, unsure what to think,
She gives him her thanks, while refusing to sink.
He ends up agreeing to drive Simon out
To speak to his parents for money, no doubt.
 
Convincing poor Carol to join the stiff pair,
He plans out the trip, and they somehow get there.
An unforeseen date doesn’t go quite as planned,
Thanks mostly to how Melvin’s mouth should be banned,
But Simon is given a new lease on life
When Carol’s nude poses help banish his strife.
 
Back home, Melvin lets Simon move in with him;
The dog sure seems happy, though friendship’s still slim.
While Carol mulls leaving mean Melvin behind,
He proves that there’s hope, since she’s such a great find.
Though Melvin’s not perfect and often remiss,
The two of them go out for rolls and a kiss.
______________________
 

As Good As It Gets is not your typical romantic comedy. All three of the main characters have some definite problems that persist through most of the film and threaten to give it “too much reality” for a film meant to make us smile and laugh. The main character Melvin Udall is far from likable and spends almost the entire movie giving the audience new reasons to scream “What a jerk!”

This Triple A film largely depends on the actors’ performances, and they don’t disappoint. Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast as Melvin, and he has that selfish, get-out-of-my-face attitude down pat. The idiosyncrasies he embraces, such as avoiding cracks on the ground and using plastic silverware, make his obsessive-compulsive disorder remarkably believable. Since he’s a writer, his barbed insults possess dumbfounding eloquence that make it hard for anyone to respond as robustly. Though he’s a bigot and the kind of person who causes people to cheer when he’s kicked out of a restaurant, he still retains some degree of humanity that we as the audience can see better than the characters can. His growing relationship with Verdell, Simon’s adorable Brussels Griffon, illustrates how pets can fill a vacuum in someone’s life and is practically a romance in itself. Helen Hunt is also amazingly persuasive as Carol the waitress, whose seemingly superficial interactions with the misanthrope literally make his day. Her mixed feelings about Melvin’s assistance for her son aren’t fully elaborated on, but that’s obviously because she herself does not know how to put them into words, even in an 18-page letter. Both of them definitely deserved the Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars that year, making this the most recent film to earn both major acting awards. Greg Kinnear is also excellent as Simon, whose life implodes in a most pitiful way. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year, but his performance was dwarfed by that of Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. Cuba Gooding, Jr., Shirley Knight, and the late Harold Ramis also fill memorable supporting roles.

While the script is exceptional, there’s some unfortunate language, mostly from Helen Hunt, and quite a bit of rude and sexual dialogue, but the filmmakers could have made it much worse. I find it interesting that both this film and Titanic (which won most of the awards that year) shared a nude portrait scene, though this one hid it a bit better. Despite all the realism, As Good As It Gets manages some natural, awkward humor which lightens the mood but never turns it into a laugh-fest. Most of it stems from Melvin’s own rudeness and his “willingness to humiliate himself.” By the end, no one’s sure if he’s come far enough to begin a real relationship, but he’s begun spouting actual compliments so he’s at least trying. In a film that brings such real personal problems to the screen, that’s enough to leave me smiling.

Best line: (Simon, describing how he paints) “If you stare at someone long enough, you discover their humanity.”

VC’s best line: (Melvin’s inaugural compliment) “You make me want to be a better man.”

 
Artistry: 9
Characters/Actors: 10
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: N/A
Originality: 9
Watchability: 9
Other (Nicholson’s spot-on delivery): +4
Other (language, sexual dialogue, near-nudity): -2
 
TOTAL: 47 out of 60
 

Next: #155 – Tangled

© 2014 S. G. Liput

175 Followers and Counting

 

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

05 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

(Can be sung to Bryan Adams’s “Where I Belong”)
 
A horse was born so long ago,
Out in the West where free things grow,
An unfettered mustang, an ace in his prime,
Free to run, as they have for all time.
 
Leading his happy herd, defending each foal,
This Spirit’s unrestrained, till he falls under man’s control.
His homeland’s behind him; his future’s unknown,
Yet he keeps on fighting to live on his own.
 
He shows up his captors and earns their distaste,
But, helped by an Indian, he breaks out in haste.
Persistent young Little Creek tries riding in vain,
But he introduces his fair mare named Rain.
 
Though Spirit is shocked that the human and she
Display some connection that lets her run free,
He sees for himself that the Two-Legs possessed
More room for kindness than he had first guessed.
 
Though Spirit could run home, he opts to go back
And rescues the boy from a sudden attack.
Though poor Rain is injured, he still finds his hope
As he helps drag a train up a slope.
 
He halts all their efforts, escaping from flame,
Relieved loyal Little Creek thankfully came.
They flee from pursuers and leap for their lives;
Spirit’s glad when a healed Rain arrives.
 
Goodbyes are not easy when trust has been earned,
But they know it’s time that the mustang returned.
With Rain by his side, Spirit’s now free to roam
And at last he again embraces his home.
____________________
 

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was one of my favorite movies growing up. As I’ve said, movies that have made me cry hold a special place in my heart, and Spirit is one such Childhood Tearjerker. DreamWorks knew from the start that most adults and kids alike love horses, and seeing such a wild and free creature dragged from his home was enough to get my waterworks going. It still touches me, though I don’t weep like I used to.

The animation is absolutely stunning. While some of the CGI from the opening is obvious, still lovely but paling in comparison to that of Dinosaur, the rest of the Western landscapes and the hand-drawn horses are gorgeous (especially the gorges). I’m no artist, but most agree that horses are among the most difficult creatures to draw: after all, Maurice Sendak illustrated Where the Wild Things Are with assorted beasts only because he realized he couldn’t draw horses. Not only are the horses arrestingly beautiful and convincing, but their facial features evoke the full spectrum of emotions without ever lapsing into anthropomorphic talking animal territory. Spirit himself has some inward monologues, provided by Matt Damon, who could have varied his voice more, but the rest of the animal interaction is done skillfully with emotion-filled neighs, whinnies, wickers, nickers, brays, and countless other equine ejaculations. So well is the wordless interplay handled that much of Damon’s voiceover, which ranges from stirring to funny, seemed unnecessary, though my VC felt it served to break up all the whinnying.

Then again, that is why Bryan Adams’s excellent anthems were included. Along with a rousing orchestral score that once again proves Hans Zimmer’s musical facility, Adams’s songs provide the melodious heart of the film. Though some critics decried the soundtrack as “whiny” or “insipid,” I felt they added so much to the film. It may not be on the level of what Phil Collins provided for Tarzan, but every song strikes the right chord of emotion, from free-wheeling liberty to depression to rekindled hope. “Don’t Let Go,” which features Sarah McLachlan with a haunting harmony, certainly deserves a place in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame.

Over the years, I have still seen some flaws: the intruding humans are uniformly bad because of their enslavement of horses, and I don’t usually like to feel guilty for wanting to ride a horse. Since all the Indians’ horses appear happy, the film seems to imply that only they built any relationship with their ponies. All the soldiers’ horses seem to hate their masters and frequently sabotage them, not allowing for the fact that I’m sure plenty of cowboys shared a connection with their steeds. After all, even broken horses can be happy.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is nonetheless a lovely, G-rated adventure with fantastic music and some genuinely exciting action sequences. It was DreamWorks Animation’s second-to-last hand-drawn film (before Sinbad) and causes me to miss the days before CGI became the only animation style successfully used in film.

Best line: (part of Spirit’s opening monologue) “I was born here, in this place that would come to be called the Old West. But, to my kind, the land was ageless. It had no beginning and no end, no boundary between earth and sky. Like the wind and the buffalo, we belonged here; we would always belong here. They say the mustang is the spirit of the West. Whether that west was won or lost in the end, you’ll have to decide for yourself….”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 10
Originality: 7
Watchability: 8
Other (crying effect): +1
 
TOTAL: 47 out of 60
 

Next: #156 – As Good As It Gets

© 2014 S. G. Liput

172 Followers and Counting

 

Ella Enchanted (2004)

04 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

When Ella of Frell was first born,
She’s given a gift that’s a thorn.
She’s forced to obey
Every word others say,
Which makes her the object of scorn.
 
She gets a new stepmother too
With two new stepsisters, who view
The girl with disdain;
When they notice her chain,
They tell her some bad things to do.
 
Once Ella encounters Prince Char,
Whom she thought was vain and subpar,
She chooses to leave
And to seek a reprieve
From Lucinda, a fairy afar.
 
A talking book off of a shelf,
As well as a law-leaning elf,
Assist Ella’s quest
To no longer be “blessed”
To obey with no choice for herself.
 
With help from Prince Char, the small band
Enjoy a stop in giant land,
Where Char is distressed
To see how they’re oppressed
By Edgar, his uncle who’s panned.
 
When Edgar learns Ella must do
Whatever someone tells her to,
He tells her to kill
Char, against her own will,
So he’ll keep the crown that he’s due.
 
Although she attempts to resist
And Lucinda won’t help her desist,
She nears the dark deed
Till, with firmness, she’s freed,
But Edgar makes sure she’s dismissed.
 
With help from her friends, Ella tries
To tell Char about Edgar’s lies.
At last, the truth’s out,
Leaving very small doubt,
And Edgar does something unwise.
 
Since Ella is freed from her curse,
Her stepsisters cannot coerce.
With charm and romance
And a song and a dance,
Both Ella and Char sing a verse.
______________________
 

As a kid, I attended a summer day camp at a church, and in addition to games both physical and electronic, there were plenty of movies to watch as well. One day, I was given the choice to join two groups; I could either go with the majority of boys and watch the classic that is The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie or I could side with the girls for some new film called Ella Enchanted. I decided to break out of the box and try something different, even if it did have that girl from The Princess Diaries. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not just a girly fairy tale but a creative and enjoyable adventure perhaps most akin to Rob Reiner’s beloved The Princess Bride. In a world of elves that sing and ogres with familiarly deep voices, Ella Enchanted is not as subversive as the likes of Shrek, but it’s humorously aware of its own fairy tale conventions, such as Eric Idle’s rhyming narration.

Anne Hathaway was still relatively unknown when she played the spunky Ella of Frell, and though the film was less than a hit, it and The Princess Diaries films strengthened her appeal and gave her more exposure for future roles. Hugh Dancy is appropriately dreamy as Prince Char, one of the only recent movie princes to be both genuinely heroic and likable (compared with Shrek’s Prince Charming, Enchanted’s Prince Edward, and Frozen’s Prince Hans). Having previously starred with Hathaway in Studio Ghibli’s The Cat Returns, Cary Elwes gets in touch with his villainous side as evil Uncle Edgar, and does so with such wicked glee as to make the farmboy-formerly-known-as-Westley almost unrecognizable. The rest of the cast is uniformly funny, including Minnie Driver, Vivica A. Fox, and Aidan McArdle as the grouchy Slannen, who dreams of becoming a lawyer.

Much of the humor derives from Shrek-y anachronisms, such as a fairy’s FWI (Flying While Intoxicated), as well as classic songs that seemingly come out of nowhere. Long before Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables, Anne Hathaway proved her singing chops with her hilarious rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” The final song and dance number is also a hoot and ends the whole film on a high note.

While the whole idea of obedience being a curse has potential for being a less-than-ideal lesson for kids, Ella herself is a good role model, showing concern for the underprivileged of the kingdom and not seeking freedom from the curse for any particularly selfish or rebellious reason. Despite a bit of crude humor, Ella Enchanted is an appealing, kid-friendly fantasy that made me glad that I picked the “girly” choice. (P.S. It’s not all that girly.)

Best line: (Benny, who was accidentally turned into a book by his fairy girlfriend) “I would have left her ages ago, except I love her so darn much. Plus, I have no legs.”

 
Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 9
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 8
Watchability: 10
 
TOTAL: 47 out of 60
 

Next: #157 – Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

© 2014 S. G. Liput

172 Followers and Counting

 

Splash (1984)

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

When he was a little boy,
Allen met a little joy
When he jumped into the sea
To see a thing that couldn’t be.
 
When he’s grown and in a suit,
Making money selling fruit,
He bemoans the fact that he
Can’t seem to love, and girls agree.
 
When he’s dumped, he’s acting odd
And feels attracted to Cape Cod.
Falling in the sea again,
He’s rescued by a woman then.
 
Back in New York, he is down
Till that nude girl comes to town.
Though she seems a little dim,
She can’t keep her hands off him.
 
She’s a mermaid, on the sly,
Growing legs when she is dry.
Learning English in a day,
She and Allen bond and play.
 
As this human world amuses,
Madison’s the name she chooses.
Allen’s brother tells him plain
That he’s in love, and not in vain.
 
When he tries to then propose,
Though she’s new to ice and clothes,
She insists she cannot stay,
But then decides that it’s okay.
 
A scientist who saw her fins
Tries to prove his claim and wins.
Vindicated, this Kornbluth
Regrets soon that he showed the truth.
 
Allen’s shocked that she’s a fish;
She may end in a petri dish.
When he’s sure he loves her still,
He tries to thwart the experts’ will.
 
Kornbluth helps him save the lass,
But then troops give chase, alas!
To the sea, both Allen and she
Flee to be free happily.
________________________
 

Directed by Ron Howard, Splash is a fun romantic comedy with some great lines and several distinctions under its belt. Not only was it Tom Hanks’s first mainstream film, but also Disney’s first foray into more mature films using their Touchstone Films production company. It certainly could have been more family-friendly by omitting the language and hiding Madison’s nudity better, but it’s still an enjoyably funny film on the whole.

Bringing his famous likability in full force, Hanks continued the comedic charm from his TV show Bosom Buddies, and it’s no wonder Daryl Hannah as Madison was so attracted to him. Her beauty, naiveté, and obvious love for Allen give Madison the right amount of character development, even though we learn very little about her past life under the sea or the rules she is forced to obey concerning her visit to dry land. It’s unfortunate that Allen turns into such a jerk when Madison doesn’t immediately agree to marry him and then again when he finds out her secret. Yes, I can understand his shock and confusion, but he practically treats her like she’s a different person. Second City alumni Eugene Levy and John Candy are also hilarious as the eccentric and unlucky Dr. Kornbluth and Allen’s pervert of a brother Freddie, respectively.

Mermaids are often seen in passing in fantasy movies, but Splash is one of the few that makes it the main focus, and quite entertainingly too. Its underwater scenes are well-filmed, though the scenes at the bottom of Cape Cod had some glaringly out-of-place tropical coral reefs. Credited with single-handedly popularizing Madison as a girl’s name, Splash excels in its endearing chemistry between Hanks and Hannah (long before Meg Ryan became his go-to girl). With its legs-when-dry/fins-when-wet precedent, re-used in other media like the film Aquamarine and the show H2O, it offers the best live-action mermaid story I’ve seen.

Best line: (Allen, talking about their planned marriage) “It just so happens I come from a very long line of married people.”

VC’s best line: (Dr. Kornbluth, to Allen) “I’m really a nice guy. If I had friends, you could ask them.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 9
Entertainment: 9
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 8
Watchability: 9
Other (language, nudity): -2
 
TOTAL: 47 out of 60
 

Next: #158 – Ella Enchanted

© 2014 S. G. Liput

171 Followers and Counting

 

#160: Monsters, Inc. (2001)

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Did anybody think that there were monsters in their closet?
Did anybody hear each noise and think a beast must cause it?
The monsters, yes, are in there to collect kids’ every scream,
But it is just a job for them; they’re nicer than they seem.
In fact, they’re scared of children, who are toxic, so it’s said;
The screams are used for power, which throughout the town is spread.
 
The famous James P. Sullivan’s the best of all the scarers,
The kind of kindly ball of fur who gives the kids their terrors.
His partner Mike Wazowski, who has romance on the brain,
Desires to break a record ere one Randall can attain.
Day in, day out, this Monsters, Inc. is known for perseverance
In generating power with no child’s interference.
 
But then while Randall’s sneaking, Sully finds by accident
A terrifying child with mysterious intent.
He takes it to a restaurant, where she causes quite a scene,
And all the city panics, and the SWAT teams intervene.
But as he gets to know her, Sully starts to think the tot
May not be quite as deadly as their world has always thought.
 
When he and Mike try smuggling her to the factory,
They learn of Randall’s plot to kidnap kids and screams for free,
When Sully tries to stop him, they both end up in Nepal,
But both get back to save her with no need to even stall.
A journey through the door vault poses dangers and a thrill,
But they get rid of Randall and his envious ill will.
 
When Sully must return his little “Boo” back to her room,
He hugs her and vacates it for the last time, they assume.
Though Monsters, Inc.’s kaput, their little escapade revealed,
Compared to children’s screams, their laughter bears a greater yield.
So Sully helps to lead the way in sparking laugh’s debut,
And as the business flourishes, he reunites with Boo.
____________________
 

Fresh off the success of Toy Story 2, Pixar once again proved their animated prowess with Monsters, Inc., an utterly original take on monsters in closets. My VC has said that all the wacky diversity in the monster world seems almost drug-induced, and with Pixar’s penchant for nonstop sight gags and visual inventiveness, it deserves multiple re-watches.

Aside from the unique, detailed CGI animation, much of the film’s success comes from the buddy pairing of deep-and-friendly-voiced John Goodman as Sully and frenetic comedian extraordinaire Billy Crystal as Mike. Their funny banter and frequent disagreement make their friendship seem real and better realized than Sully’s relationship with Boo, which is certainly more touching. It would have been nice to have some character development for Boo, who has no backstory to speak of or a meaningful personality beyond generic cuteness, unlike Russell in Up. Steve Buscemi’s nasally voice is surprisingly villainous as Randall Boggs, and James Coburn and Jennifer Tilly round out the voice cast nicely. Of course, John Ratzenberger had to have his requisite cameo, and it’s certainly one of his funniest and most unexpected. Also, can you believe that Bob Peterson, who played icky, monotone Roz, was also the voice of Dug in Up?

While the animation was not yet at the level reached by Ratatouille or WALL-E, it’s still colorful and seamless. The door vault scene is especially exciting and impressive, a classic among animated action sequences. Thanks to the humor, my VC enjoys this Pete Docter-directed film more than his later work in Up. Whereas Up’s plot was almost schizophrenic with all the disparate elements crammed in, Monsters, Inc. possesses one core concept and milks the hilarity and ingenuity from it as only Pixar can.

Pixar’s films tend to have some kind of social commentary, some more obvious than others, and Monsters, Inc.’s is quite subtle, only being presented in a few scenes. The driver for Randall’s plot to extract screams forcefully is the fact that kids are harder to scare, indirectly explained by their watching scary or violent television. Similarly, the scene at the end with Mike’s comedy routine indicates that what makes kids laugh has changed over time as well. Whereas verbal humor, such as in Leave It to Beaver and The Andy Griffith Show, used to keep kids (as well as adults) entertained, such shows don’t fly nowadays, having been replaced by frantic, sometimes gross comedy, such as Mike’s belch. This analysis is certainly not the film’s focus, existing mainly in some throwaway gags, but it’s something I’ve noticed after several viewings.

Overall, Monsters, Inc. may not be as emotionally engaging as their other work, but it’s another Pixar favorite that cemented their reputation as leaders in the animation industry, even if it lost the Best Animated Feature Academy Award to DreamWorks’ Shrek. (It did win Best Original Song for “If I Didn’t Have You.”) Hint: Now that I’ve covered their lesser masterpieces (A Bug’s Life, Cars, etc.), you may not see Pixar’s other films on my list for a while, but there are definitely more on the way.

Best line: (Abominable Snowman, offering yellow snow) “Snow cone?  [Mike icks in disgust]  “No, no, no, don’t worry. It’s lemon.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 10
Watchability: 8
 
TOTAL: 47 out of 60
 

Next: #159 – Splash

© 2014 S. G. Liput

171 Followers and Counting

 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

01 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

(I added a verse or two, but this one is best sung to the title song)
 
Back when cars were rather rare,
A couple little kids admire one.
Though it’s needing some repair,
The both of them are keen to see it run.
 
Their dad by the name of Potts
Assembles new inventions, odd but cool.
It’s clear that he loves them lots,
But doesn’t quite ensure they go to school.
 
That’s why pretty Truly comes,
For Truly Scrumptious is her name.
Potts does not approve her prying,
Though she’s right all the same.
There’s a candy he’s been trying
That might just earn him fame.
 
He tries then to sell his sweets,
Which one toots before he eats,
And Truly assists him with the treats.
They call dogs regrettably,
But not too forgettably,
And Potts is distressed by defeats.
 
But he tries to buy the car,
Because his kids have said it will be scrap,
So he grows into a star
By dancing after shaving bald a chap.
 
When he’s got it looking new,
And Truly joins them for a picnic drive,
Potts tells them a tale or two
With characters that seem to come alive.
 
In this story that he tells,
Their magic car is wanted by
Some fat villain known as Bomburst,
Who sees it float and fly.
He steals Grandpa, who is coerced
To build the car or die.
 
The four follow, as they ought,
But soon both the kids are caught,
For children are outlawed, they forgot.
Potts rescues the kids with skill,
Assisted by Benny Hill;
To Bomburst, a lesson is taught!
 
Back in the real world, where things are not as bright,
Both Mr. Potts and Truly show they care.
But it is not till his doggie treats take flight
That they discern they make a lovely pair.
 
Since both the children delightedly approve,
They take another wondrous drive,
On their Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
The finest car alive,
On their Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,
The finest car alive!
_________________
 

With a script written by director Ken Hughes and the great children’s author Roald Dahl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is no Oscar-winning drama or beautiful piece of cinematic art; it’s a fun, kid-friendly romp and an entertaining bit of nostalgia from my and my parents’ childhoods. It’s not quite on the level of Mary Poppins, but it’s in the same vein of musical rollick through the imagination. Based off the book by Ian Fleming (yes, that Ian Fleming), the film’s focus on two children, songs written by the Sherman brothers, and the presence of Dick Van Dyke may make it seem like a Mary Poppins wannabe, but it’s an imaginative classic in its own right.

Like Poppins’ Bert, the role of Caractacus Potts puts Dick Van Dyke in his element, sprightly dancing, vivid imagination, and lovable chemistry with the two kids. The film’s plot is rather thin, to be honest, but the characters and songs fill it with charm. Baron Bomburst is made hilariously childish by Gert Fröbe (a.k.a. Goldfinger; the James Bond tie-ins continue; Albert Broccoli produced as well), and Robert Helpmann is genuinely frightful as the wicked Child Catcher. Did I mention Benny Hill is in it too?

Though some critics were rather harsh toward them, the Sherman brothers’ musical numbers are especially memorable. The title song is one of those classic 1960s tunes that easily get stuck in one’s head, but then again, so are most of them. “Posh!” puts Lionel Jeffries’ distinctive voice to good use, and “The Roses of Success” is a catchy little motivational speech. While “Hushabye Mountain” is a sweet lullaby (used in a much darker scene in Spielberg’s War of the Worlds), my favorite is “Me Ol’ Bamboo,” which easily matches Van Dyke’s energy in Poppins’ “Step in Time.” “Toot Sweets” probably has the best choreography though. The Bombursts’ “Chu-Chi Face” is the only song that serves little to no purpose and definitely could have been cut.

Much of the film’s appeal is for children and those who fondly remember seeing it as children. It’s certainly not perfect. The “magic” of bluescreen is obvious in the driving scenes, and the other special effects are lacking as well, though Mr. Potts’s inventions are fascinating to look at. Portions of the story within the plot are overly silly too, such as the bumbling spies sent to capture the car, who might as well be called the Two Stooges.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may not be award-worthy or deep in any meaningful sense, but it’s the kind of innocent, nostalgia-generating tale that isn’t made anymore. Kids’ movies nowadays have to include talking animals or constant explosions or toilet humor or pop culture references to hold their attention; this film succeeds with its own earnestness and inventive sense of fun. Which do you think is better?

Best line: (old inventor #1, describing to Grandpa the realities of working for Baron Bomburst) “They have terrible tortures: the thumb-screw, the rack….”
(old inventor #2) “They stretch you and streeeetch you.”
(unusually tall inventor #3, walking up) “When I first got here, I was a midget.”

 

Artistry: 5
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 9
Visual Effects: 3
Originality: 9
Watchability: 9
Other (memorable music): +3
 
TOTAL: 46 out of 60
 

Next: #160 – Monsters, Inc.

© 2014 S. G. Liput

171 Followers and Counting

 

Rain Man (1988)

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

While Charlie Babbitt’s under stress
To sell off cars to pay off debts,
His distant father dies and, yes,
His selfish son has few regrets.
 
He’s hurt and shocked and quite irate
When he gets little from the will.
He learns that most of Dad’s estate
Has gone to someone else, $3 mil.
 
This newly wealthy, unnamed other
Turns out to be Raymond Babbitt,
Charlie’s undiscovered brother,
Whom he never knew, dagnabbit!
 
This Raymond clearly is autistic,
A savant with great recall,
Emotion-lacking and simplistic,
Who depends on routines small.
 
Since Charlie plans to get his share,
He takes Ray from the institution.
Charlie doesn’t seem to care
About his bro, just restitution.
 
Due to Raymond’s fearful quirks,
They cannot fly back to L.A.
Instead, they drive, and Raymond irks
His brother Charlie all the way.
 
Ray’s repetition and strange habits
Drive his brother near-insane,
But as they go, the broken Babbitts
Share in memories and pain.
 
Though Charlie’s business nears its doom,
A visit to Las Vegas thrills
And grants them money and a room,
All thanks to Raymond’s counting skills.
 
When they at last get to L.A.,
It seems that Charlie’s changed his tune.
He wants his brother now to stay,
Regardless if it’s opportune.
 
He sees Ray as a brother dear,
Because of what he since has learned,
Yet, to the doctors, it seems clear
That Raymond ought to be returned.
 
Still, Charlie bids goodbye to “Rain Man,”
No more just a crazy loon.
As Raymond leaves his newfound “main man,”
Charlie says he’ll visit soon.
___________________
 

Rain Man is what I call a Triple A movie because it is All About the Acting. The entire movie revolves around Dustin Hoffman’s amazing portrayal of autistic savant Raymond Babbitt. It’s one of those roles of a lifetime that actors probably take just to prove how skilled they are. Every movement, every line, every step of his walk, every blank stare contributes to our believing that we’re watching a real person and not just someone putting on a show. That is acting, and Hoffman certainly deserved his second Best Actor Oscar win. Considering that he’s also played a woman, a 121-year-old man, and Captain Hook, it’s also a testament to his versatility.

Almost as impressive is Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt. His performance is not as nuanced as Hoffman’s, but he’s still quite convincing, both as a selfish jerk for most of the movie and a more compassionate brother by the end. Charlie is a main reason the film is as low as it is on my list; even if we sympathize with his wanting a share of his father’s estate, his egocentric behavior, frequent obscenities, and all-around unkindness toward his brother get old, even if the mental torment Charlie endures from Raymond’s quirks is often funny. Where Cruise really comes into his own is the Las Vegas scene, which not only has the best music of the film but also sees more touching moments between the brothers, such as Charlie finally appreciating Ray and teaching him to dance. Scenes like that make Charlie’s turnaround believable, even if the doctors remained incredulous.

Though the final scene was burdened by the 1988 writer’s strike, I found the ending mostly satisfying. Though I believe Charlie had changed and did have Raymond’s best interests at heart, he proved that he can be impulsive and probably didn’t realize what a responsibility life-long custody of his brother would have been. Raymond ended up in the right place for his needs, but at least the road trip helped Charlie to truly care for his brother, even if he got no special compensation (though Raymond did save his business).

The film also won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director (Barry Levinson), and I’d say that Hans Zimmer’s iconic, oddly African-sounding score also deserved to win. Despite quite a bit of unfortunate language, Rain Man is a powerful movie, thanks to a winning script and the chemistry of two fine actors, just the kind of film that’s best seen cut.

Best line: (Raymond, his best repeated line) “97-X. Baaam! The future of rock ‘n’ roll.”

 
Artistry: 9
Characters/Actors: 10
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: N/A
Originality: 9
Watchability: 8
Other (great script, music, and chemistry): +5
Other (language): -3
 
TOTAL: 46 out of 60
 

Next: #161 – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

© 2014 S. G. Liput

168 Followers and Counting

 

Enchanted (2007)

30 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

 (Best sung to Giselle’s “Happy Working Song”)
 
Pretty girl Giselle is just swell and is animated all day long;
Woodland creatures help her sing a song.
She expects her prince to come and be her new love;
When he does, they sing of true love,
Since there’s nothing wrong.
 
Then an evil witch, Edward’s stepmother, has a diabolic plan,
To evict Giselle because she can.
So she sends the princess down a well descending
Where there is no happy ending
And no perfect man.
 
In the callous streets of New York, poor Giselle is both afraid and lost,
Till one Robert finds his path has crossed
With this somewhat crazy fairy tale freethinker,
Who’s a tailor, not a drinker,
And cleans at no cost.
 
When he hears the news, Edward hunts for his darling on a hero’s trip,
With her talking chipmunk sidekick Pip,
But they stick out like a sore thumb in the city,
Searching for his dearest pretty,
Like he’s lost his grip.
 
As he tries to help out Giselle, Robert’s reeled in by her fresh appeal,
And his girlfriend Nancy has to deal.
Yet Giselle assists him with romance and crooning,
But she ends up nearly swooning
When love grows more real.
 
Edward soon arrives, but Giselle is no longer visibly naïve,
And she’s hesitant to up and leave.
So Edward and she try dating to get closer,
But it’s Robert who’ll engross her
At a ball that eve.
 
But the evil queen shows herself since her henchman hasn’t done too well
In his efforts to dispatch Giselle.
So she employs tactics you may have seen elsewhere
And scares everybody else there
With a fearsome spell.
 
Once the queen is stopped and destroyed when a hero steps up to the plate,
Robert and Giselle conclude their date.
It is clear that they both share a love enchanted,
But Edward’s not emptyhanded,
For his loves won’t often wait.
 
Robert and his young daughter have Giselle,
Settled in this world into which she fell,
Merrily,
Happy ever after, verily,
Now that everyone has found their perfect mate.
___________________
 

Before The Princess and the Frog revisited the princess genre (with iffy results), Disney created Enchanted, a modern mish-mashing of classic fairy tales and contemporary cynicism. The animated beginning could easily have been a rejected idea from the Disney Renaissance, but the overtly saccharine telling is clearly meant to be a contrast for the rest of the film. Once Giselle actually gets to New York and its live-action acrimony, the real humor starts flowing from the disparity between her naiveté and our world’s unfriendliness.

While Edward is certainly not the perfect prince of Disney’s early films, Enchanted succeeds in its combination of opposites by being both realistic and idealistic. Based on Giselle’s first encounters with New Yorkers, she would be justified in considering it the least nice place on earth, but later on, as she explains to Robert the importance of affection, all of Central Park turns into a completely willing musical cast. This serves to accentuate how innocence and idealism can bring out the best in people, even when the world can seem so hostile at times. At the same time, Giselle’s introduction to the joys of the real world convince her these are preferable to the unsubstantial romance she had known before with Edward. That point, of course, doesn’t apply to everyone since Nancy, apparently fed up with the pitfalls of “real” relationships, obviously preferred the love-at-first-sight kind of courtship.

This is the film that hoisted Amy Adams to stardom, at least for me, and continues to be the role in which I always envision her, one of innocence. Her voice, face, and acting all lend themselves to her upright damsel persona. Roles that have allowed for this image, such as in Doubt or Night at the Museum 2, play to her strengths, while films where she attempts to act the “bad girl,” such as the recent American Hustle, just don’t seem to fit her. Patrick Dempsey took a break from Grey’s Anatomy to play single father Robert, who may be a pessimist but has obvious appeal for Nancy and Giselle. James Marsden portrays Prince Edward as an entertaining buffoon, but I do wish he had more to contribute to the plot. Susan Sarandon and Timothy Spall look like they’re enjoying their hammy villainous roles as Queen Narissa and bumbling servant Nathaniel. Lastly, I had no idea who Broadway star Idina Menzel (Nancy) was at the time, but after hearing her in Frozen, it’s a shame she didn’t get a chance to sing in this film: her one song with Marsden was cut.

The choreography and songs, written by winning duo Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, are outstanding, a welcome return to the good old days of both Disney excellence and classic musicals. The show-stopping “That’s How You Know” is particularly awesome, but the fact that all three of its Oscar-nominated songs lost (not unlike the previous year’s Dreamgirls) is a crying shame.

The film isn’t all good, of course. Certain scenes toward the end vacillate between an homage and a ripoff of Disney classics, and some scenes involving Pip the chipmunk, such as his defecation and Nathaniel’s cruelty toward him, were unnecessary. Still, Enchanted brings Disney’s animation to life in a fresh and funny way that my family watches whenever it’s on TV. It’s enchanting.

Best line: (a child-stressed mother, played by Judy Kuhn from Pocahontas, when she sees “Prince Charming” Edward) “You’re too late.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 8
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 9
Originality: 6
Watchability: 9
 
TOTAL: 46 out of 60
 

Next: #162 – Rain Man

© 2014 S. G. Liput

166 Followers and Counting

 

Up (2009)

30 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Movies, Poetry, Reviews, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

When Carl Fredricksen was young,
Self-conscious with a timid tongue,
He heard his hero’s praises sung,
The fearless Charles Muntz.
A skeleton Muntz found with zeal
Sparked doubts on whether it was real.
Muntz vowed to catch one and appeal,
The greatest of his hunts.
 
For Carl, this did not deter
His zeal as an adventurer,
Nor Ellie’s. Carl promised her
That they would fly some day
To Paradise Falls and do stuff.
They wed, and plans seemed like enough.
But plans were changed as times grew rough,
And life got in the way.
 
They still both lived in happiness
At their beloved home address,
Till Ellie’s death served to depress
Her aging husband’s heart.
Though builders offered quite a fee,
He guarded their house jealously.
Evicted by a court decree,
He planned a whole new start.
 
He chooses not to gripe and grouse
But blows balloons to lift his house
And fill his promise to his spouse
To take this thrilling trip.
To Paradise Falls he intends
To fly, but as his house ascends,
A wilderness explorer lends
His help to this airship.
 
To South America, they float
But fall out in this land remote,
Where Carl is dismayed to note
They have a ways to walk.
Connected to the house o’erhead,
They journey through the jungle, led
By Carl, who is stopped instead
By birds, and dogs that talk.
 
He meets the ancient Charles Muntz,
Still on that greatest of his hunts,
Who first seems nice but then confronts
The duo with suspicion.
A giant bird that Russell found
Is what Muntz wants to still impound.
His blimp and many a talking hound
Have not achieved his mission.
 
When Carl and Russell flee the nut,
With help from bird and friendly mutt,
The pair are shocked and scared somewhat
But aid the injured bird.
Muntz still sneaks up and apprehends
The bird, with whom the boy’s made friends,
And Carl will not make amends,
But Russell’s undeterred.
 
Though Carl makes it to the falls,
With Ellie’s help he then recalls
That their life meant more than four walls,
And he assists the scout.
He follows Russell in the air
To get the bird from Muntz’s lair.
The good and bad guys face off there
Till gravity wins out.
 
Though Carl bids his house goodbye,
They take the bird back home nearby.
He uses Muntz’s blimp to fly
Young Russell to his home.
Since Russell’s dad won’t show his face
To grant him patches and embrace,
Old Carl comes to take his place
And share an ice cream cone.
______________________
 

From the very beginning, Up has all the promise of a masterpiece. The first eleven minutes, detailing Carl and Ellie’s life together, have been rightfully hailed as a high point in animation history. The rest of the film is similarly brilliant, just in a very different way from most of Pixar’s canon, contrasting the beautiful opening with utter cartoonish wackiness.

Like WALL-E, Up is rather controversial for me. I consider it another Pixar classic, worthy of its Oscar nomination for Best Picture, while my VC was left cold. She certainly enjoyed everything pertaining to Ellie but felt the random inclusion of a giant “snipe” (my dad once fell for that same snipe joke) and talking dogs was just too silly to swallow. She also has poked holes in the plot, such as the fact that Muntz was still alive, since he must have been in his nineties; maybe he found the fountain of youth down in South America, or the Holy Grail. While the film was unique for featuring an elderly protagonist, even I have to admit that Carl’s and Muntz’s athleticism toward the end did strain credulity. While these issues sadly spoiled the film for her, I can overlook them with the help of Coleridge’s famous concept, the suspension of disbelief. Some people got it; some don’t.

I have more of an issue with Russell’s thin attachment to the giant bird he names “Kevin.” The relationship doesn’t seem to be any deeper than that of an owner and pet, yet Russell is willing to risk his life for the pet he found days before. What’s more, he blames Carl for “giving her away” when he did no such thing. Considering the situation, Muntz would have captured the bird regardless of Carl’s actions, so Russell’s guilt trip seemed unjustified and unfair.

All right, now that I got that out of my system, I’ll mention the gorgeous animation, the excellent voice acting (led by Ed Asner as Carl, Christopher Plummer as Muntz, and Bob Peterson as the squirrel-distracted dog Dug), the high-flying action sure to give someone acrophobia, and Michael Giacchino’s buoyant score. The main idea of a mobile dwelling that ends up damaged and abandoned may have been borrowed from Howl’s Moving Castle, of which director Pete Docter directed the English translation as well, but the plot is otherwise wholly original and frequently inspired.

Up isn’t quite on par with Pixar’s greatest work, but it’s an animated gem that earns both laughs and tears and has a timely message about life’s real adventures that tugs my heartstrings every time.

Best line: (Russell, after describing a simple pleasure he had with his dad) “That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.”

 
Artistry: 9
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 10
Originality: 9
Watchability: 7
Other (aforementioned issues): -3
 
TOTAL: 46 out of 60
 

Next: #163 – Enchanted

© 2014 S. G. Liput

166 Followers and Counting