Stuart Little 2 (2002)

27 Thursday Mar 2014

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The Little family’s doing fine
With everything they’ve ever wished,
But Mrs. Little always worries
Stuart somehow might be squished.
 
As a mouse, he can’t relate
To children many times his size.
He wrecks his brother’s model plane
But still stays positive, or tries.
 
But one day, driving home from school,
A bird named Margalo drops in.
They narrowly escape a falcon,
Though it broke her mother’s pin.
 
Her wing is hurt so Stuart says
That she should stay with them, not roam.
He finds and fixes her small pin
And makes the bird feel quite at home.
 
But Mrs. Little’s diamond ring
Is inexplicably just gone.
They don’t suspect that Margalo
Works for the falcon as a con.
 
When she goes missing too, the mouse
Decides the falcon took her back.
He blackmails family cat Snowbell
To join the search and help him track.
 
They reach the Pishkin Building’s top,
Where Falcon lives with Margalo.
When Stuart learns the tricky truth,
He’s dropped and lands far down below.
 
Though he survives, he ends up on
A garbage barge, to his dismay,
But then he finds his brother’s plane
And fixes it to fly away.
 
Poor Snowbell’s having some close calls,
While Margalo defies her boss.
She’s saved by Stuart in his plane,
Who leaves the falcon fiercely cross.
 
While all the Littles watch below,
The falcon tries to kill the pair.
Their faceoff ends with Stuart’s plane
Colliding with him in midair.
 
With everybody safe and sound,
Freed Margalo returns the ring.
She finally can migrate south,
But she’ll be welcomed back next spring.
____________________
 

Following E. B. White’s beloved novel somewhat more closely than its predecessor, Stuart Little 2 is a purely enjoyable sequel to 1999’s Stuart Little, and I fondly recall seeing it in the theater with my grandmother when it first came out. While it doesn’t have as many good quotes and is at times more cutesy than quirky, it creates some more wonderful characters to join the returning cast from the first film. Melanie Griffith as Margalo is a great counterpart to Michael J. Fox’s Stuart, and James Woods gives one of his trademark villainous voiceovers as the evil Falcon, who is a much stronger and more malevolent bad guy than the first film’s Smokey.

The film also has a marvelous soundtrack, mostly made up of uplifting pop songs that fit well for the target audience, including Celine Dion’s “I’m Alive,” which deserves a spot in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame. With a good mix of humor, excitement, and fine voice acting, Stuart Little 2 is one of those perfect family films that anyone can enjoy.

Best line: (Snowbell, after he believes Stuart was killed) “I wish I were the one that was dead!” (Margalo) “Really?” (Snowbell) “No. But I am very unhappy!”

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 6
Watchability: 6
Other (nothing objectionable; I just like other films more) -5
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #284: Raising Arizona

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

“Crocodile” Dundee (1986)

26 Wednesday Mar 2014

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The newspaper writer Sue Charlton flies
To try an Australian report on for size:
The tale of a man who had finished a croc
After losing his leg, so that he didn’t walk
But crawled on for miles, at last reaching aid
Before going back to the bush, unafraid.
 
She finds, in a rough Outback hole-in-the-wall,
The great Mick Dundee, who is still standing tall.
Sue’s meeting this bloke makes her more undeterred
In wanting to see where this story occurred.
Alone in the Outback, Sue watches Dundee,
Admiring his wilderness powers with glee.
 
However, when Sue tries to show that she’s tough,
A croc proves that pride and resolve aren’t enough.
Though Mick’s jaunty lack of opinions may chafe,
Sue loves that this man always makes her feel safe.
At last, Sue’s return she can no more defer,
So she offers that Mick come to New York with her.
 
The Big Apple’s disregard stands in contrast
To Mick’s friendly manner, indifferent to caste.
Sue’s rich fiancé condescends to the Aussie,
Who hits him, as well as an angry pimp’s posse.
Once Dundee’s endeared himself ‘most everywhere,
Sue gets a proposal, which brings Mick despair.
 
He plans to leave town to traverse the U.S.
And leaves for the subway, to flee his distress.
When Sue finds him gone, she runs to proclaim
She really loves Mick, not her snooty old flame.
When they can’t reach each other in such a packed place,
Mick walks on the crowd into Sue’s warm embrace.
______________________
 

“Crocodile” Dundee is one of those 1980s films that created an iconic role that came to define the actor that filled it. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Terminator, Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, and Paul Hogan most definitely is Mick Dundee. I bet that this film, more than any other, has shaped Americans’ views about Australia and the Outback, and Hogan himself wanted to make the film to give Australia an original folk hero of sorts, almost like Davy Crockett or Paul Bunyan.

The film has a loose plot and casual pacing to mirror Dundee’s laid-back way of life. Unlike the two lesser sequels, there is no villain per se, considering Sue’s fiancé and the vengeful pimp are only in a few scenes. The growing romance between Dundee and Sue is the main driving force of the movie, and their admission of love is the only real climax. The majority of the film is dedicated to funny character moments, first showing Dundee in his element in the wild and then revealing his naiveté about the big bad city. Despite all the drugs, prostitutes, and hostility he encounters in New York, he remains chivalrous, capable, and completely likable, and those he comes in contact with cannot help but be fond of him. Hogan’s unrestrained likability is what made “Crocodile” Dundee the huge success it was and the best role of Hogan’s career.

There is, of course, some profanity and even a surprising F-bomb, along with a few crudities, but the film remains a classic of the ‘80s and a lighthearted comedy that almost everyone should enjoy.

Best line: (Dundee, intimidating a punk and his tiny dagger) “That’s not a knife. THAT’S a knife.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: N/A
Originality: 7
Watchability: 8
Other (language): -4
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #285: Stuart Little 2

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

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A grown John Connor roams around,
Still fearing Judgment Day,
The deaths of billions by machines
He thought he’d kept away.
 
But soon a female Terminator
Travels back through time
To kill still young resistance members
Ere they reach their prime.
 
This T-X hunts for Katherine Brewster,
A lovely local vet,
Who’s caged the drug-addicted John
Because he was a threat.
 
Meanwhile, another Terminator,
Like the one John knew,
Arrives just in the nick of time
To save her right on cue.
 
He locks up Katherine, then saves John,
Who flees with her inside.
The T-X shoots her counterpart
And steals a massive ride.
 
An epic chase ensues, which leaves
A trail of vast destruction.
The good cyborg slows down the bad,
Then gives his introduction.
 
He tells John he has been sent back
To guard Katherine, of course,
But John is now in danger from
A much more deadly force.
 
They try to tell the girl the truth,
But she is none too pleased.
They drive to Sarah Connor’s grave,
With Katherine feeling seized.
 
They pick up weapons just in time
For cops to cause delay.
And Katherine’s met by that T-X,
Who’s killed her fiancé.
 
The good cyborg saves them again
And tells what will occur.
He killed John in the future
And was reprogrammed by her.
 
For Katherine will be Connor’s wife
And second-in-command.
As Judgment Day looms very close,
She gives him a command.
 
They go where Katherine’s father works.
He’s just released Skynet.
The T-X comes to shoot him down
So he can’t stop the threat.
 
The good and villainous machines
Face off, and she prevails.
She tries to turn him bad as well
But ultimately fails.
 
Katherine and John are told to fly
To distant Crystal Peak,
Where they believe they’ll find the way
To stop this that they seek.
 
The T-X follows them again,
But their ally arrives
To mow her down and blow her up,
And neither one survives.
 
They think that they’ve found Skynet’s core
To blow it up as well,
But Crystal Peak’s a bunker that
Will shield them for a spell.
 
They realize Judgment Day could not
Be stopped; it never could.
They simply had to live through it
And fight for what is good.
____________________
 

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines seemed like an unnecessary add-on when it first came out. The filmmakers could have left well enough alone after the huge success of T2, but they had to keep milking this franchise for all it was worth, with or without James Cameron. Yet T3 is one of those sequels that is surprisingly good once you give it a try. It follows the second film’s precedent, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a reprogrammed Terminator to save John Connor once again from a more advanced cyborg. While this plotline is familiar, the filmmakers take it in some unexpected directions with well-spaced revelations throughout the movie.

Kristanna Loken is appropriately laconic and lethal as the T-X, as is Ahh-nold, who gets some great one-liners and self-referential moments along the way. The main drawback for the second film was the human protagonists. Sarah Connor had gone nuts and her son was quite frankly a punk, but in T3, Nick Stahl fills the role of John nicely, even if he’s now a haunted drug addict on the run, and Claire Danes as Kate is my favorite of the new cast. Since no one in the film’s universe has seen the Terminator films, her reactions are priceless, from her initial shock and anger to her transformation into a robot-slaying Rambina. Her relationship with John isn’t really developed into a romance, but it’s at least set in motion with a clearly defined end.

The action and effects are outstanding, with the epic central chase being one of the best and most destructive car chases ever. The clever ways that Ahh-nold gets rid of the T-X and the myriad of explosions make it an excellent popcorn blockbuster.

Of course, there’s a good amount of unnecessary language and violence, especially when the T-X suddenly jams its arm through someone’s chest to drive a car from the back seat (bleh). The movie has its worst stumble, though, at the very end. While the first Terminator ended with tension and a looming threat and the second film had somewhat of a happy bittersweet climax, this film’s final scenes are just plain depressing. Almost the entire world is nuked by Skynet, and now the characters have nothing to look forward to except a long, painful war, plus John’s foretold demise. It’s an okay setup for another sequel (Terminator: Salvation, which I have not yet seen), but, by itself, it’s a weak end to an otherwise awesome action flick.

Best line: (John, after Kate zealously shoots down a drone) “You remind me of my mother.”

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 9
Visual Effects: 9
Originality: 5
Watchability: 7
Other (language, violence, and poor ending): -8
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #286: Crocodile Dundee

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Within a brief prologue, a proud peacock prince
Turns to the dark side and kills pandas since
A goat has foretold one will bring down this Shen.
Though banished, Shen plots to return once again.
 
The fat panda Po and the Furious Five
Are doing quite well till a wolf pack arrives.
They’re gathering metal and quickly escape
While Po is distracted by some random shape.
 
The band of kung fu-ers soon learn a large town
Was captured with weapons that brought masters down.
They find there that Shen and his wolves have moved in;
A firework cannon has helped them to win.
 
They’re captured at once when the wolves all step in
But break free, destroying the peacock’s weapon.
Yet Shen has built many and shows off their power
By toppling down his own ancestral tower.
 
Our heroes get out by all working together,
But Po is disturbed by the shapes on Shen’s feather.
Small flashbacks suggest that when Shen turned bad
Was the last time that Po saw his real mom or dad.
 
His friends want him safe so they leave behind Po,
Who needs to know what happened so long ago.
When Po confronts Shen, disobeying his team,
He’s shot by Shen’s cannon and falls in a stream.
 
Surviving, he’s helped by the goat to recall
That night when so many poor pandas did fall.
His mother hid him but was murdered by Shen;
His goose “father” found and adopted him then.
 
Thus coming to terms with his turbulent past,
Po goes to stop Shen, whose strength’s growing fast.
Po battles Shen’s ships and releases the Five,
And Shen doesn’t care if his own troops survive.
 
He launches the cannon, and none can deflect it,
But Po’s inner peace helps him redirect it.
He offers this peace to his foe, standing tall,
But Shen’s thirst for vengeance begets his downfall.
 
When Po and his friends return home once they’ve won,
He tells his goose dad he’ll always be his son.
But far, far away from both Po and the Five,
The panda’s real father can sense he’s alive.
_______________________
 

Not all of DreamWorks’s films have deserved sequels. Shark Tale, Bee Movie, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Megamind certainly did not, and I personally don’t think Madagascar warranted a trilogy, plus an upcoming movie centered on the Penguins. Yet Kung Fu Panda held promise and untapped questions that could be further explored in future films, the most obvious being “Why is Po’s father a goose?”

The tragic answer to that question, which Kung Fu Panda 2 provides, gives the film much more heart than its predecessor. While the first movie had some minor awww-worthy character development surrounding Shifu’s relationship with Tai Lung and Tigress, the pathos was relegated to pretty much one scene, with the rest of the film busy with humor, action, training, worrying, lesson learning, and the like. In Kung Fu Panda 2, the emotions take center stage as an integral part of the plot and the history of both Po and Shen. I like how the Furious Five have clearly warmed up to the chubby panda, even if they remain underdeveloped as characters. Yet the scene in which Po’s mother leaves him and lures away the wolves blows away anything in the first film, and the poignant exchanges between Po and his goose father should touch anyone, whether they have a connection with adoption or not.

All that is to say that this sequel has pretty much all the same ingredients as the first one: an all-star cast, a mix of animation styles, some funny lines, awkward moments, thrilling action set pieces (I particularly love the collapse of the giant pagoda), and another great villain (gleefully voiced by Gary Oldman). But the moments of sentiment are what make it a better film, in my opinion. Here’s looking forward to Kung Fu Panda 3 (and the much closer How to Train Your Dragon 2).

Best line: (the goat soothsayer, speaking to Po and anyone with a less-than-ideal childhood) “Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn’t make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 6
Watchability: 6
Other (I just like other films better): -7
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #287: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

23 Sunday Mar 2014

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A corpulent panda named Po likes to dream
Of joining the fabulous martial arts team,
The Furious Five, who include Crane and Monkey,
Viper and Mantis and Tigress. But chunky
Young Po knows that they are way out of his league:
A noodle shop job is enough to fatigue.
 
His “father,” a goose, doesn’t know Po’s desire,
And so he is shocked when he sees Po conspire
To see the foretold Dragon Warrior named.
They’re all thunderstruck when it’s Po who’s proclaimed.
Great Master Shifu is not happy one bit
And does all he can to convince Po to quit.
 
But Po endures lots of ferocious abuse
And takes it in stride as the pain is let loose.
But Tai Lung, a pupil that Shifu did fail,
Who’s greedy for power, has broken from jail,
So Shifu then follows his master’s advice
And trains Po much better by using his vice.
 
With dumplings and soup, Po improves his kung fu,
And Shifu’s impressed at what pandas can do.
Po’s heroes run off ere their foe can arrive,
But Tai Lung defeats the famed Furious Five.
Po doubts he can win; Tai Lung’s out of control,
And Po gets little help from the blank Dragon Scroll.
 
When Tai Lung arrives, he beats Shifu to pulp,
But Po calls him out with an uneasy gulp.
Their fight gives Tai Lung the best part of abuse,
And Po puts his overweight flab to good use.
Defeating Tai Lung with a move few can do,
The new Dragon Warrior proves his kung fu.
______________________
 

Kung Fu Panda is an exciting homage to the Chinese wuxia genre with lots of fighting and humor and one big panda. When the film first came out, I wasn’t interested in the least, as has been the case with several CGI movies of late, but, once I gave it a chance when it came on television, I was favorably impressed. Quite a few famous actors lend their voices to DreamWorks’s characters, and, though most aren’t given much to say, Jack Black as Po, Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, and Ian McShane as Tai Lung are certainly the most well-cast roles. Jack Black’s fanboy enthusiasm alternates between hilarious and annoying, but he makes Po endearing overall. The film also has some lovely animation, though I don’t care for some of the character designs and did not find the animation as stunning as many critics hailed.

The main draw for me, though, is the action. I haven’t seen many martial arts films, but some of the choreographed fights in this movie took my breath away. It all gets a bit repetitive by the end, particularly with the overuse of slow-motion shots, but Tai Lung’s rope bridge fight with the Furious Five and especially the villain’s jailbreak are among the best animated action sequences, in my opinion.

While there’s some “kung fu-ey” mysticism and the end has a hackneyed “believe in yourself” lesson, Po’s zealous perseverance in the midst of difficulty is admirable, and Shifu’s relationship with Tai Lung manages to evoke some pathos as well. Kung Fu Panda succeeds in combining laughs and thrills in an entertaining way that has made it one of DreamWorks Animation’s most successful franchises.

Best line: (Shifu, as Po is doing this) “Panda, we do not wash our pits in the Pool of Sacred Tears.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 7
Visual Effects: 7
Originality: 4
Watchability: 6
Other (some awkward, less-than-funny scenes): -4
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #288: Kung Fu Panda 2 (yep)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

#290: The Quick and the Dead (1987)

22 Saturday Mar 2014

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Duncan McKaskel hits town and a snag on
His journey out west with a loaded down wagon.
He, wife Susanna and little boy Tom
Encounter Doc Shabbitt with civil aplomb.
 
But, once they have left, Doc suggests to his forces
They ought to appropriate this family’s horses.
Meanwhile, a man by the name of Con Vallian
Rides up to tell Duncan he’s missing some stallions.
 
The non-violent husband goes back into town,
And Vallian assists in a rousing showdown,
Which sees Duncan flee with the horses they stole
And kills off Doc’s son, making vengeance his goal.
 
From then on, the family flees further west
While Doc’s gang pursues, getting further obsessed.
The gravel-voiced Vallian rides on as their guard
And picks off Doc’s men without showing his cards.
 
Con’s clearly attracted to Duncan’s fair wife,
And they share a kiss in the midst of the strife.
Yet chivalrous Vallian guards all the McKaskels
And tries to discourage ol’ Doc and his rascals.
 
But Vallian desires revenge on another,
An Indian half-breed that murdered his mother.
This “breed” rides with Doc and injures his foe,
But Vallian recovers and brings the “breed” low.
 
Once Duncan and company locate the home
Susanna’s own brother built, no more they roam.
But Doc and his gang, who have shrunk now to three,
Catch up to their trail and approach them with glee.
 
Susanna herself shoots an outlaw point blank,
And Duncan and Con kill the last from their flank.
Now that the McKaskels are safe from their thrills,
Con bids them farewell and rides off toward the hills.
________________________
 

This The Quick and the Dead is a 1987 HBO film starring Sam Elliott as Con Vallian, not the 1995 Sam Raimi film featuring Sharon Stone. While both are westerns, this 1987 movie is based off a novel by the prolific western master Louis L’Amour. Elliott is at his best as the mysterious cowboy defending a family of eastern greenhorns, and the chemistry between him and Kate Capshaw as Susanna makes this one of my VC’s favorite films.

The cinematography starts out flat, like the initial plains the McKaskels are first shown traveling through, but it gets more spectacular as they journey into the gorgeous mountains of Wyoming. The plot itself struck me as almost a reversal on that of a horror film, with the bad guys being the ones picked off one by one by the heroic good guy, who usually shoots only when he or others are being threatened. His vendetta against the Indian, his infrequent profanity, and his prurient glances at Susanna threaten to make him more of an anti-hero, but I appreciate that he at least has the chivalry not only to defend her husband but to curb his own passions, much like Robert Redford in The Horse Whisperer.

The Quick and the Dead is one of the few westerns on my list. It’s not that I don’t like westerns per se; I just think that most of them are rather repetitive and less than original, which is why I believe they have fallen by the wayside in modern cinema. Yet this film features many western clichés in a very entertaining and straightforward way: the family in search of a better life, the enigmatic gunslinger out for blood and justice; the gang of outlaws brought low by the heroes. Tom Conti does a good job as Duncan McKaskel, who may not be as ruggedly appealing as Vallian but at least sticks up for his wife and has the courage to walk up to armed bandits with only a single rifle. Considering her more well-known role in the second Indiana Jones movie, it was also nice to see Kate Capshaw getting her hands dirty and not whining for a change.

This film may contradict my statement a few posts ago that I’ve never watched a film with “dead” in the title (it still isn’t about zombies though), but it remains one of my favorite westerns.

Best line: (Vallian to Duncan) “The meek ain’t gonna inherit nothing west of Chicago.”

 
Artistry: 6
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: N/A
Originality: 6
Watchability: 8
Other (brief language): -3
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #289: Kung Fu Panda

© 2014 S. G. Liput

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)

21 Friday Mar 2014

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When sickly young Shawn comes to visit
His Aunt Jessica in the woods,
He sees a small lass
Swiftly pass in the grass
With an armful of miniature goods.
 
This “Borrower” is named Arrietty,
Who lives with her mother and dad.
They live under the house
As discrete as a mouse,
But Homily’s scared of the lad.
 
Pod calms his poor wife and her worries
And leaves with his daughter to borrow.
Arrietty is quite
Animated tonight,
But excitement soon changes to sorrow.
 
She loses a gained sugar cube,
And much worse, she is sighted by Shawn.
The girl’s disenchanted
And leaves empty-handed,
But Pod comforts her once they’ve gone.
 
From then on, Shawn tries to leave gifts,
Like the sugar cube he’d seen her drop.
Her dad is suspicious,
For humans are vicious,
So she tells the boy he should stop.
 
When a crow almost gets Arrietty,
Shawn saves her and earns growing trust.
He donates some wares
From a dollhouse upstairs,
Which leaves the girl’s parents nonplussed.
 
Pod feels that they now have to leave.
Arrietty then tells Shawn goodbye.
He tries to impart
That he has a weak heart,
But the girl says to live, or to try.
 
But Hara, Aunt Jessica’s maid,
Has suspected small people for years.
She searches with care
And finds Homily there
And grabs her, confirming their fears.
 
She puts Homily in a jar
And calls Pest Control to catch more.
When she sees her mom’s gone,
Arrietty, with Shawn,
Sneaks out from behind a locked door.
 
She locates her mother and frees her.
The maid later searches in vain.
Any vestige or trace,
Shawn was quick to erase
So that Hara looks rather insane.
 
The Borrowers quickly depart
With help from a boy of their race.
Arrietty and Shawn
Say farewell at the dawn.
Shawn suspects they found some safer place.
__________________
 

The Secret World of Arrietty, one of Studio Ghibli’s more recent efforts, is a sweet film that successfully shrinks the audience to see an ordinary house as a place of danger and wonder. Staples become ladder rungs; pins become swords; roly-polies become balls; and a single bay leaf can last a year. Ghibli’s typically whimsical imagination is given free rein here to create an almost magical world within our own.

The animation is almost on the level of Howl’s Moving Castle, and the studio continues to deliver beautiful hand-drawn films with amazingly detailed backgrounds. The Borrowers’ home is especially well drawn. The English dub is pretty good as well, though it doesn’t have as many big name stars as other Ghibli films. Bridget Mendler as Arrietty, Will Arnett as Pod, and Carol Burnett as Hara particularly fill their roles well, though characters go “hmm” a bit too frequently. Also, while it’s based on an English book series and the location has been moved to Japan, the music has a distinctly Celtic air to it that is quite lovely.

While there are some who will have a problem with the fact that the Borrowers steal for a living, it is not much of an issue for me since (a) their size and vulnerability warrant it, and (b) they make a point of only taking things that will not be missed. (Others have delved deeper into the moral implications, such as film critic Steven Greydanus.)

A good point that makes up for this ambiguous aspect is Arrietty’s respect for her parents. Several times, she compliments her mother and father and shows them the honor that is noticeably lacking in Western cartoons. In the end, both of their views on humans are vindicated; Arrietty is proven right in that not all humans are bad (Shawn), but her parents’ fears are clearly warranted since others (like Hara) are not as trustworthy. This end stands in marked contrast to the kid-is-always-right mentality of most American animation.

One minor issue is the film’s pacing. While it’s fascinating to explore Arrietty’s miniature world, the film borders on becoming boring at times. Thus, some kids and adults who require constant jokes or explosions in their entertainment won’t be able to stick with it. Still, it has better visuals and more of a plot than Ghibli’s more acclaimed but less interesting children’s movie My Neighbor Totoro.

Offering new perspectives and touching on some more mature subjects like death and survival, The Secret World of Arrietty is a charming recent reminder of the magic that hand-drawn animation can achieve.

Best line: (Arrietty, when Shawn talks about resigning oneself to fate) “Sometimes you have to stand up and fight for the things that are worth fighting for. You have to survive. That’s what my papa says.”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 5
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 7
Watchability: 5
Other (slow pace): -6
 
TOTAL:  32 out of 60
 

Next: #290: The Quick and the Dead (1987)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

The Impossible (2012)

20 Thursday Mar 2014

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The Bennetts spend their Christmas in a Thailand beach resort
And enjoy their seaside holiday until it is cut short.
A massive wave of water strikes, and they are in its path.
The five are separated in the vicious aftermath.
 
Maria and her eldest son named Lucas are together,
And endure the vast tsunami many others could not weather.
The two survive the terrible and unrelenting flood,
And, once they get out, both are smeared with mud and dirt and blood.
 
They climb a tree with effort, but Maria’s badly hurt.
Thai villagers arrive and drag her through debris and dirt.
They take her to a hospital where death and pain are rife,
And overburdened doctors try to save Maria’s life.
 
When Lucas helps some folks, he reunites a dad and son.
Returning to his mother, though, he finds that she is gone.
Maria was mislabeled when her surgery arrived,
And Lucas is relieved when he is shown that she survived.
 
Meanwhile, Henry Bennett sifts through wreckage and debris,
As he searches for his wife and Lucas, parted by the sea.
His other children, Simon and young Thomas, are all right,
But Henry sends them off so he can search for one more night.
 
He starts to inspect hospitals and staggering mass graves,
Assisted by another who lost family to the waves.
He checks Maria’s hospital and thinks she isn’t there,
When Lucas finds his brothers and embraces the lost pair.
 
The family’s reunited, yet Maria’s fading fast.
In surgery, she dreams about the fierce tsunami’s blast.
Just as she reached the surface, she survives the surgery,
And the five fly home together o’er the vast and violent sea.
___________________________
 

The Impossible is a powerful film and, as emphasized at the very beginning, a true story. In my review for The Day after Tomorrow, I said the outlandish catastrophes depicted in that movie were entertaining because they were fictional. That was a popcorn movie; The Impossible is not. Film about actual disasters are always more affecting because they happened to real people and changed countless lives, offering examples of both pain and heroism that are much more deeply felt than, say, CGI tornadoes ripping through impersonal skyscrapers.

The Impossible is often painful to watch, particularly the scenes featuring Maria’s cringe-worthy leg wound. Yet, amid all the agony and death, there are moments of light: a presumably orphaned child being seen with a loving parent, a hopeless father hugging the lost son that a stranger found for him, and of course the tear-jerking reunion of Henry and his children. Other details, such as a nonchalant note left by a survivor’s missing family before the wave hit, illustrate how swiftly life can change for the worse.

The acting is superb across the board. Though Naomi Watts received the only Oscar nomination for her pain-filled role as Maria, Ewan McGregor as Henry and Tom Holland as Lucas also give Oscar-worthy performances that connect the audience to this family that’s been torn apart. My VC felt that the technique of muting the sound to evoke the passage of time was overused, but overall the direction is also excellent.

While the scenes of suffering are devastating to watch, I appreciate that the filmmakers didn’t make it as violent as they could have. There are still some brief scenes of female nudity and some wincing injuries that could have been left out. The main issue I have, however, is the fact that God is not mentioned at all. I understand if the family was not religious, but events like these tend to bring people to a realization of divine power and aid. Considering the astounding coincidences that took place to bring the family back together, some religious references would have been appropriate. Even so, when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hit, many in the U.S. could easily ignore it at the time since it was on the other side of the world; The Impossible brings this terrible tragedy home in a very powerful way.

Best line: (Henry, to his sons) “But you know the most scary bit for me?”
(Thomas) “When the water hit?”
(Henry) “No. After that, when I came up, I was on my own. That was the scariest part. And when I saw the two of you clinging to the tree, I didn’t feel so scared anymore. I knew I wasn’t on my own. You see?”

 

Artistry: 8
Characters/Actors: 10
Entertainment: 3
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 7
Watchability: 2
Other (nudity, violence, and lack of religious awareness): -6
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #291: The Secret World of Arrietty

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

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Sinbad the sailor’s a scoundrel at heart,
Or so goddess Eris may think.
This villainous goddess has chaos to start
And sends a beast into the drink.
 
As Sinbad is robbing an old but dear friend
Named Proteus, parted for years,
He finds he must help his old chum to defend
‘Gainst a tentacled fiend that appears.
 
They dispose of the monster, but Sinbad is swept
From the ship, so that Eris can pitch
An offer to him he can’t help but accept:
Steal a book and she’ll make the rogue rich.
 
In Syracuse, Proteus unloads the book
That brings peace to the cities around.
But sly Eris frames the notorious crook,
And leaves the whole kingdom unsound.
 
They all accuse Sinbad, but Proteus asks
That he stay while Sinbad finds the book.
The thief at first balks at this hardest of tasks,
But he leaves since he’s now off the hook.
 
Marina, Prince Proteus’s fiancée,
Stows away to ensure Sinbad goes.
A bribe proves enough to allow her to stay,
But they don’t like each other (it shows).
 
But, when Eris sends several Sirens to sing,
Who bewitch both the thief and his crew,
Marina takes over to narrowly bring
The ship and its company through.
 
They next hook a line to an island-sized fish,
Which gives them a turbulent ride.
Marina then almost becomes the main dish
For a giant bird Eris supplied.
 
Once Sinbad saves her, they all sail for a star,
And he unveils his love for the girl.
As they near Tartarus after coming so far,
They sail off the edge of the world.
 
Marina and Sinbad swing to Eris’ realm,
A lost kingdom of ruin and death.
Meanwhile, his faithful first mate takes the helm,
And everyone’s holding their breath.
 
In Tartarus, Eris taunts Sinbad to lie
And say he’ll return when he won’t.
He swears, book or no, that he’ll go back to die.
They try to retrieve it but don’t.
 
At the moment when Proteus thinks he’ll be slain,
Sinbad comes back to him just in time.
He is empty-handed; the trip was in vain,
But he’s there to be killed for his “crime.”
 
Yet Eris had sworn that, if he said what’s true,
He’d then have the book that she took.
His promise was genuine; he followed through,
So she grudgingly gives him the book.
 
His name somewhat cleared, Sinbad plans to depart,
And Marina is silently sad.
Yet Proteus tells her to follow her heart
So she voyages off with Sinbad.
__________________
 

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is both a homage to the ancient Arab tales (and the old movie featuring the character) and a thrill ride that is sure to buckle anyone’s swash. With some of the best action set pieces involving traditional animation, Sinbad seems like a precursor and inspiration for the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. While Curse of the Black Pearl came out the same year as this DreamWorks film and shares the hero/thief dichotomy of the main character, the other three seem to borrow key scenes from Sinbad. The attacks of the Kraken in Dead Man’s Chest are similar to Cetus’ assault at the beginning, the edge of the world scene in At World’s End seems directly borrowed from this film (complete with the characters who continue on finding themselves suddenly in a desert with the remains of a ship), and the vampiric mermaids of On Stranger Tides are akin to the Sirens. The other action scenes may not have direct comparisons but are still just as thrilling, such as their escape from the giant roc.

Another similarity is the fact that, while Sinbad and Jack Sparrow are both murderous thieves when you get right down to it, the films aren’t actually about them doing the despicable acts that have earned them infamy in the movie’s world. This allows the film to redeem these characters in a way that makes them heroic, even if they probably continue their old lifestyles after the film’s events.

The adventuresome Harry Gregson-Williams score is perfect, though it’s got nothing on Hans Zimmer’s classic theme for Pirates. The animation, again a mixture of hand-drawn animation for the characters and CGI for the giant creatures, is quite good as well and extremely fluid, such as Eris’ ethereal comings and goings. The voice acting is also top-notch, and it remains the only Brad Pitt film my VC can bring herself to watch, mainly because Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeifer do so well in their respective roles. As the last of DreamWorks’s traditionally animated films, Sinbad offers some great action and a predictable but nicely developed romance, and I think it deserved a sequel. I like many of DreamWorks Animation’s CGI films, but it’s a shame that wonderful hand-drawn films like this have nearly gone extinct in the U.S.

Best line: (Marina, while hiding from the roc after Sinbad pulls out a single knife) “Great, he can pick his teeth when he’s done with us.” (Sinbad) “Yeah, you see, in the hands of an expert, a good knife has 1,001 good uses.” (Sinbad then proves his lack of expertise.)

 
Artistry: 4
Characters/Actors: 6
Entertainment: 8
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 6
Watchability: 6
Other (I just like other films better): -6
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #292: The Impossible

© 2014 S. G. Liput

 

Apollo 13 (1995)

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

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When astronaut Jim Lovell sees us landing on the moon,
He dreams of going there himself and gets his chance quite soon.
His lunar mission is moved up to lucky one, thirteen,
And he and Mattingly and Haise all practice their routine.
But days before the launch, they learn that Mattingly’s exposed
To measles, so he must be barred or else nobody goes.
 
He is replaced by ladies’ man Jack Swigert, and the three
All work together fine, although he’s no Ken Mattingly.
While Lovell’s wife is worried sick about this risky mission,
She sees him off, supporting his celestial ambition.
Lovell, Swigert, and Fred Haise at last launch into space,
And, over days, fly to the moon at just the proper pace.
 
All seems to go just as it should until they hear a bang,
And Lovell notices a leak that threatens their whole gang.
Their oxygen is leaking fast, and it becomes quite clear:
They cannot land upon the moon, although it is so near.
They get into Aquarius, the module used for landing,
And use it as a lifeboat, which will keep their vessel standing.
 
Returning to the Earth right through the shadow of the moon,
Jim dreams about how close he’s come, how it’s inopportune,
But now they have to get back home, and NASA’s engineers
Are pushed to solve the problems, and each person perseveres.
From saving the ship’s power to reducing CO2,
The scientists and Mattingly (who’s healthy still) pull through.
 
Though Haise gets sick and tension’s high, the crew continues on,
Eventually preparing to return from whence they’d gone.
The heat shield’s strength is still in doubt, but Lovell and the rest
Fly in the planet’s atmosphere, and everyone is stressed.
Four minutes later, Lovell’s voice alleviates concern,
And everybody celebrates the astronauts’ return.
__________________________
 

Apollo 13 is one of the most authentic and meticulously researched films about manned space flight ever made. The film is of particular interest to my family because my grandfather was himself involved with NASA’s Apollo missions (as well as Mercury and Gemini) and worked straight through several days and nights to assist in bringing those three astronauts home. My mom also participated in the Space Shuttle program and recognized various real names used in the film like engineer Guenter Wendt. The resourcefulness of these unsung heroes is laudably extolled as they come up with solutions that kept the astronauts alive.

Ron Howard’s almost documentary-like direction of the structured proceedings makes the viewer feel like he’s watching actual events, though this effect is tempered by the star presence of Tom Hanks as Lovell, Kevin Bacon as Swigert, and Bill Paxton as Haise. All fill their roles quite well, as does Ed Harris as Flight Director Gene Kranz, inexplicably the only one to earn a Best Actor Oscar nomination. (It was nice to hear his voice in the same kind of role in the recent Gravity.)

While the main characters are well-developed as a rule, particularly Oscar nominee Kathleen Quinlan as the long-suffering Marilyn Lovell, the best parts are the moments of space travel, whether the simple floating of the astronauts (achieved through putting the actors in a plummeting aircraft) to the grandeur of Apollo 13’s spectacular launch. The weightlessness is particularly well-done, and the way it was created is hidden surprisingly well. The film also has some effective moments of poignancy (Lovell dreaming of his lost moon landing) and tension (the Odyssey’s reentry, which manages to be nail-biting even though most probably know the outcome).

The main issue is, of course, the unnecessary profanity, but I also felt that the last half-hour of the astronauts being stranded could have been shortened. I realize that time dragged for the three spacefarers as they waited for NASA’s directions, but, by the time they came back to Earth, I was definitely ready for the film to be over. Nevertheless, Apollo 13 brings to life a nerve-racking time in American history, and Lovell’s ending monologue questioning when we will return to the moon remains as timely now as it was then.

Best line: (Blanche, Jim Lovell’s mother, as she is introduced to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin) “Are you boys in the space program too?”

VC’s best line: (Jim Lovell, using German accent) “Ah, Guenter Wendt! I wonder where Guenter Wendt?”

 
Artistry: 7
Characters/Actors: 7
Entertainment: 6
Visual Effects: 8
Originality: 5
Watchability: 5
Other (language and length): -6
 
TOTAL: 32 out of 60
 

Next: #293: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

© 2014 S. G. Liput