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Reviews
Yellow Submarine (1968)
A masterpiece of psychedelia
When somebody watches Yellow Submarine, they're either going to think it's an extremely hard to watch film which can only be viewed and respected by LSD addicts, or they're going to think it's a charming, pleasant, wonderful adventure with a killer musical score. Happily, I'm more for the latter.
The film begins with the happy world of Pepperland being bombarded by the music-hating Blue Meanies. An old man is the only one who manages to escape, so he sails off into Liverpool, with Pepperland's mystical Yellow Submarine, for help. There he finds the Fab Four (of course), living in a bizarre house bursting with... well... pretty much everything. I can't explain it, you'll have to watch it.
They agree to help him save Pepperland, and thus a trippy, psychedelic adventure begins. They travel through different dimensions, all imaginative beyond words, and singing their classic songs through-out (a mix of old favourites and new ones recorded for the film, all of them brilliant as usual). The animation is fantastic and has a style of all its own, and some of the designs are truly outstanding.
There are moments when the film just snaps and forgets it's at least supposed to coherently tell a story, but most of the film genuinely is a lot of fun. The writing is both tremendously clever and terribly groan- inducing (there are too many puns the Fab Four crack to count), but there's never an unimaginative moment or line.
Famously, the Beatles only allowed Yellow Submarine to be made to complete their three-movie contract with United Artists, not even contributing their own voices (the animated Beatles were instead voiced by Paul Angelis, John Clive, Geoff Hughes and an uncredited Peter Batten, who all do a brilliant job), only adding four new songs to the film. However, they loved the first cut so much that they agreed to pop up at the end in a cameo, singing another round of "All Together Now". It works brilliantly.
Overall, Yellow Submarine is an endlessly imaginative adventure, with brilliantly original animation and fabulous musical numbers. It can be very hard to watch in places, but as a whole it's a pleasant and enjoyable adventure with the Fab Four. In its odd way, it's very almost perfect.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Spielberg's apology for Kingdom of Crystal Skulls
Tintin is one of my favourite cartoon characters. Hergé's 23 Tintin books all have charm, humour and excitement, and it really did seem like that charm only worked on the printed page. Why? Because pretty much any attempt at a film adaptation has ended in utter disaster. That is, until I found out Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson decided to have a go at it. When I found out they were making a film of my three personal favourite Tintin stories, I was more hyped that I was for the last Harry Potter movie. It's one of the best directors of all time, a great choice of producer, a talented bunch of writers including Doctor Who's Steven Moffat and Hot Fuzz's Edgar Wright, all working on a film of one of my favourite comic book series of all time. How could I not be hyped?
But I've got to admit, when I watched the trailer I was slightly let down. It looked like the film would revolve purely around epic action. There was nothing subtle about it, the film didn't look like it would have any of the light humour that the original series was known for. It almost looked like just a money-grubbing blockbuster, similar to the Lost in Space or G.I. Joe films. My expectations hadn't been completely let down; the trailer had good things in it and the poster looked cool, but it just looked like too much. I heard that this was all to "spice it up a bit for the mainstream audience", but this was pushing it.
So I went to watch it with my brother at my local cinema and we both just cleared our minds of expectations. I knew there was never a chance it'd be completely bad considering all the talent involved.
So the movie started. The first 20 minutes were... okay. Nothing awful, but I did feel it was more going through the motions of the book more than anything. The 2D title sequence was great and there was a clever little moment involving Tintin getting a caricature of himself done, with the result actually looking like one of Hergé's original Tintin drawings, but other than that nothing really stood out. It got things started and introduced all the characters I know and love, but I never really felt an air of tension and excitement.
Then, almost out of nowhere, things immediately picked up. I'll try not to give anything away, but it's got something to do with a ferry. From then on, the film really starts, and we are given a truly exciting adventure without a single second of boredom. The film plays out like Spielberg's Indiana Jones films. In fact, I'm willing to say that if you replaced Tintin with Indiana Jones, this would have been the real comeback people wanted. It's got that epic feel that I feared from the trailer, but somehow it manages to carry the charm of the original books all the way too. As it turned out it didn't really spice things up at all; the exciting atmosphere came purely from the original books.
The story is evenly paced and well put together. Fitting three comic books into a runtime of 100 minutes is no easy task, but the filmmakers do it beautifully, actually mixing the stories together to create one. The voice acting is also pretty good too. Andy Serkis was awesome and seeing Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as the series' comedic double act Thomson and Thompson was a pleasant and clever idea.
The animation is amazing. The mix of motion capture and fully computerised animation is used to its full advantage. Robert Zemeckis would be proud. The shot is also never still; the camera always seems to want to move. This can be a bit irritating at times, and a few of the shots are a bit exaggerated, but there are still great moments. In particular, there's an electrifying shot during a chase scene which you can see in the trailer. It's awesome.
Overall, Tintin is a great film which manages to capture that exciting Hollywood feel of Spielberg's Indiana Jones films, while also capturing the good humour and charm of Hergé's original stories. It's definitely worth a watch.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
A fair cut above the average animated family flick,
"Sony Pictures Animation Presents A Film By... A Lot Of People"
That's all the opening credits of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs say. And for me, it forebodes that the next 90 minutes won't be bland, cheesy schmaltz that's all the rage in animated films nowadays, both CGI and non-CGI. It predicts a movie which will be fairly witty, which, despite being nothing new in animated films, is a far more refreshing approach than the company's earlier films Open Season and Monster House.
Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader), is a young mad scientist who lives in a small island, famous for its sardines and lack of any other food, which makes a bit of money off tourism. Flint is aching to invent some sort of scientific breakthrough that will save his town. He manages to create a machine that converts water into food, but once he accidentally flies the machine into the sky, it begins sucking water from the clouds and produces... well, raining cheeseburgers. From then on, Flint becomes a sensation is his town (thanks to the greedy town mayor, voiced by Bruce Campbell), but cracks begin to show when the food starts getting bigger...
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs turns out to be not only witty, but also intelligent and self-aware, and at times rather touching. There are some predictable jokes and degrading factors (like the pet monkey Steve, who has no purpose to the film other than standing around and being cute), but on the whole the jokes are very well thought out and cleverly executed, and the characters mostly come off as likable too. There are some nice choices for the voice actors (Mr. T has a refreshing turn as the over-the-top police officer and Bruce Campbell is amusing as the horrid mayor), and the characters themselves are pretty likable too.
The animation is great; the huge food really does look good enough to eat; they really do get all the textures right. It's impossible to leave the film without your mouth watering. Anyone who has just finished eating a full all-you-can-eat buffet I'd advise not to watch. Chances are you'll either vomit or force yourself to eat more... and then vomit.
The voice acting is very good too. There are some nice choices (Mr. T has a refreshing turn as the over-the-top police officer and Bruce Campbell is amusing as the horrid mayor), and each actor gives a full amount of enthusiasm and effort into the voices of their characters.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a very entertaining animated film which, in my opinion, has enough charm and clever jokes to be one of the best animated films of 2009 (probably second to Up). It's not quite up there with Pixar, but it definitely beats most DreamWorks animated films. I'm astonished it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Pleasing double bill with a good deal of wit and charm
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a rather obscure effort from the Disney catalogue, and that's a big shame, because I really do love it.
When I was around 5 or 6 I owned a VHS copy of Disney's 1990 The Prince and the Pauper film. I remember watching it quite a bit, but I always stayed behind for the extra short film put on the cassette; it was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, narrated by Bing Crosby, and I'm pretty sure I thought this bonus short was better than the main feature. It was funny, spooky, and just plain entertaining. And it was later that I found out it was in its own movie.
So what we have here is basically a cartoon double feature, with both cartoons being adaptations of classic stories. First we have The Wind in the Willows, narrated by Basil Rathbone. It's the classic story of Mr. Toad, a character who develops a mania for anything new and hot, and would give anything for the latest car model - even, perhaps, his mansion. It's a very well paced adventure with a brilliant voice choice for Toad (Eric Blore, most famous for playing the butler in the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical series), and some amusing supporting characters (I loved Cyril the Horse). On the whole it's a nicely done adaptation with a good climax and some pleasing animation.
Then we have The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the famous horror tale here narrated by Bing Crosby. While the previous cartoon was going more for charm, this one is edging more towards comedy, despite its story. It tells the tale of the mysterious disappearance of Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster who attempts to marry a beautiful and rich woman in order to get her money. He's up against the school bully Brom Bones who also wants to marry her. But everything goes dark when Ichabod takes his horse down through the woods of Sleepy Hollow at night-time...
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a macabre tale which manages to be both highly amusing and distinguishably Gothic, with Bing Crosby giving us his effortless charm, holding the story together brilliantly. Perhaps the most memorable moment is the climax, with the nightmarish Headless Horseman chasing the helpless Ichabod through the woods. The build-up of the Horseman is intensely creepy, and the reveal is no disappointment. Sleepy Hollow will give kids a good fright, but it's just about silly and light enough to prevent them from sleeping with the lights on.
Really, kids will enjoy both stories. I myself prefer Sleepy Hollow, but only because I didn't watch The Wind in the Willows as a kid. They're both fun and kid-friendly, but there's nothing there to prevent grown- ups from liking them too. Overall it's a fun double bill with some excellent animation and superb voices, with both stories entertainingly told and working well back-to-back.
Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell completely steals every scene
Although it stands on its own, without the man, as an old-fashioned festive comedy with a good heart, Will Ferrell still completely steals every scene. He completely carries Elf, giving a charming performance with one foot in the spirit of Christmas and the other in cruel reality.
He plays a human named Buddy who is accidentally brought back by Santa (Edward Asner, better known as Carl Fredrickson in the Pixar film Up) from an adoption centre one Christmas. He is then raised by Bob Newhart as a Christmas elf, from childhood until adulthood. Though naturally, being a human means Buddy can stand out from the crowd a teensy bit.
When Buddy discovers he is a human, he sets out to Manhattan to find his natural father (James Caan). Things don't go too well when Caan turns out to be a bit of an arsehole. And from then on it's a father-son story, with a love interest thrown in for good measure and the natural Christmas spirit sprinkled on like sugar through-out.
But unless you're 6 or younger, you'll probably notice that the story doesn't really matter. As stated before, it's all Will Ferrell's movie, and he welcomely never stops chewing the scenery. He's terrifically funny while also never forgetting he's in a Christmas movie. What's great is that we all can tell Ferrell is aware his character is ignorant of the cruel reality of present-day Manhattan (which sets up some very funny routines), and he does the very best he can with the material, in a truly hilarious performance.
As for the other actors, they do their job. None of them really shine, but they all give satisfactory performances, and every one of them generously lets Ferrell steal each scene he's in. The scenes without Ferrell are rather tedious at times (particularly the scenes with Caan working in his office, which are likely to make children fast-forward to Buddy 's next scene), but they keep the story moving along.
The only major complaint is the ending, which for me is far too cheesy. Apart from one amusing send-up of the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film, there are barely any jokes in the third act. It's the bit which revolves around "pure Christmas spirit", and this would have been absolutely fine with me if it wasn't such a sudden change of tone for the film. Going from funny comedy to sugary Christmas schmaltz in the space of two minutes is, for me, a bit of a letdown, but the Christmassy feeling is there so it's not a massive complaint.
Overall, Elf is a delightful seasonal comedy which has the Christmas spirit while also benefiting greatly from Ferrell's very funny performance. It may not be brilliant, but with its golden-oldies soundtrack and all-around festive feel, I hope it'll be recognised as a holiday classic in decades to come.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series: Season Zero (2010)
Loved it!
This series hasn't really began to take off yet, but I must say the first episode very much impressed me.
I hate to say this, but I honestly do think Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series is finally starting to lose its edge. What used to be a fantastically funny series with jokes worthy of Monty Python has now become merely another comedy show. Why? Mainly because the series now rely on recycled jokes from past episodes and pop culture references. And the new voice actors really don't help.
But the Pilot episode of this recent series is a fresh new start. I laughed several times from some fantastically timed gags, and even some pop culture references made me laugh they were so well done. All the characters have the same lovable personalities that they did in YGO: TAS.
I really hope this show doesn't fade away like Cr@psule Monsters did. I want LK to make more of these. But if he's going to continue making YGO: TAS episodes (at a surprisingly slow pace, mind you) then I recommend getting rid of the voice actors and stop reusing jokes. The series isn't what it used to be, but that doesn't mean it can't change its ways.
Superhero Movie (2008)
In all honesty, it's not that bad!
I had seen the trailer for the movie and friends had recommended it to me, but I didn't expect anything beyond the infrequent chuckle. It looked like an average comedy, so I began watching it with no real expectations. I just thought it would at least be entertaining.
But, to my surprise, it turned out to be both entertaining and hilarious. I laughed at least once a minute and I think it stands as a sort of modern "Airplane!".
The movie, as you may have guessed, is a spoof of superhero flicks or all kinds, mostly recent, all put into the Spider-Man template.
While the gags are sometimes painfully unfunny, they're at least well executed and hard to dislike. They all come so thick and fast you might miss them. But for the most part they are genuinely funny, always being delightfully silly and making the movie a guilty pleasure. You'll never see Stephen Hawking or Tom Cruise in the same way again.
I am so glad they decided to drop Friedberg and Seltzer with this one. Just by looking at the title, you'll probably compare it to comedies like "Epic Movie" or "Disaster Movie", and thus overlook it. But I'm begging you not to with this one.
I was honestly quite shocked at IMDb's rating of 4.4. 4.4? Seriously? If "Scary Movie" had a 6.0, this at least deserved a whole star above it.
No much else to say, except I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Give it a watch if you want to see the first good parody in a while.
Ed Wood (1994)
A well-made dive through the eccentric world of Ed Wood
It's the story of Ed Wood, an admiral director who fought for his visions. Some see Wood as the worst director of all time, while others admire him for the effort he put into his films (even if the acting and special effects weren't top-notch).
Tim Burton's film, while not perfect, is probably as good as comic biopics get. It's entertaining and interesting, even to those who have not heard of Wood. People who have seen the director's films will probably enjoy the recreations of classic scenes (including the fantastic "pull the string" segment).
All in all, it's a charming and often very funny biopic, with a suitably campy performance from Johnny Depp and an excellent performance from Martin Landau as the ageing Bela Lugosi.