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El laberinto del fauno (2006)
Interesting movie with hidden symbolism and an anti-war sentiment
Ever since I saw this movie in the 'Foreign Movies' section at the store I wanted to see it. Flipping it over, I noticed the 'R' rating for violence and decided against it. A year later I saw it for $5 and decided I was ready to see it. It is a fairy tale, but a violent one at that. Picture old, Greek Mythology mixed with more modern wartime scenes. It is a wonderful story and the characters are all very captivating in their own ways. After watching the movie, these three articles helped me better understand the ending, the violence and the characters more.
Why the excessive violence? See here:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies /news/2007-01-02-pans-labyrinth-side_x.htm
Other facts and trivia:
http://seriousfilm.blogspot.com/2013/11/20 -pans-labyrinth-details-you-may-have.html
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies /news/2007-01-02-pans-labyrinth-main_x.htm
Song of the Sea (2014)
Wonderful movie and appealing to all ages
This film is a perfectly woven story that kids and adults alike can appreciate. The backgrounds are painted beautifully. The sound effects are done very well. The voices perfectly fit their characters. The only real complaint I have is that I'm not too fond of the character design and the animation style at times. I had hoped that the characters weren't as flat looking as depicted on the cover. Overall, a movie well worth a watch and proof that quality animated family films are not limited to Disney and Studio Ghibli. The story is captivating. The Irish culture shines through the likable and relatable characters. The film opens your mind to another culture.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
Best Modern Scooby Doo Film.
This is my absolute favorite Scooby Doo film released after the early 90s gap of no Scooby movies. To start off, the animation is well above par. There are beautiful hand-drawn scenes without the loads of computer editing and digital auto-correct painting we see in many shows today. A lot of time and money was put into the visuals. The characters really get into their personalities, both the voice acting and the animation, but the animation even more so. Classic animation principles such as "exaggeration" and "squash and stretch" are utilized to great effect in this film.
The voice acting is done very well, with a special appearance from Cam Clarke, who many cartoon addicts will also know as the classic voice of Leonardo from the old Ninja Turtles series. One major and unfortunate disappointment is that Shaggy eats meat in this film and so Casey Casem (Shaggy's original and familiar voice actor) wouldn't do the voice acting for Shaggy in this film. Really though, how could he not eat meat in the South? It adds to its historical and geographical accuracy for me and what was needed to be done was done. Young viewers who haven't been to the South will learn a thing or two about southern food, that's for sure. Anyway...
The soundtrack is one worth noting. I adore Steve Bramson's work, as well as the other various rock bands who play some 90s alternative rock for the film. I actually got around to emailing the composer and he mailed me back, saying: "My score to Scooby Doo on Zombie Island is also one of my favorites. Thanks for your interest in my work. As to background-that could be a long answer! l'll just say that I've been around music my whole life and absorbed from everything I've heard over these many years. As far as the theme goes, and I assume you mean the lyrical one (there's also a couple of other darker ones), I attribute that lyricism to my early years playing a lot of jazz and in so doing learning all of the classic songs, all of which had such great melodies. More specifically, I think I derive a lot of inspiration from the project itself: watching the video, getting into the story and mood. Somehow this translates to a musical idea and I'm off to the races! Certainly for Scooby Doo, I was drawing on the clichés of old horror movies and tried to have fun with that." Bramson composed music for the old intense TV show JAG and won the "Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction And Composition". Pretty big name for a cartoon, needless to say.
Lastly, the plot is interesting and engaging but not historical at all. There were no colonies like the one depicted in the South around the 1800s and the idea of the fictional deity referred to in the film seems to be stolen from an episode of the classic show, season three, "Make A Beeline Away From That Feline". Apart from not being historical though, there are many interesting twists and turns that keep the viewer engaged. It's simple enough for a child to follow but potentially intriguing to a wider audience as well. Humorous antics between Shaggy and Scooby add a nice contrast to the slightly dark theme at hand. There is more violence in this film than probably any other Scooby Doo cartoon combined, so something to keep in mind if you have very young children. It would have easily received a PG rating and some have even suggested PG-13. Y7 seems like the most appropriate rating to give it though.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful and as you can probably see, I love this movie to death, even now that I'm in college. Some films pass the test of time and for me, this one has.
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
What an Adventure!
This was the first Miyazaki film I ever saw. I'll never forget the day my father brought it home from Blockbuster and was like "Hey, I found this really high-rated animated film all the way from Japan"! The first time I watched it, I got sick to my stomach however, and there was a flu bug going around our house so it didn't sit well with me at first. The more times I watched it over the years however, the more it began to grow on me. It opened my eyes to another culture I'd never seen. The myths, the higher violence threshold Japanese people must have (this movie was written for young girls!) and the values were all very different to me. Miyazaki himself said that this film wasn't about growth as much as it is about finding what is already inherently in you. There are many symbols, some obvious ones about nature's importance, but also some more discrete ones about friendship and understanding others. This movie is very complex and something you could contemplate on and relive in your memory. I haven't even gotten to the voice actors and soundtrack, but needless to say, they're done very well! On the English dub, just to name a few, the main character is voiced by the same voice actor who voices Lilo (from Disney's Lilo and Stitch) and another character is voiced by the same actor who voices Mai (from Yu-Gi-Oh). Deep, emotional piano sweeps like ocean waves throughout the film, highlighting some of the characters' most deepest emotions. Miyazaki has created a very real dimension here. You're missing out if you never plan on watching it.
Titan A.E. (2000)
Very interesting film.
This film was co-produced by the same guy who did "The Land Before Time" and you'll actually see familiar elements between the two. Picture, if you will, Disney's "Treasure Planet" mixed with the violence of a mild Naruto episode and you pretty much have the movie. It was worth a watch for sure. There is some really great animation in some parts and you sometimes feel like you're right in the cockpit of one of the spaceships. The soundtrack felt very forced at times, lyrics not really fitting what was going on in the scene and some fitting too well, like the song has only been written for the particular scene. There were many lame jokes, but also a couple funny ones. There seems to not have been a target audience, which was the biggest downfall of the film and which is why I think it did poorly at the box office. Rated PG, though with all the blood splatter and general dark feeling of the film, I'd rate it PG-13. This was a very interesting movie and certainly different in style from many of the animated films of its time. Overall, 7/10.
Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969)
Grew up watching this show as a kid.
I still watch it from time to time. If you're only going to buy one DVD, the one pictured for this (Original Mysteries) is the one to get. This is a cartoon that has stood the test of time. Values such as perseverance, friendship, honesty, and problem-solving are introduced to young viewers. Also, for a cartoon the voice actors do a very good job with their lines. This probably could have been an audio-only radio show. The animation is very simplistic, but adds to the overall effect and allowed Hanna Barbera to release so many episodes on time. The soundtrack is done moderately well and adds to the mood, though never gets in the way of the characters or plot. You'll find that you'll hear the same clips of music repeated throughout the series and even some of the music creeps all the way into season three. Overall, great show and worth a watch for sure.