Archive for May, 2009
Finding Nemo
Probably one of the most celebrated films in Pixar’s history, Finding Nemo was Andrew Stanton’s first directing job for Pixar. He had been a director on other Pixar films but not the Main director, so this was his first. Finding Nemo is the story of letting your child be free to do as he pleases and not having to worry no longer. It’s about the step’s needed to take to finally be able to let go. The film is set far from the United States for once. It’s actually set in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Marlin, a clown fish who is not all that funny (that’s the gag), is having a hard time letting his son Nemo be alone to discover the world on his own, But once Nemo is captured by divers, it is up to Marlin to save the day. Along the way he himself has an adventure, meets new creatures and befriends Regal Blue Tang named Dory. Dory has short term memory loss. With beautiful tectures, amazing characters, and an incredible story, Finding Nemo is an achievement in animation. Director Andrew Stanton won an Academy Award for this film and would eventually win another for another Pixar film involving Space, robots and the future.
Finding Nemo is as various as our ocean floor, beautiful but scary, fun but tragic. Another Beautiful Pixar Film.
One of my favorite scenes: Marlin following Dory towards the boat which took Nemo
Monster’s Inc.
John Lassetter decided he better step down and let the youngster’s have fun in the director’s chair. The first person who dared to take on directing duties would be Pete Doctor, animation supervisor on Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. His film would be centered on the work of an everyday…monster. Monster’s Inc. is about what Monster’s do after they go back into the closet. A remarkable idea of a film premise as a Little girl happens to walk into the closet and into the Monster world after being scared.
Billy Crystal and John Goodman play the roles of Mike Wazowski and James Sullivan, A giant blue monster and his one eyed green coach. They attempt in helping the little girl find her way back home with troubles on the way. This is my sister’s favorite pixar film and it really throws emotional punches in the audiences way. John Lasseter always said: “With every laugh there should be a tear” and this film really proves that! Exceptionatly amazing film with amazing characters and premise! The land of Monster’s doesn’t seem that scary now does it.
One of my Favorite Scenes: While trying to get to Boo (the little girl) door to get her home, they are persued by Randall, a jealous Chameleon monster.
Toy Story 2
The sequel to the 1995 film was actually not suppose to be! Disney actually decided to make the film behind Pixar’s back. As John Lassetter was on a press tour for A Bug’s Life, he got a call from one of the Producer’s telling him that Disney had royally screwed up the storyline to the sequel and that it would eventually bomb. Lassetter rushed back to the studio and decided to take over the film, after not having a break for 3 years (directing both Toy Story 1 and A Bug’s Life.) Pixar re-worked the story, and re-animated the ENTIRE film from scratch in litterally 9 months. What they came out with is positively one of the greatest sequels to ever come from cinema.
Toy Story 2 is the story of Woody, the cowboy doll from the first film, becoming worn down after an attempted rescue mission in a Yard Sale. How does a toy last once an injury ensues…the film actually deals with the value of a toy, wether it be memorabilia to a bigger picture, or the childhood memories we hold dear. One of the most beautiful moments in the film is the story behind Jesse, a cowgirl doll, who remembers previous owner and all the fun they had. This scenes is My favorite scene, it is in my top 5 Pixars moments of all time. Sarah McLachlan’s song “When She Loved Me” is a corner stone of Pixar’s emotional output. It hits the heart and makes you wanna cry. A Little Trivia: When Tom Hanks and Tim Allen first saw the scene in theatres, they began crying there eyes out. This scene is quite emotional.
The film is adventurous, funny and all around amazing. One of Pixar’s Finest films to date, but a lot of there films are, aren’t they!
One of My Favorite Scenes: Jesse’s Previous Owner
A Bug’s Life
After the success of Toy Story, Pixar decided to attempt something a little different, they wanted audiences to experience the feeling of being very very small. To see throught the eyes of a Bug. A Bug’s Life is the story of Flik, an inventor ant who tryes to prove his worth to his colony. The ants attempt to harvest food for their “protectors” The Grasshoppers, but once the food is all gone, the Grasshoppers become unhappy. It is up to Flik to save the day. I know that’s not a total accurate synopsis for the plot but I don’t have a lot of time to talk on the subject.
This film is one of the more comedic films in Pixar’s line-up of films. The supporting cast are the ones who shine in this film, especially Heimlich the Caterpillar voiced by Joe Ranft. The film came out the same year that Woody Allen’s Antz came to theatres. Which film is superior? Antz was all talk, Bug’s Life was an adventure through the eyes of a bug. Pixar will always have the upper hand on the competition for sure.
One of my favorite scenes: One of the big action scenes in the film, The circus bugs decide to leave once they figure out Flik’s plan to disguise them as Warrior Bugs. During the escape, a bird attempts at devouring our heroes. Really cool scene!
Toy Story
Pixar’s first feature film is renowned as a technical standpoint in film history. The story of a cowboy dolls longing for attention when a space toy infiltrates his spot on top of the bed of his owner, Andy. The film still looks good to this day, which actually says a lot, seeing it’s been nearly 15 years since Toy Story hit theaters. Looking past the technology behind it, Toy Story is a very deep look into our childhood possessions…toys. What happens when children close the doors to their rooms.
I remember the first time I watched Toy Story, I begged my father to see it, and finally he brought my sister and I to the theaters to see it. Now being young, it wasn’t the pretty pictures that fascinated me…it was the story, and the characters. Pixar is probably one of the only animation companies that would rather delve into the story and characterization then let’s say Dreamworks.
The Themes the film portrays are completely adult that it affects the child in you. The feeling of loss, being replaced, rejection and ultimately renewal of the spirit within become a strategy for Pixar as they delve into the thoughts of their characters, ultimately making them seem more real….even thought they are toys.
One of my Favorite scenes: Buzz Lightyear watches a television commercial and realizes he isn’t really a space ranger at all, but discovers he is actually a toy. Randy Newman’s music really hits the emotional impact we’d expect. Moments like theses makes me love Pixar even more…
Pixar
Posted by Joel in Uncategorized on May 16th, 2009
With the tenth release in the Pixar cannon coming up, I wanted to look back on the films that led up to the Tenth Pixar film UP. Theses won’t be reviews, just a look back. The first post will be a look back on the Toy Story films.
Can You Say Future Oscar Nominees!
NINE
THE ROAD
May 12th, 2009
Posted by Joel in DVD and Blu-Ray on May 12th, 2009
It’s Tuesday, which means it’s NEW DVD DAY.
- New Releases
- High Hopes
- Of Time and the City
- Passengers
- Personal Effects
- S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale
- Taken
- Taking Chance
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
- TV Box Set
- Curious George Goes Green
- Kingdom: Complete Series
- Lovejoy: Season Five
- Murder Princess: Complete Series
- Penn & Teller Bullshit: Season Six
- Pie in the Sky: Season One
- Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy
- The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation
- The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
- The Dana Carvey Show: Complete Series
- The Jeff Foxworthy Show: Season Two
- Two and a Half Men: Season Five
- Special Editions/Other Releases
- 3 Mo’ Divas
- A Village Affair
- Alexander Korda’s Private Lives
- Au Contraire
- B.T.K.
- Disney Animation Collection: The Reluctant Dragon
- Disney Animation Collection: Tortoise & Hare
- Disney Animation Collection: Wind in the Willows
- Doc
- El Cartel
- French and Saunders Live
- Galaxy Quest: Deluxe Edition
- Gothkill: Satanic Special Edition
- In Tranzit
- Lying
- More than Anything in the World
- My Fair Son
- Northwest Frontier
- O Jerusalem
- Plague Town
- Pride of Africa
- Star Trek Motion Picture Trilogy
- The Anatomist
- The Boxer
- The Grudge 3
- The King and Four Queens
- The Zone (La Zona)
- There’s a Stranger in My House
- Time Limit
- Train Master
- Underworld Trilogy
- Wise Blood
DragonBall Evolution
Posted by Joel in Movie Review on May 12th, 2009
“Yamcha: Ow, my balls!”
Based on the Japanese Manga series, Dragonball became one of the most successful Anime’s in the United States and the world. If someone were to say the name Goku or Bulma, you’d definently automatically think “Dragonball”. I mean the stories alone were intense, taking as long as 6 episodes for a subplot to come to fruition. I grew up knowing the Anime, and enjoying every second I watch. Sure, I wasn’t an avid fan of the show, but my best friend at the time was and we would watch it constantly. Now the rule with Hollywood is, if it’s successful: Adapt it into another medium…which they have in the past, creating Dragonball video games, anime movies, and even a card game. In 2003, 20th Century Fox got the film rights to create a Live Action Dragonball movie, so basically everyone was excited. The Possibilities are boundless…or so I thought.
Unlike the Star Trek review, this may have spoilers.
THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION
-The Comic Relief: The personal traits of some of the characters were there, which I was happy to see. When going into the movie I thought they were gonna try and create a Dark, Scary atmosphere where people talk fragmently and Humanesque gods roam the earth. Thank god they didn’t, the light hearted humour which grounded the Anime is present in the film. Master Roshi is a bumbling fool with a kind heart, and Bulma is still the hot head.
-Bulma and Chi Chi are probably the best actors in this, and that’s saying a lot when a singer/actress and a model are better then Chow Yun Fat. I applaude both Emmy Rossum and Jamie Chung for actually taking part in this malicious piece of film you call entertainment, because without them, this movie would be the worst thing I had ever seen in my existance. They are exceptionatly beautiful as well, I mean LOOK:
Jamie Chung
Emmy Rossum
Isn’t Eye Candy just…amazing but onto our main event….
WHAT IS WRONG WITH DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION
What is right with this movie…Basically I don’t even need to categories any of these, but I will…for you, my loyal readers.
-The Acting and the Script: Everyone’s acting is terrible (besides Bulma and Chi Chi). Justin Chatwin was decent for Goku, but there are THREE actors who decided it was there duty to drag the Dragonball name into the ground with a dirty shovel…That’s right…DRAG, not bury. Theses actors believe in suffering, people! Chow Yun Fat as Roshi, James Marsters as Piccolo and Joon Park as Yamcha. Where do I begin… First Chow Yun Fat is too young to play Roshi, Roshi is an old man, hell the old guy in the trailers could of been god damn Roshi, but no, they decided “If were gonna make this a true movie, we need a action star!” His acting in this movie is so god damn pitiful, it’s as if they threw him some lines and he’s improvising. When we first see Roshi, he acts and talks like Roshi, for sure…BUT as the film gets serious, he’s no longer Roshi…he’s fucking Morpheus, he talks and acts monotone. He even Khameamea’s into Goku chest to revive him…he Khameamea’s into his chest….to revive him…i’m sorry wouldn’t that destroy all his organs, It a power burst, it’ll destroy you’re entire fucking existence.
Next stupid Actor: James Marsters as Lord Piccolo. He is the stupidest villain ever put to screen…ever, and that’s saying a lot. Piccolo doesn’t do anything interesting at all in this movie. He stands there and looks stupid. So the plot is, he is searching for the Dragonballs so that he can resurrect his partner Ozaru (A big giant gorilla man.) So instead of doing the Dirty work himself, he sends someone else to do it…why?..Why would Piccolo even need someone else to do his work, He’s a Namekian…he has the power of flight, he can regenerate (which never happens in this movie) and he also has super human abilities, so why would he send a god damn Human woman (not being sexist) to do his bidding. Plus he looks like ass…he truly looks like the biggest douchebag I have ever seen. If there was a word to describe his appearance, it would have to be….a pickle.
As much as I would love to dig into Yamcha, I don’t want to, I will say things I know I will regret later in the day…but I will say this…If that actor isn’t the stupidest, gorilla lipped, griaffe’d necked, lazy ass person in existance, then I don’t know who is. My god, he can’t even read his lines right. And Secondly, they made Yamcha look like a tool, a punk, a no good piece of shit. Yamcha isn’t suppose to be like that. Fucking writers…
Onto the Script…it’s horrible, it’s terrible, it’s Fantastically Boring. Every line is cliche, every action is pointless. Here are some points to refer to, to show that the writer’s didn’t even watch the anime or read the manga:
-GOKU USES HIS GOD DAMN KEE TO OPEN A LOCKER.
-OZARU IS AS TALL…AS SHAQ
-GOKU IS…IN HIGH SCHOOL?
-SHEN LONG….looks like a tampon….and is white and glimoury
You see, the point is..none of this makes any sense. The biggest complaint I have is Shen Long and Ozaru. Shen Long is a giant green dragon who could litterally take over the entire sky. He could speak, and grant wishes. The Shen Long in this movie is probably just a re-hashing of Falkor from the Neverending story. I’m sure if you listen very very closly during the movie, you can probly hear Bastien screaming “YEAHHHHHH!!!!”
Now onto Ozaru. It takes 3/4 of the movie for Goku to find out he’s Ozaru. That’s not the problem, the problem is once he finds out, it’s too late, he’s changing into him at the same moment he finds out. How god damn stupid is that. We don’t even get a chance of shock. This is how the scene plays out!
“Goku: I WILL NEVER LET YOU RESURRECT OZARU
Piccolo: Silly Human, You Are Ozaru!
(at the exact same moment he says that, Goku turns into Hairy Shaq, and starts attacking Bulma and Yamcha)”
We don’t get any breathing room, or even any hint beforehand, it was the stupidest cut i’ve ever seen. Oh and btw, Ozaru, is suppose to be as tall as a skyscraper…as big as Godzilla. Seems to me, if NBA officials saw the Ozaru from the movie, they’d probably sign him up for a Pepsi Deal and a 3 year contract to the KNICKS.
Special Effects: The special effects are worst then the movie Spawn. The movie Spawn was released in 1997. This movie was released in 2009. Spawn’s graphics were terrible in 1997, and are even worst today. DragonBall’s graphics are worst then the worse. The category I would put theses Visual Effects in…Straight to Home Video quality. Also, who decided that once Goku finally does his Khameamea, that he should fly towards Piccolo while doing it…it was probably the biggest Mind Fuck in any movie. Nothing engages him to fly diagonally into the air, while doing his energy burst. So what persuaded the writer’s and director’s to think that was cool?
-Editing…boring…truly and utterly boring. There was not one moment in this movie I thought…Cool. It’s either been done before or has been done better. Dragonball used every stupid trick in the book.
-Writing…I hate the writer’s to this movie. I really Really REALLY do. The only other movie i’ve seen that Ben Ramsey had written was The Big Hit, with Mark Whalberg. Decent action flick, but no substance. Now imagine this as being worst then that, with stupid dialogue, and even stupider action sequences..stupid sequences that last about as long as it takes a quarter to go from you’re pocket and into a gumball machine. Litterally seconds….
-Action: For DragonBall, this is disapointing, not only do they not smash people into mountains, but all the amazing action and intensity that made DB what is was is lost in a plot that’s not even there…I miss people smashing into rocks..I really do
OVERALL: Outside two things, this film is holed, doesn’t live up to the reputation of the original franchise and is a poor excuse in making a couple of bucks. I felt a hole inside my body where the show use to be. The have officially killed DragonBall for me.
A couple of weeks later I found a video that made me smile, a video that made me think of the good times, where Sayains would fly into mountains, nearly destroying all physical limitations. A little video production company called Team Four Star. They create funny parodies on DBZ on youtube, redubbing voices and using classic tv episodes.So if you need your DB fix, watch theses videos, and save yourself the money and hassle and wait for Star Trek or Terminator Salvation to get you’re Nostalgic Kick. I’m gonna Khameamea my ass out of here! Joel D. Signing off!
Rating: 0.5 OUT OF 5
Team Four Star DBZ Abridged Series is probably one of the funniest series on Youtube…Enjoy!