Fantastic Mr. Fox

This is one of those situations where I can't really review this film as an average person. Fantastic Mr. Fox is Wes Anderson's new film. I love Wes Anderson's films. I can't help it, there's something about his films that just work for me. So I can only really review the film as a Wes Anderson fan, but I'll try my best to think of how other people might see it... I can't promise anything though!

To start. Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on a Roald Dahl novel, he of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches fame. Well, he's more than that really he's a true cult novelist and he really is one of those people whose stories have touched millions (he sold over 100 million books) and when he died in 1990 the world really lost a unique talent. That said, I don't think I've read Fantastic Mr. Fox. I'm not sure because some parts of it did seems familiar, but I really don't remember... Actually I haven't read that many of his books at all but I appreciate the ones I have read and in particular the impact he's had on our culture.

But this isn't Roald Dahl appreciation hour... back to the film. Wes Anderson's style is all over this, of course he wrote the screenplay (with Noah Baumbach, his collaborator on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) so it was always going to be in his voice, as it were. But they aren't his characters or his story so it's a bit different from his other films. It isn't as quietly sad as some of them, but it is touching nonetheless. There are the charming, quirky characters that you'd expect and there are the beautiful set scenes that you could frame and put on your wall. Actually I wondering if I could get one framed... hmm... will have to look into that.

When I think about it, Wes Anderson was probably a great choice to direct this film. I had been sceptical as I wasn't sure what he was going to do with a children's story. Watching it, I remembered that Roald Dahl wasn't really a children's novelist in the traditional sense of the phrase. He didn't write stories about sweetness and light, he wrote stories to scare, disguist but also delight children. They were funny but they were dark, just like Wes Anderson's films...

So if you like Wes Anderson then you should definitely go to the film. If you don't know his films but you like Roald Dahl then you should definitely go to, I think it's a worthwhile adaptation.

If you're not familiar with either then I can't be sure... it's an interesting story and it's beautifully told but it's not entirely a kids film. The palette is somewhat muted so I don't know if it will necessarily be that engaging for younger children. It would probably be better for kids who would read Roald Dahl novels in the first place - so more for 9-14 year olds.

It'll be interesting to hear what adults think of the film... rottentomatoes.com reviews have all been positive so far, however there have only been 5 of them so hard to draw conclusions there. One thing they have been saying is that it's nostalgic and elegent. I find all Wes Anderson films like that but I suppose it's worth mention if you're not familiar with him.

Another thing worth mentioning is that it's filmed in stop-motion animation. I'm very accepting I guess, I don't mind if a film is full disney style animation, photorealistic animation, cel-shaded animation, live action, stop motion, combination... whatever, I just like films and the stories they tell. I have seen some comments though, from people who don't like the animation in Fantastic Mr. Fox. I think that's a bit sad in the sense that someone would dislike a film just because of that... but then again each to their own. I don't like watching dubbed films, so I guess that's a hang up I have. Fortunately I can just watch the subtitles... Personally though, I thought the animation looked great, the detail was incredible, that's another thing you get with a Wes Anderson film ;-)

Anyway, I really liked it and I hope you will too. I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who's not familiar with Wes Anderson or Roald Dahl. Let me know what you think of it.

8/10

Monsters vs. Aliens 3D (2009)

I'm all about 3D... now, I can't actually see it properly... or at least I haven't sat in good seats for it in a while... but I really appreciate film-makers creating this new genre. I was off at the side of the theatre for this one so the 3D didn't look that amazing but judging by the "Wow"'s and the "Whoa"'s from the kids in the middle, it looked fantastic there.

But is Monsters vs. Aliens a good film?

Yeah. I enjoyed it.

Then again, I enjoy all films. I can say this though, while I enjoyed it at the time, it didn't stay with me at all. Two days later and I'm having trouble remember what the characters were like at all. That might have to do with the fact that I have a bit of a headache at the moment, but I doubt it. It has more to do with the fact that the characters weren't particularly well defined. It didn't bother me that much though, it's a kid's film so it was only about 94 mins long. Which is probably a bit long for a kid's film to be honest.

If I were to criticise it I would say that it was a bit glossy. Not that you want gritty in a kid's film. I guess I mean it was a bit teflon coated, it slides in through the eyes, slips through the brain and out the.... mouth I guess?... when you tell people about it later. OF kind of like B.O.B. and his ball - you'll get it if you watch.

Anyway what's good about it? Seth Rogen's character B.O.B. is very funny. It's a funny film, in a light way. Also I really appreciated the Dr. Strangelove references. I hope war rooms really do look like that.

All in all there isn't that much to say about the film. It's grand ol' romp with a few odd looking creatures and a giant woman and if you have to go see a kid's film you could see worse. I wouldn't particularly recommend it if you don't have to see a kid's film though. I'm sure there are better films out there - Watchmen, Gran Torino and Marley & Me, to name three. I'm still gonna give a decent rating though for what it is, it was better than Bolt 3D anyway.

6.5/10

I know I gave it 7/10 on twitter but that was when I was walking out of the theatre, I'm downgrading it a little now on reflection.

WALL·E (2008)

I would class myself as a fan of Pixar however to be honest that's all because of Toy Story and Toy Story 2. I love those films... so since 1999 I've been waiting for Pixar to make a film as good as those two. It's 2008 now and while I wouldn't say I've been disappointed by their other films... I just don't think they've been as good as they could have been. The Incredibles was a good film and all but it just wasn't... magical to me.

Anyway, WALL·E is the latest effort from Pixar and since it had a very cute looking robot I had high hopes. In fact I even got up on a Saturday morning to go see it. The good news is that I loved it, actually there is no real bad news... It's a great film and stars an incredibly cute robot. It looks amazing and even though there's very little dialogue and the main characters are robots, it's touching and warm and in a strange way, believable.

Unfortunately I just couldn't feel like I could give it a 10. There are 18 films I've awarded a 10 to on my IMDb vote history and, even though I thought WALL·E was brilliant, it just didn't make the grade. If you didn't click on the link above then just to give you an idea of its direct competitors - Toy Story, Toy Story 2, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Dark Crystal and I'd have to say, top of the pile - Hotoru No Haka (Grave of the Fireflies) a 1988 film from Studio Ghibli.

I'm giving it a 9/10, it wasn't perfect and I'll tell you why! I'll have to admit, part of it was because of the message behind the film. Believe me, I think it's an important message and actually I think they dealt with it really well - it was subtle and it wasn't what the film was about in any way. My problem was that it made me feel guilty, it was ever-present and I just felt like it was too much, especially at the end. The other reason was because I did think there were elements they could have done more with, for example the other robots or the people, I just thought it could have been funnier, just a touch more comic relief would have been welcome.

On the whole though, it was wonderful, it did have that bit of Pixar magic they had back in Toy Story. It just wasn't perfect though, when I walked out of the theatre it didn't stay with me all day and by the time Monday came round I hadn't thought of it at all. To me to be a 10 it has to have that resonance to it... WALL·E and EVE and their compatriots were so sweet at the time but will I remember them in 10 years time? Maybe not...

9/10