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
Friday, 25 July 2008
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)
Don't know where I'd heard of this film... I think it was probably when I was browsing through Leslie Bibb's filmography while doing the Iron Man review... Anyway wherever I heard of it, I thought it sounded interesting but I put it down as a film I'd never see - didn't seem like the type that would turn up in the local video store. I was wrong, so here's the review!
Wristcutters: A Love Story is set in an afterlife for people who've committed suicide. It's a different kind of afterlife from the traditional winged one (be it above or below)... instead it is, in the words of our main character, "... basically the real world, just crappier".
Zia (Patrick Fugit, best known from Almost Famous, just in case you're wondering where you might have seen him before.) is a young man who's committed suicide because his girlfriend Desiree (Bibb), has left him... their relationship isn't particularly important though. Whatever happened before, he has ended up in this afterlife, working in a pizza parlour, living in a crappy apartment and just existing. So far, so dull - well no actually, the film is interesting so far... A chance encounter in the local supermarket leads Zia to discover that his former girlfriend took her own life a little while after he did. Given that he still has little else to "live" for he decides to take off with his interesting Russian rocker friend Eugene (played by Shea Whigham). While on the road they meet an outwardly interesting young lady called Mikal (played by Shannyn Sossamon) who's on a mission to find the "People In Charge" and explain why she shouldn't be there So far, so interesting - well no actually, this is where the film starts to fall down...
I wanted to like this film... it has lots of interesting ideas, most of which are hinted at early on. Its problems start when they get on the road... from there on in it loses steam... it seems to flounder, the director takes a while to pick the idea he wanted to centre on and in my opinion he picked the wrong one. Then again maybe my expectations were to blame, I thought I was going to see an indie film exploring, I don't know, ideas and concepts - stuff about suicide, naivety of youth, friendship, life after death - the kind of stuff you expect and indie film to cover. I expected it to be smart, funny and quirky... you know, a good indie film... and for a while it looked like it was going that way. Then all of a sudden, to my horror Goran Dukic got lazy and just decided to turn it into a love story. Now I shouldn't have been surprised - the clue was in the title... but I don't know, I just hadn't expected it to be nothing more than a love story in the end. I try so hard to not expect anything of the films I watch, it just sets you up for disappointment... but sometimes... you just can't help it.
Wristcutters: A Love Story just wasn't what I wanted it to be at all and while all the little ideas and side characters made it an enjoyable watch; overall it just didn't live up to the awards and nominations it garnered. I really should have learned after that abominable The Aryan Couple that film festival awards count for nothing and that the only ratings that are worth any consideration and IMDb ratings (after DVD releases) and rottentomatoes.com!
Quickly, to address the other stuff... the acting was commendable, the cinematography and art direction were great. Special mention as well to Will Arnett, I always find him entertaining and his appearence was a well needed laugh, even though the idea behind it did have a feel of an after thought... Overall I'm actually going to give it a decent enough rating because actually it wasn't a bad film at all. For all my complaints about it, the main thing I didn't like was the love story - I wasn't expecting it when I really have no excuse - it was in the title!!
6.5/10
Wristcutters: A Love Story is set in an afterlife for people who've committed suicide. It's a different kind of afterlife from the traditional winged one (be it above or below)... instead it is, in the words of our main character, "... basically the real world, just crappier".
Zia (Patrick Fugit, best known from Almost Famous, just in case you're wondering where you might have seen him before.) is a young man who's committed suicide because his girlfriend Desiree (Bibb), has left him... their relationship isn't particularly important though. Whatever happened before, he has ended up in this afterlife, working in a pizza parlour, living in a crappy apartment and just existing. So far, so dull - well no actually, the film is interesting so far... A chance encounter in the local supermarket leads Zia to discover that his former girlfriend took her own life a little while after he did. Given that he still has little else to "live" for he decides to take off with his interesting Russian rocker friend Eugene (played by Shea Whigham). While on the road they meet an outwardly interesting young lady called Mikal (played by Shannyn Sossamon) who's on a mission to find the "People In Charge" and explain why she shouldn't be there So far, so interesting - well no actually, this is where the film starts to fall down...
I wanted to like this film... it has lots of interesting ideas, most of which are hinted at early on. Its problems start when they get on the road... from there on in it loses steam... it seems to flounder, the director takes a while to pick the idea he wanted to centre on and in my opinion he picked the wrong one. Then again maybe my expectations were to blame, I thought I was going to see an indie film exploring, I don't know, ideas and concepts - stuff about suicide, naivety of youth, friendship, life after death - the kind of stuff you expect and indie film to cover. I expected it to be smart, funny and quirky... you know, a good indie film... and for a while it looked like it was going that way. Then all of a sudden, to my horror Goran Dukic got lazy and just decided to turn it into a love story. Now I shouldn't have been surprised - the clue was in the title... but I don't know, I just hadn't expected it to be nothing more than a love story in the end. I try so hard to not expect anything of the films I watch, it just sets you up for disappointment... but sometimes... you just can't help it.
Wristcutters: A Love Story just wasn't what I wanted it to be at all and while all the little ideas and side characters made it an enjoyable watch; overall it just didn't live up to the awards and nominations it garnered. I really should have learned after that abominable The Aryan Couple that film festival awards count for nothing and that the only ratings that are worth any consideration and IMDb ratings (after DVD releases) and rottentomatoes.com!
Quickly, to address the other stuff... the acting was commendable, the cinematography and art direction were great. Special mention as well to Will Arnett, I always find him entertaining and his appearence was a well needed laugh, even though the idea behind it did have a feel of an after thought... Overall I'm actually going to give it a decent enough rating because actually it wasn't a bad film at all. For all my complaints about it, the main thing I didn't like was the love story - I wasn't expecting it when I really have no excuse - it was in the title!!
6.5/10
Monday, 16 June 2008
Sex and the City (2008)
For the past couple of months I've been living in a double room in a friend's house with all my worldly possessions around me in boxes... This rather limited the maneuverability in said room. Anyway, finally I have moved into my very own apartment so hopefully this means that in the near future life will settle down I will be able to get back to writing more film reviews...
Tonight I'm sitting here on my own, listening to (and sometimes watching) Germany play Austria in the last Group B game of Euro 2008. What better time so, to write my review of Sex and the City!
So I'll get to it... I'm not -not- a fan on the series... when it first started up I hated it. I thought it was overly sexist and more than a bit ridiculous. As time went on however I think the series grew up as the characters did. In the end it became very easy watching - like much TV of that ilk, the characters became comfortable and you didn't need to know what happened last week to enjoy it because you know the characters so well. I liked it, but it was over and I didn't really miss it... I couldn't, it's repeated all the time on cable.
Anyway fast forward to 2008... it turns out a lot of people have been missing it. For what is effectively a film for a niche audience, it has generated an amazing amount of press. Quite apart from the "news" about the stars and their dresses, the promotional opportunities taken by various brands in Ireland and I'm sure all over the world, have been so omnipresent it's hard to know which brands are officially associated and which are just jumping on the band wagon. The film really has been a phenomenon.
But it is any good...? this is the question we always have to ask. In my eyes, yes. I enjoyed it. I went along on the first night with a crowd of about thirty girls and saw it in a packed out cinema. I spotted two guys but rumour has it there were a few more hiding somewhere. I find that hard to believe.
To be honest, it's a very safe film. They know their audience, they've written for them for years, and they haven't bother to stray from their tried and tested formula. Which is fine... I think at the one point, when things were looking a bit bad for ol' Carrie, people were quite worried that they might try to do something different. That didn't happen though, phew! Oh, have I given something away?
The only criticism I might have is that it was a bit TV. I don't think it mattered that much but they did move through things a little too quickly, there were fast cuts, short scenes - all things you need to do to tell a good story on TV but I don't think they needed to on the big screen. As a result there were some bits and bobs that they really could have left out. Most notablely Jennifer Hudson's character. I didn't mind her, but there was just no point really. Oh yeah... and I almost forgot, that scene at the end - What was that about!? I didn't need to see that! If you've seen it then you know what I'm talking about...
So in the end, after all the anticipation... what we got was some great outfits, fabulous shoes (though I myself have no interest in shoes) and some good girlie fun. If they never come back I won't miss them but if they did, I would surely watch their antics with a smile on my face again...
btw - apparently 50 is the new 40... or is that 30...
7/10
Tonight I'm sitting here on my own, listening to (and sometimes watching) Germany play Austria in the last Group B game of Euro 2008. What better time so, to write my review of Sex and the City!
So I'll get to it... I'm not -not- a fan on the series... when it first started up I hated it. I thought it was overly sexist and more than a bit ridiculous. As time went on however I think the series grew up as the characters did. In the end it became very easy watching - like much TV of that ilk, the characters became comfortable and you didn't need to know what happened last week to enjoy it because you know the characters so well. I liked it, but it was over and I didn't really miss it... I couldn't, it's repeated all the time on cable.
Anyway fast forward to 2008... it turns out a lot of people have been missing it. For what is effectively a film for a niche audience, it has generated an amazing amount of press. Quite apart from the "news" about the stars and their dresses, the promotional opportunities taken by various brands in Ireland and I'm sure all over the world, have been so omnipresent it's hard to know which brands are officially associated and which are just jumping on the band wagon. The film really has been a phenomenon.
But it is any good...? this is the question we always have to ask. In my eyes, yes. I enjoyed it. I went along on the first night with a crowd of about thirty girls and saw it in a packed out cinema. I spotted two guys but rumour has it there were a few more hiding somewhere. I find that hard to believe.
To be honest, it's a very safe film. They know their audience, they've written for them for years, and they haven't bother to stray from their tried and tested formula. Which is fine... I think at the one point, when things were looking a bit bad for ol' Carrie, people were quite worried that they might try to do something different. That didn't happen though, phew! Oh, have I given something away?
The only criticism I might have is that it was a bit TV. I don't think it mattered that much but they did move through things a little too quickly, there were fast cuts, short scenes - all things you need to do to tell a good story on TV but I don't think they needed to on the big screen. As a result there were some bits and bobs that they really could have left out. Most notablely Jennifer Hudson's character. I didn't mind her, but there was just no point really. Oh yeah... and I almost forgot, that scene at the end - What was that about!? I didn't need to see that! If you've seen it then you know what I'm talking about...
So in the end, after all the anticipation... what we got was some great outfits, fabulous shoes (though I myself have no interest in shoes) and some good girlie fun. If they never come back I won't miss them but if they did, I would surely watch their antics with a smile on my face again...
btw - apparently 50 is the new 40... or is that 30...
7/10
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
In a fit of honesty I'm going to admit it... I don't really remember much of the old Indiana Jones films. I think Indiana Jones is cool but honestly, I really don't remember what happens in any of the films and I never really watch them when they're on TV. There, I said it, I'm not really a fan. With that out of the way, on to the review...
I was looking forward to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I was quite disappointed with Iron Man and it's going to be a while till a new Transformers movie (yay!) so I was hoping Indiana Jones would do the business... It kind of does, I liked it anyway, it was a big bag of popcorn fun but it was no Transformers, no siree.
Anyway, to be honest, there isn't that much I can say about Indiana Jones I think. I'm sure you all know the story by now, an intrepid professor who globe-trots around the world stumbles into trouble and then takes off to try and solve the great mystery. Unfortunately for him he keeps bumping into people who want him dead.
Reviews on the whole have been quite mixed I think, quite a few people don't seem to like the end, not the very end... the other bit... and it's really put them off the film. Personally, I'd read a good bit about crystal skulls a few years ago from a variety of sources so I was fairly familiar with where the legend goes so sure, no bother. Also I'm ready to forgive all kinds of outlandish stuff and even inconsistencies as long as it's entertaining and Indiana Jones fits the bill there.
What did I like about it? I liked the relationship between Marion, Mutt and Indy, I thought that was done well. Shia LaBeouf was great... and I'm not just saying that because he was in Transformers. Not really sure what Indy's buddy was doing there (the guy at the start, I forget his name) but sure whatever... I don't really let surplus characters annoy me too much either. There were also a good few great action scenes, some people were saying it looked over CGI'd, personally I didn't notice that much and apparently there was less than in the usual blockbuster so I've no complaints there.
Oh, I never commented on Harrison Ford! He totally still has it. ;)
Anyway, I'm waffling again... final score - a solid 7.5/10.
I was looking forward to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I was quite disappointed with Iron Man and it's going to be a while till a new Transformers movie (yay!) so I was hoping Indiana Jones would do the business... It kind of does, I liked it anyway, it was a big bag of popcorn fun but it was no Transformers, no siree.
Anyway, to be honest, there isn't that much I can say about Indiana Jones I think. I'm sure you all know the story by now, an intrepid professor who globe-trots around the world stumbles into trouble and then takes off to try and solve the great mystery. Unfortunately for him he keeps bumping into people who want him dead.
Reviews on the whole have been quite mixed I think, quite a few people don't seem to like the end, not the very end... the other bit... and it's really put them off the film. Personally, I'd read a good bit about crystal skulls a few years ago from a variety of sources so I was fairly familiar with where the legend goes so sure, no bother. Also I'm ready to forgive all kinds of outlandish stuff and even inconsistencies as long as it's entertaining and Indiana Jones fits the bill there.
What did I like about it? I liked the relationship between Marion, Mutt and Indy, I thought that was done well. Shia LaBeouf was great... and I'm not just saying that because he was in Transformers. Not really sure what Indy's buddy was doing there (the guy at the start, I forget his name) but sure whatever... I don't really let surplus characters annoy me too much either. There were also a good few great action scenes, some people were saying it looked over CGI'd, personally I didn't notice that much and apparently there was less than in the usual blockbuster so I've no complaints there.
Oh, I never commented on Harrison Ford! He totally still has it. ;)
Anyway, I'm waffling again... final score - a solid 7.5/10.
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