Django Unchained is an oddity taking place right before the civil war, the main character put alongside his more verbose, pragmatic counterpart, which comes with a strange parallel to german folklore. Quirky characters armed with lethal weaponry, atypical storytelling…throw in some intense blood effects and you’ve got Tarantino-Themed BINGO. Jamie Foxx & Company manage well in the acting department, and the wardrobe/locales are damned good. My main complaint is a narrative twist late in the movie that comes off as out-of-character for the sake of starting a larger conflict. Some of the increasing silliness seems to boost at the last 20 minutes, which may or may not include a strange cameo. I guess Stan Lee syndrome had to kick in eventually?
Despite that, I enjoyed the ride well enough.It’s time for the 2-Part Klassic Krap-Movie Kombo. Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Lorax reboot, or how to ruin the source material while confusing/pandering to the audience. I really do have to wonder, of all the directors to pick for a sweeping epic with realistic characters, why on (after) earth would Nickelodeon choose M. Night Shamawhatever? He’s always been known for Off-Kilter films with awkward dialogue, the entire tone would be soiled. And that’s essentially what happened.
I actually laughed(and was horrified afterwords) by how some of that early dialogue played out. To say how he handled events from The Storm was grating would be a vast, vast, *colossal* understatement. The characters you knew and love are all but barely resembling their original traits, and not for the better. Almost every character’s been made to be overly serious, and Zuko often heads into overacting mode. As this *is* an entire 6-hour season crammed into less than 2, most of what makes televised seasons advantageous for storytelling(building up characters over longer periods of time) is nearly non-existent. In the hands of M. Night, this may be considered an act of mercy. The strengths of the film tend to be the visual effects/wardrobe/action sequences - that portion they seemed to get right on the nose. Water/Ice effects look great, and the fighting is usually on par. While not the worst movie in the world, it’s seriously plagued by inconsistencies and poor writing; even Non-AtlA fans are going to have a hard time enjoying whatever the devil this is, and are *way* better off trying the original.
On the flip side, The Lorax is a perplexingly missed opportunity that spends more time with awkward humor and unnecessary musical numbers, playing right into the CGI-Family-Film stereotype of replacing story & substance with lowbrow humor, holding a level of profundity equivalent to a common houseplant. Which Unfortunately, it falls into a trap I’ve seen recently where instead of exploring the Dystopian themes it’s based upon, the creators choose to sideline the think-piece into a more conventional adventure, masquerading as something more than that.
It’s truly a pity because I thought the concept for the reboot could’ve been interesting. Focusing more on a commercialism-focused environmentally-wounded future had promise, as the original spotlighted the Once-ler’s Story in a gentler time. Unfortunately the villain is nothing more than an obstruction, and the only other points of interest are Taylor Swift as a tween cartoon and the all-knowing Betty White. The Lorax is easily the weakest of the Seuss CGI Reboots, and should only be viewed wearing a Level 5 Radiation Suit and after a few shots of Johnnie Walker. The original is still on YouTube here; don’t bother spending bucks on something if you can see a superior version of without buying the malformed 3-legged cow.
Amadeus is Short & Sweet. It’s a neat little what if that explores the life of the musician and his abnormal escapades. The movie starts with some intrigue that helps add a bit of tension to what would otherwise be the life of times of the poor and soon-to-be-famous. Strange movie, but neat.
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Song of the Sea is pretty damn good.
Created by Irish Developer Cartoon Saloon, the film really does hit all the right notes. Visually, they use storybook environments combined with 2D Animation. As The Director pointed out, they were *highly* influenced by Studio Ghibli and few older Japanese animations; a lot of the unique character designs and lush surroundings make that readily apparent for audiences. The story itself is influenced highly by celtic folklore with some liberal interpretations. The movie starts out with a mystery, but quickly hurdles to modern day and leads two children down a mythical road. It’s a smart, subtle, emotional movie that’s got made my day. Never seen their previous work The Secret of Kells, but I’m pretty curious about it now.
Cabaret was a neat treat. Set during the Nazi regime, the movie focuses on the hedonistic landscape of the Cabaret, starring Sally Bowles(played by Liza Minelli). She was quite a hot number back in the day. Passionate, impulsive, and young at heart, Sally is virtually everything that the other main character is not, and the film spends quite a bit of time playing off the strange relationship as it ebbs and flows. The cabaret shows often play off of what’s going on in the movie, whether related to them or no. It’s a neat ride.
Paranorman is a Stop-Motion film from the same people who created Coraline. The vibe of the film isn’t far from Gravity Falls - A misunderstood young’un who breathed in and swallowed Haley Joel Osmond, his newfound ability making him increasingly reclusive. Character Writing/Design will feel familiar to those who’ve played Psychonauts. Exaggerated body/face types, quirkiness abounds, though there are exceptions Courtney is more like a satire of the Clique Girly Girl, at least for a good portion of it. To be frank, most of the hard-hitting storyline doesn’t pick up until about 2/3 in, though the payoff is quite something special - the rest revolves around build-up/exposition & a wacky adventure. Visually, LAIKA productions managed some serious improvements compared to coraline; Facial detail is much higher, collaboration of different animation styles are more prevalent, it’s a crazy labor of love and a great movie.
Puss In Boots was neat. Side Story from the shrek universe that turned out better than I expected. Combine feline vigilante with the Beanstalk Myth, Cat Jokes, and quite a few origin stories. Has Banderas and Salma Hayek playing off each other, which is a natural fit. While the only modern Dreamworks movie I can fully recommend is still Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss & Boots does surprisingly well for itself, and to be forthright I enjoyed it more than the Shrek films besides the first.
Her is something I’m sure BioWare fans will be all over: A Focus on relationships, a teensy bit of sci-fi, and a lot of heart. Ultimately, Her is about Strange Love. It explores the potential of not-too-far-off technology, tapping into the life of the main character and his paramour, hitting a series of social and philosophical dilemmas along the way. It’s a think piece, genuine & sincere, and surprisingly moving; I can put in a full reccomendation for Her.
At the very least, you can listen to Scarlet Johannsen perform Cybersex. That’s gotta count for something.
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