Rodent's Reviews

Seems like one of those movies to watch on TV when nothing else is on. Mildly entertaining, but only until the next episode of Falling Skies starts (my favorite show that's on right now)

That's pretty much the reason I watched it myself MM.

Post pub entertainment when all that's on telly is Freeview Teleshopping.

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Not in Australia however! Most Pubs, Clubs, RSL's have Horse Racing, Greyhound, Trots and a lot of people watch the and bet, also they have replays of famous sporting games, or, last weekend sporting fixtures.

I have another request, Rodent. How about reviewing the Disney/Pixar lineup from Toy Story onward? I know the majority of them are fantastic, but I wanna hear a more objective point of view, since your reviews seem to do that very well.

Well, my next review is #115... what I can do... is a standard review for #115, then 116-120 I'll go for a Pixar Marathon.

Review #115: Trainspotting



Mark Renton is a heroin addict, so are most of his friends.
He has a loving family, but the circles he hangs around in just get him into more and more trouble.
After a particularly bad dose of heroin, Renton has small dreams of getting off the drugs and making a clean break.
Seeing an opportunity for a new start, Renton makes his plans... and hopes to God it works out... so he can Choose Life.

But his dark past and his 'friends' are bound to follow him, whether he still wants them as 'friends', or not.



One of the most famous British movies of all time and also one of the most successful, made legends out of the lead cast.
The screenplay, dialogue and plot are hard to watch at times ue to the way the filmmakers show the harsh sides of life, and the film borders on surreal from time to time too.
What Danny Boyle (Directing), Irvine Welsh (Writing) and John Hodge (Producing) have built though, is an incredibly realistic, funny, heartwarming, inspiring... yet disturbing and heartbreaking story of modern youth (well, youth of the mid 1990s).

The film is all about the characters and the story and the concequences involved in the subject matters... rather than just being all out drug taking and swearing.
Trainspotting cleverly builds up the character association to the audience using humour and real life situations and human behaviour, then gives you a big slap across the face with the realism of the events that unfold on-screen.
It can get uncomfortable to watch... but emotionally rather than just gross out.

The actors involved made their careers with the movie and are all at the top of their game.
Ewan McGregor as Renton is extremely natural in the role. His cheeky persona really shines through and the scenes involving some of the nastier subject matters are an acting triumph.
Ewen Bremner stars as 'Spud' Murphy, Renton's best friend. More of a comic relief character but Bremner's natural nerdiness almost steals the show. Especially when he's been up to no good.
Backing them up are Jonny Lee Miller as 'Sick Boy', Kelly Macdonald as Renton's 'girlfriend' called Diane and the brilliant Kevin McKidd as Tommy.

Robert Carlyle as psychopath Francis 'Franco' Begbie steals the show though. He's by far one of the most memorable characters in any movie, let alone Trainspotting. He goes from a funny Jack-The-Lad character to something incredibly unstable within a heartbeat. He makes a seriously lasting impression on the viewer.


All in all, the low budget filmmaking, cast of genuine characters and genius actors and a screenplay that rivals any big budget flick make the movie a must see, even for those who aren't fans of gritty and disturbing subject matters.
Trainspotting went down in history at time of release, a lot of it was down to controversy but, quite rightly, it has stayed in the history books for over 15 years, simply due to being a very well made movie.
My rating 98%

Got 3:10 to Yuma on DVD but never got round to watching it. I do really like the original though, one of the few westerns so far that I really like/love.

Little Shop of Horrors is such a fun film. Did you just watch it on TV a few nights back? I caught a stretch of it in the background. Just love Steve Martin's role in it.

Oh and what the hell ever happened to Rick Moranis? He was great, but I imagine I've not seen him in anything for like 15-20 years.

EDIT - Just checked and found out he actually retired from acting back in 1997. After his wife died six years previously he decided to stop acting to take care of his kids.

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Yeah I watched Little Shop on TV a few ngihts ago... made me think "That needs reviewing" lol!

Yeah Moranis retired... there were rumours he was going to do one last movie with Ghostbusters 3... but that's all speculation.

Part Of Rodent's 5 Review Pixar Marathon

Review #116 (1st of 5): A Bug's Life



A colony of Ants lives in fear of a marauding band of vicious Grasshoppers. Every season, the Ants gather food and supplies and give most of it away to the Grasshopper gang as a peace offering.
Due to the inventions of and Ant called 'Flik', this season's supplies end up washed away in an accident and Flik is seen as more of a hinderance to the colony's survival.
Hopper, the leader of the Grasshoppers, grants the colony more time to regather more supplies, but demands twice as much in the peace offering as compensation, or the colony will pay the concequences.
Flik takes it upon himself to find a group of Warrior Bugs to fight off the Grasshoppers if the plan to gather food fails.
But what he finds isn't quite what he was expecting. Can he save the day?


Disney-Pixar's second release was well over 10 years in development. In incorporates many seen-before-ideas, Seven Samurai and The Ant And The Grasshopper being the official inspirations to the movie.
When watching events unfold though, The Three Amigos comes to mind too.

What the filmmakers have created though, is a highly original world filled with many inventive ideas and touches of Toy-Story-esk 'world appropriate' humour and creations.
The movie as a whole has a pretty linear screenplay and will appeal more to kids rather than the more sophisticated moviegoer, but adults will still get a kick from the tongue-in-cheek originality of the 'never thought of that' moments of humour and scene settings.
Some of the little moments of peril will also keep adults interested and the kids excited.


The animation is also top notch. After near 15 years, it still holds up against most modern computer-generated animation.
It's colourful, bright, very original and keeps everyone watching, fixed to the screen with the viewer friendly look of the settings.


The voicecasting is also bang on the money.
Dave Foley, Denis Leary, Roddy McDowell, Holly Hunter, David Hyde Pierce and Kevin Spacey are just some of the Hollywood heavyweights that are all on top form.


All in all, for Disney-Pixar's second only movie of its kind, it's absolutely top notch, especially with the 'world appropriate' humour.
It's also a lot of fun for anyone who's simply after a nice hour or so of colourful user friendly animation.
My rating 91%

Part Of Rodent's 5 Review Pixar Marathon

Review #117 (2nd of 5): Cars



Lightning McQueen, a rookie racecar, desperate to practice for his first championship race, ends up in an accident and ruins the roadway in a middle-of-nowhere town called Radiator Springs, in the desert.
McQueen is given community service (charged with fixing the road) by the law of the town for his mischief and he rushes the job so he can practice for his next race... but because of his lack of enthusiasm for the job, he is ordered to do it again.
In the process, he learns the value of friendship as he becomes known around the town and even finds love.
When his time comes to leave the town and go for his all-important race... he quickly and carelessly throws his new friendships aside... but life lessons that he'll never forget are waiting just around the corner.


Not one of Pixar's best.
A very bland story of morality, caked in flashy animation give the audience a pretty linear and predictable turn of events.
The screenplay is at quite a loss too. It's not conventional, which should make it stand out from the crowd, but sadly, it's just as lost as the well-used plotlines.
Think of it as a cross between Doc Hollywood and The Colour Of Money and you're getting there.

The movie is definitely more for the kids, especially with the flashy CGI... there's very, very little for the older generation to get enthusiastic about.
Even Pixar's famous situational-tongue-in-cheek humour misses its mark more than once.
It just feels as if the writers had better things on their minds.

The voice acting is probably the best part of the whole film really, but it's still extremely forgettable.
Owen Wilson as our main car Lightning McQueen is ok. He delivers an apt performance for the poor script he's been given.
Hollywood Stars Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin and Michael Keaton do very little to lift the poor dialogue, though they do their best.

Paul Newman shines through though as Doc Hudson, a new found mentor to Owen's Lghtning McQueen.

As for the CGI, even with the technology of the computers being ramped up for the movie, it feels very samey and has had little effect on the finished product. It's hard to see where all the improvements were made to the tech.


All in all, close to being Pixar's biggest fail, the sequel, Cars 2, took that spot but this first movie is very close.
Enjoyable for kids and anyone who prefers flash with no bang... anyone else will be disappointed by the lack of the imagination and originality that made Pixar famous.
My rating 38%

Looking to see Ratatouille, Up, and Wall E next. No pressure lol

Aww... Wall E is on the list, but, not to spoil things... I've got two others lined up.
Ratatouille didn't even cross my mind and I haven't seen Up yet either

Part Of Rodent's 5 Review Pixar Marathon

Review #118 (3rd of 5): Monsters Inc.



James P. "Sulley" Sullivan and Michael "Mike" Wazowski are two Monsters who work together at a Power Plant that harvests childrens' screams as energy.
Using 'portal' doors that allow access to childrens' closets at night, they are able to use childrens' fear of Closet Monsters and scare them into screaming. That energy is then used to power the city of Monstropolis.
But when Sully discovers one of the Portals has been left unattended, he responsibly checks it out... unwittingly and unwillingly bringing a little girl from her own world back with him, into the Monsters' world.
Can Sully and his best pal Mike find a way to return her safely?
Or will their efforts to right the wrong bring them into a situation that they really didn't want to be in?


One of the most universally entertaining movies from Pixar this time round.
Monsters Inc is exceptionally well made.

The movie incorporates highly original storytelling and fish-out-of-water gags with an incredibly imaginative plot... then throws the whole lot into a world of pure creation and imagination. Pixar's 'world appropriate' humour is absolutely rife throughout the film too, and it doesn't miss a beat, not once.
Some of the little plot turns and role reversals between kids and monsters is also a nice little touch.

From the initial conception to getting it onto screen, took 7 years, and you can really see where the time was spent in the Creative Department.

The CG work is really exceptional this time round too. It's bright and colourful, like all of Pixar's work... but it's the fine details that make it stand out from the other Pixar movies. Especially Sully, his 'fur' is awesome.


What makes the movie really stand out are the voice cast.
Comedy geniuses John Goodman and Billy Crystal as Sully and Mike (respectively) are by far the finest voiceover tag-team ever put to animation. Their natural comedic timing is rivalled only by their understanding of dramatic and emotional voice acting. They're very good indeed.
Mary Gibbs (the daughter of one of the filmmakers) as the little girl, affectionately dubbed 'Boo' is a work of genius from the filmmakers too.
With Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Tilly, Frank Oz, John Ratzenberger, Bonnie Hunt and James Coburn adding much, much more to the extremely well written roles throughout, it lifts the movie to even greater heights.


The action scenes are also something that's top drawer. It'll get younger audiences excited and... I, as an adult, actually got quite into it too. It's wonderfully playful and very well put together.


All in all, one of the finest animated films I've seen. Highly creative and playful and will appeal to all ages from beginning to end. It's also laugh out loud funny at times, which is something not every Pixar film has.
My rating 100%

A shame you didn't like Cars.

Monsters Inc was a really good Pixar film. Not as good as the Toy Story films, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo or Wall-E. But good.

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Going 18600 miles per second.

Part Of Rodent's 5 Review Pixar Marathon

Review #119 (4th of 5): WALL-E



Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class, also known as WALL-E, is a little robot who works on a deserted planet Earth, around 700 years from present day.
Day after day, he heads into the nearby ruined city and gathers litter and garbage into neat piles.
When an extremely high tech robot appears in the city and starts conducting mysterious searches through the rubble, WALL-E falls in love...

...but his affections for this sleek new fem-bot will take him on a journey that will change the course of not just his existence, but the lives of everyone and everything he comes into contact with.


What an amazing movie.
WALL-E encapsulates everything that's magical about cinema and turns up the charm to heights I never thought possible.

The story is pretty simplistic, but Pixar have captured an extremely wonderful balance of innocence, humour, peril, cuteness and sheer joy with this movie.
Some of the wonderfully concieved 'artistic' visuals in the film had me smiling too. It's a very beautiful movie to watch.
Again, Pixar's signature situation 'world appropriate' humour is used throughout, but it's the sights and especially the sounds of the movie that make the biggest impression.

The lead characters, not just WALL-E, but all of them, actually say very little but bleeps, bloops and electronic buzzes and are animated with such a magnificent style, that you really believe in the personalities that you're witnessing on screen.

A lot of the personalities seen are also very funny at times. Anyone who has seen the film will know what I mean when I say: M-O, the Obsessive Compulsive Micro Obliterator.

Most of the movie's first act requires a touch of imagination by the viewer, which gives the film a whole new depth in audience connection.

The movie does suffer a small amount when the human characters are introduced, but not by a lot. They're still as likeable as their robotic counterparts and are nicely rendered by the computer imagery. The world created for the third act is also wonderfully playful and even has touches of satirical imagery to it too.


There's not a great deal to say about the voiceover work but Jeff Garlin as Captain B McCrea stands out.
MacInTalk as the ship's autopilot 'Auto' is, strangely, another standout role too.
Sound effects Wizard Ben Burtt is the voice of WALL-E and he's exceptionally good.


Most of the action takes place in the third act, and when it gets going, it doesn't disappoint. There were even a few moments that had me on the edge of my seat.


All in all, a magical experience to see and hear and is by far and away Pixar's best work. Not only is it heartwarming, but also heartbreaking, and...
... it's very funny in places too and will, I guarantee, melt even the hardiest of hearts.
My rating 101%

Loved this movie! Glad you liked it.

Nice reviews of Pixar films, Rodent.

A Bug's Life - very fun and bright film filled to the brim with originality.

Cars - This and Cars 2 are definitely Pixar's low points. They're all flash, no substance, and the story isn't even all that impressive. I'd only recommend this film for young children.

Monsters Inc. - My personal favorite next to The Incredibles. Very funny and one of the few movies that really made me tear up.

Wall-E - Okay, okay, maybe I find this film very charming, looking back on it now.

Once again, great job, Rodent. Can't wait to see what you chose as the 5th Pixar review. And you should view Up when you get the chance. In my opinion, Pixar's absolute best since the Toy Story trilogy.

I am not that big of a Pixar fan, but I am really happy with your Trainspotting review, I couldn't agree with you more.

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Nice Pixar reviews so far Rodent. I agree with how you've ranked them, even if I'd have rated Cars higher than you did.

Both Monsters Inc and Wall-e made my top 100 list. In fact Wall-e made it all the way to #7 and could see it rise over time. It's just a beautiful, magical movie. I really didn't think Pixar could ever top the wonderful Toy Story trilogy but I think Wall-e did it. Oh yeah and little M-O is terrific!


Although if you're taking requests I've got one - slow down a bit! I'll never catch you up at this rate. In terms of my larger, extended reviews I'm only at 65 reviews. So if you could take it down a notch to about one review a month I'll be within touching distance round about Christmas perhaps!

Cheers guys! Will get the 5th done today.
So far out of my picks I've done the most original, one of the worst, most imaginative, most beautiful, and the 5th will be... most _