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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Presto (Doug Sweetland, 2008)




This five-minute short which plays before WALL·E is just about perfect. That's all I'll say, except that I'm probably underrating it.

WALL·E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)




Since there have been so many WALL·E reviews around the site, I'm not sure that there are reasons for me to recount the plot, so I'll be brief. I'm pretty sure that most people realize that it takes place in the year 2815 and begins on Earth where the only things which seem to be "alive" are a small robot who tries to clean up the trash and an especially-resilient cockroach-type creature. All the humans left the planet 700 years earlier on a huge spaceship which was designed by the mega corporation/world government called Buy and Large, with the intention of only being away for about five years. There were apparently millions of WALL·Es left behind, but now there seems to be one, and shortly after the film begins, he finds green plant life growing in the soil.



Soon a spaceship appears and leaves a probe behind to search for signs of life. This probe is called EVE, and it is like nothing WALL·E has ever seen before. In fact, although WALL·E (ostensibly playing a male) is frightened by EVE's seemingly violent nature and firepower, he finds himself attracted to her as a companion along the lines of the ones he sees in the film version of Hello, Dolly! which he watches repeatedly. Eventually, both machines find themselves on the huge spaceship where the descendents of the humans who left 700 years earlier live blissfully unaware of their history or potential. OK, that wasn't as brief as I intended.



I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It creates a barren, grimy Earth, a beautifully inviting Solar System and a unique vision of human life on a spaceship far in the future. It succeeds on all levels of storytelling for me. I especially loved the homages to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Thomas Newman's magical musical score is one of the two best I've heard this year, along with Carter Burwell's terrific In Bruges score. I'm also happy about who they used as the voice of the ship's computer. I can believe that some people may find it to be a kiddie movie, but I think it's far too romantic and thought-provoking to relegate it to that realm. I also didn't find myself being swamped by the film's message of conservation vs. consumerism as many others have. I thought the film's overriding message was one of humanity, and if it takes some non-human "creatures" to help us rediscover our lost humanity, that's OK with me. I don't find WALL·E to be a political film along the lines of Persepolis; that's for sure.

Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, 2007)




This captivating French animation wonder, based on Satrapi's semi-autobiographical graphic novels, is a sharp combination of Iranian history, political awareness, a coming-of-age story, love of family, and some intriguing animation techniques. It tells the story, in flashbacks, of Marjane's life in Iran under both the Shah and the fundamentalist "Islamic Republic" and during the Iraq-Iran War, as well as her times spent in Europe where she always felt to be a fish out of water. Whether you're aware of Iran's history during the last 80 or so years or not, this is a fascinating perspective, but it's much more alive and humorous than any history lesson could be.



One thing which is totally unique, at least to me, about Persepolis is that it's a mostly 2-D animated piece of art which is heavily inspired by film noir. Most of the film is in black and white, with major use of shadows. Although it is full of funny moments concerning family and growing up, there is a threat of danger and violence during each step the film takes. The film also uses a surrealistic approach occasionally, especially during scenes involving drugs and the Kafkaesque nightmare in which women and non-fundamentalists find themselves in the Iran of the later 20th century.



Before I make the film sound too much of a downer, I need to add that I laughed out loud several times. Many of these involved Marjane's unlucky attempts to find a boyfriend. Her grandmother is also a foul-mouthed lady who teaches her about integrity, but she and Marjane both swear quite a bit, and it actually is very funny to hear them say things you couldn't really imagine. (Don't get too worried though; sure, it's an adult-themed film, but it's only rated PG-13.) There are also many touching moments involving Marjane's family, often because the family has always been Marxist and therefore, they've always had family members in jail or killed. Not that you need me to explain this, but in general, everyone, regardless of their politics or religion, is a human being. It's just that sometimes people act much more inhuman than they realize. This film shows things in a realistic light in my mind, and so it's nice to remember that people throughout the world share more similarities than they do differences. Oh yeah, did I mention that the animation techniques and the music are groovy? I especially liked Marjane's crazy interpretation of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.
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Is Wall-E supposed to be a "guy?"
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MOVIE TITLE JUMBLE
New jumble is two words: balesdaewrd
Previous jumble goes to, Mrs. Darcy! (gdknmoifoaneevh - Kingdom of Heaven)
The individual words are jumbled then the spaces are removed. PM the answer to me. First one with the answer wins.



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Hilary and Jackie
based on the memoir A Genius in the Family, the story of the famous cellist Jacquelin de Pré, her rise to fame, and her struggle with multiple sclerosis in her later years. the story mainly goes back in forth from two point of views, from both Jackie and her sister Hilary, their resentment and constant competition [Hilary was a very talented flute player. she's played by Rachael Griffiths, who did an excellent job!]

i thought the movie was really well-done, the music was absolutely breath-taking, and Emily Watson's likeness to the real Jacquelin is pretty superb too, from her physical features down to her posture. the last half of the film is extremely depressing [its basically about a brilliant womans slow decline and deterioration], but its touching, albeit a slightly corny ending.

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letterboxd



Mission To Mars


Some great direction (camera placement and editing mainly), but there's a handful of scenes that could easily be much shorter.

The graphics are done really well until the end.

I don't think I'd recommend it. If you're interested its onDemand in HD.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Is Wall-E supposed to be a "guy?"
The way the film plays out, he's just looking for a companion, but the actual computer voices and sounds made by the two machines make it clear that WALL·E is a boy and EVE is a girl. Of course, this is not done through any other way but the way they sound and the old movie "he" watches.

I apparently either don't know how to use the spoilers tag or it won't work for me, so I'll have to forego posting something else which leads me to call them "he and she".



The way the film plays out, he's just looking for a companion, but the actual computer voices and sounds made by the two machines make it clear that WALL·E is a boy and EVE is a girl. Of course, this is not done through any other way but the way they sound and the old movie "he" watches.

I apparently either don't know how to use the spoilers tag or it won't work for me, so I'll have to forego posting something else which leads me to call them "he and she".
I remember reading about gender roles in media and the way they're supposedly reversing. Just thought it was interesting, wish I could find that essay, or even remember what it was called. From the previews it looks like Wall-E is kind of passive while the other robot, the girl, is the pro-active one. The man being passive while the woman is pro-active goes against traditional western gender roles. My question is, is the movie and the rest of the media that produce these kinds of relationships responsible for social acceptance of the idea of reversed gender roles or are the media and entertainment just reflecting something that's already been done?

I'm not sure if I asked that right.

Personally, I think a strong woman who carries herself and her ideas independently is a definite bonus.

I'm rambling, but I'm not Ramblin Rod. This guy is Ramblin Rod.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
In reality, WALL·E is the instigator of other characters changing and being more aware of their environment. It's just that he's almost obsolete compared to the newer, more tech savvy and powerful EVE. But WALL·E is the most human character in the film, perhaps because he has immersed himself in 700 years of humanity while nobody else in the film has any real concepts of what it means to be human. My wife says that she was attracted to WALL·E because "he was a rebel".



Originally Posted by PimpDaShizzle V2.0
Is Wall-E supposed to be a "guy?"
Actually, both of the robots are supposed to be "guys" (E.V.E. is obviously an acronym for Enjoying Versatile-Bottom Evening). The late, great Jerry Falwell is speaking through me and wants me to warn all God-fearin' Christians that like "The Teletubbies" and Gay icon Tinky Winky before it, Wall-E is here to promote, normalize and indoctrinate children into the homosexuality. When you picket your local movie theater, here's a rally chant for the cameras...'Wall-E's a drag, the robots are fags: let's NOT get used to it.'



Gosh bless.
__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



Welcome To The Dollhouse (1995) - 7/10.



Actually, both of the robots are supposed to be "guys" (E.V.E. is obviously an acronym for Enjoying Versatile-Bottom Evening). The late, great Jerry Falwell is speaking through me and wants me to warn all God-fearin' Christians that like "The Teletubbies" and Gay icon Tinky Winky before it, Wall-E is here to promote, normalize and indoctrinate children into the homosexuality. When you picket your local movie theater, here's a rally chant for the cameras...'Wall-E's a drag, the robots are fags: let's NOT get used to it.'



Gosh bless.
Yeah, I hope no one's under the impression that I'm coming from an angle where I think something like the Teletubbies or Wall-E are evil gay mindwashers.

Rather than myself trying to explain gender roles, feel free to Google it. "Gender roles in media." Give some of those a read and then see how it applies to Wall-E. I was under the impression Wall-E was breaking some sort of norm.

But then again, I'm jus' like, wuhteva'.



In Bruges - Martin McDonagh



Barely finished it. It has a lot of strange, dare I say middle aged? humor which wasn't really my cup of chai. The pacing is terribly slow but that might have been due to the fact that I somehow got it into my head that this was going to be an action type comedy. The ending is rather good but can't erase the fact that I was predominantly bored during the previous hour and 40 odd minutes. On the bright side, the scenery is great and Farell has never been sexier as the rather vulnerable (and inept) brooding assassin.




Hello Salem, my name's Winifred. What's yours
Tears of the Sun

actually pretty damn good, no cheesy army lines, no inconvenienet love story, rockin action but incredibly emotional war scenes. really good film



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh



Barely finished it. It has a lot of strange, dare I say middle aged? humor which wasn't really my cup of chai. The pacing is terribly slow but that might have been due to the fact that I somehow got it into my head that this was going to be an action type comedy. The ending is rather good but can't erase the fact that I was predominantly bored during the previous hour and 40 odd minutes. On the bright side, the scenery is great and Farell has never been sexier as the rather vulnerable (and inept) brooding assassin.

You were bored by this and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a masterpiece? Maybe you should break your rule and rewatch both movies back-to-back.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Kung Fu Panda (Mark Osborne & John Stevenson)




In response to that blurb in the poster, damn straight. No question about it, this is Dreamworks' best animated film. It is hip, occasionally, in its use of language, but other than that, there are none of the pop culture references which kill things for certain people. This is a surprisingly realistic and reverential film, celebrating the concept of Martial Arts and what it means, especially since when we watch kung fu, we mostly think of the physical prowess involved, Yet, no one can truly practice kung fu to the best of their ability without a spiritual connection to themselves and all of their environment. Based on some posts I've been reading around here lately, it seems that kung fu should be relegated to the dustbin of superstitious BS. I don't really care because this "Disney Dork" says this movie rocks!



This film opens with some of the starkest, most original animated imagery in film history. A panda is literally kicking ass and announcing his awesomeness, but eventually we learn that it's just a dream, and Po (Jack Black) has to get up out of bed to go to work for his dad (James Hong) at his noodlery (it should be a word for a type of restaurant if it isn't). Po learns that the Dragon Warrior is going to be chosen from amongst the Furious Five (the greatest warriors available in the City), so he does everything he can to try to witness the selection. When all is said and done, Po is chosen to become the Dragon Warrior by the All-Knowing, All-Seeing Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), despite the protests of his protege and super trainer, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Eventually, Shifu's adopted son, Tai Lung (Ian MacShane, sounding like Mark Hamill doing the Joker in the animated series), breaks out of prison to wreak revenge on all those whom he believes have kept him from becoming the rightful Dragon Warrior.



Kung Fu Panda succeeds on multiple levels. First off, it presents a totally realistic alternate universe, it's populated with strong convictions and characters, and both the situations and characters are humorous and intense. All of the characters grow, and even if the results may be considered predictable, they certainly earn enough good will to allow them their just desserts. I mentioned that the film is funny, but it's also action-packed, and often the humor and action go hand-in-hand. For example, the highlight for me is the incredible "Battle For the Final Dumpling" scene where the Hoffman character trains the Black character enough to become worthy of the true title of the Dragon Warrior. The fact that the action scenes only escalate from here all the way to the ending is something to be happy about as a viewer and something to be proud about as filmmakers. There are many other notable scenes and vocal performances, but I just want to say that I recommend you see this movie on the big screen before it disappears. It's not just a wonderful action comedy, it's also a powerful drama, and although many animated films push the idea that "you can be what you want to become, if only you put in the work and trust yourself and those who support you", I find that message much more life-affirming than the alternative.

Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932)
(that's my legit rating; for those who are OUT THERE, think:
).



I don't know what to say about Freaks anymore, but down through the last 30 years, my opinion about it has kind of turned inside out. I've seen this film several times, on the big screen, on commercial TV, cable TV, and now on DVD. I've seen three different endings, but never apparently the original ending which was scrapped after the first preview screening in front of an audience. Freaks is a one-of-a-kind film. I realize that phrase gets tossed around a lot, and since this movie is 76 years old (!!), you probably won't believe me, unless, of course, you've seen it yourself.



When I first watched Freaks, I thought to myself, "Why, in God's name, would anyone make this film? Is this just pure exploitation or not? If it isn't, it's still very embarrassing for all involved because nobody can act and the whole thing comes off as amateurish." However, even so, probably because there was an incredible finale, I knew this film was much better than Browning's lauded, but sleep-inducing Dracula which made Bela Lugosi a star. A strange thing happened the more I watched this film. (Actually it's not that strange for all of you who watch a movie over and over; it seemed to shapeshift, transform and become more normal.) I started thinking that the "Freaks" were actually the more physically-"normal", hateful characters, while those with physical disabilities were more human and friendly.


(That character is super cool!)

Ultimately, Freaks is a melodrama showing how people try to take advantage of others. The fact that you never see the owner/manager of the traveling circus allows that non-character to wash his hands of everything. But the true villains of the piece are the "everyday" people who hate and take advantage of others. It's strange that these people who make a living in a sideshow can somehow believe themselves to be any less of a "freak" than those who have no say in the way they were born. Of course, Freaks makes it clear that if you are not "One of Us, One of Us!!", then you deserve whatever you get for being the inhuman monster you are.




Hello Salem, my name's Winifred. What's yours
Casino - first time viewing, i liked it a lot but i couldnt escape from Goodfellas which i prefer. The story is good, action is good but i didnt really believe Sam.



i'm SUPER GOOD at Jewel karaoke
the Innocents (1961)
i had a hard time with this film, really. i went into it with high hopes but spent the majority of the movie waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever did. the ending was pretty disappointing, too. i was reading reviews on Netflix though, and it seems i am alone in my opinion. the whole 'haunted house/possessed children' thing has of course been re-done since then, and in my opinion, done much, much better.

great use of lighting, though.