Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Gary K. Wolf(novel), Jeffrey Price(screenplay)
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy
Genre: Animation-Live Action, Adventure, Comedy

About: A down and out, toon-hating, boozen detective, Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is Roger Rabbit's (voice by Charles Fleischer) only hope of beating a framed-up murder rap. The suspects include Roger Rabbit's voluminous & voluptuous wife, Jessica Rabbit (voice by Kathleen Turner). Into the mix comes the mysterious and dangerous Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) who takes a twisted pleasure in dipping toons in a deadly toxic solution.


Review: Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the most innovative animated movie ever made. In 1988 it was the most expensive movie ever made...and one of the longest to make too. It took 7months for principal photography(filming of live actors), another month of blue screen work...and an excruciating 14 months in post production to do the complicated animation work.

Unlike previous attempt at live action intermixed with animation, this movie went to great lengths to teach the live actors how to do pantomime so that when a human picks up a toon, it looks like he's lifting weight and not just air.


Many of the live props in the hands of the toons were shot with robotic controlled arms, then latter the animation was layered over top of it. A prime example of that is Baby Herman and his real cigar. Which moves realistically as it's a real prop shot on film and being controlled remotely.

To make it so the humans had eye contact with the toons an initial blocking scene was filmed with rubber dolls standing for the toons. Then the eye path could be checked and corrected so that humans and toons look like they're really interacting. And it works! It's easy to believe what you're seeing is true.

Bob Hoskins was the perfect choice for detective Eddie Valant, he looked the part and his annoyance at the outrageous Roger Rabbit made the movie all the more humorous.


A big shout out, to Joanna Cassidy and Christopher Lloyd, both who helped make the movie a truly fine stand out film.

I enjoyed the nod to Film Noir, circa 1947 where Hollywood meets Disney and Looney Tunes. It's totally cool to a film buff to see Jessica Rabbit patterned in the style of Rita Hayworth (Mrs. Orson) and sporting a Veronica Lake peek-a-boo hairdo. Even more fun was seeing all the old cartoon characters from Disney and Warner Bros together on the big screen for the one and only time. And just as important is the animation is drawn in the original style of the 1940s...and voiced by many of the original vocal artist, including legendary Mel Blanc.

I really enjoyed this, it was well done, entertaining, fun, with great sets and lots of neat movie related stuff in the background.

+

You do know that the guy in the picture is Orson, yes?

Come to think of it, Citizen Rules currently looks a little like Vince Vaughn (although I never would have made the connection previously)!

I hope not, but yeah that might be true

Nice review! I agree with all of your points (Late Spring is my 5th favorite film of all time).

And yeah, it's one of the few films which emotionally moved me on such a deep level. I love how it's able to build up emotional tension between Noriko and her father, saving the heartbreak for later instead of releasing it as the film rolls along. It makes the final act hit really hard every time I watch it.

Like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I sometimes forget how great both these films are only to be blown away by them all over again when I rewatch them.

Thanks! All of the last three films I reviewed were in the 23rd HoF. OMG that HoF had so many great films in it! I still have more from that HoF to add to my review thread.

Who knew Hitler could be so fun! At least when Taika Waititi plays him! Oh sure he doesn't look like the Fuhrer, but realism isn't what we really want here. We want to see the lighter side of Nazism while have a good laugh at the Third Reich.

Did this movie go to far? Hell no! There ain't nothing offensive here, it ain't that kind of movie. I mean have people forgotten TV's Hogan's Heros, where Allied prisoners in a Nazi prison camp were played just for laughs and the Nazis were sillier than snot...Or what about Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, which gave us funny Nazis while showing the world the dangers of a dictatorship way back in 1940.

No, Taika isn't the first to cover this subject in this way...BUT in this day and age he deserves all sorts of credits for having balls enough to make Jojo Rabbit!

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Especially the first 20 minutes...I don't think I've laughed more at a movie than in the first act of Jojo Rabbit. I do wish the film would've kept the same tone instead it gets more serious with the Jewish girl under the stairs, and that in and of itself worked, but it's old hat and has been done before.

I knew before the film ended that we had to be clearly shown that the Nazis were bad, but I mean come on we already knew that. In fact if the viewer is paying attention we can see just how nutty the ideology of the Nazis really are. I mean they're training 10 year old boys to fight, how daft is that?

Roman Griffin Davis was just perfect as the 10 year old, would be Nazi, who can't even kill a little bunny (and I don't blame him either!). He was really good here. I don't even care that he had an English accent he was perfect in his role and well this is a satire comedy.

Sam Rockwell, nailed it! I loved his sympathetic one eyed Nazi character who acts as a mentor to young Jojo. The last scene he was in was so well done that it makes me want to watch Moon again. Oh BTW those aren't Americans who are machine gunning the captive Nazis, hope you all knew that.

Scarlett Johansson, she was great as the loving but tough German mom. I wish she had more screen time and I don't think she needed to come to such an ending...

BTW hope everyone also knows that the vast majority of Germans during WWII were NOT Nazis and that includes the German Army too.

Director: Terry Gilliam
Writer: Richard LaGravenese
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Adam Bryant
Genre: Drama Comedy
aforementioned stuff I just mused over...I have to give a big shout out to the super cool New York City shooting locations.

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We're worlds apart on this movie, but I enjoyed reading your review anyway.

Ha, he does look like Vince Vaughn a bit.

I never thought of it until I read this but, facially. there is a bit of a resemblance between Orson Welles and Vince Vaughn: