To see or not to see…that is the question?

This Valentine’s day and many people will choose a quiet night with a movie after a candle light meal. However, what movie to choose is always a difficult one, so here is my guide to a few movies you should try and ones you should definitely stay away from.

Ones to go for.

UP

Possibly the biggest tearjerker Pixar has produced so far, Up follows the adventure of OAP Carl as he goes on a dangerous expedition with his house and a lot of balloons. As well as being beautifully animated and hilariously funny, ‘Up’ is deeply moving. If your date does not cry within the first ten minutes then they are soulless and should be broken up with immediately (ok, that might be a bit extreme, but the point still stands). This film gives a loving portrayal of a successful relationship without over doing it on the schmaltz.

Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle’s awards-show-stealing film that follows a slum boy through the hardships of rural India may not seem like the best date film, but it certainly pushes the right emotional buttons. It has scenes of great joy and great tragedy, great beauty and great horror, but there is always the constant love between the two leading characters Jamal (Dev Patel) and Latika (Freido Pinto). This love is Jamal’s motivation for everything he does and that is what makes the film the perfect one to watch cuddled up on the sofa together, but be prepared to both laugh and cry.

Ones to avoid

Date Night

Don’t let the title fool you; this film is not one for the first date DVD night in. Following a middle-aged (sorry, Tina) couple as they try and put some spark back into their love life doesn’t fill you with romantic feelings so much as dread as to what you and the person next to you will eventually turn into. The film is surprisingly funny despite the lukewarm reviews and Tina Fey and Steve Carell are likable enough to pull off the leading roles. But if I have to be shot at to have a ‘happy and content’ marriage I think I would rather be single.

500 Days of Summer

This film is very much an anti-romcom indie flick. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as the central couple the film chronicles their 500-day relationship and how it quickly grows and slowly falls apart. The film is shown non-linearly with good moments shot right beside sad moments. It is disheartening to witness the guy get the girl of his dreams only to realise they are not in fact compatible. There is nothing that kills the mood faster than being shown on screen a relationship go through all the right hoops, including that couple trip to Ikea, only to not work out.

Tangled

It is January, all the great winter celebrations are over and there is little to look forward to in the coming months but dropping temperatures and light daylight. In this dark time we can be thankful that Disney has decided to release its new film ‘Tangled’ on 28th January. As with their last motion picture Disney is sticking with the princess theme that it does so well and also reinventing an old story, this time it is Rapunzel. There will be singing and dancing, leading men and ladies and of course the clever animal companies. As with ‘Princess and the Frog’ and ‘Enchanted’ this film seems to make light of the golden age Disney mantra of air headed princesses who need to be saved and having this all in animated 3D will likely make it one of the most beautiful Disney films to date.

Faces to watch out for in 2011

Here are a few of the names you should look for on movie posters in 2011. None of them are unknowns, but all have a good line up of films planned for 2011 that shows why they are big Hollywood stars.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is certainly being adaptive this year. At the start she will play a ballerina on the edge  in the Oscar worthy and critically acclaimed ‘Black Swan’ and then she will delve into different roles for different audiences. She becomes Ashton Kutcher’s love interest  in chick-flick ‘No Strings Attached’, an astrophysicist in Marvel’s comic film ‘Thor’ and finally the warrior princess in male directed fantasy comedy ‘Your Highness’. None of these roles seem to be similar, so Portman will finally be showing her acting diversity and hopefully proving to Hollywood that she can be box office gold.

 

Steven Speilberg

When Steven Spielberg releases two films in a year you can guarantee a few things: there will be a happy ending; one film will be heavy while the other is light; and he will push the boundaries of filmmaking.

In 2011 Spielberg will release ‘War Horse’, a film adaptation of the emotional child’s story of a horse in World War 1, and ‘The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn’ in which he will create an entire 3D film using Avatar motion-capture technology. Both films will have an impact this year.

 

Matt Damon

One male actor to look out for this year is Matt Damon who is hitting 2011 with no less than five film releases.  Damon is known for being picky with roles but to his credit as he often chooses meaty, interesting ones. He will narrate a documentary ‘Inside Man’, which is about the financial crisis, play a reluctant psychic in the new Eastwood film ‘Hereafter’, a cowboy with a lisp in the Cohen brother’s ‘True Grit’, a politician in thriller ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ and then to round it all off a scientist in star studded ‘Contagion’. Now that’s a workload to rival Oxford!

 

Despicable Me

 

Animated films always seem to fit into two different camps; either they are awful cash cows (A Shark’s Tale, Shrek 3) or they are true labours of love (Toy Story 3, Shrek). It has become a rare find to watch an animated children’s film that takes the middle road, but ‘Despicable Me’ is it. Not revolutionary, but not something that has been quickly made to fill a gap in schedules.

‘Despicable Me’, like Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles’, is set in a comic-book like setting where villains exist, but strangely there was no caped crusader or masked vigilante in sight. In fact being a villain is it’s own profession with paid minions and a Bank of Evil to get loans from. Gru, voiced by Steve Carrell, is not the sort of villain that you would send Jack Bauer after; styled like a French cartoon character his most evil acts seem to be stealing monuments from Vegas or bursting children’s balloons. Saying this his big plot of the century is to steal the moon and then sell it back for fame and fortune and to help him with this he has the great inventor, cockneyDr Nefario, expertly voicedy Russell Brand. And of course he also has his army of yellow, worm like minions. These numeroud minions remind me of the game Lemmings – they act as very effective comic relief. With all the ‘Looney Tune’ like physical gags as well as cute voice work and costumes the minions are easily the second best part of the film, with the greatest part being the orphans Margo, Edith and Agnes. These 3 girls provide the heart of the film, as they are all so sweet together with Gru that they create the warmest moments that will melt your heart.

Outside of this, Gru-orphans dynamic the film ends up being pretty ‘run-of-the-mill’, which makes it rather dull at times. The supporting cast of Jason Segel and Julie Andrews were very good, but the story and script was just not complex nor mature enough. You may accuse me of being harsh given that this is a kids’ film, but many great movies for children have worked around this and managed to entertain both adults and children equally. There are a quite a lot of chuckles with some generally laugh out loud moments.  The 3D was also used exceptionally well. In fact it might have been the best use of 3D I have seen yet(apologies to James Cameron) but even with all this the whole production felt very middle ground. There was no new way of looking at the genre or the story or the characters. Maybe if it had come out 10 or so years ago it would have seemed slightly more original and impressive, but unfortunately with all the high caliber animation movie goers see at the moment, being adequate just isn’t good enough. That is not to say you should give this film a miss, you certainly should go and see it, but don’t expect too much from it. You will leave the cinema smiling, but will also forget the film as soon as that smile fades.

Degree: 2:2- a film with a lot of heart, if not much else, but worth seeing just for that.

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

written by guest lecturer Dean Newby

The Owls of Ga’Hoole is an animated film loosely based on the first book of the fantasy trilogy ‘Guardians of Ga’Hoole’ by Kathryn Lask. Directed by Zack Snyder of ‘300’ & ‘Watchmen’ fame, with voice work from the likes of Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill & Miriam Margolyes, and the lesser known but impressive Jim Sturgess, Joel Edgerton & Essie Davis. All the voice acting so impressive that you almost don’t recognize the famous voices; unlike other animated films this one has not relied on the strength of the names in the credits to hold it up. I had the opportunity to attend the European 3D Premiere in Leicester Square on Sunday 10th October.

As the film begins it’s obvious that we are in for a real visual treat. The leaves floating past on the screen are so ‘real’ that I move my head from their path while each feather if perfectly rendedered. It is movies like this that make you see what the true potential of 3D really is. The camera lands us on branch at the opening of an owl hollow, the sound of a family playing can be heard, and we are quickly introduced to the story’s young protagonist, Soren, a barn owl who is telling his young sister – the very cute Eglantine, the legend of the Guardians’ triumph over Metalbeak, a Sooty Owl who believes that it is the birthright of the ‘Pure Ones’ to rule over all other species.

The story quickly progresses, with a multitude of characters and character types introduced, including the evil Metalbeak who is rebuilding his army to yet again go to war with the Guardians in an attempt to wipe out both them and the lesser species. The Guardians are unaware of Metalbeak’s plan, but soon starts preparing in extraordinary style, and of course the band of companions are ever-present and vitally important as in all quest-based fantasy films.

Something this film is definitely not lacking is characterisation, which considering just how many characters there are is really quite impressive. The fact they are all owls is never a problem in how much personality they are given and how well we feel we know them. Even the members of Soren’s band of companions are given room to evolve, and play an important part in the story, with each contributing a characteristic one imagines is needed when on an exhausting and life-threatening quest. They also offer some of the film’s lighter and funnier moments, allowing the audience to take in and process either a piece of vital mythology or background, or a visually stunning sequence – of which there are many, each better and more impressive than the last.

It would be quite easy to write off a film like ‘Legend of the Guardians’ as simply an animated fantasy for children, the main characters are after all birds and the plot is not particularly complicated. But, to do so, would be a mistake. While it does fall short of being an epic, it is most definitely one of the higher quality animated fantasies. Not only in terms of visual effects and impact, but also in terms of plot and sub-plots, characterisation, and the natural flow and rhythm of the story’s timeline.

‘Legend of the Guardians’ is an enjoyable and visually beautiful film that though at times can be predictable, gives both children and adults alike enough reason to sit mesmerised for it’s entire 97 minute running time. An ideal weekend family film.

Degree: 2:1

A stunning adventure of good vs bad, light vs dark, owl vs owl.

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

The Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga Hoole

Here is a film that has truly mastered 3D animation and CGI. The detail and beauty rendered in every scene and with every owl could give Pixar a run for their money; Animal Studio have really outdone themselves.

The film is based on a series of novels called ‘ Guardians of Ga’Hoole’ by Kathryn Lasky and follows the epic of journey of a young owl named Soren. With his friends he wants to find the guardians in order to warn them on an attack by an army of owls called The Pure Ones. Think of this as an epic version of ‘Happy Feet’.

With the voice cast including Hugo Weaving, Helen Mirren and Sam Neill it is clear that this won’t only be visual stunning, but will also be an enjoyable family film to sit through. Set to be released on 15th October, this one will be one to look out for.

Until then enjoy the many clips below which introduce us to a lot of the characters.

Lock up your daughters; here come the bad boys

In the space of a few months two big animation studios are releasing films which centre around super villains; ‘Despicable Me’ by Universal and ‘Megamind’ by Dreamworks. The films’ close realise dates have the old comedy team of Will Ferrel (Megamind) and Steve Carell (Gru) put against each other for the role of ultimate evil genius, but who will take over the world box office? Both these films look like they will have a great new take on the timeless hero Vs villain dynamic that everyone knows.

Gru (Carell) is an evil genius, but it doesn’t seem like he is a very good one. However he does have a heart which shows when he adopts three orphaned girls.The film will follow Gru as he gets to grips with this family and responsibilities as well as also trying to pull off his biggest heist-stealing the moon. The film is going to be released in the UK on October 15th 2010.

‘Megamind’ has a start that harks back to the origins of Superman, with two children from neighbouring planets being sent away from their homes just before their destruction and both landing on Earth, though in very different circumstances. One is brought up in a loving home and will become the hero Metro Man while the other is brought up in a prison and will become the villain Megamind. With the emergence of a new villain, Tighten, the roles are reversed and Megamind is given the chance to be a hero, while Metro Man hides away in retirement. This film is out December 3rd 2010.

Toy Story 3

No, it is all true, the hype is not an over-exaggeration, this is one of the best films out this summer. As we all know, Pixar have created films that rival the great Walt Disney in both originality and beauty. ‘Toy Story 3’ sees the end to the series that made Pixar’s name back in 1995; no creative expense has been spared in making it the best of the trilogy and one of the best Pixar films to date.

The film opens with an exciting imaginative adventure scene followed by a heart warming montage showing the interaction and love between Andy and his toys. When the dust settles, however, the audience find themselves back in Andy’s room: a lot of time has passed and things are very different. Nothing has escaped the change: Andy (still voiced by a now grown-up John Morris) is grown up and leaving for college; the puppy Buster has his fair share of grey hairs; and Andy’s toys are left half forgotten in his old toy box. Although many of our favourite toys are still in this film, such as Woody, Buzz and Jesse, to name a few, some are also missing. The ones that are still around have not changed: they still want to be played with and long for Andy’s attention. This childlike want is heartbreaking to watch. It is also clear that the toys are slowly becoming jaded as time passes; so begins the start of the message that Pixar is trying to tackle. The film aims to deal with loss of purpose and how we feel when we are looked over or no longer needed.

The solution presented to us and the toys is to try and live with no purpose, no responsibilities, no owners. Andy’s toys find this weight-free existence at Sunnyside Daycare where the toys have no owners and so have no no heartbreak. However, Sunnyside is a lot more sinister than it first appears.. It is here that the story starts to pick up pace with many action sequences, moving speeches and funny one-liners as well as introductions to many new characters, both toys and human.

This final instalment of the ‘Toy Story’ franchise easily has some of the best characters in it. We have the return of old favourites: Rex who is still as clumsy as ever; Ham who is voiced by Pixar good-luck charm John Ratzenberger; the Potato Heads with their alien adoptive children; slinky dog; the cowboy’s horse Bullseye; and of course Woody and Buzz, the film’s favourite duo. However there is also some female talent with Jessie the cow-girl and new comer Barbie. Both girls easily keep up with the male toys in both action and comedy. On top of these characters the audience are introduced to many more at Sunnyside Daycare such as Stretch, Chunk, Dollie and a host of others all voiced by famous Hollywood veterans such as Whoopi Goldberg and Timothy Dalton. The head of this host of new toys is Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Lotso for short) who with the soft voice of Ned Beatty and bright purple fur, seems at first a kind and wise caretaker, but is in fact a ruthless warden who controls Sunnyside with intimidation and fear. He wields this fear with the help of Big Baby, his Lenny like accomplice who is strong, yet follows Lotso with blinding faith. Big Baby is a frightening character that harks back to the terrible creations found in Cid’s room in the first film. However easily the most stand out new character is Michael Keaton’s Ken, the embodiment of the metro-sexual man. With his All American smile, indignation at being called a ‘girl’s toy’ and expansive wardrobe that would make Carrie Fisher jealous, Ken could certainly be an idol for the modern man (a character some might relate to). The fashion montage in his walk in wardrobe is certainly a highlight of the film and makes him an immediate favourite with everyone watching. The great thing about all Pixar characters, and this film is no exception, is that they are not one dimensional. The good guys have flaws and annoying habits while the bad guys have relatable motives that cause them to act as they do. In this way these animated toys have are more realistic than something you might find in a M.Night Shyamalan production.

In typical Pixar fashion it’s not just the characters that have matured and improved since the previous film. The animation is easily the best ever, with beautiful bright colours, made more detailed by the 3D effect (although the jury is still out as to quite how much this improves the cinematic experience, in this reviewer’s opinion). Along with the animation, the emotional balance has been perfected with lots of jokes, both physical slapstick for the kids and witty quips for the adults, as well as lots of poignant moments and realisations. The film shows that a purposeless life is empty and that we never lose our purpose or importance, we simply grow out of old ones and start new ones. However along with the maturation Pixar has not lost its childlike humour with subtle in jokes and homages. Andy’s Mum’s car still has the licence plate A-113, which is subtle dedication to the classroom where many Pixar artists discovered their dream of animation. Many of the action scenes inside Sunnyside come from famous escape films such as ‘The Great Escape’. One of the new toys is Totoro, the mascot of the Japanese film studio Studio Ghibli with whom Pixar are on great terms. They also hint at previous jokes from the older ‘Toy Story’ films, such as ‘the claw’ and riding Buster like a horse, but these jokes have changed with time and are the funnier for it. There are probably many more in-jokes that first time viewers may not notice and, with this in mind, it’s worth going to see the film again and again to discover the plethora of hidden jokes and references. The movie also starts with a fantastic short film called ‘Night and Day’, which plays around wonderfully with the fusion of sound and vision and is easily one of the best short films Pixar has done in a long time.

‘Toy Story 3’ is the perfect end to a magnificent trilogy and will leave every member of the audience feeling warm, a little weepy, but fully satisfied with the ending. The film creates laugher and tears in both children and adults and yet no one is ashamed of this. The only thing to regret is that we did not show our own toys this much affection when we still had them.

Degree: 1st

An imaginative and stunning finale to a franchise that has touched us all.

Every member of the audience will leave with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.

PC Power

There is no question of the fact that hand drawn animation has made classic films. Childhood movies (think Bambi, or Snow White) will forever bee crucial to cinema. Now, however, the new way of telling stories is CGI.

You can’t talk about CGI without mentioning the big studios, Pixar, and Dreamworks, who have made a fortune out of the new technology. Pixar’s Up opened with a staggering $64 million, $44 million more than Disney’s recent hand-drawn release The Princess and the Frog. Admittedly high box office figures don’t make a good film, otherwise every Harry Potter would have won an Oscar and The Hurt Locker would be at the bottom of the bargain bin. CGI, however, unarguably has the power to drag you into the film itself. The worlds that CGI achieves have more depth, texture and richness than anything drawn with pencil and paper. The beautiful coral of Finding Nemo and Puss’ fur in Shrek make CGI films feel more real to the audience. CGI animation also gives each character more expression and life than their drawn counterparts. The character that most epitomizes this is Pixar’s Wall.E; the mute metallic robot is one of the most expressive, adorable characters in animation – all done through a computer. It is true CGI films can be nothing more than cash cows, as films like A Shark’s Tale make explicitly obvious. However, what movie genre doesn’t have a few embarrassments that were better off on the drawing board?

CGI will also evolve as films continue to evolve. The animation will improve, the techniques will improve and, if Pixar are anything to go by, the stories will improve. Its existing stunning properties coupled with a limitless potential to be better is why I will always champion CGI over and above hand drawn animation.