On on Team Emi about Brave. It was good, but not my favorite. I really didn't laugh at the triplets. They were cute, but not awesome. The landscapes were awesome. I did cry a bit at the end.
I honestly enjoyed the Pixar short La Luna more. That was totally cool.
I thought Brave was a great movie. Obviously it had amazing music and visuals, which obviously helps a lot. I loved the Celtic feel, the colors, the beautiful landscapes, the awesome accents, and the bit of lore that they started (like mentioned, would have been nice to go into it more.) Overall I thought the feel of the film was amazing and left me with that awesome fantasy world feeling.
As far as plot, that is what seems to be iffy for people. I think a big issue is that people saw its made by Pixar and thought of Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Up, etc. However its really more of a Disney movie, a princess movie more specifically, you have to remember that. Anyway, what makes the really good Disney/Pixar movies awesome for me are special moments that really resonate emotionally. Up had the sweet old couple tear jerker, Wall-E had the innocent robot love, Finding Nemo had the tragic loss of a parent, etc. etc. These are things I think a larger group of people can really get emotional about. In Brave, it was the mother daughter relationship thing. I get the feeling that doesn't resonate with as many people. I'm not saying that if you didn't feel it that you are a bad person or hate your mom or whatever, just saying it may feel too "mushy" or not so significant to many. Yes, I know everyone "gets" it because the mother/daughter theme is everywhere, but maybe not to the deep emotional level that made the movie special for me.
Going back to Disney princess thing... even though yes, Disney wants to make tons of moneys and appeal to as many people as possible, there is still a target audience: kids, lovers of Disney, and those on the Disney princess bandwagon. So I can understand why it may not be as good of a movie to everyone else as it was to someone like me. Other than a few loose ends, I thought the plot was great. I didn't expect many of the things that happened the way they did and was pleasantly surprised. I loved that they tried to make the role of a princess more accurate (compared to the pansies like Snow White, Cinderella, etc) by showing that their lives were very difficult and not all beautiful dresses and prince charmings. (Accurate enough for a Disney movie I mean, go too much farther and you're in Game of Thrones territory :-P).
One more thing, I thought the mother/daughter development was well done. I don't agree with the statement that it was all done with a lame montage. It was way more than that. We see they had a beautiful relationship when Merida was young and princess-ness was out of the way. They have their differences later, and when Merida casts the spell, she immediately feels remorse for what she did, and the change in both of them continues on from there. Their bond grows/repairs from every scene then on until the transformation at the end. The montage fish catching scene was really more about Elinore realizing that Merida's unlady-like traits actually had merit, and became more proud and appreciative of her daughter's unique personality. I thought the scene where Merida addresses all the men was really powerful, where the big realization moment comes. Elinore realizes she shouldn't force her daughter to be like her because she is a wonderful young lady the way she is, and has turned out great. And Merida learns that even though her mom was seemingly being mean and uncaring, it was because she loved Merida and thought she was doing the right thing for her. Through all of this, they revert back to the relationship they had when Merida was young, except of course much wiser and with a bigger bond. I could go on and on but this post is already freakishly long. (Edit: I forgot to make my point about target audience: I think the ultimate moral of the story - mom remembering that times are different and should listen to her daughter, daughter realizing mom really loves her and is trying to develop daughter into a mature adult ready for the world - is incredibly important for girls of all ages. Thought Disney was great for doing this, instead of focusing on true love, etc. )
Anyway, I thought it was great, and I'll be definitely buying it. I kinda wish everyone else could've had the same experience I had, makes me a little sad to see so many "Meh" feelings on it... but oh well. Also, I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone, I just really wanted to state my opinions on it, thats all (not wanting another Prometheus argument here...)
I saw a couple movies over this week, that I'll talk about.
Moonrise Kingdom is vying for my favorite film of the year so far and might hold out till the end (that is until The Master comes out). I love Wes Anderson, and this might be my 2nd favorite film of his (the first being Rushmore). Everything that needs to be said about it can be seen in the trailer.
Tonight however, I saw two films...they could not be more disparate from one another...
First one I saw was Dark Horse, Todd Solondz's (Happiness, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and Palindromes) newest film. The trailer does not communicate what the true nature of the film is. It looks like Judd Apatow's latest "man children need to grow up" film (which I find myself getting more and more tired of; more Freaks and Geeks plz) but it is not that at all. If anything, it is a deconstruction of that entire sub-genre of comedy film, and it does it so well to the point that it is genuinely tense and worrying. It does take a little while to digest however, I'll be upfront about that. If you don't think you like it when you come out of it; I implore you to please think it over very carefully because everything in it was there to communicate the fact it was a deconstruction. It isn't the best film I've seen all year, but it is very good in my eyes.
After Dark Horse I actually saw Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter...I'm not kidding. It is the most retardedly awesome film I've seen this year. I might add, that this was one of the first times I intentionally went out of my way to see something like this; whereas in the past I've usually been dragged through hot coals to see these by other people. I simultaneously blame and thank Li_Akahi for infecting me with his film masochism disorder and how it has legitimately affected my movie going habits. So...fuck you very much, Ryan.
I liked Brave, I didn't say I was "meh," I thought it was cute with some beautiful scenes, but also recognizable drawbacks. It really did feel like a Disney film to me, and all that that implies. I like Disney movies for the most part, but I don't care much for slapstick and broad comedy, and the pacing felt a little uneven in this particular one. I didn't even say the montage was lame, just that it was awfully fast for that amount of character change. If I were writing it as a book, I would have had them have to live together in the woods for a little longer, and have a little more time to develop the character's change of heart, but I understand that there were time constraints involved. I did like when she had the dream of her mom singing to her in Gaelic and those little touches. The mother/daughter relationship was definitely at the core, and that's when the movie really shone. The transformation scene was really moving. I am happy that young girls get a Princess like Merida. I really like the whole "I forge my own destiny" message. With all the girl-with-a-bow type things we have been seeing in various media, how many kids are going to be like me when I was a kid, all obsessed with getting to do archery? The scene where she is riding while doing archery is a very exhilarating scene too, and when she climbs the falls? Wow!
I honestly enjoyed the Pixar short La Luna more. That was totally cool.
I agree. That was a mostly-silent short, and yet it had so much more surprises and even more family dynamic to it than all of Brave.
I'm happy for the people who got a lot out of the movie (and there's a good majority on both sides), but it just didn't click for me in several, SEVERAL ways. And I would also admit that a lot of people have expectation for this Pixar movie because it really felt like it would be an epic. Much of the movie was just far too cliched with the story, and it's a story I've seen several in lots of TV/Movies. But while Pixar is usually great at telling you messages you didn't think of or telling the same story in a completely new way, Brave fails at that because it doesn't explain the purpose of several of the actions or motivations in the film.
And for the characters, it was really hard for me to like Merida and Elinore simply because of the lazy/rushed/complicated writing because there's so many moments where these characters could have stopped what they were doing. (Because I understand the behind-the-scenes issues.) Other than King Fergus, no one really had much character, especially those annoying triplets. I thought the triplets could have made for a great contrast to why Merida is so frustrated, but they are only used for gags.
The more I think of Brave, the more I just think about how there are so many other animated films I've seen before that are better, or do the same story about miscommunication, or have a similar ending.
BTW, La Luna was actually released in select theaters in certain cities last year so that it could be nominated for best short, so if you had a local art house theater playing the oscar nominated shorts you could go see it with the other awesome shorts by other studios.
Wall-E didn't make any sense. First of all, it's a robot. How am I supposed to connect with a robot? They don't have motivation or feelings. And how am I supposed to figure out his "motivations" if he doesn't talk?
Augh Pete! You missed the whole point! This is a robot with motivation and feelings! Science Fiction robots often have a heart. Plus you are full of beans because I remember you saying just last week that you liked David. He's a robot and he has some sort of feelings, it seems. Don't tell me he wants his "parents" to die just because some algorithm told him it would be practical. He hates.
I know - I was being a smartass. Wall-E is one of my favorite movies.
So I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle and is it just me or is Meg Ryan a crazy stalker?
It's not just you. I thought that as well. If Tom Hanks did exactly what she did, it would be called Stalking in Seattle and he would have been arrested, but teh womens can do shit like that and not be thought of as crazy by other womens. Double standard?
I saw the Lincoln/Vampire deal this weekend. It was, of course, highly illogical, completely ridiculous, and wildly inaccurate. For instance, if someone didn't know anything about Lincoln, they'd think he only had one child, because Willie was the only child featured in the movie while Tad and Robert were completely ignored. Also, many physical things that happened were completely impossible. For instance, a person might be able to drive an automobile through the wall of a house, but a person cannot drive a horse-drawn cart through the wall of a house.
Further, there was a problem of battlefield logistics that doesn't even bear thinking about. Suffice to say that a small group of people cannot transport a tremendous amount of military hardware made completely of silver to a battlefield almost one hundred miles away by hand and foot over the course of a single night.
However, it was a very good, very fun movie, and it did a very good job of evoking the time period. Believe me - I know. I felt like I was back home.
I'm annoyed that it's a reboot. It seems like all we ever get in superhero movies are origin stories with few exceptions, over and over again. Still, I like the trailer and I like that Spiderman is back to cracking wise like he should. Toby's Spiderman just didn't really play that aspect up much.
The thing is, the origin stories are often the only thing non-fans know or care about, and too much continuity can be a very bad thing. Additionally, getting one actor to do a bunch of movies can be very expensive for a studio. Thirdly, Spiderman 3 left a very bad taste in many people's mouths, so they're trying to get away from that.
All of those films are good (except for that Beatles newsreel one, whose quality I can't speak to), but I can honestly say that if any one of those is your favorite film, then you need to see more films.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I don't know what to say? I went in expecting a hilariously bad movie and I was not disappointed.
I preferred the Asylum version, it takes the concept, replaces it with zombies, and makes it even more horribly enjoyable. Plus Lincoln in the Asylum version was better.
Comments
I honestly enjoyed the Pixar short La Luna more. That was totally cool.
I thought Brave was a great movie. Obviously it had amazing music and visuals, which obviously helps a lot. I loved the Celtic feel, the colors, the beautiful landscapes, the awesome accents, and the bit of lore that they started (like mentioned, would have been nice to go into it more.) Overall I thought the feel of the film was amazing and left me with that awesome fantasy world feeling.
As far as plot, that is what seems to be iffy for people. I think a big issue is that people saw its made by Pixar and thought of Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Up, etc. However its really more of a Disney movie, a princess movie more specifically, you have to remember that. Anyway, what makes the really good Disney/Pixar movies awesome for me are special moments that really resonate emotionally. Up had the sweet old couple tear jerker, Wall-E had the innocent robot love, Finding Nemo had the tragic loss of a parent, etc. etc. These are things I think a larger group of people can really get emotional about. In Brave, it was the mother daughter relationship thing. I get the feeling that doesn't resonate with as many people. I'm not saying that if you didn't feel it that you are a bad person or hate your mom or whatever, just saying it may feel too "mushy" or not so significant to many. Yes, I know everyone "gets" it because the mother/daughter theme is everywhere, but maybe not to the deep emotional level that made the movie special for me.
Going back to Disney princess thing... even though yes, Disney wants to make tons of moneys and appeal to as many people as possible, there is still a target audience: kids, lovers of Disney, and those on the Disney princess bandwagon. So I can understand why it may not be as good of a movie to everyone else as it was to someone like me. Other than a few loose ends, I thought the plot was great. I didn't expect many of the things that happened the way they did and was pleasantly surprised. I loved that they tried to make the role of a princess more accurate (compared to the pansies like Snow White, Cinderella, etc) by showing that their lives were very difficult and not all beautiful dresses and prince charmings. (Accurate enough for a Disney movie I mean, go too much farther and you're in Game of Thrones territory :-P).
One more thing, I thought the mother/daughter development was well done. I don't agree with the statement that it was all done with a lame montage. It was way more than that. We see they had a beautiful relationship when Merida was young and princess-ness was out of the way. They have their differences later, and when Merida casts the spell, she immediately feels remorse for what she did, and the change in both of them continues on from there. Their bond grows/repairs from every scene then on until the transformation at the end. The montage fish catching scene was really more about Elinore realizing that Merida's unlady-like traits actually had merit, and became more proud and appreciative of her daughter's unique personality. I thought the scene where Merida addresses all the men was really powerful, where the big realization moment comes. Elinore realizes she shouldn't force her daughter to be like her because she is a wonderful young lady the way she is, and has turned out great. And Merida learns that even though her mom was seemingly being mean and uncaring, it was because she loved Merida and thought she was doing the right thing for her. Through all of this, they revert back to the relationship they had when Merida was young, except of course much wiser and with a bigger bond. I could go on and on but this post is already freakishly long.
(Edit: I forgot to make my point about target audience: I think the ultimate moral of the story - mom remembering that times are different and should listen to her daughter, daughter realizing mom really loves her and is trying to develop daughter into a mature adult ready for the world - is incredibly important for girls of all ages. Thought Disney was great for doing this, instead of focusing on true love, etc. )
Anyway, I thought it was great, and I'll be definitely buying it. I kinda wish everyone else could've had the same experience I had, makes me a little sad to see so many "Meh" feelings on it... but oh well.
Moonrise Kingdom is vying for my favorite film of the year so far and might hold out till the end (that is until The Master comes out). I love Wes Anderson, and this might be my 2nd favorite film of his (the first being Rushmore). Everything that needs to be said about it can be seen in the trailer.
Tonight however, I saw two films...they could not be more disparate from one another...
First one I saw was Dark Horse, Todd Solondz's (Happiness, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and Palindromes) newest film. The trailer does not communicate what the true nature of the film is. It looks like Judd Apatow's latest "man children need to grow up" film (which I find myself getting more and more tired of; more Freaks and Geeks plz) but it is not that at all. If anything, it is a deconstruction of that entire sub-genre of comedy film, and it does it so well to the point that it is genuinely tense and worrying. It does take a little while to digest however, I'll be upfront about that. If you don't think you like it when you come out of it; I implore you to please think it over very carefully because everything in it was there to communicate the fact it was a deconstruction. It isn't the best film I've seen all year, but it is very good in my eyes.
After Dark Horse I actually saw Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter...I'm not kidding. It is the most retardedly awesome film I've seen this year. I might add, that this was one of the first times I intentionally went out of my way to see something like this; whereas in the past I've usually been dragged through hot coals to see these by other people. I simultaneously blame and thank Li_Akahi for infecting me with his film masochism disorder and how it has legitimately affected my movie going habits. So...fuck you very much, Ryan.
I didn't even say the montage was lame, just that it was awfully fast for that amount of character change. If I were writing it as a book, I would have had them have to live together in the woods for a little longer, and have a little more time to develop the character's change of heart, but I understand that there were time constraints involved. I did like when she had the dream of her mom singing to her in Gaelic and those little touches. The mother/daughter relationship was definitely at the core, and that's when the movie really shone. The transformation scene was really moving.
I am happy that young girls get a Princess like Merida. I really like the whole "I forge my own destiny" message. With all the girl-with-a-bow type things we have been seeing in various media, how many kids are going to be like me when I was a kid, all obsessed with getting to do archery? The scene where she is riding while doing archery is a very exhilarating scene too, and when she climbs the falls? Wow!
I'm happy for the people who got a lot out of the movie (and there's a good majority on both sides), but it just didn't click for me in several, SEVERAL ways. And I would also admit that a lot of people have expectation for this Pixar movie because it really felt like it would be an epic. Much of the movie was just far too cliched with the story, and it's a story I've seen several in lots of TV/Movies. But while Pixar is usually great at telling you messages you didn't think of or telling the same story in a completely new way, Brave fails at that because it doesn't explain the purpose of several of the actions or motivations in the film.
And for the characters, it was really hard for me to like Merida and Elinore simply because of the lazy/rushed/complicated writing because there's so many moments where these characters could have stopped what they were doing. (Because I understand the behind-the-scenes issues.) Other than King Fergus, no one really had much character, especially those annoying triplets. I thought the triplets could have made for a great contrast to why Merida is so frustrated, but they are only used for gags.
The more I think of Brave, the more I just think about how there are so many other animated films I've seen before that are better, or do the same story about miscommunication, or have a similar ending.
I watched Easy A yesterday. I really liked it. The female main lead was very intelligent and snarky. And her family was equally awesome.
I saw the Lincoln/Vampire deal this weekend. It was, of course, highly illogical, completely ridiculous, and wildly inaccurate. For instance, if someone didn't know anything about Lincoln, they'd think he only had one child, because Willie was the only child featured in the movie while Tad and Robert were completely ignored. Also, many physical things that happened were completely impossible. For instance, a person might be able to drive an automobile through the wall of a house, but a person cannot drive a horse-drawn cart through the wall of a house.
Further, there was a problem of battlefield logistics that doesn't even bear thinking about. Suffice to say that a small group of people cannot transport a tremendous amount of military hardware made completely of silver to a battlefield almost one hundred miles away by hand and foot over the course of a single night.
However, it was a very good, very fun movie, and it did a very good job of evoking the time period. Believe me - I know. I felt like I was back home.
Additionally, getting one actor to do a bunch of movies can be very expensive for a studio.
Thirdly, Spiderman 3 left a very bad taste in many people's mouths, so they're trying to get away from that.
I agree Spiderman 3 wasn't so hot. Mostly because they didn't give Venom proper treatment. Too many villains in one movie, probably.