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Showing posts with label children's film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's film. Show all posts

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Adventures of Tintin

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  Based on a combination of stories from the Belgian comic books, a young journalist named Tintin buys a model ship from a flea market, and suddenly people are trying to kill him and steal the ship, which leads him on a journalistic adventure to find out what is so special about this little ship.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Cary Elwes, Daniel Mays, Mackenzie Crook, Gad Elmaleh, Tony Curran, Kim Stengal, Enn Reitel, Joe Starr

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  PhotobucketProceed with Caution. I spent most of the movie wondering who the target audience was supposed to be.  If it's supposed to be for grown-ups, then making it live-action would've made the action-adventure parts more exciting.  And if it's supposed to be for little boys, then why is one of the main characters a drunk?

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:  For once I can say, I preferred the book.  I remember reading these as a kid, and I remember them being funny-- especially those twin cops Thomson and Thompson. Even with one of my favorite comedy teams (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) in the roles, this is not.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  I felt like crying for poor little Tintin because the way they animated it, he looks about 14, so when he gets lost at sea and then lands in a foreign country without his mommy and daddy, I worry.  Turns out-- and I had to have this explained to me-- that he's in his low twenties.  I'm not a fan of the look they chose for him.  He doesn't look old enough to be a journalist, and more importantly, he doesn't look like Tintin.  It's animated!  You could've made him look exactly like he does in the books.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  The Award for 2011 goes to Belgium!  Between this and The Smurfs, Belgium is really positioning itself this year to look like more than just the European Canada.

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  Once again, my favorite actor is the dog.  But in comparison to the live-action dog in The Artist, who I've heard has people campaigning for his eligibility in the Best Supporting Actor category, this dog is nothing more than a drawing.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  The choice to do this animated originally made sense to me, because the comic book lends itself to animation.  But the choice to do the animation using motion capture, so that the characters end up looking  semi-human, without  looking anything like their drawn counter-parts mind-boggles me.  Now that I've seen it, I think they should've gone with live-action  -- which was Spielberg's first instinct, once again proving the point that you should always listen to your gut.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  Tintin is such a goody-two-shoes, that his character is boring, and never gives you any sense that he might mess up, or not figure something out.  In other words, there's no suspense. 

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A:  Spielberg isn't the only master of his craft to deliver less than stellar results here, composer John Williams also creates a score that is beneath him.  The music itself is fun and light, and would probably make good listening if you were sitting around in your library smoking your pipe, but put up against this movie, it just feels wrong.  In the opening credits for example, twice as much action is in the music than in the images on the screen.  And in the rest, it would've served the movie to have music creating a greater sense of suspense in the parts when the story did not.  It's cheating, but it's exactly what makes renowned composers like John Williams so great at their jobs.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Adventures of Tintin Trailer

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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Gulliver's Travels 3D


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A slacker named Gulliver (Jack Black) gets transported through the Bermuda Triangle to the Land of Lilliputia, where he is a giant compared to the size of the inhabitants. There, he reinvents himself by lying about his importance back home in Manhattan, and pretending that the plots of famous movies are actually true stories about his life. Through this experience, Gulliver gets to find out what it feels like to not be such an aimless loser.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Chris O'Dowd, T.J. Miller, Catherine Tate, James Corden, Emmanuel Quatra

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. I know most people will hate this movie, but the three 6-year-old girls I met in the elevator loved it, and I'm pretty sure that's who it was made for... Boy are they gonna have a rude awakening when they watch it again in 20 years to see if it holds up to their childhood memories!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes... If you're six. Possibly not if you're one of their parents and you don't like it when your six-year-old is forced to watch an extended scenes of a grown man/giant pulling down his pants and peeing on everything.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I felt kinda sad for Jack Black as I was watching it. He's a fellow Bruin TFT'er, so I want to see him succeed, and this movie isn't gonna play any part in that.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: If the piece of trivia I read online is correct, Emily Blunt backed out of Iron Man 2 to do this movie. I'm pretty sure that qualifies her for the Best Casting Fail Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It's deliberately over-the-top stylized... Just like a six-year-old wants it.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The visuals, almost exclusively models and special effects are beautiful and make you wish you could be there, in Lilliputia, but there's no need to see any of it in 3D. The only reason I did was that it would've cost me more in time and gas money to drive to the closest movie theater that was playing it in 2D. Trust me, I did the research and the math.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I haven't seen any of the 3 theatrical, 2 straight to video, or 3 made for TV movies and series that this is a remake of, so I have no grounds to compare... But logic dictates that if the first few versions of this story are anything like the one I just saw, it never would have gotten remade 8 times.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Gulliver's Travels Trailer

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ramona and Beezus


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the Beverly Cleary novels, Ramona is just about the most independent, unorthodox, original 9-year-old there is. Unfortunately, when a girl can't fit in, even when she tries to, it can make for some pretty embarrassing elementary school moments.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Jason Spevack, Sierra McCormick, Sandra Oh, Hutch Dano

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. At first it's unclear what the story is about, but it maintains your interest because the main character is terrifical!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The comedy is soft but delishus.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The last 15 minutes will have you welling up over and over again for one reason and then the next... Hell, no! I didn't allow no tears to actually drop!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Ineptly Titled film of the year. Why is it called Ramona and Beezus when it should simply be called This Movie is About Ramona, and Only Ramona, So Help Me God?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: What a star! Joey King as Ramona is extraordinary. Spelled E-X-T-R-A-O-R-D-I-N-A-R-Y. See I can use Ms. Meacham's words in a sentence, too... Okay, I admit, I looked it up on dictionary.com.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There are some partially animated imagination sequences that bring the directing to a slightly higher level than one might expect from a movie targeting 8-year-old girls.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I know I read some Ramona books, though I'm pretty certain that I didn't read this one, and I'm even more certain that it's been almost 30 years since the last time I picked one up (yes, I learned to read 5 years before I was conceived), so I can't say if it's true to the book or not. What I can say is that the last 20 minutes are good enough to make up for the lack of direction in the first hour and a half.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/ramona-and-beezus/31195/trailers

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Monsters vs. Aliens 3D

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young woman (Reese Witherspoon) gets hit by a meteor on her wedding day, and suddenly becomes the 50 foot woman. Now she must save the world from an alien attack.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Who isn't? Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Julie White, Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, plus Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski in parts so small, I don't even remember who they were! Can anyone tell me who the characters named Katie and Cuthbert were?

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. Although it is entertaining and without flaws, this alien invasion will not blow you away.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Seth Rogen is in it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Before the wedding there's a touching moment where the main character's father cries a little at the thought of having to give her away. It reminds me that this is the perfect opportunity to say, "I love you, Dad!"

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Well it's not Pixar, which naturally reduces its chances of winning an Oscar in the animation category to zero, but considering it made almost $60 million on its opening weekend, it's certainly good for a nomination.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I was impressed at how many of the actors managed to make their voices unrecognizable by using unlikely accents to portray their characters. Among them, Rainn Wilson doing an evil British accent, Kiefer Sutherland doing a militant southern accent, and Amy Poehler doing a computer.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I sprung for the 3D version, and I have to say there aren't nearly enough 3D effects to justify the extra $3.50. I counted only 5 moments where they really took advantage of the medium, and 2 of them were in the first minute of the movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story is fine, but I think it's high time we get clear on what officially qualifies as a "Monster." Because while they are certainly freaks of nature, from what I can see each of them is a person or thing that got in a freak accident that caused them a mutation, which gave them superhuman powers, thereby propelling them into a life of fighting crime. And in our culture, that's the definition of a "Superhero."

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/monsters-vs-aliens/28117/trailers

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