Films...a new personal record
Jan. 14th, 2013 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
furtechI saw six movies in a month! Not really a record, but I haven't done that in -years-! I may still sneak out to see Lincoln and Breaking Dawn.
Skyfall
I'd heard some buzz that this is the best James Bond film in years (decades). They are correct: this film is awesome.
Hotel Transylvania
My favorite animated film of the year. Genndy Tartakovsky's touch is all over this film. I expected to be annoyed at the human nerd, the werewolf characterizations, and the fat-stupid-doofy characters. To my surprise, I was not. Genndy has incredible skill with character and story. The plot moves smoothly forward and the characters are (for want of a better word) charming. They never cross that line into annoying, even the Adam Sandler character (this is the first Sandler film I've ever loved). Excellent film.
Wreck It Ralph
A close second for favorite animated film of the year. It was directed by Rich Moore: at CalArts he made a trilogy of short films titled, "Ed". Absolutely brilliant. My second favorite CalArts student film(s) of all time. My favorite CalArts student film is "Bring Me The Head of Charlie Brown," by the animator Jim Reardon. Coincidentally, Reardon has a writer's credit on this film. Both animators are famous for their work on Simpsons and Futurama and their character skills are prominent in WIR. This film is a lot of fun.
Rise of the Guardians
More high-falootin' than the other two and with a solid, if cliché, story. I enjoyed it.
The Hobbit
Okay, up front: I was obsessing about the Wargs. I hated their design in the LotR films. Trailers seemed to show wolf-ier creatures, but reports were mixed. Result: I was happy enough with them. At least they were more-or-less wolf-shaped. They did not overtly speak, but they weren't as butt-stupid as the hyenadons of LotR.
The film itself? Lots of fun. Someone on LJ said that you would enjoy The Hobbit more if you thought of it like watching a mini-series and they are right. Me, I liked the pacing and detail: The Hobbit as a book is the sort that I used to luxuriate in reading: books I loved so much I didn't want them to end-- so I'd re-read passages and linger over chapters to draw it out. The film managed to do this without feeling like padding. So much to see, so much to enjoy.
Les Mis
Loved this. Spectacular visuals to go with a powerful story. The opening scene alone is worth the price.
There were two ways they could have gone with this film adaptation: make it more cinematic, with fewer songs or capture the musical, all the songs and concede episodic/theatrical-scene pacing. I am so glad they went with the latter: there are plenty of great films and series based on Hugo's books, but the musical is unique. Amazingly, the songs are recorded -live- on set! There is a grittiness and a decidedly theatrical sound to the songs. Possibly my favorite live-action film of the year...and definitely gets on my "Best Film Adaptation of a Musical" top ten list (which only has about seven entries...so few musicals make the jump to the big screen gracefully).
Note: for the longest time I thought Tobe Hooper was the director. I was baffled. How did the director most famous for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" land this job?!? Where did he acquire such cinematic skills...then I looked it up. *facepalm*
As for trailers, there are two that interest me: The Last Stand (Ahnold S. pic) and Pacific Rim. Ever since The Wild Bunch and Ride the High Country, I've loved the trope of aging heroes persevering. Will it have the necessary, "I'm too old for this..." line? Probably...but I look forward to this film.
Pacific Rim: omg. They pegged me. Yes, it's CG monsters. But it's giant robots battling giant monsters! I'm already tempering my expectations, though. As usual with American films like this, I suspect that it will be too long on talking and too short on battling monsters.
Skyfall
I'd heard some buzz that this is the best James Bond film in years (decades). They are correct: this film is awesome.
Hotel Transylvania
My favorite animated film of the year. Genndy Tartakovsky's touch is all over this film. I expected to be annoyed at the human nerd, the werewolf characterizations, and the fat-stupid-doofy characters. To my surprise, I was not. Genndy has incredible skill with character and story. The plot moves smoothly forward and the characters are (for want of a better word) charming. They never cross that line into annoying, even the Adam Sandler character (this is the first Sandler film I've ever loved). Excellent film.
Wreck It Ralph
A close second for favorite animated film of the year. It was directed by Rich Moore: at CalArts he made a trilogy of short films titled, "Ed". Absolutely brilliant. My second favorite CalArts student film(s) of all time. My favorite CalArts student film is "Bring Me The Head of Charlie Brown," by the animator Jim Reardon. Coincidentally, Reardon has a writer's credit on this film. Both animators are famous for their work on Simpsons and Futurama and their character skills are prominent in WIR. This film is a lot of fun.
Rise of the Guardians
More high-falootin' than the other two and with a solid, if cliché, story. I enjoyed it.
The Hobbit
Okay, up front: I was obsessing about the Wargs. I hated their design in the LotR films. Trailers seemed to show wolf-ier creatures, but reports were mixed. Result: I was happy enough with them. At least they were more-or-less wolf-shaped. They did not overtly speak, but they weren't as butt-stupid as the hyenadons of LotR.
The film itself? Lots of fun. Someone on LJ said that you would enjoy The Hobbit more if you thought of it like watching a mini-series and they are right. Me, I liked the pacing and detail: The Hobbit as a book is the sort that I used to luxuriate in reading: books I loved so much I didn't want them to end-- so I'd re-read passages and linger over chapters to draw it out. The film managed to do this without feeling like padding. So much to see, so much to enjoy.
Les Mis
Loved this. Spectacular visuals to go with a powerful story. The opening scene alone is worth the price.
There were two ways they could have gone with this film adaptation: make it more cinematic, with fewer songs or capture the musical, all the songs and concede episodic/theatrical-scene pacing. I am so glad they went with the latter: there are plenty of great films and series based on Hugo's books, but the musical is unique. Amazingly, the songs are recorded -live- on set! There is a grittiness and a decidedly theatrical sound to the songs. Possibly my favorite live-action film of the year...and definitely gets on my "Best Film Adaptation of a Musical" top ten list (which only has about seven entries...so few musicals make the jump to the big screen gracefully).
Note: for the longest time I thought Tobe Hooper was the director. I was baffled. How did the director most famous for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" land this job?!? Where did he acquire such cinematic skills...then I looked it up. *facepalm*
As for trailers, there are two that interest me: The Last Stand (Ahnold S. pic) and Pacific Rim. Ever since The Wild Bunch and Ride the High Country, I've loved the trope of aging heroes persevering. Will it have the necessary, "I'm too old for this..." line? Probably...but I look forward to this film.
Pacific Rim: omg. They pegged me. Yes, it's CG monsters. But it's giant robots battling giant monsters! I'm already tempering my expectations, though. As usual with American films like this, I suspect that it will be too long on talking and too short on battling monsters.
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-14 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-14 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-14 11:23 pm (UTC)The Pacific Rim trailer made me laugh because... "Pacific Rim"? Really? That is the most unhelpful title! Another reviewer said it should be called "Robot Jocks" because that's what it is. I like my original theory, though. When I saw the trailer, my very first thought was "Power Rangers remake." Then, Power Rangers = PR = Pacific Rim. :P Should be a fun one to watch, though.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 02:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 04:00 am (UTC)I am also looking to see "The Impossible", to see how well they can carry off a tsunami.
But I was impressed with "Lincoln". Much better than your typical Hollywood costume drama. It is a political adventure; it also has a few humorous moments, especially when ol Abe is confronted with a problem, and starts to spin off one of his little funny stories (even though the story told may not relate in any way to a problem).
What I really liked about it, though, was that the appropriate actors, for once, come across as middle-aged 19th century men, NOT like 21st century actors trying to act and look middle-aged, and with as much of a sense of the 19th century as I have for neurosurgery. The actor portraying Lincoln has a high-pitched, scratchy voice - which is at first startling, as most portrayals give him at least a rich tenor, or resonant baritone - but it fits the character marvelously. I could hear that as Lincoln. And he walks funny, too - not like the marble demigod we associate with the image of Lincoln, but more like a gawky stork. (His law partner, Billy Herndon, wrote than when Lincoln walked about town, he looked like a mechanical contrivance that badly needed oiling). A very human Lincoln - and one you can feel for.
The ONLY sour moment in the whole thing is the revelation of Lincoln's fate; VERY poorly contrived, almost painfully so; it looks like it was spliced in from another movie. It was like a pothole in an otherwise smoothly paved story. You go over it, its very jarring, you bump your head...but then it is gone and behind you. It sucked royally - like it was done that way to save on the budget - or like it was an afterthought, put in at the instigation of an assistant associate producer (that is, a cousin or brother-in-law of a financial backer), just so he can point out that scene to his friends and say, "See that? _I_ contributed that part!".
no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 04:54 am (UTC)*titter*
no subject
Date: 2013-01-15 09:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-19 10:37 pm (UTC)I still need to see Transylvania and Guardians!