Dr. Seuss's The Lorax is Awesome!

Happy Belated Birthday, Dr. Seuss!!! The Lorax is a fantastic thought provoking gem brought to you by the same amazing team that produced Hop and Despicable Me.  We (the audience) are welcomed to the city of Thneedville. A city without any natural fauna and a declining amount of a breathable atmosphere, where the O’Hare Corporation is based on over industrialization to mass produce clean synthetic air packaged in plastic bottles through a musical with an animated dance number.

Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) a young vibrant redhead with an affinity for trees, dreams of the day that she will be able to see a real tree while Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) is as reckless as he is brave, courageous, and encourage able. Ted just wants the girl at any cause. After Audrey proposes that she will marry the person on the spot if he can fulfill her dreams of seeing a real tree. Ted is immediately enthralled by the idea, and he obsesses on finding any information that will lead him in finding the source of his heart’s desire; a living tree for his one and only crush, and the adventure begins.

Ted’s Grammy Norma (voiced by Betty White) fills Ted’s head about the Once-ler (the person of interest), a person who may know something about living trees (the need), and so Ted races out of his house after breakfast on his motorized monocycle to meet the man known as the Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms), leaving the confines of the smog ridden Thneedville. Riding through the dark wasteland riddled with broken machines baring their sharpened blades and fields with tree stumps, Ted arrives to an unkempt house with several stories and weeds decorating the yard.

Ted meets the Once-ler and he gives him the tragic exposition as to what transpired to the trees and how Thneedville was created as well as how the Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito) showed him the errors of his ways.

The engrossing theme of the environmental message of pollution, deforestation, and careless human behavior creates a brilliant relatable discourse packaged in an animation (Family Movie Genre).  There are other themes of the capitalist economic model, corporate greed, the absolute power of corruption and how it corrupts absolutely. The corruption and dangers of a monopoly, especially of its unreasonable control along with the price of inflation while creating a pseudo supply and demand ethic by limiting production while the production of the item harms the environment giving rise to more demand of the product in question. Mr. O’Hare’s (voiced by Rob Riggle) synthetic air company, for example, or today’s topical discursive analysis of the water and power companies, but more in line with gas and its inflated prices.

The performances where all very well voiced and the animation as well as the artwork is amazing the overall grade that give this movie is a B+, but the message of the environment and the dire action that we as residence on this planet must take action if we want to see the organisms on this planet thrive earns this film an A+ grade. Yes, I agree that we must do our part whether if it replanting seeds, recycling, or re-using items. The message hits home. Although the 3D in the film waasn't all that cracked up to be, so if you see it in 2D you are not missing much, but please give this feature a chance. How did you feel about this movie? Did the animated feature spark any time of sentiment or thought?

The Secret World of Arrietty gets Glorified!

Shawn (voiced by David Henrie) is a young man waiting for a new heart, he is sent to his grandfather’s house under the care of his aunt and her housekeeper Hara (voiced by Carol Burnett), and while he is dealing with the anxiety of his mortality, his parents are facing a divorce, so his mother sends him away so that he can rest while she is away on business (are the tears welling up, yet?). Arriving at his new destined location, Shawn catches a glimpse of a young Borrower frolicking in the vast landscape that is yard, but because of Arrietty’s size, is her world.  Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) has become of age to fulfill her initiation of the next level of her life.

She is ready to become a borrower, and the first step in her rite of passage is to borrow some sugar and a tissue. On her first night of her scavenging adventure, Arrietty is accompanied by her father Pod (voiced by Will Arnett).  Pod leads Arrietty through a myriad of labyrinths from the foundation of the house to the kitchen. During the Borrower’s excursion up to Shawn’s bedroom for the tissue, Shawn is wide-eyed and spots Arrietty as she and her father work the tissue from out of the box.

Freezing in shock, Arrietty drops the sugar as she and her father calmly creep back towards their esoteric passages and arrive back home somewhat empty handed. The discovery forces Pod to convince his family of relocation because no one must know that they exist. Hara (the antagonist) discovers the Borrowers’ whereabouts under the house and she manages to capture Arrietty’s mother, Homily (voiced by Amy Poehler). Hara places Homily in a jar, and calls an exterminator to get rid of the thieving pests. Shawn and Arrietty rescue Homily, and he assists them to escape to find Spiller. I feel that I have said too much already, but I have relinquished the details to a minimum. This film should be experienced in the theater. Disney’s greatest business move was the purchase of Studio Ghibli. I give the narrative an A- and the art as well as the art direction an A++. This film is an instant family classic.

Studio Ghibli does it again! In a modern industry filled with the technological, MoCap (motion capture), CGI (computer graphics imaging), and etc…it is really refreshing to take a step back and take in the wonderful craft of hand drawn animation cells. The artistic rendering of the gauche painted backgrounds are simply fantastic and brilliant. The vivid colors and vast landscapes give rise to a visual illusion of depth of field and perspective. The bright colors enrich and further the wonderful experience that is The Secret World of Arrietty.  This epic narrative of fantasy does a great job to manipulate its audience into a myriad of shots where the artist plays with the scale of certain sequences, for example, the scene where Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) is being attacked by the crow, and the crow’s size even matches the scale of Shawn (voiced by David Henrie), and yes, I agree that the scene is important as it pertains to the dangers of the real world, but the exaggeration of size adds to the fantasy.

The narrative follows a linear pattern with light expositions, but the structure is not a predictable formulaic three act journey. This animation is a well thought-out product and not some typical popcorn family roundup, and with that being said, one can enjoy the three dimensional dynamic characters with their distinguishable quirks and mannerisms.

The sound design plays an integral function as well as to show the audience that the protagonists are larger than their actual height. For example, during the sequence when Arrietty’s rite of passage as a borrower, Arrietty finds a pin under an antique hutch, and when she sheathes the pin into her scarlet dress the sound is that of a blade being sheathed.  The voice acting of Will Arnett as Pod (Arrietty’s Father) definitely played against his typical over-the-top cynical roles, but rather, a heartwarming everyday down-to-earth father keeping his family’s head above water as they borrow household goods to survive.

I highly recommend this gem because of its beautifully crafted animation and escapist fantasy. Give this flick a chance; you and your family will not regret it. The only drawback that I have with this fantasy, is that, I had to return to the reality of high gas prices, bombastic media partisan rhetoric, impatient customers, inconsiderate, ill-mannered cell phone users, and day-to-day struggles (yes, I am old).I hope you enjoy this review as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to catch you at the cinema.  

Please let me know what you think if you have seen it? How did you feel about the rich hand drawn animation? What did you feel the film lacked or was it overexposed? Did you like the theme or did you find it too ambiguous? The film is an adaptation of The "Borrowers" by Mary Norton . The screenplay was scripted by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010): released here in the U.S.A. February 17, 2012.

Journey 2 The Mysterious Island, Its a Rental

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, is definitely a rental, please do not go out and spend all that hard earned
cash to see this movie, especially in Real 3D because you will be disappointed. The movie is a linear narrative that is heavily plot driven and lacks depth, emotional investment, and the characters (although in a fictional reality) seem like two dimensional card board cut-outs, and I am a fan of the talented cast, but I spent my time waiting for the talent to blossom, but to no avail.

 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can act, but the story was too confined and the characters had no real room to grow, rather, the character arc seemed really forced. The movie has its good qualities, for example, the background rendering of the production design as well as the special effects are amazing, especially, during the sequence when they find the lost city of Atlantis. Kirsten Davis makes an appearance (and I say appearance because her role in the movie is really small. She is there two times within the entire narrative.), she plays the main character’s mother and she plays a minute role as far as the character’s exposition. I give this film a C- grade because if it was not for the beautiful rendering and the fact that the filmmakers are trying to convey the wonderful imagination of Jules Verne, then I would probably have failed the flick.

The movie is about a snot-nosed affluent brat Sean (Josh Hutcherson) that gets his way (even breaks the law) because his bio-dad has left him and he is in search of his grandfather who has disappeared for well over two years. Hank (Dwayne Johnson), Sean’s stepfather, is an ex-Navy serviceman who bails Sean out at every turn to please his mother, and the boy seems to be enamored by the works of Jules Verne, and the grandfather sends him a Morse coded message that causes Hank to solve it after grounding his stepson, but all Hank wants to do is to bond with this rebellious spoiled brat. After solving the secret message, Hank and Sean rip up three important literal classics to create a map and to gain the coordinates for the mysterious island. Hank asks his wife Liz (Kirsten Davis) for permission to take Sean for this imaginative expedition as a bonding experiment, and with her acceptance, they are off to an island in the south pacific where they meet (the ever so comical)Gabato (Luis Guzman) and his daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens). The four head up to the Mysterious Island in an old dilapidated helicopter where a nasty hurricane swallows them up and spits them out on the island’s shore. The four ventures in and they meet a nasty lizard with a bad attitude to match and the infamous grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine) saves them with his arrogance and wisdom.

The children will enjoy the action sequences, and the comedic elements do not disappoint, but the price of the ticket versus the level of entertainment will, and when the books are a hundred times more fascinating than couple hours of movie, then I suggest that you should save the money order the Kindle versions of the story (since they are free) or wait for this subpar flick to hit Netflix, or the rental shelves of your trusty local place of rentals. Save yourself the time, money and gas. No thanks to this great economy of ours. Till next time, I hope to catch you at the movies. ;)

Please, if you were one of the many that have seen this movie and you would like to vent your frustrations or just add to the ones that I laid out, then leave your comments and concerns? Let me know if you dissagree with my analysis? How do you feel abnout this production? Did you spend that outrageous amount of money just to be extremely disappointed? Do you like Jules Verne?  

Flipper's got Nothing on Winter, Because Winter Takes the Glory!

Dolphin Tale opens up with two cousins Kyle Connellan (Austin Stowell) and Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) at a swim meet. They observe Donovan Peck (Michael Roark) a competitive swimmer qualify his time and is about to break Kyle's record time, and in typical jock fashion, Donovan boasts as to how he will shatter Kyle's records  as well as foreshadow that Kyle will be forgotten in their small town, since Kyle will be lost in battle after joining the military. Kyle announces to Coach Vansky (Rus Blackwell) that he will be leaving in the morning, and Sawyer becomes distraught after discovering the news. During the farewell party, Sawyer being reclusive, locks himself in the garage where he attends to his broken remote controlled scale model helicopter. Kyle walks into the garage and explains to him the value of joining the military, how after his service, he will be able to go to school because the military will pay for his education and how he will be able to train for the Olympics.  Kyle also makes a promise, a promise where he states that he will not abandon him like Sawyer's father has abandoned his family. He just needs to fulfill his contracted service term and everything will revert to how it all used to be. The only thing is that he will be serving his term during the wartime effort. Do you smell irony?

  A level of sadness grips Sawyer because of his cousin Kyle's departure. When at school Sawyer becomes bullied and he seems to have one friend, and due to his failing grades he must make up his classes in summer school. Sawyer does not like school nor does he like his teacher. Riding his bike to to school, he hears an elderly man crying for help after noticing a beached dolphin on the shore. The dolphin (Winter) seems to be tied up with a thick yellow rope that is attached to a cage designed for crustacean fishing. Sawyer calls 911 and the elderly man takes the cell phone while Sawyer attends to the wounded dolphin. Sawyer uses his Swiss army knife given to him by Kyle before he left, to free the dolphin from its life-threatening entanglement while an animal rescue team arrives at the scene and take the dolphin's vitals and weight while using wet towels to maintain a level of moisture to the dolphin's flesh. Sawyer meets Hazel Haskett (Cozi Zuehlsdorff)who is part of the rescue team and notice that he cut the tangled lines. The dolphin is transported top a marine institute where they name the dolphin Winter, and care for her. Sawyer follows the ambulance to the marine institute while ditching school. Sawyer  goes through the back and walks in where Hazel is startled and drops an ice chest full of fish. Hazel introduces Sawyer to her father Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) as well as her grandfather Reed Haskett (Kris Kristofferson).

  

Sawyer's relationship with Winter  creates a bond with Dr. Clay to where he trusts him to stay with Winter and allows him access to the marine institute. Sawyer's mother Lorraine Nelson (Ashley Judd) discovers that Sawyer has been missing school for weeks because he has been volunteering his time in the marine institute. Lorraine pleads to the teacher for an out of class research assignment to make up his grades.  While working in at the marine institute Sawyer is told the news about an accident occurred  to his cousin Kyle. Kyle will not be able to swim competitively again.

During a visit to the V. A. Hospital where Kyle is a patient, Sawyer meets Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) and asks him to design a prosthetic for a dolphin. Dr. McCarthy is intrigued by the request and accepts the challenge meanwhile the marine institute is looking for ways to fund the marine hospital and aquarium. Hazel and Sawyer create a fundraising event after meeting a little girl in a wheelchair that was driven for several hours, so that she could see the awe inspiring dolphin with a missing tale. The little girl inspired hope and help spawn their vision to save the marine institute from being sold to Phillip J. Hordern the real estate business tycoon (Tom Nowicki). Kyle, who was broken after the accident, felt that he was going to help Winter and his cousin Sawyer by getting the media involved to advertise the event as well as involve himself in the spectacle by announcing his return to competitive swimming as he challenged his friendly rival Donovan Peck. The community gets involved as everyone one has been touched by Winter's story and struggle to survive. Dr. McCarthy successfully creates a prosthetic after  several failed prototypes.

Dolphin Tale directed by Charles Martin Smith, is a narrative about second chances, a heart warming story about mending a broken spirit, and a visual spectacle based on true events. Dolphin Tale is written by Karen Janszen and Noam Dromi, I give them kudos for writing a such an inspiring and bold tale. Morgan Freeman's performance is dead on with his witty exchanges and his freshness. Harry Connick Jr. delivers a cool father figure performance as his tenacious character thrives to make sure that he saves the lives of the marine life that is in his care.

 I give this film a B+ grading because the exposition dragged a bit, but by giving the film a chance the story engrossed my family and I as we cheered on the main protagonists and were emotionally invested in Winter's story. If you have not seen it, please do so because of its feel good nature. This is definitely a movie that will move the whole family, and if you can't see it in the theaters, you can definitely catch it On Demand. Please let me know what you think of this flick? Am I wrong in my assessment, please elaborate?

The Adventures of Tintin is Glorified

The Adventures of Tintin, is an amazing tale of a reporter/adventurer (Tintin), who buys a model replica of a ship known as the Unicorn for a pound from an old street merchant, and the mysterious plot unfolds. Immediately Tintin (Jamie Bell) is forewarned from the folly of owning such a ship. Sakharine (Daniel Craig) is introduced and tries to buy the ship from Tintin, but to no avail. The secrets of the small ship cause the villainous Sakharine to lie, cheat, steal, and murder those that get in his way from finding the mysterious scrolls. Snowy (Tintin's dog and trusty companion) chases a cat all through the apartment breaking and knocking things over. Snowy and the cat finally knock the prized replica causing the three masts to break upon impact, and the break releases the silver case and rolls under a wooden drawers unbeknownst to Tintin. Realizing that his apartment has been ransacked, Tintin finds a small silver case holding an aged scroll with a poem inside after moving a large piece of furniture.

There are two Interpol agents Thomson (Nick Frost) and Thompson (Simon Pegg) serve as the comic relief as they blunder about (a-la Pink Panther) looking for a pickpocket that is terrorizing the town in the meantime also serving as another plot point while Tintin is trying to solve the case as to who or why somebody wants the scroll as he gets closer to solving the caper; Sakharine kidnaps Tintin and Snowy follows after him. During Tintin's imprisonment, he discovers a way out and he is introduced to Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) a washed up alcoholic ship captain who hallucinates about being his ancestor Sir Francis Haddock (a scourge of the seas who happens to hold a wealthy cargo aboard the Unicorn). Tintin, Haddock, and Snowy venture about looking for the other two scrolls, and during their quest they are hot on Sakharine’s trail to uncover the mysteries of the three scrolls.

The screenplay written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish pay tribute to a classic comic book series created by Herge. Steven Spielberg returns to form in this Adventurous Family Tour-de-Force. Spielberg's experience along with the advanced technology broadens this fantastic narrative. The uncanny editing skills of Michael Kahn are fabulous as he dissolves scenes flawlessly and juxtaposes images together seamlessly. The film is well paced and it almost felt that the film was short as they leave the spectators hanging for a sequel.  John Williams’ score pulls you in with its impromptu jazz in the beginning along with the nostalgic animation of the classic comic strip characters flowing with the score. The Adventures of Tintin is a breath of fresh air with a captivating story.

 I give this film an A+. The Adventure of Tintin is definitely worth a shot, especially, in the theaters, and if you can muster the extra dough, check it out in 3D, for those of you who already saw it, please let me know what you think? What do you think of the shots? Did you get emotionally attached to any of the characters? What was your favorite scene? If you took your family, what was their response?