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.

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?

Spy Kids take the GLORY.

 Robert Rodriguez does it again. This is a great  family movie to not only add to the collection, but one to watch with the whole family because of its wonderfully instilled family values, and moral compass to choose good over evil. The film opens up with a very pregnant Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) fighting a gang of thugs lead by Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven). Marissa zip-lines to safety after a bomb is set off, and she ends up having to go through a high speed chase all the while keeping track of her contractions as she his stalling the birth of her child moments longer to assail the perp.
After the birth of Marissa's baby, she decides to retire from the OSS. One would think that Marissa has it all...married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, a new baby and intelligent twin step kids. Trying to mother Rebbecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook), who clearly don't want her around, is her toughest challenge yet. Also, her husband, Wilbur (Joel McHale), wouldn't know a spy if he lived with one, since Marissa is a retired secret agent. Marissa's world is turned upside down when the maniacal Timekeeper threatens to take over the planet and she's called back into action by the head of OSS, home of the greatest spies and where the now-defunct Spy Kids division was created.

 With Chaos ensuing, Rebbecca and Cecil are thrust into action and a cooperative adventure when they learn that their boring stepmother was once a top agent, and now the worlds most competitive ten year olds are forced to put their bickering aside and rely on their wits with a little help from a couple of very familiar Spy Kids, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara). Bringing forth some mind-blowing gadgets, as they struggle to save the world and possibly bring their family together. Marissa brings a whole new concept of bringing your child to work as she straps her baby in and goes into battle to save her step children. This is a great way to pass the torch to new characters and to keep the franchise alive.  This movie is filled action and adventure that will satisfy the appetites of the young and old. Sure the theme of having all the time in the world to vanquish evil while rescuing the world is good, but the value making time for your children is golden. The Aroma-scope was the only downfall with this pic because it did not work, especially, since the first three scratch and sniff portions of the card smelled the same, but the fact that one has the option to smell it if they want top is a plus. There were a lot of bodily gross out humor sprinkled throughout the film and a tad bit overboard on the fart gags, but all in all, Good film. I sincerely give it a B+. Let me know what you think or what's your take? Do you agree or disagree?  

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. You will be Afraid (Glorify)

Attention all Dark Fantasy and Horror enthusiasts! Finally, a good rated R flick, it’s about time, I tell you!

The narrative opens up with a buggy driver (Bruce Gleeson) dropping off a housekeeper (Edwina Ritchard) at the Blackwood house. The housekeeper dusts the books off in the library and has a meal freshly prepared for Blackwood (Garry McDonald). The housekeeper calls to Blackwood as she proceeds to go down into his study, but no answer. She calls to him again and we see a shadow on the ground revealing the presence of Blackwood, but again no answer until she begins to walk away from the room. She creeps slowly down the steps looking vigilantly and terrified, and then missing a step, she tumbles down smashing head against the concrete while the dark atmosphere is filling with disembodied voices, and the film cuts to the present inside of a BMW, and we are introduced to the three main characters of the narrative: Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison), Kim (Katie Holmes), and Alex (Guy Pearce). Sally is a curious little girl that is suffering from depression due to her parent’s divorce. Sally is sent to live with her father Alex who buys old mansions so he can restore them and then turn around and sell them while Kim (Alex’s girlfriend) is an interior decorator who is having a hard time trying to befriend Sally. The three main protagonists arrive at the mansion and Alex introduces Sally to Harris (Jack Thompson), who is the head contractor and groundskeeper. Sally is given a tour throughout the manor and she is shown to her bedroom. Sally decides to sleep early in her new bed while her father shows her how to use her new night light. Sally can hear her father and Kim fooling around through the vents.

Sally can hear her name being called, so she follows the voices to an area behind the house where Harris finds her and tells her not to return to that place again. Alex and Kim are alarmed to find Harris manhandle his daughter as he tells Alex his concerns. Sally insists on there being a basement in the house, and she shows her father the window leading bellow. Grabbing a sledge hammer, Alex smashes through a hollow space in the wall under the stairs where they find a secret door, and they proceed to walk down the steps and look at Blackwood’s study and work area. Sally is focused on the bolted furnace door. Her curiosity and carelessness unleashes the ancient race of fairy like creatures that thrive on human bones. Sally became mesmerized by the beings then she became extremely terrified, and she wants to protect her family but she has to convince her skeptical father that these creatures exist.

The film gets an A! I have not seen anything that terrifying and mesmerizing since William Blatty’s The Exorcist.  You want to look away, but your sadist masochist nature forces your gaze towards the terror. Guillermo Del Toro’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a tour-de-force of suspense and terror, especially, since the film will captivate and ensnare the audience from the opening exposition of a Victorian era. Guillermo Del Toro dives into a story, setting, and suspense of Lovecraftian proportions, even though, the creatures in the story are of miniature stature, the damage and violence in numbers supersedes their size. The architectural structure of the Blackwood house is very creepy and gothic as it comes to life as a character as well as a setting. The sound was just as terrifying as the visuals. Great use of mise-en-scene, the blue and yellow filters gave the film a dark and a hazy setting while the sound took the film to another ethereal level, especially, with all of the voices and whispers. The lighting and the use of shadows were a work of art, especially, during the visuals of the creature’s eyes refracting light in the darkness. The acting is really impressing creating such a dark mood while creating a colorful array of character flaws and strength in a modern age is feat to reckon with. One begins to care and empathize with the characters, amazing. The writing is captivating and filled with emotion causing the narrative to move flawlessly throughout its allocated time. The film did not feel rushed, nor did the scenes seem out of place. The tension and suspense is cleverly worked and well crafted, and I have a feeling that if I watched those same scenes I would still jump up and cringe with ghastly terror. Thanks to the direction of Troy Nixey, the writing of Guillermo Del Toro and Mathew Robbins, this frightening remake will cause me to sleep with a flashlight near my bedside tonight. I highly recommend this film. If you have seen it, please let me know what you think? How did it make you feel? Did you care about any of the characters or not? 

Captain America gets the Glory!

Avengers Assemble! This film needs to be glorified! Jack Kirby and Joe Simon would be amazed to see their hero (they created Captain America in 1941) in all his glory. I will have to admit that this film exceeded my expectations, especially, after seeing the horrible Captain America (two part television movie from 1979) or the Roger Corman-esque low budget Captain America, directed by Albert Pyun (released Dec. 14^th, 1990). Chris Evans performance is believable and his remarkable likeness to the comic book hero is uncanny; he was well casted for this role. Captain America: The First Avengers, directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely pays an amazing tribute to the creators of Captain America and the fans. Now, this is a true family movie, a film that my family and I could watch without covering the eyes of my children or hesitation. Sure there were some moments where there was use of foul language by Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), but it was part of the character’s personality and it was not too offensive. The editing is clean and smooth. For example, there is a scene where Captain America (Chris Evans) is going to be mooned by a soldier as he is about to pull his pants down, the scene cuts away to the USO girls walking on stage. The technique of suggestion was a wise choice. Although the narrative was not compelling, thought provoking, or an extreme work of art. The narrative is very entertaining, definitely a fun popcorn movie that interweaves the other Marvel Superhero sagas like: Thor, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2, for the upcoming Avengers movie. (Definitely stay after the credits, so that you can see the unofficial trailer for the Avengers)

During the opening of the film sequence, the shot with the group of explorers walking up to an unidentifiable object seemed very classic, and that directorial approach caused me to follow along the camera pan with my eyes towards the object and slowly pull me in. An explorer slides down a rope after a laser drill cuts a circular hole through the ice with a turquoise beam of light. After the second explorer slides down, they creep through the hull of what seems to be some type of aerospace craft. They walk up towards a chair and brush off some snow off of what seemed to be a block of ice, and they notice an object inside the block, it would seem to be Captain America’s shield, then the film cuts to a flashback. I do not want to ruin the movie for any of you, especially, going in and dissecting scene after scene, spoiler after spoiler, but these series of shots really captivated and kept me in the movie.

The flashback sequence of the 1940s was really cool too, and I liked the fact that they kept that 1940s dialogue approach, making the world seem more authentic as well as the sets were dressed to look like the forties, and the characters were dressed in forties couture, and the cars were that of the 1940s models. The juxtaposition of the science fiction technology of the future with technology of the forties, gave rise to the age old argument of modern versus post modern ideology of the fifties and sixties. The dream of the flying car, rocket ships, microwave ovens, and televisions as well as the Stark Industry’s World Expo sponsored by Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) which was alluded to in Iron Man 2. The Expo scene introduces Howard Stark as a playboy like his son Tony and (in later sequences) also gives rise to his reckless nature. I would have to add that the scenes where the characters are watching the military propaganda before the featured film of the era were a nice touch. What I really enjoyed was the introduction of the Howlin’ Commandos, seeing them in action was like seeing them pop out of the comic-book pages. If you definitely want to check out a family flick that everyone can enjoy then check out Captain America: The First Avenger, neither your wallet nor your family should be disappointed.  The film makes one feel proud to be an American as well as patriotic. Nothing is more American than creating a hopped up super-soldier on steroids to fight a bunch of bullies while saving the ideals of freedom. Three cheers for the underdog or should I say, the little guy. This flick had a little bit of Americana, but the apple pie. What did you think about the film?