Movie Reviews By Movie Reviews Pro

Greenberg

Rating:

Movie: The Secret of Kells (2009)

Studio : Les Armateurs Vivi Film Cartoon Saloon

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 75 min

Website : thesecretofkells.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/videoxcupae

Review:

Set in the Dark Ages of Ireland, young Brendan lives in the great walled community of Kells. He has never gone beyond those walls, for fear of Viking raiders who have been pillaging villages and monastaries as of late. When the sole survivor of the island abbey of Iona comes bearing a book of legends so beautiful in pages that it scares sinners away, Brendan finds an artistic side to him that demands to go beyond the limitations placed on him to finish the incomplete book.

The animation itself is a deceptively simple style. The characters are not so much created out of simplicity as it is to make them flow with the pace of the story. As you go further in, the art style begins to show more of its medieval roots, often framing scenes or playing as natural backgrounds seamlessly with the action. It is not unlikely to think of this movie flowing the same way your eyes do watching the patterns of a tapestry or, in this case, the illuminated script of what would become one of Ireland’s greatest treasures.

If there is anything that made me troubled at this film, it’s the unnecessary politically correct direction taken. Brendan’s other fellow brothers are a multitude of ethnicities. The ethnicity shows no real purpose for this whitewashing other than legal purposes and an accessory accent. Thankfully, these issues also don’t seem to detract too much either from the point of the tale.

Although this film is only 75 minutes, it doesn’t feel too short. It actually paces well and feels like it’s much longer at points. This is not a bad thing, as the film completes itself gracefully from start to finish without a moment of awkwardness or padding in-between. If anything, it’s a nice change of pace from the normal fare expected in terms of animation. I would not only recommend seeing this in theater, but will look forward to seeing it again shortly.

-Donald Lee

Adventure, Animation, In Theaters

Titan AE

Rating:

Movie: Titan AE (2000)

Studio : Twentieth Century Fox

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 95 min

Website : N/A

Trailer :http://www.dailymotion.com/videox3qht7

Review:

Year 2000: one of the most technologically advanced animated films was released, by 20th Century Fox. Directed by Don Bluth, famous for such movies as Disney’s ANASTASIA, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN, and THE SECRET OF NIHM, TITAN A.E. is an animated film that is littered with great talent led by Matt Damon (of TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE and EUROTRIP fame), Bill Pullman (CASPER) John Leguizamo (SPAWN), Nathan Lane (THE PRODUCERS), Janeane Garofalo (MYSTERY MEN), and Drew Barrymore (E.T.).

Though it wasn’t the first movie to explore computer animation (from memory, that honor would be TRON), it used the animation as more than just a vehicle of fancy. It served as an incredibly important piece of what makes TITAN AE the movie that it is.

With a view of the stars, the hero, Cale’s (Damon) father speaks in retrospect to his son about the reason society is in its current, restless state, mostly blamed upon the alien race, the Drej, a glowing blue, energy based race of beings which were entirely animated digitally. Because of the creation of the unexplained Titan, the Drej attacked the Earth. As the ship’s creator Cale’s father takes the Titan into orbit, leaving Cale in the arms of Tek, an alien as a godfather of sorts. Both the Titan and the ship housing Cale and Tek make it into outer space before the destruction of Earth.

Fast forward 15 years. Cale works in space salvaging junk. Because humans have no home world, humans are considered second class citizens. Cale is attacked and rescued by Korso (Pullman) who tells Cale that he is humanity’s last hope against the Drej. Cale, Korso, and crew embark in search of the Titan.

What I find the most incredible about TITAN A.E. are the details. Every time a character with any amount of hair turns, their hair moves in congruence with the rest of their action. Their clothes hang naturally on their bodies, and when Cale is injured, his wounds bleed progressively through his bandages

The one lacking part is the story. It’s too much the same as so many of its processors. There is great potential, but in the end, it doesn’t deliver.

For the majority of audiences, TITAN A.E is a watch, not a buy, but it is worth the watch, as at the very least, it’s an entertaining ride.

-M. Sigurd Hall

Adventure, Animation, On BLU-RAY, On DVD, Sci-Fi

The Princess and The Frog

Rating:

Movie: The Princess and The Frog(2009)

Studio : Walt Disney Animation Studios

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 97 min

Website : disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/videoxaghsp

Review:

Set in New Orleans (or “N’awlins” if you’re a local), Disney’s newest “Princess” is anything but that. Tiana is not a girl who makes demands but fulfills them. She is a workaholic who loves her parents enough to make it all she ever thinks about. Her goal is not a fantastic dream, but the American dream: starting her own restaurant where the world will come and acknowledge her late father’s cuisine.

Her foil is a prince who is comparable to the villainous Gaston from Beauty and The Beast. As royalty, he cares only to entertain himself, and to woo women. When he is cut from his parent’s fortune with an ultimatum to marry into a rich family, he immediately accepts until he encounters a Shadowman (voodoo magician) with plans of his own. It is only their adventure along the way that slowly lets these two understand what they actually wanted and needed in life.

This film is so different from what you would expect out of Disney that I consider it a welcome surprise. One point I particularly like to point out is Tiana’s best friend Charlotte, who is not only someone who shares a mutual friendship with her, but is not the rival you would expect these kind of movies would shape her into. Even more surprising, there is actually a subtle suggestion of racism from one of the characters that gets in the way of Tiana’s dream. To be frank, even the idea of an interracial relationship may not seem very daring these days to a generation that grew up past Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, but in my eyes it’s another surprise from a conservative company like Disney.

Originally, I was led to believe that this film was going to be totally cel-drawn, but then found out that it was not totally done that way, and I’m glad. There are certain scenes in the film that could only be done with CGI without looking messy. That aside, everything about this film melds together and you really feel this tapestry of N’awlins as you are guided along.

After dealing with a lineup of films that included such awful ideas like an endless torrent of Dwayne Johnson movies and show-inspired teeny bopper fodder, I am glad Disney has finally come to their senses and brought something not only a little more daring, but something that everyone can enjoy for once that doesn’t have a Pixar logo on it.

-Donald Lee

Animation, Family, In Theaters 2009, animated film, daring disney films, disney, Family, princess, princess & the frog, return to Disney's roots

9

Rating:

Movie: 9 (2009)

Studio : Relativity Media

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 81 min

Website : Official 9 Site

Trailer :http://www.dailymotion.com/videox7ty3i

Review:

I’ve seen burnt-out radioactive wastelands, cities crumpled to ashes from the lasers of flying saucers, jungle-clad skyscrapers of dead cities, and giant biblical meteors/volcanoes/global warming ready to take out 95% of the human population. Out of all the end-of-the-world scenarios I have seen, I did not expect to find a film that would center on a dead 30’s-era fascist empire, let alone one that was animated and has no steampunk elements in it.

Shane Acker’s vision is quite intricate right down to the very aperture blades of his protagonists’ eyes. Character designs for the film are fantastic and I spent a fair amount of time fascinated looking at the character models and the way they interacted with a lightly stylized but palpable end of the world. 9, as well as his eight aptly named automaton brothers and sisters, are the last known forms of sentient “life” in the world. When an arcane device reawakens what destroyed the world (no spoilers!), it is up to them to decide the fate of the world.

As you may tell, the plot is where you will probably find yourself underwhelmed. The acting is not great; that’s not to say it’s not bad either, it just feels very samey: like you’ve seen these character templates before in the same sort of film, complete with a few rehashed one-liners. I do admit to thinking that some characters were more memorable than others, like Martin Landau’s wise but inquisitive #2, but there was nothing really there to keep me interested in their roles.

Perhaps I’m jaded from these sort of movies, or I followed the hype more than I should have. This movie does fulfill a sweet tooth for the person with a taste for eye candy, but I could not really tell you much else that drew me to the film. In short: it’s this year’s Hellboy 2.

-Donald Lee

Adventure, Animation, Fantasy, In Theaters, Sci-Fi 9, Adventure, Animation, sci-fi, tim burton