FRANKENWEENIE - A Review By Philip Josse

Firstly I recently did an interview with Louisa from Eurofash blog, which can be found here!

Well, this was a good weekend, after much grappling over whether to watch this or the Tree of Life, me and my brother found ourselves watching Frankenweenie, a 3D stop motion horror film from Tim Burton, a little gem which unfortunately slipped under the radar a little. The film is adapted from Tim Burtons 1984 short film, about a boy who attempts to bring his dog back to life after it is hit by a car, which later runs amok creating havoc for the people of New Holland. The film is entirely in black and white, and was converted to 3D in post production, and entirely unnecessary move, which was necessitated by Burton's contractual obligation with Disney.

The film is Tim Burtons love letter to classic monster movies, (in fact various posters for the film were even created with false titles to be parodies of old monster B movies), and contains numerous references to old movies, some of which only die hard movie fans will recognize. The whole of the plot is a light parody of Frankenstein, with the main character having the same name as the titular character, and with the whole plot having a similar idea, and similar themes, albeit with a more comedic, lighter tone. Sparky, victors dog which he brings back to life, has a similar look to Frankenstein's monster, with bolts coming out of his neck, and stitching which is similar to those of the creature. One of Victor's enemies has a similar flat headed look and vacant gaze as the monster, and the final act of the film takes place in and around a windmill, ironically mirroring the end of Burton's Sleepy Hollow, whose final act also took place around a windmill, which was in turn inspired by the end of the original, classic Frankenstein movie. A character also comically falls into an oversize Russian doll wrapped up in fabric, in a visual homage to The Mummy.

Christopher Lee also features in a small cameo as Dracula, in a clip from the classic movie, and one of the creatures which is transformed into a large bat/cat creature, which is finally killed by being impaled, impaling also being the only way in which Dracula can be killed. Elsa Van Helsing's name is an homage to the famed character, and her pet poodle gains a

white stripe in her hair similar to that of the bride of Frankenstein. Edgar Gore's name and appearance is a reference of the stock character of Igor, and the final act of the film references movies such as Godzilla, Jurassic Park and Gremlins. And the school science teacher, voiced by legend Martin Landau, is a visual homage to icon Vincent Price.

The fact that this movie is stop motion is of huge benefit to the success of this film, stop motion, a genre for which i have a huge respect, gives the characters a quirkiness and a gravity which would be absent with generic computer animation. The stop motion here is the best i have ever seen, with production lasting 2 years, and with there being no jerkiness on lag, due to the high number of frames per second. Only the realness of the whole film, the brushstrokes on the faces of characters are a giveaway to the film being stop motion. Visually the film is a treat, and computer animation was used somewhat in creating lightning, electricity and clouds. The town in which Victor lives is also visually somewhat similar to the town in Edward Scissorhands, with the houses being almost identical.

Thematically the film deals with the ideals of good and evil, and the thought that creatures must be created out of love in order to turn out good. Sparky who is brought back to life out of love, is cute and adorable, whereas the other creatures in the movie, who are resuscitated out of greed and mistrust, become evil and ugly, and bear no resemblance to the creatures they were when they were alive. The film also explores the idea of use and misuse of power, and the idea that the power to bring back the dead must be controlled. That when one tries to play god, bad things happen and things go wrong.

In conclusion Frankenweenie is a lot more complex than it may at first seem, and can thus be enjoyed on two levels. My only qualm with this film is that it is not really appropriate or suitable for children, and many may be frightened by some of the creatures and imagery in the film. However for us adults Frankenweenie is stylish and fun, and as a playful parody of classic monster movies, as actually a lot deeper and more intelligent than it may at first seem. Rating: A

Edgar 'E' Gore: Your dog is alive!

Safety Not Guaranteed - The Review

This weeks little gem is a small independent film, Safety Not Guaranteed. This little gem cost only 750 00 dollars to make, and was well received upon release. The film stars Parks and Recreations Aubrey Plaza as an intern who answers an ad, looking for a partner with which to go back in time. The film also stars Mike Duplass and Jake Johnsonn.

The film is about an intern at a Seattle magazine who discovers a personal ad for a man looking for a companion to travel back in time with him. The film was inspired by an actual ad which appeared in a 1997 issue of Backwoods magazine, as a practical joke. The exact ad appears in the movie, and the title of the film is a direct quote from the ad. The film takes place in Washington, and features Aubrey Plaza's character meeting the writer of this ad, and attempting to infiltrate the time travelers life, in order to write an article for her magazine. Upon attempting to infiltrate his life she discovers a part of herself that she never thought existed, and she finds that she is happy. Thematically the film deals with trust and

loss, and what it is like to go back in time, a reporter for the magazine attempts to rekindle a love affair with an old flame, only to find that she has changed, and various characters are asked to confront their reasons for wanting to go back in time, and are forced to decide whether their reasons are justifiable.

Aubrey Plaza is stunning in the lead role, as a young woman who has to confront demons in her past, and who has to let go in order to move forward. Plaza does much of her acting without sound,and she has little dialogue, and does a lot of work with her eyes, and is able to sell the character who has a slack, sarcastic exterior, yet who is not 2 dimensional, and who hides a pain inside.

Part little miss sunshine, part Doctor Who, Safety Not Guaranteed is a delightful and unpretentious indie flick, the film is uncomplicated and honest, and i felt as though at times i had no idea what was going to happen, i wanted to know, and the actors performances where such that i had an emotional connection to these characters, and i wanted to see an end to their trajectory. The film is a fun movie, bolstered by a strong performance by its leading lady. Rating: A

Darius: There's no sense in nonsense, especially when the heat's hot.

My Top 10 cinematic music videos

Well, i decided in a haze that music videos can also be incredibly cinematic, and as thus can be considered cinema, so despite having previously kept this blog to movies and the occasional miniseries, i decided to review the greatest music videos of all time. Click the song titles for videos!

• Alejandro: Beautiful and haunting this is one of the best music videos i have ever seen, the video samples the haunting violin solo and is over seven minutes long, directed by Steven Klein the video is inspired by old photography, and is very saturated, being almost entirely in black and white with very little color and mainly only reds, the film contains some great dancing and is a fantastic homage to Madonna and vintage Steven Klein photography.

• Thriller: One of the greatest music video of all time, creepy dancing and iconic fashion make this a fantastic music video. The video has become the blueprint for the modern music video, and is still as modern as ever. The video is an homage to 1970's sci-fi monster movies, and is a mini-movie with a plot and dialogue, and the special effects are great, and manage to be a little cheesy, without being too ridiculous.

• Girl Gone Wild: A pitifully underrated Madonna video, she references past moments in her career, playing many of the persona's she has taken on over the years, and the black and white imagery is a playful homage to her career. The video features men in stilettos, tilting rooms and smoke effects, and uses fast editing which mimics the pulsating beats of the fast dance number. The video also features Madonna looking the best she has in years!

• S&M: Controversial and in fact banned by MTV this video is fun and flirty, and features Rihanna as her provocative hyper sexual best, colorful the video uses camera pans and wipes, makes smart use of racking shots and uses fast cuts effectively. The video is a fashion homage to bondage fashion of the 1980's of the type favored by Grace Jones, however it gives it a fun twist by being flirty and colorful.

• Telephone: Again a mini-movie this time Gaga continues on the story of the paparazzi video. The 10 minute video contains gaga in prison, waiting for a call from Beyoncé. As always Gaga gives us complete over the top fashion, fantastic dancing and dazzling color. The video is an homage to Bonny and Clyde, and to Tarantino, with Gaga and Beyoncé going on a murderous rampage in the Pussy Wagon, and killing all the customers in a diner, before dancing a bit and escaping the cops before, perhaps getting caught....to be continued.

• Ride: Perhaps a slightly controversial choice, however Ride is a stunningly beautiful music video, with a haunting monologue at the beginning. The video is beautifully understated, and feels natural and unstaged, and shows Lana in the arms of various men, as is described in the song. The video is cinematographically distinct, and i wouldn't be surprised if it was shot on film. The shots have a beautiful romantic look, and overall the video is simply heartbreaking.

• Vogue: Always a classic, this video was one of the first music videos to really show them as an art, and is still as modern today as it was twenty years ago. This film bought vogueing into mainstream consciousness. The black and white video references old movies, and vintage fashion from the thirties, and was directed by David Fincher, acclaimed director of Fight Club, and uses art deco architecture, to create one of the most stunningly beautiful videos of all time.

• Toxic: A video featuring Spears at her fun, flirtatious best, the video features Spears with three different hair colors, and a plot featuring Spears as a James Bond type spy, moonlighting as a hostess on an airplane, the video is one pf Spears best, and although it has sadly been forgotten since its release, it hasn't aged a day, and is still as current as ever.
  

• Invisible Light: a little known video by the Scissor Sisters, the video features none of the bands members, and is a surrealist art film, with thriller and horror elements, in which the song acts as almost a backing track. The video uses muted tones, and slow pans, and features a woman having a series of nightmares inspired by 1950's films, and using colors inspired by Dali paintings, this is a beautiful music video, which stands out from this list.

• BAD ROMANCE: In my mind this is the absolute greatest video of all time, Bad Romance uses a fantastic plot, inspired by the singles Russian industrial music sound, the video features Gaga as a sex slave, being auctioned off, as a doll in a bath house with huge enhanced blue eyes. The video was the first of the modern age to really redefine music videos as an art, and was nominated for a record 13 VMA's, the video is stylish, unpretentious and sleek, and was the first music video event in history, leading artists to tease the release of videos, which had been previously just been released with the song. The video features some of the best fashion featured in a music video since Vogue, and is a stunning tribute to the talents of Alexander McQueen as a designer, and to the music video for thriller, which is referenced in the choreography. Provocative artistic and daring, this truly is Gaga at her very best, and the results are timeless and classic.

 

Diana

The trailer is here for Diana, a film which stars Naomi Watts as the princess of whales, and which seems to cover the period up until her death, however this is not shown in the trailer. The trailer is just an early sneak peek, and thus contains no dialogue, and can only give us an idea of what the film will be like, however i must say that it looks really rather good!

The film attempts to show us behind the facade that was Princess Diana, and attempts to show us the woman who hid behind this facade. The film shows us the good with tha bad, and i like this, the film shows us not only all the good that Diana did, but the bad as well, we are shown the work that she did with land mines and for children with aids, and we are shown the affairs and her many run in's with the paparazzi. The film doesn't show the royal family at all, and seems to show the period after her divorce from Charles. The film stars Naomi Watts as the princess, and she looks to be fantastic in the title role, and her eyes show us the pain of the woman, and the life she led.Her performance seems so good that despite the lack of sound, we empathize with her hugely.

Overall this looks to be a hugely exciting film, and there is rightly already Oscar buzz for Watt's and rightly so, she looks to be fantastic and the film looks already to be hugely exciting, and looks as if it will not be a dry biopic such as some others i could mention! The film looks heartbreaking, and will surely be a must watch even for those not fans of the late princess. Trailer Rating: A

Cornerstones of Gay Cinema

It has been a while since i did a blog post and i decided to do a list compiling the five most important films in the history of gay cinema, in my humble opinion of course!

          5. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A film which was really one of the earliest examples of the genre, and which quickly become a cult classic inspiring a huge fan-base, the film highlights themes such as disillusionment, equality and acceptance, and was my first foray into the world of gay cinema. Tim Curry shines as the delightfully creepy Dr Frank-N-Furter, and manages to be completely heartbreaking and totally funny. It's also just really really camp!

          4. Cabaret: Of course a Liza Minelli film HAD to be on the list, cabaret deals with a little talked about subject, the affect of the rise of Nazism on the gay community, and the immense sexual freedom that was to be found in Berlin during the 1930's. The film was adapted from a novel by gay novelist Christopher Isherwood, and like Rocky Horror, it is also a musical.

        3. Milk: A film documenting the rise to power of San Francisco business owner Harvey Milk to the board of supervisors, and his subsequent murder, a hugely important film about an event which most gay youth will no little about, featuring a stunning performance by Sean Penn, and directed by gay filmmaker Gus Van Sant. The film is a splendid tribute to a truly inspirational man.

          2. The Kids Are All Right: A film dealing with a little talked about subject in the gay community; gay parenting. Starring Julianne Moore and Anette Bening as a lesbian couple raising their two children together, trying to protect their kids from the world and from their children's sperm donor. A delightfully modern film which portrays this community in a neutral realistic way

          1. Brokeback Mountain: Almost Best Picture Winner, global phenomenon, a heartbreaking film about two men living a closeted existence in Wyoming, protecting their love from their wives. Stunning performances from its leads and a beautiful script make this film a stunning timeless watch. Not just one of the greatest gay films in history, but one of the greatest films of all time, and still just as good today.

The Bling Ring - Review

We all have a fascination with celebrity (small exaggeration) however there a re those that take it to the next level. In 2008 a group of Calabasas teenagers started robbing celebrities homes, using Google Earth and twitter, in an attempt to live the glamorous celebrity lifestyle. The Suspects Wore Louboutins was a vanity fair article written by Nancy Jo Sales about the robberies, which was subsequently adapted into The Bling Ring, by acclaimed director Sophia Coppola.

The film shows the totality of the robberies from the moment when our two protagonists meet to the moment they are prosecuted for their crimes. The film is a fictionalization of events, and the characters have different names. The film attempts to show us the motives of these people, and the film is semi-narrated by the main character giving an article to vanity fair. The film describes how these teens were obsessed with reality TV, and this is echoed in the cinematography of the film. The film uses a large number of establishing shots of the main characters houses, which is similar in style to shots used on reality shows, in particular Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

The film is notable for its effective use of handheld cameras, a technique which is often misused and which can often feel forced or pretentious. Here the film is used only to capture the first robbery, and gives it a slightly voyeur feel, and allows the audience to believe that we are watching a real event. The film is cinematographically distinct, and Coppola uses a different style for each robbery. The film is a series of robberies, which could soon get boring and samey however in using a distinct style for each robbery, Coppola keeps the film fresh, and many of the styles are hugely interesting. One of the robberies uses a green tint, which makes gives the film the impression of security footage. The robbery of Audrina Patridge's house takes place entirely from a vantage point above the house, looking through the windows, with no sound, again giving the film a voyeuristic point of view.

We simply must talk about Emma Watson, she is simply fantastic in the role of Nicki, her Kardashian accent is totally down-pat, and she manages to show us a girl who is obsessed by fame, and who steals to satisfy her need, and who gets a kick out of being a small part of these celebrities lives, and who manages to accurately portray a girl who is so superficial, that she hides something darker. The ending of this film seems overlong, and the final sequence seems to me like it should have been an after credits sequence, and that the scene with our protagonist reflecting on what he did from the prison bus is so much more Sofia Coppola than the final ending of the movie, as this end sequence feels too much like a spoof, and is inappropriate after what we have just witnessed.

Overall this film has the hallmarks of a Sofia Coppola movie, with little music and stark bar imagery, yet it successfully manages to provide its audience with a small insight into the motivations and lives of its characters, even if it ultimately provides more questions than answers, and offers frustratingly few conclusions, yet it is buoyed by a strong supporting performance from Emma Watson. Rating: B+

Nikki: I wanna rob!

The Desolation of Smaug - Trailer Review

Well the trailer for the second installment of the Hobbit trilogy is finally here, and it looks like its set to be a fun and exciting adventure. The trailer seems to tell us that the film will take us through the mirkwood forests with the defeat of Smaug being the films conclusion. This tells us that Stephen Fry should appear in this installment.

This film seems to be more action packed than its predecessor. One of my criticisms of this films predecessor was that too much time was spent with gags and getting to know and differentiate the different dwarves, however this film seems action packed, and there looks to be a lot of action. One of the scenes which appears in this film and which is particularly celebrated is the escape from Lake Town in the barrels, which will appear in this film.

This film signifies the return of Legolas to the big screen, with the addition of Tauriel played by Evangeline Lily as mirkwood elves, giving the film a much needed female character, who is not present in the book. The film adds a subplot involving the mirkwood elves, who help in defeating the orcs attempting to capture the dwarves. The film also continues the subplot involving Gandalf and Radagast, exploring the castle in which lies the necromancer, who will ultimately rise to power. My only qualm with this trailer is that Smaug should not have been shown in the trailer, but revealed in the movie, seeing as his appearance was deliberately teased in the first film.

Overall the film looks very good, and looks to solve many of the issues of its predecessor, being more action packed. The bulk of this story takes place in mirkwood, and the elves seem to have a huge presence in  this film, yet it remains to be seen if we will again meet the White Council. Overall this is a fun trailer for what looks to be a hugely exciting film. Trailer Rating: A

 

The Future of Stop-Motion

This year marked the occurrence of an unusual phenomenon at the Academy Awards. This year out of the five films nominated for the Best Animated Feature Award, three of them were stop motion films. Frankenweenie, The Pirates! and Paranorman were nominated, though of course Brave won. Stop motion is a technique which uses models of varying scales and a camera in order to create a moving image. The model is moved slightly between each photo, up to 20 times a second. This is an intensely labourious process, and it can take a week to produce a minute of film.

One of the most famous and celebrated stop motion films is the Nightmare Before Christmas, which is responsible for popularizing the genre and which remains one of the most influential stop motion pictures to this day. The technique provides a distinct look, and adds depth and grounds the animation. There is also generally a quirkiness to stop-motion, and i do not think there is a single stop-motion film which can be accused of being generic, as the films often have unique visual identities and stunning cinematography, it is also a more flexible form of animation, in that it is easier to visualise the sets and the characters,

and easier to visualize the shot than with regular hand drawn animation, where pans and wipes are rarely used.

These films often have darker and more adult stories than regular animated films, they are also normally originals, and are rarely adaptations of fairy tales such as are typical animated films. The reason for their darker themes in my opinion is twofold. Firstly the influence of Tim Burton's work on this sub genre cannot be understated, and The Nightmare Before Christmas remains hugely influential. Secondly the technique of stop-motion lends itself to this kind of story, as the animation tends to look a little more jerky and less smooth, and thus is appropriate for this kind of subject.
 
3D is a technique that is being used more and more with stop-motion, with 'Nightmare' being the first film to be converted to 3D in post production, with subsequent films such as Frankenweenie also using conversion therapy to add a 3D effect. Paranorman on the other hand was shot in 3D, using a specialized rig which moved the camera after each photo, thus taking an identical photo but with slightly different perspective for each photo taken, and it is perhaps the first stop-motion film to be shot in 3D. Paranorman and Coraline also pioneered the use of 3D printers for printing faces, diminishing sculpting time.

Overall stop motion is a hugely exciting form of animation, and one which is only being enhanced with the use of computer generated imagery and 3D shooting. And it is a form of animation at which Tim Burton really does excel.

Un Monstre A Paris

Well, it seems that this film is a paradox in its very essence, a good french animation film. A Monster In Paris is a film set in the 1910's in Paris, and is a tale about two friends, and a nightclub singer who has to hide a giant insect from the authorities. The film is a playful homage to old films, and the protagonist works as a projectionist in a movie theater, and often films his surroundings.

The voice actors are not particularly noteworthy, however talented, except for the two leads. The nightclub singer, Lucille, a woman who hides the fugitive monster, and attempts to gently reject the advances of the chief of police. The monster of the title is played by Sean Lennon, and has no speaking lines whatsoever, but sings some pretty good songs nonetheless. The film contains multiple homages to old movies, most pronouncedly The Phantom of the Opera, and the film uses a beautiful art nouveau inspired animation.

The film is a musical and the songs are a fusion of folk rock inspired and Parisian vaudeville music hall inspired songs, which feel modern yet distinctively french, and which have a timeless feel yet which still hark back to turn of the century France. The film is stunningly animated, and is one of the most beautiful non Disney animated films i have ever seen, with the film using art nouveau inspired art direction, with the characters seeming slightly caricatured, yet not repulsive, and in particular the scene in which Lucille sings with the monster, is absolutely stunning, and is possibly the most beautiful CG animation i have seen in years. Gone is the generic animation used by Dreamworks, and instead we are given something unique and memorable.

Overall I really liked this film, it is a heartwarming homage to old cinema, has a great story and wonderful animation. The story is original and fun, and the climax of the film features some simply beautiful camera angles. The film struggles to find an audience, with it perhaps being too sophisticated for children, and not containing the duality of PIXAR films, perhaps explaining the films disappointing box office returns, however it is a truly original animated film in my humble opinion, and is a heartfelt love letter to classic cinema. Rating: A-

Bewitched Review

A semi sequel to the cult sixties TV series which is still popular today, Bewitched is a comedy about a feal life witch who decides to give up being a witch, and who attempts to live a normal life, and not use her powers. The film is not a direct sequel or continuation of the TV series, despite having plot similarities with the series, the film is set in a world in which the series exists, and is referenced multiple times, the main character is an actress who is acting in a revival of the series.

Overall i like the premise of the film, i think it is smart, tongue in cheek and pleasantly self referential, and i like the fact that the plot concept is significantly updated from the series. This is for a good reason, the series was set in the sixties and seventies, when being a housewife was the norm, and the film significantly modernizes this concept, with Samantha becoming a single working woman, whilst retaining the overall essence of the series, with the main character trying to hide her 'gift'.

Nicole Kidman stars as the Isabel Bigelow, a witch who attempts to become normal, and the performance is refreshing and comedic, a departure from Kidman's usual dramatic performances. Will Ferrell stars as Jack Wyatt, and arrogant actor. Here the casting is problematic, i have never been a huge fan of Ferrell, and here he plays a failing, has-been, irritating actor, and the film from then on becomes an uncomfortable metaphor, with the characters history mirroring that of Ferrell himself, with the actors once promising future now, unfortunately, in the gutter. Good time for an anchorman revival anyone?The plot of the film starts of being engaging and sweet, whilst quickly going downhill into a mess of silliness and typical overacting. The pairing of Kidman and Ferrell is also slightly odd, with the two lacking any real chemistry.

Overall the film despite having an interesting concept and an engaging performance from its leading lady, slowly tumbles down to its messy messy demise in a cacophony of silliness and slapstick which do little to improve the chemistry of its on screen couple, or the films convoluted plot, in other words, a disappointment. Rating: C

Blue Jasmine - Trailer Review

Well, finally less than two months until the release of Woody Allen's new picture a trailer has been released. The film is called Blue Jasmine and stars Cate Blanchett in the title role, as a society housewife. Alec Baldwin also stars as her husband, It is the first time Blanchett is working with Allen, and Baldwin's second collaboration with his after last years To Rome With Love. The film is set an was filmed in New York and San Francisco, and can be seen as a homecoming for Allen, who has spent the last few years in Europe.

The film stars Cate Blanchett as a fashionable New York housewife, a woman who is going through the acute stages of a midlife crisis, and who goes to live with her sister. Blanchett seems good in the role, and manages to be heartwarmingly funny and heartbreakingly sad in the same moment, and manages to successfully portray a woman who is wry and sarcastic, but who doesn't seem to be arrogant. Baldwin is oddly absent from the trailer, more peculiar still given that his is given second billing in this film.

The trailer overall is entertaining yet deceptively cryptic about the events of this film, showing us nothing that we don't already know from the official release, yet overall this looks to be a solid Woody Allen flick, and one that will no doubt be illuminating and entertaining.  As always the trailer contains that certain joy that Allen seems able to conjure on demand these days, with what looks to be a solid performance from it's leading lady. Trailer Rating:B+

Only God Forgives

Well, this weeks cinema outing is so impressionable that it even encouraged me to coin the adjective 'Ryan Gosling', meaning a bloated pseudo-artistic pretentious movie. I didn't think it was possible at the time but this movie is so much worse than 'the place beyond the pines'. The films stars Ryan Gosling as Julian,  a man exiled in bankok, running a boxing club as a front for his families drug running business . Kristen Scott Thomas stars as his mother, who comes to collect Julians brothers body, and who asks him to get revenge.

Overall this film is really really boring, at only an hour and a half it feels way too long, and i found myself almost falling asleep only to be woken from my slumber by the metallic whip of a limb being cut off. The film is a complete paradox in that is manages to be underscripted and overscripted simultaneously, on one hand there is barely dialogue, and not enough story to fill a feature picture, the spaces in between the dialogue is filled with shots of good

looking people staring at doors. Then on the other hand, the film is overscripted, in that all the dialogue is so ponderous and 'artsy' and none of it actually seems genuine or real.

The film is neither successfully nor poorly acted, its simply non-acted, neither of the leads really sell their characters, and the lack of dialogue doesn't help this. The film is also really poorly lit, with an over use of red lights, clearly intended to make the film 'artistic' The film has little or no emotion, an presents characters which it is unclear if the audience is supposed to care about or not, this and the gratuitous use of violence makes for a dull ride. The film goes way too far with the violence, with it being overused and bluntly used with no depth or subtlety, and feels needless.

Overall 'Only God Forgives' is a bad film, and one which is really really boring with a load of gratuitous violence, it is a film which pretends to be 'artistic' and which ends up being bloated, self important and with a ludicrously thin script, an exercise in masturbatory film-making. On the plus side i guess Ryan Gosling does look cute, even bathed in red light. Rating: C-

Billy: Time to meet the devil.

Pixar and the Art of Storytelling

Well, with an hour and a half on ones hands there are few things as heartwarming as a PIXAR movie, really more suitable for adults, PIXAR must have one of the most acclaimed back catalogs, with Cars 2 being possibly the only exception,  garnering mixed reviews from critics and audiences, with the amount of merchandise this franchise sells for Disney possibly being the imputes for this movie. PIXAR was originally a company set up to build animation and special effects hardware, and the original short was created to promote the capabilities of PIXAR computers. PIXAR then went on to create Toy Story, the first completely computer animated motion picture. The early PIXAR films were distributed by Disney, until Disney purchased the company and entire back catalog in 2006 for $7.4 billion.

PIXAR movies are unquestionably great, with the stories being sophisticated and heartwarming. All of PIXAR's films focus on a simple relationship, and however epic the story the whole film hinges on a friendship between two people. The best example of this is Up, in which the plot about flying to South America is secondary in importance to the relationship between this old man and young boy. Toy Story also focuses around a relationship, and the importance of friendship. The films are also great looking, however flashy animation is also secondary to storytelling, and the animation focuses not on photorealism but on realistic full formed characters, and on characters who look caricatured.

Overall PIXAR is a darn special studio, and one with an impressive back catalog, and a knack for imaginative and realistic storytelling, without resorting to creepy animation or photo-realism, and whose pictures can be enjoyed by adults in some cases more than children, and which focus on storytelling rather than technological gimmicks, a little ironic given that it was a company set up to sell technology and computers!