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Reviews
Titan A.E. (2000)
Fun fun fun
Why is it that every animated movie that's come out in the last few years has been compared to Disney? When viewers enter a film with preconceived notions of what the movie is going to be (Disney), they invariably end up disappointed.
This is not a Disney animation. This is a standard sci-fi movie done in an animated format. If you like fast-paced action sci-fi (if you loved Star Wars and stood in line to see Phantom Menace-- four times), you will love this movie. If you love eye candy, this movie has a surplus.
And especially if you believe that not all movies were made to reach some obscure designation known as "art" but rejoice in movies that are pure entertainment, this movie will appeal.
Yes, there were a few plot holes. But many of the "big" reviewers must not have been paying attention, or they would have noticed many of them explained. Yes, the characters were occasionally shallow and the dialogue cliched. But they were better drawn than in many a popular sci-fi and even the cliches had me in hysterics. And though I have seen complaints about the "unrealistic" flight scenes, they conformed perfectly with the known laws of physics.
In short, I had a lot of fun at this movie. That's what is important in the long run.
Macross Plus (1994)
Best Anime I've ever seen
Macross Plus is a sequel to the original movie Macross. It is not a sequel to Macross II. I found the original Macross to be unwatchable, partly for its cloying storyline and partly for its grating sexism. Macross Plus is so far removed from these tacky origins as to be a completely new and stand-alone movie.
There are two versions available for this anime-- the series and the movie. The series ends up approximately an hour and a half longer than the movie, but the editors did a wonderful job cutting, so the movie doesn't feel incomplete. In fact, they moved scenes around to create the complete story and even added a few scenes to change the focus.
The story and characters are more solid than many another film, and the animation is breathtaking-- in fact, my friends now use the term "Macross Sky" to denote any particularly vivid and beautiful sky. Moreover, the music is beyond amazing and ranges from symphonic/classical to atonal chant.
Computer animation is used in this film, and is completely distinct from the hand-drawn animation, but it is used entirely with computer-related scenes (a computer-generated concert and an interface with a plane) and the effect is wholly unified.
Try your best to see a version in Japanese with subtitles as the English music has less power than the original. DVDs are particularly good as you can see the varied versions and compare for yourself.
This is the movie I point to to say to American animators, "It is possible to do a fully adult, beautifully animated movie. Animation is not just for kids. Learn." Someday, maybe, they will.
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
Well worth the IMAX price
The combination of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation is simply superb. In fact, the worst segment was the replay of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" which suffered (by being blown up to IMAX size) in comparison to the new artwork created for the film. Parents, be warned: the first segment, an abstract piece set to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, has some imagery that scared at least one child at the showing I attended. Likewise, the last segment (set to Stravinsky's Firebird) also has some frightening imagery. If you are unsure about your small child's fright level, see the film yourself first. (That way, you'll get to see it twice.)
Quest for Camelot (1998)
Uneven
Warner Brothers has since proved that it can create a good full-length animated picture, but the issue was in serious doubt with Quest For Camelot. The animation style ranged from horses that didn't quite track right to beautiful CG that pointed up how truly awful the rest of it was. Likewise, the script never settled on where it wanted to go. It was structured too much like an animated short (which is just fine for a short piece, but wrong for full-length) and the mood was shattered by anachronistic one-liners. The only good part of the movie was the duet of the two-headed dragon. If the rest of the film had displayed that amount of ingenuity and fun, it would have been a worthwhile film.
Dogma (1999)
It's got that certain kind of humor...
From the plethora of comments on this movie, one would get the impression that it is either very funny, or not very funny. It all depends on whether or not you find Kevin Smith's warped view of the world as hilarious as I do. As someone with a thorough Catholic education, I was laughing all through the film. I not only found George Carlin's archbishop hilarious, I know a priest much like him. As for the doctrinal questions that seemed to surprise the film's main character, I knew them all, but it apparently depends on the translation of the Bible. (King James, while traditional, went for the poetic verse and the translation is sometimes loose.) My suggestion is to watch this film with someone who can explain the scripture and who understands that life is funny, and it was probably designed that way.
A Wish for Wings That Work (1991)
Wonderfully deranged
This movie makes me laugh, especially the antics of Bloom County's/Outland's deranged and disgusting Bill the Cat. Bill acts as if he'd just had a lombotomy (as usual) and somehow manages to remain a sympathetic character even though you would never want to take him home and allow him to cough up hairballs on your rug. I particularly recommend this movie for those who don't like saccharine movies at Christmas and prefer the Grinch Who Stole Christmas/Scrooged/Nightmare Before Christmas type of holiday fun.
The Wizard of Speed and Time (1988)
Anti-depressant for the soul
This is the perfect movie to cheer you up when you're feeling blue. Almost everyone I have shown it to ends up smiling. There are so many things to notice that you can watch it again and again. (I also recommend Jittlov's many short movies, such as Animato, Good Grief and the original short version of the WoSaT. Grab any copy you can find-- they're not in stores and I had to beg to get mine.)