Change Your Image
bob020787
Reviews
Greenlit (2010)
A Solid Doc
Greenlit is a solid documentary that not only illustrates the hypocrisy of the film industry when it comes to being environmentally conscious, but also does an excellent job of illustrating the challenges of creating a green set. By interviewing members of the cast and crew, the doc shows how they want to be green, but don't really want to alter their own habits to do it. Despite the great content, Greenlit struggled to find it's voice. At times the film dragged a lot and some elements of comedy fell flat. The narrative was a bit inconsistent and it wasn't entirely clear how successful they were at making a green film. Overall, however, this was a worthy documentary that did a fine job of presenting a problem and the hypocrisy that surrounds it.
Ratatouille (2007)
One of the Summer's Best
When I first heard about Pixar's Ratatouille, I thought it sounded incredibly lame, and that it would signal the beginning of Pixar's demise. Not only was I wrong, but in a big way. Ratatouille was not only one of the most entertaining movies I have seen this year, but it might possibly be the best film Pixar has ever made, and that is saying quite a lot given their previous offerings.
For those of you who haven't heard of it, Ratatouille is the story of a rat named Remy who has a penchant for cooking. This poses a problem for Remy because if a rat is seen anywhere near a kitchen it is attacked and killed. However, through a chance encounter, Remy teams up with an incompetent human chef to become the greatest chef in Paris.
While the story might seem juvenile, director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) exceptionally creates a story which all audiences can enjoy. On one hand it is the tale of an outcast, who despite tremendous adversity is able to achieve great success. At the same time, it is a coming of age story; where the son must leave his family behind to do something truly great.
This story never fails to entertain the audience, not only with its laughs, but also with its characters. These characters are voiced superbly by performers which were perfectly for their roles. Bird didn't pick his actors to have names to put on a poster (as Pixar has done before with Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, John Goodman, and Billy Crystal) but the actors were specifically selected for the characters they played.
Standing out amongst these actors was Peter O'Toole who played the evil food critic Anton Ego. O'Toole delivers the finest lines of the film, as well as the climactic monologue in which his character critiques the food of Remy. This monologue may stand as one of the best ever, and it was spoken to perfection by Mr. O'Toole.
Not only does the film have a wonderful story, but its animation is as delectable as the food that Remy creates. The world which Remy lives in was complete to the slightest detail, making earlier Pixar films such as Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. look amateur. Every scene in the film was visually stunning, a fact which made the film considerably more entertaining.
Overall, I give Ratatouille 10/10 salty stix. In a summer that has been oversaturated with disappointing sequels to some of my favorite movies, Pixar has again created one of the most original, enjoyable films of the year, and I recommend it to everybody.
Google SaltyStix for more film reviews
Transformers (2007)
Michael Bay Probably Ruined a Great Movie
With movies such as The Rock, Bad Boys, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and The Island, (not to mention Aquaman 2) Michael Bay has gained a reputation as a director who makes summer blockbusters loaded with explosions and huge special effects, but lacking in story and characters. If this is what you are looking for, than Transformers will probably not disappoint.
The movie, which stars Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel, and the beautiful Megan Fox, depicts Optimus Prime and the Autobots battling Megatron and the Decepticons while the fate of the human race hangs in the balance. Overall, the story was what it was, neither too complicated nor too intriguing.
The special effects on the transformers themselves were simply wonderful. They all looked as realistic as cars which turn into robots can possibly look, and they blended in nicely with the human actors and the settings. It was actually stunning to see them all transform.
However, where the movie went wrong was Bay's direction. He absolutely ruined the film for me with his pacing, shot selection, and editing. While the machines looked great, every scene where they battled was cut up so much that I could hardly tell what was going on. One reason I enjoyed Live Free or Die Hard was because the filmmakers took a step back and allowed the audience to see the action scenes play out. This made the movie far more entertaining, and easier to follow. In Bay's film, action scenes seemed disjointed, and I felt like I never truly got a good look at what was happening.
Furthermore, the movie had too many characters that were in separate places for much of the movie. While many action movies deal with a situation from one point of view, this movie dealt with it from four or five different points of view, making the movie feel even more disjointed. While each of these characters was well acted, I think the film would have been well served to tone it down to simply one point of view (that of Shia La Beouf and Megan Fox). This would have trimmed down the running time, and made for more of a succinct plot.
Overall, I came into this film not expecting much, and I left disappointed. Where its cheesiness was at times entertaining, it quickly became boring. The action sequences also made me angry with their quick cuts and numerous close-ups. I think this had the potential to be a great movie, but because of Mr. Bay, it was a huge disappointment. I give the film 4.5/10 salty stix, and I would recommend if you are looking for an entertaining action movie to see this July 4th, skip this and see Live Free or Die Hard.
Google Saltystix for more movie reviews