The Triplets of Belleville Review

Upon seeing the trailer for The Triplets of Belleville (2003) I was captivated by the remarkable and surreal animation. I discovered it around the same time I found The Secret of Kells and only now got around to it since it became available on NetFlix Instant Play. The animation of each movie are worlds apart from each other, but were made by a common studio. It's a pretty weird movie, but it's really good as well.

Madame Souza, an elderly woman, instills in her grandson, Champion (for who she acts as his guardian), a love of cycling. As a young man, he does become a dedicated road racer with his grandmother as his trainer. During a mountainous leg of the Tour de France in which Champion is racing, he goes missing. Evidence points to him being kidnapped. Indeed, he and two of his competitors were kidnapped; the kidnappers want to use the threesome's unique skills for nefarious purposes. With champion's overweight and faithful pet dog Bruno at her side, Madame Souza goes looking for Champion. Their trek takes them overseas to the town of Belleville. Without any money, Madame Souza and Bruno are befriended and taken in by three eccentric elderly women, who were once the renowned jazz singing group The Triplets of Belleville. The triplets help Madame Souza and Bruno hatch some ridiculous schemes to try to locate and rescue Champion.

Contrary to my usual pattern, you'll notice I haven't listed any cast credits. The reason for that is there is basically no dialogue in The Triplets of Belleville. You hear some characters chuckle every now and then, but that's about the extent of any vocalization. There are voice actors credited to the movie, but it doesn't specify who they were supposed to have played. Along the same vein as Wall-E, this is essentially a modern silent film, though Triplets has even less dialogue. None of the characters actually speak; the majority of the film is told through song and pantomime. As such, the characters are very expressive even when silent. It's simply amazing how much story is told without any major speaking roles.

The Triplets of Belleville was written, directed, and designed by French comic writer, animator, and film director Sylvain Chomet. His style of animation is positively fascinating to watch. It's full of intricate details, surreal characters, meticulous designs, and gloriously smooth movement both subtle and overt. Many of the characters here have odd proportions that I found distracting at first, such as enormous noses that would probably keep them from seeing properly. Yet it was animated in such a way that as I watched these characters move and go about their business, the distinction between animation and live action becomes less obvious. They move in such a realistic and believable way that at length you forget it's animated if not for the grotesquely proportioned characters. Champion, for example, has large bulging thighs and calves from biking so much, but his upper body is whip thin. I also liked how the villain's henchmen were animated as if it was one large rectangular person when walking side-by-side.

While I generally enjoy foreign films, I don't have a lot of experience with French films specifically. There is a stereotype that French films tend to be slow paced. On the one hand The Triplets of Belleville gets a good story told in only an hour and twenty minutes, but on the other hand it thankfully doesn't move at the insane dizzying speed of most American animated features aimed at kids. Because of the usual breakneck pace of American animated features, most American viewers will probably expect loud, eccentric tempo in any animated movie. The Triplets of Belleville will seem slow-moving by comparison, but it's not dull or uninteresting. The movie is rated PG-13 for "images involving sensuality, violence and crude humor," which seems a little harsh to me, although there are a couple of images I wouldn't expect most parents of young kids to wish for them to see. There's a brief shot of a topless woman in an early scene. While not exactly sexual, the only thing I can think to say to explain it is it's a French film.

The Triplets of Belleville mocks animation studios that exclusively do 3-D CGI movies these days. The animation is beautiful, the imagery is surreal, and the funny and quirky characters are engaging. Sylvain Chomet's unique style makes this film all the more interesting to watch. It has a slower pace than most bombastic American animated movies and it's basically a silent film. That might put off some viewers, but if you can get around that, I highly recommend seeing this obscure gem. It was up for Best Animated Feature but lost to Finding Nemo. This has a 94% on RottenTomatoes.com. It's worth seeing at least once.

Here's the trailer for The Triplets of Belleville so you can get a taste for the animation:
 

Sylvain Chomet recently did a guest animated "couch gag" on The Simpsons not long ago you can check that out here if you like: http://vimeo.com/96908790

John Carter Movie Review

Way back in the early 1900’s an author by the name of Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote a series of pulp fiction stories. It was originally serialized as Under the Moons of Mars and was later published as a novel called A Princess of Mars. Ten sequels followed over the next three decades. Disney had bought the rights to make a film version of this book series back in the 1980’s. After being abandoned many times, Andrew Stanton (director of Pixar’s Finding Nemo and WALL-E) stepped up to the plate. Finally we received the John Carter movie in 2012, on the centennial anniversary of the first publication.

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a world weary Civil War veteran who is tired of fighting other people’s wars and for their “noble” causes. While escaping being drafted into another battle for the military, he seeks refuge in a cave where he finds someone holding a strange medallion. When Carter touches it, he finds himself transported to a strange place where he can leap incredible heights and distances, as well as possessing amazing strength. Carter becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict among the inhabitants which include an alien leader Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and a human-like Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). Carter learns from Dejah that he is on the planet earthlings call Mars and that his superhuman strength is caused by the lower gravity on Mars. Their world is on the brink of collapse and only John Carter has the power to end the conflict.

Something to take into consideration is that the setting in John Carter is based on now-obsolete ideas that were popularized by astronomer Percival Lowell in the early 20^th Century. This is why there is life on Mars and a breathable atmosphere in this sci-fi/fantasy story. It’s also based on pulp fiction, which is known for its over-the-top ridiculous action sequences and unrealistic settings. If you take all of that into consideration, John Carter is a more enjoyable movie.

Even when taking that kind of source material into consideration, the physics were a bit silly. Carter leaps 20 stories into the air because of the low gravity on Mars, but he still falls at the same speed he would on Earth. You’d expect his legs to break once he hits the ground falling that fast, but of course that doesn’t happen. Furthermore, Carter and the tribal aliens he teams up with bring swords and spears to go into battle against flying ships with laser cannons, and they still somehow manage to put up a decent fight. I’m going to use the “pulp fiction source material” excuse for that, too. It’s just visually a bit hard to swallow.

I’ve now seen Taylor Kitsch take on three different characters; Gambit in X-MenOrigins: Wolverine, Lieutenant Alex Hopper in Battleship, and John Carter. Yes, they are all action movies, but he really does an impressive job portraying different personalities. He’s far from a favorite of mine; I haven’t always liked the roles he’s played (such as Gambit), but he is a pretty good actor and did a fine job as John Carter.

John Carter didn’t seem to know if it was for kids or adults. On the one hand it has plenty of humorous scenes. I liked the part where he’s trying to adjust to Mars’ gravity. But on the other hand, it’s also kind of violent; decapitation and heavy-duty sword play aren’t uncommon here. I suppose that since the alien’s blood is blue, Disney assumed it wouldn’t be off-putting for younger viewers. Really, it’s not too bad, but I don’t think I’d want anyone under the age of 8 to watch it.

John Carter is a fun movie. The editing is a bit choppy and the pacing is kind of slow. It’s exciting, funny, and its visual effects are not bad. It is pure, joyous, escapist adventure cinema. You really have to take it for what it is; a fun action movie that requires very little thought. Edgar Rice Burroughs is best known for writing the Tarzan stories, but you can see how this sort of material (circa 1912’s) influenced a lot of science fiction, fantasy, and superhero adventures. If you like those kinds of stories, you’ll probably enjoy John Carter on at least some level. You just have to take some of it with a grain of salt. I enjoyed it, but not enough to want my own copy to watch over and over again. I recommend seeing it, even if it is another attempt for Disney to strike gold like they did with Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s worth the cost of a RedBox rental, but not the cost of the Blu-Ray.

Do you have a favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie? Like, where you're not sure if it's one or the other? What is it? Comment below and let me know!

Brother Bear Movie Review

Disney produces a new animated feature just about every year.  Many of these become cinema classics that withstand the test of time. Beauty and the Beast, for example, is still a well known classic that you can still find merchandise for decades after its initial 1991 release. Brother Bear (2003) was released only about ten years ago, and it’s been about ten years since I heard anyone talk about it.

Set in a post-ice age North America, three Inuit brothers return from a hunting trip. The youngest, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), is to receive his sacred totem which will make him a man in the eyes of his tribe. In the ceremony Kenai receives the bear of love to guide him through his life. Kenai hates bears and considers the attribute of love to be pretty far down the totem pole, so to speak. Kenai finds his fishing catch stolen by a bear after the ceremony and decides to hunt down the beast. While attempting to save his brother from the bear, the oldest brother, Sitka (D.B. Swenney), is killed. With a renewed sense of vengeance, Kenai later kills the bear. Following this, Sitka appear as an eagle spirit and transforms Kenai into a bear. The middle brother, Danahi (Jason Raize), believes that bear-Kenai is responsible for the death of both his brothers and begins hunting down Kenai out of a strong sense of hate. As he tries to seek the spirits who can restore him to his human form, Kenai tries to stay ahead of Danahi while learning how to be a bear from a young bear cub named Kota (Jeremy Suarez).

Possibly the best thing I can say about Brother Bear is the animation and art direction is impressive. The art direction was heavily influenced by ancient cave paintings. The film’s aspect ratio was used as a storytelling device. It begins in a standard widescreen aspect ratio of 1.75:1, which is common in U.S. movies and on HDTVs these days. After Kenai turns into a bear, the aspect ratio changes to an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1, accompanied by a much brighter and fanciful color pallet with slightly more caricatured art direction. This is done to illustrate how Kenai’s perception of the world changes and broadens.

During the character introductions early in the film, the script seemed forced; everyone goes out of their way to address other characters by name so that we know exactly what everyone’s name is. We’re also repeatedly told about Kenai’s desire to receive his spirit totem and become a man. The writing wasn’t very good for the first ten minutes of the movie because it didn’t feel very natural. After the characters were established, the script flowed much smoother.

Of course where would an animated Disney movie be without its token comic relief characters? In Brother Bear there is a pair of moose named Rutt and Tuke that periodically tag along with Kenai and Kota as they travel. They are played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas and are essentially the same characters they played in Strange Brew, except they look like moose. They really add a humorous tone to the movie.

Remembering that Brother Bear came out in the years following the 9/11 attacks sheds some light on its cultural impact. After September 11, 2001 the United State was still reeling from the terrorist attack which was fueled by hatred and anger. Many people were resentful, angry, hurt, and some were even vengeful. I think we needed a film like Brother Bear to remind us of the value of forgiveness and love. The themes in Brother Bear included seeing things from another’s perspective, admitting fault, and forgiving hurtful, irreversible offenses. These are key components to conflict resolution that are important in the healing process. Disney isn’t responsible for the US recovering from the attack, but I think they may have influenced some level of spiritual healing that I believe many people were still needing.

I think that what made Brother Bear not withstand the test of time is that is wasn’t very bold. The Disney films that have achieved the status of “classic” did things in terms of character, setting, and animation that their predecessors did not. Brother Bear was good, but seemed to strive to be sweet and cute rather than bold and exciting. And it really did achieve that, which is why it’s been overshadowed by bolder and more exciting classics like The Lion King or Finding Nemo. Brother Bear is worth seeing at least once. Kids will enjoy it and adults will relate to the spiritual healing in the story. It’s also got plenty of material to help you teach younger viewers about forgiveness, love, and healing.

Have you ever seen a movie that helped you “heal” in some way? What movie was it? Comment below and tell me about it!

Brave Movie Review

Pixar has been around long enough for everyone to have a favorite Pixar movie. And why shouldn’t we? Pixar has produced some incredible feats of cinematic art, showing us amazing unique worlds, memorable characters, and stunning animation. I think their worst Pixar film was Cars, and even that was good! The latest Pixar movie, Brave (2012) goes in a different direction than its predecessors, but still remains a great film.

Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is a flame-haired Scottish tomboy with an unmatched skill for archery. Her parents, King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), love her and her triplet brothers dearly. A free-spirited young woman, Merida lives for days that she can ride her horse, practice archery, and explore the world. Elinor does her best to show Merida how to be a lady, but to little avail. When Fergus and Elinor arrange a tournament to determine a suitor for their daughter’s marriage, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the burly, uproarious Scottish Lords. Merida begs for a spell from an eccentric witch (Julie Walters) to help change her mother’s mind about the marriage. It does more than that; Elinor is turned into a bear.  To further complicate things, King Furgus had his leg bitten off by a bear years prior and has been abhorrent towards them ever since. Unsurprisingly, when he sees his wife as a bear, he fails to recognize her.

Brave has a quintessential fairy tale quality to it. Which is odd since that is customarily Disney’s territory. It’s a well written story in the tradition of an old Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson story that we should be familiar with, yet it’s unlike any fairy tale I recall hearing before. It’s has a magical influence, though not enough to make it an over the top, high-end fantasy.

The 10^th century Scotland setting was beautifully captivated in Brave. The characters all have lovely Scottish accents and wear traditional medieval clothing and kilts. The music in Brave is absolutely gorgeous, emphasizing lots of Celtic drums, bagpipes, and flutes. It complements the setting brilliantly and forces us to be swept up in the story.

Holding true to tradition, Pixar shows us unprecedented and beautiful animation. The Scottish countryside looks so lush and detailed, truly worthy of the country on which it is based. Pixar has done some impressive feats of animating hair and fur in The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc. These are nothing compared to the detail in Merida’s hair. She has this wooly mane of lovely red hair. The sheer number of curls that they had to get to move naturally in every frame is mind-boggling! On top of that Merida is an action princess; she has lots of movement to account for. It took Pixar six months to develop a new “hair” computer program to get Merida’s hair movement to look natural. Merida has some of the wildest hair imaginable and it complements the character amazingly well. She’s a wild spirit. She wields her beautiful curly mane in confidence; it’s part of who she is.

Speaking of characters, Brave has introduce to us some remarkably well written and developed ones. Fergus and Elinor are archetypal parental figures with lovable quirks and mannerisms that they would remind anyone of their own parents to at least some degree. Fergus loves telling stories of his younger days and how he lost his leg, joking with his kids, and getting into at least as much trouble as his children. Elinor is the rational one of the pair, worrying about what’s best for her children and making sure they understand propriety in any situation. The main conflict arises between Merida and Elinor as their interests and wills clash. Both think the other doesn’t listen them, and they’re both right. Brave constructs a resonant tribute to mother-daughter relationship that is every bit as moving as the father-son dynamic in Finding Nemo.

One of my favorite parts of Brave was that Merida doesn’t get married. There’s an oft overused theme of the character wanting to make their own path or not get married. Every single time this has happened, the character is married before the credits roll. But Merida doesn’t settle down or consent to be married; she  is still the free spirit who actually does carve her own path. I think seeing a strong female protagonist like Merida actually following through with her decision about not letting society dictate her life is empowering to witness, regardless of the viewers’ gender.

I have to admit that Brave wasn’t quite the groundbreaking cinema event we’re accustomed to seeing from Pixar. That’s not to say it was bad. In fact, the worst thing I can say about Brave is that it’s a great Disney movie, not so much a Pixar movie. But upon intruding on classic Disney territory, we get a believable female protagonist and a story with a lot of heart and Celtic tradition. I think this is worth catching in theaters, and if you aren’t put off too much by it being more Disney than Pixar, I’d say get a copy on Blu-Ray. I will.

What is your favorite Pixar movie? Why do you like it so much? Comment below and tell me all about it!

Kung Fu Panda Movie Review

Dreamworks has done several animated movies that  were mediocre attempts to capitalize on the success of Pixar’s masterpieces. Dreamworks tried to undermine Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998) with Antz (1998). They did it again when they released Shark Tale (2004) after the success of Finding Nemo (2003). When Dreamworks does their own movies, instead of copying Pixar, they really let themselves shine. I’m leery of anything with Jack Black in it, so I watched Kung Fu Panda (2008) with some hesitation.

Po (Jack Black) is an overweight, lazy, irreverent panda who is a dedicated fan of Kung Fu, but his skills are limited to making noodle soup at his father’s restaurant. Po adores the Furious Five - Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross) – a team of Kung Fu masters trained by the red panda named Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to protect their peaceful valley. One day, Shifu's mentor, the old tortoise Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), has a vision that Shifu's former student and adoptive son, the evil snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane), will escape from prison and return to take revenge for being denied the Dragon Scroll, which is said to hold the secret to limitless power. Oogway holds a tournament to discover who is worthy of the Dragon Scroll and become the Dragon Warrior who can defeat Tai Lung. Through a blundering mishap, Po is selected. Shifu, lacking faith in Po, attempts to scare off Po with grueling training. But Po’s unwavering enthusiasm for Kung Fu keeps him going. True to Oogway’s vision, Tai Lung escapes and begins journeying to the temple. Po can’t seem to grasp even the most basic concepts of Kung Fu, but Shifu discovers that Po is capable of impressive physical feats when motivated by food. Using this discovery, Shifu begins training Po and incorporating these feats into a makeshift, yet effective Kung Fu style. But will it be enough to stop Tai Lung from getting the Dragon Scroll, and unlimited power?

I don’t like Jack Black on general principle; he gets cast in irritating roles in movies that do pretty badly. Year One (2009) and Gulliver's Travels (2010) are great examples of this. It’s hard to overlook these eyesores and look at his good movies, such as King Kong (2005) and Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black actually was funny in this movie. His screwball delivery really worked well with Po’s hilarious expressions. He is still playing his usual dim witted impertinent character, but Po is more interesting and complex than most of the other characters I’ve seen Jack Black play. You really do see Po develop and learn as the movie progresses. It was also good to see a hero that was a clumsy, fat character; generally the best that this archetype can hope for is a bumbling sidekick who is the brunt of most of the jokes. I’ve never seen so much belly bouncing combined with martial arts as was done with this character.

I kept becoming awestruck at the artistic scenery of the colorful ancient China. Little details here and there really helped make the art stand out; the trees, mountains, and buildings were beautifully designed. The China-inspired relics and art were comparable to actual art work of ancient China. There was a whole lot of detail in the art design, which helped make the movie endearing.

The animation was quite impressive, too. Most of the characters looked like cute, fluffy stuffed animals. This, coupled with the believable martial arts movements, created a humorous sense of irony throughout the film. Even the movements for Viper, who is a snake, were interesting; she has no arms or legs, yet her fighting movements still resembled martial arts.

I love it when I expect a movie to be substandard and I end up being wrong. Kung Fu Panda is an example of this. There’s a whole lot of slapstick in this film, but it doesn’t detract from the interesting characters and fun story that is reminiscent of old Kung Fu flicks. I’d recommend this movie to anyone, young or old. It is engaging, funny, and worth the watch.