Animation
The movie is apporiate for ages 6 or up, kids in the age of 5 will find it iffy.Most likely to be kids or families favorite. Elderlies also enjoy this movie, they said it may be the best and most emotionally satisfying creations Pixar ever made. This movie is a cartoon so I can’t tell if the actor’s act were good or not but, the sound they make (when they say their lines) are full with action and feelings so, I believe the actors did a wonderful job in this movie.
Directed by Pete Docter; co-directed by Bob Peterson; written by Mr. Docter and Mr. Peterson based on a story by Mr. Docter, Mr. Peterson and Tom McCarthy; director of photography, camera, Patrick Lin; director of photography, lighting, Jean-Claude Kalache; edited by Kevin Nolting; music by Michael Giacchino; production designer, Ricky Nierva; produced by Jonas Rivera; released by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. WITH VOICES OF: Ed Asner (Carl Fredricksen), Christopher Plummer (Charles Muntz), Jordan Nagai (Russell), Bob Peterson (Dug/Alpha),Delroy Lindo (Beta), Jerome Ranft (Gamma) and John Ratzzenberder (Construction Foreman Tom).
In the movie UP, they have many famous musics such as Carmen, {La Habana in spanish} a french opera comique by Georges Bizet. Michael Giacchino composed period music, waltzes, and visually evocative sounds for the Up Soundtrack. He music for the Up Soundtrack perfectly captures the adventure, the bittersweet memories, and the humor of the film. Some of the more memorable tunes on the Up Soundtrack include "Memories Can Weigh You Down," which was recently included on the Disney Pixar Greatest Soundtrack CD.There are musics like Up With Titles, We’re In The Club Now, Married Life, Carl Goes Up, 52 Chachki Pickup, Paradise Found, Walkin’ The House, Three Dog Dash, Kevin Beak’n, Canine Conundrum, The Nickel Tour, The Explorer Motel, Escape From Muntz Mountain, Giving Muntz The Bird, Stuff We Did, Memories Can Weigh You Down, The Small Mailman Returns, He’s Got The Bird, Seizing The Spirit Of Adventure, It’s Just A House, The Ellie Badge, Up With End Credits, The Spirit Of Adventure, Carl’s Maiden Voyage, Muntz’s Dark Reverie and Meet Kevin In The Jungle.
i just finished watching the movie nine by tim burton and man it was horrible. being that i am a well educated animator supports my following claims; in other words, making me a good authority and someone you can trust he is saying is sound. so to start, the story was lacking and pointless. Why dolls? why not anything else!? i felt like i was watching a bunch of tiny frankenstein wanna-bes running around fighting off matrix rip-off robots. the animation was good but it had limited facial expresions... thank god for the well-done animated body language. the lighting was dull, grey and too low key. for a 3d movie, rendering should be super! not low key flat... if your gonna light an animated movie like this, then why even bother making the movie 3d? do it all traditionally. the uv texturing was really bad, i mean they used that damn cloth like pattern for almost everything in the movie. this excessive use of overly detailed uv's cluttered the settings and made it hard to follow. this totally killed my wanting to watch a post-apocalyptic movie ever again. i just wasted yet another hour and something minutes of my life..... i highly reccomend not to watch this movie. if you wanna watch a good 3d movie, watch UP
The 2009 adaptation of the classic Dickens tale. It shows off one of the newest elements to filmaking: performance capture, and is presented for theater audiences in 3D. Directed by Robert Zemeckis who was behind 2004's Polar Express and 2007's Beowulf.
Acting - 6
I was quite impressed with Jim Carrey's performances in this movie. He portrays a multitude of characters and the performance capture techniques employed by the director do a good job of masking their appearance and really making the characters come to life. In fact, a very enjoyable part of the viewing experience was attempting to decipher who played whom. His take on Ebenezer Scrooge was not unlike many portrayals in the past. Where he really shines is in the parts of the three primary ghosts in the film. Gary Oldman's Bob Cratchit is an unassuming optimist with not an ounce of ill will in his heart. Oldman also appears in the role of Jacob Marley, the former business parter of Scrooge who haunts him on Christmas Eve. The majority of this role is geared around special effects so it's hard to say where the acting is actually impressive and where it's made to look impressive. Not the best performance by Oldman, but a solid one at that. Colin Firth appears in a relatively minor role as Scrooge's nephew, Fred. All in all, a typical showing from Firth who seems content to appear in movies surrounded by big names without trying to stand out. Bob Hoskins, Cary Elwes, and Robin Wright Penn appear in small roles which add to the movie quite nicely.
Story - 5
The greatest thing about the story and dialogue in this film is that it was willing to stay true to the original text found in Dickens' novella. Old English is frequently used and the movie, which seems to be geared towards children at first, never does dumb down the dialogue or the themes chosen for the story. The only thing that I was bothered by were the various chase scene's speckled here and there in the movie in an attempt to make the movie more viewable for casual movie-goers. The story is a classic for a reason, and while it does not do anything new, it presents the story to a newer audience in a more appealing shuttle.
Audio - 4
I was mostly disappointed by the audio because of the bland cookie-cutter carols found in just about every Christmas film ever. I would've been much more drawn to the music had I not been presented with the same songs that I learned to associate with Home Alone over 15 years ago. Just because the appearance of the movie is quite dazzling is no excuse for subaverage music selections.
Visual - 9
The performance capture in this film did more than make the movie look astonishing. It allowed for things to be done which normally would be impossible in any other movie. The ghosts are able to appear in very classical form, but without looking at all cheesy. The actors were able to seamlessly play multiple characters and forget the difficulties of changing or freshening up for every scene. The 3D performance (which was my first 3D viewing experience) made for important supplements to the overall product. I would say that if viewers are planning on seeing this movie at all that they should do it in theaters and in 3D because I'm not sure that it would be at all the same anywhere else.
Product - 6
I was pleasently surprised in watching this movie. The group I was with decided to see it as a last minute decision and I ceded my vote in an attempt to make the process go a bit faster. I did not go in expecting much, but I enjoyed myself. The 3D action was more than enough to make just about any movie good in that situation, and the anachronistic presentation sat well with me. I was even able to drown out the song selections by trying to find out which actors were playing who and by reveling in the visual splendor. This movie is worth seeing if you are willing to see it in theaters.
Overall Score:
6.0 stars out of 10
On 09-09-09, the movie 9 came out. It’s about a bunch of little mechanical rag doll-looking characters that roam around a post-war earth where battles between humans and robots resulted in the destruction of humanity. Shane Acker, the director of the film, created 9 from a short film he made as a UCLA student.
Visually, this is probably one of the best looking CG animated feature film I’ve seen in a while. It’s about time an animated CG feature strayed away from the "plastic" shaders that is overly used by Pixar and DreamWorks. It’s been over 10 years since Toy Story came out and Pixar/DreamWorks are still giving us CG movies that look like those little toys. Fortunately, the movie 9 has the balls to try something visually new, at least in terms of the mainstream CG feature length films. If you like Blur Studios’ game cinematics, you’ll love the imagery in 9. Tim Burton’s producing role on this film seemed to influence some of the character’s and environment’s designs. Simply put, you can see the “Burton Style” that is seen in Nightmare before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. It has dark hues, Goth, simple designs, great detail mixed with old school Disney charms.
The plot was good in the beginning of the movie when there’s a lot of discovery and suspense. However, by the end, it was a little dissatisfying as the main character doesn’t seem to grow at all. Throughout the movie, the audience is presented with two main viewpoints on how to live life by either curiosity or fear. We’re supposed to cheer for curiosity, but I thought the character who was supposed to be afraid was simply being cautious. In the end, some characters learn facts, but what fun is knowledge without “more” friends to share them with? Still, it’s a good watch.
Rating: GOODNESS
http://www.renderphase.com/
Hayao Miyazaki's latest film is set to be another childhood classic
Hayao Miyazaki is the creative force behind brilliant fantasy films such as Spirited Away (2001) and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984), and his latest animated feature, Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea, is a gentle film with the same kind of heart.
In Ponyo, Sosuke is a thoughtful, five year old boy, living in a cliff top house with his capable mother, both of them perpetually waiting for his sea-faring father to come home. One day, while playing by the sea, Sosuke rescues a magical goldfish and decides she is his new best friend. He names her Ponyo, and a sweet and wonderful journey begins.
Ponyo is clearly aimed at a young audience, and is closer in feel to Miyazaki's whimsical My Neighbour Totoro (1988) than the much darker Princess Monokoke (1997), the latter of which is not suitable for small children unless you're one of those people who took their kids to see Sin City (2005). In Ponyo, the tone is quietly wondrous, the emotional journey very gentle, and the adventures small and full of childlike delight. No epic battles or tough choices, but Ponyo isn't that kind of film.
The characters are vintage Miyazaki. Sosuke is a sensible, supportive boy, who develops a heartfelt devotion to the exuberant, headstrong goldfish girl he rescues. Sosuke's mother, Lisa, is the kind of adult who frequently populates Miyazaki's films, with her matter of fact acceptance of magic in the world, and her understanding of children's need for wonder. Nobody does cute children like Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and the character designs in Ponyo are adorable – from the energetic Ponyo to the serious Sosuke.
As with all of Miyazaki's films, the environmental themes are prominent. The undersea scenes are magnificent, and the sense of awe at the power and diversity of the ocean is effectively conveyed. Messages about friendship, acceptance, and helping others are also woven lightly through the film.
The animation is old school – hand painted cells rather than computer assisted imagery. The style reminded me of animation from the 1980s, with its simple shapes and colours. While less impressive than the gorgeous animation of Spirited Away or the blow you away Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina (2007), Ponyo's handcrafted feel contributes to the sense of a gentler, simpler time and place.
While not as epic and fantastic as the stories I generally prefer, Ponyo is a sweet and beautiful film that deserves to be an animation classic for small children.
Ponyo is Hayao Miyazaki’s most joyous film since Porco Rosso, and the purest evocation of childhood he’s done since My Neighbor Totoro.
Ponyo is Hayao Miyazaki’s most joyous film since Porco Rosso, and the purest evocation of childhood he’s done since My Neighbor Totoro. After flirting with darker and more surreal themes in the past several films since Princess Mononoke, he has returned to deliver a delightful film that entertained the young adult audience at the premiere and should please even the youngest children.
Ponyo represents the second Miyazaki film that is an adaptation (of sorts)–this is his take on “The Little Mermaid” story of Hans Christian Andersen. (His last film, the somewhat disappointing Howl’s Moving Castle, is an adaptation of the novel by Diana Wynn Jones.) Disney, of course, has already left a large stamp on the story themselves, and what Miyazaki contributes to his version is a somewhat different cultural sensibility to Disney’s very American “follow your dreams and discover your true self” spin on the tale. This one is more about learning to love someone unconditionally, no matter who or what form he or she is, and the blessing of the parents and of the older generation is key to the conclusion of the film. The moral of the story is simple and heartwarming, and delivered without the accretion of competing themes (like the anti-war themes of Howl, and the somewhat anti-climactic ending of Spirited Away). Perhaps the decision to aim this film at young children helped Miyazaki focus.
Ponyo, the “Ariel” of this story who starts as a goldfish and becomes a three- or four-year-old girl, is Miyazaki’s most charming little child since Mei, the little sister in Totoro. Even with the dub, it was apparent from the writing and the script that he has not lost his feel for capturing the moods and movements of little children. The main boy, Sousuke, acts a little older than Ponyo, is voiced by a Jonas brother and also does a fine job capturing the natural curiosity and adventurousness of a boy his age. It’s interesting how though the title of the movie is ostensibly about Ponyo, in many ways the film is more about him and his mother (voiced by Tina Fey), and the choices they make. The plot hinges on his decisions, and it is he who sometimes has to comfort his mother as his father is a bit absentee.
As for music and animation quality: the Joe Hisaishi soundtrack is, for some reason, more soaring than usual, and perhaps the best phrase I can think of to describe the feel of this movie is “cute grandeur.” Many choral scenes abound, as well as beautifully animated underwater scenes that teem with jellyfish, fish, manatees, and a huge variety of sea creatures. (In some ways this feels like both an homage to similar famous scenes in Disney’s The Little Mermaid as well as Pixar’s Finding Nemo.) The animation actually feels simpler than the overly elaborate sets of both Howl and Spirited Away; Miyazaki proudly and defiantly noted in his introduction at the premiere that this movie was all produced by a pencil in 2D, and that he wanted computers to completely stay out of it. He might have been a little grumpy in saying it, but I have to say: it works. It is a work of visual beauty, replacing the flight scenes for which he is famous with underwater footage that is utterly unique and captivating, and above all, alive. No less than John Lasseter, the head of Pixar and Disney Animation, said that he has never seen water animated such before.
The premiere we watched is of the American dub, which features prominent A-list voice talent: Liam Neeson plays Ponyo’s father, Cate Blanchett as her mother, and Sousuke’s mother is played by Tiny Fey. Liam Neeson’s gravelly, British-accented voice works for the most part, though the way he delivers some of his lines about “bringing balance to the earth” sound faintly outlandish. Cate Blanchett doesn’t say too much, and as her character actually bears some resemblance to Galadriel in Lord of the Rings, her strikingly similar performance fits.
Tina Fey, alas, was somewhat disappointing. I say this as a fan of her work in 30 Rock. It may be due to my love of that show and my filtering of her voice through the lens of Liz Lemon, but I had some difficulty quite fully believing in her as the mother that seems to be portrayed in the film. There were moments where she sometimes seemed to be underacting (rather than overacting as many American dub actors are wont to do), not seeming to put a lot of emotion into her voice when the lines called for it. In one very memorable, hilarious scene involving Morse code signal lights, however, the Fey of “WHERE’S MY SANDWICH?” came out, and it was a delight to hear the unmistakable timbre of her comedic voice come out. The mother, Lisa, of the story is a richly drawn and believable character–devoted to service in taking care of the women at the old folks’ home, she is trying hard to balance work and home life, becomes exasperated and frustrated at times with her sailor husband, and tries her best to take care of both Sousuke and Ponyo–accepting Ponyo with surprising ease when she becomes a little girl. I felt Fey got 90% of the way there but was just…a little off at times. Maybe it was the pressure of recording for Ponyo during the day, and being Sarah Palin on SNL at night (as I heard on Daily Variety)? Those are two very different characters!
Obviously, this film deserves a rewatch with the original Japanese audio and subtitles to see at least how Miyazaki imagined these characters sounding. However, the story and the core of the film was communicated more than adequately through the professional dub and it did not get in the way of the sheer delight and joy that Miyazaki wanted to convey. The “family film” is often maligned for being only suitable for kids, not least because it often talks down to them and throws bones to the adults in the form of cheesy pop culture references. Miyazaki has never trafficked in such things–he has always spoken to children at their level better than almost any filmmaker–and Ponyo shows that age has not tempted him in the least in that direction. May he never do so, or else we will not have treasures like this gem of a movie to make us all like giddy five-year-olds again.
Anime Diet Daily Recommended Allowances
Animation: 90%. Simpler than some recent Ghibli outings–I sat close to the screen and it definitely feels “rougher” than the CGIfests that much modern anime has become. But I could see the strokes, the grain, of real live paint and colored pencil. This is a handcrafted work, and a work of real beauty, too; look especially at the way the waves are drawn, the seas creatures full of life, and the way the children move. Miyazaki’s eye for detail has not dimmed in the least.
Music: 95%. Joe Hisaishi, for such a “light” and child-like movie, has somehow managed to make it soar. Majestic choral sequences accompany journeys into the deep blue sea. It gives the film a sweep and grandeur that is both surprising and fitting: in short, it evokes the wonder of childhood which is at the heart of this film.
Voice Acting: 85%. This is a Disney dub, which means it’s going to be leagues better than the standard American anime voice acting dub. I don’t know what it is about film actors, but they always calibrate their voices with much more nuance than most American VAs for standard anime. This is no exception for Frankie Jonas (yes–a Jonas brother), who does not overact his role as a little boy. Ponyo is played by Noah Cyrus, Miley’s little sister, and while her voice sometimes grates to be honest, it grates the way a real 3 or 4 year old’s voice grates after a while. (This adds to the argument that real children should play children’s roles more often.) Liam Neeson and Cate Blanchett do solid work as the parents of Ponyo, and I’ve noted the problems I have with Tina Fey’s performance above. Matt Damon essentially cameos as Sousuke’s absent father and doesn’t really get to say much. All in all, it’s a good job–there is no one like Billy Crystal almost ruining the dub for Howl last time around–and more than listenable. Especially compared to most American dubs.
Story: 89%. It’s a simple story, with most of its plot points taking its cues from The Little Mermaid, but turned into a Miyazaki-esque reflection about the importance of family, respecting your elders, and unconditional love. There were some slight pacing problems here and there (the movie almost felt over after its first third for some reason), and he does recycle a theme or two from Totoro (the lost mother subplot). These are minor blemishes on what is the most focused, sincere, and touching story he’s come up with in a good long while. I loved it.
Overall: 88% for the dub. At the end of the day, not much is lost, and probably nothing for the kids that are the primary audience for this film. It’s going to get the widest release of any Miyazaki film to date in a month, and it deserves it: I’m almost certain both kids and parents will discover the delight that Miyazaki at his best delivers. Even though Miyazaki professes to hate most anime, a film of this caliber may just create another new generation of fans, keeping the cons and websites like this one going for many more years to come. :)
Ice Age 3 Is Pointless, Obnoxious And Rarely Funny
In this third installment of the highly popular "Ice Age" series, our friends Manny, Ellie, Sid, Diego and Scrat return in a supposed adventure including, you guessed it, dinosaurs. This time, after Sid finds three baby dinosaur eggs, he is later kidnapped by exactly that... a dinosaur... a creature thought to be extinct. Soon, Sid, Manny, Diego, Ellie, and newcomer, Buck are off an adventure to rescue her. By the way, did I mention that Ellie is pregnant and expecting a baby mammoth in the near future? That only leads to further complications. Meanwhile, Scrat is still after the darn acorn and this time, stumbles upon possible true love. Overall, though the plot sounds intruiging, it ended up being too much for me. The humor was dull and very loud. I wanted to take a nap while watching the film, as it was just so obnoxious and dull.
Fortunately, the stars voicing the cast were enough to keep me from falling asleep. Ray Romano voices Manny and does a teriffic job with what he was given. Having years of experience with comedy behind him (take "Everybody Loves Raymond," for example) he was the one character who did occasionally cause a laugh or two from me. Queen Latifah returns as Ellie, Manny's adoring wife, and she does it perfectly, with just the right touch of spunk, while at the same time portraying a very delicate character. John Leguizamo and Denis Leary also hop in the cast, and they add enough to it for me to successfully say that "Ice Age 3" has perfected its voice casting.
I was in a small town when I viewed this movie. The theater I went to barely had room for a concession stand, let alone enough supplies for a 3-D showing. I saw this in 2-D, and though some may say that's the reason it wasn't as good for me... I must disagree. The visuals and animation are still the same, no matter if they're popping out at your face or stuck to the screen. Dreamworks tries so hard to tromp Pixar, but they just can't. It's like Satan trying to overthrow God. He lost. Badly. I'm not saying that this is a horrible movie. But the animation was typical and average and not anything really worth commenting on.
The main problem I had with this film was its loudness. Now, I'm not talking about actualy physical, deafening loudness (there's Transformers 2 for that). More so, I'm rather saying that I could tell so hard that Dreamworks tried to make this hilarious. And some one-liners were quite funny. But when you serve up a plate of stale food, it all adds up to one big mess. Rather, this film tried to serve up a plate of rather hilarious jokes that were really old and stale, and with these types of jokes being tossed at me every other second, I wanted so badly to plug my ears and tune it all out. It was simply obnoxious.
"Ice Age 3" is more than likely going to entertain the little ones. In fact, I went with my family and two other small toddlers, and they all enjoyed it immensely. Maybe it was just me. The crude/mild sexual humor stretches its family-friendly limits an inch or so, but it is a mainly clean flick, if that's what you're looking for. Unfortunately, the movie itself was not too clean story-wise, and ended up being very messy and cluttered as well as loud and over the top. Things started to pick up towards the climax, but not even those last 20 minutes or so could save the film from the previous hour of stupidity and boredom we had to suffer through to reach that point.
Alex Zuckerman - The New Animated Film You Should Never See If You Value Your Eyes!
I...
Buh....
Okay, wait, no. I got this. Hang on. Yeah. No.... Yeah!
See, it's... Okay.... It's an allegory for our own cultural apathy. The characters just go through the motions, an overwhelming sense of emptiness and unfeeling permeating their every word, mouths moving with no regard to what's spoken from them because it doesn't matter at all what they're saying. It's just noise to fill the silence.
The alien invaders, too, have no emotional stake in their quest to conquer Earth. Indeed, at the very end, finally defeated by a collection of pop culture memes like ninjas and Chuck Norris, they merely take their turns walking into the protagonist's chainsaw as he halfheartedly puts an end to their meaningless existences. Then, when asked what the heroes will do next, he blandly concedes that they will continue on as they have done, killing all others who stand before them as the universes falls into oblivion with a sigh and a shrug. The atonal singing book ending the piece goes further to allude to an absence of a harmony that never could have been.
The art itself evokes this same sense. Everyone is, for the most part, a static image, a two-dimensional figure that serves no purpose but to be. Their limited movement, unblinking eyes, and propensity for simply phasing through door frames that are too small to allow their passage without ducking down suggests that this is a universe created by and maintained by a god that simply doesn't give a shit. To drive the point home, the sky even appears to be decorated with countless massive, floating razorblades.
Yes, I truly understand the underlying message of this work and feel that it has given us a lesson that we should all take the time to seriously reflect upon.
Little known film makes big appearance at film festival!
Alex Zuckerman is caught in circumstances out of his control when he is abducted by aliens. They implant a mind control device inside of his brain so that he would become an insurgent in their upcoming invasion of Earth. With the help of Sir Psycho; Alex Zuckerman assembles a scary crew - ascending into space on a mission to save Alex's mind, soul, and ultimately the entire human race.
The story wanders. Although the animations are stunning, the soundtrack seems incomplete. Alex Zuckerman is a must see, and is on youtube!
Alex Zuckerman - The New Animated Film You Have To See!!!
Alex Zuckerman is caught in circumstances out of his control when he is abducted by aliens. They implant a mind control device inside of his brain so that he would become an insurgent in their upcoming invasion of Earth. With the help of Sir Psycho; Alex Zuckerman assembles a scary crew - ascending into space on a mission to save Alex’s mind, soul, and ultimately the entire human race.
The story wanders, and the soundtrack is minimalistic. Alex Zuckerman has a unique storyline, and unparalleled graphics. As an entire package - Alex Zuckerman is different than anything you'll find anywhere else.
This cartoon features alien carnage!
You may view Alex Zuckerman at the following URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7wx9WExfzs
