I never got around to reviewing "Dark Shadows" when we saw it a few weeks ago. I suspect that it has pretty much made its run and is almost ready for video.
It's not that it wasn't a good movie. It was. I enjoyed it. Oh, it had its seamy moments and in true vampire tradition, it was gory and outrageous at times.
It's just that it was very, very funny and the anti-hero Barnabas Collins was "drawn" to be quite humorous in his encounters with the world. And, yes, in a strange way, good did triumph over evil.
The main drawback was the strange evil powers of his antagonist. If she was so adept at keeping him buried for a couple hundred years, you would think that she could have been adept in keeping him in his place and defeating him.
The characters in general were also quite funny. It was like watching a spoof of Daytime soap operas but, hey, I think that's what it was supposed to be.
I enjoyed seeing the movie on the big screen but I think it will be no less entertaining on video. I recommend it to adult viewers who hail back to the 60's. I suspect that many young adults will find it pretty boring.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Brave
"Brave" was a wonderful movie and has got to be one of the best this year.
The heroine is pretty unique in the fact that it's the first time Pixar has chosen to have a female heroine. It's also pretty unique when you think about it that the mother and daughter were more alike than people might think. Perhaps that's why they kept coming to verbal blows. The red haired Scottish daughter does not want to be confined to "ladylike" roles and activities but she never seems to notice that her mother the queen is pretty much in charge of most everything in the kingdom.
The image of the Bear permeates the movie and even the wicked witch focuses on bears. I went out for popcorn during this scene of the witch and the heroine in the cabin so I missed part of the plot sequence but, hey, popcorn at the movie is always worth the distraction.
I loved the King, the Queen, the three brothers (triplets?) and the heroine and her trusty horse. Though the Scottish brogue can sometimes be distracting it simply added to the mystique of the movie. I'm not sure how this will come across when the movie is shown in other countries and featuring other languages. For example, is it possible to have a Spanish Scottish brogue?
This movie definitely celebrates the triumph of good over evil and even though the 3 suitors for the princess' hand are stereotypical I felt that they were good reminders of how people are all different. If you were a girl you might not want one of them as a boyfriend...but then, again, you might. Many of the characters were just everyday people...pretty much like the people of the world. The three kings with their three sons were all lovable characters in unique ways.
The final scene of the good bear versus the bad bear might suggest Chicago football images but I am trying my best not to focus on this.
It is a great movie...again, one of the best of the year. See it and/or see it again!
The heroine is pretty unique in the fact that it's the first time Pixar has chosen to have a female heroine. It's also pretty unique when you think about it that the mother and daughter were more alike than people might think. Perhaps that's why they kept coming to verbal blows. The red haired Scottish daughter does not want to be confined to "ladylike" roles and activities but she never seems to notice that her mother the queen is pretty much in charge of most everything in the kingdom.
The image of the Bear permeates the movie and even the wicked witch focuses on bears. I went out for popcorn during this scene of the witch and the heroine in the cabin so I missed part of the plot sequence but, hey, popcorn at the movie is always worth the distraction.
I loved the King, the Queen, the three brothers (triplets?) and the heroine and her trusty horse. Though the Scottish brogue can sometimes be distracting it simply added to the mystique of the movie. I'm not sure how this will come across when the movie is shown in other countries and featuring other languages. For example, is it possible to have a Spanish Scottish brogue?
This movie definitely celebrates the triumph of good over evil and even though the 3 suitors for the princess' hand are stereotypical I felt that they were good reminders of how people are all different. If you were a girl you might not want one of them as a boyfriend...but then, again, you might. Many of the characters were just everyday people...pretty much like the people of the world. The three kings with their three sons were all lovable characters in unique ways.
The final scene of the good bear versus the bad bear might suggest Chicago football images but I am trying my best not to focus on this.
It is a great movie...again, one of the best of the year. See it and/or see it again!
Madagascar 3
I'm probably going against tradition, popularity and life in general if I try to be honest in my evaluation of Madagascar 3. After the movie I was heard to say "It had no plot." Well, that thought was quickly corrected when it was shared with me that the plot was that the animals wanted to get home so badly that they forgot that when life changes going back to the way things were before may not be possible. OK. OK. That's the plot. And that's not a bad plot. I just like to have someone explain the plot to me during the movie. But that's just me.
Beyond that we were surprised that the action centered on a circus. This was especially curious because we had just experienced the Carson and Barnes Circus the day before in Freeport, an event sponsored by our church and school. Who would have thought that the next day we would see a movie that focused on a circus? (And I have this running joke about being "Circus" Counselor.) The difference, of course, in this circus was and is the fact that the circus was run by the animals. This is especially curious when you consider the fact that the Madagascar animals were seeking to get back to New York City and were willing to be confined in cages as part of their sense of being "at home." Hmm. There's something deeper in this thought. Oh, well. You have to dismiss all forms of reality when you enter the cartoon world.
The inspector and her crew were definitely part of the movie and you could easily learn to dislike her and her style. Question: Why was she so intent on capturing these animals and why were the animals so much wiser than humans and especially these particular humans.
We saw this movie in 3D and it is clear that many of the circus scenes were more spectacular because of the 3D animation, however, it seems that even in regular 2D the scenes would be quite unique and spectacular.
Should you see the movie? I guess so. You will probably find it entertaining. It was clean and cute fun.
Would I see it again? Probably not...not even on TV. It just wasn't my kind of movie.
Beyond that we were surprised that the action centered on a circus. This was especially curious because we had just experienced the Carson and Barnes Circus the day before in Freeport, an event sponsored by our church and school. Who would have thought that the next day we would see a movie that focused on a circus? (And I have this running joke about being "Circus" Counselor.) The difference, of course, in this circus was and is the fact that the circus was run by the animals. This is especially curious when you consider the fact that the Madagascar animals were seeking to get back to New York City and were willing to be confined in cages as part of their sense of being "at home." Hmm. There's something deeper in this thought. Oh, well. You have to dismiss all forms of reality when you enter the cartoon world.
The inspector and her crew were definitely part of the movie and you could easily learn to dislike her and her style. Question: Why was she so intent on capturing these animals and why were the animals so much wiser than humans and especially these particular humans.
We saw this movie in 3D and it is clear that many of the circus scenes were more spectacular because of the 3D animation, however, it seems that even in regular 2D the scenes would be quite unique and spectacular.
Should you see the movie? I guess so. You will probably find it entertaining. It was clean and cute fun.
Would I see it again? Probably not...not even on TV. It just wasn't my kind of movie.
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