October 10th, 2012
MEOW!
And now to review something ironic!
FRANKENWEENIE
The Plot: Based on the 1984 short of the same name, a young boy named Victor (Charlie Tahan) loses his dog Sparky to a car crash, and instead of sitting in his bed pondering the past, he decides to become a "young frankenstein" by re-animating his dog so that he can live a little longer.
The Good: The marriage of old-fashioned filmmaking techniques (Black & White + Stop-Motion) and modern filmmaking techniques (3-D--especially in IMAX--and...other awesome stuff) represents Burton at its atmospheric best. Also, somewhere in this heartwarming--even heartbreaking--story about a boy and his dog is one of the most exciting monster movies to ever grace the silver screen. Let's just say that Godzilla ain't got nothin' on Shelley. And although it could alienate some audience members, the character designs, ESPECIALLY the designs of Weird Girl and Mr. Whiskers, contain that good ol' fashioned cringe-worthy humor that only Burton and his crew can provide. This is one of the most excellently crafted films of the year, and one that is worth seeing on the big screen for the visuals, if for nothing else.
The Bad (or Mediocre): The consequence for expanding a beloved short of the past are two things. One is unnecessarily focused filler. Most of the film seems to be focused on the secondary characters more than Victor and Sparky themselves, and because that feeling of having those characters influenced by Victor's experiment isn't there, it causes less reason for us to care about them. The second thing is predictability, especially to those who have seen the short beforehands. Other than the wonderfully creative climax involving the monsters, there are little to no surprises to be found. Of course, if you haven't seen the short, then I won't spoil this pie, as you will probably enjoy it even more than I did.
The Verdict: Frankenweenie's lack of surprises make this one of Burton's lesser efforts, but it's still a wonderfully crafted entertainment on its own, and even in comparison, it is a masterpiece as opposed to the dreadful Dark Shadows. If you can, see it in IMAX 3D for the appreciation of its care and craft. I mean, who wouldn't want to observe Mr. Rzykruski's teeth in glorious IMAX 3D?
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
The Plot: Dracula (Adam Sandler--blah blah blah) creates a hotel in order to shield his daughter (Selena Gomez) from the human world, but on the eve of her 118th birthday, a human accidentally enters the hotel and falls in love with her, which causes Dracula to become more overprotective than he was before.
The Good: There is a moment in the climax where The Wolfman, after eating a group of sheep, says to the group of monsters that they "eat lamb chops, it's the same thing." While that line obviously plays for laughs, it is important to have this line, because it makes us realize that no matter how hard we try to hide it, we all have a monstrous side. But that side can also come from a haunting past, as what Dracula deals with in this film. It's a surprisingly mature moral that elevates this film from just being a traditional CGI-cartoon for kids. Yes, folks. I used the word 'mature' to describe what is essentially an Adam Sandler movie. And as far as Sandler movies go, this happens to be the best I've seen so far. His work as Dracula is wonderful, and somehow feels more restrained than some of his more cartoony live-action work (Hi Jack. Meet Jill.). He's not the only one who shines, though. The rest of the cast provides some terrific voice work, such as Kevin James as Frankenstein, who is responsible for one of the most painfully obvious yet somehow creative jokes of the film (Mummy...did you have to do it?) And speaking of jokes, there are not only some classic visual gags, but witty dialogue as well. In fact, some of the dialogue will be quoted by you after the film is over, such as "ZING!," or "Do you want some scream cheese?" But of course, the real star of this film is Genndy Tartakovsky, whose 2-D style of animation wonderfully shines through its 3D exterior. There are some outstanding moments when the camera swoops through the hotel as if you're a witch riding a broomstick, and then there are some creative set-pieces involving Dracula and Jonathan flying on tables. Then there are the small moments when Dracula is moving around in his cape like a segway, even on the rooftops. This film will definitely make you feel like a kid again at times, even if you're at the age of 18.
The Bad (or Mediocre): When Jonathan (Andy Samberg--That's "Adam's" Boy) first enters the hotel for the first time, it is not an easy first impression. He almost comes across as proof that maybe Dracula was correct about the human world all along, which was not the intended idea for the character. This grinds the film to a halt for about a few scenes until it comes back with the scene where Dracula is disgusted by Jon's contact lenses ("THAT IS THE MOST DISGUSTING THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"). And without giving too much away, there's the traditional "hip-hop musical number" ending that belongs more in a film like Shrek 2. Or if you want an example from Halloween lore, Hocus Pocus, and that film put a spell on us.
The Verdict: I must admit that Hotel Transylvania truly surprised me. It's not something that is a sure-fire contender for Best Animated Feature (though a nomination? Possibly.), but it's great fun, with a surprisngly restrained performance from Adam Sandler. Make yourself a reservation to this 3-Star hotel soon before it gets booked (Yes, 3-Star hotels can get booked, too. Especially during Christmas. Irony, eh?).
PITCH PERFECT
The Plot: Becca (Anna Kendrick) is a loner who doesn't have a lot of friends until she decides to join an a capella group filled with misfit women. One of the women vomits. Twice. You've been warned.
The Good: First off, let us men take a brief pause to perform a "fan sigh" for Anna Kendrick. 1, 2, 3...-fan sigh- OK, now let's be critical. There are a couple of scenes in the film where I laughed here and there, such as the scenes involving Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), and Lily (Hana Mae Lee), who will probably be the softest-spoken asian you will ever see in a film. There's also an obvious but wonderfully edited scene where one person sings one line, and then the other person sings another line from the same song, and then so on, and so forth, and...you know...the magic of the movies. You'll know it when you see it...
...that is, if you reeeeeeeally need to.
The Bad (or Mediocre): The worst place to turn people off is at the very start of the film, and that is the case here. When one of the commentators makes an incredibly sexist remark on how women are not good at a capella, everyone in the audience let out a rather disconcerting "oooh." Most of the audience seemed to be okay afterwards. I wasn't. Despite what I posted in the good section, this was a genuinely mean-spirited film. Most of the characters (with the exception of Fat Amy and Jesse (Skylar Astin) ) were so unlikeable and cynical that it almost made me become those adjectives as well. The representation of men, at least in the beginning of the film, were horrible caricatures and even the good guys keep on saying to others of a lesser power that what they're doing is weird. It also felt manipulative, and that's a great word to describe this film as a whole: manipulative. The enjoyment of this film never feels as organic as it should with a concept of a capella groups competing against each other. In fact, I can guarantee that anyone would be less than enthralled had this film dropped the a capella aspect in the first place. But as is, it's still a mediocre film, as it feels one-dimensional in a two-dimensional picture.
The Verdict: If this film will receive the same "cult classic" status as something like Mean Girls or Bridesmaids, I want no part of it. Pitch Perfect is a manipulative and mean-spirited film that, rather than humming the tunes as you exit the theater, will leave you wondering what the director of Avenue Q was thinking (Though while we're on that, I admire an a capella group using sock pockets for their performance. Perhaps it's a sign.).
Until then,
MEOW!
No comments:
Post a Comment