Coraline (Theatre) - Both

I’m not sure if Coraline was a good movie, or if when compared with the deluge of tepid children’s movies it at least isn’t bad. When you compare Coraline with works like Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Beauty and the Beast (1991), or any Pixar film its errant strings and gaps in storytelling become a bit more apparent, but largely Coraline succeeds. My main theory on why this is the case relies solely on the fact that there are consequences in the story.

I think a large reason why most children’s tales these days are somewhat boring and noncommittal hinge on the fact that nothing bad can or will happen. I think the idea comes from the fact that parents want to shield their offspring from bad things happening even if it is in a movie. When is the last time you saw anyone die in a Disney movie? The villains are all misunderstood individuals who just need someone to love them. No one needs to die, they just need a psychologist.

Gaston dies, man. He falls off a tower after fighting the Beast in a bloody battle. It’s a pretty gruesome death. That sort of thing would never happen in a film these days. Too many parents would be up in arms about how their precious little snowflakes learned to fight from the movie.

In Coraline the titular character is being wooed away from her home by a shape shifting witch/spider of sorts. Coraline is shown a world of wonder in which her parents always have time for her and her neighbor-friend is silent but present. This world is reached by traveling through a small hidden doorway in her family’s new living room, but there is a problem with her new play world. The leader of the world wants to take her soul, or eyes, or well, yeah, soul (eyes are the window to the soul right?). Anyways, that situation has consequences. She could end up dead.

The voice acting is well done; I would especially call out John Hodgeman for his wonderfully fun portrayal of Coraline’s dad. And while the story was incredibly predictable, it held fast to a classic fable arc that revealed three tests that the protagonist had to best in order to mature. My one slight, if I had to find one, would involve the parents of the child. They were never shown in any real positive light. In most of these cases the parents are doing what is best for the child and the child just doesn’t see the love that is inherent in the relationship, but in Coraline the parents were mean. They never really had time for her despite both working from home and only after Coraline saved the day did her mother buy her a gift of love.

Oh did I mention this was in 3-D. I’m not sure why, nothing really came of it, but I guess as it is the flare du jour we have a 3-D movie on our hands.

6 out of 10 – An interesting children’s film that delivered a creepy yet satisfying little trip.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Theatre) - Neither

The movie theatre is a barren wasteland recently. High School Musical 3 (2008)? Come on! I’ve never watched a Bond flick. The Changeling (2008)? I hate Angelina Jolie. So, with this in mind and money burning a hole in our pockets Jennie and I begrudgingly went to see this film.

My hatred for children’s flicks these days is well documented. And barring Pixar, I find the bevy of CGI films geared towards children to be a waste of time. Their morals are a wash in friendship themes and the villains are innocuous castrated beings just waiting for their chance to be redeemed. I guess the helicopter parents can’t let their kids see evil in any form.

Madagascar wasn’t the train wreck that some of these post Pixar films are, but it was not a walk in the park to sit through. The cast of big name actors portraying animals did the minimal work to make you believe their characters, as the writing meandered into a past that the second film created for its purposes only.

There was a smattering of the adult humor that Pixar uses to create their masterworks but Dreamwork’s productions never have been able to achieve the finesse that Pixar exhibits in this area. Stiller’s Lion and Rock’s Zebra bicker about race in a thinly veiled argument giving the adults a chuckle cause they get that Rock is black and Stiller isn’t, but this sort of humor is a low blow for Rock who I expect more out of. Stiller on the other hand, I expected this from.

Then there is the father son story line evolving Bernie Mac and Ben Stiller. Mac wants Stiller’s lion character to be a man (manly lion). Stiller can only dance/act - he is weak. Eventually Mac discovers that his son’s talent in dancing is just as good as being a good fighter. I’m not sure if I get/understand what this means, but the moral is so ham-fisted that I grew tired of the two the first scene they shared.

I keep thinking I’m getting too old for these movies, but then I forget, and Jennie and I go, and I realize - I’m too old for these movies.

3 out of 10: Oh children’s movies when will I learn, you offer nothing new.

Speed Racer (Dvd) - Asheligh

My expectations of this movie were somewhat low. When it opened in May of this year it was berated by the critics and nobody went to see it, how far the Wachoski siblings have fallen. However, I quite enjoyed this film. The plot was tight, the action was only a little bit gratuitous, and the characters where enjoyable.

The recent influx of movies that attempt to be like comic books is an interesting concept. They take an image directly from the source material and attempt to recreate that scene on film in exactly the same way it was drawn. 300 (2007), Sin City (2005), and even the Wachoski siblings directing the Matrix trilogy are examples that use this technique. Speed Racer is loosely related to this because it is attempting to make a Japanese style animation cartoon into a feature film and while doing this they employee some of the same techniques that style of animation is known for. As this is the case we are presented with an over-saturated, sometimes vaudevillian, piece of cinema that works most of the time.

If you go into this film wanting anything other than a cartoon brought to life I can imagine disappointment. This isn’t to say it was perfectly executed – far from it. The beginning hour seemed to drag like a speedster with a flat tire. The viewer didn’t need to see Speed as a little boy in school. The moments establishing his relationship with his brother would have been enough. Also, I would fear for an epileptic to watch this film as its bright colors and flashy special effects sometimes overwhelmed the action. But, our hero was given his plot, as the forty-five minute mark rolled around, and from there the movie picked up its pace.

The plot was actually somewhat complicated as emotions were shouldered and details of financial intrigue forced the characters through their evolutions. I would find it hard to believe that a child could understand what was going on. But, I enjoyed how detailed the plot was. It made me work to understand the motivations of the characters and for a children’s film to do this is unique.

I will not recommend this movie as I’m not sure many would like it. Hell, Jennie fell asleep. But, if you were at all interested in it when you saw it in theatres, take a chance. Just, make it past the first hour.

5 out of 10: when it failed it did so monumentally, but the successes were there as well.

Enchanted (Dvd) - Jennifer, Natania

Jennie and I had already seen this movie when it came out in theatres last year, but since my sister and her four year old daughter were coming to visit we decided to rent this with them. So, this will be a short review.

This movie was originally brought to Disney as an R rated film that poked fun at its history. Obviously Disney didn’t like that, but thought the overarching themes were smart enough. The next couple of years brought revisions and cast changes until you get the homogenized version that they released as a vehicle to get the young girls to spend money on princess merchandise. Giselle isn’t really a princess, but the idea is floated about with a quick marriage to a prince, but she never actually marries him.

The songs in this film do remind me of the golden era of Disney musicals (i.e. Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Lion King (1994), etc.). They even retain some of the jabs that I’m assuming the R rated version was full of: as Giselle begins “That’s How You Know” Patrick Dempsey’s character questions how both singers know the song when in fact he has never heard the song before in his life, and Giselle, seemingly, has never met the man she is singing with. This sort of irreverent humor gives this movie its best moments, but they are few and far between.

The film has a paper thin girl empowerment message which seems forced. The Disney princesses aren’t really role models in any since of the word. They all seem to find trouble and need to be rescued by a man. With Giselle, Disney rectifies this idea by having her save Patrick Dempsey all while in a lovely purple evening gown. A girl has to look her best. And despite the anti-love message of the first half of the film they all live happily ever after in perfect marital bliss. I can only imagine how the R rated version ended.

5 out of 10: Disney is finally able to capture the magic of its previous musicals, but as always melts it down till there is only a shadow of originality.

Wall-E (Theatre) - Both

Pixar’s track record is something to be envied in Hollywood. They consistently create some of the most well rounded films in recent cinema. These films are humorous, touching, and beautiful, and Wall-e is no exception. The lovable robot tugs at the heart strings from the very moment you meet him. The film shines in its simplicity but this sheen is somewhat tarnished by a preachy message and sharp digs at an increasingly lazy public.

Wall-e’s brightest moments are uncomplicated bits played as classic Hollywood shtick. The first thirty minutes of the film contain no dialogue and a sparse soundtrack. The humor spills from a small robot that is left to clean up humanities mess. He happily goes about his job sifting through waste and collecting small items of interest: A lighter, a spork, a velvet ring box (Wall-e tosses the useless diamond inside the box away). This could have been the entire film. I would have watched it.

Eve, a newer slicker robot, comes to earth in search of plant life. She rudely rebuffs Wall-e’s curiosity and goes about her work. Slowly the two build a relationship and Wall-e is smitten. He shows her the fascinating things he has found while working and they marvel at these things together. This could have been the entire film. I would have watched it.

But, Eve then finds Wall-e has stashed a plant. Eve gets picked up by the ship that brought her to earth and as Wall-e attempts to rescue her he is taken to a spaceship floating in a far off nebula. This ship is an ark, so to speak, for humanity, and this is when the film stumbles.

Humans have become fat lazy slobs who haven’t walked in generations. Computers tell them where to go, what to eat, and when to sleep. Eve had been sent to earth to check if it was safe to come back. This raises questions, but I will hold off for a second. She delivers the plant, eventually, and the humans return to earth.

There were several problems I had with this film that stem from science. The first would be if humans had been inactive for generations it would be improbable that they would be able to use there bodies in any capacity, let alone walk off a space ship. Also, trash wouldn’t simply destroy all of life on a planet, and if it did, the damage would be irrevocable. And, I’m o.k. with pretending robots have emotions. It allows you to enjoy the film, but I find it very difficult to have a computer’s motherboard replaced, as Wall-e does at the end of the film, and have that robot retain its “memories”. Bah! Scrimshaw!

Additionally I hated that Pixar had Fred Willard live and in person in the film. Hated it! Pixar is animation. Period. Having a live actor in a Pixar film would be like if in Iron Man (2008) Pepper Potts was played by an animated character.

Despite these flaws I loved this film. I thought the humor in the film was simple and clean. The characters were as well rounded as two robots could be. And the first hour of the film was flawless.

7 out of 10 – Despite some tragic flaws Wall-e shines as a nod to classic comedy.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (Dvd) - Jennie

I enjoy Harry Potter. I love the magical realm that his world is built around. When I was younger my favorite movies were Labyrinth (1986) & Never Ending Story (1984). So, I have magical credentials. I’m not some fussbudget that can’t get into a magical story. But this film hinged on the ability to accept the fact that a store could create magical fun, and this wonder and awe was not created by the film’s director. Helm, who directed this train wreck and wrote Stranger Than Fiction (2006), did not get the viewer to retreat to the magical world the film was set in and thus the story seemed ludicrous and childish. Now, I understand that this film was for young children, but even films like Zathura – A Space Adventure (2005) got me to become part of that world while watching. I guess I was supposed to feel excitement when a room completely filled with bouncy balls was depicted, but I just didn’t buy it. I guess I was supposed to be amazed when Portman picked a red fire engine out from a book and the real thing appeared from nowhere, but who cares. I guess I was supposed to – well, I’m not sure what the zebra was doing there, but I didn’t feel anything about it either.
The acting itself was blandly stifled much like the magic. With stars like Bateman, Portman, and Hoffman I would have expected more, but I guess they figured out what a misstep this would be and quit trying. Hoffman was annoying to witness choosing to have his character lisp and seem child like in everyway possible. And I usually root for the child who is the outcast in films like these. I remember watching Never Ending Story and thinking. “I hope Bastian gets away from these bullies and wins the day,” or whatever eight year olds think. But Zach Mills, who plays Eric, was irretating. I did not want him to succeed in anything he did.
The emotional center of the film hinged on the fact that we believed in the store, its' magic, and most importantly ourselves. These beliefs helped the store restore its magic after its founder dies. It also helped me die a little inside. This is the second most played out message in kid cenema today behind believe in your friends – I fear for this next generation of children.
This movie was an overall disaster, from its played out friendless protanganst to its over zealous five year old store owner. I can’t tell you how bad it was.

1 out of 10: There is nothing redeaming about this.

Meet the Robinsons (Dvd) - Family Ski Trip

The wasteland of children’s cinema these days is immense. Strewn about this vast dessert are great production companies whose animation heyday seems ions ago. Children’s movies now consist of four or five trite staples that can be seen a mile away. To list a few: The spunky, dare I say gay (though a children’s movie would never admit such a thing!) sidekick, a villain whose motives seems questionable at best, a second spunky, dare I day black, sidekick (usually voiced by Wanda Sykes), toss in some funky fresh references to pop culture and you got yourself a hit. Maybe I’m nostalgic in thinking children’s movies when I was a child were inventive, thought provoking, and unique. Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989)? All Dogs go to Heaven(1989)? Not to mention all of the now classic Disney musicals! I’ve read that when I was a child it was Disney’s golden age. Beauty and the Beast (1991), Little Mermaid (1989), Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), need I go on? Have you seen a recent children’s movie? Barnyard (2006), Chicken Little (2005), Happy Feet (2006) They are train wrecks. I hardly waste my time.

[This diatribe disregards Pixar. I have no beef with them and think nothing but great things about all their movies, save Cars (2006).]

Meet the Robinsons certainly isn’t perfect, but it has a lot more going on than Everyone’s Hero (2006) or Flushed Away (2006). The story is a well crafted, for children, mystery. They drop hints that any adult could figure out, but I can picture children having a blast trying to connect all the pieces. The dialog is truly funny. I laughed out loud several times, and was repeating lines after the movie. The characters were well constructed and humorous, especially the villain, though I thought the protagonist was never a fully realized character, just a camera for us to view the events that transpired. This isn’t to say the movie didn’t have its faults. The chase sequence seemed to be an excuse thrown in at the last second for the video game. The crazy family was a bit much; they could have toned it down a bit. But largely this movie was great fun to watch. I didn’t mind the moral ending; adopted kids can be well rounded successes! And the soundtrack wasn’t even that bad. It certainly aint no Flight of the Navigator (1986), but it has its moments.

6 out of 10: Won’t bring you your childhood back, but you will be laughing. Oh, and watch for the villain’s reveal.