Pixar’s latest entry, Brave, is a reimagining of the damsel driven fairy tale and Brave finds success outside its title not making a whole lot of sense and the connective tissues of the plot not being terribly well earned. [Read more...]
Film Review: Brave
06/22/2012 by Leave a Comment
Audio Book Review: American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson (Read by Craig Ferguson)
12/14/2011 by Leave a Comment
I usually love reading books written by comedians. Even if they are telling what would ordinarily be a boring story, they often manage bring a witticism to it that allows the story to transcend its boring nature and become enjoyable. I was hoping from the same from Craig Ferguson, but was utterly disappointed. I probably could have predicted that there was no way this story could have been funny had I known more about his life in advance. He covers some pretty heavy subject areas – his slew of failed marriages (he is currently on wife 3 or 4 – I lost count), his battles with alcoholism and drug addictions, suicide, and what he describes as a complete lack of direction or purpose for his life. [Read more...]
Review: Winnie the Pooh
07/17/2011 by Leave a Comment
Winnie the Pooh is an incredibly sweet and charming reboot of the classic series that is full of some great songs, by the cast and She & Him, and some beautiful animation.
This telling of Pooh is a throwback of sorts, aiming to recreate the look and feel of the original animated works by the studio and not overwhelm the classic tales with newer animation styles and techniques. The story, and film, is to the point and doesn’t over complicate things making it ideal for younger audiences to sit back and enjoy Pooh’s adventure. The story mostly revolves around the search for Eeyore’s tail while Pooh tries to satisfy his grumbly tummy. There is a wrench thrown in there as well when the threat of a Backson falls upon the Hundred Acre Wood. As an added bonus, the film’s musical elements are bound to suck in the attention of the little ones as well.
But the film is not just for kids. I enjoyed the film whole heartedly and was grinning ear to ear for most of the film’s runtime. [Read more...]
Now Playing Review – How To Train Your Dragon
03/29/2010 by Leave a Comment
DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon is an entertaining and adorable (don’t worry boys, you will still be manly if you see it) film that is by far one of their best attempts at removing Pixar from the computer animation throne.
In the Viking community a name can say a lot about the person; so with a name like Hiccup people probably aren’t going to expect that much from that individual. Growing into his name, Hiccup is seen as the community screw-up, far from one with the battle prowess of the others in the village. Especially when it comes to killing dragons, the village pest problem. Though everyone has little faith in what Hiccup is capable of, he has not given up on becoming a great warrior against the dragons and actually brings an elusive Night Fury down with one of his inventions during a dragon food raid on the village. With this final straw, the village warriors (AKA the majority of the village) leave to find and eradicate the dragon nest, leaving Hiccup to his own devices. However, when he finds the downed dragon he realizes that maybe he just doesn’t have what it takes to do what is expected with him, starting an unheard of friendship with the enemy. [Read more...]
Review: How To Train Your Dragon
03/26/2010 by Leave a Comment
How to Train Your Dragon is a high quality effort from DreamWorks that while still a far cry from Pixar overcomes its duller moments with some really amazing scenes of wonder.
The film follows our unlikely hero, Hiccup, who on an island full of Vikings that’s only goal is to fight dragons is not very good at the job. To make things worse, Hiccup is the son of the tribe’s leader and best warrior, Stoick. Hiccup spends most of his time as the town blacksmith’s, Gobber, apprentice and actually shows some skill as a craftsman. When the latest dragon attack brings the illusive Night Fury Hiccup gets a clean shot on it with a grappling device and takes it down in the woods outlying the city. When Stoick leads the village on an expedition to find the Dragon’s nest to try and eliminate the dragons for good, Hiccup gets enrolled in the dragon slaying training course with the local youths but has problems getting involved as he forms an unlikely bond with the downed Night Fury and the two become closer and closer friends.
