tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post5012626476223433625..comments2024-03-24T20:15:00.996-04:00Comments on Critic After Dark: Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)Noel Verahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-83582479278091776972009-12-21T22:51:13.633-05:002009-12-21T22:51:13.633-05:00I always said Lord of the Rings was done about thi...I always said Lord of the Rings was done about thirty years ago, for a far smaller budget, by John Boorman. It's called 'Excalibur.'<br /><br />My favorite Eddie Romero (actually the only one I liked) is Agila--not available on DVD, far as I know, a pity. <br /><br />If you like horror, check out the films by Gerardo de Leon afterwards. Two vampire films I'd recommend are Blood is the Color of the Night and Whisper to the WindNoel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-71465632033599187172009-12-21T06:11:31.658-05:002009-12-21T06:11:31.658-05:00First af all I believe that Wes got the real talen...First af all I believe that Wes got the real talent. <br />I don't like the kind of "take the money" movies like Avatar or Lord of the rings. I had a different taste about what a movie is and I hate the "hype".<br />Coraline was very good.Here in Greece we don't even know about Wes Anderson's "Fantastic Mr.Fox". The solution of course is the dvd release.<br />I' m waiting for my Philipino film.<br />Finally I choosed "Beast of the Yellow Night". I think this director- Eddie Romero - it's for my taste.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-19948830315435528522009-12-21T01:20:50.112-05:002009-12-21T01:20:50.112-05:00Yeah, the first 3 discs is actually only the first...Yeah, the first 3 discs is actually only the first 15 episodes (it's 74 episodes long... pretty long series); while it is a long show, there's actually is a lot of standalone content...<br /><br />Anyway, yeah, check it out whenever you have time; if you watch any TV anime in the foreseeable future, this should definitely be one of the first things you check out.TG Staffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521109390376469764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-13134503579639574642009-12-21T00:53:12.347-05:002009-12-21T00:53:12.347-05:00Netflix finally has Monster. 3 discs, of volume on...Netflix finally has Monster. 3 discs, of volume one. Is that the entire series, or only part 1?Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-63463090135923577022009-12-20T05:47:02.826-05:002009-12-20T05:47:02.826-05:00Interesting comparison; I'm looking at the pic...Interesting comparison; I'm looking at the picture right now and I think I remember the waves in PONYO making those kind of shapes.<br /><br />Yeah, the backgrounds were totally brimming with character in that movie; it was a very pleasing choice to have that kinda "painterly" thing going on or whatever.<br /><br />Death Note was a lot of fun; the ending was spectacularly overblown and I was pleased that Tetsuro Araki made productive use of such a small space in a warehouse for the finale (which is likely a consequence of how it was used in the original manga [that I've not read], but it's nice to see it convincingly timed and staged in animation... in fact, Death Note had several really fun set pieces); Araki did another show recently called "Kurozuka" and it was strangely experimental compared Death Note, which I found interesting.<br /><br />(and Araki also did an interesting arc for the AOI BUNGAKU anime series about a bandit in the woods who falls in love with a woman from the city [and subsequently kills his several other wives in order to marry this city girl]; "BLUE LITERATURE" (AOI BUNGAKU) is essentially Madhouse's top talent adapting famous Japanese stories into animation... it's a REALLY good show)<br /><br />That said, yeah, try catching MONSTER on Scyfy sometime (mondays at 11PM... but then I actually DVR the show); it's a really cool show and has that nice convincingly mature flavor that Keaton had.<br /><br />Of interesting note is that Masayuki Kojima tends to actually use staff from GHIBLI for his productions at Madhouse: for example, Master Keaton had 2 episodes done by Kitaro Kosaka (who has been an animation director for some of Miyazaki's movies): the one about the French wine from WWII and the one about the old lady from Japan searching an old British acquaintance... probably some of the very best content in the series, I felt; overall, Kosaka seems like a fairly accomplished storyteller himself: I loved his NSAU movies.<br /><br />Anyway, yeah, MONSTER is mainly what I'm talking about as it's very ambitious production (74 episodes with rather tight quality control via Kojima's ability to keep it together); it's very likely that TV anime will never see something like this again (as Kojima has now moved into feature film production; his recent PIANO FOREST movie was really great) <br /><br />Among other things, what makes MONSTER interesting is seeing a Japanese anime grounded in a contemporary German setting (like the 1990s)...TG Staffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521109390376469764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-35255281145599351282009-12-20T03:36:23.415-05:002009-12-20T03:36:23.415-05:00Ever took a close look at Starry Night at the MOMA...Ever took a close look at Starry Night at the MOMA? Van Gogh doesn't bother filling in every inch of his canvas either. <br /><br />The childlike backgrounds in Ponyo have the effect of giving the film more spontaneity, a more casual feel, as if the backgrounds were being scribbled into place only moments before the camera turned to their direction. A very Van Gogh feel, I think. <br /><br />Haven't seen Monster--didn't you recommend this one time? Mean to check em out, never have the chance. I enjoyed Death Note, for the record--but you probably think that's old stuff.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-85537066751233606602009-12-20T00:34:11.752-05:002009-12-20T00:34:11.752-05:00Really liked this one (and have been an Anderson f...Really liked this one (and have been an Anderson fan for a while); I like that it's a story about a fox family, yet it's not entirely too hard to relate with everything given that, like what you usually see in Anderson's movies, the characterization always evokes some kind of nostalgia given that you KNEW people like Anderson's characters (which are actually based on people he knew)... but then put into Anderson's bizarre worlds, where 20-something year olds have fun planning robberies like 10-year-olds, where high school kids stage elaborate stage versions of the story of FRANK SERPICO or where Bill Murray single-handedly rescues his ship's crew from multi-ethnic Asian pirates.<br /><br />I think that, even though there isn't necessarily a practical application of Anderson's films outside of entertainment, it's entertainment that is quirky and intelligent enough to warrant going back to again and again.<br /><br />Essentially, Anderson doesn't make a disposable product and I appreciate it.<br /><br />Also, I was quite fond of the animation in this one; it might not be "cutting-edge", but it has enough personality to make it distinguishable: if you've seen anything out of STUDIO 4C (or, specifically, Masaaki Yuasa's work), they don't have the "best" looking art, but they make a product and animation with a lot of character, I feel (which is probably why they're highly appreciated by all the animation otaku). <br /><br />(funnily, Miyazaki, during his UC BERKELEY talk that I went to, talked about how he ordered his art director for PONYO to "get childish" with the backgrounds... PONYO'S BGs don't have the sharp hyper detail that I remember from stuff like HOWL'S and SPIRITED AWAY, yet they have easily been some of my favorites from a Miyazaki movie)<br /><br />That's not to say that Anderson doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve with regards to the animation: I was quite fond of the various tracking shots he would use here and there.<br /><br />As for the movie itself, what I really liked about it is that it was essentially a story about a fox dealing with a midlife crisis (Anderson was kinda enough to translate the passage of time in human years)...<br /><br />In his later years, Mr. Fox is delegated to a job writing a column [that no one reads] for a newspaper (why animals would have newspapers, who knows?)... he's searching for something more in life (and even wants to move into a tree, despite the bad economy... clever), so he gives stealing another go in order to feel alive again, despite the inevitable consequences this will have on the people around him.<br /><br />So, does he live a peaceful life like a schnook? Or does he live a dangerous life where he feels like somebody (to live life how he was meant to live it: like a "wild animal")?<br /><br />It's a hard choice... especially for a wild animal.<br /><br />(Amusingly, the conundrum of the midlife crisis is what I also really liked about Naoki Urasawa's 20th Centery Boys manga: it's a story about a group of people trying to save the world... but it's also about a man growing up and realizing that his best years have passed him by and how he turned out to be a loser... yet he now finds himself in a fantastical position where he's tasked with saving the world, despite the general ineptness of everyone in his group)<br /><br />Which reminds me, Noel:<br /><br />Have you been watching MONSTER on SCYFY?<br /><br />It's really awesome; it's like MASTER KEATON this comparison isn't too out there since the parties involved did both shows and original stories), but with an on-going plot about a doctor who saves the life of a child who turns out to be a serial killer.<br /><br />But, yeah... really worth watching; the DVDs are out now too, so you might be able to rent the first set if you weren't able to catch it on TV.<br /><br />Anyway, yeah, good read on Fox; are you gonna go see James Cameron's new movie?<br /><br />(hey... it'll be fun... and will have action sequences that are actually staged well)TG Staffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05521109390376469764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-72409011888625874172009-12-19T06:18:59.761-05:002009-12-19T06:18:59.761-05:00Fur is fine, but I love the look of Coraline, its ...Fur is fine, but I love the look of Coraline, its creepy atmosphere (Fox had many things, did not have much creep). And between the look of an incredibly detailed but still nevertheless dioramic camera and one that flows all over the place, I prefer the latter.<br /><br />Not a fan of Lord of the Rings (too linear) or the movie (too literal).Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-72902368521948148982009-12-19T05:33:03.418-05:002009-12-19T05:33:03.418-05:00Ahh, Fantastic mr. Fox. I saw this on an empty the...Ahh, Fantastic mr. Fox. I saw this on an empty theater in Glorietta, I am surprised it is still playing as of this moment. Really sad. But not surprising. It had a horrible trailer, it was not promoted as other indie features, and it had dialogues that aren't really for children. <br /><br />"In terms of animation features it's lovely, even perhaps brilliant, but not great."<br /><br />I will have to disagree with that one. If there was one thing that left my jaw hanging was how awesome the details were. Stop-mo's pain in the ass enough with plasticine (Coraline) and clay (Chicken Run), how much more if you have to move the puppets with fur...without the use of CG as Coraline and Nightmare before X'mas did. For a time, I forgot that those were puppet animals/humans. Particularly commendable was the scene where Ash comforted his over-achieving cousin by playing with the toy train in the bedtime scene. I think it was meant to be crude to achieve a storybook effect and to accommodate Wes' style of retro feel. Now I will have to get its Dvd to scrutinize it further.<br />If one saw Avatar 3D before this (like I did), the animation does really feel underwhelming. It's like watching NBA then switch the channel to PBA. <br />I also have to commend Wes for the brilliant script. Sure, the Brits are protesting right now for its rubbish adaptation, but I will tell to their faces, screw the book, I like the film better. The only time I liked the film version than original source was the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Wes was able to justify Mr. Fox's stealing ways, which Dahl failed to do. Worth noting was the wolf scene towards the end.<br />The film ain't perfect. For one, it suffers from poor editing and at times predictable (like the scenes with the beagle) and several characters were poorly developed, like Rat, Petey, Agnes, etc. but overall, it's satisfying. > than Up and Coraline but < than Where the Wild things Are.Dinonoreply@blogger.com