tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post936688939075933815..comments2024-03-24T20:15:00.996-04:00Comments on Critic After Dark: DVDs: Ratatouille, We Own the Night, Only Angels Have WingsNoel Verahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-89449538121672455512008-03-13T17:06:00.000-04:002008-03-13T17:06:00.000-04:00Whoops, I meant 'Ebert's praise of Passion of the ...Whoops, I meant 'Ebert's <I>praise</I> of Passion of the Christ' is unforgivable.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-26329800553991007592008-03-13T17:05:00.000-04:002008-03-13T17:05:00.000-04:00On Ebert--he loves movies but boy is he ever cluel...On Ebert--he loves movies but boy is he ever clueless about them. Read his pan on Passion of the Christ. It's unforgivable. Not intentionally so, but still unforgivable. <BR/><BR/>And I wish Cooking Master Boy was more widely available. They have that "one bite and a flood of memories/emotions/special effects pour out of the sky" moment happening <I>every</I> episode. <BR/><BR/>You may or may not want to <A HREF="http://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/2007/08/ratatouille-brad-bird-2007.html" REL="nofollow">read the moment I describe in this article</A>, but... <BR/><BR/>1) I think it's not just a throwback to a powerful early memory, but a far more complex and dramatic moment, with tones of irony and bittersweet;<BR/><BR/>2) On the other hand it's a big-time spoiler...but to a TV series I doubt will ever come to the United States.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-19219114128882820362008-03-13T11:17:00.000-04:002008-03-13T11:17:00.000-04:00I agree with Oggs, you've cast a different light o...I agree with Oggs, you've cast a different light on that speech, and largely an accurate one. But for me (and I liked Ratatouille) the key moment is not the letter, it's the marvelous instance, my favorite in the film, where one bite takes Ego back to a sunlit kitchen from his childhood. To me, the point is not that he abandons criticism so much that he abandons ascetism. <BR/><BR/>And if he's a stand-in for all critics, you're right, the letter is inherently unfair. But I think he's a stand-in for those big guns you allude to--and not Ebert, who still loves movies. No, I think he stands in for certain bigshot critics (I name no names!) who really do seem to have developed some kind of cinematic anhedonia. Ego is no longer a film critic, he's an ME, dissecting food like it's a corpse. Remy brings him back to life.<BR/><BR/>anyway, your exigesis of the letter was the most thought-provoking thing I've read about the film yet. So sometimes a disappointing movie does bring out the best in a critic. :)The Sirenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13587505433284584391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-21296995010986562702008-02-29T10:26:00.000-05:002008-02-29T10:26:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-12617434530894460472008-02-29T02:38:00.000-05:002008-02-29T02:38:00.000-05:00Hm, thanks. I don't often find myself changing peo...Hm, thanks. I don't often find myself changing people's minds, it's a rare pleasure to see someone actually think I'm not crazy...<BR/><BR/>That said, I'm thinking of tweaking what I said a bit.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12690266.post-1048379193421381092008-02-28T23:12:00.000-05:002008-02-28T23:12:00.000-05:00Hi Noel,Your reaction to the Anton Ego speech is i...Hi Noel,<BR/><BR/>Your reaction to the Anton Ego speech is intriguing, and makes me want to re-assess my evaluation of Ratatouille. At first, I thought that moment was the heart of the film but reading your observations, I can't help but agree. Excellent commentaries, as always.Oggs Cruzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03041599863258946384noreply@blogger.com