Reviews - Pixar Round Up Part Two

Finding Nemo – Pixar's next film moved away from the more grown up themes and dark side that Monsters Inc provided and is more of a straight forward kids movie. Luckily it's a kid films with plenty of charm and warmth, although it makes fewer concessions to adult audience members then previous movies. This entertaining tale of a clownfish desperately trying to find his son who has gone missing is filled with memorable characters and scenes, including a great turn from Ellen DeGeneres. It stands out as one of Pixar's best looking movies – the Australian coast is brought to vivid, lush life, but overall it feels aimed more for the younger audience.

The Incredibles – Pixar had a go at mixing in more dramatic and action elements along with their usual comedic elements in this enjoyable effort. Filmed in widescreen the film is a stunner from the Metropolis city landscapes to dense jungle scenery. The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to star an all human cast, and rather than going for realism the cartoony look of the cast pays off handsomely. The story and writing, about a family of superheroes who must work together to fight a new threat trying to take over a world where superheroes are outlawed, is great. Writer and director Brad Bird handles both the over the top action and the more personal family scenes well. The film doesn't have as much humour as previous Pixar efforts but this is still a very enjoyable romp from a studio now very comfortable with their craft.

Cars – After watching Cars I was left with a feeling I seldom have after watching a Pixar movie -disappointment. Cars is a film that unfortunately just doesn't deliver – the laughs are few, the drama falls flat, and while the film looks good (again filmed in widescreen) the scenery is a little uninspired. The characters are fun but at just under two hours Cars is far too long for it's slight story about a racing car lost and damaged in the backwater town of Radiator Springs, and his journey back to the racetrack for the race of his life. What may have been a entertaining eighty minutes is dragged out and it long outstays its welcome. The film made an absolute fortune in merchandise so a sequel is on the way. Hopefully Pixar will inject more humour and shorten the running time to make an enjoyable movie.

Ratatouille – Cars may have been a bit of a dud but Pixar pulled out all the stops for Ratatouille, a funny, charming winner of a film that ranks as my favourite Pixar movie. A simple story about a French mouse who dreams of being a chef, and gets to live that dream via an unwilling human volunteer, the combination of witty writing, assured direction and superb animation lift this film up high. Any evidence of its troubled production (the original director was replaced during production) is not evident on screen. All the characters are fantastic and well voiced, but special mention goes to Peter O'Toole who puts in a memorable performance as a sour faced restaurant critic. An absolute delight.

Wall-E – A film set in a post-apocalyptic Earth starring a lonely, rubbish collecting robot who is seemingly the only inhabitant of Earth left doesn't exactly sound like a heartwarming family feature but somehow Pixar pull it off. Wall-E may not have the best jokes or the strongest plot but it has bags and bags of charm. The first half of the film features precious little dialogue but it doesn't need it, everything that needs to be said is animated in silent perfection. After this brave first half the film falls into more generic territory for the second half involving a space marooned colony of humans, but it's still highly enjoyable and very imaginative. Wall-E himself is a delight of a character and it's a pleasure spending time with him. A great, touching film.

That rounds up my thoughts on the Pixar stable of films. As you can probably tell I have a lot of love for these movies (except for Cars.) But when a collection of films contain as much humour, warmth, excitement and good old fashioned story telling as these do, it's hard not to be entranced by them. It's also been fun watching Pixar's writing, directing and technical prowess improve with each film. I'm looking forward to 2010 and beyond where we'll get to see Toy Story 3, The Bear and The Bow and Newt, which has the sort of simple story Pixar handle very well. And of course there's also Cars 2 which will hopefully be a big improvement on the first film.

Review - Somers Town

This entertaining little curio was originally supposed to be a short promotional film for Eurostar until director Shane Meadows extended it into a (barely) feature length film. Filmed in evocative black and white, Somers Town follows the lives of two new arrivals to the eponymous area of London – young polish boy Marek (Piotr Jagiello) who has just moved with his dad, and youngster Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) who has come to Somers Town from Nottingham, to escape his life there.

Somers Town is very much a character driven so luckily Marek and Tomo are interesting to follow. We learn about Marek's problems at home living only with his dad, who would rather get drunk with his Polish builder buddies than spend some time with his son. Tomo also suffers from problems at home as well, although these are never explicitly seen on screen. While near opposites, with Marek quiet and thoughtful, and Tomo loud, brash and liable to speak before he thinks, their eventual friendship is a believable one and brought humorously and vividly to life by the two young actors. They are both bought together by a mutual bond, being new in the area and having difficult home lives. Shane Meadows populates the film with a smattering of entertaining minor characters, the highlight being wideboy London tinker Graham (Perry Benson.) Two other important stars of the film are the great soundtrack, and Somers Town and the surrounding area itself. In black and white the area loses its unappealing grubbiness and exudes a strange sort of charm.

Clocking in at around seventy minutes, the film doesn't give itself the chance to outstay its welcome. In fact, and I haven't written this about a film for a long while, I wouldn't of minded if the running time was a little bit longer. I felt the finale came on a bit too quickly and the film still had a bit more to say. Overall though Somers Town is a very entertaining low key little film.

Review - Bolt

By 2008, with Pixar and Dreamworks dominating the computer generated film market, Disney's own in-house animation studio seemed to have fallen to the wayside after making the switch from traditional animation to computer generated features. Previous releases Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons didn't reach the same popularity of Toy Story or Shrek. However along came “Bolt” which did generate a fair bit of buzz and was a hit for the studio. Watching the film it's easy to see why it's a success: Bolt is a entertaining family movie with a strong cast of characters and excellent animation.

Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a lovable pooch starring in a action-adventure television show with his owner Penny, who is voiced by Disney tween favourite Miley Cirus. In the show Bolt is a superdog with a host of special powers, such as the ability to bend bars, stop cars with his forehead and a superbark which causes all kinds of destruction. The only thing he can't do is fly, which as Bolt points out would be “ridiculous.” Bolt has no idea that all his adventures are being filmed for a TV show and that his super powers are all fake special effects. In Truman Show-esque style Bolt is kept on set at all times and is oblivious to the outside world. Inevitably through a series of mishaps Bolt is flung into the real world and ends up in New York, and he embarks on a journey back to Hollywood to save Penny who he believes is in great peril. Joining him on his journey is sly, sarcastic cat Mittens (a solid voice job from Susie Essman) and Bolt's number one fan, an excitable hamster named Rhino (excellently voiced by Mark Walton.)

Bolts adventure back to Hollywood is a funny and exciting one. As well as the likeable and well acted characters of Mittens and Rhino, Bolt meets a host of other characters along the way, the highlight being three wiseguy pigeons he meets in New York. All the characters are expertly animated, with Disney's usual attention to animal detail translating well to CGI, the pigeons in particular with their wide eyes and twitching necks are well realised. The fast paced action sequences which make up a fair portion of the film are also very good, and manage to bring across a sense of peril and excitement often missing from CGI generated action sequences.

The plot is fairly predictable and there are few surprises - in true Disney fashion lessons are learnt and fears are conquered. But with the likeable characters, winning humour and involving action sequences Bolt is a fun ride while it lasts. Ironically after finally getting the hang of making a solid, enjoyable CGI film, Disney animation under the direction of John Lasseter are making the move back to traditional animation, starting with the upcoming “The Princess and the Frog.” While I'm all for this, I'd be happy to see further CGI releases from the studio if they follow the same standard of quality as “Bolt.”

Reviews - Pixar Round Up Part One

As I've reviewed Up I may as well give my two cents on other films from the Pixar stable. If you don't wish to read my brief thoughts on their films here's a summary: all of them are excellent except Cars (although the Cars merchandise is pretty good.) Anyway without further ado:

Toy Story – Pixar's first film was a wonder when released and still holds up well today. Not only was this film a technical marvel when it was first released but it was backed up with an original and funny story, memorable characters and a witty script. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen bring a liveliness and believability to the characters of Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Pixar chose a great subject matter for a computer generated film – it's hard to imagine all these toys being brought to life in a live action film. They also avoided the trap of creating “human” looking characters, going for a deliberately cartoony style, avoiding the creepy “uncanny valley” effect of films such as The Polar Express. But the most important thing is that Toy Story is just plain fun for both children and adults, a genuine family film.

A Bug's Life – Toy Story is a tough act to follow, and A Bug's Life doesn't really reach the heights of its predecessor. But there is plenty to enjoy here: filmed in glorious widescreen it looks a treat and the voice acting especially by Kevin Spacey is entertaining. Unfortunately the story is rather slight and the characters are very two dimensional. The film is geared more towards a younger audience than Toy Story and some parents may get bored by the proceedings. I enjoyed it immensely though, maybe I am just a big kid at heart!

Toy Story 2 – Essentially offering more of the same as the first film, Toy Story 2 is an absolute treat to watch and one of Pixar's better efforts. The only flaw I could find is a overly saccharine song halfway through the film which always leaves me cold. The rest of the film is great though, and Joan Cusack and Kelsey Grammer are clearly having lots of fun in their guest roles. Plenty of gags, both verbal and visual, and a hi-octane finale make this one a classic.

Monsters Inc – Pixar seemed to grow up a little with this film. The story and humour isn't as obvious and breezy as Toy Story and A Bug's Life. The characters seemed more rounded – they have hopes, dreams and ambitions (even if they are monsters.) Even the villain seems more grown up – he's cold, calculating and unpredictable. All these things make Monsters Inc an enjoyable watch, and although the themes are darker Pixar play it just right so kids and adults can enjoy.

Review - Up 3D

Disney/Pixar's latest offering is another winner. A simple fable, it's told with a warmth, humour and technical excellence that makes it stand out as one of Pixar's best. Up tells the story of grumpy senior Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) who has recently lost his wife and is soon to lose his home. Facing being moved into a retirement home after an unfortunate incident with building contractors who are after his home, Carl ties seemingly hundreds of balloons to his fireplace which send his house skyward. His goal is to reach Paradise Falls, where his childhood hero Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) visited many years back in search of a mythical bird but never returned. Tagging along unwittingly for the trip is a young boy scout named Russell. Amazingly the house does reach Paradise Falls where Carl and Russell run into a pack of talking dogs, a giant bird (who Russell christens as Kevin), and even Muntz himself, whose mysterious intentions are soon made clear to Carl and Russell.

From the heartbreaking first few minutes to the exciting and sentimental finale, Up is an absolute joy to watch. The main characters are perfectly judged and well played by the voice actors. Carl's story is a sad one and his dealing with being alone and old age is sensitively handled and rather touching. Russell is an excellent comic foil – wide-eyed, lovable and who refreshingly is written to behave like a kid and not a wisecracking grown-up in a kids body. He's the perfect antidote to Carl's grumpiness. Muntz is an entertaining “boo hiss” villain who gets some surprisingly creepy scenes. Pixar have somehow managed to create well rounded non-human characters as well. The dogs, equipped with collars which speak out their thoughts, are hilarious. Kevin, a giant bird with a fondness for Russell, provides the cute factor. Even though “he” is speechless he still gets the chance for some dramatics and character growth as the story progresses.

The story and direction by Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson (who also voices the two main canine characters) is thrilling, sentimental and dramatic in equal measures. It's played at just the right level so that both children and adults will enjoy. The film appeals to the mind, the heart and the eyes. For the mind there's the characters growth and depth, we really get to know what makes these characters tick, and learn about their fears, struggles and hopes. For the eye there's the colourful and well realised scenery and superbly animated characters, and for the heart there's everything from the tearjerker montage which opens the film to the rollercoaster thrills of the finale.

Up was filmed using Disney's Digital 3D system which is what the film was presented in at the viewing I attended. The danger with 3D films in the past is that the colours could end up muted due to the 3D glasses. However like the earlier “Monster Vs Aliens” Up manages to retain its bright colours and the film looks great in digital presentation. Pixar had a tough job following Ratatouille and Wall-E but have pulled through with a fantastic film which just about everybody will enjoy.

London Film Festival - Ajami

The final film of the festival for me was the one I was looking forward to the most. An interesting sounding thriller set in the slums of the Jaffa neighbourhood, where Jews and Palestinians uneasily live side by side. It's a dangerous place where violence can and does happen, often suddenly and unexpectedly. The film opens with one of these acts of violence, where a young boy washing the family car is gunned down by youths on a moped. It's revealed that this is a gang killing, and also that the murderers have gunned down the wrong youth, mistaking him for their intended target. What follows is a tense, thoughtful pot-boiler as we find out how this shocking act of violence affects different characters in the neighbourhood.

Despite the fast paced and violent opening, the rest of the film is more deliberately paced, with the focus more on talking than on action. That's not to say it's boring – the script and direction by first time filmmakers Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani is engaging and thoughtful. The film is split into five chapters, which do not play in chronological order. Unfortunately playing the story out of order doesn't really add anything and I think it would have worked better as just a linear story. However it doesn't detract to much from the enjoyment of the film.

Despite the undeniably gritty setting and sometimes grim events Ajami is a characteristic and entertaining film. The characters are well drawn out, and their stories and actions are sometimes witty, sometimes tragic and often raise difficult questions. There's a sweet romantic subplot which helps soften some parts of the film, although it seems be forgotten about towards the end. The finale is also a bit too melodramatic, and doesn't have quite the dramatic punch it's aiming for.

Ajami was well worth watching and I'm not surprised to see it won the London Film Festival's Sutherland Trophy. What could have ended up being an Israeli version of City of God actually ends up having its very own strong identity and style.

I was lucky enough to see Ajami at the Phoenix cinema, a lovely single screen cinema in East Finchley which is currently going through a long renovation. The last film I saw there was Rushmore back in 1998 and the cinema had come along a long way since then, with a great looking foyer and refurbished art deco panels in the auditorium. There's still work to do though. Do make a visit there if you can, they usually have special screenings as well as the latest releases. Take a look at their website: http://www.phoenixcinema.co.uk.