kewlmatto Reviews

Brave (2012)

'Brave' is a simple tale well told - a bit more 'Disney' than 'Pixar'

[8/10 · 16 June 2012]

After the highly disappointing 'Cars 2', it is nice to see an original film from Pixar once again. The burden Pixar carries is their near perfect hit-after-hit track record, and the company is clearly beginning to feel the pressure of this amazing output.

If you come with giddy expectations you may be let down a little - Brave is a thoroughly enjoyable film but it's just far more 'ordinary' in its delivery and themes than other Pixar films. This in many ways is its strength - its simplicity actually works well. But at its core lies themes that we've seen before, told in very similar ways. It is here where the film feels much more like a well-made Disney Animation Studio film than a Pixar one - almost like a follow-up to Tangled.

The animation is beautiful, the film doesn't overstay its welcome, and, given the film's problems during production, it's great to see something this coherent.

What I really appreciated was the mother-daughter relationship which is the focus of the film. This was not really clear in the advertising - in fact, it seems they would have us believe it's a father/daughter themed movie from the trailers. Apparently talking about mothers and daughters is box-office poison.

It's refreshing. We all know about the Disney curse on mothers. Instead of following suit, this film, with the immense heart and talent of Emma Thompson, carves out a wonderful role for Queen Elinor, and the relationship between her and her daughter Merida develops some rich layers as the film progresses.

Expect a good film and you will be happy with this one. Expect the best film and you will be underwhelmed. It's all about perspective.

Astro Boy (2009)

A real surprise!

[7/10 · 13 October 2009]

The first fifteen minutes of its dialogue was groan-inducing...this, combined with Nic Cage's droning voice is enough to turn the viewer off quickly.

Fortunately, you can't judge this one by its opening act. As soon as Astro leaves Metro City, the film really picks up. This is surprisingly intelligent, fun, nostalgic and engaging.

The film manages to canvass some rather complex ideas regarding robotics, which really raise the quality of the story to a higher level. Characters have some shades of grey which are much appreciated.

The animation is strong, though it is a little too Western in appearance at times, and it would have been nice to see a bit more anime style.

Unfortunately, the lack of the classic music theme does leave a gaping hole.

The Departed (2006)

Marvellous. Scorsese at his finest.

[10/10 · 13 October 2006]

First he sets the characters and the world up so vividly, so interestingly and with such finesse. You watch him stack the dominoes side-by-side, wondering where he's going, what pattern he's making. And before you know it, he knocks one of them over and you watch the domino chain fall in the most exciting and elaborate way. The tension in this film just rises and rises - it's so incredibly well structured and paced. The film becomes exhilarating - a word I too rarely get to use to describe a film.

This is an instant classic - a definitive crime film. The cast is fantastic - what a great ensemble piece. Scorsese is the best thing that's ever happened to DiCaprio - he turned the guy into a real actor and this is his best role so far. Damon is great, Sheen, Wahlberg, Baldwin...excellent. Nicholson is very entertaining - sure, he hams it up a little - but it's so well done. The cinematography is at the same time very visceral and immediate, as well as cinematic - capturing the excellent setting of Boston in a very unique way.

Sure, I was expecting great things - but not this good. Scorsese knocked this out of the park. I couldn't give this anything but a 10/10. This is a film that people will be talking about fifty years from now.

The Polar Express (2004)

Lifeless and spread ridiculously thin...

[5/10 · 19 November 2004]

Wow. I never thought Zemeckis and Hanks could produce something so...boring.

The Polar Express is not only predictable (which can be forgivable, but not here...), it has no likable characters, and besides some eye candy, it really has nothing going for it at all. What initially appeared to be a visually spectacular film was actually lifeless. The characters look awkward and dull, and nothing great is really done with the scenery (besides a small handful of moments on the train). Most of the action ends up being theme-park driven POV action. Fun, for a couple of seconds, but without a motion simulator, it tires easily. The fact that it is repeated throughout some three to four times does nothing to up the ante.

I'm sure the book had much charm, but as a fully fledged feature film, it is such a small story that is spread so thin that really, it becomes apparent that this should have been a thirty-minute short film - made for holiday TV viewing. Sure, it somewhat captures the "spirit of Christmas", but certainly not in any fun way. They really needed to take a page out of Pixar's book - develop a story which doesn't bore and characters that are well-rounded, FUN and likable.

Forget this turkey and watch the Grinch again...

Open Water (2003)

Not particularly enjoyable, but good nonetheless...

[7/10 · 7 November 2004]

I had a lot of anticipation in seeing this movie - mostly due to the fact that there are no special effects or anything that is artificial. And in this respect, the film is pleasing to watch. As a viewer, I could appreciate the "reality" the movie presented, but as someone who wants to be entertained, I can see how this movie may be a letdown.

The way in which it's made to be highly-realistic makes you realize how boring reality can be. In the middle of the film, the scenes literally drag on for what seems longer than time itself. The lack of special effects means that we do not really get what many will walk into this film wanting to see - crazy shark frenzy. Nor do we really get much in the way of scares, with the exception of one scene where the lack of artificial lighting really pays off.

What we do get however, is an interesting cinematic experiment which, for the most part, you can appreciate. This was never made to be the next 'Jaws', nor should it have to be. I definitely recommend a watch, but don't set yourself up for disappointment like many I have talked to did.

Shark Tale (2004)

Many spoofs does not a funny film make...

[4/10 · 19 September 2004]

After seeing Shark Tale today, I am quite lukewarm about the movie as a whole. Being a big fan of the Pixar films, and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Dreamworks PDI films, I was quite eager to enjoy this new film (and went in without looking to compare it to Nemo). However what I found was that Dreamworks have taken their intertextuality license and worked it for all it's worth (and then some).

The story is quite unremarkable, and the worst element is the main character - Oscar, who is incredibly annoying. The character is far too willing to wise-crack every second of the film, obviously because Dreamworks is desperately afraid that the audience may get bored. This has a very adverse affect however, and it is very easy to grow tired of what would otherwise be a "sidekick" character who will.not.shut.up. Empathy is hard to muster with a character like this, and does not compare to a character like Shrek, Woody, Z or Flik. Even Mike from Monsters, Inc. knew when to be silent and let the story carry itself. Other characters are really just filler, and are either boring (Angie) or unnecessary (Lola).

A lot has been said about the racial stereotypes within this film, and although they are all in good fun, they do tend to grate. The sharks are an exception however, and really do steal the show whenever they are present. In fact, it's the references to Goodfellas, Jaws, the Godfather and other mobster movies which are the only ones which actually do generate some laughs. The rest of the film spoofs/nods really seem to be tossed into the sea hap-hazardly, or "for the sake of it". Many moviegoers may get some kind of kick out of hearing a fish say "You had me at hello", but I for one think there is a clear difference between using other films to be truly witty and clever (think Nemo's nods to Psycho, The Birds and Fight Club) and throwing in movie quotes for cheap laughs, which is what we see here.

Other gags often fall flat due to being either too cliché, or not really relevant or humorous within the context: "Don't worry, a lot of white fish can't do it."

Don't get me wrong, Shark Tale is not all bad. There are some redeeming qualities in the film. As I said, the sharks, particularly Don Lino and the "extended family" are really enjoyable, as is much of the animation (particularly when we really get to see the reef city). The film opens really well, with a number of great sight gags - which really set up the world nicely. It's just a shame that the characters and the story were not as well-rounded and formed enough to make use of this world. Even Lenny is not as enjoyable as he could be, until towards the end of the film.

We have definitely been spoiled with the quality of previous computer-animated films, and a lot of love and attention has gone into their construction. This is obviously a back-burner project that falls behind Dreamwork's most important franchise, Shrek, and it is obvious that it hasn't received this care. It definitely is worth a watch, but high hopes may leave viewers disappointed, like me. Truly an example of how a cinematic format is only as good as its story and characters. Companies cannot ride the "3D success wave" forever...

Daredevil (2003)

A step in the wrong direction for comic-book movies..

[5/10 · 23 April 2003]

Spoiler Alert After the brilliant Spider-Man and the enjoyable X-Men, it truly looked like comic-book movies were finally on the way up, and were given the treatment and love that they deserved. As a dedicated Batman fan, I also have much interest in Daredevil (Marvel's closest counterpart), who is a great character in his own right. I was excited about the movie, especially after seeing the teaser trailer.

Cut to five months later, and I get to go to the local preview screening after winning free tickets. Thankfully, I can proudly say that I didn't spend one cent on this movie. It was a disappointment on so many levels, and showed me that bad comic-book movies can still make their way through production.

This movie seemed to take some of the good from Batman Returns, and some of the worst from Batman Forever. In terms of art direction - sets, backdrops, palettes, costumes - I was pleased. It had a really nice look to it. Very satisfied. This was the good.

Unfortunately that didn't make up for the bad. Bad one liners, terrible, wooden acting, one dimensional characters and a story which felt rushed and hollow. I came out feeling like it was a pilot for a TV show actually, considering the amazing lack-of-ground it covered.

First off, Daredevil. Ben Affleck isn't a bad actor, but he is always Ben Affleck. I didn't see the character there at all. It was a real shame. Total lack of development. The raspy voice isn't going to get you there by itself, Ben. We hardly saw any of Matt, and the intense dichotomy with the legal side of his job and his vigilantism. A huge missed opportunity.

Not to mention - killing the Quesada guy? (and why did Joe Q. lend his name to such a character?) I mean, he didn't even kill Kingpin, who killed people close to him, but he killed a rapist?. I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a diehard Batman fan but it seemed so hypocritical and made me lose all respect for this version of Daredevil. It undermined the whole point of the movie, basically. I fail to see how Daredevil could have "grown" so much through the few events and fights within the film.

Next, Jennifer Garner. Well once again, no character, just Jen doing her stunt thing. (And I can't see how they could think that fight scene after fight scene could carry a movie on its own). The Elektra I've come to appreciate in the comics was totally absent. No mysteriousness. She didn't feel that dangerous. And she (and her father) were basically 100% American, no matter what they said. It detracted from her character and origin in so many ways. The love they had felt so contrived and rushed, I felt no empathy whatsoever.

Colin Farrell now gets deleted from my list of Batman-contenders. Bullseye was pathetic. The 'comedy relief' of the movie was so utterly cheesy, it just brought back bad memories of Tommy Lee Jones, Arnie, Uma and Jim Carrey - the type of comic-book acting I thought could have possibly been dead, post-X-Men and Spider-Man. He barely had any lines, and I just cringed whenever he spoke anyway.

And finally, Michael Clarke Duncan...hang on, was that guy in it? Oh that's right, right at the beginning, then right at the end. Once again - totally one dimensional - no convincing drive behind the character. The last fight scene was so corny (when he took off his shirt to get ready), I basically gave up on the movie then and there. Sigh. If one were to ad neon lights into this movie, you could say that this was a Schumacher film.

The stunts were decent, some were great in fact, but no stunts can save a movie. The score was forgettable (only at the beginning and end), and the rest of the soundtrack was decent. Some tracks I loved (Evanescance's Bring Me To Life and the song that played at Mr Natchios' funeral), but the rest seemed like "edgy rock filler". Like I said before, TV pilot stuff.

I had high hopes and sadly only a small portion of this movie delivered (like, 5%).

If you are after a decent comic book movie, please, watch one of the first two Batmans, or the animated ones, X-Men or Spider-Man. Don't bother with Ben Affleck and his raspy voice. The fact that a sequel AND a spin-off is in the works is enough to make me dry-heave.

Treasure Planet (2002)

One of the best Disney movies of the last half-decade.

[8/10 · 26 December 2002]

What an amazing spark of originality...This is that Disney magic we all hear about, unlike the many "cheapquels" Disney have released in the past few years as video-fodder. And the ultimate disappointment is that such fodder has been more successful than Disney's experimental movies, such as Treasure Planet and The Emperor's New Groove.

The movie updates the timeless tale of Treasure Island so well...all of the trademark scenes are there, yet in a very fresh world which has been carefully and wonderfully created, with lush backdrops and visually dazzling sequences - the way the action was captured, the experimentation with the camera, was especially refreshing. Even the story is a fresh departure from the typical Disney plot. Mr Silver is easily the best villain since Yzma, but for very different reasons. While Yzma was a parody of the typical villain, Mr Silver is a more indepth villain, with more complexities and (gasp) - an admiration for the hero.

The voice acting was excellent, tip-top performances by Emma Thompson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, Martin Short and David Hyde-Pierce, along with the rest. Hopefully in the years to come this movie will gain the respect it deserves. If Disney marketed this as well as its Pixar movies, and released it away from such fierce competition as Harry Potter, perhaps it could have been the hit they were looking for...