Author: Rachel's Reviews

Why I Sell Beauty and the Beast Table Read Clip!

| Rachel's Reviews

This morning I was greeted by throngs of notifications about the great new exciting clip from the Beauty and the Beast live action film. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- this movie could be amazing. I hope it is but honestly I’m kind of upset about it right now. I hated the images of Lumiere and Cogsworth- especially Lumiere where you can’t see his face and he’s all rugged looking instead of smooth. He’s a candlestick which limits his expression as it is. We don’t need anything obscuring that expression.

Anyway, so what I was presented with today is a clip from the table reading. I guess I was supposed to be excited like the table read for Star Wars: Force Awakens which had Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and others coming back to Star Wars. Unfortunately this table read not only didn’t excite me, it kind of ticked me off.

Force Awakens had a reason to be made. A large majority of people didn’t like the prequels and felt Star Wars hadn’t been good for a long time. And despite some similarities to previous films Force Awakens was a continuation of the story not a remake. With this Beauty and the Beast I’ve long scratched my head at why this needs to exist? Why when it is already been perfectly executed do we need a remake of the film?

Disney just gave me their answer and it kind of makes me mad…

Bill Condon says “When something is so perfect why get near it? The answer is technology has caught up with the ideas that were introduced in that movie”.

Are you kidding me?

This is basically Disney saying that the 2D animation that made them great isn’t a fully realized version of their great ideas. That they were restricted and now technology has expanded they can finally do their ideas justice.  You know what? Those ideas were done justice. I never watched Beauty and the Beast and thought ‘boy if only they had greater technology this could be executed better.”

The Jungle Book gave us a new version of the Kipling story and the technology worked for that version of the story. If Condon had said “we now have the technology to tell a new take on the ideas” that would have been one thing but for him to say that “technology has caught up with the ideas” it makes me really mad. It says to me Disney sees 2D animation as quaint and old fashioned and technology/CG as a better way to execute the ideas of the past! Urgh!!!

I can’t be the only person in the world that was annoyed by this comment? And the fact Disney would use that quote to sell this movie is really discouraging and shows a lack of respect for the great artistry done in the 1991 film. It was certainly a good enough execution of the ideas to get the first animated Best Picture nomination and it was good enough to entrance millions of viewers.

Howard Ashman wrote and worked on Beauty and the Beast literally on his death bed. It is a masterpiece and a labor of love in every way I can think of. It was good enough to make AFI’s Top 10 Romantic Movies of all times list. Good enough to be many people’s favorite animated film including current CG films.

But I’m glad technology has finally caught up with Disney’s ideas of the past….

angery beast

Ranking Animated Films from 2013-2016

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey guys! Over on my youtube channel I just finished up a series where I ranked 67 animated films I’ve seen from 2013-2016. I stopped this list with Ice Age 5. I would love if you gave these videos a watch but will provide the list below.  In each of the videos I give a little explanation of why each film was placed where it is on the list. Enjoy!

  1. Song of the Sea
  2. Inside Out
  3. Tale of Princess Kaguya
  4. The Lego Movie
  5. Frozen
  6. The Wind Rises
  7. Zootopia
  8. Miniscule: The Valley of the Lost Ants
  9. The Peanuts Movie
  10. April and the Extraordinary World
  11. Big Hero 6
  12. When Marnie was There
  13. Ernest and Celestine
  14. Finding Dory
  15. Shaun the Sheep Movie
  16. Cheatin’
  17. The Good Dinosaur
  18. Kung fu Panda 3
  19. The Jungle Book
  20. The Book of Life
  21. How to Train Your Dragon 2
  22. Monsters University
  23. Wrinkles
  24. Mr Peabody and Sherman
  25. Only Yesterday
  26. The Boxtrolls
  27. The Boy and the World
  28. Anomalisa
  29. The Secret Life of Pets
  30. Rocks in My Pockets
  31. The Croods
  32. Penguins of Madagascar
  33. The Boy and the Beast
  34. The Pirate Fairy
  35. Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet
  36. Spongebob: Sponge Out of Water
  37. Snowtime
  38. Harmony
  39. Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart
  40. Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast
  41. Epic
  42. Hotel Transylvania 2
  43. Ratchet and Clank
  44. Despicable Me 2
  45. The Little Prince
  46. Turbo
  47. The Congress
  48. Henry and Me
  49. Maya the Bee
  50. Planes: Fire and Rescue
  51. Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos
  52. The Angry Birds Movie
  53. Extraordinary Tales
  54. Minions
  55. Rio 2
  56. Planes
  57. Strange Magic
  58. Home
  59. Ice Age: Collision Course
  60. Bling
  61. Free Birds
  62. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
  63. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
  64. The Nut Job
  65. The Smurfs 2
  66. The Hero of Color City
  67. Norm of the North

*For the record I would add Kubo and the 2 Strings at 9/71, Phantom Boy at 14/71, Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon would be 66/71, and Batman: the Killing Joke would be at 68/71. I saw each of those animated films after I made this list

Rest of 2016 Animation Preview

| Rachel's Reviews

So far I think 2016 has been another stellar year for animation. There have been some amazing indie animated films like April and the Extraordinary World and Phantom Boy and stellar mainstream fare like Zootopia and Kubo and the Two Strings. Then there are really lovely films like Finding Dory Only Yesterday and Kung fu Panda 3.

There have been some bumps in the year but let’s not focus on them. What I wanted to do for you is give a calendar of the animated films for the rest of the year. It’s easy to be looking for the big name films but the smaller gems can be some of the best of the year so keep an eye out for them. I tried to be as thorough as possible but if I have missed anything let me know!

Sept 9- The Wild Life– it looks poorly rendered and weak but I’m trying to be optimistic. I hope they will do something entertaining with the minimal budget. The 3D on the trailer is terrible so I don’t recommend seeing it in 3D.

wild life2Sept 23- Storks- The trailers for this film have been all over the place. I have no idea what kind of movie it is and am not expecting much. I hope it will be a pleasant surprise. They are advertising as ‘from the creators of the Lego Movie’ but the writer is different and that has me concerned.

storks posterSept 30- Long Way North- Friends overseas have been talking up this Danish animated film. Director Remi Chaye worked on Secret of the Kells and I like idea of Sophie’s adventure in the arctic. The animation looks stunning and refreshing!

long way north2Oct- Miss Hokusai- Based on a manga this film looks stunning. It is about an artist that has to sell her paintings under her father’s name. That dynamic between her and her father and the art looks very compelling

miss hokusaiOct 19- My Life as a Zucchini- Already Switzerland’s submission for best foreign film. Done great on the festival circuit. It looks adorable about a boy in a foster home who has to learn to get along with other children and deal with loss of his mother.

my life as a zucchini posterOct 26- Ethel and Ernest- This is a hand drawn animated film based on a graphic novel about a family in London. I love Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent as the lead vocals and it should be great to see them voice a couple that grows from 1920-1970s. The hand drawn animation looks lovely so I’m looking forward to it.

ethel and ernestNov 4- Trolls- The teaser for this film got it on the wrong track but I actually liked the full trailer. It looks bright and colorful with likable characters. It could totally suck but I’m hopeful. It still seems like a strange project for Dreamworks to attempt. The music makes me the most nervous about it but I hope it is a fun little movie

trolls posterNov 18- The Red Turtle- A European/Studio Ghibli film with no dialogue about a man on an island fighting a giant turtle? Sign me up! I’ve heard nothing but great things!

red turtleNov 23- Moana- My most anticipated film of 2016 and nothing I’ve seen has dampened my enthusiasm. The story, music, Polynesian setting and design of Moana all look great.

moana posterDec 21- Sing- The plot looks really tired but I didn’t hate the trailer. I like how diverse the contestants are- different ages, lifestyles, situations. Particularly Rosie, as a frazzled homemaker intrigues me. I hope they do interesting things with those characters and it isn’t just cliches

sing poster2Unknown Release Date-

Revengeance- Independent animator Bill Plympton gives us his 8th feature film about a female bounty hunter named Lana who is at war with a man named Deathface. It doesn’t look like it has the heart of his Cheatin’ but I might see it. His Hitler’s Folly experiment was a disaster but I’m willing to keep an open mind for an artist like Plympton. This may be only released to his kickstarter backers this year and then 2017 to mass public. Not sure on a release date.

reveanganceGirl Without Hands- I couldn’t find when GKIDS is releasing this but it is based on the Grimm Brothers tale of a man who makes a deal with the devil and it costs his daughter great pain. It debuted at Cannes and reviews said it is “minimalist but artistically complex” and “each shimmering frame is composed of multiple layers of diverse drawing and painting techniques and washes of color combined with 2D computer animation.” That’s enough to get my interest!

girl without handsCan we just take a second and give GKIDS a round of applause. They are responsible for distributing 4 of these releases and have already had 3 tremendous offerings this year. As excited I am for a film like Moana, I am equally excited for these amazing independent animated films. What a great, rich time to be an animation fan!

So I hope you will put these films on your radar and give a few of the smaller offerings a shot. Let your local theater know you want to see them. That’s what I do. I’ve actually developed a relationship with my local independent theater and when I see a trailer for a film that looks interesting I let them know. If they don’t come by you look for them on VOD and DVD. It’s worth it!

Also try and keep an open mind about films like Storks, Trolls and The Wild Life. Sure we can point out their flaws, but I find very few films are truly rant worthy and when they are they have deserved it because I was rooting for them.

What say you? Are you excited for these films? What smaller films intrigue you the most?

Hit Me with Your Best Shot: Splash

| Rachel's Reviews

This week for Hit Me with Your Best Shot Nathaniel over at the Film Experience has picked a nostalgic film from the 80s that was a lot of fun to revisit- 1984’s Splash.

It might seem obvious given my love for Little Mermaid that I would also love Splash but the mermaid movie has to be good to gain my approval. However, despite both having mermaids the two films are very different and I like both.

The Little Mermaid is more about Ariel’s journey and less about her relationship with Eric (at least to me). Splash is more about how Eric would have responded if Ariel had just kissed him the moment she first saw him!

As I was watching Splash I couldn’t help but think about the remake that is planned with Channing Tatum as the mermaid and Jillian Bell in the Tom Hanks role. I am very curious to see how this goes down because not many movies do you have a man being as aggressive in pursuing  a partner as Daryl Hannah is with Tom Hanks in the original Splash.

In fact, even in the original film I don’t think it would have worked if the two performers weren’t so likable and had such good chemistry. We need to instantly accept them as a couple. We need to believe that he would propose in the 6 day time frame she has. We need to buy her openness and his falling for her head over heels.

So for my best shot I picked a moment which exemplifies why Splash works. Madison has just bought Allen a giant water fountain (never mind how she got it into the apartment. It works…). He asks her why she did this and she says ‘because I love you’. He hesitates and says “I love this present” and then he can’t help himself saying “and I love you”. Then they kiss.

If I didn’t believe these two people this scene would be so groan inducing but I do so I like it. That’s why this has to be the best shot. It’s a girl giving a guy a giant water fountain in his apartment and yet I love it!!

splash best shot2PS. This may be the last episode of Hit Me with Your Best Shot as Nathaniel is considering stopping the series and this is the last of the season. I just want to thank him for encouraging me to see many movies like Safe and The Red Shoes. I understand if he decides to cancel the series but it has been a great experience participating when I could.

Talking Hunchback of Notre Dame

| Rachel's Reviews

Recently over on my youtube I posted my Disney canon review of Hunchback of Notre Dame. My friend Christine mentioned it is her favorite Disney movie so she agreed to join me and discuss the film. I thought it was a cool experience to see both sides of a polarizing movie without things getting mean like so often happens online (see it can be done folks!). I had a great time and think you guys will like this video. Check it out!

Morgan Review

| Rachel's Reviews

morgan4Sometimes it pays to go out of your comfort zone. Other times- not so much. I got free screener tickets to the horror/thriller Morgan and my brother and I decided to give it a shot. It is directed by Ridley Scott’s son Luke and I was hoping it would be like last year’s Ex-Machina that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately Morgan pales in comparison and was a pretty lame film.

morganMorgan stars Kate Mara as Lee a business executive sent to research ‘the asset’ at a facility designing the next AI. After the dopiness of Jurassic World I am suspect of the term ‘asset’ in any film.  When Lee arrives she finds out that the asset named Morgan has attacked a caregiver and she is going to research why.

morgan2Morgan is played by Anya Taylor Joy and she is no Alicia Vikander. The movie keeps us at a distance from her and you are never sure what the movie is trying to say about humanity or life like you were with Ex-Machina. There is no care in the script to bond Morgan with Lee. We are merely told she is ‘friends’ with the staff but we never really see that relationship play out.

morgan3Paul Giamatti then comes in as a psychiatrist who is evaluating Morgan. To say his behavior is non-sensical is an understatement. He seems to not be aware that she has just attacked a woman and he eggs Morgan on for no real reason.

All this would be fine if it was surprising or I cared more about the characters, which I didn’t. The big twist at the end you see coming a mile away. Also the characters have skills that come out of the blue and that make the story make no sense.

Honestly I fell asleep twice and my brother had to elbow me awake. Never a good sign on a movie. I’m pretty easy to spook so if I wasn’t scared that’s saying something.  My brother is very familiar with the horror genre and he liked it even less than I did.

So basically for Morgan you get one part predictable story, one part characters I don’t care about and one part boredom and you have your mediocre thriller. Too bad but I guess Ridley’s stardust didn’t rub off on his son (or maybe he was watching during Exodus: God’s and Kings. Peeuw!).

As far as content grade it is pretty bloody  and there is a little bit of language.

Overall Grade- D-

Phantom Boy Review

| Rachel's Reviews

phantom boyIt is a great time to be an animation fan! Not only are major studios producing tremendous work like Zootopia, Kubo and the Two Strings and Finding Dory but smaller indy films are there to dazzle us! We already had April and the Extraordinary World earlier in the year and today I want to talk about Phantom Boy. From the creators of A Cat in Paris (which I love), Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol give us a lovely little 2D animated film with tons of humor and heart.

Like I said, I love A Cat in Paris, and while I don’t think Phantom Boy is quite as good as that film it is still a very enjoyable effort. It may even be the best superhero movie of 2016!

phantom boy8Instead of Paris this time Gagnol and Felicioli have taken us to New York for a story that is also a mystery full of film noir, cubism inspired art design. It is such a beautiful film to look at.

In New York there is a boy named Leo who is very sick.

phantom-boyBut Leo like all superheroes has a special ability. He can float out of his body passing through walls and flying through the city of New York. This is freeing for him as it is his only respite from his sickbed. You feel a sense of calmness and lightness of being when Leo leaves his body. It’s hard on his body to leave but worth it because of the freedom he experiencces.

phantom boy2At the hospital Leo meets a cop named Alex who is recovering from an incident he had with a mob boss known as The Man with the Broken Face. Leo gets to know Alex and eventually offers his superpower to help track down Broken Face.  This is important because Alex’s boss won’t listen to any of his ideas or intuition about the case. Leo can be the invisible spy in the investigation!

phantom-boy-i-1300x605Broken Face isn’t the most original villain as far as concept. He’s pretty much your typical Dick Tracy type mob boss but his unusual design makes up for that.

phantom boy5Broken Face is also not as scary as the mob boss in A Cat in Paris. He’s more silly here but the comedy worked. I laughed quite a bit. I particularly liked anything to do with Broken Face’s dog and his needing to feed and take care of him. You never think about Marlon Brando walking his dog in The Godfather after all! Ha!

PhantomBoyVillains.0His goons are also very funny as they drive Broken Face crazy with their ineptitude.

phantom boy7The final character is a woman named Mary who is a journalist who works with Leo and Alex in the investigation. She is probably the character that gets in the most peril for the investigation as she can leave the hospital in her normal body. She’s strong but not too brave.

I think the main difference between A Cat in Paris and Phantom Boy is the character development. I really felt for the Mother in Cat and the twist with the burglar worked for me. The characters didn’t behave the way I thought they would. Also, like I said, the mob boss there was a lot more menacing than Broken Face is here, but he still has his scary moments. However, the characters in Phantom Boy are still good. I really liked the bond that grows between Alex and Leo. It felt like a genuine friendship.  With Leo being sick it definitely pulls at the heartstrings a bit and Broken Face with his goons made me laugh.

phantom boy12As you can tell from the images Phantom Boy is gorgeous to look at and at under 90 minutes I don’t think anyone will be bored.  The reason Leo’s story works when many superhero stories haven’t this year is there is heart behind his powers. He wants freedom from his hospital bed and the power is a result of that yearning. It’s not for ego or some burden. Quite the reverse actually. It’s a gift that frees him from his unhappy life at the hospital and it just so happens it can be useful in taking down a bad man. Shouldn’t more superhero movies be like that? I certainly think so!

The US dubbing is also great featuring Fred Armisen, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jared Padalecki, Marcus D’angelo, Melissa Disney and Dana Snyder. It feels seamless and I don’t think someone would know it has been dubbed if they weren’t aware of it.

If you can find Phantom Boy at a theater near you check it out.  If not, put it on your must watch list when it comes out on DVD. It’s funny, sweet and beautiful to look at. Something the entire family can enjoy watching together that doesn’t  try to teach a message or sermonize but just tell a good superhero story about an 11 year old who is the Phantom Boy!

Overall Grade- A-

Blind Spot 8: Porco Rosso

| Rachel's Reviews

porco rosso2We are at the 8th in my monthly Blind Spot series and this month I check another anime classic off of my list, Hayao Miyazaki’s comedy-adventure Porco Rosso. This is a completely charming, delightful and a little strange comedy!

The main appeal to this movie is the stunning animation, funny dialogue and quirky weird characters. The lead is named Porco Rosso and he has been cursed to look like a pig. The movie treats this with a refreshing candor. He’s just a pig and that’s that!

porco rosso5The setting is post WWI and Porco is a bounty hunter who relaxes on the beach and likes doing things his own way. One day he gets a call to face off some pirate gangs. This leads to his plane being damaged by a man named Curtis and him landing in Milan to get it fixed.

porco rosso12In Milan there is a girl named Fio who Porco reluctantly hires to fix his plane (all the men have left Milan to find work elsewhere during the Depression). Fio is a great character who won’t take any crap from Porco but who also is vulnerable in moments.

porco rosso19There is also Gina who is love with Porco and yes they play it completely straight that she is in love with a pig man. He’s such a rogue and so confident it kind of makes sense! Unfortunately Curtis is also in love with Gina and it brings the two into conflict.

porco rosso13Curtis and Porco end up in a bet, that ends up in a race, that ends up in a fight. Fio makes the deal that if Porco wins than Curtis must pay off all of Porco’s repair bills and if he loses than Curtis can marry her. They don’t really explain why Fio wants to marry Curtis but it works. The race and then fight go on for perhaps a bit too long but I thought they were very funny.

porco rosso14The animation throughout is either adorable or breathtaking.

Adorable-

porco rosso6Breathtaking-

porco rosso8I really enjoyed Porco Rosso. I liked how different it was and how it made me laugh. I liked the way nobody thought twice about a man with a pig face and they made it work because he was such a grumbling funny character. You could see why he was charismatic enough for people to forget the nose.

porco rosso3I also loved the female characters, Fio and Gina. They thought for themselves but they weren’t cliched warrior women. Just like Porco, I couldn’t help but like both of them.

There also is some heart to the story when you finally get to hear Porco’s backstory and a little bit of a subtle Beauty and the Beast moment that is handled perfectly.

porco rosso7But mostly it will make you laugh and you will smile at these great characters!

They had a terrific dubbing cast as well with Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Susan Egan, Brad Garrett, David Ogden Stiers and Kimberly Williams-Paisley in the leads. The music by Joe Hisaishi is of course great as well.

I guess Porco Rosso may not be for everyone but I would think of it as Hayao’s Wes Anderson movie. It totally has that same quirky weirdness about it. It’s great!

What do you think of Porco Rosso?

Overall Grade- A

Top 10 Disney Villain Sidekicks collab with Lawn Gnome

| Rachel's Reviews

Just thought I’d share this with you guys. I did a collab with some of my youtube friends of my favorite Disney villain sidekicks. Watch the video to find out reasons for my picks 

10. Helga from Atlantis: The Lost Empire 

9. Diablo from Sleeping Beauty 

8. Joanna from Rescuers Down Under 

7. Mirage from Incredibles 

6. Pain and Panic from Hercules

5. Lafoux from Beauty and the Beast 

4. Hiss from Robin Hood 

3. Horace and Jasper from 101 Dalmatians 

2. Mr Smee from Peter Pan 

1. Kronk from Emperor’s New Groove