Did the Right Film Win? 2012 Animated Oscars

October 7, 2015October 12, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

So I finally finished my video on the 2012 Oscars. Sorry this one took me so long (and it was a pain to edit today also!).

In 2012 we had 5 nominees and they all have their strengths.

Brave– I recently talked about that in my Pixar review. It is a flawed film that doesn’t deliver what it promises in the first 15 minutes. It is supposed to be an epic legend but turns out to be a domestic dispute between a mother and a daughter. I don’t mind that but it is a letdown when we are promised something mythic. I do like Merida, the music and the animation is top notch. I personally feel they took a lot of the lessons from Brave and used them to make Frozen better.

Paranorman- My favorite Liaka film and a film that made my top 50 animated films (so clearly I like it). I really like the character of Norman and the fresh take they have on the bully narrative with the bullied becoming the bully. I think it is very scary and funny with unique world building and character design.

Frankenweenie- This was a new one for me. I had avoided it because I really don’t care for Tim Burton’s style of movies. However, I must admit that I thought it was charming. I really liked the relationship between Victor and Sparky. It makes you want to cry when he loses his dog and all the homages to the classic horror films are a lot of fun. I also enjoy how they made it in black and white. Overall a very entertaining film with a lot of heart.

Pirates Band of Misfits- One of Aardman’s best films with incredible attention to detail it is an underrated film. They pack in the laughs and yet still tell a good story with the Captain wanting to win Pirate of the Year and his interactions with both Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria. If you haven’t seen it trust me it is worth a watch!

Wreck-it Ralph– A film that starts out and ends strong but gets mired in a bland Sugar Rush world in the middle section. Most people love this film but I think it is good but not perfect. I like the character of Ralph but Vanellope I find annoying. With the power cord train station they promise you all the worlds of the video games and yet spend 75 minutes in Sugar Rush, which to me is a disappointment. But it is still an enjoyable film. The villain reveal is done very well and I love Sergeant Tamora.

Like I said in the video, I think most people would pick Wreck-it Ralph for 2012 Oscar. I can totally see that. Of course, Brave won in a bit of an upset. I personally would give it to Paranorman but I know I’m in the deep minority on that. They are all enjoyable films. 🙂

What would be your pick?

Did the Right Film Win? 2010 Animated Oscars

September 20, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Hi guys! The next year is up in my review of the animated Oscars. We are at 2010 and this is the first year where I really think the academy got it wrong with the Tangled snub.

I think Tangled was the best animated film of 2010 for a lot of reasons. First, it looks beautiful and I saw it in 3D and scenes like the lanterns was breathtaking. I also love Rapunzel because she isn’t weak like an Aurora but she’s also not a cliched warrior woman. She has pieces of both inside her. I think Flynn is a great character and I LOVE Mother Gothel. I also like the music unlike some people.

Anyway I think they got it wrong but that’s what they did. Here are my thoughts on the 3 nominees.

The Illusionist is by the Sylvain Chomet who directed The Triplets of Belleville. It is from a screenplay by the French actor, director, mime Jacques Tati. It basically tells the story of a magician who is old fashioned and can’t get a good gig.

He meets a girl who is in awe at his tricks. He buys her presents because her adulation feels so good. The animation is beautiful but I didn’t respond to the film. I never felt like I got into the heart of the magician. It kept me at a distance which made the tragic story less compelling.

The next nominee is How to Train Your Dragon which is one of my favorite Dreamworks films. I really like the character of Hiccup and find the story of his bonding with Toothless to be very engaging. I have a few little complaints with the Jay Baruchel vocals, the treatment of the Astrid character and some of the design of the dragons but they are minor. It also has a lovely message about having the courage to see things in a totally new way and from a new perspective.

I just wrote about Toy Story 3 so I won’t repeat myself too much. It’s a beautifully animated, thrilling prison escape movie. The villain is menacing and the ending is pitch perfect for the Andy part of the series.

In my opinion the right film won of those 3 nominees. What would you pick?

Did the Right Film Win? 2009 Animated Oscars

September 13, 2015September 18, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Hey guys! So 2009 was a very strong year for animation. It was a year with 5 films nominated for Best Animated Feature Film and all 5 I enjoy. There were also strong films that I personally think could have gotten a nomination in another year like Ponyo (I know you’all disagree with me on that one but oh well!), 9 and A Christmas Carol, to name a few.

Not only are the 5 films nominated very strong but they are also really different so I had a lot to say about each. I ended up making 2 videos about them (my editing software was also giving me all kinds of grief so I got up what I could in 2 batches). The first video is about Princess and the Frog and Secret of the Kells.

Basically I’m hot and cold on Princess and the Frog. There is a lot I love about it and then things I really don’t like. I love the animation, the character of Tiana, vocal performances and 3 of the songs. I don’t like the voodoo elements, the convoluted story or Prince Naveen. He is not Tiana’s equal. All in all, that puts it in the middle of my Disney rankings. It’s certainly worthy of the nomination and worth a watch even with some major flaws.

Secret of the Kells is beautiful and looks like illustrations from a book. It is only lessened in my opinion because I think Song of the Sea by the same team is much better. Maybe an unfair comparison but I can’t help it when they are so similar. Nevertheless, Secret of Kells has a beautiful look to it. I like the story and the lead character Brendon is very appealing. The Aisling of the forest is beautiful with stirring music from Kila.

The next video has the remaining 3 films- Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline and Up. You all have heard my thoughts on Up ad nauseam but I did get a little emotional when talking about it and how it reminds me of my Grandpa who I love. It’s a special movie to me and I filmed the review several times but each time I started to tear up. That was my honest response so I left it in. 🙂

Fantastic Mr Fox is a very creative film directed by Wes Anderson. I love the world building and the story is a lot of fun based on Roald Dahl’s book. I really like the characters like Ash, Mr and Mrs Fox. The story is unpredictable even for someone who has read the book and it is extremely creative. It is actually my favorite Wes Anderson film and while I don’t find it super funny I do enjoy it.

Coraline is a film from Liaka and I liked it much more this g0-around. I always enjoyed it but for whatever reason I really was charmed while watching it this week. It is directed by Henry Sellick who did Nightmare Before Christmas and it has the same dark tone and style of that film. I love the character of Coraline. She is sincere, quirky, endearing, inquisitive and in the end loving. She ends up getting presented with another version of her family through this magic portal and it leads to some big scares but also a huge heart. I love that she comes to accept her parents for who they are, even though they aren’t very good people in a lot of ways. She still loves them anyway. It’s really surprising and visually inventive.

In this case, I clearly think the right film won because Up is my favorite movie. If I was going to pick a second place I would pick Coraline, but I can see people’s arguments for all 5. What would you pick? Thanks so much for your comments and for watching the videos. It has been a great series both on the channel and this blog and next up is 2010 where my Tangled got snubbed (wa, wa, wa,….). I look forward to watching the Illusionist for the first time. Thanks!

Did the Right Film Win? 2003 Animated Oscars

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Today I uploaded the next in my Animated Oscars: Did the Right Film Win series. We are on to 2003 and we get 2 special films and one that I hate.

If you guys follow my blog you know I did not like Brother Bear. You can read my full review to find out why I felt it made the wrong choice every time and got a rare F from me.

The two worthy nominees are Finding Nemo and The Triplets of Belleville.

Finding Nemo is the wonderful Pixar film about a father fish searching for his son who is in an aquarium miles away. It is funny, creative, very well paced with beautiful seascapes.

The Triplets of Belleville is not for everyone. It is challenging 2D animated film from Sylvain Chomet. The story is about a woman who’s Grandson becomes a cyclist but then is abducted. She meets a famous vaudville act The Triplets of Belleville who help her find her Grandson and sing a lot of catchy songs along the way. There is no dialogue for the most part and it is very strange but I like it. The animation is stunning and the music will make you want to dance. It made my Most Artistic Animated Films list.

So what do you go with the artistic film with great music or the crowdpleaser with great heart and good jokes? Watch the video and find out. 🙂

What would you pick? Would love your thoughts on if the right film won in 2003.

Zootopia Teaser

June 11, 2015June 13, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Big news today in the Disney world! We got our first teaser trailer for next year’s Zootopia.

Up until now I had seen the image of the fox and rabbit but that’s about it. I still kind of wish it was more like the concept art we got early on but I was charmed by the teaser. I think it looks really funny and clever.

The only thing that makes me a little bit nervous is I hope they don’t go overboard in trying to be ‘hip’ and ‘cool’. Some of the character designs bring back nightmares of Chicken Little but I trust John Lasseter wouldn’t let that happen again. I also hope it isn’t too ‘shreckish’ with winky jokes only parents would get. I hate that.

But worries aside I feel really positive about the trailer. I think it is something different. Disney hasn’t done anthropomorphized in a while and the voice talent should be good. Over all I’m excited about the project. Especially because it is coupled with the more traditional Moana. Something for everyone.

What do you think of the teaser and Zootopia?

Frozen Fever Review

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Spoiler if you don’t want to know anything about Frozen Fever than don’t read on.

I was asked by frequent commenter Richard (check out his blog at https://velociraptor256.wordpress.com/) what I thought of the Frozen short before Cinderella, Frozen Fever, so I figured I might as well tell all of you.

I don’t think it will convince anyone that is on the ‘Frozen Sucks Train’ to get off but for fans they will really enjoy it. I enjoyed it. It’s not a Pixar short or something like that or as lovely as Feast but there was a lot to like.

Basically it’s Anna’s birthday and Elsa is trying to make it a perfect day for her sister who never got a birthday party with Elsa and the castle being closed off. I thought it was lovely that Elsa wants to do something nice for her sister.

I also loved the design of Elsa’s new dress!

Kristoff and Olaf are back and they are a lot of fun helping to get set up for the party.

The problem is that Elsa has a cold which makes her sneeze snowbabies but she pushes on with the party (could be describing the last 2 weeks of my life!).

The problem is she’s collecting snowbabies at the rate I’m collecting tissues. It kind of felt like Gremlins on ice!

Eventually Anna has to put a stop to it and let her sister know she can rest.

I’m sure someone will find something snarky to say about it but I thought it was a sweet little moment for the sisters, enjoyed seeing Olaf and Kristoff and the song ‘Making Today a Perfect Day’ by the Lopez’s was great.

Frozen Fever combined with the recent season of Once Upon a Time make me excited for Frozen 2. I think with 2 lead female characters there is a lot you can do with the world and I’m excited to see what they come up with.

That said, it’s nothing new or groundbreaking as we’ve gotten used to seeing in a lot of animated shorts these days. I’d give it a B.

What do you think of Frozen Fever? Keep comments clean and respectful.

McFarland USA Review

February 25, 2015February 2, 2016 | Rachel's Reviews

I got the chance to see a very special film today, McFarland USA. I know you see the pictures and you probably think it’s like every other motivational sports movie but I’m telling you it is a special movie. I happen to love sports movies like Warrior, Hoosiers and Miracle and this is right up there with those great films but it has a human component that you don’t always see which I found very moving.

McFarland starts out kind of like Hoosiers with Kevin Costner’s Jim White getting in an altercation with a football player and getting fired. As a last resort him and his family get a job in McFarland, California, a poor crop picking agricultural mostly latino town.

His wife played by the always lovely Maria Bello and daughter Julie (Morgan Saylor) and daughter Jamie are at first disgusted and a little scared of living in McFarland. It is a seemingly dangerous neighborhood in a foreign land.

One of the things I learned on my 20 month mission for my church was in every poor ‘scary’ neighborhood there are families trying desperately to make things work and to make things better for their children. We have this idea you cross the tracks and it leads to inherent gang activity just isn’t true. McFarland USA does a good job showing this reality. That there are good neighbors in every neighborhood in America. That’s a great lesson for kids.

Costner ends up getting fired as assistant football coach but the principal (Valente Rodriguez) who I loved every scene he was in can’t lose any teachers so he keeps Costner around.

As he teaches PE he starts to notice many of the kids can run and he gets the crazy idea to start a cross country team.

The boys initially resist being on the team because they have work crop picking to do before and after school. Costner even goes out to work at the picking one day and he says it was the ‘worst day of work in his life’ but he vows to make it work for the team and the more time together the more bonded he and the boys get.

This material could have so easily veered into caricature and simplistic portrayals of a white man in a latino world but it doesn’t. The conversations and personalities felt authentic and real. Each of the boys has their own personality but not in the archetype way of Mighty Ducks. These are individuals and we root for every last one of them.

I particularly liked Carlos Pratts as team captain and star runner Thomas Valles. It is a subtle conflicted sweet performance and character.

I also thought the home drama as Costner’s family tries to find a home in McFarland and his daughter Julie turns 15 and gets a quinceanera.

There was a point at the end when I was worried it was going to go the Pay it Forward route and give us an awful ending but then it didn’t so all was well.

It’s really quite the feat because I can’t think of a sport that is more boring to watch than cross country but the sport is just window dressing to a movie about teens, our failing educational system, family, culture, poverty and giving people something to dream about.

I really can’t say enough good things about it. It has huge heart, good performances, and shows a side of urban life we rarely see- the functioning happy families that do exist and add so much to our country.

I think everyone should see and take your kids. It’s a real winner. Trust me on this. It’s great.

There are a few tense moments but other than that nothing to offend or be concerned about. A family film that will inspire everyone.

Overall Grade- A, Content Grade- A

Tangled on Cinema Sins

December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 | Rachel's Reviews

This made me laugh. (And I remind you I loved Tangled. It’s #4 on my ranking) . The birthday thing is a huge plothole with Tangled and how did Gothel know the song and how to use the flower? Those are big problems but I don’t care. Still I thought this was funny.

The Maleficent one was also very funny.

The Toy Story one

Frozen one but I didn’t think it was that clever.

That’s why I really don’t give much credence to the plothole arguments . All movies have them. All stories do but you go with it and enjoy the experience (or not). It’s all about whether you can accept the director and writers vision or not. Plotholes really don’t matter except in bad movies.

Bracket Fun

December 16, 2014December 16, 2014 | Rachel's Reviews

So I found this bracket download and have been having fun with it tonight. I was just goofing off so please don’t take it too seriously.

Here we have a tournament of Christmas Carol versions

Next is the worst of my Disney rankings. Turns out Bolt is the bad movie I would most least mind watching again. It’s my favorite of the bad. I’d say that’s right on. It’s an entertaining if forgettable little movie.

This I’m sure will cause all kinds of controversy but there you go. My top 16 battling it out. I did rank Big Hero 6 higher than Lion King but today if I had to pick I went with Lion King. Maybe tomorrow I will feel differently. They are all good!

Here we go with my favorite holiday films battling it out!

A little 2014 Movies competition!

So this is just silly fun but I had a great time doing it. It’s different than making a list because you are just making a choice over 2 movies. If I had a top 8 holiday films Die Hard wouldn’t be on there but in the tournament it was, so that’s just kind of entertaining

If you want to make your own brackets go to http://www.printabletournamentbrackets.net/preview/16_Team_Single_Elimination_Bracket