Category Archives: Animated

2007, Acceptable for children, Animated, FilmReview, Short Films, Unusual

A Collection of 2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films (2007)

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From NetFlix:

This anthology features the nominees for the 80th Academy Awards Short Film category, including the live-action winner, “Peter and the Wolf,” and the animated winner, “The Mozart of Pickpockets.” Other entries in the collection are “At Night,” “The Substitute,” “Tanghi Argentini,” “The Tonto Woman,” “Even Pigeons Go to Heaven” and “Madame Tutli-Putli.”

Shorts in foreign languages are subtitled. Production values are good and not amateurish as are some collections of shorts. But it was not possible to skip around to various shorts on the DVD.

Contents:

  • “At Night” consists of the relationships among three young women cancer (?) patients in a hospital. [Sad] [Danish]
  • “Il Suplente” [The Substitute Teacher] Bizarre behavior of a substitute teacher and his students. [Funny] [Italian]
  • “The Mozart of Pickpockets” Two thieves teach a little boy to pickpocket. [Funny] [French]
  • “Madame Tutli-Putli” Sequence of bizarre, nightmarish sights during a train ride. [Animated 3-D characters] [Unusual] [No voices]
  • “Even Pigeons Go To Heaven” Priest sells old man a one-way space vehicle to heaven. [Animated 3-D characters] [French]
  • “Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf” Imaginative version of the classic. [Animated 3-D characters] [No voices]
Animated, Comedy, Dark, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, FilmReview, Nudity, Short Films, Violent

The 2005 Academy Award Short Films Collection (2005)

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From NetFlix:

This compilation of Oscar nominees delivers the best animated and live-action short films of 2005 in one collection. Selections include the winning films: “The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation” (animated) and “Six Shooter” (live action). In the former, a son explores his turbulent relationship with his late father, and in the latter, an old man’s grief is interrupted by a young stranger.

Quite a variety exists in this wonderful collection of film shorts from different countries (always with subtitles):

  • “Our Time is Up” (American) Comedy involving a psychiatrist who experiences a change of life.
  • “The Runaway” (German) Drama in which an architect connects with a young school boy.
  • “The Last Farm” (Scandinavian) An old farmer deals with the end of his life.
  • “Cashback” (British) Comic adventures of a college student working in a grocery store. Includes many naked women.
  • “Six Shooter” (Irish) Grieving widower (Brendan Gleeson) rides a train seated with a talkative (unbalanced ?) young man.
  • “Badgered” is an animated short about, well, a badger.
  • “The Moon and the Son” Cartoonist son talks to his hospitalized father and presents a cartoon version of their sad family life. (John Tarturro and Elie Wallach are the voices.)
  • “The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello” is a marvelous surreal animated (think “Triplets of Belleville”). If nothing else, the visual aspect is stunningly imaginative.

If you watch nothing else, the last animated is worth the price of admission. If you like shorts, DO NOT MISS!

2010, Animated, Biographical, Drugs, Explicit sexual discussion, Gay theme, True Story, Vulgar

Howl (2010)

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From NetFlix:

James Franco steps into the shoes of famed Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in this star-studded biopic centered around Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” — and the widely publicized obscenity trial that followed its publication in 1957. Documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk) direct, with an A-list ensemble cast that includes Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker.

“Howl” is probably not for everyone (but what film is ?). Indeed it contains many words conventionally considered vulgar. That, in fact, is what the film is about: a courtroom trying to decide if the publisher of Howl (Ferlinghetti) must go to jail on obscenity charges.

So what is there to like about this “documentary” ?

  • No dialogs are invented. Every single word that you hear came from someone in the past.
  • Much of the original poem “Howl” is recited by the actor portraying Ginsberg. This is done is two ways: Either the actor is shown reciting his poem in a coffee house, or you hear the lines while watching very imaginative and appropriate animation.
  • You get to hear pro and con courtroom discussions about Ginsberg’s work.
  • You can see photos and film clips of the past and even see Ginsberg himself doing a small bit of recitation.
  • Don’t miss the final screen notes (just before the credits) that tell us what happened to the personalities (Ginsberg, Cassady, Kerouac, Orlovsky, etc).

For a really good history of that era see the Wikepedia article

Of course the film was slanted in favor of Ginsberg: you wouldn’t make such a film if you objected to his work. But I was annoyed at coffee house scenes in which the audience acts in a way to make it clear they are “moved”. It just seemed phony.

2009, Animated, Comedy, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All

Up (2009)

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From NetFlix:

After a lifetime of dreaming of traveling the world, 78-year-old homebody Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) flies away on an unbelievable adventure, with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai), unexpectedly in tow. Together, the unlikely pair embarks on a thrilling odyssey full of jungle beasts and rough terrain. Other voices include the renowned Christopher Plummer and Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger.

Not your average Disney film. Entertaining for young and old alike. Sometimes I just burst out laughing. In the initial part of the film we watch the lifetime of a married but childless couple. They age, she dies, he is alone. As I watched this part I thought “Oh my gosh, do I look like him ?” The fatherless boy scout is at times touching. The villain is, well, a real Walt Disney villain. If I could do the athletic stunts that the old man carries off, I would be in amazing shape. Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the fun.

2008, Animated, Could Be Hard To Watch, Docudrama, Explicit sex, Graphic Novel, Not Feel Good, Violent, War

Waltz with Bashir (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Utilizing vivid black-and-white animation in this Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Language Film, director Ari Folman documents his quest to explore the memory gaps in his life during his service for the Israeli army in the Lebanese war of the early 1980s. Recounting several story vignettes based on recorded interviews with colleagues and friends, Folman explores the horrors of war and the curious coping mechanisms that mankind uses to survive and function under brutal circumstances.

Not everyone enjoys animantion. However, from the limited viewpoint of watching a Graphic Novel, “Waltz with Bahir” was for me captivating. Just watching the faces was enjoyable.

But these comments are superficial. For the historical background of the 1980 war in Lebanon and of this film and the various reactions to the film you could read the ample article in Wikipedia.

Just be prepared for the final portion in which the animation is replaced by actual film footage of the horror.

2008, Animated, Feel Good For All

WALL-E (2008)

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From NetFlix:

In a futuristic world, human beings have destroyed Earth and evacuated the planet, leaving the cleanup to an army of robots they’ve programmed to do their dirty work. Due to a mishap, the dutiful WALL-E is the only one left. But with the arrival of a female probe named EVE, the monotony of WALL-E’s existence is broken — and he experiences love for the first time. Andrew Stanton directs this Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning Pixar tale with a sci-fi twist.

Not everyone loves animated films. In the hopes that I could get interested I gave the film a try. WALL-E is built on at least two questionable premises: the earth becomes an uninhabitable junk heap, AND humans abandon earth to live a life of robot-served bliss on a space station. (With regard to the first premise, there is a 2008 documentary called “Life After People”.) Without giving anything away, the conjectured resulting state of those blissful humans is amusing (but I don’t accept the idea that every human would accept the bliss and its consequences). Finally the glorious triumphant end of the film seemed entirely bogus to me.

Much detailed hard work went into making WALL-E. The eye candy alone kept me interested for at least half of the film. But toward the end I was squirming waiting for it all to be over. Enough with chasing robots, electronic traffic control, etc.! Maybe I am just too old for a mini-Star-Wars-clone. And I wonder how a pre-teen or teen would react to this film appropriate for all ages.

As an alternative, try an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki such as “Spirited Away”.

Hopefully someone out there will disagree with me.

1982, Animated, Feel Good For All

The Dark Crystal (1982)

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From NetFlix:

In this fantasy adventure, the Dark Crystal — which served as the font of balance and truth — cracked 1,000 years ago, beginning an age of chaos. To restore order to the planet, Jen, the last of the Gelfling race, begins a quest to find a missing shard and heal the crystal. If he doesn’t complete his mission before the conjunction of three suns arrives, the evil Skeksis will rule forever. Muppets creators Jim Henson and Frank Oz co-directed.

Jim Henson, of muppet fame and now deceased, created this
puppetry masterpiece. The detailed scenes (especially the swamp)
were marvels to look at. It was NOT a popular success. It is not
animation. You have to be in the mood for a slow moving masterpiece.
In fact, watching the turtle-like wisemen lumbering along sets the tone.

I wonder if some of the scenes might not actually scare really small
children.

2007, Animated, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All

Ratatouille (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Brad Bird (The Incredibles) co-directs this Oscar-winning Pixar offering, following the antics of a passionate rat named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who yearns for a sip of the good life. Growing up beneath a five-star Parisian restaurant owned by a famous chef (Brad Garrett), Remy inherits a taste for fine food. But his culinary ambitions only anger his practical father, who wishes his son could just eat garbage like everyone else.

This Disney film, “Ratatouille”, is just not your mother’s Disney.
Times have changed. I suppose it’s OK for children,
but it is really an adult film. What child cares about
the intricacies of cuisine ? How do you explain to
a youngster why the only female cook in the restaurant
take a can of mace from her handbag when the cook’s
illegitimate son comes on to her ? (“Mommy, what’s in
that can ?”) And to find the real heir to the restaurant
the lawyer uses a DNA search. (“Mommy, what’s DNA ?”)

For me the film started out a bit slow, but stick with it.
The ending is a bit maudlin, but after all, IT’S DISNEY!

The only objections I have to the film are as follow:
o There is NO nudity!
o There is NO explicit sex!
o There is NO violence!
o There is NO profanity!

Considering the above objections, who in their right
mind would want to see such a film ?

1000NYTimes, 1001BeforeDie, 2001, Animated, Japanese, Unusual

Spirited Away (2001)

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From NetFlix:

Adapted from the Japanese original, director Hayao Miyazaki’s adventure tale won the Best Animated Feature Oscar for its story of 10-year-old Chihiro (voiced by Rumi Hiragi). During her family’s move to the suburbs, Chihiro wanders into a magical world where a witch rules — and those who disobey her are turned into animals. When her parents are turned into pigs, Chihiro must find a way to help them return to their human form.

This is not your mother’s Walt Disney, far from it! When I first saw this film (recommended by both “1001 Films to See Before You Die” and The “NY Times 1000 Best”), I also was “spirited away”. If you have never seen a Miyazaki animated film, and you are willing to watch an animated film, you have a new experience in store. Imagine a scene of normal-sized characters intruded upon by a GIGANTIC baby that throws destructive temper tantrums. Brace yourself!