Movie Review: The Pixar Story

December 26th, 2007

So this doesn’t really count as a movie review… it’s more of a documentary review.

I don’t watch documentaries. Quite frankly I find the majority of them to be dull, boring and repetitive. I’m not sure if it was because the subject matter interests me, but The Pixar Story was so much fun.

I absolutely love Pixar and learning how the company was developed, or almost didn’t get developed… was fascinating. The documentary was also fast-paced and had some very funny moments. It was light and chipper, even in the “dramatic” moments in history. Seeing the archives of my fellow idols (John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird, and Steve Jobs) gave me great joy. They were full of ambition and it’s wonderful to know that my favorite animation company began the way that it did.

Leslie Iwerks did a good job of putting all of this information together and making this documentary as fun as all of the Pixar films. So if you like Pixar, I recommend looking for this documentary.

After the movie, I got to meet Leslie Iwerks and Roy E. Disney. I couldn’t be happier.

Movie Review: Grace is Gone

December 26th, 2007

I kind of want to get this list over with. I don’t have much to say about Grace is Gone because it didn’t interest me as much. It’s a very depressing movie and I don’t recommend it for the holidays. It was nicely done on an obviously low budget.

The father, John Cusack, doesn’t tell his two daughter that their mother has died in the war. Throughout the whole movie he struggles of how he will tell them or when, for that matter. This is the part that bothered me the most. The whole point of that movie was to get to that moment in time when he tells his daughters, and when he finally does… his voice fades down and a soundtrack music begins. I felt cheapened. I wanted to hear his words so badly and it was muted.

Anyway, if you like John Cusack go see the movie. During the Q&A with John Cusack I learned quite a bit about him and I’m very impressed. So if you have a desire to go see this film, then please do so by all means, but be warned of its sadness. If you don’t feel interested, then don’t bother to go.

Sweeney Todd Trivia!

December 24th, 2007

Here’s a little info on the movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter:

While shooting the sequence of “By The Sea,” each scene looks like a post-card. This was done intentionally because it’s all a figment of Mrs. Lovett’s imagination. Of course, Mrs. Lovett has never even been close to the sea. She has no idea what it’s like living by the beach. Ergo, each scene is a vision that she has concocted from post-cards that she has seen of the beach.

Movie Review: Atonement

December 21st, 2007

Here it is… the long awaited film review for Atonement. Okay. Maybe not long awaited, but nonetheless… promised.

Where to begin with Atonement… How about a synopsis:
“Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister’s (Keira Knightley) lover (James McAvoy) of a crime he did not commit. Based on the British romance novel by Ian McEwan.”-imdb.com

Atonement is magical. Directed by Joe Wright, this film is a little box of treasures. Set in World War II, Atonement is not your average war film, but a strong romance that never amounts to anything.

This is truly one of Keira Knightley’s best performances. Her character is so true and real. She really allowed herself to be vulnerable with this role. The chemistry between her and her partner on screen, James McAvoy is fantastic. During the Q&A with James, he explained that Keira and him both attended ballroom dancing classes prior to shooting the film. Even though there are no dancing sequences in the film itself, it was done so that Keira and James could feel comfortable with each other and make their relationship appear believable on set. And I must say that it was flawless.

Joe Wright did an astounding job of incorporating the music with the film. The beats in each scene are precise and have their right moments. The editing is so incredible in this film that it is definitely noteworthy. The work that it must have taken is most definitely rewarding, because a work of art has been created with this film. The cinematography is so rich and impressive.

Saoirse Ronan does such a wonderful performance as Cecilia’s (Knightley) younger sister. She truly stands out from many young actresses. I believe that we can truly expect great work from her in the future.

I really do recommend this film to anyone. Atonement is a beautiful film and really deserves all of the credit that it is receiving.

Watch the trailer.

Don’t Try This At Home!

December 21st, 2007

Remember how I posted that I was going to upload a new video? Well, I did. It isn’t much and you might even get bored, but it doesn’t matter because I got to watch two cell phones get destroyed by a hammer.

If you want to watch it…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUOUCvMwi5M&rel=1]

PS: Watch Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street tonight!!!

Romina's Blog

A place to speak of cheese and things

Monthly Archives: December 2007