Monday, 23 June 2008 08:52 pm
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deckardcanineI like to arrange for the next movie I see not to be too similar to the last one. But it's rarely as stark a contrast as it was most recently: Judgment at Nuremberg on Friday and Kung Fu Panda on Saturday. I doubt if anyone else saw the former right before the latter.
I had been reluctant to put another movie with a Holocaust focus, even taking place a couple years after the Holocaust, on my Netflix queue. What probably prompted me to include it, aside from the high IMDb rating, was the cast: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland (barely recognizable), and a pre-"Star Trek" William Shatner. Also Maximilian Schnell, whose name I might have heard before, but I had no idea of his ability.
What prompted me to move JAN to the top of my queue was AFI's 10 Top 10. I found that while I had seen all top 10 in the categories of sci-fi, romantic comedy, animation, and epic, I had seen only the top 2 for courtroom dramas: To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men. It so happens that four others in the category were also already on my queue: Witness for the Prosecution, Kramer vs. Kramer, A Few Good Men, and The Verdict. Since JAN was only #10, I have pretty high hopes for them.
If you can take the grainy aftermath footage midway thru -- including piles of naked corpses, which I didn't expect to see in a 1961 film -- then you should be able to take the rest, emotional tho it may be. The acting is as good as expected, but what really appeals to me is the script. So many great lines, even great full monologues. I found myself respecting almost equally the prosecutor and the defense, whose aim was not to trivialize the Holocaust horror but to convey that the judges being judged had about as decent a character as everyone else. I also agreed with nearly every decision by Tracy's judge in terms of overruling or sustaining objections, declaring recesses, and passing sentences. (No, that does not mean I'd make a good judge, any more than a good advice columnist.)
After some deliberation today, I gave JAN thru Netflix a full five-star rating.
Before going into the KFP review, I feel like doing as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kinkyturtle and giving my impressions of the messages that came first:
Madagascar 2. Looks like whatever you thought of the first, you'll think of the second. To the makers' credit, they did have a fair idea of where to go next: back to Africa. I'm not sure that the trailer benefits from being basically all one scene, skimping on apparent cuts.
The House of Dogs. Okay, that's not the right title, but I've wasted enough time trying to remember or look it up. If the inane premise doesn't turn you off, maybe the several-second excrement gag in the trailer will. At the end of the trailer, a nearby girl around the age of 8 said, "That looks stupid." If she's any indication, that studio has made a big mistake. No excrement joke intended.
Marley and Me. Here's a better exploitation of humans' love for dogs: a puppy running in slow motion on a beach. Many kids in the theater said, "Awwwwww." I was a little too distracted by the Chariots of Fire theme, since I had seen that movie mere days ago. Alas, the only other thing we know from the trailer is that the main actors are Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Hopefully these few things are not all the film has going for it.
The Pink Panther 2. Ostensibly, this is a theater message first and a trailer second. It consists of Steve Martin trying adamantly to buy a ticket for "Koong Fiw Pendah," even hoping that a firm voice and his inspector status will make up for it being sold out. Finally, he sneaks in the back way... and accidentally rips thru the screen where the theater message appears. It takes him half a minute to decide not to come out that way, and then he lazily duct-tapes part of the rip back together. The kids enjoyed this breaking of the fourth wall. I'm just impressed that they found a market for a sequel.
You might consider it a sad day when Jack Black's name is better for selling a movie than Dustin Hoffman's. Fortunately, KFP is one animation where I find it easy to forget the many well-known stars and see the characters for what they're supposed to be.
One local reviewer called it "easily the best DreamWorks animation." I wouldn't say "easily," since Over the Hedge is a strong contender in my book, but I do like it better overall than Antz or any of the Shrek movies. Indeed, I enjoyed pretty much every minute of it. Not something I would have guessed necessarily from looking at it "on paper," so to speak. Every downside has a corresponding upside to outweigh it:
Minus: Most of the humor is the slapstick of a fat oaf.
Plus: You may be surprised at how enjoyable that still is when done right, especially with the right surrounding audience. If I may say so, it never falls flat. And hey, it's basically tasteful. No excrement, no farts, and if there was a burp, at least it was forgettable. Even the one groin gag isn't too dramatic.
Minus: Plotwise, it's very simple and formulaic. Anyone at double digits should have a good idea of what will happen, even ignoring Master Oogway's prophecies. (I just realized that that character's name is Pig Latin for an Urban Dictionary term. Not intended, I'm sure.)
Plus: Let's be honest. Most movies rely on a certain amount of false suspense. The joy is in the journey more than the destination. Besides, it's rather nice not to have a cheesy romantic subplot. Or any tacked-on subplot, for that matter. We're left with a well-paced and concentrated 88 minutes.
Minus: The ultimate message is as empty as it is trite.
Plus: The fact that this movie ever dares to take itself somewhat seriously is something of a relief to me. There are other recurring messages to aid in self-justification. These basic messages sound as tho they would not be out of place in old China, yet they can strike a chord with Westerners of all stripes.
Minus: Ick, a world with all anthropomorphic animals and no humans! (Not my own complaint.)
Plus: Might I assure you that it's hardly awkward and never racy, even with Angelina Jolie voicing a pumped-up Tigress. Neither is it cute to the point of cloying.
Minus: Not exactly state-of-the-art CGI. Maybe just a little better than Madagascar.
Plus: For a world with about the same level of pseudophysics as a Zhang Yimou epic, it works wonderfully. It can be beautiful like the same, or even like Okami.
BTW, I beat Okami last night. It's awesome to the end.
I had been reluctant to put another movie with a Holocaust focus, even taking place a couple years after the Holocaust, on my Netflix queue. What probably prompted me to include it, aside from the high IMDb rating, was the cast: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland (barely recognizable), and a pre-"Star Trek" William Shatner. Also Maximilian Schnell, whose name I might have heard before, but I had no idea of his ability.
What prompted me to move JAN to the top of my queue was AFI's 10 Top 10. I found that while I had seen all top 10 in the categories of sci-fi, romantic comedy, animation, and epic, I had seen only the top 2 for courtroom dramas: To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men. It so happens that four others in the category were also already on my queue: Witness for the Prosecution, Kramer vs. Kramer, A Few Good Men, and The Verdict. Since JAN was only #10, I have pretty high hopes for them.
If you can take the grainy aftermath footage midway thru -- including piles of naked corpses, which I didn't expect to see in a 1961 film -- then you should be able to take the rest, emotional tho it may be. The acting is as good as expected, but what really appeals to me is the script. So many great lines, even great full monologues. I found myself respecting almost equally the prosecutor and the defense, whose aim was not to trivialize the Holocaust horror but to convey that the judges being judged had about as decent a character as everyone else. I also agreed with nearly every decision by Tracy's judge in terms of overruling or sustaining objections, declaring recesses, and passing sentences. (No, that does not mean I'd make a good judge, any more than a good advice columnist.)
After some deliberation today, I gave JAN thru Netflix a full five-star rating.
Before going into the KFP review, I feel like doing as
kinkyturtle and giving my impressions of the messages that came first:Madagascar 2. Looks like whatever you thought of the first, you'll think of the second. To the makers' credit, they did have a fair idea of where to go next: back to Africa. I'm not sure that the trailer benefits from being basically all one scene, skimping on apparent cuts.
The House of Dogs. Okay, that's not the right title, but I've wasted enough time trying to remember or look it up. If the inane premise doesn't turn you off, maybe the several-second excrement gag in the trailer will. At the end of the trailer, a nearby girl around the age of 8 said, "That looks stupid." If she's any indication, that studio has made a big mistake. No excrement joke intended.
Marley and Me. Here's a better exploitation of humans' love for dogs: a puppy running in slow motion on a beach. Many kids in the theater said, "Awwwwww." I was a little too distracted by the Chariots of Fire theme, since I had seen that movie mere days ago. Alas, the only other thing we know from the trailer is that the main actors are Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Hopefully these few things are not all the film has going for it.
The Pink Panther 2. Ostensibly, this is a theater message first and a trailer second. It consists of Steve Martin trying adamantly to buy a ticket for "Koong Fiw Pendah," even hoping that a firm voice and his inspector status will make up for it being sold out. Finally, he sneaks in the back way... and accidentally rips thru the screen where the theater message appears. It takes him half a minute to decide not to come out that way, and then he lazily duct-tapes part of the rip back together. The kids enjoyed this breaking of the fourth wall. I'm just impressed that they found a market for a sequel.
You might consider it a sad day when Jack Black's name is better for selling a movie than Dustin Hoffman's. Fortunately, KFP is one animation where I find it easy to forget the many well-known stars and see the characters for what they're supposed to be.
One local reviewer called it "easily the best DreamWorks animation." I wouldn't say "easily," since Over the Hedge is a strong contender in my book, but I do like it better overall than Antz or any of the Shrek movies. Indeed, I enjoyed pretty much every minute of it. Not something I would have guessed necessarily from looking at it "on paper," so to speak. Every downside has a corresponding upside to outweigh it:
Minus: Most of the humor is the slapstick of a fat oaf.
Plus: You may be surprised at how enjoyable that still is when done right, especially with the right surrounding audience. If I may say so, it never falls flat. And hey, it's basically tasteful. No excrement, no farts, and if there was a burp, at least it was forgettable. Even the one groin gag isn't too dramatic.
Minus: Plotwise, it's very simple and formulaic. Anyone at double digits should have a good idea of what will happen, even ignoring Master Oogway's prophecies. (I just realized that that character's name is Pig Latin for an Urban Dictionary term. Not intended, I'm sure.)
Plus: Let's be honest. Most movies rely on a certain amount of false suspense. The joy is in the journey more than the destination. Besides, it's rather nice not to have a cheesy romantic subplot. Or any tacked-on subplot, for that matter. We're left with a well-paced and concentrated 88 minutes.
Minus: The ultimate message is as empty as it is trite.
Plus: The fact that this movie ever dares to take itself somewhat seriously is something of a relief to me. There are other recurring messages to aid in self-justification. These basic messages sound as tho they would not be out of place in old China, yet they can strike a chord with Westerners of all stripes.
Minus: Ick, a world with all anthropomorphic animals and no humans! (Not my own complaint.)
Plus: Might I assure you that it's hardly awkward and never racy, even with Angelina Jolie voicing a pumped-up Tigress. Neither is it cute to the point of cloying.
Minus: Not exactly state-of-the-art CGI. Maybe just a little better than Madagascar.
Plus: For a world with about the same level of pseudophysics as a Zhang Yimou epic, it works wonderfully. It can be beautiful like the same, or even like Okami.
BTW, I beat Okami last night. It's awesome to the end.