They're not just for kids, you know.
Book of Kells
This Irish animation draws on the portion of art history wherein illustrated manuscripts were common. Elaborately detailed and tremendously embellished texts, in this case, a national treasure containing the Latin text of the four Gospels, along with some related folios. The film, which runs just 75 minutes, weaves a magical tale of an illustrator's apprentice helping his master finish the Book, while his uncle, the abbot, attempts to finish fortifying the monastery before vikings attack. I got a little lost in the other-worldly elements of the story (or maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention), but the art of the animation is incredible. Absolutely beautiful; if I have children, I would love for them to be mesmerized by the movement and color of the movie, even before enjoying the story.
* 2010 Oscar Nomination Best Animated Feature of the Year
The Painting
Of the three, this one is my favorite. I watched this in French with English subtitles. There are three castes in The Painting, the Alldun (finished characters), the Half-dun, and the Sketchies. As three of the characters go in search of the painter, themes of racism are heavily drawn, and questions of destiny raised. It's heavy material for what might otherwise pass for a kids' movie, but the imagination and creativity that bring the film (and the characters) to life is what make it remarkable.
A Cat in Paris
After her father's murder, Zoé's care is largely left to the housekeeper Claudine, while her detective mother is hard at work. Zoé seeks solace in her cat Nico, who goes out at night, returning each morning. One night Zoé sneaks out her window to follow Nico, discovering that he is half of a cat-burglar team, one that may soon cross paths with her father's murderer. There are some very cool things that the filmmakers have done with the animation to keep it interesting, and the pacing is just right. It's one of few films I've seen most recently that didn't feel too long. I was able to watch this one on Netflix with an English audio track, though I think I would like to hear the French audio too.
* 2012 Oscar Nomination Best Animated Feature of the Year
Friday, December 26, 2014
Performer Profile: Domhnall Gleeson
My latest nominee for The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Actors is Domhnall Gleeson, whose career always seems to be just picking up. Perhaps his upcoming turn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens will finally make his a household name (in households other than mine, obviously). In my house, I wonder in Rodgers and Hammerstein parody:
"Do I love you because you're talented,
Or are you talented because I love you?"
I think it's the former. He is acting royalty, after all. No scenes together in Harry Potter (Domhnall plays the eldest Weasley sibling), but Gleeson's father is Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody), and their work together in Calvary and various shorts for Immatürity for Charity is as entertaining as it is engaging - and those who know me know, immaturity is not really my kind of comedy. But for the Gleesons, I'm a fan.
As of now, I've seen nine of Gleeson's screen credits, and I eagerly await the two films expected for this spring. I've posted commentaries for About Time twice (1, 2), and more recently updated my blog with thoughts on Frank, Anna Karenina, Calvary, and Unbroken - by which point I was decidedly 'fangirling' at the cinema. I've yet to revisit Never Let Me Go, but True Grit was on television recently, and I was able to watch through Domhnall's big scene ("Oh yeah! I remember that!"). The only thing I couldn't get through was Dredd - I couldn't reconcile Domhnall's screen time with how much I was failing to enjoy the rest of the film. I'm also not sure what kind of American accent he was supposed to be using for that one - his accent in Unbroken was fantastic. He'll be bringing that back for Ex Machina, but I really enjoyed hearing his (actual) Irish accent in Calvary, "Be Right Back" (the first episode in the second series of Black Mirror), and also in the film Shadow Dancer. Something about Irish and English actors - so many of them do American accents better than Americans can do English accents.
I think I've gushed enough, if you count the other blog entries... just keep an eye on this guy. He's something else.
"Do I love you because you're talented,
Or are you talented because I love you?"
I think it's the former. He is acting royalty, after all. No scenes together in Harry Potter (Domhnall plays the eldest Weasley sibling), but Gleeson's father is Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody), and their work together in Calvary and various shorts for Immatürity for Charity is as entertaining as it is engaging - and those who know me know, immaturity is not really my kind of comedy. But for the Gleesons, I'm a fan.
As of now, I've seen nine of Gleeson's screen credits, and I eagerly await the two films expected for this spring. I've posted commentaries for About Time twice (1, 2), and more recently updated my blog with thoughts on Frank, Anna Karenina, Calvary, and Unbroken - by which point I was decidedly 'fangirling' at the cinema. I've yet to revisit Never Let Me Go, but True Grit was on television recently, and I was able to watch through Domhnall's big scene ("Oh yeah! I remember that!"). The only thing I couldn't get through was Dredd - I couldn't reconcile Domhnall's screen time with how much I was failing to enjoy the rest of the film. I'm also not sure what kind of American accent he was supposed to be using for that one - his accent in Unbroken was fantastic. He'll be bringing that back for Ex Machina, but I really enjoyed hearing his (actual) Irish accent in Calvary, "Be Right Back" (the first episode in the second series of Black Mirror), and also in the film Shadow Dancer. Something about Irish and English actors - so many of them do American accents better than Americans can do English accents.
I think I've gushed enough, if you count the other blog entries... just keep an eye on this guy. He's something else.
Jewish Christmas: At The Movies
Into the Woods
I haven't seen the musical, and I've never professed myself a fan of Sondheim, but the cast and premise alone was enough to entice me. Meryl Streep is amazing in everything, and Anna Kendrick is a major player in the pop resurgence of musicals, with two more still coming (Pitch Perfect 2 and The Last 5 Years). Chris Pine being able to sing is a dream come true, and I absolutely adore James Corden, who was so good in Begin Again. Among the biggest surprises for me was Emily Blunt's vocal prowess, her charm, and her ability to completely inhabit the world of Into the Woods.
For those who don't know, Into the Woods tells the story of the Baker (Corden) and his Wife (Blunt) as they search for the four items needed to break a curse: a curse placed by a Witch (Streep), which has left them barren. In their search, the Baker and his Wife cross paths with Cinderella (Kendrick) and her Prince (Pine), Red Riding Hood (Broadway vet Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and her Prince (Billy Magnussen), and of course, a young man named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone).
Act I tells the fairy tales (mostly) as you know them; Act II undertakes to explore what is supposed to be "happily ever after." With the exception of Johnny Depp's Wolf (whose hunger for 12 year old Red Riding Hood comes off as pedophilia), I really enjoyed Act I. Act II, not so much. Which may be because of the adaptation of a Sondheim musical for Disney backers. You'll find strong opinions amongst long-time fans of the musical, especially regarding second act song cuts, character rewrites, lyric changes, and plot omissions. Looking at the list of complaints, I don't blame them. It makes me wonder if the changes are the reason the second act drags, and eventually, disappoints.
Unbroken
Every piece of Unbroken screams Oscar bait - except the finished product. It would be too easy to place the blame on sophomore director Angelina Jolie... but everybody else has cred. I wonder how close to the script the film ended up, or possibly if what works on paper did not work on film. Still, with the Coen brothers receiving top billing for the script, I don't know what went wrong. The director of photography, cinematographer, and editor all have brilliant films under their belts. So what's the issue?
Jack O'Connell plays Louis Zamperini, juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner turned World War II bombardier. When a rescue mission goes down in the Pacific Ocean, he and two of his fellow crewmen are left adrift; it's over a month and a half before they're found, and even then, it's by a Japanese ship. He's sent to detainment camp as a prisoner of war, he's singled out for abuse, relying on his Olympian patience and endurance to see it through to war's end.
O'Connell is good in the leading role, it's true, but he's so pretty, and sometimes I wondered if he was just taking direction. His positive attitude come so easily to him that the physical struggle doesn't even seem so bad. I know I'm biased, but it's not hard to argue that Domhnall Gleeson gives the far better performance - he's the one I worry about, ribs protruding his skeletal frame. In an interview for Huffington Post, Gleeson said he was so dehydrated that his contact lenses wouldn't fit. As Lt. Russell "Phil" Phillips, Gleeson provides wit, and does it with a very good American accent. I'm looking forward to his leading turn in Ex Machina this spring. As for the rest of the principal cast, I also have to say that I disagree with the critics on the greatness being lauded on Takamasa Ishihara for his portrayal of Japanese captor "the Bird." Violent, yes, but not terribly intimidating. Or perhaps it was the overall "bland" of the film that detracted from his actual performance.
As CliffsNotes or a preview for the book, I'm sure the film is just fine. As a war film, I'm not sure it stands out as much as hyped. I remember when Lauren Hillenbrand's book was THE gift for Christmas and Father's Day. My guess is: stick with the original.
I haven't seen the musical, and I've never professed myself a fan of Sondheim, but the cast and premise alone was enough to entice me. Meryl Streep is amazing in everything, and Anna Kendrick is a major player in the pop resurgence of musicals, with two more still coming (Pitch Perfect 2 and The Last 5 Years). Chris Pine being able to sing is a dream come true, and I absolutely adore James Corden, who was so good in Begin Again. Among the biggest surprises for me was Emily Blunt's vocal prowess, her charm, and her ability to completely inhabit the world of Into the Woods.
For those who don't know, Into the Woods tells the story of the Baker (Corden) and his Wife (Blunt) as they search for the four items needed to break a curse: a curse placed by a Witch (Streep), which has left them barren. In their search, the Baker and his Wife cross paths with Cinderella (Kendrick) and her Prince (Pine), Red Riding Hood (Broadway vet Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and her Prince (Billy Magnussen), and of course, a young man named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone).
Act I tells the fairy tales (mostly) as you know them; Act II undertakes to explore what is supposed to be "happily ever after." With the exception of Johnny Depp's Wolf (whose hunger for 12 year old Red Riding Hood comes off as pedophilia), I really enjoyed Act I. Act II, not so much. Which may be because of the adaptation of a Sondheim musical for Disney backers. You'll find strong opinions amongst long-time fans of the musical, especially regarding second act song cuts, character rewrites, lyric changes, and plot omissions. Looking at the list of complaints, I don't blame them. It makes me wonder if the changes are the reason the second act drags, and eventually, disappoints.
Unbroken
Every piece of Unbroken screams Oscar bait - except the finished product. It would be too easy to place the blame on sophomore director Angelina Jolie... but everybody else has cred. I wonder how close to the script the film ended up, or possibly if what works on paper did not work on film. Still, with the Coen brothers receiving top billing for the script, I don't know what went wrong. The director of photography, cinematographer, and editor all have brilliant films under their belts. So what's the issue?
Jack O'Connell plays Louis Zamperini, juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner turned World War II bombardier. When a rescue mission goes down in the Pacific Ocean, he and two of his fellow crewmen are left adrift; it's over a month and a half before they're found, and even then, it's by a Japanese ship. He's sent to detainment camp as a prisoner of war, he's singled out for abuse, relying on his Olympian patience and endurance to see it through to war's end.
O'Connell is good in the leading role, it's true, but he's so pretty, and sometimes I wondered if he was just taking direction. His positive attitude come so easily to him that the physical struggle doesn't even seem so bad. I know I'm biased, but it's not hard to argue that Domhnall Gleeson gives the far better performance - he's the one I worry about, ribs protruding his skeletal frame. In an interview for Huffington Post, Gleeson said he was so dehydrated that his contact lenses wouldn't fit. As Lt. Russell "Phil" Phillips, Gleeson provides wit, and does it with a very good American accent. I'm looking forward to his leading turn in Ex Machina this spring. As for the rest of the principal cast, I also have to say that I disagree with the critics on the greatness being lauded on Takamasa Ishihara for his portrayal of Japanese captor "the Bird." Violent, yes, but not terribly intimidating. Or perhaps it was the overall "bland" of the film that detracted from his actual performance.
As CliffsNotes or a preview for the book, I'm sure the film is just fine. As a war film, I'm not sure it stands out as much as hyped. I remember when Lauren Hillenbrand's book was THE gift for Christmas and Father's Day. My guess is: stick with the original.
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