Peter Kupfer's Blog

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Live Blog review of Toy Story 3 at the McHenry outdoor. Probably will have spoilers. If you haven’t seen it, don’t read.

Day & Night
This short was very clever. I like the background and how it filled the shaped (which was obviously the point.) This was not my favorite of the Pixar shorts (I just watched the short before Up last month with the storks and that was much funnier), but the animation and creativity of this short was stellar. My favorite scene was when the day blob was over the waterfall and he relieved himself. I also enjoyed the Las Vegas at night and during the day scenes.

I thought the end was a little heavy handed and didn’t really have much to with the rest of the short. I didn’t really get a xenophobic feel for the film. It just seemed like the two were competing, not avoiding each other. But I guess the Pixar folks wanted to teach the kids a good lesson and they did that in their normal humorous way.

Movie
The opening train robbery sequence was very cool. I like how they incorporated all of the toys.

A lot of critics said the first 15 minutes dragged and I guess I would agree. After the opening sequence it was just a lot of necessary story setup. I wouldn’t call it bad, but it was not particularly exciting.

I’m a little surprised at this point by Woody’s attitude towards Andy going to college. I would have thought that Woody would have been all for going to a day care to give a lot of kids happiness seeing as how Andy has moved on. I can see him being loyal too, but to call Jesse “selfish” seemed out of character.

The introduction to the day care was fun, seeing all the toys and the massage was a nice touch. Woody with the tea party friends was also fun, “I’m staying in character!”

The day care being taken over by Lotso (You can see the same sort of story as Jesse had in the last film causing his bitterness. I found Lotso’s story more touching and compelling than Jesse’s though I am not sure why) is classic along with the roulette game in the top of the vending machine. Very appropriate, junk food and gambling just seem to go together. And using the demo switch on Buzz Lightyear is genius. (Why all of the Buzz’s in Al’s Toy Barn were so “confused” now makes sense.) Just when you think they’ve used up all of the gags for a character they still think of one more. And, as several reviews have suggested, one the funniest gags in the movie is when Buzz goes into Spanish mode. He starts to tango and woo the ladies as you expect of a sexy Spaniard.

The whole security of the day care center is so elaborate and funny especially with monkey alarm, I’m consistently amazed at how these people think of new toys and how to incorporate them. And the box, being a sand box with “Lincoln Logs,” the Pixar folks really think of everything.

Conclusion

I got wrapped up in this movie, so I stopped posting but this movie has everything you expect from the great Pixar movies we are used to. (Really, have they made a bad one?) The humor is fresh and relevant and the story works on multiple levels. The kids like the toy’s playing and the silly slap stick humor and teens and adults can appreciate the moving on and growing up story line. I would agree with Dan that even the jokes and themes that reused are not reused do to a lack of creativity, but feel more like intentional links than lack of creativity. One complaint I have, and I guess I would have to have the same complaint regarding Stinky Pete, is that Lotso still was bad even after Woody saved him. I was hoping they would have a little lesson about redemption. Of course, then you wouldn’t have the funny “claw” gag from the three aliens, so maybe that was a necessary trade off.

I don’t think I can say enough about the the ending is perfect. I had heard several people say that the ending is perfect, but I wasn’t sure what that was to be even until it happened. The choice to end with Andy showing his love of all of his toys and passing them on to Bonnie was inspired. When he says, “Thanks guys,” wow, great that was great writing. It said a lot without saying too much and teaches us all about how to appreciate the past but move on to the future. When Andy is going through and giving the description of each character it made me want to go find my old toys in mom’s basement and start playing.

I would not say this was the best of the three Toy Story movies because  Toy Story 2 was so good but, overall this may be the best original movie trilogy ever (which means you don’t compare it to Lord of the Rings). The only other original trilogy I can think of that would even compare would be Star Wars. I’m not sure which I would put on top of that list, but they would easily go 1 and 2. All in all, Toy Story has been a great ride. I don’t know if there is any thought of making a fourth, but I hope not. Anything else they do could only bring the series down. Having said that, Pixar has not disappointed so far, so maybe a fourth movie would be in order.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

Tonight we saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie.  I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into as I am not a big Sherlock Holmes fan. I read The Hound of the Baskervilles in high school and just remember that it involved a moor. So, I can’t really comment on how true the movie is to the character. In terms of the movie itself, I thought it was a pretty good movie. The story was well crafted and followed a logical track in the way that Holmes was able to deduce the clues. The story seems to make sense in terms of what I would expect from Sherlock Holmes. The main antagonist is a practitioner of dark magic and is trying to bring the British Empire back to its full glory. Holmes works through a way to explain all of the magic tricks to explain how they actually happened.  I was intrigued to see how most of the Holmes’s deductions were based on chemistry and all made sense and were probably true. I was happy to see Holmes use the flame test I learned about in chemistry.

The way the film was shot was also very interesting. I did not realize that Holmes was quite the fighter and I enjoyed the fight sequences they setup where they walked you through Holmes’s thought process before the fight takes place. The slow motion choppy animation during the fights was a little weird, but I guess it added to the intensity of the scene. The sound was very nice in the film. There were periods of quiet where they would highlight the noise of one of the objects coming at the screen. This gave a slight impression of 3D that I really liked.

I also liked that the movie was very true to the times without seeming dated. The costumes and scenes in the movie never seemed out of place and for the most part the technology was accurate as well. There was one device that electrocuted people that didn’t seem particularly realistic (even now). The rest of the science seemed pretty solid throughout.

What was really eye opening to me in the this film is how much House and Wilson (from the TV Show House) and Holmes and Watson are alike. I have to assume that the character of Greg House was based on Holmes to some extent. The way that Holmes uses little random clues to make deductions is just the same way the Holmes does. Particularly the scene where Holmes deduces everything about Watson’s fiance from small clues is exactly something House would do (and has done). Also, the way that Holmes keeps sucking Watson back into his life and sabotaging his relationship is akin to House and Wilson.

In all, I liked the movie and it kind of makes me want to go read some of the books. This movie fits in well right now in terms of what is popular on TV. It fits in with all of the CSIs and other crime dramas out there. The introduction of Moriarty clearly sets the ground for a sequel and I look forward to that.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Movie Review — Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

***Spoilers Below***

There is an old saying attributed to William Shakespeare, “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.” Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) Harry Potter fits all three of these categories. Harry was born the chosen one, we learned that in The Order of the Phoenix. Harry has been achieving greatness ever since he arrive at Hogwarts, but he has always been the reluctant hero. Now, in The Half Blood Prince, Harry finally has no choice but to fulfill his destiny with the death of Dumbledore.

In short, I found the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to be everything I could have wanted from the film. The movie covers the major plot points and is enjoyable to watch as well. The scenery is beautiful and the acting is, for the most part, very good. This movie is more light hearted than the first five which I thought was an good choice. Order of the Phoenix was very intense and The Ghastly Hollows will also be very intense, so this movie being a little lighter is good.

On some levels I don’t know that you can fully appreciate this film unless you are surrounded by and used to high school teenager antics. The awkward moments between Harry & Ginny and Ron & Hermione are really amusing. The way that Cormack goes after Hermione in his overblown jockey way and the way Lavender fawns over Ron is equally amusing. One of my favorite scenes early in the movie is when Harry and Hermione are commiserating with each other in a corridor after Ron snogs with Lavender for the first time. Harry asks Hermione  what is wrong and she asks Harry, “How does it feel when you see Ginny kiss Dean?” Hermione then launches several charmed birds at Ron and Pavarti who come wandering by and Harry says, “about like that.” The movie shows them growing closer as friends more than any other two.

Jim Broadbent plays Professor Slughorn and does a good job playing the part. He captures the egotistical side of the character as well as the flawed side of the character.

There are many decision that have to be made regarding what scenes to take from the book and put in the movie and whether or not the story can be changed for time. Some of the plot the movie makers and stuck with because of the book, but in other cases, they had to make conscious choices and, while I can appreciate how difficult that is, I don’t understand or agree with some of them. One, for example, is the scene in the Burrow. The scene doesn’t happen in the book and it doesn’t really advance the plot at all. Yeah, you see Tonks and Lupin in the Burrow which is fun, but the scene could have been cut in favor some time between Ron and Hermione or Ginny and Harry.

The movie really focuses on Harry’s story and you are left to fill in a lot of the other relationship gaps on your own. The Ron & Hermione relationship is kind of developed, but again you are supposed to put together a lot of those pieces on your own. I think they could have cut out a few other scenes and spent some more time developing that relationship and possible the Ginny & Harry relationship. A friend pointed out, and I agree, that the movie spends more time focusing on Ron and Lavender than it does on Ron and Hermione. I can’t say I fully understand that choice.

Unlike the first five movies, I did not re-read the book before I saw Half-Blood Prince. I think this let me appreciate the movie more as a movie rather than as an adaptation. Usually I sit through a Harry Potter movie and think about all of the scenes they had to cut. During this one, I was little more at ease. My only real disappointment was the end of the movie. After Harry and Dumbledore go for the horcrux in the cave, they return to Hogwarts and Dumbledore basically sacrifices himself to Malfoy. Somehow Malfoy knew right where to find Dumbledore and he just waits. I also was disapointed that they didn’t have the big showdown fight in the castle. I think leaving out the big fight scene leads to two flaws in the movie.

The first, and perhaps it won’t be a problem in the next movie, is that because Harry wasn’t immobile & invisible during Dumbledore’s death (as he was in the book) and was able to chase Snape and Bellatrix out of the castle. Snape or Bellatrix then have a chance to kill or capture him, but don’t. I would think they will have to explain this to Voldemort later on.

The other exception I take with the ending is that it seems to take the two main characters completely out of character. In every other case we see Dumbledore he always fights until the end. In Order of the Phoenix when they try to arrest him he does not go easily and now, in the end, we are expected to believe that he is just going to let himself be killed. I suppose there is a chance that he is offering himself up as a martyr in order to inspire others, but I don’t think that is in his character. Maybe he does it because he knows that Snape has to kill him in order to maintain Snape’s cover. This I could possibly buy, but I don’t think so. In the book he is killed more suddenly in the middle of battle which is a scenario I find much more plausible.

By the same token, I find it hard to beleive that Harry would just stand there silently and watch this happen. Harry has consistenly shown himself as an impulsive hot head in these types of situations. Early in the movie they show an out of place scene at the Burrow which could only exist to remind us that Harry is a hot head. Belatrix just shows up at the Burrow, and Harry starts running after her before she even does anything. But when Harry watches Snape kill Dumbledore he just stands there? I don’t think that is a proper display of his character.

All in all, this is another great addition to the Harry Potter tradition and I am anxiously awaiting the first half of the next book’s movie. Hopefully with the expanded format, they will be able to fully develop some more of the relationships as well as the plot.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Movie Review: Happy Feet

I just finished watching Happy Feet and I really enjoyed it. The movie seems to be a cross between The Ugly Duckling and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Mumble is a duck whose egg is dropped during incubation. The most important thing in the life of a penguin we learn is to be able to sing in order to find a mate. Mumbles, we learn, lacks the ability to sing well, but he can really cut a rug (this is an old term for dance.) Well, Mumble is shunned from the penguin community all of his life because of his “happy feet” and isn’t allowed to officially graudate from penguin school.

While this is all happening the penguins and other antarctic creatures are going through a fish famine. The leaders of the penguins say that the great “guin” is angered by Mumble slacker ways and his dancing and is punishing them with no fish. Mumbles learns from a large bird and a treachorous encouter with a walrus (or possible a large otter) that “the aliens” (humans) are causing the problem.

After being exiled from the emperor penguins, Mumbles sets off with 5 penguins of a different breed to find the source of the problem and exhonerate his name. The travel a long way until they eventually find a large fleet of fishing boats that are taking the fish.  Mumbles companions are content to turn back now because they have proven the Mumbles is not to blame, but Mumbles actually wants to help fix the problem. So, he jumps into the ocean and starts following one of the boats. He is briefly successly but ultimately ends up trying to chase the boat until he ends up in, what I assume is, Australia.

Here he ends up in a zoo and interacts with aliens. He tries to reason with the aliens, but they don’t seem to understand anything he says. He ends up becoming depressed and hullicinating about his family back home. Eventually one little girl comes up to glass and starts tapping a dancing beat and Mumbles starts to dance. This gets the attention of the whole crowd and Mumbles is ultimately sent back to his home, but he marked with a homing beacon. I’ll leave the rest for you to watch.

The animation in this movie is really good and they weave music and dance into the movie in a really fun way. The voice acting is good especially the role of Noah, the patriarch of the penguins, who is portrayed by Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith from The Matrix.) I would reccomend this movie for anyone who enjoys animated films. Towards the end the movie gets very emotional as Mumbles is temporarily separated from his family and we are not sure what is going to happen. The movie also tells a good story that could open a dialog for parents and children.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Movie Review: Dark Knight

  I finally saw The Dark Knight. (I know it hasn’t been out that long, but it seems like everyone has seen this movie already.) I went into this movie expecting it to not live up to the hype that it got and I have to say I was amazed. This movie was fantastic! What I liked the most was the overarching theme about heroes and the distinction between heroes we need and when we need them. I was reminded a lot of Spider-Man 2 and the conflict between responsibility and the power: Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I’m Spiderman.

Ultimately, besides the hero theme, I enjoyed the conflicted between vigilanty justice and the police. The movie opens a big debate that will perhaps never be answered. The TV show never really hits on this conflict like I am guessing the comic does. In reality, Batman is the original Jack Bauer. You can tell them whoever wrote this movie loves Batman and understands the character and the world.

The acting in this movie is, as reported, very good. I guess Heath Ledger is a villian, but as I was watching the movie I didn’t fear him like I feared Jack Nicholaus in the original. Maybe it is because Ledger makes The Joker seem human which is really the greatest compliment I could pay him. Christian Bale does a fine job and was pushed further than I thought he would be and he handled it. Morgan Freeman does a quality job as always and brings a nice Q quality to the batman franchise.

Overall this was a powerful movie that really transcends Batman or any time period. The themes are clear, classic and really encourage deep thought.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a good addition to the Harry Potter film library. I have a hard time watching the films after reading the book because I prefer a literal interpretation, but I suppose the books are little too long for that. The first movie was pretty literal, but it was also pretty short. The first part of the movie really seems to jump around. The screenwriter seems to have chosen random samples from the book to show. When they do show a scene from the book they are fairly literal but they make some often frustrating choices of what to cut and what to add that is not in the book.

An example of this is when Harry and the advance guard fly from Privot Drive to headquarters. They fly close to the river’s surface and almost hit and boat (meaning muggles would like see them) whereas in the book, Moody is adamant about flying high so as not to be seen. Also, when the students get off the train they are not in their robes whereas in the book it always a staple of the end of the train ride to put on their robes. Also, the statue in the Ministry of Magic didn’t seem to match the description in the book with just one fountain in the middle. I think it had the same statues, but this seems like a simple touch that a set designer or film director would be able to correct. It was almost like the screenwriter didn’t read the whole book series and only skimmed the 5^th book.

There are other examples of this idea, but these are some that stuck with me now. The movie spends a lot of time at the DA meetings which is fun and the film does a good job of showing Harry grow up and into his role as a leader. As I said, I found the rest of the time at Hogwart’s jumpy and rushed. I get the feeling, as I did with the third and fourth movie, that if you hadn’t read he book you wouldn’t be able to follow the story. Maybe that is okay though given the audience.

Hands down the best part of the movie is the time in the Department of Ministries. The sets are well done and the action is really exciting and captures the adventure of the novel. It is faced paced, gripping, and good ride. The final battle in the Ministry of Magic between Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Harry is very exciting, and in this case the few lines Harry adds I liked and I think illustrates why being good is better than being bad. Dumbledore’s speech at the end leave a lot to be desired, but I guess they were trying to keep to a schedule.

Acting wise, Alan Rickman (Snape), Jason Issacs (Lucious Malfoy), and Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) all gave stellar performances as usually. You really want to loathe Malfoy in the film and he is very convincing in the DoM. Snape is detestable and lovable at the same time especially when he is challenging Harry during occlumency. Voldemort is very calm and confident and you really fear him throughout the movie. Helena Bonham Carter does a quality job as Bellatrix Lestrange portraying a truly horrible witch. Finally, even though you hate her, Imelda Staunton gives a true to the book performance portraying Dolores Umbridge.

The score in the movie is very moving. The music during at the end of the battle with Voldemort is really puts a point on the moment and truly makes you feel Harry’s pain.

In end, if you like Harry Potter you should see this movies. It diverts from the book a lot, but if you know the story, you will have not trouble following it. There are several excellent performances given in the film and the movie making elements are all very well done.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Movie Review — Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four was a fun movie. I wasn’t really familiar with the stories of anything like that except for the Wii game Marvel Superheroes. The movie has fun story and shows that being true to yourself is always the best policy. The characters, as far as I can tell, are true to the comics and are acted pretty well for a comic book movie. The special effects are pretty good in the movie. The look beleiveable and flow with the film.
I would reccomend this movie if you have enjoyed X-Men, Spider-Man, or other comic inspired films.

Popularity: unranked [?]