I am floating on a fluffy cloud of fluff
So my presentation didn't crash and burn horribly! I may have brought up Freud too much, and it turned out Tim was an expert on what I ended up referencing (of course he was), but I think I made a coherent argument? Maybe? IDK, I'm just very glad it's done. Hooray, one intimidating assignment down and several more to go!
And now, two days' worth of meme. Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending:
This may not be the kind of answer you were expecting.
Okay, look, the thing is: there are films where being surprised is not very surprising. We expect horror, thrillers, even a lot of scifi to pull something out of its hat that makes us gasp. And then there are kids' films. They have a certain formula - and, for the most part, How To Train Your Dragon is a fairly formulaic movie. That isn't to say that it's not a freaking great movie (let me count the ways!), but I think the reason I am so unambiguously, joyously willing to pimp this film to all and sundry is that the ending denies the formula, throwing in a curve I never saw coming from a Dreamworks picture. Because this is a kids' movie with cool dragons and funny Vikings and dramatic adventures, and this shit is not meant to have consequences.
So, the big showdown with the giant monster dragon has happened, right? Vikings and dragons alike have worked together to slay the mighty beast, Hiccup's father has had a breakthrough and is now proud of his son, and, having been saved from a fiery conflagration by his loyal kittyhorsedragon, Hiccup wakes up in bed back home. Toothless is there, causing Hiccup to freak that his dad might come in and not like seeing a dragon on the furniture, but Toothless urges Hiccup out of bed and it's incredibly sweet and cute and we're pretty sure we know the heartwarming, let's-all-live-in-harmony ending this is going to have.
Hiccup's feet hit the floor. Only, one of them hits it with a resounding clunk. Surprise, motherfucker! Heroically defying death is one thing, but defying it all in one piece is quite another. As Hiccup walks towards the door and the inevitable happy ending, he does so while clinging to Toothless, getting used to walking on a prosthetic limb. A non-condescending attitude towards disability that doesn't end with the protagonist being magically 'fixed'? In my all-ages movie? It's more likely than you think.
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits:
I know it seems like I'm just obsessed with kiddie movies tonight, but it's coincidence, I swear! I love the end credits of Wall-E because they are not only very beautiful, but provide an important epilogue. As the animation apes art styles through the ages - cave paintings, heiroglyphs, watercolours, post-Impressionism - we watch humanity get its groove back, generation by generation, with help from (but not reliance on) the robots. All of this, plus a lovely Peter Gabriel song. The ending of the film didn't quite make me tear up, but the credits did, because they give you genuine hope that everything's actually truly going to be okay. And given that the entire film has been about post-apocalyptic humanity escaping a lotus-eater machine, it's certainly needed. Ahh, Pixar.
And now, two days' worth of meme. Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending:
This may not be the kind of answer you were expecting.
Okay, look, the thing is: there are films where being surprised is not very surprising. We expect horror, thrillers, even a lot of scifi to pull something out of its hat that makes us gasp. And then there are kids' films. They have a certain formula - and, for the most part, How To Train Your Dragon is a fairly formulaic movie. That isn't to say that it's not a freaking great movie (let me count the ways!), but I think the reason I am so unambiguously, joyously willing to pimp this film to all and sundry is that the ending denies the formula, throwing in a curve I never saw coming from a Dreamworks picture. Because this is a kids' movie with cool dragons and funny Vikings and dramatic adventures, and this shit is not meant to have consequences.
So, the big showdown with the giant monster dragon has happened, right? Vikings and dragons alike have worked together to slay the mighty beast, Hiccup's father has had a breakthrough and is now proud of his son, and, having been saved from a fiery conflagration by his loyal kittyhorsedragon, Hiccup wakes up in bed back home. Toothless is there, causing Hiccup to freak that his dad might come in and not like seeing a dragon on the furniture, but Toothless urges Hiccup out of bed and it's incredibly sweet and cute and we're pretty sure we know the heartwarming, let's-all-live-in-harmony ending this is going to have.
Hiccup's feet hit the floor. Only, one of them hits it with a resounding clunk. Surprise, motherfucker! Heroically defying death is one thing, but defying it all in one piece is quite another. As Hiccup walks towards the door and the inevitable happy ending, he does so while clinging to Toothless, getting used to walking on a prosthetic limb. A non-condescending attitude towards disability that doesn't end with the protagonist being magically 'fixed'? In my all-ages movie? It's more likely than you think.
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits:
I know it seems like I'm just obsessed with kiddie movies tonight, but it's coincidence, I swear! I love the end credits of Wall-E because they are not only very beautiful, but provide an important epilogue. As the animation apes art styles through the ages - cave paintings, heiroglyphs, watercolours, post-Impressionism - we watch humanity get its groove back, generation by generation, with help from (but not reliance on) the robots. All of this, plus a lovely Peter Gabriel song. The ending of the film didn't quite make me tear up, but the credits did, because they give you genuine hope that everything's actually truly going to be okay. And given that the entire film has been about post-apocalyptic humanity escaping a lotus-eater machine, it's certainly needed. Ahh, Pixar.