Mortifying Movie Reviews!
Another Monday, another zany movie etched into my brainpan. Actually, I have a few movies loaded up here that I haven't gotten around to describing. Plus, I just saw Team America and Kung Pow: Enter The Fist for the first time this weekend. But first, the big stuff.
Corpse Bride
Is there something in Tim Burton's Degree In Film that says "You have earned this degree under the condition that every movie you make is freaky-weird and yet endearing and uses a Danny Elfman soundtrack and features Johnny Depp and/or living and dead folks hooking up"? I think it's practically required with him now. To be fair, his movies are usually very good freaky-weird Danny Elfman-themed necrophiliac films. But still.
Once again, animation is the topic of choice, and here we have another example of a far less common animation technique: stop motion animation. Difficult to produce, "claymation" films are still a lot of fun and can be every bit as exciting as a real film. The Wallace and Gromit shorts are classic examples, and Chicken Run and The Nightmare Before Christmas are quality feature-length films that have used stop-motion. Inevitably, comparisons will be made between Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas, as both are Tim Burton creations with a theme most macabre. How do they stand up to each other? And how does Corpse Bride stand by itself?
The plot: Life, death, love, and some other weird stuff. Oh, and Saruman. And a zombie dog. ZOMBIES! Everywhere!
The pros: The animation is beautifully put together with a lot of attention to detail and construction. Each character is animated with their own particular idiosyncrasies and mannerisms, the structures are so well crafted you feel that they are real enough to walk in, and the effects are subtle, but crafty. You feel for the characters and their predicaments- Victor and Victoria, controlled by the wishes of their families, and Emily, cursed in death to wait for her freedom. The villains are villainous, of course- no shades of grey needed, and the plot complication, such as it is, leads to action, retribution, and, naturally, justice for all. Though the story itself is simple and not particularly original, it is still well-executed (hah, I joke!) and leaves everyone feeling happy at the end. Speaking of jokes, there are a few cleverly hidden gags among the obvious dead-themed jokes.
The cons: Simple story. The love triangle complete with doomed lover is not anything new, and you see most of the twists and turns long before they happen. It is a musical as well, with a number of singing pieces, and they're ok, but not anything remarkable. I think Danny Elfman has done better work elsewhere. The story also jerks around a bit, not cleanly shifting from scene to scene, and some plot points are rather thinly explained, or just happen for no other reason than it'll make for a grand finale at the film's end. If one must do the inevitable comparison to Nightmare Before Christmas, then this movie comes in second. Nightmare had better music and a better more creative story. It was just more engrossing. They should have had an animated Lo Pan.
The verdict: Fun and light entertainment. Better than your average summer schlock. But you can wait for Cable or DVD if you want to save up cash for other films.
Disclaimer: Christopher Lee pretty much ruins every movie I see him in now. All I hear is the voice of Saruman.
Pastor Galswells (voiced by Lee): Do you have the rrring?
Me: No, I gave it to Frodo.
Amy: *hits me*
Later on, Saruman was not involved.
Victoria Everglot: Victor!
Victor von Dort: Victoria!
Me: Julie Andrews!
Amy: *hits me*
But then he came back.
Galswells: Back! Back, foul demons of the abyss!
Me: TO WAAAARRRR!
Amy: You're hopeless.
Corpse Bride
Is there something in Tim Burton's Degree In Film that says "You have earned this degree under the condition that every movie you make is freaky-weird and yet endearing and uses a Danny Elfman soundtrack and features Johnny Depp and/or living and dead folks hooking up"? I think it's practically required with him now. To be fair, his movies are usually very good freaky-weird Danny Elfman-themed necrophiliac films. But still.
Once again, animation is the topic of choice, and here we have another example of a far less common animation technique: stop motion animation. Difficult to produce, "claymation" films are still a lot of fun and can be every bit as exciting as a real film. The Wallace and Gromit shorts are classic examples, and Chicken Run and The Nightmare Before Christmas are quality feature-length films that have used stop-motion. Inevitably, comparisons will be made between Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas, as both are Tim Burton creations with a theme most macabre. How do they stand up to each other? And how does Corpse Bride stand by itself?
The plot: Life, death, love, and some other weird stuff. Oh, and Saruman. And a zombie dog. ZOMBIES! Everywhere!
The pros: The animation is beautifully put together with a lot of attention to detail and construction. Each character is animated with their own particular idiosyncrasies and mannerisms, the structures are so well crafted you feel that they are real enough to walk in, and the effects are subtle, but crafty. You feel for the characters and their predicaments- Victor and Victoria, controlled by the wishes of their families, and Emily, cursed in death to wait for her freedom. The villains are villainous, of course- no shades of grey needed, and the plot complication, such as it is, leads to action, retribution, and, naturally, justice for all. Though the story itself is simple and not particularly original, it is still well-executed (hah, I joke!) and leaves everyone feeling happy at the end. Speaking of jokes, there are a few cleverly hidden gags among the obvious dead-themed jokes.
The cons: Simple story. The love triangle complete with doomed lover is not anything new, and you see most of the twists and turns long before they happen. It is a musical as well, with a number of singing pieces, and they're ok, but not anything remarkable. I think Danny Elfman has done better work elsewhere. The story also jerks around a bit, not cleanly shifting from scene to scene, and some plot points are rather thinly explained, or just happen for no other reason than it'll make for a grand finale at the film's end. If one must do the inevitable comparison to Nightmare Before Christmas, then this movie comes in second. Nightmare had better music and a better more creative story. It was just more engrossing. They should have had an animated Lo Pan.
The verdict: Fun and light entertainment. Better than your average summer schlock. But you can wait for Cable or DVD if you want to save up cash for other films.
Disclaimer: Christopher Lee pretty much ruins every movie I see him in now. All I hear is the voice of Saruman.
Pastor Galswells (voiced by Lee): Do you have the rrring?
Me: No, I gave it to Frodo.
Amy: *hits me*
Later on, Saruman was not involved.
Victoria Everglot: Victor!
Victor von Dort: Victoria!
Me: Julie Andrews!
Amy: *hits me*
But then he came back.
Galswells: Back! Back, foul demons of the abyss!
Me: TO WAAAARRRR!
Amy: You're hopeless.