Moofies
OK, have seen Surf's Up, Stardust and Ratatouille.
Surf's Up
Solid kids' movie, with enough overtone to keep adults happy. The plot doesn't really go anywhere unexpected, but it has a few giggleworthy moments and doesn't fall down anywhere major. The semidocumentary format is a nice spin. Recommended.
Stardust
OK, although it feels lumpy, for want of a better word. There are entire sections of plot and circumstance which feel tacked on purely to fulfil the Chekov's Gun requirement, without integrating into the rest of the movie properly. It's trying to be The Princess Bride or even The Neverending Story or Labyrinth, but for all its fantasy trappings it telegraphs its trope subversions and plot twists too far in advance, and there's never a real feeling that we're getting a glimpse into a self-contained other world. Still, it's not actually bad - worth a look on a discount ticket or rental.
Ratatouille
Grabs the viewer out of their seat and jams them smack-dab into the middle of the world of the culinary arts. This is a movie which *does* give the impression that it's a look into a larger universe, one where cooking utensils and ingredients are wielded at breakneck speed by dedicated and slightly crazy professionals. Sure, there are the gratuitous 'check out my rendering engine' shots (mainly water-based in this one - look for moving water surfaces, rain, and damp fur), but overall the CGI has been reigned in to serve the plot and presentation. Cartoony in places, dramatic or thoughtful in others, it's well worth the cost of a ticket or three. Peter O'Toole makes the most of his lines as Anton Ego, and Ian "Bilbo" Holm hams it up as Skinner, the Napoleonic head chef.
Surf's Up
Solid kids' movie, with enough overtone to keep adults happy. The plot doesn't really go anywhere unexpected, but it has a few giggleworthy moments and doesn't fall down anywhere major. The semidocumentary format is a nice spin. Recommended.
Stardust
OK, although it feels lumpy, for want of a better word. There are entire sections of plot and circumstance which feel tacked on purely to fulfil the Chekov's Gun requirement, without integrating into the rest of the movie properly. It's trying to be The Princess Bride or even The Neverending Story or Labyrinth, but for all its fantasy trappings it telegraphs its trope subversions and plot twists too far in advance, and there's never a real feeling that we're getting a glimpse into a self-contained other world. Still, it's not actually bad - worth a look on a discount ticket or rental.
Ratatouille
Grabs the viewer out of their seat and jams them smack-dab into the middle of the world of the culinary arts. This is a movie which *does* give the impression that it's a look into a larger universe, one where cooking utensils and ingredients are wielded at breakneck speed by dedicated and slightly crazy professionals. Sure, there are the gratuitous 'check out my rendering engine' shots (mainly water-based in this one - look for moving water surfaces, rain, and damp fur), but overall the CGI has been reigned in to serve the plot and presentation. Cartoony in places, dramatic or thoughtful in others, it's well worth the cost of a ticket or three. Peter O'Toole makes the most of his lines as Anton Ego, and Ian "Bilbo" Holm hams it up as Skinner, the Napoleonic head chef.