Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Puss in Boots Review
Plot: Lacking a better description, it's The Mask of Zorro for a younger audience.
I tend to get really annoyed with production companies when they announce another meaningless sequel to a dead franchise or, in this case, another spin-off. This one was no different, I spent a small amount of time griping and grumbling about it and I wasn't too impressed with the trailers and commercials. I wandered in to unwind after my shift, thinking maybe I'll see a trailer for a movie I'm looking forward to and nap for an hour and a half. I was surprised when I realized I was still awake after the opening scenes and actually enjoyed the movie all the way to the closing credits.
Quickly establishing itself as its own film, there are no references to Shrek or its setting. The story and its cast, (featuring Antonio Banderas in the title role, Selma Hayek as thief Kitty Softpaws and Zach Galifanankis as on-agan, off-again antagonist Humpty Dumpty with Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris as the movies 'Bonnie and Clyde', Jack and Jill) channel a whimsical sense of adventure and humor much like The Mask of Zorro while toning down any violence that would be too much for children.
Galifanakis' performance has a few missteps and seems a little awkward and the films 'monster', while completely understandable' is a little underwhelming to me, but they're small complaints.
In the end: this is a charming and funny movie that should be entertaining for the entire family.
Grade B+
I tend to get really annoyed with production companies when they announce another meaningless sequel to a dead franchise or, in this case, another spin-off. This one was no different, I spent a small amount of time griping and grumbling about it and I wasn't too impressed with the trailers and commercials. I wandered in to unwind after my shift, thinking maybe I'll see a trailer for a movie I'm looking forward to and nap for an hour and a half. I was surprised when I realized I was still awake after the opening scenes and actually enjoyed the movie all the way to the closing credits.
Quickly establishing itself as its own film, there are no references to Shrek or its setting. The story and its cast, (featuring Antonio Banderas in the title role, Selma Hayek as thief Kitty Softpaws and Zach Galifanankis as on-agan, off-again antagonist Humpty Dumpty with Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris as the movies 'Bonnie and Clyde', Jack and Jill) channel a whimsical sense of adventure and humor much like The Mask of Zorro while toning down any violence that would be too much for children.
Galifanakis' performance has a few missteps and seems a little awkward and the films 'monster', while completely understandable' is a little underwhelming to me, but they're small complaints.
In the end: this is a charming and funny movie that should be entertaining for the entire family.
Grade B+
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Write about things that broke their routine...
That's something you hear a lot (or at least I have) about writing characters in stories, novels and movies. That always leaves me completely braindead with writers block. It occured to me, literally within moments of waking up during my usual routine sleeping in on my days off from work, wouldn't it be more practical to write about things that broke my daily routine and evolve those experiences into my struggling writing? Maybe. I have had some interesting interruptions in the last few months, I went to the Phoenix Comicon for the first time this year, somebody flew off the handle at work about something that may or may not have been my fault and had my wisdom teeth pulled a few days ago, just to name two this year. Some were more exciting than others, but they were different and exciting in their own way to me, because they were different. A change in my routine. A virtual goldmine of things I've never written down could still be relevant.
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