Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category
April 29th, 2010
I have the coolest family. Cooler than yours. There I said it.
Check out this video my little sister Heather created! With music by my brother, SnySny.
Each one of my siblings is extremely artistic in one way or another. Often in almost every possible way. It’s awesome.
But we really, really suck at softball. Sorry, Dad.
March 10th, 2010
A couple years ago, stories started floating around the internet about an upcoming Disney movie based on the classic fairy tale, Rapunzel.
Aptly titled… Rapunzel.
There wasn’t much information available. Mostly rumors and tentative plans. Things that are bound to change in production anyway. But still, I was excited to hear this news! This was also about the time when we started getting details about The Princess and The Frog. For me, this meant Disney was finally returning to it’s fairy tale roots! Good story telling and beautiful artwork. Wonderful!!
Though it’s slightly embarrassing to admit, I’ve been waiting for this. Me, and all the other Disney freaks! A return to their former glory – Or so I hope. When I saw The Princess and The Frog, well, that was it! I was so happy to see traditional animation come back in such a lovely way. I jumped aboard the Disney train, claimed a booth, and strapped myself in. Ready to once again ride the ride. You could call it childish; it’s OK, I won’t be offended. All I know is I’m a fan.
Let me get back to Rapunzel. The original concept for the movie was beautifully basic. To tell the German tale and to present it in a traditional art style. Of course, they would likely change a few things here or there to make it work for the medium. (they always have – and it’s worked really well in the past) But essentially, keep it pure.
They were always planning to use CG animation, but to bend the rules of art direction. A lot, actually. I was extremely happy to hear that they didn’t want it to look CG, nor did they want it to look 2D. They wanted to find an in-between. To keep the tone of the story appropriate, they wanted to make it look like a “moving oil painting”. (Yes! YES!)
To give you an idea, here is the oft sited oil painting, The Swing, that they were using for inspiration.
The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard
Wow! That’s about as inspiring as you can get for a princess movie.
Uh oh. That’s were we run into trouble. It has the audacity to be a Princess Movie! For girls!
Studio executives tend to hate it when movie makers don’t have dollar signs in their eyes. Especially when it’s a movie made primarily for children. By today’s standards, a kids movie isn’t deemed successful unless it’s a blockbuster for several weeks, sells millions of toys and clothing, and then sells millions of DVDs to poor, unsuspecting parents. Not to mention the now standard sequels that must follow – and also make loads of cash. Only then, is it worth anything to execs.
Side note: If you’re not into long rants about things that don’t really matter, you’d better go ahead and move along to the next blog on your blogroll. Move along now, move along.
Are they gone? Just the nerdy ones with me? Good.
So, not long into production, the Rapunzel plans changed a tad. To make the Guys In Charge happy, I imagine. Rapunzel turned from a young woman, to a spunky teen. (eww) And the art direction got a little more modern. Not bad, but certainly not the “ground breaking” painterly CG that was planned.
(early concept art)
Alright. I get it, guys. They’re trying to make it more relatable… or something. I guess I could roll with that. It doesn’t mean good story telling will go away. Right? …Right?
At this point, this clip leaked to the web. I imagine it was some sort of animation test.
All I can say is meh. It was shaping up to be just like any other CG movie/toy commercial. Uninteresting, forgettable, and just blah. My excitement was fading fast, to say the least.
Fast forward!
The latest news is out, and I’m not sure what to make of it just yet.
The most obvious change is the title. It went from “Rapunzel’ to “Tangled”. That’s right – “Tangled“.
Wha??
You see, The Princess and The Frog didn’t do as well as they thought it would in theaters. It did very well, but it wasn’t the smash hit they wanted. Of course, they jump to conclusions and assume it’s because it was a Princess Movie. Maybe. But I would wager it’s because it was up against Avatar for most of it’s run. You know… AVATAR? The highest grossing, insanely popular film that almost everyone loves and went to see several times? Perhaps you’ve heard of it, Disney? Did they really expect their risk taking throwback to traditional animation to beat out a sure thing like Avatar?
It wasn’t even close to being a flop. The Princess and The Frog was fantastic! But like I said – Studio executives are greedy, artless, number crunchers. They don’t care if it’s a quality film. They only see the bottom line.
Soooo revamp! Again!
This new title comes with a new concept. They’re saying, that in order to appeal to boys as well as girls, the story is now putting ample focus on a male character named “Flynn Ryder”. A young rebel bandit or some such thing. Oh, and Rapunzel’s hair is more like a magic prehensile tail that she can control. …Err. Like Avatar? Translation – more “adventure” and less “romance”. Rapunzel is still the main focus, I’m sure. It’s still her movie.
I have to wonder how this is really supposed to attract more boys. I’m fairly certain he’ll still play the “prince” in some respect. And Rapunzel is still the princess.
Oh, and one more thing, Rapunzel get’s to be the hero! Surprise!! Because girls can’t be rescued anymore without it being sexist. What are we teaching our little girls? That you’re not a real woman if you sometimes need help? Especially if it’s from a man? Nonsense! Lil’ tip for the movie makers out there; role reversal in which the girl saves the day and rescues the prince is no longer innovative or even much fun. It has become predictable. And, for a movie that’s supposedly trying to attract boys, completely silly.
There are many wonderful stories with strong female heroes. (Mulan is a perfect example) But let’s face it. Rapunzel ain’t one of ‘em. And that’s OK!!
What are they trying to hide? The fact that it’s a fairy tale? Young boys aren’t stupid. They’re going to know full well that it’s a Princess Movie. When they inquire to what the movie is about, anyone would tell them it’s Rapunzel. Or, at least , like Rapunzel. If they’re the sort of little boy who wouldn’t want to see a “girl movie”, this isn’t going to change that. And who cares if it caters to mainly girls anyway? There are plenty of movies that go the other way.
This is the part of the post where I say something about our backwards society where it’s cool if a little girl likes adventure and danger, but totally wrong if a little boy likes romance and sweetness. In reality, the best stories have all of those components anyway. These are fairy tales, after all. Many from the 1800s! They were told to all children, not just girls. And they’ve lasted this long… I gotta figure there’s a reason.
Why couldn’t they just stick to the original tale? They could flesh it out and add some Disney fun, sure. They’d have to. But must they really base the entire plot on what they think is profitable? Seems like a surefire way to produce bland, repetitive work.
Look, I love me some fractured fairy tale. But really. We don’t need another Shrek.
The real frustration for me is that they should have learned not to follow fads years ago. When they began pumping out cheap 2D animated flicks like Home On The Range, Disney quickly became irrelevant. Meanwhile, Pixar was just getting more and more popular. Disney heads saw this, and came to the conclusion that people no longer liked traditional animation. So they formally announced that they would no longer make any movie that wasn’t CG! What they didn’t seem to see was the true reason for Pixar’s continued success. That is: Great story telling and carefully crafted animation. (which can be achieved in any animation style) Sure, it helped that CG was the hip thing to do, but that wasn’t the real value. Audiences know when they’re seeing quality. They might not be able to tell you exactly why something is good, but they can spot crap from a mile away. Which is why Disney’s non-Pixar CG ventures haven’t been very successful. Or any good, for that matter. Which, incidentally, is why they decided to give traditional animation another shot.
This makes animators and art fans cheer! I have a feeling, however, that those pesky execs still don’t quite get it. Bother.
It’s not all bad. Some of the changes are good! It seems Rapunzel is back to being a young woman like she should be. And the recent concept art is quite beautiful. I’m hoping they go back in the painterly direction. I really think that idea has a lot of potential.
Addmittedly, I had a lot of the same concerns when “The Frog Prince” became “The Princess and The Frog”. Needless to say, I had nothing to worry about. Mostly because John Lasseter is the man.
In other words, I’m still looking forward to checking it out this fall. I’m totally jumping the gun here anyway; they’ve only released a teaser, not an actual trailer. Who knows, it could turn out to be great! If not, there’s always the next non-CG Disney fairy tale to look forward to.
February 27th, 2010
I’ve never been one to have a major crush on any male actor. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t say the same for female actors! There are a few I just adore! That’s right, here it comes! Yet another list from me! You lucky people, you.
I’ve loved her since high school when I saw her in The Princess Diaries. (dork) She is so incredibly talented and diverse. Even when she’s in a terrible movie, (are you kidding me, Ella Enchanted? Way to butcher a favorite childhood memory), I can’t help but enjoy her performance. She’s become so successful in recent years, but she seems willing to honor the people who got her there in the first place. She’s got an impressive voice-over resume building up, as well. Always classy, always beautiful, I just love her! And to top it all off – what a gorgeous singing voice! Looking forward to see Anne’s career continue to grow.
I don’t even need to mention how adorable she is. Oh, why not; She’s ADORABLE! And yet, she has the ability to tone that up or down. Like Hathaway, she’s not just a one-trick pony. I guess I’m just really attracted to actors who go for good characters, whether they’re flattering or not. It certainly doesn’t hurt that she can sing, either. Hmmm…. is this a trend on the Lindsay-Happy-O-Meter?
I’m not really sure what it is about her, but I think she’s wonderful. What am I saying, of course I know what it is! Raw talent and hard-earned knowledge. It’s pretty rare that such a skilled stage actor can also be such a skilled film actor. Her intelligence, humor, and seriously deadly talent shines through every role. I don’t think she gets nearly enough praise for how awesome she is.
Amanda’s style is unique, fresh, and girly. I can’t quite put my finger on why I like her, but I do. Her roles may not typically be very deep, but she does it well. Also – her eyes are amazing!
I’m sure this is mostly the sentimental side of me, but I love Julie Andrews. Like many others, I grew up watching her and admiring her. So regal, so on point. She’s her own category. It’s always wonderful to see that glimmer of humor shine through her performances. You can tell that she’s probably really funny in person, but she plays it down juuust enough. I like that.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? She can do anything. She takes each and every role seriously – and always pulls it off when nobody else would have been able to. My favorite thing about her is how reserved she is in real life. Some have interpreted her personality as snobbish, but I disagree. She’s private, thoughtful, and elegant. There’s no rule saying that actors have to be loud, flamboyant, and open – she’s proven that. I really respect that, actually.
Only recently have I begun to realize how cool Emily Blunt is. She’s often cast as the bad girl, and I’m guessing it’s a lot more fun that way. Maybe she just looks the part? Beautiful, fun, and real. Starting to have a crush on her as well.
I’m now realizing that a lot of these ladies are in movies together. They overlap quite a bit, actually. It could be that they’re in the type of movies that I like. Anyway, these are my favorites. Thought I’d share, cause I was bored this morning. 
Also, drawing celebrities is hard! I was going to sketch each one but gave up after about the fourth try to get Amy Adams right. Seriously tough to get drawings to look like specific people. More practice is in order.
February 17th, 2010
-Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden-
Strangely enough, I picked up this book because I didn’t much like the movie. After seeing the film, I remember thinking that it was beautiful to see and to hear. (it’s still one of my favorite soundtracks to listen to) But when you take away the visuals and the music, the story that it portrays is very lacking. A lot like a soap opera, actually. Didn’t hate it, but wasn’t that impressed.
I just knew that they must have left a lot out of the movie. I was intrigued as to what, so I got the book. And what do you know, I was right! There are so many things that were left untouched. I don’t think movies should or even can be exactly like the book, but there is a limit to what you can do to the story without changing it completely. (aka, ruining it) Whoever did the screenplay for Memoirs of a Geisha seriously missed the point of the book. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
My absolute favorite thing about this book is how believable it all was. I would have believed it to be based on a true story, had Golden not said otherwise. It’s clear that he did extensive research. I wish more authors would do that!
I felt completely immersed in the world of geisha. You learn a lot about the culture, the superstitions, and the life that they led. Some still do? Not sure. It’s all so foreign to me, and this book makes me want to learn more. Incredibly fascinating, even when talking about the less than admirable aspects of being a geisha. (note: they aren’t prostitutes in fancy outfits)
There are a few parts of the book that move a tad slow. I can forgive this, I think. I imagine there would have been some very boring parts of life for a geisha. Sayuri poured tea about a million times and not for herself!
I love learning about other cultures in any way that I can. If you’re the same, I think you’d like this book. It’s PG13; just a warning for anyone of a more… delicate nature. Heh heh, unlike myself!
A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
