Movie Review: The Iron Giant (1999) | by volcanolam - "The 16 yr old Casual Blogger" [Movie Reviews, Opinions, Essays & More!!]

The Iron Giant (1999)

Rating: 8/10

The Iron Giant was not a hit back in its time of release. Yet, box office results are never a true testament to the film quality, and this film proved just that. Brad Bird is a total genius and is currently my favorite director working at Pixar. This debut animation of his is an exhibition of his storytelling prowess - nifty, swift scenes that are extremely terse while not skimming in characterization, humor and heart. There was barely a boring scene throughout, and thanks to the incredible animation (in hand drawn animation standards) and a plot that appeals to audience with all ages (with childish slapstick humor while also capable of being dark and dramatic), The Iron Giant is a film that is riveting with action, fun, and emotion that successfully entertains me.

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon (2010) | by volcanolam - "The 16 yr old Casual Blogger" [Movie Reviews, Opinions, Essays & More!!]

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Rating:9/10

Dreamworks has made it big time with How to Train Your Dragon. The studio managed to wrap a generic plot with underdeveloped characters with a stunning mix of a "shrieking" high quality script, score, and pacing, along with an original, fresh setting about Vikings and dragons. It is like a well-known story being retold in the best possible methods. The fun. The charm. The spirit. All of these pervaded through the picture. I would highly recommend this film not only to kids but also to some young adults which for reasons that I'll explain in later paragraphs.

It is story about a young Viking discovering the true nature of dragons which is contradictory to his tribe's traditional belief. With a darker force impending, he must have to settle down conflicts with his own people, while utilizing his knowledge about dragons to fight of the evil brute.

Like its titular dragon, the film has its soft side, vulnerabilities. But what makes up for that is the cuteness and warmth that oozes out of the screen every time we see the dragon romps around playfully, and that is just like the film itself. Even for the most cynical critics the tale is too endearing and sweet to be taken seriously. The plotholes and lack of character development don't seem relevant anymore when everyone is mesmerized by the movies' endless charisma. 

The score in particular has to be lauded. This has to be the best scores ever put into animation and it stands along some other Pixar efforts. It is riveting, epic, and spot on with the settings of this movie. As the flying theme kicks off, along with the flying scenes featuring the two protagonists, we audience are given a perfectly paced, perfectly shot, and perfectly fitting to 3D sequence - a unique, gripping, absorbing set piece that is unprecedented in film history. This very sequence is certainly the best of what DreamWorks had made and can probably rival the first 10 minutes of "Up" or any other creations by its Pixar counterpart. Yes, it is really that insane. How can you not love a movie with such kinda stuff in it.

After engendering a movie so warm to the heart, DreamWorks literally has another chance to develop a flagship trilogy, just like "Kung Fu Panda" and "Shrek". But unlike "Kung Fu Panda" the producers do not want this franchise to wallow in the same formula of its first installment, just like how Panda 2 and Panda 3 stick with the fast paced action comedy aimed blatantly for kids. HTTYD 2 is a whole different experience, a coming of age tale that tells are darker, more mature story. The sequel alone is the reason why young adults should see this because the themes are actually quite fitting for such age group, and with the final installment we audience can fully experience Hiccup's growing up and find the franchise an emotionally resonant movie-going experience. Do not expect this to be something stupid. With HTTYD 3 coming up in 2018, we might look back and refer HTTYD as Dreamworks' "Toy Story". So, guys, just wait and see. I have high hopes in this one.

Movie Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)) | by volcanolam - "The 16 yr old Casual Blogger" [Movie Reviews, Opinions, Essays & More!!]

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Rating: 7/10

Captivating and unforgettable. The stop-motion musical is one of the most creative and unique works of animation ever to be squeezed within a mere runtime of 76 minutes. Despite how short it is, there are so much being told thanks to the incredible storytelling. But most importantly, gratitude has to be given to producer Tim Burton for his excessively ingenious vision and for his idea of making characters sing through their dialogue and poems as if there are doing a play, making the film feel unique through its songs and dramatic delivery. Accompanied by low budget stop motion and a genius score (Danny Elfman OUTDID himself here!), it is one fantastic animation that I'd highly recommend to everyone who wants to see something enjoyable yet not too childish.

The score is really majestic, also the way the characters sing through their lines in a musical is very enticing to see. The musical pieces are distributed evenly throughout, contributing to the dark, scary ambiance. Yet, the music also seem to be what prevents the film into an too scary horror flick. There were scenes where the music added a cheerful tone to potentially frightening, disturbing images and make it somehow enjoyable. For example, the villain appearance might prove to be a bit too scary, but as soon as you realized he was just one of those chanting and bantering characters you'd overlook that fact. All these testifies how well executed is the movie, walking the trampolines between film elements of horror and family-fun. Release in 1993, before even the release of Pixar's first feature film, the animation should prove to be one of the freshest animated pictures ever to have shown on the big screen at that time.

I do believe, however, that the film lost a bit of its momentum as the climax kicks off, as if Burton couldn't conceive of the best way to end. Why should the villain begin mutiny? What got Jack enamored with Sally? Didn't it feel forced? What was with Santa Claus' inexplicable act of gratitude and kindness towards the village he abominates, raining snow over the land just after he censured the kidnappers for their diabolical act?

But regardless of some unexplained storylines and an average climax, you guys should be watching this film just in case you get bored of watching the same genre all over and over. Here's something new, even after 23 years since release.

Movie Review: Mosters Inc. (2001) | by volcanolam - "The 16 yr old Casual Blogger" [Movie Reviews, Opinions, Essays & More!!]

Monsters Inc. (2001)

Rating: 9.5/10

Extremely ingenious high concept film that is superbly well scripted. Not only does the film boosts the very best character chemistry, the plot is so brilliantly crafted with all those superior foreshadowing and connections. As the Randy Newman song, also such a great song, kicks off in the background, it is all for you to continue expanding the wonderful bond between the two leads and to marvel how much you have seen throughout just 80 minutes. Vintage Pixar.

Even crazier still, this is one hell of an animation that entertains adults too. Basically I couldn't find a scene older viewers would feel uncomfortable with, and even the emotional scene to the end was so well done it may even touch adults alike (though I somehow didn't feel connected with that particular scene Idk why but anyways good scene). The animation is great too, and I'm talking about a sequence in particular during the second act where Mike and Sully entered the huge hall full of door transferring wires. That is the jellyfish sequence in Finding Nemo happening two years prior. Last but not least, Billy Crystal was KILLING it in his role as the one-eyed monster Mike. His hype, energy, and comedic performance is a gleaming example of how you do voice acting in animation. His performance stands along Tim Allen, Ellen DeGeneres etc. as the best Pixar voice acting collection. I know, Robin Williams is still the champ, yes.

I can imagine the time in the early 2000s during when film goers were blessed with Monsters Inc., then Finding Nemo, and then The Incredibles in such rapid succession. By the time WALL-E was out, people were saying things like "its originality surpasses all the previous eight films produced by the studio yet" which is surprisingly true and untrue the same time. I do feel like WALL-E is the ultimate Pixar work, but it sadly shares the production studio with other perfect films that just because time passes, have to be put aside to let the newer works shine. That's the truth about Pixar. After WALL-E, we got Toy Story 3, which is now the champion cuz it is the final installment of an era. A era just like the DIsney Renaissance. Now it's history, and we are looking back in time to wonder "What the heck happened to us, and our reviews?"

Movie Review: Cars (2006) | by volcanolam - "The 16 yr old Casual Blogger" [Movie Reviews, Opinions, Essays & More!!]

Cars (2006)

Rating: 6/10

It holds that even the less acclaimed works Pixar can rival the best ones from other production studio. Such can apply to Cars (2006), the "lowest" scoring Pixar animation in RT compared with its six predecessors, but still managed a nice-looking 74%. Yet, I think Cars just barely made it through. Mediocre world-building and theme focusing compiled with averagely developed characters that have high potential pulled back Pixar's efforts to meet its lofty standards, while its climax is one of the most uncomfortable and problem-filled I have seen in animation so far. I still love some parts of the film though.

The major problem of the film is its initial concept. In Toy Story, toys are the main characters and they meld well with the human world. Unlike John Lasseter's previous directorial work, the world of Cars consists of Cars only. Although Pixar's animating prowess still gleams, it's still strange to see cars filling the seats of the stadium and to try do what humans do in reality. Besides, its not the best idea to anthropomorphize cars since they only have eyes and mouth to express their personalities. But what really hinders the potential of making memorable characters like those in Toy Story and Finding Nemo is John Lasseter's inaccurate direction. Often plot elements are too "blatant", lacking the sophistication that flows through the veins of other Pixar animations. For example, the portrayal of McQueen's egotistic, rude character featured him uttering lines that are clearly egotistic and rude, as if the plot and dialogue were tailor made to characterize the protagonist and was doing it in a low-skilled, lazy manner. The climax is especially abominable, in which McQueen took advice he learnt back in Radiator Springs and used them in his race, which at the end turned out to be as successful as he expected, and exactly what the audience expected since there wasn't much runtime left for further drama. The appeal for younger audience is strong, but for vintage Pixar films they also consider materials for a larger range of age groups, satisfying the whole family while excelling in technical apartments like what The Incredibles did. Seemed like John was serving for his own satisfaction and neglecting film elements that are crucial for public acclaim.

But sure, if you neglect the climax, it's an entertaining if not well-made movie. People say Cars lack heart and warmth, but thats what I actually see and love. Amid the film there were a lot of casual sequences where McQueen interacted with the inhabitants of Radiator Springs, and they all summed up with some scenes with beautiful country music accompanied by flashbacks of the glory days in the past. I certainly enjoy watching McQueen's stay in this random, forgotten town and his budding relationship with the town attorney Sally. The plot is decent and it's quite original to the very least, considering the fact that Dinosaur and Madagascar exist in the same world. Criticism only goes with the direction and the blatancy/unsophisticated characterization.

Cars 3 is happening. Even though the Cars franchise scores the least of all entries to Pixar's canon to date. But with the billion dollar success in its merchandising, it is hard to expect Pixar to give it up, disappointing its omnipotent parent company (Disney). So,  brace for impact.