Glad to see you are excited about Wes' animation venture as well.

Heliotrope and I were discussing it a while back, and we were really hoping that Fantastic Mr. Fox would lead a movement away from this shallow, slightly immature "Kung Fu Panda/Space Chimps/fart jokes" era of children's' films and head in a direction similar to the magical, deep "Labyrinth/The Dark Crystal" era of the 80's.

This era of childrens' films has also brought us Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

With the exception of Spirited Away... I haven't seen any of those. I thought Wall-E was exceptional, though (is that classified as a "children's film?"). And I actually really enjoyed Horton Hears a Who Maybe I should brush up on my kid flicks.

I was more of a VeggieTales kid :P

Spirited Away and Wall-E...it's hard to describe how amazing those two films are.

Good point karen. Those are brilliant films. But if you have seen the trailer for Paprika, there is a brilliant quote that summarizes the situation:

"...Evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kidde sandbox"

If you like Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away, and you haven't seen Paprika, prepare yourself for some major excitement:
Paprika

Yeah, I've been meaning to see that. The quote's mostly right - outside of Pixar, American animation has really fallen behind.

Can you tell me why Hoodwinked did so poorly? It wasn't fantastical, I know, but it was still clever and fun. I liked it way better than the Shreks.

Well I guess if you compare Hoodwinked to the massive Pixar films, it seems kind of measly.

But keep in mind it did end up making 10X more than it cost to make, I believe.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: braininabox,

originally posted by Heliotrope:

quote:

I moved this over to Film Discussion.

I have no idea what I originally put it in, but thanks

You guys have given some awesome responses, so now I'll finally elaborate on mine...

How it all started

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - They were the first movies that really made me think about how movies were made. I think all the Behind-the-Scenes featurettes on the extended DVDs were just as fascinating to me as the movies themselves. This initiated my interest in finding movies with commentaries and behind-the-scene stuff included on them. After these every time I saw a movie the question "I wonder what it was like to do that scene..." always popped into my head (and still does).

You've Got Mail - I practically grew up watching this movie. Even though I've seen it WAY too many times every time I watch it I either notice something that I never saw before, or something clicks that I didn't ever get when I was younger.

Movies that have made me think

American Beauty - The tape of the plastic bag floating in the wind is quite possibly my favorite scene of all time. It's something so trivial that it's hardly ever noticed, but at the same time it's so touching. Absolutely Brilliant.

WALL-E/Pixar - All of the pixar movies have really made me appreciate how something that seems so simple can also be extremely complex (both in the making of the films and their messages), but WALL-E is by far the most intriguing Pixar film so far.

V for Vendetta - I like it's twist on Terrorism. It would really interesting to see a film made from the perspective of what we (America) considers "Terrorists."

Titanic - Really the only reason I'm including this movie is because of the final scene when the boat is sinking, and "Nearer My God to Thee" (the song the orchestra plays) is playing over the images of the people at their last moments. It makes it one of my most memorable scenes.

Movies that have made me realize what I'm ignoring

Turtles Can Fly - It's something every American really needs to see.

Hotel Rwanda - Not quite as vivid as it should be to show what's really going on over there, but still another must see.

Easily...

The two films that most influence me are:

Withnail & I (1987). I think this is one of the best British comedies out there. In some cases it's gets a lot of credit but in a lot of circles it's completely overlooked.

Perfect blend of brilliant writing and brilliant acting, which provides the entire backbone for the film. It's a film where the camera does what it does, no tricks or fancy work, and the focus is completely on the characters and what they say.

It's hilarious, fully-quotable, and in ways, heartbreaking. It doesn't end on a light-hearted "that was a good laugh" note that most comedies do. At the end you really feel like you've been through a journey with the characters, and feel how they feel.

The second is Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972). The opening sequence, with it's music, is one of the most hauntingly beautiful spectacles I've ever witnessed on film.

The film is terrific in that it really drags the viewer into insanity and makes the viewer warn, icky, and tired of following a madman.

It was a film that took days to get it out of my head. It gets under your skin and doesn't leave you.


Two very different films but they really define what I love about movies.

Amores Perros (Iñárritu, 2000)
Beyond the complex story structure and theme of the film, the film marks the first time that I was completely engrossed by the work of a cinematographer. On my second screening I realized what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. DoP Rodrigo Prieto