Of the B-movies that came out of the 50s very few are looked back upon with any respect or admiration for how they were made or for what they were about. This movie had one of those cheesy titles that most of us remember these films for but at least when you read the title you knew what you were in for. A lot of the "technical" jargon that is used through out the movie has become commonplace now, or has become totally obsolete in our vocabulary. Its fun to hear some of the dialog of scientific explanations to help the audience understand what's going on in the film, but you hear it now a days and it's like being back in high school. When a slew of flying saucer sightings threaten the military's newest project and an alien invasion is the outcome of the activity, all out war begins. The acting isn't the greatest, but what would expect from a B-movie, between the dialog and the acting the effects are the only things keeping this film afloat. The best part of this film is the effects that are used, between the special and the stop motion effects done by Ray Harryhausen, for 1956 they could have been a lot worse. But with Harryhausen's flair for the fantastic and the unbelievable come to life, this movie goes down a lot easier and you realize by the end that you really did enjoy it.
This is one of the movies that I haven't seen since they took the Creature Double Feature off the air in the late 70s - early 80s, even though its is dated with the subject matter and the effects, its still fun to watch. Some people my see this as just one of those movies that you may have enjoyed as a kid but now that your older its just a foolish waste of time. But no movie that can be watched years later and analyzed for all its aspects, that were lost to us in our youth, can be a true waste of time.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Whisper of the Heart
Usually when you think of a Japanese anime film the first thoughts are of robots, demons and some kind sci-fi fantasy story that completely boggles your imagination. But this is something entirely different, a love story that has all the earmarks of a classic that draws you in and never lets go. The issues that are addressed in the movie range from young love to peer pressure to parental acceptance, things that we all have had to deal with and the young children are dealing with in today's society. A young student that is completely focused on her reading of fairy tales notices that a boy in her school has been taking out the same books from the library before her, soon her curiosity drives her to find the boy and fulfill her own fairy tale. The movie is set around young teenage students in one school, and the aspects of the academic life of these students, as well as their social life, shows how common the issues are that all students deal with around the world. The issues that are examined here are so realistic that you begin to truly feel for the characters and the situations that they are in, sometimes you might even remember being in some of those same situations.
This film was recommended to me by a friend who told me that I would be amazed by how good this movie was, but he never told me that it would be good enough to fall in love with. This is one of those films that after watching it you just want to tell people about because most people will pass it by as just another one of those fantasy anime films. But I'll say this to any one who will hear me out, if you like a movie with substance, a plot and plays like real life, you must see this film. After watching this film I think that families could sit down and discuss the issues that it might bring up. Then with this openness maybe more children and their families will realize their dreams and strive together to reach them.
This film was recommended to me by a friend who told me that I would be amazed by how good this movie was, but he never told me that it would be good enough to fall in love with. This is one of those films that after watching it you just want to tell people about because most people will pass it by as just another one of those fantasy anime films. But I'll say this to any one who will hear me out, if you like a movie with substance, a plot and plays like real life, you must see this film. After watching this film I think that families could sit down and discuss the issues that it might bring up. Then with this openness maybe more children and their families will realize their dreams and strive together to reach them.
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Conspiracies are a great part of the modern day culture, from who shot President Kennedy to if the moon landing was faked; they have equal amounts of fact and fiction to drive the imagination. In this movie the issue is the death of one of the greatest innovations in the automotive industry, to come a long in years, the completely electric car. A car that could solve so many problems with we are having in today's society, from the dependency on the oil industry to the issue of global warming.In the mid 1990s a new car hit the road, the GM EV1, a 100% electric car that could run for seventy miles on one charge and drive at a top speed of 75 MPH, being everything that public wanted including a price that was reasonable where is it today. The film examines the different aspects of the history and development of the EV1 and how strong forces, working against the public's best interests, killed the car and the idea that it was ever possible. Seeing how much money was thrown into the effort to stop this feasible auto, and how much the car and oil industries pushed the government into their corner, just leaves you dumbfounded.
With the current situation of gas prices and the global economy so tied to the oil industry, this movie is something that should be watched by any one who drives a car now. Who of us wouldn't drive a car that saved us money and saved the environment as well, it's a no brainer. This movie should be watched by our children, so they can turn around and ask us why they don't still have this car today, because ultimately we are all at fault. We allowed the government and the car and oil industries to shape our opinions as to what is acceptable and what is not, and today we are paying the price.
With the current situation of gas prices and the global economy so tied to the oil industry, this movie is something that should be watched by any one who drives a car now. Who of us wouldn't drive a car that saved us money and saved the environment as well, it's a no brainer. This movie should be watched by our children, so they can turn around and ask us why they don't still have this car today, because ultimately we are all at fault. We allowed the government and the car and oil industries to shape our opinions as to what is acceptable and what is not, and today we are paying the price.
The Proposition
When you talk about Westerns that have attached themselves to the idea of what we all want to remember the old west as, the first director that comes to mind is Sergio Leone. In the spirit of how he changed the film industries approach to the western movie, we now have a director that ranks right up there with the best of the best, John Hillcoat. This film is set in the Australian outback sometime around the 1880s, and is as gripping as any of Leone's films.Two outlaw brothers are captured, and the older brother is given an option to save his younger brother from the gallows, in nine days find and kill his oldest brother and the two of them can walk free. Like all good stories the premise starts out with a simple proposition and then the fun begins. Watching this film you get the definite impression that the outback in Australia is as exactly as it was in the 1880s, you could literally walk in the same paths today that these characters would have walked in back then. Between the authentic costumes and the strong acting from all of the participants this film comes off as a gripping drama that can be stacked up against any of its genre brethren.
The feel of the film is so much like Leone that you almost get the impression that Hillcoat had learned his craft directly from the master himself. This is not a movie to be missed if you are a Leone fan, this should be seen for the shear enjoyment of a western film that shows that the genre is not dead and there are people out there that know how to do it right.
The feel of the film is so much like Leone that you almost get the impression that Hillcoat had learned his craft directly from the master himself. This is not a movie to be missed if you are a Leone fan, this should be seen for the shear enjoyment of a western film that shows that the genre is not dead and there are people out there that know how to do it right.
Deliverance
Over the years there have been a lot of survivalist kind movies, people put in situations that go completely out of control, most only scratch the surface of the reality of those situations. But here the control is kept out of the reach of the four main characters and they never truly gain it, they have to change with each situation until they don't resemble the same men who started the trip. The director here is John Boorman, who did the film Excalibur, and you can see the attention to detail every where, nothing that you see in the movie is beyond the possibility of physically being done which only makes the movie even better. Four men go a canoe trip down the Cahulawassee River before the new dam being built floods it, and find that any adventure comes with a high price. This film was entirely shot on location along the Chattooga River in Georgia and the scenery is breathtaking, in some spots along the river it looks like no one had ever stepped there at all. Once the trip starts the tension is so thick that you wonder if they are going to survive at all, but as each man is transformed the group gets tighter and the bonds between them get stronger. The action is set up very well everything that happens is believable and well within the relm of possibility.
This is a classic in the true sense of the word; it has all the elements that make a movie enjoyable and re-watchable. I've watched this film countless times over the years and to this day every time I watch it I learn or see something new. After watching a biography about Burt Reynolds I learned that this was his first commercial success and his career skyrocketed from here. I also learned that there are a lot of people who have never seen this film, most people know about it and some even think they've seen it but can't really say one way or the other and then there are the ones that just don't want to watch it because of the subject matter of rape. But it is one of those movies that after you've seen it you start to think if you would have been able to survive if put in the same situations.
This is a classic in the true sense of the word; it has all the elements that make a movie enjoyable and re-watchable. I've watched this film countless times over the years and to this day every time I watch it I learn or see something new. After watching a biography about Burt Reynolds I learned that this was his first commercial success and his career skyrocketed from here. I also learned that there are a lot of people who have never seen this film, most people know about it and some even think they've seen it but can't really say one way or the other and then there are the ones that just don't want to watch it because of the subject matter of rape. But it is one of those movies that after you've seen it you start to think if you would have been able to survive if put in the same situations.
Billy Elliot
Some of the best feel good movies that are out there involve children realizing and succeeding to reach their dreams, this is just such a film. As the story unfolds you're drawn into young Billy Elliot's struggle to find out who he is and just what he's suppose to do with his life. Having the film shot on location helps with the claustrophobic feel of the neighborhood and how close some of these families had to live in order to survive. This was a nice launching pad for Jamie Bell, he's done some nice work over the years, and most recently he had a part in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers.A young boy, who is trying to be all he can be for his father, realizes that ballet is the only thing that makes him happy but his career may be over before it ever gets to start. Set in 1984 in a Northern England coal-mining town the hardships that the local families have to go through while a strike is going on are heart breaking. There are some comedic moments that are not to overpowering but help give the film a warm and fuzzy feeling about the story and characters. Billy is played expertly by Bell who shows such a range of emotions throughout the film that he comes off as if its second nature, so when he cries you just want to reach in and hug him.
This is one of the cutest movies I've seen in a long time and it deserves to be watched teenagers that are striving for their dreams, this film shows that some hard work, sweat, and strong drive they can accomplish what ever they set their minds to. The final scenes are a nice culmination of the story and leaves enough open for the audiences minds to fill in the gaps. Dreams are an important part of life and every one should have one or two to reach for on a continuing basis, for without dreams life is just not worth the aggravation. Other than some harsh language this movie could be watched by almost every one the family, and they would all enjoy it.
This is one of the cutest movies I've seen in a long time and it deserves to be watched teenagers that are striving for their dreams, this film shows that some hard work, sweat, and strong drive they can accomplish what ever they set their minds to. The final scenes are a nice culmination of the story and leaves enough open for the audiences minds to fill in the gaps. Dreams are an important part of life and every one should have one or two to reach for on a continuing basis, for without dreams life is just not worth the aggravation. Other than some harsh language this movie could be watched by almost every one the family, and they would all enjoy it.
Cars
Good race movies are some times hard to come by, at times it's not only having the right actors but also a captivating story. Disney and Pixar have given us one of the best race films to come along in a long time, having the movie animated opens up all kinds of possibilities in the way of effects and action. With the likeable characters that Disney and Pixar have become know for over the years, its not surprising that this movie has so many characters that are a joy to watch.On the racing circuit there is no bigger race than the Piston Cup, and after a three way tie the rookie, Lightning McQueen, gets lost on his way to the tie breaker and ends up in a town where life is passing the residents by. As the years have gone on the CGI animation that Pixar has been producing is becoming more and more realistic, as this film progresses you begin to notice that the cars and scenery start to lose their animation look. The voice over work here is done very well and the actors that were chosen fit their characters from the over confident Owen Wilson to the fatherly figure of Paul Newman, all of the roles fit just right.
Having NASCAR turned into an animation film with fun characters and an interesting story just adds to the ever-expanding library in Disney's vault. The comedy throughout the movie is decent and clean and where it's a Disney film you know that the kids can watch it without worrying about the language. This is one of those films that most adults wouldn't mind sitting through with their kids and enjoy every minute of it.
Having NASCAR turned into an animation film with fun characters and an interesting story just adds to the ever-expanding library in Disney's vault. The comedy throughout the movie is decent and clean and where it's a Disney film you know that the kids can watch it without worrying about the language. This is one of those films that most adults wouldn't mind sitting through with their kids and enjoy every minute of it.
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