Monday, June 8, 2009

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

“VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA” (Woody Allen, 2008)

When Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Rebecca Hall and Patricia Clarkson are all cast together, you know it will be One To Watch. And you’d be absolutely correct.

The film, set in the beautiful Spanish city of Barcelona, follows Vicky and Cristina, two young American tourists as they fall for the same charming Spaniard (Bardem).

Both girls discover more about themselves and about life, but for all the wisdom imparted and absorbed, the film is still fun and joyous.

It’s filled with sunlight, good wine, art, beautiful Spanish architecture and music and to top it off, some incredible performances and writing.

Cruz is Oscar worthy as the insane artistic genius, Marie Elena. Johansson, Hall and Bardem don’t have such juicy roles, but nevertheless show of their tremendous talent, aided by Woody Allen’s humorous and intelligent writing. For those seeking something different from your average summer fare, Vicky Cristina Barcelona” es que no puede perderse!

9.5/10

Ranking PIXAR

A new year, a new film from the folks at Pixar. In celebration of this week’s new Disney-Pixar release, ‘UP’, I’ve decided to rank the entire Pixar library. Here goes:

10. Cars isn’t a bad film, but when you compare it to other Pixar masterpieces, it’s just not in the same league. The goofy dialogue, the celebrity cast and the, well, plot all reek of Dreamworks influence. The overall product is somewhat entertaining, but nothing to write home about. 6/10

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09. A Bugs Life isn’t a bad film, either. The plot is original (Or it was, when the film came out. Now it’s been copied with bugs, ants, etc. way too many times) but the animation isn’t quite as striking and it’s somewhat lacking in the intelligent humor department. I’ve seen it once or twice. It’s good for a rainy day, but not much else. 7/10

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08. I seem to be one of the few who does not consider Monster’s Inc. to be one of Pixar’s best efforts. It’s funny, it’s handsomely animated, but it’s not got that “wow” factor. Still good, and definitely worth a look. 7/10

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07. Up. I’m kind of mixed on this one. It starts out BRILLIANTLY and then goes downhill. The lead characters are charming, the animation is lovely, and the story, amazingly, works. However, the film is hampered by a week villain who seems thrown in just to disrupt the brilliance with some cheesy action. Overall, it doesn’t quite have the magic of better Pixar films but it’’s still well worth the price of a 2D admission ticket. I do plan on re-watching it to see how it holds up. 7.5/10

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06. I may just be the only person in existence that doesn’t prefer Toy Story to it’s sequel. It’s alot of fun, it’s has clever dialogue and it introduces some of animated cinema’s best characters, but I just feel like the sequel does everything a little bit better. 9.5/10

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05. Toy Story 2 takes the brilliance of it’s predecessor and bumps it up a notch. It’s more heartfelt, the characters are explored more fully, there are more impressive action sequences, great new characters, and I personally find it a bit funnier. 10/10

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04.Finding Nemo. Funny, heart-warming, clever, and magnificently animated. On a side note, Ellen DeGeneres is the best casting decisions in Pixar history. In movie history, really. 10/10

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03. Ratatouille is funny, GORGEOUSLY animated, clever, has a sufficiently cute story, and involves both Paris and cooking, two of my favourite things. The clever jabs at critics and fast-food are hilarious and not over-done. Perhaps the best thing about the film is how well it stands up with repeated viewings. Each time I see it (Which is over 10 times, by now) I notice something new. Wonderful film. 10/10

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02. Wall-E. I have nothing to say about this except that it is a brilliant social commentary, it’s a perfect blend of serious and silly, and it’s , well, to be incredibly cheesy, out-of-this-world in every way. 10/10

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01. The Incredibles works on so many levels. As a comedy, as an action film, as a satire, as a superhero film, as a kids movie, as an adult movie, as mindless entertainment, and as brainy Oscar-baity fare. It’s literally a perfect movie. One of the best, animated or otherwise, films I have ever and probably will ever see. 100/10

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How do YOU rank them?