The Rescuers Down Under

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Comparing this film to it's original 1977 predecessor is like Christmas morning for kids.  "The Rescuers" represents gifts that are clothes while "The Rescuers Down Under" represents all the toys that the child asked for.  You need the clothes because they are necessary but while opening all the clothes all you do is look forward to opening up the toys.  "The Rescuers" was boring but important as it introduced us to Bianca, Bernard and Wibur.  However, the characters were put into full effect with this sequel.

The first five minutes of this film were better than the whole preceding film.  I genuinely loved every minute of this film.  Even the resident villain, McLeach, was a much better villain than Madame Medusa ever was.  I'm also going to take a moment out and mention the scenery, it was stunning.  Which leads me to the importance of this film to the Disney Animated Feature canon.  Not only is it the first fully-animated sequel in the canon, the only other 2 are "Fantasia 2000" and "Winnie the Pooh," but it was the first Disney animated feature to make use of the new digital technology.  For those of you who are unaware of the digital process in animation the process takes the hand drawn characters and background and scans them into the computer.  When in the computer the animators add color.  That is why every animated film since this one, has crisper, brighter colors.

This being the first time I have watched this film, I feel as though it's a welcome addition to my Disney collection and I look forward to seeing it again sometime in the future.  Although Joanna annoyed me at times, it still highly deserves my recommendation to own it.

The Rescuers

***SPOILER ALERT***

In an age where animated mouse movies where a dime a dozen, along comes "The Rescuers."  It may be the first animated mouse film, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was the best of the onslaught of an over done idea. 

Disney brought us "The Rescuers" in 1977.  A time where Disney wasn't at it's peak.  We were still over ten years away from the Disney Renaissance and the popular days of old featuring "Bambi," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Cinderella" were long gone.  There was this awkward period in Disney animation that brought us this film as well as many medieval themed films.  None of which were all that great.  Most of them, including this one, were boring.  The four-minute opening sequence was a bit much in my opinion.  The plot was alright, but I never really understood why Madame Medusa had kidnapped Penny.  It was clear she was after the Devil's Eye Diamond, but what did some random orphan that lived in an orphanage half the country away have to do with it.

I also felt that Bianca and Bernard's relationship was a little awkward.  I understand the character's but they never really 'clicked' together.  I would say it was a chemistry thing.

"The Rescuers" wasn't all bad though.  It brought Disney a mini-action series.  It brought us a sequel released during the Disney Renaissance that I am actually looking forward to watching.  I did like watching them go down to Devil's Bayou and I did route for them.  The movie just lacked from being drawn out.  Of course this was a time when people had a lot more patience.

Disney has been more successful in my opinion but I believe the best recommendation for this film is to Rent It.

The Great Mouse Detective

***SPOILER ALERT***

During the 80's a lot of studios were cashing in on cartoon rodents and I have no idea why.  From "Secrets of Nimh" to "An American Tail" and "The Rescuers" and also with Disney's "The Great Mouse Detective."  A story based on Sherlock Holmes.

Disney has released a lot of animated films that have been stunning and some that have been down right terrible.  In "The Great Mouse Detective" it finds it's place in the middle of the pack.  It's not bad, but it's not great either.  This film was one of the last two films released before Disney's Renaissance, the other being "Oliver and Company" released right before "The Little Mermaid."

The film pretty much follows Basil and Dawson as they track down Ratigan, an evil rat who prefers to be called a mouse.  Ratigan attempts to infiltrate the Queen and become ruler of the mouse London.  Of course Basil and his witty instinct thwart his plan and return power to the Queen.

"The Great Mouse Detective" is a fun watch and in by no means terrible.  My recommendation is that you Rent It.

Deliberation, August 2012

After putting "The Hunger Games" into my  'Elite Collection,' I looked into the films, TV series and film series I have nominated and there are several that I feel that I'm going to call 2012 winners from today.  I'm going to explain why each is a winner below.

Film Series

Paranormal Activity-  I wasn't really fond of the first "Paranormal" film but as the series progressed I have appreciated the series more and more.  Above all else I admire both it's uniqueness and ability to use scare tactics without resorting to gore but using plain terror.

Jurassic Park-  I grew up on "Jurassic Park" and it's insanely awesome.  Even though the last one was a dud the other two stake a serious claim and definitely define elite.

TV Series

Teen Wolf- A great series in many ways and a welcome addition to my Elite Collection.  I was taken by the first season and the second season is one I'm eagerly awaiting for the DVD so I can delve right into it.

Being Human-  This is a winner because it has stuck with me since I watched it in January.  It's what I would call the post-pubescent "Teen Wolf" and I love it.

Film

Frozen- There are three films that have really stuck with me this year and "Frozen" is one of those.  The idea of trapping three people on a ski lift with wolves below was terrifying and I appreciated every second of it.

Chronicle- An unexpected success for me.  Found footage films have become really cliche but this one pulled out all the stops and made a real story about real power and I believed in how they treated their new-found powers.

In Time- A truly original concept that had me lost in thought thinking about the three.  Of the three, this film has really stuck with me the most.

Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World

***SPOILER ALERT***

"Pocahontas" was a very powerful film when it was originally released in the mid 90's.  The film achieved a lot of critical praise and kept the steamroller that was the Disney Renaissance rolling.  After a lot of boredom, Disney pushed out many direct-to-video 'cheapquels.'  "Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World" is one of those unfortunate disasters.

Whereas it's not as bad as some of the others it's just down right boring.  That's my major problem.  I spent most of the film watching the time code on my Blu-Ray player tick as I waited for it to hit 1:13:00, the length of the movie.

The movie also felt weird.  It brought Pocahontas to London to meet King James.  Unbeknownst to her at the time, the king was launching an armada to reclaim Jamestown and scare the 'savages' away.  After refusing to meet Pocahontas, the king agreed that if she can present herself in a civilized manner at an upcoming dinner, he would call off the armada.  Let's be real here.  What kind of king would make a military decision based on how someone acts at a dinner?  In the end he calls of the armada because Governor Ratcliffe was a liar.  Weak.

The film has some dignity but not too much.  If the film could have kept my attention it could have been good.  To be honest with you, I'd watch this again before the horrible film that was "Home On the Range."  In the end, I'm just going to recommend that you Skip It.

The Hunger Games

***SPOILER ALERT***

As of late it seems that a new franchise comes around as another ends in the world of fantasy.  From "The Lord of the Rings" to "Harry Potter."  From "Harry Potter" to "Twilight."  Now it's going from "Twilight" to "The Hunger Games."  What makes it amazing is that all of these franchises are awesome and "The Hunger Games" is no exception.  I was looking for a franchise that would soon fill the void that "Twilight" would leave behind when it concludes later this year.  Luckily, "The Hunger Games" has come around to take over that much needed role.

The first in a series of four films begins amazingly.  I had different expectations coming into this movie and I'm glad that they were wrong.  My original expectation was that the whole series would be about a single Hunger Games tournament.  I was wrong of course as the end of this film also saw the end of the 74th annual Hunger Games with two winners.  When it was first announced that two people could win, with the caveat that they would have to be from the same district, I was annoyed because I hate when exceptions are made.  If the rule is one winner than it should stay one winner under any circumstance.  Of course the result of two winners was shown to be quite an annoyance as the end of the film proved that the two winners would result in some serious consequences.  Thus the film took a more political turn.

Even though this film did remind me of "Death Race 2000," I've learned that there are very little original plots in Hollywood and I've learned to formulate my opinion based on how a film differs from a preconceived notion that the plot usually entails.  I feel "The Hunger Games" had many twists and turns and I feel that this film is the crown jewel for this kind of plot. 

I'm not one that goes on emotional roller coaster rides when watching movies anymore.  Partly due to the fact that I've become desensitized from seeing too many.  When a rare film comes along, such is the case here, that I really get involved in and get scared for the character it really says something to me.

I look forward to the future of this series and hate that I have to wait until late next year until the next installment is released.  Until then I can add "The Hunger Games" to the Essential Collection and spend the many months ahead rewatching this film anticipating what is to come next.

For those following my top film choices.  Because of how strongly I feel for this film, "The Hunger Games" has been added to the winner section under film series.  At the end of the year I will choose another film series.  Having to choose between this and another series would be unfair competition as it easily joins the likes of "Harry Potter," "Twilight" and "The Lord of the Rings."

Pocahontas

***SPOILER ALERT***

In the 90's Disney was going through a period of film-making that is now referred to as the 'Disney Renaissance,' which is pretty much all the films between "The Little Mermaid" and "Tarzan."  During this period Disney returned to making films based on well-known stories and the quality of these films created a lot of critical praise for the studio.

Pocahontas is one of the films that came out during that time period.  One of the aspects of the 'Renaissance films' is their timelessness.  Even though most of them are pushing twenty they are still as enjoyable today as they were when they were initially released.  I think it's safe to say that these films will stay popular further down the line joining the classics from Disney's beginning days like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Bambi" which are now almost seventy and there is still interest in those films.

Pocahontas is a commonly known story.  The British come to the New World in search of gold.  When they arrive they encounter the Native Americans who try to defend their land.  With not only gold on their mind, the British want to build up this New World but the cost would be the homes of the Native American.  Alas, a love story between Pocahontas and John Smith ensues.

The music is amazing in this film.  "Colors of the Wind" has always been one of my favorite Disney songs and a lot of the music is very catchy.  "Just Around the Riverbend" gets stuck in my head a lot.

When compared to the other Disney villains I don't think Governor Ratcliffe is as great a villain.  I just think he falls in the middle somewhere.  The love story is what really enraptured me into this story.  Not to mention the stellar animation on Disney's part.

Even though this isn't as good as some of the earlier 'Renaissance films' it is still an excellent, excellent film.  If you're one of the very few people who haven't seen it I think you need  to get moving and watch this film.  In matter of fact, I'm going to suggest you own it.

Bambi II

***SPOILER ALERT***

Disney has become known for it's crappy direct-to-video sequels.  "Bambi II" was one of the sequels released during that time, however it is nowhere near as crappy as the others.  In matter of fact, I would venture to say this one far surpasses the original.

I was never a big "Bambi" fan.  Having grown-up many decades after it's release it's emotional range was a lot softer than other films I grew up with.  It bothered me that the film had skipped over Bambi's emotions toward his mother's death.  Enter "Bambi II."  This film takes place right after Bambi's mom dies and continues through to Spring. 

I appreciate that the film is really a story about how Bambi grieved and what was to become of him.  At first his father was reluctant to look after him being the Prince and all.  He felt that a Prince doesn't take care of children.  However, he agreed to take care of Bambi for the winter.  The movie turned into one about both a father mentoring his son and a Prince mentoring his heir.

Several times during the film Bambi asked his father about his mother to which his dad replied that a prince leaves the past behind him.  I felt that really made way for the first movie when his mother wasn't mentioned much after her death.

The musical score and scenery were beautiful. I felt a lot of effort was put into making this film and I was really impressed.  Even though this film isn't as great as the Disney Renaissance films of the 90's I really felt this film was in league with some of Disney's other great films and therefore recommend you own it.

Jaws: The Revenge

***SPOILER ALERT***

Well, here's a real winner for you.  Let's take a shark, hellbent on revenge (for a reason we will never know), have it visit Amity to kill Sean Brody and then have it travel to the Bahamas (a place where sharks never go).  The kicker is that the shark not only finds out that Ellen Brody has travel plans to go to the Bahamas but beats her airplane there.  There are so many flaws with this movie, it's just flat out ridiculous.  If "Jaws" is the crown jewel of film-making, "Jaws: The Revenge" is it's polar opposite.

I did find the first twelve minutes interesting as the shark ascended on Amity on Christmas Eve to kill Sean Brody.  Even though I didn't like that they killed the little boy from the first movie.  It was terrifying.  However, the mood was killed as Ellen had the strangest mood swings going from laughing and having a good time to immediately traumatized.  It didn't work. 

A few days later, Ellen goes to the Bahamas with her eldest son, Michael.  Ironically, it's Christmas Eve there.  I didn't know that the Bahamas were in a time zone that put their Christmas Eve almost a week behind ours.  Weird.

The shark came back and was willing to spit out anybody that wasn't a Brody, including fake Jamaican Jake, who found himself right in the shark's mouth only to have the shark say yuck.

Universal Studios should have reexamined the franchise after "Jaws 3."  The scientific accuracy was totally lost in this film.  Shark's don't take revenge, they're instinctual animals.  Secondly, they don't go to the Bahamas.  Most importantly, next time I need to go overseas, I'm just going to rope a shark because if one of them can beat an airplane from New England to the Bahamas then this is definitely the way to travel.  Unfortunately, the only place this film is going is in the trash can.

Jaws 3

***SPOILER ALERT***

The "Jaws" film series is known for getting progressively worse and boy did the studio step in it with "Jaws 3."  Originally released as a 3D film, it was clear to me that the film was made to setup gimmicks to utilize the effects.  However, with home media not able to carry the 3D transfer, the film went from "Jaws 3D" to just "Jaws 3."  The special effects definitely show signs of the failed technology and as such we have a failed movie.

The plot alone is pathetic.  How on earth did the idea of bringing a great white shark into Sea World ever come to fruition from Universal Studios.  The idea is silly and full of propaganda.  Advertising Sea World is the only reason why I think the film brought this idea forth.  Of course I don't know why Sea World would want a film about a killer shark terrorizing their theme park because it would do nothing to help the park.

This film also brought about a baby shark that was held in captivity.  If there was anything I appreciated about this film it was it's scientific accuracy.  Sharks are afraid of dolphins and the reason there are no great white's in captivity is because they die when traumatized.

The special effects are just outright wrong.  I can't imagine what was going through the director's head.  The ending had a still shark (AKA not moving) approaching the control room and fake glass shattering around it.  It was sad, really sad.  The special effects people need to go back to film school.

Even though this isn't, surprising, the worst of the "Jaws" films, it definitely is a far cry from the awesomeness of the first one.  My recommendation is to simply Skip It.  I'm also going to advise you to quit while you're ahead because this film's successor is a doozy.

Jaws 2

***SPOILER ALERT***

I'm going to flat out say it, there's no way a sequel could live up to the legend that is "Jaws."  I went into this film expecting that and didn't come out disappointed.  But is "Jaws 2" bad? No.  It may not hold a candle to the original but it is still very entertaining.

"Jaws 2" takes place a couple of years after the events of the first "Jaws" film.  Martin Brody is still Chief of Police of the Amity PD and the 'islanders' have since grown past the event that took place and are very much sea-bound.  But alas, enter another great white shark in the waters of Amity.  Several attacks take place even a killer whale is munched on.

The biggest irritant for me was the willful ignorance of the mayor and the others in charge of Amity when Brody pretty much shows them incontrovertible evidence.  The killer whale attack should have been proof enough to set the alert, but then an unclear picture shows up off a camera from missing divers who were killed by the shark earlier in the film.  I just find it hard to believe that the mayor could remain so ignorant and not try to investigate, but instead shrugs Brody off as crazy.

The climax in this film surrounds a group of teens who are sailing to a place called Cable Junction.  On the way there the shark starts it's feeding fenzy until Officer Brody saves the day giving the shark quite a shock.

Although it is nowhere near as good as it's predecessor it's still miles better than the films that follows it.  My recommendation is that you rent it.  It's good entertainment for a movie night and pays homage to the original instead of trying to recreate it.

Glee Season Three

***SPOILER ALERT***

Season three of "Glee" is a time for change for a lot of the kids at McKinley High.  As literally half of the Glee club prepares to graduate at the end of the year the focus of the season follows Santana, Finn, Quinn, Puck, Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel as they prepare for their futures with a lot of the time spent on Rachel's future on Broadway as both her and Kurt apply for NYADA, the New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts.

As with seasons past, season 3 introduces some new faces in the form of Sugar Motta; a mob daughter that can't sing, Rory Flanagan; and Irish exchange student, and Joe Hart; a tattoo-clad Christian with dreadlocks.  The problem with most of the new characters is they are reduced to background swayers as the graduates are front and center.  A problem I think could become an issue as the graduates filter out.  I really wish this season would have spent more time on the people who weren't graduating for the simple reason that after this season the Glee club will have the students who haven't graduated.

One of the key elements to "Glee's" success in my opinion is it's eclectic use of music.  It mixes Broadway music, classics and today's hits to attract a large amount of viewers.  As is tradition with the series, this season has several tribute episodes that pay homage to the likes of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and even "Saturday Night Fever."

One of the most important moments to me was Nationals.  After losing for two years I felt it was important for the Glee club to win this season before the original crew was separated.  Seeing the New Directions victorious at both Nationals and taking their first win over Vocal Adrenaline was extremely satisfying and left me wondering where the show could go now.  It's going to be vital that the show takes the right steps now because it will be the difference between success and failure as new students are recruited to the Glee club.

It was very interesting for me to watch Rachel choke at her NYADA audition.  It was a controversial moment as she got accepted at NYADA even though she forget the lyrics.  Her persistence at chasing down Carmen Tibideaux, I believe, is what got her into the school, convincing the recruiter to sit in on Nationals.  The controversy was only worsened when Kurt, who blew his audition out of the water, was denied admittance to the school.

I found the humor brought to us by Roz Washington, Brittany and Sue Sylvester as my favorite part of the show and this season is no different.  Brittany's clueless knowledge often leaves me laughing well after the episodes end.

With all it's flaws and many continuity issues, "Glee" season three keeps the momentum that the show has had in the past for me and is easily part of the Essential Collection.

Jaws

***SPOILER ALERT***

A lot of films are made in Hollywood today and as time progresses creating a 'perfect' film becomes fewer and further between.  However, if we were to hop in a time machine and travel back to the year 1975 we would come across the original theatrical release of a gem called "Jaws."

"Jaws" not only holds up over time, now pushing nearly forty years, but retains it's perfection.  A film that seemed nearly impossible to make in it's day still creates the horror that it held when it was originally released.  This film still causes people to fear going into the water.  An effect only a true horror film can create.

Almost everyone I know is familiar with the story of "Jaws."  A great white shark arrives in Amity, a small town on the coast of Martha's Vineyard.  Whilst there, the shark begins terrorizing the residents and creates panic on the fourth of July, an essential time of the year for Amity's tourism.  After the shark attacks on the holiday the mayor and Chief of Police Martin Brody hire the help of Quint, a tried and true shark hunter, to kill the great white.

The legacy of "Jaws" is one that causes the film's most hardcore fans to pilgrimage to Martha's Vineyard for various conventions and to meet the locals who took part in the film's production.  Even the film's score is still widely used today and instills the horror that it did nearly forty years ago.

To recommend this film as anything less than part of the Essential Collection would be down right ludicrous.  After all, anyone who owns movies whether it be casually or as a collector needs to have a copy of "Jaws."

American Reunion

***SPOILER ALERT***

"American Reunion" is a movie that has a very tight niche.  In matter of fact, there is little room in welcoming new people to the franchise.  It's what I call a 'novelty film.'  Done with the intent of bringing back the old fan base to see how the characters they knew and loved are doing now.  It even pays homage to the original films in slightly different and commonly opposite ways.


Even though it's a novelty film it's not necessarily a bad one.  It's just cut from a certain cloth.  If that particular fabric isn't your sort of thing this film is not for you.  It's your average teen sex comedy without the teenagers.  Now they are older and more reminiscent of the past.  The film even hints a sequel which would be equivalent to beating a dead horse.  I can see the novelty with one film but rebooting is not a good idea unless you go back to a younger base.  Everyone's married and has careers now so the whole "sexual exploration" idea is a bit inappropriate.  In matter of fact, it felt weird.  There comes a time when you have a family and a life and it's time to settle down.  I wish this film would have dealt more with their chosen lifestyles and finding happiness over reliving the "glory days" of old.

I've never been fond of high school reunions.  I've never been to one and never plan on going to any.  They seem pointless and irrelevant.  All the people I care about from high school I have on facebook so if I want to update I could do it that way.  I get tired of the superficiality of reunions and how people seem interested and make excuses for their lack of contact.  They even go so far as to promise contact in the future but that never seems to see fruition.  As is the case with this movie.  They promise to see more of each other.  I give them a week before they're all entwined back up in their own lives.

As far as the future with these characters, I hope there isn't any more films.  "American Pie" has done spin-off films that seem more appropriate because it deals with characters in the age range where "sexual exploration" is more appropriate.  It was nice seeing the characters again and catching up and therefore think it was good for one film.  I just fear sequels.  If you're not into the whole "American Pie" thing I wouldn't watch this film but if you were part of the original audience I would recommend you own it.  It's a great novelty film, although never funny.  Unless of course you consider rehashing old jokes with new twists funny.  The language was also quite fowl.  The humor is obviously sex related humor.