Friday, December 31, 2010
All Friends of British TV - Alert
I've found an adaption here of the Three Musketeers by Andrew Davies, starring Logan Lerman. And yes, that is Matthew MacFadyen to the far left. :-)
Friday, December 24, 2010
Echoes from My Headphones: A Taste of the Music I'm Listening to
I just wish I could find lyrics to this piece.....
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Echoes from My Headphones: A Taste of the Music I'm Listening to
A delightful piece from the new film Tangled.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
A Tangle of Old-Fashioned Fun and Modern Animation
Don't judge a film before you see it.
Like me, that is. I was as determined as possible not to take interest in this new Disney film Tangled the moment I read it's cliche summary. No way, no way would I ever spend money to go to such a symbol of fallen Disney.
And last night I went to see Tangled with a friend and had an absolute blast. It shocked me in so many ways, I was a bit numbstruck when we reached the car. Much as I hate to admit it, Tangled is the film Disney has been needing to make since Beauty and the Beast. Following in the footsteps of the magnificent Pixar, Disney takes a new approach toward animation and storytelling which nevertheless proves effective in Tangled.
To begin with, the animation in this film was simply phenomenal. I don't think I've been this impressed by animation since Pixar's The Incredibles came out. Rapunzel's hair shimmers, yes that's right, shimmers on the screen. Each movement of the characters feels real. The clothes flow softly to invisible breezes and all facial expressions have the intricacy of real human faces. John Lasseter, the executive producer, is an old Pixar pro who has worked on all their films from Monsters Inc. to Toy Story 3. The 3D feel to a 2D movie which we've become accustomed to in Pixar has finally hit Disney.
In the meantime, Dan Fogelman outdid himself on the screenplay. Skillfully working with the original fairy tale, Fogelman creates a story so enchanting that at the end you're shocked to find it's over. The same Disney stereotypes are there - a hidden princess, falling in love in a matter of days, and a lovable sidekick for the princess among them - but Fogelman's versions are so unique that the stereotypes get forgotten. His dialogue is brilliantly hilarious and his compositional abilities allow him to mix chase scenes, an avalanche of water, and a simple campfire discussion between Rapunzel and Flynn in one twenty minute period without so much as a blink of your eyelids.
At the same time, the character depictions in a Disney films haven't been this realistic since Beauty and the Beast. Rapunzel's character is neither a frilly weakling nor a warrior princess; she achieves a medium between independent young lady and feminine princess which is delightful. Her beau Flynn Rider, on the other hand, has a combination of charismatic thief and a man looking for purpose in life which makes us laugh and sympathize at the same time (Yes, this character is named after the legendary Errol Flynn). Mandy Moore and Zach Levi create an enchantingly realistic relationship between the two characters. The film rests almost completely upon their interactions, and the two hold up magnificently.
The other character of note, Mother Gothel, has got to be one of the creepiest villains I've ever seen. She beats Ursula from The Little Mermaid and Jafar from Aladdin not because she's more absurd, but because she's vastly more realistic. Other villains try to hurt the heroes, use magic on them, and work out a myriad of other devious plans. But Mother Gothel doesn't use magic or any of the typical villainous devices - she plays mind games with Rapunzel which, sadly to say, is similar to what I've seen some mothers do with their own children. She constantly belittles Rapunzel, making her feel ugly, stupid, and insufficient for anything. But this greater realism of Gothel makes Rapunzel's declaration of independence at the end all the more moving. The audience feels for Rapunzel all the more because Gothel seems so very real.
Disney legend Alan Menken does a magnificent job with the score, creating a soundtrack which echoes medieval music without sounding like mere repetition. Glenn Slater's lyrics really are not on a par with the rest of film, but Menken's music makes them passable. Mandy Moore's voice is accessible to the ordinary listener, making Rapunzel's songs less immediately stunning than the theme songs of other princesses. Levi has quite a magnificent tenor voice, and Donna Murphy brings an operatic diva into Mother Gothel's "Mother Knows Best".
So, take your family to Tangled. Have a girl's night. And while you're sitting in the theater, you may hear strains of "Tale as old as time" echoing from all those years ago when you saw Beauty and the Beast.
Like me, that is. I was as determined as possible not to take interest in this new Disney film Tangled the moment I read it's cliche summary. No way, no way would I ever spend money to go to such a symbol of fallen Disney.
And last night I went to see Tangled with a friend and had an absolute blast. It shocked me in so many ways, I was a bit numbstruck when we reached the car. Much as I hate to admit it, Tangled is the film Disney has been needing to make since Beauty and the Beast. Following in the footsteps of the magnificent Pixar, Disney takes a new approach toward animation and storytelling which nevertheless proves effective in Tangled.
To begin with, the animation in this film was simply phenomenal. I don't think I've been this impressed by animation since Pixar's The Incredibles came out. Rapunzel's hair shimmers, yes that's right, shimmers on the screen. Each movement of the characters feels real. The clothes flow softly to invisible breezes and all facial expressions have the intricacy of real human faces. John Lasseter, the executive producer, is an old Pixar pro who has worked on all their films from Monsters Inc. to Toy Story 3. The 3D feel to a 2D movie which we've become accustomed to in Pixar has finally hit Disney.
In the meantime, Dan Fogelman outdid himself on the screenplay. Skillfully working with the original fairy tale, Fogelman creates a story so enchanting that at the end you're shocked to find it's over. The same Disney stereotypes are there - a hidden princess, falling in love in a matter of days, and a lovable sidekick for the princess among them - but Fogelman's versions are so unique that the stereotypes get forgotten. His dialogue is brilliantly hilarious and his compositional abilities allow him to mix chase scenes, an avalanche of water, and a simple campfire discussion between Rapunzel and Flynn in one twenty minute period without so much as a blink of your eyelids.
At the same time, the character depictions in a Disney films haven't been this realistic since Beauty and the Beast. Rapunzel's character is neither a frilly weakling nor a warrior princess; she achieves a medium between independent young lady and feminine princess which is delightful. Her beau Flynn Rider, on the other hand, has a combination of charismatic thief and a man looking for purpose in life which makes us laugh and sympathize at the same time (Yes, this character is named after the legendary Errol Flynn). Mandy Moore and Zach Levi create an enchantingly realistic relationship between the two characters. The film rests almost completely upon their interactions, and the two hold up magnificently.
The other character of note, Mother Gothel, has got to be one of the creepiest villains I've ever seen. She beats Ursula from The Little Mermaid and Jafar from Aladdin not because she's more absurd, but because she's vastly more realistic. Other villains try to hurt the heroes, use magic on them, and work out a myriad of other devious plans. But Mother Gothel doesn't use magic or any of the typical villainous devices - she plays mind games with Rapunzel which, sadly to say, is similar to what I've seen some mothers do with their own children. She constantly belittles Rapunzel, making her feel ugly, stupid, and insufficient for anything. But this greater realism of Gothel makes Rapunzel's declaration of independence at the end all the more moving. The audience feels for Rapunzel all the more because Gothel seems so very real.
Disney legend Alan Menken does a magnificent job with the score, creating a soundtrack which echoes medieval music without sounding like mere repetition. Glenn Slater's lyrics really are not on a par with the rest of film, but Menken's music makes them passable. Mandy Moore's voice is accessible to the ordinary listener, making Rapunzel's songs less immediately stunning than the theme songs of other princesses. Levi has quite a magnificent tenor voice, and Donna Murphy brings an operatic diva into Mother Gothel's "Mother Knows Best".
So, take your family to Tangled. Have a girl's night. And while you're sitting in the theater, you may hear strains of "Tale as old as time" echoing from all those years ago when you saw Beauty and the Beast.
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