Category: Books, Movies and TV
Posted by: A Waco Farmer
On the Fourth of July, my family went to the movies to watch Ratatouille.
For an insightful review, let me direct you to Thomas Hibbs via NRO here.
For the most part, I agree with Hibbs (a friend and an authority on American cinema), who called Ratatouille "a smart, funny, well-made film." However, I must admit that I liked it slightly less than he did.
Even Hibbs complained that the film "dragg[ed] a bit toward the end." I rue the day filmmakers decided that all fine films must be two hours long. Sometimes a story about a rat who can talk and cook and transform a sagging Paris restaurant just might be more appropriately told in ninety minutes.
Perhaps the length is my main gripe. Or perhaps the movie lost me when the whole colony of rats took over the kitchen to save the day. One cooking rat I can buy. A whole army of cooking rats stretches my credulity.
Anyhow, I have not walked out of a Pixar film less excited since Monsters, Inc. I will not be counting the days until the DVD release.
Having said that, a less-appealing Pixar film is still magic.
I wholeheartedly agree with Hibbs in his interest in and admiration for director Brad Bird (The Incredibles).
Hibbs writes:
Like The Incredibles, Ratatouille is really about nobility or excellence in a democratic setting: Not everyone has equal talent or ability but there is no predicting, on the basis of class or nationality, where talent might arise. Fortunately, for moviegoers, there is still some talent left in Hollywood.
Well said.
Read here for other Bosque Boys thoughts on the Incredibles, Cars and Pixar.
For an insightful review, let me direct you to Thomas Hibbs via NRO here.
For the most part, I agree with Hibbs (a friend and an authority on American cinema), who called Ratatouille "a smart, funny, well-made film." However, I must admit that I liked it slightly less than he did.
Even Hibbs complained that the film "dragg[ed] a bit toward the end." I rue the day filmmakers decided that all fine films must be two hours long. Sometimes a story about a rat who can talk and cook and transform a sagging Paris restaurant just might be more appropriately told in ninety minutes.
Perhaps the length is my main gripe. Or perhaps the movie lost me when the whole colony of rats took over the kitchen to save the day. One cooking rat I can buy. A whole army of cooking rats stretches my credulity.
Anyhow, I have not walked out of a Pixar film less excited since Monsters, Inc. I will not be counting the days until the DVD release.
Having said that, a less-appealing Pixar film is still magic.
I wholeheartedly agree with Hibbs in his interest in and admiration for director Brad Bird (The Incredibles).
Hibbs writes:
Like The Incredibles, Ratatouille is really about nobility or excellence in a democratic setting: Not everyone has equal talent or ability but there is no predicting, on the basis of class or nationality, where talent might arise. Fortunately, for moviegoers, there is still some talent left in Hollywood.
Well said.
Read here for other Bosque Boys thoughts on the Incredibles, Cars and Pixar.
01/07: A Quick Note on Knocked Up
Category: Books, Movies and TV
Posted by: A Waco Farmer
This Friday, I finally found the time to see Knocked Up, which, by the way, exceeded the 100-million-dollar threshold in box office receipts this weekend.
I approached the film with great expectations, having read the reviews that praised it as something of a morality tale. It is in some ways a traditional story: boy meets girl, boy wins girl, boy loses girl and then wins her back, and they drive off together into the sunset.
Much has been written about the plot of the story in which an unmarried couple opt to make room for an unexpected new life in the midst of a relatively happy if self-centered existence (in the case of the father) and a promising career at a crucial juncture (in the case of the mother). Even more surprising, the parents, who make an unlikely couple, take great pains to fall in love and form a family in hopes of providing a secure and wholesome home for the impending child.
My review in a nutshell: funny, provocative and entertaining.
However, I have one caution: what may get lost in all the talk of high moral lessons and new traditionalism is that the movie is an R-rated ribald comedy. That is, if you are thinking about taking your wife (and meeting church friends) and seeing the movie at a very public theater on a Friday night in Waco, Texas, you should know that the content of this film is exceedingly raunchy and sexually explicit.
Consider yourself warned.
I approached the film with great expectations, having read the reviews that praised it as something of a morality tale. It is in some ways a traditional story: boy meets girl, boy wins girl, boy loses girl and then wins her back, and they drive off together into the sunset.
Much has been written about the plot of the story in which an unmarried couple opt to make room for an unexpected new life in the midst of a relatively happy if self-centered existence (in the case of the father) and a promising career at a crucial juncture (in the case of the mother). Even more surprising, the parents, who make an unlikely couple, take great pains to fall in love and form a family in hopes of providing a secure and wholesome home for the impending child.
My review in a nutshell: funny, provocative and entertaining.
However, I have one caution: what may get lost in all the talk of high moral lessons and new traditionalism is that the movie is an R-rated ribald comedy. That is, if you are thinking about taking your wife (and meeting church friends) and seeing the movie at a very public theater on a Friday night in Waco, Texas, you should know that the content of this film is exceedingly raunchy and sexually explicit.
Consider yourself warned.
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