DVD Movie Review - The Boxtrolls

Studio Laika has stepped over the "that's cool" line in stop-motion animation and has entered the realm of "astonishing" in terms of quality, character/set design, voice acting, and cinematography.  But where does all that leave the Boxtrolls' story?

STORY:

Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley) wants nothing more than to be part of the cheese-eating White Hat club, which includes the city's elite ruling class.  But poor Archie isn't the elite type.  He has too many villain qualities, disgusting habits, and a hilarious severe allergic reaction to any cheese.  So instead he strikes a deal with the White Hat leader: if he can exterminate every Boxtroll in the city, he'll then be let into the club.  Meanwhile, a boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) is being raised by Boxtrolls and doesn't know he's a boy.  When Eggs' fellow trolls start to disappear, he decides to find out why.  Dirty boxes, grotesque people, original character designs, dancing animated drag queens (yes, you read that right), dirty kids, giant cheese wheels, and naked troll ass ensues.

"Sometimes...I just get the feeling there's more out there than this cave--"

"There is.  It's called a house, car, iphone, internet--"

"...but then I realize what I have here, like this fantastic box-shirt, and I'm happy again."

THOUGHTS:

The Boxtrolls looks, acts, smells, animates, and dresses (sometimes, we'll get to that) like a children's film, but it seems to be shooting for an older audience in theme, jokes, political views, and moral.  The film accidentally pigeonholed itself into a weird universe where neither child nor adult might understand just what they watched.  Sure, on a basic level it's a story about two young kids from opposite sides of the tracks learning about their very different cultures, however there's so much more happening underneath the simple story with political views and classes, that it begs the question of whether or not this truly is a children’s film.  But let's start off with what the Boxtrolls does right.

As with all Laika films, the artistry on display is at a level now that exceeds any other stop-motion studio.  The town's design—even down to the dirt—is unbelievably well-crafted and original.  The sound effects bring every footstep, gadget, and scene to life.  Cinematography and lighting is astonishing.  And the crowds, which when dealing with stop-motion are an arduous task to animate, are above and beyond what has already been done in their previous movies.  When you look at the passion and love that is put in each and every piece of this film, there really isn't another studio out there that has the ability to match the awesome power of Laika.  So if you enjoy just staring at stop-motion mastery and original design, then the Boxtrolls will not let you down.  The art is at such a high level, one might say it balances out some of the negatives in the simplistic story.  Speaking of which…

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, boss, we can help you up."

"No, no.  Hand me that bottle of whiskey over there.  I'll just continue drinking from down here."

After viewing the Boxtrolls you'll wonder what message is being sent.  Is it villains are bad no matter what?  Or that the rich are always imbeciles?  Or maybe the trolls/poor are slightly gullible but good?  Now, having those stereotypes in a film isn't a bad thing.  Every movie needs its hero and villain.  The problem comes when the characters aren't complicated.  This creates characters that are one-dimensional and—worst of all—very predictable.  Only a couple of key characters are slightly complex.  The rest of the cast act and stay exactly how you thought they would.  So if you're looking for a twist or magical ending, you might be slightly disappointed. 

The moral on the other hand is about standing up and fighting for what you think is right and also making your own choices.  And both morals are excellent mottos to live by, but are they too much for children?  Is the film too heavy handed in political themes for kids and would an adult enjoy the movie if they weren't watching it with their children?  It all depends on how deep you want to look into the film.  You could just sit there and pretend not notice the political statements being made—including the ending credits song—but that'd be quite hard considering they're shoved in your face the entire movie.  The last point about how this may or may not be a children's film is the dancing, singing, drag queen.  The problem isn't that a drag queen is in the movie, it's the fact that your youngster might turn around confused and ask what that is.  So every parent has a choice of whether or not to open that can of worms now, or maybe wait a few years.

"A young girl told me today that she thought my box-shirt was disgusting."

"Graahrrg."

"Yeah, I know.  It was the single most awesome thing anyone has ever said to me."

THE VOICE ACTING:

The cream of the crop here is Ben Kingsley as you can barely pick up his natural voice.  His Archibald Snatcher is devilish to no end and continuously creepy in every scene.  Snatcher's henchmen: Mr. Trout (Nick Frost), Mr. Pickles (Richard Ayoade), and Mr. Gristle (Tracy Morgan) are the slight comic relief, but truly don't stand out when placed next to Kingsley's Snatcher.  The main character, Eggs, is expertly voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright and Elle Fanning's voice for Winnie is perfect for the role.  But the real stars of the film are of course the trolls.  Just don't count on them to say too much.  The trolls' emotions are mainly shown through body language (which is animated excellence), but they do occasionally mumble through their words.  They sound like gremlins when they open their mouth, but are mainly just uglier versions of Despicable Me's minions.  The trolls are goofy, disgusting, and some are even quite stupid, but they do know how to create gadgets and that comes in handy in the film's simplistic plot.

"Nah, no thanks, I already had quite a few beetles for lunch.  I'm going to wait until they 

stop crawling around in my stomach before I eat again."

CONCLUSION:

The Boxtrolls is another beautiful work of art by studio Laika.  If you're looking for exquisite stop-motion, original characters (even though most are ugly), fantastic sets, and wonderful sound design, then you're covered.  If you're looking for a children's story that is fun to watch over and over again at any age, then you might be slightly disappointed.  Too many adult themes and political undertones put the film in a category where neither child nor parent might find the movie entertaining or engaging.  This might leave the Boxtrolls as a story you'll watch once and then never come back to again…but that's okay, because you still have Frozen to watch for the thousandth time and that's absolutely heaven in any parent's world.

3 out of 5 Stars (add a star for cinematography, art direction, and for voice-acting)

DVD Movie Review - Ender's Game

Ender's Game blends gorgeous special effects, a wonderful story taken from an excellent novel, and incredible acting from Asa Butterfield, to create what can easily be considered a great addition to the Sci-Fi genre.

STORY:

Giant alien bugs, called Formics, tried to overtake our planet, and humans wouldn't stand for it.  We fought back and made the Formics retreat to their own world where they belong.  And now seventy years has past and the human race wants to make sure we're ready for if and when the Formics return.  Enter Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) the silliest name you'll hear this side of the galaxy, unless of course, you're familiar with the Hunger Games.  Ender's a lanky young strategist who just may become the leader and savior of our human race.  Can he overcome puberty and a fleet of alien bugs all at the same time?  Only hours spent in battle school, holding hands with girls and playing antigravity laser tag, will tell.  Space battles, floating vomit, basic rocket science, and ant logic ensue.

"I want you to take a good look.  This is what happens when you drink and pass out.  So-called

friends detail your face with permanent marker."

THOUGHTS:

The entire movie rests on Asa Butterfield's acting-shoulders and just like Ender's strategies, he delivers.  Whether he's conquering a simulated battle, dealing with superior officers, or standing face to face with the great Han Solo, Butterfield's acting is superb.  Even though he may look like the wind could topple him over, he still has the chops to deliver some of the biggest lines in the film.  And once you see him in the role, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part.

Harrison Ford plays Han Solo who plays Harrison Ford portraying Colonel Graff: the only person in the military that seems to think Ender is the savior.  He spends most of the time mumbling through his lines or pleading with the other actors to trust him, but happens to fit well in the role.  Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham shows up for a minute or two with too much makeup on his face, but otherwise gives Ford a run for his money.  Viola Davis plays Major Gwen Anderson, the voice of reason and sanity among the nutty military leaders.  And Abigail Breslin gives a short and somewhat wasted performance as Valentine Wiggin, Ender's sister.  The rest of the cast are mainly younger actors portraying stereotypical children in Ender's battle school.  And aside from moving the plot forward and creating high school friction, aren't really a necessity.

"Picture this: Me conquering the world...in a banana suit."

The film starts off with wonderful Voice-Over from Butterfield during an air battle, explaining the war seventy years ago and current human worries.  The movie then jumps to the present day Ender struggling to fit in.  See…Ender is just too darn smart to be included among these inferior children, but nonetheless, has to go through the motions before he can conquer the world.  What's more strenuous and takes years in the book, is breezed through here in under an hour.  But what's the alternative?  Making the movie four hours long or splitting it up into several films?  Only directors looking to cash in on a literary property do that.  Then sooner, rather than later, our little Ender makes piece with his childhood gripes and pushes himself to become the man we all know he can.  Don't be fooled though, this movie is a little more high school drama, then epic space battles.  But along the way, tension still builds, and if you haven't seen or don't know the story, then you're in for a doozy of a twist at the end.

Even though the film can feel rushed, fear not, because Butterfield's acting holds, what could have been an unbelievable movie-mess, all together.  He makes you feel every emotion through his eyes, even if one moment he's crying like a little girl, and the next, commanding an entire planet's army.  The real question you're wondering is does this movie hold up to the novel?  The simple answer...no.  The problem with reading the book before watching the movie is no matter what, it's hard for a film studio to create something better than any one person's imagination.  It's a little easier in comic book films because you have great art as a starting point, in addition, to wonderful world building and story lines.  But with fiction, the audience only has what they've seen in their mind.  And how can any movie ever compete with that?  So should you read the book before viewing the film?  No way.  If you already have, you might be a tad disappointed.  But if you haven't, the movie might inspire you to read the book.  If not, well…all that Internet porn isn't going to surf itself.

"I need you to project power and leadership into the way you hold yourself...you're Ender frigging Wiggin."

"No, no, no...I get it.  I get it."

"No...you don't.  If you did, you wouldn't be standing like that."

THE SPECIAL EFFECTS:

From space battles, to alien bugs, to the small details like Ender's sidearm, the concepts and the look of the film are sleek streamlined perfection.  You know those movies where the CG works, but somehow always seems a little off?  Well that's not the case here.  All the actors fit well within the CG and hand-built sets, and switching between the two is seamless.  The only time something looked out of place was when Ender travels to the last command base.  The alien spaces and walls appeared plastic like it was made for a ride in Universal Studios' theme park, but those scenes are minimal and don't hinder the film.

"I don't know how you feel, but you look ridiculous.  Good luck winning over the audience like that."

CONCLUSION:

Ender's game may not stand up to the book, but on its own, the movie does everything it needs to do.  It draws the viewer into Ender's world, creates sympathy for the main character, adds suspense, and it's all supplied through a beautiful artistic vision.  Now, if you see space and anything in it as a waste of time, then you might want to sit this one out.  But if you need a little Sci-Fi in your life right now, don't be ashamed to splurge on the Blu-ray so your eyeballs can really feast on the visuals.

4 out of 5 stars (minus one star for the hasty plot)

Movie Review - Iron Man 3

Tony Stark is back and this time he's bigger (not really), badder (debatable), and comes jam packed with more fireworks (this unfortunately is true).

Coming off the tragedy that was Iron Man 2, this film will allow you to breathe a little better, not having the stench of such a terrible story-line groping your nostrils.  But is it better than the first Iron Man?  No way.  There are hints and throw-backs to the very first film, but this one is in no way able to compare.  It does however wrap up the trilogy nicely—that's of course if you never ask yourself the question: "Why."

"Umm...Mr. Downey, we're gonna need you to come down now.  Look, Iron Man 2 

really wasn't that bad."

STORY:

Tony being the egotistical maniac that he is decides to play a prank back in 1999 and that small, itsy bitsy little prank causes a huge problem years later for the Starkster.  A terrorist starts blowing up all kinds of crap, and it’s up to only Iron Man and his lap dog, War Machine—oops, I mean Iron Patriot—to save the day.  Metal hilarity ensues.

THOUGHTS:

You might have a little problem.  You might be one of those people that always ask the question why, while you're viewing a movie.  If you are, Iron Man 3 might make you pull your hair out, shave your eyebrows, or worse…throw away all your coveted Jersey Shore DVD's.  Luckily, my frustration didn't reach that far, and I'm happy to say my entire Snooki collection of junk is safe and sound, buried in my backyard. 

There are more holes in Iron Man 3's plot than a block of finely aged Swiss cheese.  But before you get pissed off, know that if you just "go with it" and let everything slide, you can still enjoy the movie.

"I'm not gonna lie to ya--I can't seem to get the hell out of this armor.  Help."

It has explosions.  It has suits of armor.  And it has sarcastic dialogue that only Robert Downey Jr. can pull off.  So why isn't it awesome?  Because there's a ton of crap the writers just decided either wasn't necessary or hoped the audience would just forget.  Now, granted, this is a fictional universe where a man in a shiny suit can fly around and damage more of his own property than anything else, but even in fantasy your frigging plot has to add up, and this one doesn't.

The beginning starts off post NY events with the Avengers.  At least there's a continuum here.  Most of the comedy bits and dialogue seemed aimed at the younger audience (the whole metal to the groin thing) and made it feel like they're repeating some things we've already seen.  How many times can you possibly show the suit walking around Tony's house doing mundane things and it not become old?  On the plus side, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) has more screen time and it’s much appreciated.  His character was really the only character that felt fresh, with humorous dialogue and great mannerisms.  Seeing things in Happy's eyes gave a new perspective on the Stark world, and it was a welcome departure.

"Hey Tony, you didn't let anyone else pack your suitcase for you...did you?"

Then you meet the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).  Dum dum dummmmm.  He’s painted as the perfect knock-off of Osama Bin Laden.  Yes, he does somewhat look like the comic book character, but still, with the videos and scenes the movie shows, I couldn't help but see OBL inside there.  The character is almost a throwaway, but given the great scenes Kingsley has about half-way through, the Mandarin is worth the inclusion.  The real die-hard comic fanatics will have a field day with this, but I don't want to spoil anything here.  Kingsley played a great role, and after you've seen the movie, he will be the one character you'll be talking about the most.

Kingsley shows off his ferocity by stroking his beard for three hours.

Guy Pearce really enjoyed his time on screen and held his own with the great RDJ.  He plays Aldrich Killian, a slightly jaded man with revenge running through his veins, among other things.  Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) had some more bad-ass scenes this time around, but not as many as I expected.

After much deliberations, Marvel decided to remove the sex scene to obtain a PG-13 rating.

War Machine (Don Cheadle) or Iron Patriot now—since the new American red, white, and blue paint job—was always a sore spot with me...even in the comics.  But in the movies he just seems like a waste of time and robot.  Tony Stark after finding out all the bad crap his weapons manufacturing did, decides to go "green" and save the earth.  He also decides that no one should have the power of his suits because they could be used as a weapon—especially governments.  But Rhodes gets to run around in an Iron Man suit and do all the government's bidding?  Imagine having another guy run around dressed exactly like Batman with all his gadgets—what the hell would you need Batman for then?  There should be only one Iron Man—Tony Stark.  Did the character play an important role in the movie?  They wrote it in that way, but in reality, Rhodes and the suit caused more harm than good and with all of Tony's new toys (the spectacle at the end), Iron Patriot could have been dropped completely.

"Man, I just let one go...and now that smell will be trapped in here for at least a week."

The middle road of the movie tries to get back to the roots of the Iron Man character, but the whole stripping-Tony-down-to-his-bare-bones only works if the ending didn't happen the way it did.  Having Tony lay-low and talk to actual middle-class people was a nice touch, but the whole reason behind all that is just a major plot hole. 

In the usual fashion the ending is one major movie sequence after another and everything seems to go out with a bang.  Like I said—if you check logic at the door, than this movie will be quite fun and enjoyable.  If you expect reasoning behind things, or even explanations—like how exactly the Extremis really works—than you'll be one sour puss leaving the theater.

After years of denial, Mr. Downey finally faced facts.  Him and the Iron Man suit now go 

to counseling twice a week.

>>>SPOILERS & SOME PLOT HOLES: (Don't act like you don't know what that means!)

Alright, so Tony seems to be the real villain here for leaving Killian on a roof for an hour.  If that didn't happen, none of the events in this movie would have taken place, right?  They should have literally cut that whole flash-back out and just had Killian as competition, instead of another personal vendetta.  I've had friends leave me hanging for longer than that, and I have a simple reaction: you snatch them up by the throat and tell them not to do it again at least for another month, and all is well.  Now, if you come to find out your friend got laid, and that was the reason he didn't show up (the same thing Tony was doing) you congratulate him, suck it up, and move on.

Another thing that made no frigging sense: Tony spends time in some kid's garage waiting for the M42 to charge (which also is ridiculous because the ARC Reactor in his chest powers the damn thing) when he had, what—20 free flying suits hiding in the basement of his house that only show up for the ending?

Also, you know how they showed he had built-up stress from the NY events?  Well, who gives a crap?  His anxiety never showed up in battle.  It was only when people asked for autographs or said the words New and York in the same sentence.

And one more thing: what the hell was Tony…Oh, screw it.  There were many more plot holes and to tell you the truth, I don't have the time or energy to list them all here.  I'm sure there's whole websites out there dedicated to this nonsense, so I'll stop now, and let you move on with your life.

>>>END OF SPOILERS<<<

After spending days in the same position, unable to flip himself over, Iron Man discovers 

his one weakest: falling on his back.

CONCLUSION:

Iron Man 3 is a romping ride, filled with adrenaline, explosions, silly crotch-smacking jokes and amazing sets.  If you're looking for pure popcorn fun, this is your movie.  If you're looking for a little more plot twist and logic, you might have a tough time getting this one to go down.  All in all, Iron Man 3 is exactly what you'd expect: a loud thoughtless ride with more fun than story structure.

3 out of 5 stars (minus a star for the plot holes & another for the same reason)