scoutcraftpiratess

I don't think I was all that excited, originally, to see this film. I've only skimmed the series "Heroic Misadventures" (on which this film is loosely based) and therefore had no real attachment to this. But I'm a simple soul who likes animated movies, and the animation sure did look pretty.

I was stunned. I can't remember the last time I was this touched by an animated movie. Heck, I don't think I've been this touched by many movies of the "any" category. This is a story that touches on so many emotions during the course of its fairly simple plot--always a magic combination.

Hiccup is the son of a powerful Viking chief of a little Viking village, but he's scrawny, sarcastic, and suited more for mechanical engineering than plundering and dragon-killing. Everyone makes fun of him, and his father is torn between shame of his son's failings and a powerful need to protect him from danger. Hiccup wants desperately to fit in, and uses one of his creations to shoot down a dragon.

Which he then is unable to kill. Instead, he tames the dragon, fits his with a prosthetic tail fin (one having been ripped off in the original capture) and secretly helps the dragon "Toothless" fly again.

It's touching, often hilarious, and simply powerful. This is simply a great story that is well-told and well-done with a mix of more static, silly characters and major characters with more depth. The emotions are incredible, and a rather bitter twist at the end completes the journey. The animation is beautiful and the score gorgeous.

I can't wait to see this gem again.

Here's the deal. I'm an elementary teacher. This is a movie based on a popular children's book. Of course I have to see it. I hope everyone appreciates that. So I dragged along a date to pick up some 3D glasses in a theatre full of bawling children... who quickly settled down once the story line got going.

This is quality that has not been seen since "The Nightmare Before Christmas". "Coraline" is an absolutely spell-binding story with a solid foundation in childhood innocence combined with the eerie and bizarre. I loved the book, and this for the most part stayed very true to the book--most differences were more of expansions of the story than glaring changes. Coraline and her family move into an apartment building full of strange characters. Coraline is sad and bored and her parents just don't seem to have time for her. The only other kid around is weird. So when she stumbles upon a passage way to an alternate and magical world controlled by her Other Mother, Coraline is understandibly thrilled. And then the horror begins...

The animation (or rather, stop-motion) is incredible, and I don't think the movie would have been the same with any other medium. I loved the cast. The soundtrack is properly creepy. This new 3D program is far from gimicky. But still, what truly makes this movie is the haunting story and that is probably what will hopefully make it memorable.

I don't know if I would be bringing the babies into this film, but I did read the novel to my first graders last year and they enjoyed it. Frankly, I would prefer to think of this as a family movie rather than a "kiddie film" as I consider the novel a children's novel. It's one of those stories that will appeal to all ages.

This is hard for me. "Mall Cop" is one of those movies I wanted so much to like! I find Kevin James hilarious in just about everything he does, and frankly, this looked like a pretty decent setup for a "dumb comedy" (I love dumb comedies, so that's not an insult in the least.) However, though this certainly had its funny moments, as a whole it really did not fit together as I found myself wondering if I were watching a Home Alone-reminiscent comedy about an under-appreciated maul guard protecting his mall in humorous ways or something serious. Not a good thing to be wondering.

It began well. It wanted to be good. However, there was a little too much exposition before the mall was actually taken over by baddies. All right, now the rest is funny stuff. But it seemed that most of the funny stuff was what was in the trailer, leaving us with awkward hit-and-miss humor and clumsy action.

And then they started threatening people. And then Paul Blart's daughter got involved. And I started thinking "This is pretty scary for a PG comedy". Seriously, folks, these people were hostages. There was a little girl. Discussing shooting them dead isn't very funny.

It was well-intentioned, this movie was. Don't get me wrong. But the ingredients were, frankly, a mess.

I'll stick with "King of Queens" reruns. It's funny and they don't threaten to kill people on it.