Logorama is an Oscar nominated short film in which every character and pretty much every piece of the landscape is made from some popular logo. It starts off innocently enough but then turns violent with a heavy dose of profanity and other PG-13 elements. I loved it. You will too. You can find out more on the film’s official site and you can watch the entire short below.
Logorama
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010Astro Boy
Friday, June 11th, 2010
Astro Boy has a long history in Anime and Manga and has had multiple occurrences in TV and film. This adaptation seems a more of an American or British feel to it. The story of Astro Boy is sort of like an animated Pinocchio. The 3-D animation in this movie is top notch. It looks great in every scene. The casting was interesting and included quite a few famous actors such as Nicolas Cage, Freddie Highmore, and Kristen Bell, to name a few. The story is heart warming, at times tragic, and contained quite a few comical moments.
This movie didn’t receive a lot of accolades at the box office and I really don’t understand why. It looked great. The story was good and the voice acting was too. Maybe it was the actual death that happened in the film. That did take me back a bit when I saw it. Still, this was a very enjoyable film family film. The main character was charming and easy to feel for. Maybe it was too different from the source material. I am familiar with the Astro Boy character of old but I never followed it very closely. I enjoyed this movie and easily give it a 4 out of 5 marks.
Pivot
Friday, April 2nd, 2010Pivot is a short foreign film with no dialog. It hasn’t won any awards that I am aware of. It hasn’t even made it into IMDB. Nevertheless I think it is a good short film that is worth watching. Here’s the synopsis: ‘When a man is witness to a murder and takes pictures of the killer, he has to run for his life. During the chase he is able to turn the tables and the prey becomes the hunter. All resulting in an unfortunate ending.’ Enjoy!
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Saturday, March 27th, 2010
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an Anime movie about a high school girl who suddenly comes upon the ability to leap through time. It’s funny, a bit silly, and also serious at the same time. She has the usual high school girl problems and this newfound ability doesn’t make it any easier. As the girl learns to make better use of this power she also learns more about herself. One of the things that is really funny is that she actually has to take a running jump to make it work and her landings are awful.
All that sappy stuff aside, this was a surprisingly good movie and just when I thought I figured out how it was all going to work out, a plot twist came out of nowhere and threw me for a pleasant loop. When I saw the movie I had to read subtitles so if that’s not your bag, make sure you get the English dub. Apparently this is a classic story that has already been made into a movie and a TV drama but probably not here in the U.S. If you’re already an Anime Fan then you’ll love this. If Anime is new to you then this just might be a pleasant way to start getting to know the genre. I’ve included the trailer so you can have a look at it.
Turtles Forever
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Turtles Forever is a made-for-TV movie that bridges the gap between the different versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ that have hit the big and small scren and it does it amazingly well. If you’ve ever been a fan at any age of any TMNT show, movie, or comic then this animated movie was made is for you. I started watching this thinking it would be just like any other Turtles cartoon. What I got was sci-fi, comedy, satire, and plenty of Ninja Turtle action. This movie far surpassed my expectations and kept me riveted till the end.
I’ve been a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since they were just comic book heroes so I may be a bit biased. The original TV version was fun but made for kids. The latest version got better and also darker but never held my attention enough to keep up with the seemingly endless episodes. Still I’d watch an episode now and then just to see what was happening in the series. This movie does not require you to be as knowledgeable of Turtle lore as I am. You don’t have to be fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to enjoy this movie but if you are, even just a little, rest assured that you will be appropriately entertained. All that and you can even sit and watch it with your kids.