Review-Frozen

I already know that I will (and already have) get flak for this review, but I stand by what I say. Maybe someone will have a point I missed, but that really doesn't change much about my feelings about the movie. I must say that much of the issue stems from people over-praising it before I saw it, so that may have had an impact on my feelings, but the more I think about the movie, the more firm I am about said opinion.

Here we go.

Summary from IMDB:

"Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter."

Frozen (2013)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Technical (4) - A beautiful film. I will absolutely give it that. With touches that echo the time and area the film is supposed to be in without going too overly ornate and overblown, the backgrounds and costumes are really well done. The textures are amazing with leather looking like real leather and metallics having a realistic sheen (and the lighting moves realistic as well). Character's skin looks the most natural I've ever seen with real looking freckles and flushing from the cold and embarrassment looks natural as well. Of course the ice and particle effects are done flawlessly (as they better be in a movie called Frozen).

I found it interesting that in the special features that they make reference to one of the original Disney animators pushing for this story ("The Snow Queen" from Hans Christian Anderson) to be made into a movie AND feature at Disneyland, but that the makers of the film obviously didn't use any of his work because they didn't know about it until after the fact. Some stuff coincidentally looks similar, but that's about as far as that goes. I kinda wish they'd done some research and pilfered some of it, because it was AMAZING.

The music, which is a main feature of the film, is decent if not particularly memorable. I did find it a little disappointing that there was just so damn much of the singing and, with the exception of 2 songs (which I will discuss in the script part more), are mostly forgettable songs (more on that in script as well).

Script/Dialogue (1) - Here's where it all just falls apart for me. And here be the spoilers. There are lots of plot holes (and yes I realize this is a kid's movie, so this is all a moot point). Where to start. I guess at the beginning. I was kinda disappointed in the establishment of the sisters at the beginning. You can just say that they short-handed them as sisters, but you don't really get why Anna holds Elsa in such regard. They didn't show much of their relationship before "the incident" and they didn't interact much after that except for Elsa saying "no" to the quick engagement. So why would Anna be so quick to defend Elsa? She has no real reason to do so.

There's no real "villain" of the movie in the Disney sense, but basically Elsa takes on the role. Sure there's Hans (which we will get to in a minute), but she is the main antagonist here. I get the whole "misunderstood" part, but here's the thing: they don't establish very well the whole premise that she shouldn't stifle and hide who she is because the big song that everyone loves highlights when she runs away and hides. "Let It Go" is not a bad song, just placed in the wrong part of the movie. It highlights her running from the problems and shutting herself away. Great message for kids. And speaking of bad messages for kids during songs, the only other song in the movie that is memorable is "Fixer Upper" which gives little girls the impression that he's not perfect, but you can change him (or her). Overlook those glaring flaws, because he's gonna be so capable of change. I get that they're referring to smaller flaws, but is a kid really going to distinguish?

And lastly, Hans. Hans, Hans, Hans. His motivations just don't quite gel with his actions. Why did he go after Elsa at all? She was gone and her reputation was completely shattered. What did he gain by going after her? The whole thing is a little secondary as well. It serves only one decent point: don't rush into anything too quickly.

Oh, and one more thing. Poor Sven is horribly under-utilized, as was Kristoff.

There's probably more, but I'm tired of writing.

Acting (5) - All the voice acting is pretty damn good especially for most of them being relative unknowns (except on Broadway and "Glee"). I was really surprised how well Kristen Bell can sing! I'm also glad Idina Menzel is getting some recognition, because she is really good. I really don't have much else to say on this front because there isn't much more to say.

Tilt (3) - Despite me railing against it quite a bit here, I didn't HATE it. I just think it isn't nearly as good as everyone made it out to be ("Brave" was a helluva lot better). I'm sure the hype around the movie really colored my perceptions, but it still wasn't that great. An average movie at best, but watch "Despicable Me", "Tangled", or "Wreck-It Ralph" instead. LOL.

Total Score - 3.25

Top 10 Tuesday - Pixar Movies

NOTE: Pictures are not uploading right now for some reason, so I will add them as soon as I can...


Sorry everyone for taking a couple of weeks off without notice, but these posts take a little longer than you would expect. I actually do some research. The reviews take a little less time, but the Top 10s are researched for quite a long time. I search and read other people's lists so that nothing gets left out that I might have forgotten and in instances of a Top 10 that is ranked, I mull over what goes where for quite a bit.

Today's is no exception to that last bit. It is hard to rank these beyond the top 3 and #10. The middle of the pack was terribly difficult, but I think I've made my choices wisely. I fully expect to get some flak for a couple of these, but too freakin' bad.

In honor of "Brave" coming out next Tuesday on home video, I thought I'd rank Pixar movies. "Brave" won't be on here, not because it isn't good, but because I haven't seen it yet. There will be two other glaring omissions, not because I haven't seen them, but because I really didn't like them. They just don't fit into Pixar cannon for me. There's something missing to them. I think it is the heart.

Speaking of heart, that's what is so endearing to the Pixar movies. They're so full of heart mixed with genuinely funny humor. And other than a few lines that I thought were a little inappropriate for smaller kids in the "Toy Story" movies (I'm looking at you Bo), the humor is appropriate for all ages and more importantly funny to all ages, which is a feat unto itself. All of these are good if not great movies, so don't think that because your favorite isn't higher on the list that I don't care for it (unless it didn't make the list at all, then you're an idiot LOL).

Let's start the show:

Wall-E

I know there were loads of people who loved this movie, I just wasn't one of them. I think it was a little slow and missing some of the humor. I applaud them for making a movie that was really beautiful and taking the risk on having virtually no dialogue to drive the story which worked very well, I just didn't quite connect with Johnny 5, I mean Wall-E.

When the short that preceded it was better than the movie, there's a problem.

Toy Story 3

A fitting end to the Trilogy for sure (though they're working on #4, sigh), but just didn't quite have the magic of the first two. No I didn't cry when they all (SPOILER ALERT) join hands, it just seemed a little bit forced as opposed to the #1 on this list which tugged at your heart strings in a much more subtle and endearing way. Animation was as flawless as we've come to expect, but I felt we were re-treading much of the plot of the first two. Andy's older, we're forgotten, we have to get back to Andy. Rinse. Repeat. Blech. 

Toy Story

The one that started it all. Yes it is funny and heartwarming with wonderful sight gags that we hadn't seen in a while from Disney, but it was the first feature length film for the company and it shows in many respects. The pacing is a bit awkward and some of the movements aren't quite as fluid as they should be.

Toy Story 2

Absolutely the best in the series. It hit on all cylinders and added characters that fit in very well with the story. Jessie is a great counter to Woody's overwhelming optimism because she has been forgotten. Can't say I didn't get choked up a few times during this one. Definitely one of the highs of the Pixar family, but I just never got into the "Toy Story" franchise as much as some of the others here.

Monsters, Inc.

To me, this is where it all gets a little tougher to rank. Monsters, Inc. is actually probably the funniest of the bunch (well, maybe save for #3) because of the star power behind it. The premise, like all Pixar films, is brilliant and the animation is breathtaking (look at how Sully's fur moves!).

Finding Nemo

Embodies all the best of a Pixar film. This one's probably at the top of most people's lists and is definitely worthy of the title. I just found more balance and style in the ones to follow. Plus, no matter how endearing Dory was (and those damn pelicans!) I found someone more endearing in the one's left on this list. My major complaint of the movie is that it could've been cut down by 10-15 minutes and been just a little more stellar. Basically, this is a road movie set in the ocean so some the gags had been tread before.

Ratatouille

Although the thought of a rat in a kitchen made my stomach flip when I heard it, I really loved this movie. Though it isn't quite as funny as some of the other ones, it is so incredibly charming that I can't help but place it high on this list. I also see Gusteau as a sort of Julia Child who I fondly remember as a child. Cooking always strikes the right chord with me, so this one just hit all the right notes for me.

A Bug's Life

This movie is where my actual love affair for Pixar started. Released about the same time as "ANTS" (which was really "Meh" to me), it has this dry humor that I just love. Talk about a stellar comedy cast! Dave Foley, Richard Kind, Dennis Leary, Bonnie Hunt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kevin Spacey, and the late great legends Madeline Khan and Phillis Diller...what's not to love! The music, the story, the art. STELLAR!

The Incredibles

Anyone who knows me shouldn't find these last two a surprise. "The Incredibles" being this high on the list will probably irk the masses, but I don't care! Everything in this movie pushes my Geek Buttons. It's part Bond, part Fantastic 4, and even has a little Batman thrown in for good measure. It is smart, funny, and is one of the best action movies ever made. It stands out from the rest of Pixar as being entirely driven by humans, but they're outsiders in their own right so it fits. The style, art, and music are an absolute high for the studio in that they mesh so well with the story.

Up

No surprise here. I fell in love with this movie the first time Dug spoke. That was it. Best personification of a dog ever. The things he says are exactly what you would expect a dog to think and how they would think. The most endearing character in animated history to me (but I'm a dog lover). Beyond that, the montage of Carl and Ellie's entire love story had me all choked up. That's how you show a love story Hollywood. Film students should be studying that. Great humor, imaginative story (that I was really wary of going into it), and just the right blend of everything that makes Pixar great. Anything coming from them in the future is gonna have a tough time topping this.

So that's it. There are some new projects on the horizon that sound intriguing. "Incredibles 2" is supposedly in the works (YAY!) and a Dia De Los Muertos themed one that I hope doesn't rip too much from "Grim Fandango". If you don't know what that is, look it up.

Ta-ta for now.