Ezen Baklattan Posted April 26, 2013 Author Share Posted April 26, 2013 (edited) Amulet Foxes, Robots, and Elves, Oh My Amulet is one of the most ambitious movies of the year. It's a over 2-hour traditionally animated fantasy epic set in a realm of fantasy and wonder. I've always been a sucker for movies such as this, so how does this movie stack up? Will it prove to be everything that the studio hoped it would be? Let's get the bad out of the way first: There's no serious plot problems that I can think of, but it certainly feels like the writers tried to fit a lot into the film. While it's nice to see an animated film venture out into such an epic scope, I felt like even that wasn't enough to keep up with the whole plot. Hell, the film could have worked as two separate movies. Speaking of epicness, I will echo the thoughts of others in that the budget is too small, and most of it is spent on several big name voice actors, which gave the animation a less crisp feel than I was hoping for. That said, I can't really think of any other major negatives, other than that cheesy song in the end credits. The film has an epic and exciting story, carried be a wonderful cast of characters and a compelling lead by Joey King as Emily. Tara Strong and Daniel Craig (sorry Fishnets) also shine in their supporting roles, the latter having the same wit and sharpness that helped make Ezen so popular in Spark. Yeah, the fantasy elements here have been kind of done before, but so what? Everything is really well done here, and it's hard to complain when you have a film that's this ambitious. At the end of the day, you've got a very entertaining film on your hands, complete with a compelling story, rich imagination, and a great cast of characters. Bryan Singer's debut into the world of animation has very few missteps that seriously bring it down, and I'd highly recommended. Well done, Alpha. A- Edited April 28, 2013 by Spaghetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Thats good. It's nice to see it getting A-/B+ reviews. It's not spectacular, but it's still great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) Journey Lost In The Desert The 2012 game for PS3, Journey, is simply astounding. A short narrative with lust visuals, yet it managed to be emotionally and aesthetically invigorating at the same time. Does this tale work as a full length motion picture? Not really. Ang Lee's visuals are astounding here, with a mesmerizing score, jaw dropping cinematography, and beautiful art direction. However, the film drags heavily, even for its relatively brief run time. The story feels very thin, and something got lost in translation from the game to the big screen, and it really loses a lot of the magic that made this game fun. I'm not sure what else to say. This movie is a mess, albeit a beautiful one. C Edited April 28, 2013 by Spaghetti 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChD Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 This movie was made to be a beautiful one. It was never intended to be a story driven movie, but a visual driven one. It ended up being what I hoped ^^ a visual masterpiece. Hopefully people don't judge from it's reviews and consider nominating this for technical categories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I think if Journey doesn't get at least cinematography nod, it'd be shameful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) Innocense I'm Reading "My Little Pony" Next I'm speechless. In this short 83-minute tragedy, this movie has disturbed me, disgusted me, and at the same time, amazed me. Reza Naji is amazing as Ashgar, who may be one of the most despicable characters in CAYOM 2.0 history. He rapes a young child several times and has a seemingly clean get away in the end, while the child is beheaded for being a wicked temptress. It's a very dark story, but it's also beautifully crafted and strikingly dark. The black and white works really well in this movie, but I agree with Numbers more than Riczhang that this works more to create more distinction between good and evil, innocence and guilt, and so on. When the sides are wrong, however, then the true tragedy begins. It's certainly a dark experience and leaves you feeling cold and empty afterwards, but it's so great that it warrants at least one viewing. A- Edited May 5, 2013 by Spaghetti 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Innocense is basically my only universally acclaimed film this year. Neza might even sneak into the Actor race. Thanks for the review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 And a <1k word film, too. Sometimes, the best plots aren't short novels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Innocense is basically my only universally acclaimed film this year. Neza might even sneak into the Actor race. Thanks for the review! And TMF. It's getting good reviews from most people. It hasn't gotten a pan yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Yeah, Innocense was written in an hour with no rewriting whatsoever. However, I'm interested your opinions on my two short novels regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 And TMF. It's getting good reviews from most people. It hasn't gotten a pan yet. True, Innocense just seems like more though, since it's been reviewed after the Festival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Expect a review for Justice League in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Justice League The Last....Seven? Justice League is CAYOM's answer to The Avengers? Blankments created a world through seven exciting, albeit not extraordinary, movies, (with the help of CJohn and darthdevidem01.) all accumulating in this epic action blockbuster. Does it match the sheer awesomeness and buildup that was created over the last three years: Yes and no. It works in that Brad Bird's script is able to keep the action and the energy of the film alive throughout, and that last action sequence really knocked my socks off, and it never really rips off The Avengers at that point, save that shot of them all standing back to back, which pretty much is the biggest point at which the film borrows from Marvel's team up. Other than that, it's a very fun and energetic movie, and Brad Pitt's script has a great mix of excitement, laughter, and even drama. Also, THAT CAST. I haven't seen this many moderately-to-majorly big actors in a while, and they're all given something cool to do. I'm predisposed to see anything that David Tennant is in, because he's just kind of awesome. Dwayne Johnson makes an interesting villian, but he doesn't recieve quite enough development in my opinion. The film was already quite long as it is, though, so it's understandable that Bird had to cut a few corners, even if this may have been the wrong place to do it. That's not to say that the film is faultless, though. The Avengers had a bit of a padded first act, but here, I think the problem might be worse. Granted, you have more characters to introduce, but they don't have quite the charm and appeal that The Avengers did, even if a lot of them come really close. This kind of brought down the film for me, but I digress. Justice League has a very fun and rewarding final act,and the journey to get there is fine, if imperfect. If you like juicy and well crafted crowd pleasers, this won't disappoint. B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 After some thought, I've adjusted Amulet to an A-, Innocense to a B+, and Journey to a C. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Hollywood It's Not Dead Yet This is why I tried to make more of a human story out of The Rich & Famous rather than play it as a straight up satire. Alfred is already dishing out a clever satire of film making this year, yet both films are able to distinguish themselves. While "The Rich & Famous" explores the material lifestyles of those in Beverly Hills, Hollywood plays up more of a straight satire of the film making process. I know that "The Rich & Famous" is already a great film, (It's written by me, after all. ) so let's take a look at the latter. A lot of this movie really works. One of the key advantages to the success of the film is that it chooses to play itself as a satire rather than a drama of Hollywood film making. It chooses to have fun with its subject while still creating a somewhat tragic yet slightly affectionate take on the process of making movies, a concept I somewhat explored in Y5 with my R-rated comedy, "The Career Buster." The process of film making was never an easy one, and I like how the film acknowledges this, albeit to a much greater extent than most films in Hollywood. The cast is fine, with the big standout being John Goodman as the director. He might show up on my Supporting Actor ballot. In the end, you have a fine film. It's not Earth-shatteringly great, and it's not the most memorable of Oscar films, but I certainly really liked it, and none of the flaws in the film are too jarring.The Oscar pool may be a bit competitive this year, but it's a very much a film worth seeing. B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 After some thought, I've adjusted Amulet to an A-, Innocense to a B+, and Journey to a C. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 After some thought, I've adjusted Amulet to an A-, Innocense to a B+, and Journey to a C. Drat on Innocense, but I'm pleased with Justice League's review. Is it the best DCU film yet, or does Booster Gold still hold that honor with you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 (edited) It's the best. Here are my rankings. Justice League - B Booster Gold - B Plastic Man - B- Wonder Woman - B- The Flash - C+ Aquaman - C+ Martian Manhunter - C Edited April 28, 2013 by Spaghetti 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Awesome. I find it amusing that the one everyone thinks is the worst is the highest grossing film. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Martian had a good date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
