Happy Feet

Dec. 22nd, 2011 11:14 am
olivia_sutton: (Woman Blog)

Originally posted to my Movie Project blog on Dec 15, 2011.

  • Title:  Happy Feet
  • Director:  George Miller
  • Date:  2006
  • Studio:  Warner Brothers Animation
  • Genre:  Musical, Animation, Children's
  • Cast:  Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Steve Irwin
  • Format:  Color, Widescreen
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"What fabulous worlds lay out there far beyond the ice?  Was there anyplace one small penguin without a Heartsong could ever truly belong?" -- Lovelace / Narrator

I truly enjoyed this movie when I first saw it in 2006, but only recently found it on DVD on sale, albeit the 1-disc edition.  Thus this bonus review.  However, the movie is still excellent and the animation is astounding!  In Happy Feetpenguins court their one true love by singing their unique Heart Song.  However, baby Mumble can't sing.  He can dance, though.  Mumble (Elijah Wood) is a fantastic tap dancer (especially for a penguin).  However, the other penguins think this is weird, and ultimately the Elder Penguin (Hugo Weaving) kicks poor Mumble out, blaming him for the famine that's troubling Emperor (penguin) Land.  Mumble having heard about strange aliens tries to find out why they are taking the fish and has a series of adventures, meeting a group of  Latino penguins, led by Ramon (Robin Williams), the guru Rockhopper penguin, Lovelace (also Robin Williams), and ultimately ending up in a zoo.  His dancing attracts attention, and Mumble returns to Emperor Land.

There he again courts his childhood sweetheart, Gloria, and wins her, with his dancing.  I loved the sequences between Gloria and Mumble, I really did.  The Elder Penguin again gets upset, but the aliens (man) shows up and issues edicts to ban fishing in Antarctic waters.  The penguins are saved.

The music in this film is Motown -- and extremely well integrated into the plot, as is Mumble's dancing.  Mumble needs to be true to himself, and ultimately he is.  The animation is incredible -- the ice looks like ice, the water looks like water, and even the snow isn't as fake looking as filmed snow normally is.  At one point wind blows and we see Mumble fur move.  And of course, the dancing penguins, all in time, works perfectly. Mumble is adorable, and his story works well and is very enjoyable.  Again I really enjoyed this film.

The special features on the single disc version are a little disappointing -- music videos, an old Merrie Melodies cartoon, one trailer, and probably the most useful special feature - a lesson in tap dancing by the film's choreographer -- though that is geared for children.  Still the film is worth having.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4
Next Film:  Either Mary Poppins or Gone with the Wind (another film I just recently picked up on sale)

olivia_sutton: (Woman Blog)
  • Title:  Dead Poets Society
  • Director:  Peter Weir
  • Date:  1989
  • Studio:  Touchstone Pictures
  • Genre:  Drama
  • Cast:  Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke
  • Format:  Widescreen, Color
  • DVD Format:  R1, NTSC
"In my class you will learn to think for yourselves again.  You will learn to savor words and language.  No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."  -- John Keating

"Boys, you must strive to find your own voice, but the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.  Thoreau said 'most men lead lives of quiet desperation', don't be resigned to that."  -- John Keating

Dead Poet's Society is an extra-ordinary movie about an extra-ordinary teacher.  English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) is the teacher most of us always wanted to have, some of us were lucky enough to have, and if you've ever taught or tried to teach -- the teacher we strive to be.  Keating doesn't simply read to his students, or have them read poetry aloud.  Rather, he brings poetry alive by bringing his students outside the classroom - to look at the pictures of  past students and remind the current ones how short life can be; or having them read a line of poetry aloud then kick a ball (again outside).  Whether it's a exercise in what creates conformity, or having students stand on his desk to get a view -- Keating not only knows how to reach his students, and turn them into admirers of  the great poets, but he touches and changes lives.

However, as one might guess in a movie set at a conservative boys-only prep school in the 1950s, where all the boys have had their entire lives mapped out from day one by their parents, Keating's unconventional style is noticed and Not Approved by the conservative staff.  It may have gone OK, but for the life of one student, Neil Perry.  Neil is, at heart, an artsy type.  At the opening of  the movie, Neil's father decides he's taking "too many activities" and forces him to drop the school annual (yearbook).  From the look on Neil's face, the audience can tell it's his favorite activity, but Neil caves and does what Daddy tells him to, because he feels he has no choice.  Later it's Neil who revives Keating's "Dead Poets Society", a social club for reading poetry, writing poetry, and Carpe Diem or "Seize the Day", the un-official anthem of  the film.

Neil, later discovers a nearby school is holding open try outs for a play and as he's always wanted to try acting, Neil goes ahead and tries out, gets the part, and forges the necessary permission slips.  He keeps the entire deal secret from his over-bearing, conservative, egotistical father.  His father does find out, though, and forbids Neil from having anything to do with "that acting nonsense" -- he's to become a doctor.  Neil doesn't know what to do -- so he sees Keating.  Keating tells him he has to talk to his father again, to explain his passion, that he wants to try the stage, just once.  Later, Neil lies about talking to his father and goes to the play.  As Puck in A Midsummer's Night's Dream, Neil is a smash success.  But his father sees him on stage, and gets angry.  He takes Neil home and tells him that not only would there be none of  this acting business, but he's pulling him from school and he will be sent to a military academy.  That most certainly sounds like hell to Neil - he kills himself.

After Neil's death, the school blames everything on Keating, who's fired.  But the last image of the film, of the Dead Poet's Society boys, calling Keating "Captain, my Captain", and standing on their desks in a salute is breath-taking, and will make you cry.

Peter Weir's direction is stunning in this movie.  From lovely, beautiful, monochromatic shots -- such as the boys running off into the blue, misty, night sky and literally disappearing; to the white, snowy scene right after Neil's death, when his roommate, Todd, throws up and runs off out of grief.  There are plenty of gorgeous shots of the beautiful scenery in this movie (in Delaware according to the credits), but Weir also films people with a deft hand.  He uses light and shadow well.  And he brings out emotion, beautifully, in a film with basically all male characters (there's a few girlfriends here or there, but that's it).

Dead Poet's Society is a film that changes whenever you watch it.  Initially, (and yes, I saw the film when it came out in 1989), it seemed like Neil's father was a complete jerk, and completely to blame for Neil's death -- and the way it was blamed on Mr. Keating.  Last time I watched this film, when I first bought the DVD (another $5.00 special no less!) -- I detected a hint of anti-homosexuality, theorizing that Mr. Perry's hatred of acting and the stage, and anything artsy at all, was actually because actors were thought to be "all gay", especially in the 1950s.  Thus, his attacks on Neil's interests in writing and acting.  This time around, I noticed Neil's complete inability to talk to or challenge his father -- though his father certainly didn't make any sort of conversation possible.  And the treatment of  Keating is still really horrible and unfair.  It's a testament to the director's skill that he can get so many different reads from a single movie.

And it goes without saying, that Robin Williams is brilliant as the unconventional Mr. Keating.  Robert Sean Leonard is brilliant as the tormented and artistic Neal.  And a very, very, VERY young Ethan Hawke gives a wonderful performance as Neal's new roommate Todd.  All the performances in the film are stunning, even the characters you dislike such as Neil's father, and some of  the more conventional teachers at the Welton Academy.

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  4 Stars
Next Film:  Die Another Day (James Bond)
olivia_sutton: (Default)
g0shawk recently posted some *Psych* quotes to her website, and I've collected TV and Movie quotes for ages, so I thought after her example, what the heck I'd post some too.  I always figured that if I had my own webpage, I'd have a quotes section.   My collections are pretty long, so I'll break it up into groups and I might even post over a series of days, we'll see how it goes.

This first set of quotes is from real people, e.g. from tv interviews, newspaper/magazine articles, etc, but not something scripted like in a TV show or film.  I've given the source for each quote, and other than the MSNBC DW one, they are all quotes I heard myself, thought was funny or insight or something, and transcribed myself.  Enjoy!   (And feel free to post quotes as comments in return.  The only thing I ask is that the quote is properly atributed, such as to the actual magazine/newspaper/on-line news source, etc, and that it's verified - e.g. not something you "remember" but something where you've actually checked the original source and written/transcribed the exact words verbatium.  Thanks!)

Here we go!

Notable Quotables from Various Sources (Real People Quotes)

"Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy, and good ones make us into better people."  --Roger Ebert, introduction to The Great Movies, New York: Broadway Books 2002.

"I possess three passports... and an artistic license!" --Mike Myers, on Inside the Actor's Studio

"Canada has become one of the world's priniciple resources for humor, How do you explain it?"--James Lipton, to Mike Myers

"It's an odd thing being Canadian, it really is.  It's...kinda... You're not English, you're not French, you're not American, and you're not the country that your parents came from.  Nor are you Native.  It's a very subtle flavour.  It's kinda' like celery.  Do you know what I mean?  If Mexico is salsa, Canada is celery.  I mean, when's the last time you went out for a Canadian food?"--Mike Myers, Inside the Actors Studio

"Lets eat Canadian tonight?" --James Lipton responding back to Mike Myers, Inside the Actors Studio

 

"But that's not me, that's Will Farrell doing me.  ... I don't have an English accent.  He does.  For some mysterious reason... I'm from Michigan for Christ's sake, you and I talk just alike." --James Lipton to Mike Myers (re: Will Farrell's characterisation of Lipton on Saturday Night Live), Inside the Actors Studio

 

"[Remember] It's Disney! The mouse doesn't have genitals."  Robin Williams to James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio (Williams was commenting on the reactions he got from his bosses, when he "went blue" while voicing the Genie for Disney's Aladdin)

 

"The law is a very conservative profession, so only something as ridiculous as being asked if I'd like to do a television show could have made me leave."  --Bob Mortimer, Radio Times Interview, Feb. 2004

 

"I just came back from California, that's abroad."  --Vic Reeves, interview, "This Morning" (UK TV)

 

"Well, I can understand that, the whole TV ratings thing, because if I had my choice of a wedding or watching 'Dr. Who,' I'd watch 'Dr. Who' every time." --  Keith Olbermann, MSNBC reporter, commenting on another reporter's comment that the new Doctor Who series had better ratings than the Charles-Camilla Royal Wedding. (from Outpost: Gallifrey News page)

 

Enjoy and happy quoting!
--Olivia

March 2019

S M T W T F S
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31      

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 4th, 2025 10:50 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios