Aardman studios has put out a lot of superb stop-frame animation over the years, but this might be their best ever. Shaun the Sheep is a simple story – perhaps the simplest of stories. It’s lighthearted and fun throughout, and will only bring you smiles. But, it’s done just brilliantly. Essentially this is a silent film – not one word of dialog is spoken. There are a few mumbles, but that’s it. It takes quite a bit of storytelling to pull that off. I had the feeling that I was watching years of meticulous work crammed into the space of 90+ minutes, and it showed. Each scene could stand on its own (and in fact much of the movie was made of previously released scenes). The whole thing was just utter joy.
Tag Archives: Favorites
The Artist
Wow. It takes real imagination, dedication, and plain old balls to execute a movie like this. The novelty of the silence could have come off like a gimmick, but instead it was like seeing a painting that makes liberal use of a long lost color to great effect. I figured I would like this, but I was surprised at how much I liked it. Even the main plot line was a bit predictable, but it almost had to be. If it hadn’t been, it would have felt like cheating.
One thing though, I found it interesting that this movie used a lot of modern directorial concepts – just the camera angles, the editing, etc… these things would not have existed at the time of the movie… and I found myself thinking about this too much. But, maybe that’s just me. If it’d been done in a 1920’s style, that would have stuck-out too, so I suppose I’d rather have it as it was.
I wonder what a 1930’s audience would have thought of this.
District 9
Wow, this was impressive… I keep hoping for movies that have original plots, original approaches, tell a compelling story, have interesting & complex characters, and have a bigger message. It’s a rare thing, and so often I’m disappointed. But District 9 delivers on all fronts. Plus, it has aliens and explosions! How could you go wrong? Why is it so difficult to make more movies like this? It seems so simple.
Man on Wire
For all those people who are told “no” again and again… But refuse to give up because there is something stronger in their heart telling them “yes” 11 times more… This is your movie. For the rest, let this be a lesson on breaking the rules.
Atanajurat (The Fast Runner)
Part documentary, part mythology, all real! A movie about Inuits by Inuits… so you know it’s at least their version of the truth (not some over-glamorized version told by some well-wishing out-lander). It’s just amazing to see people exist & thrive in this environment. More than once, I thought to myself, “these people are nuts!”… and that was in reaction to their every day reality. Possibly the most impressive thing about this movie is just how well it was made. It’s reassuring to know that these people, who are about as far as possible from any motion picture industry, could pull-off such an amazing film.
Amelie
Amelie decides to help all those around her by doing sneaky little tricks, etc. But, when she finds herself doing the same thing for herself, she doesn’t know how to “close the deal”. It’s an incredibly cute little film, filled with a lot of quirkiness… which is always a good thing for a film to have. Who couldn’t fall in love with Amelie? The world needs more people like Amelie… and more films like Amelie.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
One of Terry Gilliam’s best films, and that’s saying a lot. Pure whimsical fantasy executed with intelligence, creativity and beauty. This movie has style.
Drowning by Numbers
The game drowning by numbers is played by a contestant who remains in a seated position, so that he can view the scenes. The scenes are played in a sequential order such that the plot is developed chronologically. Sequential numbers may be shown in some scenes so that the viewer can more easily follow along. Any contestant who views all the scenes is proclaimed a winner.
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
An absolutely fantastic piece of work by a genius of a director. Probably the most accessible Peter Greenaway movie that I’ve seen, and it’s far from ordinary.
The Castle
The Castle proves the aphorism that “ignorance is bliss”. What a fun movie! Anyone who is unsatisfied with their life should go see this movie in order to realize that it’s all just a state of mind – if you think things are good, they are – you just have to find the right perspective. The plot of the movie is about a regular well-meaning guy fighting big business… but the best part is the character development – you’ll never forget the Kerrigans… “Dad!, I dug another hole!”… “Good on ya, son!”
Buckaroo Bonzai
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that sets a new standard. No words or descriptions or praise or repeated viewings can really do justice to this. Who hasn’t wanted to be Buckaroo Banzai?
Brazil
One of my favorite movies of all time. There are so many reasons why that I can’t even begin to list them all. Everything in this movie was done perfectly.
The Big Lebowski
Nice indeed to think that the dude is out there, takin’ ‘er easy for the rest of us. I see in the dude, any of us… most particularly me, or at least what could be me, with a little more or less effort. I have to say that based on my own experience, there is a lot of prejudice out there regarding the “unemployed”. Lately, people have asked me, “what do you do?” although I really think they’re asking “who are you?”. When I respond “nothing.”, I invariably answer the wrong question. They assume that I am indeed nothing. Anyway, sorry for delving there, I just mean that I identified with the dude on a higher level. Although I don’t personally see the attraction of bowling, I see how the dude could. Every man has his nirvana.
The Triplets of Belleville
A woman cures her son’s malaise with the gift of a new bike, then molds him into a mid-rate champion bike racer, only to have him kidnapped by a mafia boss who hooks him and two other bicyclists up to a machine that makes them race against each other so other mafia types can gamble on the outcome. His only hope of rescue lies with his mother and overweight dog, who fall in with a group of aging lounge singers that now perform music on houshold appliances and subsist on a diet of frogs which they acquire by exploding dynamite in a swamp. It’s amazing what one must dream up to make an original movie these days. This dream is worth getting lost in for a couple hours at least…
Touching the Void
Finally, a good climbing movie, no… an awesome climbing movie based on the legendary true-story book.
Sling Blade
I reckon this was one of the coolest movies I’ve seen in a while, u-huh. I remember thinking that it couldn’t live up to its hype, but it did. Whoever played the bad guy in this movie did an excellent job, and of course, BBT did a good little number himself.
Requiem For a Dream
Stunning and original (which, as a quote from me is neither stunning nor original). A sad and scary movie about the desperate places people can reach. I didn’t feel like crying at the end of this movie, though the end… and in fact the whole thing… was utterly depressing (which was a good thing). I just felt generally sad, perhaps questioning how far I was (or any of us were) from the state of the characters in the film. Pretty far, I hope. It was a difficult film to watch, but that’s exactly what made it so worth watching.
Prospero’s Books
Wow. Only Peter Greenaway could pull off a movie like this. This is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “the tempest”. John Gielgud speaks every line for every character. The costumes and sets are beyond dreamlike. I think this movie also set an all-time record for sheer number of naked people. Don’t expect to understand it, just let it melt your brain.
The Princess Bride
This movie was pieced together perfectly. There are indeed clever intelligent funny movies being made.
Natural Born Killers
It’s too bad that most people can’t get past the disgusting exterior of this movie to see the genius inside. This is Oliver Stone’s best movie in my opinion. It was so completely over-the-top that it was completely free from any barriers. Life is a fuse… lots of sparks and then one day, BOOM! Actually, this movie was one long mushroom trip – Mr. Stone conceived much of it while under the influence (so I’m told), and there are references to funky mushrooms throughout the movie. Beside that, it’s a great commentary on the state of our society and media. If people are offended by this movie, they better wake up and take a look around them. This movie is just a fantasy, the world around them is real and it’s a lot more scary than “Natural Born Killers”. Closing one’s eyes in denial only makes things worse. Shielding oneself from reality by selective attention is the path to an early death. Not using one’s mind is the same thing as actively destroying it with a noxious drug or a bullet between the eyes.
Memento
Really well done. The movie is about a guy who has no ability to form new memories. He gets wrapped-up in a complicated plot where he’s trying to exact revenge on the person who killed his wife, but is really being used by those around him. The writing and editing/direction of the movie was first rate. Most significantly, the movie is presented in “reverse time”, which was a great way of helping the audience identify with the main character… possibly the only way.
The only problem? if this man has no ability to remember things, how does he know he has “this condition”, or that he’s in the revenge business (he’s not looking at his tatoos every few seconds). I think he’d be a lot less-functional in real life, but then we wouldn’t have much of a movie would we? Well, that’s really nit-picking… go see this.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Frankly amazing. Where was this movie when I was 13? Oh well, it was good at 31. I think this was the best of the trilogy… everything was fresh, and they didn’t have to rely on so much computerized battle scenes to fill time.
The Lives of Others
Absolutely fantastic in every regard. Do yourself a favor, and see this. What happens when a spy realizes he’s on the wrong side of history?
Himalaya
A really cool & unique movie. It really has a timely story about generational conflict and human nature, but it’s set in a timeless place. The movie takes place (apparently) in the mountains of Tibet. There is nothing in this movie that attaches it to a time period (other than one brief glass bottle – but that hardly narrows it down). The movie was filmed entirely in Nepal, and the authenticity of the actors and scenery shine. If you’re sick of seeing the same old movie again and again, go see Himalaya.
Fight Club
The first rule of Fight Club is nobody reviews Fight Club. Who are the people watching it? Your co-workers, your friends, your neighbors… All looking for some kind of real experience in this otherwise plastic life.