Post by Carla on Nov 1, 2006 14:43:30 GMT
www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog
www.sbiff.org/blog/2006/10/boggie-wonderland.htm
I'll Show You The Life Of The Penquin!!!
I don’t want to write a lot about it now, but let’s just say that
Happy Feet is a pretty clear lock to gross somewhere around
$200 million and to win the Oscar for Animated Feature.
It will win and win because it is audacious and in some ways
groundbreaking and entertaining for most of its near 2 hour
running time, It also has one of the weirdest dramatic
constructions for a story like this I have ever seen… not really in
a good way. That is why this really isn’t Finding Nemo or The
Incredibles.
But what it does offer is more what you might expect from Baz
Luhrman than from George Miller…though Miller has always been
the kind of groundbreaker you shouldn’t approach with
expectations. The music is very Moulin Rouge. But as wild as
some of the sequences are, it never goes off the rails into self-
parody… even with Robin Williams offering at least two different
character voices.
And in the end, this film speaks more directly to children about
the importance of respect for the environment in a way you could
never imagine coming. There are some truly audacious choices
made by Miller in the third act… and they all work.
The audience for the film tonight was half under 10. And with few
exceptions, they sat and watched and paid close attention
throughout. It was never as bawdy a crowd as in Flushed Away,
but the movie is not as much a wacky wild ride either.
I wish Miller had figured out the hero’s journey a little better.
That would have put the film, which is another big step in CG
animation, into the top Pixar class. But a d**ned good film and
plenty good enough to beat every other animation candidate to
the statue this year.
www.sbiff.org/blog/2006/10/boggie-wonderland.htm
Imagine a movie that is a cross between MARCH OF
THE PENGUINS, DUMBO and MOULIN ROUGE. HAPPY FEET is an
irresistible treat. I had a smile on my face the entire time I
watched it. It tapped into the little kid in me that loves wonder
and music and the kid in me who loves to dance. It tells the story
of an emperor penguin that is different from all the other
penguins because he can't sing - but he can dance. He's
ostracized for being different - so he sets out on a quest to
prove that he belongs. The animation is spectacular. There are
some action sequences that leave you breathless - especially the
one where the penguins slide with their bellies down a mountain.
It is directed by George Miller - who created MAD MAX - so you
know he knows a thing or two about action. He's also
responsible for BABE - so he knows family entertaintment.
Besides the theme of being an original, and that it's ok to be
different - the film deals with the timely subject of the
environment. The storytelling is daring since halfway through the
story it takes an unexpected sharp turn. The voices are
phenomenal - starting with Robin Williams down to Nicole
Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood and a lovely Brittany Murphy.
And the music! I couldn't believe that this movie that deals with
being different includes the songs that I used to listen to when I
felt lonely. Queen's SOMEBODY TO LOVE - Steve Miller's THE
JOKER - Earth Wind & Fire's BOOGIE WONDERLAND - these were
all songs that became my anthems while growing up and feeling
alienated from the world - and they're all used for the same
purpose in this movie. Did I love HAPPY FEET? I am in love with
HAPPY FEET. It's a wonder. It's supercalifragilisticexpealidotious!