Animation Corner: The magical enchantment of ‘The Secret of Kells’

The Secret of Kells (PG) Runtime: 75 minutes Directed by: Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey Written by:  Tomm Moore, Fabrice Ziolkowski Featuring the voices of: Evan McGuire, Mick Lally, Brendan Gleeson, Christen Mooney Original Music: Bruno Coulais

The Secret of Kells is an exquisitely odd family film. Showing up as a surprise nomination for best animated feature in this year’s Oscar race, Tomm Moore’s elaborate and hand-drawn Irish fairy tale is suddenly drawing the interest of movie buffs everywhere. And any effort expended to see this lush intertwining of history, art and myth will be rewarded; Kells discards all of the rules and contrivances dictating current animated features and returns to the kind of fastidious technique and fluid, freeing animation that largely passed out of style in this country sometime around the early 90’s.

A dreamy mash-up of Genndy Tartakovsky, The Thief and the Cobbler, and pages of The Book of Kells itself, Secret uses the medium of animation to envision great wonders, and explore the artistry of ancient customs and secret traditions. In live action it would no doubt be a long, stuffy affair, but here it literally soars.

Sam Raimi to Direct ‘The Shadow’?

 

Monday February 1st, 2010–

Ok, there’s not alot of real news to this one, but thats just fine as it allows more conjecture on our part here. After being ousted from that giant Spidey snafu (which is probably just as well for him), Raimi is a director in the midst of several projects, and he’s been linked up to produce this one over at Paramount since 2007. With a script by Slavash Farahani, it is now being rumored that Raimi himself might direct this latest incarnation of the 1930’s pulp hero. Will this happen before or after World of Warcraft?

Now Playing: Mad Mel returns from the ‘Edge of Darkness’

January 29th, 2009–

The best thing that can be said for Martin Campbell’s new thriller of Edge of Darkness is that it’s a gritty and welcome return for the fallen Mel Gibson who stars as Detective John Craven. That’s not a back-handed compliment either. Even before events in his private life shattered his rep, Gibson hadn’t exactly been lighting up the cinema with his onscreen presence. His ability was never in question but his choice of films often felt like paychecks to help finance his own personal directorial visions. He’s a gifted and canny director, but I haven’t really bought one of his performances since 1999’s Payback.

Now, in a variation on that role—add in a heaping helping of Liam Neeson’s grim, determined father from Taken—Gibson comes back to the acting fold with a character that walks the line between justice and vengeance so erratically one feels compelled to check the credits and make sure his name isn’t Max Rockatansky.

Zelda Rubinstein Heads into the Light at 76

Sad news today folks.

Actress Zelda Rubinstein, best known for her role as the clairvoyant Tangina in 1982’s Poltergeist, has passed on at the age of 76. She had been hospitalized in Los Angeles since December after experiencing the failure of 2 major organs. She died yesterday of natural causes at the Barlow Respitory Hospital in Los Angeles.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.

Bartleby Abroad: Giant Pig takes a ‘Chaw’ out of Korea

 

Chaw (NR) Running Time: 121 min. Directed by: Jeong-Won Shin Starring: Tae-Woong Eom, Yoon Jae-Moon, Yu-mi Jeong, Earl Wayne Ording  Cinematography: Barry Stone

Before launching into Jeong-Won Shin’s B-movie bonanza Chaw, I believe a word of caution is in order. For those expecting a schlocky horror film like Razorback or possibly a suspenseful creature feature  like The Host, temper your expectations now. And for anyone who only observes star ratings, you might want to really read the review before deciding on this one.

Because, on the level, Chaw is an amazingly buffoonish piece of work.

Monday Brew: Supernatural gets a sixth, Buried is exhumed by Lionsgate, Gremlins coming in 3D?

 

Monday 25th, 2009–

Sam and Dean to keep fighting the good fight in Season 6 of Supernatural

 

In a bit of news that I suspect will make many Supernatural fans happy, it has been reported by a source over at Cinema Spy that CW is planning on renewing the horror-based series that has been one of the networks tent-pole shows in recent years. Despite show creator Eric Kripke stating that he always envisioned the series as lasting five definitive seasons, it appears now that Sam and Dean will continue their battle against evil for at least one more year. As a recently converted fan of the show (my wife and I just finished the fourth season and are anxious to catch up with the fifth), my main question is where will it go from here?

Bartleby’s Best Films of 2009

Yes sir, I know I’m quite late with this, but this past month has been loaded down with surprises—both good and bad—that have drawn my attention away from the blog. Hopefully, this will be the last bit of procrastination the site sees for awhile. The plan is to get back into a daily posting framework, and if that’s successful, move to a legitimate website sometime in February. Until then, here’s my belated list of  2009’s best films.

I’ve heard many complain that this past year was a weak one cinematically speaking, and in a late scrabble to identify the potential ‘award winners’ for Oscar season many are coming up short with candidates. Well, bah! to that I say. Regarding the medium of film as a whole, I see 2009 as nothing less than a fantastic success.

Now Playing:‘Creation’ starts with a bang but never finds its legs

Creation (PG) Directed by: Jon Amiel Written by: John Collee, based on the book ‘Annie’s Box’ by Randall Keynes Starring: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Martha West, Toby Jones. Cinematography: Jess Hall Original Score: Christopher Young

 

Jon Amiel’s new film Creation is a curious beast indeed; a film about a  great thinker struggling with dilemmas of faith and belief that ultimately strands itself by failing to properly observe its subject.

The life of Charles Darwin definitely has filmmaking potential, and personally I might have preferred to see a picture that followed his travels on the S.S. Beagle and time in the Galapagos. Instead, Amiel and his screenwriter John Collee adapt a biography by Randall Keynes (Darwin’s great, great grandson) that focuses on his family life, his relationship with his daughter Anne and the circumstances surrounding the eventual publication of Origin of the Species, his seminal work that created a paradigm shift in modern thinking.

Now Playing: Denzel is God’s samurai in ‘The Book of Eli’

The Book of Eli (R) 118 min. Directed by: Albert & Allen Hughes Written by: Gary Whitta Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Beals, Ray Stevenson Cinematography: Don Burgess Original Score: Atticus Ross

The apocalypse has never looked better or felt sharper than it does in The Book of Eli, the newest end-of-the-world thriller from the previously MIA Hughes Brothers.

Bearing the brunt of the movie’s gritty but hopeful through line comes Denzel Washington, striding through the ashy, barren wastelands of an America gone to permanent ruin. He’s carrying with him what he believes is the hope of humanity. Unfortunately, the opportunistic despot, Carnegie (played by a deviously bloated Gary Oldman) also desires it, and the rest of the picture develops into the modern American equivalent of a samurai movie. You can cite the western if you want, but Eli’s poise, resolve and code of combat suggest the bushido of a wandering ronin. Throw in brutal but fluid action sequences, an interesting and thought provoking spiritual subtext, and you have the best post-apocalyptic thrill ride since The Road Warrior. 

Now Playing: Jackson Rattles ‘The Lovely Bones’

The Lovely Bones (PG-13) 120 min. Directed by: Peter Jackson Written by: Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie Original Score: Brian Eno

 

Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones is a decidedly creepy and insubstantial adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel. Recounting the after-life of young Susie Salmon, a 14-yr old Pennsylvania girl who is raped and murdered by a neighbor, Bones is being sold as a kind of bittersweet fantasy with an eye on family tragedy. Beautifully photographed, with a haunting wistful score by Brian Eno, Jackson and company bring all of their technical expertise to bear on the film and attend to its tricky narrative taboos with a  delicate hand. The acting is mostly very good, with the centerpiece being a thoughtful and sweet performance by Saoirse Ronan, who seems to have a bright cinematic future ahead of her. And yet, for all of this, The Lovely Bones falls flat on its face. Hard.