Review: "Shrek the Third"

I should have never watched Shrek the Third. It has tainted my appreciation of the first two films and I can only imagine what the fourth installment, Shrek Forever After (or is it Shrek the Final Chapter?), has done to the once proud franchise. Shrek, released in 2001, and Shrek 2, released in 2004, were full of energy and creativity. The third lacked both. The first two films grossed almost 1.5 billion dollars and it seems clear that the only reason a third (and then fourth) film were released was because of DreamWorks' desire to compete with Pixar financially. The films introduced Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy to a younger generation and also reignited adult interest in animated films. While the first two Shrek films had great animation and humour aimed at young kids, it also had clever innuendo for adults that kids could never understand. The third installment, which had none of the clever humour that had been a trademark of the franchise, featured only one returning writer from either of the first two films. Andrew Adamson, a New Zealand film director and producer, was given a story writing credit for Shrek 2 and is listed amongst the screenwriters for Shrek the Third. There was nothing about the film that I enjoyed and I often found myself wishing I had turned it off. Shrek the Third is a weak attempt to steal money from moviegoers and completely fails to recapture the wit and ingenuity that had made Shrek and Shrek 2 successful commercially as well as critically.

The film begins in Far Far Away where King Arthur (John Cleese) is dying. The next in line to the throne is his daughter, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), and son-in-law, Shrek (Mike Myers). Shrek does not believe that an ogre for king is a good idea and insists that there must be someone more suitable for the job. Before he dies King Arthur reveals that there is another heir, his young nephew Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). Shrek sets sail to find the young Arthur with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) at his side. As the three sail off Fiona announces that she is pregnant, prompting Shrek to start having nightmares about his offspring. Shrek discovers that "Artie" is a scrawny sixteen year old boy that is constantly picked on. Artie, originally excited by his future role as king, joins Shrek on the return trip to Far Far Away. While Shrek is away Fiona is captured by Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) who wants to claim the throne for himself. Prince Charming has concocted a plan to kill Shrek because he believes that Shrek has stolen his happily ever after by becoming king. Meanwhile Puss in Boots and Donkey have become imprisoned alongside Fiona and Artie has run away after Prince Charming had changed his mind and decided not to kill him, after learning that he was going to become king. The ridiculous story finishes with an even more ridiculous conclusion that feels forced and poorly conceived.

The future of animation changed drastically when Pixar released Toy Story in 1995. Computer animated films entered the mainstream and Pixar had a sizable advantage over other studios. DreamWorks, with the release of the original Shrek, emerged as the sole competitor to the Pixar dynasty. But I have complained over and over again that DreamWorks is relying too heavily on producing sequels to its most successful films. Shrek the Third was a severe misstep and I wish I had not seen it. Any likelihood of me seeing Shrek Forever After died soon after I began viewing the third film. There is not much else for me to say. I was bored, I was annoyed and I was disappointed. Shrek the Third was a bad decision and a waste of time.

My rating: Zero stars.

Review: "The Lion King"

As I have mentioned, I have been watching some Disney films on VHS lately. The Lion King was my latest trek back to my childhood. Maybe I have overdone it with animation or The Lion King just pales in comparison to my two previous Disney experiences. It just seems that it was not as good as I remembered. The 1994 film was the fifth in the Disney Renaissance period, in between Aladdin and Pocahontas. It features a great number of well-known actors in voice roles, such as Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg. The soundtrack, one of Disney's most celebrated, features five original songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice and a musical score by Hans Zimmer (who has, to date, been nominated eight times for an Academy Award, winning once for The Lion King). The film's best moments are the musical numbers. The story, a coming-of-age film about a lion cub destined to be king, did not resonate as much with me as an adult. Is it possible that Disney over promoted the film with the stage adaptation, two direct-to-video sequels and the three season run of the animated television series The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa? The Lion King is a good film with great music, but I found that the conclusion felt rushed and that it was not as easy to empathize with the characters.

The Lion King takes place in the Pride Lands where the king of the lions rules over all the other animals. The king, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), his wife Sarabi (Madge Sinclair), and their young cub Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub, Matthew Broderick as a teenager). Mufasa teaches Simba about the Circle of Life and the balance that affects all living things. Simba's uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) wants the throne for himself and uses Simba's innocence to manipulate him. Scar tells Simba about an elephant graveyard and Simba goes there with his friend Nala (Niketa Calame, Moira Kelly) where they are threatened by a group of hyenas who want to kill them. Scar has promised the hyenas that if he becomes king they will never go hungry. Later, Scar lures Simba to a gorge while the hyenas create a wildebeest stampede, where he is again saved by Mufasa. Mufasa finds himself in danger and Scar throws him into the stampede, where he is killed. Simba, believing that he killed his father, runs away. Scar tells the hyenas to run after him and ensure that he does not survive. It is at this point that Scar takes the throne, creating chaos in the Pride Lands. Simba, however, is found by Timon and Pumbaa (Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella), a meerkat and a warthog, that introduce him to their way of life. Simba is eventually found by Nala and is told of the problems in the Pride Lands, but he is afraid to return because he believes he killed his father. He does not believe that he is capable of dethroning his uncle.

I feel that The Lion King uses Mufasa's death to force Simba to run away and then fails to show the affect of his guilty conscience afterward. It almost seems that the grief is only used as a plot point and to give the character Rafiki a role in the film. Is it really necessary for Disney films to feature some form of magic? The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin all featured some magical element. A lot of reviews of the film praised the animation, but in the past decade since the film was released there have been some amazing achievements in animated films and it seems ridiculous to constantly praise film studios for advancing technology. There is a time when story must trump the animation. I would have preferred to have seen Simba discover his father's presence in his life without the use of magic. I think that that maturity would have aided the film and made the conclusion more satisfying. I might be picky and we all have our favourite Disney film, but The Lion King seemed too superficial this time around.

My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4.

Review: "The Graduate"

Mike Nichols' second film, after the incredible Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, is probably regarded as his greatest triumph. The Graduate, a 1967 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, is a fiercely funny and emotional film with exceptional cinematography and flawless acting. Mike Nichols deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film, which features a great soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel, who were relatively known at the time. The opening sequences of the film make the viewer feel as suffocated as Dustin Hoffman's character, and credit must be given to both the actor and the director for making creating that chaotic atmosphere. Roger Ebert initially praised Nichols for his pacing, but in a later review commented that the film's portrayal of the generation gap in the 1960s is not as poignant today. I disagree. The transition is difficult for anyone who has returned home after graduating university. The Graduate may be over forty years old, but Mike Nichols' perspective is unique and the film, which is highly regarded by the American Film Institute, has a lot more to offer on top of the Academy Award-nominated performances by its three principle actors.

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is almost twenty-one and has just graduated from an East coast college. He has just returned to his parents' home in Pasadena in time for a graduation party. He is anxious about his future and would prefer to ignore the possibilities. The camera, using a variety of awkward angles and close ups, mimics Ben's unease as he weaves his way through the house making a variety of excuses to limit conversations. The wife of his father's law partner, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), corners Ben in his bedroom and requests a ride home. Ben obliges, though his shy and awkward behaviour is a sharp contrast to her blunt and straightforward attitude. Mrs. Robinson leads Ben into her home, forces a drink on him and eventually disrobes in her daughter's bedroom in front of him. Though their relationship does not begin that night, they do begin an affair. He is consumed by their sexual relationship and his parents are worried with him spending the day floating in the pool and his absences at night. He is eventually forced to take Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) on a date. Mrs. Robinson is furious and her relationship with Ben suffers. Ben finds himself falling in love with Elaine but the relationship is put in jeopardy when she finds out that he had an affair with her mother.

The Graduate was the first major film role for Dustin Hoffman and he was awarded an Academy Award nomination for his role. His portrayal of Ben as a shy and socially awkward young man is wonderful. Mike Nichols' camera work suits the melancholic attitude of the character perfectly. It amazes me that he was thirty years old in 1967 and that he is only six years younger than Anne Bancroft, who was pretty close to flawless in the film. Her performance relied on her alluring eyes, the eyes which seduced Dustin Hoffman at the beginning of the film which then became filled with rage by the end. With the powerful performance by Anne Bancroft it may have been easy to overlook Katharine Ross, whose young Elaine seemed naive and fragile compared to her dominating mother, but she matched the power with a mature performance. The Graduate has too many great qualities and that is why it is retains its status in film history. It is not just a comedy about a young man and his affair with an older woman. The dark and shocking moments are what keep The Graduate from becoming just another coming-of-age film that could have easily been forgotten.

My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4.

Review: "Beauty and the Beast"

Like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast has a special place in my heart, though not for the same reasons. When I was in grade eight my school put on a production of Beauty and the Beast and I played the role of Maurice, Belle's father. Beauty and the Beast is an adaptation of a fairy tale first published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740, though Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's abridged version in 1756 is the most well known. Disney's 1991 adaptation is the third release in the so-called Disney Renaissance, after 1990's under-performing The Rescuers Down Under. For nearly two decades it had the distinction of being the only animated film ever nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, where it eventually lost to juggernaut The Silence of the Lambs (the last film to win the Big Five). Beauty and the Beast follows in the tradition of The Little Mermaid with its use of a traditional Broadway score. The music of the film is incredible and beautifully frames many of the film's best scenes. Belle, like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, is a more modern Disney princess in the way that she is educated and worldly. She is introduced as a strong and brave young woman. Beauty and the Beast is unlike any film that Disney has ever introduced. It incorporates a beautiful story, fluid animation and a seamless score to create a film that appeals to all ages with moral that is applicable to all generations.

As the film begins we learn that the Beast was once a young prince who was visited by an old beggar. The old beggar offers him a rose for one night's shelter. The prince refuses and she turns him into a beast. The spell also turns all his servants into furniture and household items. The woman, an enchantress disguised as a beggar, tells him that the rose will bloom until his twenty-first birthday and he must love and be loved in return before all the petals fall or he will remain a beast forever. In the present, Belle is a beautiful young woman who lives at home with her father Maurice, an inventor of crazy gadgets. Belle is a voracious reader who yearns to discover the world. She ignores the unwanted attention from Gaston, the local hero who believes that Belle will be his wife. One day Maurice leaves to attend a fair and ends up at the Beast's castle. He is shocked when he is introduced to Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Chip and Cogsworth. Maurice's horse returns home without him and a worried Belle makes her way to the castle, where Maurice has become the Beast's prisoner. The Beast allows Belle to take her father's place as his prisoner. The Beast allows Belle to remain free in his castle and the two begin to form a relationship with the help of his servants. Gaston's efforts to marry Belle eventually threaten the lives of Belle, her father and the Beast.

Beauty and the Beast is a beautiful fairy tale with such vivid animation that it becomes easy to forget that it is an animated film. The music numbers are definitely the highlights of the film and there is an exceptional ballroom sequence that is traditionally marked as the film's best scene, with good reason. This film, in my opinion, is a turning point for animated films. The success of Beauty and the Beast allowed for major artists to record songs for animated films. Angela Lansbury may not be a huge celebrity, but the film can also be seen as a turning point for major actors to lend their voices to animation. I am also intrigued by the film's poster, which is not the original theatrical release poster. The poster, like the one I chose for The Little Mermaid (which was used in 1997 for the film's re-release) give the film a maturity that attracts older audiences. I may not love Beauty and the Beast as much as The Little Mermaid but its legacy is unlike any other Disney film. The film's animation is so remarkable that Roger Ebert remarked that it looked more real than live action features. I do not think there could be a stronger reason to go watch Beauty and the Beast again.

My rating: 4 stars out of 4.

Review: "The Little Mermaid"

I am not sure what prompted me, but I have decided to revisit some of the old Disney VHS tapes that are hidden in my house. The Little Mermaid has always had a very special place in my heart. The 1989 film is my favourite from the Disney Renaissance period, the ten year period that started with The Little Mermaid and lasted until 1999 with the release of Tarzan. What did The Little Mermaid have that previous films did not? Great characters and great music. The soundtrack for the film is one of Disney's best, at least in my opinion. With songs like Daughters of Triton, Under the Sea, Poor Unfortunate Souls and Kiss the Girl, The Little Mermaid went far beyond any Disney title released up to that point. The music was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. The Little Mermaid is considered the film that brought Broadway to animation. The Little Mermaid is an inventive film that changed animation for the 1990s with great characters and fantastic animation. Roger Ebert said it best in his review when he critiqued the animation: "There is a lightness and a freedom about the settings [...] The colours are bright, the water sparkles with reflected light, and there is the sense that not a single frame has been compromised because of the cost of animation."

Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton, is a mermaid whose increasing curiosity of the human world has made her dissatisfied with life under the sea. She searches the sea with her best friend, a fish named Flounder, and discovers human artifacts that she brings to Scuttle, a seagull, who unknowingly misidentifies each object. Triton believes that contact with the human world is dangerous and when Ariel misses a concert performance he assigns his servant, Sebastian the crab, to watch over her. One evening Ariel and Flounder travel to the ocean surface and spy on a birthday celebration for Prince Eric. Ariel falls in love at first sight. When a storm hits and Ariel ends up bringing him to shore and singing to him. When Eric wakes up he vaguely remembers being saved by a girl with a beautiful voice. Ariel, wanting to be with Eric, makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula. Ursula will transform Ariel into a human and give her three days to receive the kiss of true love from Eric. If she is unsuccessful she will become a mermaid and belong to Ursula. The only problem is that Ursula takes away Ariel's voice. Ariel tries with all her might to prove to Eric that she is the girl who saved him but he is frustrated by her inability to speak. Eventually Ursula reveals her ultimate plans and puts Ariel's life, and her father's, in danger.

The Little Mermaid creates a beautiful and magical world with amazing animated cinematography. Conversely, the scenes involving Ursula are dark and frightening. Ariel is different from many of the other Disney princesses. She is a multidimensional character with hopes, dreams and true faults. Ursula, while she is a contrast to Ariel, is evil enough to be likened to Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty and Cruella de Vil in The One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Disney is often faulted for the lack of visible ethnic minorities in its films, but instead of looking for what its films do not include, let's focus on the positive messages. The Little Mermaid encourages us to follow our dreams and, while there should be limits to how far we should go, we should not feel forced to follow the dreams of our parents. Beauty and the Beast may have been the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1992, I believe that The Little Mermaid should have been included in 1990 in a group that included Born on the Fourth of July and Field of Dreams. When The Little Mermaid came out in 1989, when I was 5 years old, it ignited my love of animation. While I may be more cynical about animated films today, The Little Mermaid is an iconic film that deserves a special place in film history.

My rating: 4 stars out of 4.

Review: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

I am usually well versed on foreign films and eagerly anticipate their North American release. I admit that I was a little caught off guard by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. When I first heard of the film some months ago I did not know that it was an adaptation of an international best-selling Swedish novel. The author, Stieg Larsson, died in 2004 and left three unpublished manuscripts that made up his Millenium trilogy. The second and third novels, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, have already been released as films in Sweden with the principle cast, but a different director. In the past couple of months the trilogy has become something of a phenomenon in Canada, with bookstores dedicating a considerable amount of retail space to the novels. I have not read the books yet, but I had been planning to and am even more interested after seeing the film. The film's original Swedish title, Män som hatar kvinnor, directly translates to "Men Who Hate Women" and puts less emphasis on the character of Lisbeth Salander, who is the girl with the dragon tattoo. Both of the lead actors are fantastic. Credit must be given to both Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace for pushing themselves to create such intense characters. At first I had trouble with the Swedish dialogue and found myself paying too much attention to the subtitles, but after a very short while it became easier and I was fully enjoying the Swedish culture on screen. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an intelligently crafted and well-paced thriller with dedicated acting from its principle cast. It is a film that left me speechless and I cannot wait until the fall to see The Girl who Played with Fire.

Michael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is an investigative journalist who has lost a libel case against Hans-Eric Wunnerström, an industrialist that Blomkvist believes is corrupt. While waiting to serve his sentence he is approached by Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), the aging head of the Vanger Group. Henrik and his entire family live on a remote island that is only accessible by a bridge. Henrik hires Blomkvist to investigate the death of his niece Harriet, who disappeared forty years ago. No body was ever found and the police were unable to find a suspect, but Henrik yearns to know the truth before he dies. Blomkvist moves into a small cottage on the island and has access to old files and is able to talk to Harriet's relatives. Blomkvist is unaware that he was being followed by a young girl named Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a computer hacker with a dark and troubled past. She must report to a guardian that controls her finances. This man, Bjurman (Peter Andersson), is a sadist and forces Lisbeth to perform sexual acts to gain access to her own money. Blomkvist learns that Lisbeth has hacked into her computer and forces his way into her life. Lisbeth then moves in with him on the island and the two begin investigating Harriet's case together. They discover that there was a string of religious-themed murders in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The evidence points to some very disturbing facts and the film does a fantastic job of keeping the viewer on his feet. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo reveals itself slowly and deliberately leading to some shocking events and a satisfying conclusion.

From the moment Noomi Rapace appears on screen it is evident that she controls the film. She makes Lisbeth Salander a tough and aggressive character that deserves empathy. Having not read the novel I was left speechless by so many events in the film. It is violent and it is provocative, but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is never boring. I love that foreign film force you to pay closer attention to the dialogue. While some thoughts may have been lost in translation, the dialogue seemed well suited to the characters. I was also incredibly impressed with the pacing of the film. There were scenes that were uncomfortable, but there was not a single moment that felt forced or unnecessary. I was intrigued by what Roger Ebert wrote in his four-star review of the film. He called it "a sober, grown-up film. [...] This is a movie about characters who have more important things to do than be characters in an action film." There was a great focus on acting above action in the film and that made The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo compelling and thrilling. Without the strength of its actors the film would have fallen flat. I am worried about the supposed American remake of the film. Hollywood tends to ruin great foreign films, and even though Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have been rumoured to be interested in the project, let's hope that this great film can exist on its own.

My rating: 4 stars out of 4.

Review: "Two If By Sea"

As a burgeoning cinephile in the 1990s it seemed that Sandra Bullock was in almost every single film. She was in Demolition Man (1993), Speed (1994), While You Were Sleeping (1995), The Net (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), Hope Floats (1998) and Practical Magic (1998). These were all decent films, but only Speed can be called a classic 90s film. Embarrassingly, one of my favourite Sandra Bullock films from that period was Two if by Sea, a 1996 film that was critically panned, with a 12% rating at RottenTomatoes. I decided to watch the film again to see if my tastes have matured or if Two if by Sea was poorly misjudged by critics en masse. The film was co-written by Denis Leary, who stars alongside Bullock, and directed by Australian director Bill Bennett. Bennett is probably unknown to international audiences as most of his films are small Australian projects. I did not have very high expectations heading into my second viewing, and while Two if by Sea starts out well it is unfortunately not as funny or as clever as I remembered.

Frank O'Brien (Denis Leary) is a petty thief whose last job is to steal a painting by Henri Matisse from a private collector. He was told the painting is worth $100 000 and he is set to receive $10 000 when he hands the painting over to an unnamed buyer at 5:00 PM on Sunday. He decided to surprise his girlfriend Roz (Sandra Bullock) and take her away for the weekend. Frank's smart idea was to steal the painting on Thursday and spend the weekend with her in a small Rhode Island town. Unfortunately things do not go as planned. After stealing the painting they are forced to steal a car and end up in a high speed police chase on the highway. Quick thinking leads them to get on a train, though more bad luck leads the police to stop their train and force them to hide out in a small town. They find a empty house belonging to a couple away in Chicago for the weekend and convince a neighbour, Evan (Stephen Dillane), that they are friends of the couples' son. Roz and Evan become quick friends and his sophistication leads Roz to question the future of her relationship with Frank. Meanwhile, an FBI agent O'Malley (Yaphet Kotto) believes that the art heist is related to a string of thefts in the 80s and becomes involved in the heist. Frank's luck turns for the worst when his boss Beano (Wayne Robson) and his incompetent associates help lead the police right to the exchange on Sunday afternoon.

While I still believe that Meryl Streep should have won the Academy Award over Sandra Bullock's performance in The Blind Side, I must concede that she has a certain charm that works on screen. Roz may not be the best character for her, but she does a decent job with the material. It is Denis Leary that seems out of place in this role. It is not hard to see him as an incompetent thief, but not in a romantic comedy. The screenplay is weak and the pacing is awkward. It is the kind of film that has a lack of focus from its director. I was incredibly unhappy with Yaphet Kotto, who displayed such a gross lack of talent in a scene requiring a certain amount of conviction that he did not muster. Sandra Bullock tried her best with weak material, but I think that she is performs better outside of the romantic comedy genre. She was great in Speed and showed great maturity as an actress in Crash. Two if by Sea may be one of her weaker films, but let's hope that her Academy Award lets her continue her career renaissance and make well-crafted films.

My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4.