A Great Year for Brad Pitt
Posted on | January 25, 2012 | Add Comments
This truly has been a great year for Brad Pitt in the world of film. He started the year off starring in and producing The Tree of Life, a truly cinematic film about the meaning of life, then in May he starred in and produced Moneyball, a film about Billy Beane who changed the way baseball players are traded and finally in November he voiced Will the Krill in Happy Feet Two (which I didn’t see). Now the awards season is in full swing (the Academy Award nominations were announced yesterday) and Pitt has garnered a nod for Best Actor. In this article I’ll review Pitt’s performances and discuss whether or not the Oscars were spot on. Read on.
Lets start with The Tree of Life. This is certainly Pitt’s best performance of the year. Pitt masterfully embodies Mr O’Brien a strict father of three kids married to a woman played by Jessica Chastain. However, what’s really amazing about Pitt’s performance in Tree of Life is the fierceness that Pitt resembles. The character of Mr. O’Bren is very interesting, especially his relationship with one of his sons Jack. Pitt also produced this film, but I think he made this decision for a couple million more bucks. Either way I’m glad Pitt decided to star in such a diverse film.
Bennet Miller’s film is also very interesting, but also very different from Tree of Life. Before I go any farther, I just want to say that I am not a baseball fan or even a sports fan, but for some reason Moneyball just did it for me. I was hooked and I sat very still in my seat. Pitt’s performance overall is very good and deserves much attention. Not only is Pitt good in this film, but the character of Billy Beane is complexly captivating onto its self. Beane wants to be independent, diverse, unlike the others.
Alright you’ve heard what I think of Pitt’s performances from last year, but did the Academy get it right? And the answer is… No! Pitt was great in both Tree of Life and Moneyball but if I had to pick one performance it would have to be Tree of Life. Although Pitt’s role was more secondary than front and center, ultimately this doesn’t matter. As long as the performance is good I’m hooked. Fortunately, I wouldn’t trade Pitt to another team if I was directing.
The Tree of Life (Flack’s Review)
Posted on | January 22, 2012 | 1 Comment
5 Stars
The Tree of Life is about a man who has just gotten the news that his brother died. The man, named Jack remembers and reflects on his childhood. When he was a boy he lived in Texas in the 50′s with a mom, a dad, and two younger brothers. The mother says early on in the movie that there are two ways of life: the way of nature and the way of grace. Jack thinks about his memories including his rough relationship with his father, his mother’s niceness, his attitude towards his brothers, and his desire to fit into the world.
If you’re thinking this sounds like your average drama it’s not. The family flashbacks are interspersed with sequences involving dinosaurs, jellyfish, outer space, and the formation of Earth. These breathtaking moments are magical and quite obviously intended to be seen on the big screen. However it’s testament to the power of the director Terrence Malick’s vision that when I watched the movie on an iPad in a bumpy car that I was still completely wowed by, for example, a scene in which the entire universe is created. But although the film could be the most epic independent movie ever made I’ll pause from raving about the special effects for a minute and talk about the actual story.
I was very connected to all the characters because of how great the actors all were. A startlingly mature Brad Pitt and the angel-like Jessica Chaisten are equally fantastic at respectively embodying nature and grace. I was also amazed by the stunning Hunter McCracken in his debut role as the young Jack. There are scenes that are very sad including one in which the Father loses his temper. Pitt is very different than he was in Moneyball. In Moneyball he was a good person in tough situations, but in this film he’s a troubled person in touch situations. I disagree with others that there are scenes that ramble on and I was surprised that I never got bored because I was so fascinated with the story.
I can understand when critics say that they think Malick has made this movie for himself rather than an audience (says ABC radio) but this is the kind of movie that is meant to be discussed and debated. But seriously what is Mike Ward (of Richmond.com) talking about when he says “I admire The Tree of Life – in the same way I admire the white-haired lady in the Guinness Book of World Records with 28-foot fingernails.” With a story this intensely emotional however I found it completleey impossible not to be hooked by this tale of love, family, space, life, and death.
It is very interesting how Malick displays his thoughts bout god and the universe. I think that all the characters are in some way trying to fit in the world or understand what life is about. The reason that Malick has decided to include scenes of dinosaurs is because he shows how different people have different thoughts in different situations for example when the dinosaur decides not to kill the other dinosaur, it’s an example of grace. Both ways of life come with consequences, because nature can make you lonely because you are the only person who has everything they want and grace could make you disappointed that even though you are helping many others you don’t have what you wished. The director’s point is not to decide which is necessarily the right way, but rather for others to decide and form their own opinions.
Amidst all the shots of stars and space is a very personal story about life and death. I suspect this film will become a classic. Many people will have different ideas about it, but when I was done watching it, the idea that was most in my head was this was a truly great film.
My favorite scene is near the end of the movie so I won’t spoil it. It involves people talking about a gun. I like it because of the great performances from Hunter McCracken and Laramie Epler and the scene is also very moving and emotional.
I am not sure who my favorite character is because I didn’t fully agree with any of their beliefs. Also the actors are all equally great so it really is hard to pick. I think Sean Penn was kind of wasted because he didn’t really do anything. I would like to point out that the rising star Jessica Chaisten was good and very different than how she was as Celia Foote in The Help. I also thought Brad Pitt was good and different than how he normally is. I also am guessing McCracken will soon become very popular.
The Tree of Life is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some thematic material, and I agree.
This is one for the best movies of 2011 and it’s truly unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I suggest you see it right away because the cast is great, and the special effects are stunning. This is magical movie making at it’s most magical.
The Tree of Life (Flick’s Review)
Posted on | January 22, 2012 | 1 Comment
41/2 stars
A religious family of five must deal with the pains of life after they lose one of their sons. One of the boys, Jack grows up to become a highly successful architect. But Jack is not happy with his life, and feels as if he is trapped in his work. Jack wonders if he has made the right decisions in his life… and what god thinks of him.
Terrence Malick’s idea, that life has a meaning is abstractly shown in his delightfully artistic film, The Tree of Life. I think Malick believes in a god. Malick just wants to show people, to tell the world what he believes in. The culmintion that Malick’s vision results in is something of beauty. The scenes in which Malick films the creation of the universe use special effects in a very real way. The effects are used to create malick, I mean magic. It is evident that the effects would have to be used in a way that seems real, after all the creation of the universe is anything but fake.
Brad Pitt’s performance rivals his in Moneyball and in the end is better. The relationship that Pitt’s character, Mr. O’Brien has with his son, the character Hunter McCracken has is the key to the film. To understand the film you must understand their relationship. The complexity of their friendship is deeply moving and emotional. Not often are two characters portrayed on screen with such strong performances upholding such strong characters. Pitt and McCracken are not the only actors with performances that are unbelievably good. The two other young boys, Larmie Epler and Tye Sheirdan also give unforgettable performances. The art of Sean Penn’s performance is created by facial expressions; Penn uses little to no dialogue to play the adult Jack. Then there’s Jessica Chastain who starred in over five films last year, ranging from The Debt to Coriolanus to The Help to Take Shelter and more. Chastain’s character, Mrs. O’Brien is deeply admired by all of the other characters in the film. It seems to me as if Malick wants Mrs. O’Brien to resemble an angel.
My favorite character is Jack because of the way he deals with situations. Once Jack grows up he starts to wonder if he has lived life to the fullest.
My favorite scene is when Mr. O’Brien teaches his three sons to fight because it shows the different sides to the O’Brien family.
The Tree of Life is rated PG-13 for thematic material. The film deals with some very intense situations making it not very family friendly.
The Tree of Life is an indelible experience. It balances so many different ideas on so many different levels resulting in bold cinematic storytelling.
84th Oscars Predictions (Flack’s Predictions)
Posted on | January 22, 2012 | 2 Comments
84th Oscars (for movies that were released in 2011)
This year there will be 5 to 10 films nominated for Best Picture. A film must get 5% of the number 1 votes to qualify. Click here to read the rules announcement. This makes it more confusing to predict the nominees, but join Flack as he predicts the possibilities.
Since the nominations have not been announced yet, I’ll focus on the Best Picture predictions. I have not seen all the films I’ll be talking about, but based on predictions from such resources as Entertainment Weekly, Empire Magazine, the New York Times, my own movie knowledge, and help from other people, I will do my best.
So far I think there are 3 obvious front runners: The Descendants, War Horse, and The Artist. I cannot see the Descendants, but I did see War Horse and The Artist. War Horse is one of my favorite films of the year, but The Artist is pretty good too. Hugo and The Help also have good chances. Predicting the next batch of films is a bit trickier. The way you can tell which are the 5 front runners are for Best Picture when there are more than 5 movies nominated is by comparing them with the movies also nominated for Best Director. This a bit hard obviously because we don’t know which movies will be nominated for Best Direcor so I guess I’ll just have to get those as well. I’m guessing the nominees for Best Director will be Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), Steven Spielberg (War Horse), Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Martin Scorsese (Hugo), and Tate Taylor (The Help). If there are any more than 5 nominated for Best Picture, I’m guessing they will be The Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris, and Moneyball. If there are 10, the last 2 would probably be blockbusters, like Harry Potter or dramas that got mixed reviews, like The Ides of March.
The Golden Globes can sometimes make predicting the nominees a little easier but only one movie (Slumdog Millionare) in the last seven years has been both the Best Picture winner for the Globes and the Oscars. Also for the Globes there is Best Drama and Best Comedy or Musical instead of one Best Picture like the Oscars. This year it didn’t help much either but as many had predicted The Descendants won Best Drama and The Artist won Best Comedy or Musical. Although War Horse hasn’t fared so well in the awards season I am guessing that the Academy will find it hard to ignore the movie’s emotional epicness and Spielbergian story.
The Help is likely to have Viola Davis win Best Actress and Octvaia Spencer win Best Supporting Actress. Meryl Streep, however could beat Davis and for Best Actor George Clooney for The Descendants is likely to beat Brad Pitt for Moneyball and Jean Dujardin for The Artist. I think that War Horse will also win for Best Cinematography, Musical Score, Adapted Screenplay, and Director as well as Picture. It will probably not win or even be nominated for any of it’s actors but in the past Titanic and The Lord of the Ring: The Return of the King (2 of the 3 movies to win 11 Oscars, which is more than any other) didn’t win in any of the acting categories. The 3rd movie was Ben-Hur, which won Best Actor for Charlton Heston and Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Griffith.
I am expecting War Horse to win but things might change. Almost 8 months ago I thought War Horse and The Tree of Life would be the two frontrunners and then in September I thought it would be War Horse against J. Edgar. See, things change. But will The Descendants, with it’s acclaimed script and applauded acting beat War Horse. Or could it be The Artist with it’s unique premise and magical music?
I think Billy Crystal will be a good host because he’s good in Monster’s Inc (Mike) and The Princess Bride (Miracle Max). Many people thought last year’s show with Anne Hathaway and James Franco was horrible but I thought they were just okay. I hope that this year the show can mix funny jokes, silly spoofs, celebrity cameos, great guests, and terrific hosting to excellent effect. If they can they will have succeeded at creating an enjoyable show.
Now I will list 8 movies. I’ve seen all of them except The Descendants and I have put them in order from most likely to win to least likely to win.
And the nominees will probably be…
Here are the top 5 no doubt about it nominees:
1. War Horse: Chance: I think this is the frontrunner. Why: The Academy loves epics and this is just that. Steven Spielberg is likely to win his third Best director award and second Best Picture award for this war adventure film. Other Possible Nominations: Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Costumes, Editing, Art Direction, and possibly a few others.
Possible Total: 7
2. The Artist: Chance: I think is tied with The Descendants as the second most likely film to win. Why: Fantastic, fun, greatly acted, superbly directed, and sad. This movie is very entertaining and a good bet. Other Possible Nominations:Best Director (Micheal Hazanvicius), Actor (Jean Dujardin), Supporting Actress (Berenice Bejo),Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costumes, Editing, Art Direction, Editing, and possibly a few others.
Possible Total: 10
3. The Descendants: Chance: I think this is tied with The Artist as the second most likely film to win. Why: This George Clooney movie has been favored by many critics. The Academy usually prefers epic dramas rather than independent ones like this but the movie has gotten great reviews so I think it’s still a strong contender. Other Possible Nominations: Best Director (Alexander Payne), Actor (George Clooney), Supporting Actress (Shailene Woodley), Cinematogaphy, and possibly a few others.
Possible Total: 5
4. The Help: Chance: I think this movie probably won’t win but will definitely be nominated. Why: With a great cast and an inspiring story, the movie is a definite nomination. In terms of winning however it’s chances are rather slim. Other Possible Nominations: Best Director (Tate Taylor), Actress (Viola Davis), Supporting Actress(Octavia Spencer), Supporting Actress (Jessica Chaistan), Original Score, Original Song, and possibly a few others.
Possible Total: 7
5. Hugo: Chance: I think this movie will be nominated but not win. Why: Superbly directed and terrifically acted, the film has a good chance. Even though I highly doubt it will win it has gotten stronger buzz after Martin Scorsese won Best Director at the Golden Globes. Other Possible Nominations: Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Visual Effects, Original Score, Costume Design, Cinematography, and possibly a few others.
Possible Total: 6
I’m guessing this year there will be 3 more extra nominees:
6. Midnight in Paris: Chance: I think this movie will be nominated but not win. Why: Woody Allen’s “comeback” film has gotten strong reviews. I disagree with many others that is a frontrunner and I’m betting Tate Taylor (for The Help) will beat Allen for a Best Director nomination. But with a smart script and creative cast this movie will definitely get nominated. Other possible nominations: Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and possible a few others.
Possible Total:3
7. The Tree of Life: Chance: I think this movie will be nominated but not win. Why: The winner of the Cannes Palm D’Or Award, the film has slightly lost it’s momentum from a definite front runner to being a possible possibility. Still Terence Malick could be a possible Best Director nominee and the Visual Effects could get a nod. Other possible nominations: Best Visual Effects and possibly a few others. Possible Total: 2
8. Moneyball: Chance: I think this film will be nominated but not win. Why: Brad Pitt will be no doubt about it be nominated for Best Actor. And the director Bennett Miller could be a surprise nominee. The script and Jonah Hill are also likely. Other possible nominations: Best Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Best Adapted Screenplay, and possibly a few others.
Possible Total: 4
I doubt there will be any other nominees for Best Picture, so I’m not going to list any more. If there are though I’m guessing they would probably be one of the following: Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Ides of March, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, or the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The final verdict: So far the race has been narrowed down to 3 top movies, although Hugo and The Help are good options too. The top 3 are in my order: War Horse, The Artist, and The Descendants.
I’ll be back to talk about the nominees (possibly with Flick), after they are announced on Tuesday by Melissa Leo and Colin Firth. In the meantime go buy the amazing book, The Academy Awards®: The Complete Unofficial History — Revised and Up-to-date. It tells you all the winners from 1927 to 2010. Also I cannot wait to watch Wings, the first movie ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars. You can get it on Netflix. The book Oscar Fever is also good but it is different than the other one because it is more of behind the scenes history of the Oscars. I can’t wait until February 26 (the show) but January 24 comes first (nominations announcement.) If you’re impatient go to the website to watch the show’s hilarious trailer and don’t forget to catch up on watching all the actual movies.
84th Annual Oscar Predictions 2012 (Flick’s Podcast)
Posted on | January 16, 2012 | 2 Comments
This is Flick talking about the 84th Annual Oscar Predictions 2012. Flick discusses his predictions in all the major categories for this year’s awards. Click here to listen. (34 minutes 54 seconds).
Please note, podcast may take a few minutes to download.
Midnight in Paris (Flack’s Review)
Posted on | January 8, 2012 | 4 Comments
4 Stars
Midnight in Paris is set in 2010 and is about Gil Penders, a Hollywood screenwriter who longs to write a great novel. When he travels to Paris with his girlfriend, Inez and is bored with all the parties and dancing, he decides to take a stroll. The clock strikes midnight and Gil is escorted to Paris in the 1920′s and there he meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso and more. But as his writing career falters and he realizes he doesn’t have much in common with Inez, he wonders what will happen.
This is the first Woody Allen movie I have ever seen and it’s very entertaining. Owen Wilson leads a great cast and the supporting actors are delightful. Before I saw this movie I read a New York Times article about the famous people Gil meets in the film, so I understood the movie better. If you don’t know anything about Picasso or Fitzgerald you might be a bit bored… But if you do you’ll have a great time! Charming and witty at the sometime, this is a great film.
The story is fun and magical. Woody Allen directs magnificently. In some scenes you really feel like you are in the 1920′s with Gil in Paris. The film has some nice twists and turns and the music is perfect. There is not much depth to the character and it would be interesting if the conversations between Gil and the other writers and artists, were longer but the movie is still a lot of fun. Also it’s interesting to learn about all the famous people.
My favorite character is Gil because it’s interesting when he gets advice from writers. Also Owen Wilson is great at switching from seriousness to silliness effortlessly.
My favorite scene is when Gil talks to Adriana (Marion Cottilard) and tells her the only thing he has in common with his girlfriend, Inez, is that they both like pita bread, and my other favorite is when Gil talks to Salvador Dali (Adrian Brody). I love those scenes because they are both funny.
This movie is rated PG-13 for smoking, drinking, kissing and some romance.
Midnight in Paris is a wonderful movie. Even though its not that complex, it still has a great cast, a marvelous story, excellent music, fun scenes, super direction, nice shots of Paris and hilarious moments.
The Help (Flick’s Review)
Posted on | January 3, 2012 | 2 Comments
4 1/2 Stars
In Jackson, Miss. a young female journalist, Skeeter, gets a newspaper job, where she writes about cleaning. While interviewing maids about cleaning, she discovers that she wants to write more about how black people are treated. Skeeter wants to write a book from the point of view of maids in the early 1960′s, but none of her friends believe that there should be any change in the way that black people are treated. After two maids who work for some of her friends agree to let Skeeter interview them, Skeeter begins her fight for freedom; to persuade the town that black people should be treated equally.
The components of The Help equal a witty and fascinating drama with a hint of humor. I haven’t read the book, but I still found the movie interesting, and I think the film is understandable without reading the book. The movie mentions some historical events but focuses mainly on the story of the three women and their experiences. If you haven’t learned about the Civil Rights (like me) the film will become hard to understand and it may become uninteresting if you do not learn at least a little bit about the Civil Rights before viewing the film. As I said before the film is funny and sad. The difficult task of balancing drama and comedy is pulled off by writer/director Tate Taylor. I thought the soundtrack was good because there were many songs with black people singing that you would you have heard in Jackson in the 1960′s.
Wow. There have been a lot of great ensemble performances this year, ranging from Moneyball (which I didn’t review but certainly saw and certainly liked) to War Horse, and now The Help which features my favorite ensemble performance of the year. Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer play the lead roles. As I will mention later Viola Davis is my favorite actor in this film not only because I think her character is great but also because Davis herself does a great job doing a voice over throughout the film that makes the film very comprehensible.
My favorite character is Aibileen Clark, because she was smart and I like that she stood up for herself. I thought all of the lead performances were very good, especially Viola Davis who plays Aibileen.
My favorite scene is when one of the maids gives a pie to her former employer, because it’s funny and the employer gets what she deserves.
The film is rated PG-13, and I agree. There is some swearing and the film is complex if you don’t know about the civil rights.
A definite contender for the Oscars. Viola Davis gives my favorite female performance of the year and Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer are follow ups. This is a must see, must have and must watch again and again.
The Help (Flack’s Review)
Posted on | January 2, 2012 | Add Comments
The Help (Flack’s Review)
5 Stars
The Help tells the story of Skeeter, a young white lady trying to get a job as a writer. She lives in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s and tries to get black maids to share their stories for a book called The Help. Aibileen and Minny, two maids join with Skeeter and begin their controversial journey to try to publish the book and try to change other people’s opinions about colored people. As problems mount they must go against all odds to stay safe, show their opinions, get other maids to also share their stories, and be free.
The Help is an emotional movie that is at the same time sad, enjoyable, funny, and encouraging. Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone lead a great cast. All the actors are excellent and help the movie’s story flow. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Hilly Holbrook. She makes you not like her and in this case that’s good. The ensemble cast works great together and their chemistry is some of the best I have ever seen.
The movie is 146 minutes long but is never boring. The director, Tate Taylor, also wrote the screenplay based on the book by Kathryn Stockett. The story is very interesting and teaches a good moral about not judging books by their covers. It is a little complex but now that I understand it I would like to watch it again.
There are lots of subplots in the story and the last 25 minutes of the movie could have seemed too neatly done. But the cast and crew make sure you feel every emotional moment and you get attached to all the characters. The suspense builds nicely and when one scene is done you are compelled to watch the next scene.
Although the story is a drama there are a few moments of fun comedy including an incident surrounding a pie. All the parts involving Viola Davis are great but the ones meant to be sad and emotional (I cried) stick with you. I also think that the movie’s characters are very well developed. Jessica Chastain as Celia Foote and Allison Janney as Charlotte Phelan anchor a strong supporting cast.
It is hard to choose my favorite character because the actors worked together as an ensemble. Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone are magnificent. However for Oscar chances, Viola Davis (for Best Actress) and Octavia Spencer (for Best Supporting Actress) are particularly strong candidates.
My favorite scenes are when all the maids come to Aibileen’s house, when Aibileen talks about her son, the bittersweet ending, and two particularly funny scenes involving pranks. The first scene I listed makes you want to stand up and cheer. The next two I mentioned are very sad and made me cry. The final two I talked about are hilarious.
The movie is rated PG-13 for some thematic material by the MPAA. I rate it PG-13 for complex content, foul language, some brief romance, smoking, drinking and implied violence. However I was not allowed to see one short scene in the film about miscarriage so I cannot completely comment on the rating or the movie. Also I do not know all about the Civil Rights movement to comment on how well it presents history and if it is glorified or not.
I think this film is excellent. The actors are great. The direction is superb. The story is emotional. And the movie is a must see. I look forward to one day reading the book the movie is based on because people have said it is one of the best books ever. This is one of my Top 5 favorite movies of the year. People should see it because it will entertain them and teach them a good lesson at the same time.
The Adventures of Tintin (Flick’s Review)
Posted on | December 30, 2011 | Add Comments
3 1/2 stars
After buying a model ship labeled Unicorn at a street market, Tintin, an intrepid reporter and his faithful dog Snowy, are intrigued by a series of clues that include a man being murdered by a passing car, a mysterious drunk sea captain descending from a long line of Haddocks and their grudge against the Rackhams. Tintin and Snowy set off with Captain Haddock who they find, drunk on the boat, Karaboudjan. The Karaboudjan’s crew includes Sakharine, who is trying to solve the mystery and get Red Rackham’s treasure before Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy do. The rest of the crew includes gunslinging seamen who want money. Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy must race Sakharine and his crew so that they can get the treasure and solve the mystery first.
A French comic book in 3-D? It doesn’t sound like your average blockbuster, but then add names to it like Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson and you’ve got a deal. The humor is the biggest problem that I have with the film. None of the Captain Haddock jokes are funny and most of the other jokes are ridiculous. The beginning and all the other scenes when Snowy and Tintin are alone start to drag, simply because Tintin is telling and Spielberg isn’t showing. For your information I would rather be shown than told. In the books Tintin, at many times tells us how he solved the mystery instead of Herge (the author and illustrator of the books) showing us with his drawings. I think that Herge had no choice than to tell us rather than show us because of the complexity of the mystery. In the film the mystery s toned down. In a movie adaptation, I would think the storytelling would be more visual, which it is at times, except when Snowy and Tintin are alone. I also think Snowy was a complete distraction from the plot. Instead of commenting on key moments in the films, Snowy makes strange sounds. This mainly happens when Snowy and Tintin are alone. This however stops midway through the film. The film isn’t dreadful however; the effects are marvelous and the 3-D makes the film the best film with an added third dimension. The acting is a marvelous. Jamie Bell acts as Tintin as if he’s an english gentleman, Andy Serkis turns Captain Haddock into a drunken wreck and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost give comic relief to Thompson and Thomson. The story is surprisingly good for an action film for kids. It’s just that next time I hope Snowy and Tintin aren’t alone.
My favorite character is Tintin because of his bravery, loyalty, wits, and friendship. I also think that Jamie Bell did a good job acting as Tintin.
My favorite scene is when the plane flies by Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy because of the use of 3-D and the way the action plays out.
The Adventures of Tintin is rated PG for adventure action violence, some drunkenness and brief smoking.
It’ll work for younger kids and hardcore Tintin fans, but it won’t work from someone who wants an all around good film. The Adventures of Tintin is out now in 2-D and 3-D in wide release.
The Adventures of Tintin (Flack’s Review)
Posted on | December 30, 2011 | Add Comments
4 stars
The Adventures of Tintin tells the story of a boy reporter named Tintin. He goes on a journey with the drunken Captain Haddock and together they must find a lost ship called the Unicorn. Out to stop them is Sakharine and a gang of criminals. They travel around the globe and go from a massive cargo ship to a burning airplane. But will they unlock the secret of the Unicorn?
Steven Spielberg directs this Indiana Jones-ish animated family film. Compared to War Horse this is nothing. Compared to Alvin and the Chipmunks this is Oscar-worthy. The movie does not have much of a story and one scene involving a pirate battle flashback goes on forever. Even though the scene is essential to the plot it could have been cut shorter. However with the brilliant motion capture animation and some of the funniest scenes of the year, this is a movie you won’t want to miss. The action scenes are dizzingly exciting and the CG is very realistic. Jamie Bell as Tintin isn’t nearly as iconic as Harrison Ford, but he does an O.K. job. Andy Serkis, the master of mo-cap (motion-capture) is memorable as Captain Haddock. Other action movie actors lending their voices to characters include Daniel Craig and Toby Jones.
The animation is some of the best I’ve ever seen and the pace is so relentless that you won’t care that you don’t ever get emotionally attached to any of the characters. The battle scenes are awesome and the mo-cap is miles better than the 2009 Disney A Christmas Carol‘s video game-ish style.
My favorite character is Tintin because he is the classic adventure hero. It’s also cool when he swings into your face in 3-D.
My favorite scene is when Tintin and Captain Haddock battle the bad guys on the boat because it’s one of the most exciting battle scenes of the year. It’s also just very fun to watch in 3-D.
The Adventures of Tintin is exciting and it has great CG mo-cap Animation. It’s a must see in 3-D and there’s a great John Williams score. Sure, it’s nowhere as good as E.T.but it’s still loads of fun. The story’s not great or emotional, but if you think about it Raiders of the Lost Ark’s story wasn’t amazing either. However this movie copies Indiana Jones a little and none of the actors are as iconic as Harrison Ford which means it’s not as great as Indy 1. But if you want an animated movie then this a good one. However early hopes of being nominated for the Best Picture Oscar will soon be diminished. I do think that Spielberg has crafted a movie good enough to definetly win the Best Animated Movie Oscar. Thrilling, hilarious, gorgeous, and with a great opening credits sequence, this a movie that’s fun for the whole family. All those people begging for a Indy sequel that’s as good as the first can watch this movie and have a great time even if this time Spielberg makes the action that’s not gory a bit more important than the story.
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