mamma mia!

im not much of a fan of live action musicals, but diana wanted to see this one, so we did. the storyline is simple, a girl is getting married but doesnt know who her father is. she finds her moms old diary and sees that there are three men who could be her dad, so she invites them all to the wedding to see if she can find her real dad. basic enough, but what makes this movie different is that its completely filled with the music of abba. now, ive never really been a fan of abba, not because i dont like them, but because ive never been interested enough to listen to their music. i am completely oblivious to most of their stuff, all i knew was the song 'dancing queen', and thats about it, so almost all the music here was new to me. over all the film wasnt too bad, my one complaint was that they tried to keep the energy level too high through out the film- in any given scene there are at least three girls giggling uproariously, and usually it is meryl streep, which is quite disconcerting...

the film takes quite a few unexpected twists along the way that are really done well. i didnt see them coming, but was quite pleased when they did. over all its not as bad as i was fearing. well, except for pierce prosnans singing- that was exactly as bad as i was fearing...

nightmare before christmas

i have seen this movie many times, it is a perennial favorite of mine. i remember going to see it in the theater when it first came out and really loving it. it has been rereleased the past couple of years into the theater in 3-D, and i saw it both years- i truly love this movie!

recently a two disc version was released on dvd, so i figured it was time to see it again! i saw it in the library and figured i couldnt pass up a free rental to check out the dvd extras, so i picked it up. having seen the movie dozens of times, i got it just to watch all the extra stuff they threw into this release.

there are many extras this time out, and they are really quite interesting. it features a half hour behind the scenes feature that i had seen before on the older version of the dvd, but i figured id watch it again, and was reminded just how much work went into this film- they said that on an average day, an animator would be able to create 14 seconds of finished film! talk about painstakingly slow work! they also included some of the screen tests for the different characters showing different ways that they would walk and talk which was very interesting. it even included some cut scenes, which is especially rare for this type of animation! other extras included a walk through of the haunted mansion at disney world when they transform the ride each year from october to january with a 'nightmare before christmas' theme. you can choose the option to just view the ride, or have it intercut with breaks of behind the scene looks at how they designed and build the changes. i watched them both! they also included tim burtons original poem which was the inspiration for the film itself. they created new animation to go along with it. its really cool to see how they took that ten minute poem and stretched it into a full lenght film- it seems like the only changes that were made was the inclusion of sally, oogie boogie, and the scientist. it also includes a commentary by the director, tim burton, and the songwriter danny elfman. the commentary was surprisingly informative, usually tim burton has a hard time being coherent during these things (see 'planet of the apes'). the dvd also includes burtons original short 'vincent' and a half hour movie called 'frankenweenie', which burton informs us he is currently in production turning it into his next stop frame animated movie! cant wait!

babylon a. d.

why do i keep doing this to myself? why do i keep agreeing to watch movies that i know are going to suck hard? will i never learn?
this is a movie set in a dystopic near future where the hero has to do his best to save the world. vin diesel is a man hired to transport a girl from a secluded monastery to new york city. hes a tough guy with little to say because hes so macho (we dont really get a better reason than that). as he takes her and her kung fu nun caretaker around the world we find out that she has some sort of psychic powers and shes pregnant. some religious group wants her for some reason that is never made very clear, and some criminals want her for some reason that is made even less clear. all the while vin diesel is busy being macho, which takes a lot of effort to do. they arrive, after the inevitable snowmobile stunt show and a battle with the always popular unnecessary attack drones. at one point he dies, then comes back with robot parts (which plays absolutely no part in the story what so ever), she has her baby, and diesel continues to be macho.
at least thats as much as i got out of it. the story doesnt make much sense, and i dont think the writers understood it either. in truth, i was waiting for some one to call out 'archers- switch to night arrows!' it would have made about as much sense...

kung fu panda

this is one of the few summer movies that slipped past me unseen. until now! i had wanted to take my little nephew to go and see it, but it just never worked out while i was visiting grand rapids.it finally came to the dollar theater, so i figured this was my chance!
i wasnt expecting a whole lot, the commercials didnt make it look good enough to race out and see, but i still wanted to check it out. and i am glad i did- this movie is hilarious!!! it is like most animated movies, enough action and fun for the kids, and some wit thrown in to keep the adults awake. except that this one does it amazingly well! the story is one we have seen before: the main character wants to live his dreams, but no one believes in him until he first believes in himself. standard fare, except that it is done with so much humor and great storytelling, that this old premise comes alive again! the panda, po, wants to become a kung fu warrior, but the problem is he is fat and a nobody. by an unexpected chain of events he finds himself in a position where he must train with the greatest fighters alive. they dont believe that he is the great warrior told of in legend, so he must prove himself to them. the best part of this movie is the fact that it does not fall into the lame 'shrek' formula: tired pop culture references and knowingly winking at its own sincerity. this one is genuine all the way through and all the humor comes from within its own story, not from hip one liners meant to prove how hip it really is. this one is sweet, genuine, and genuinely funny! jack black does a perfect job as the oblivious panda trying to be the best he can be.
oh, and when he uses his silly word- skadoosh- its one of the best laughs ive had at the theater in months!