Top Ten Favorite Films

Happy New Years eve and I hope your resolutions have been picked out. Well my resolutions range from doing better in my studies to hopefully getting a review out to you guys at least once a week. Before we finish off this year with one more post, I wish to thank all of you who read my blog this year. I have reached over 2100 views and it's all thanks to you guys giving me something to strive for, lets aim for 5000 total views next year.

10: The Untouchables
This is a very underrated Gangster film. While most are watching Godfather or Goodfellas, the Untouchables have been sitting in the corner, waiting for increased viewership. Based on the events of the Prohibition era, Elliot Ness, agent of the FBI, is sent to Chicago to enforce the prohibition act and snuff out the ring leader of the operation, Al Capone. While initially unsuccessful, he achieves the help of Irish-American beat cop Jimmy Malone to teach him the ropes of the "Chicago way". The performances are knockouts, especially Sean Connery as Malone and Robert De Niro as Capone. I really think Kevin Costner was a good actor, but he is now seen as a bore and unimpressive. Well he gives this film a damn fine portrayal and speaking of which, this is an impressive film. The score is one of the best I have ever heard, it's up there with 2001, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. But by far the reason I think this is a classic, is because of the stair sequence which was heavily inspired by the film The Battleship Potemkin firing squad sequence. not just the best scene in the movie, but one of the best in cinema.

Video by Movieclips

9: The Kings Speech

The prime of Britain's artistic ingenuity comes from it's directors and Tom Hooper is one her best. The story of the Royal family might seem controversial, except given the state of social networking, I bet everybody knows all their dirty little secrets. But the choice to focus on the stammering king is probably the safest choice. Prince Albert faces prejudice due to his stammer and as a member of the Royal family, must make constant public appearances and speeches. But as abdication and war looms, the Prince must turn to a quirky speech therapist, played by Geoffrey Rush. What a cast, I must have a knack for choosing films with such a great ensemble cast, including the lovely Helena Boham Carter, the king of gentleman Colin Firth and Sir Micheal Gambon (he's knighted, need I say more). Other actors including Derek Jacobi as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Guy Pearce as Prince Edward and Timothy Dalton as Churchill. Thankfully they are underplayed, as the real story is about the relationship between lord and commoner. I love the atmosphere and the shots, they really convey a sense of dread and melancholy. Many complained that Firth won the best actor, but I say it was well deserved and so was this films Best Picture.

Owned by GlobalShakespeare

8: Pulp Fiction

Oh come on, it's a great film. Re-watchable, intriguing and entertaining. A lot of people say it's kind of confusing how the story is played out of order, but for me it was a piece of cake. The story revolves around one bad 24 hours in eight peoples life. One follows a pick up of merchandise, followed by a mistaken gun gone off, the next is about a date gone wrong, the next about a wanted wrestler and the final about a diner. These day's it's nothing new and Tarantino did it in his previous film, but this makes for an interesting structure and complex story with great dialog. In my opinion Martin Scorsese, Tarantino and Joss Whedon write the best dialog for film, it sounds so improvised and natural, like most conversations we have.(PS, Star studded cast alert, watch it to find out). The characters and dialog are memorable, the structure is complex and soundtrack is one of the best. Dialog aside, Tarantino can choose the best songs to put in a film, my favorite being Misirlou. And since your so good, I will give you an awesome scene that hopefully won't ruin the film for you.

 Property of DesadeMarquis

7: Reservoir Dogs

Another one, really? Yes another one, you got a problem with my choice? No? Then let's continue. The reason for this is so I can avoid putting the two together. I saved that for the next one after. But I honestly prefer this one to Pulp Fiction, mainly just by how real it is, the soundtrack is better, the grittiness and first user of the out of order storytelling. It may be cheaper, it might be gruesome and it might be a cult classic, but then you obviously don't know me. The story of a botched Robbery is followed by finger pointing, cop interrogation and buckets of blood. What makes it so chilling is how grounded in reality it is and how the funny dialog and lighthearted music offset the violence and suspense perfectly. My favorite song was Stuck in the Middle with you, which I cannot listen to without thinking about the infamous torture scene. I have heard theories of how this interlinks with Pulp Fiction, but if you re-watch this movie again, and trust me I will, you can easily dissuade all those remarks from your mind.

Property of sugarplumfairiie

6: Jaws

Probably the best Spielberg film of all time, this classic I discovered while helping paint my friends house, we took a break, watched it and it scarred me for life. The Music, the effects and the suspense inspired my obsession with sharks for two years until I got over my initial fear (don't get me wrong they still freak me out!). But after this I still found the film to be interesting as a thriller less than a horror. It is horror, but I found it less scary after a while. And you know what, it's a good film study piece. Orson Welles spoke that for inspiration to direct, he watched Stagecoach everyday before shooting. I would do the same, except with this movie. My favorite character would have to be Quint, his portrayal of the mad sea man is probably inspired by many others before him, but he has truely made it his own and his chilling speech is especially memorable. I would say see it, but I'd say most of you have already. His first film became my favorite.

Thank you movieclips

5: The Dark Knight Trilogy

Yeah it's here I use my cheat, I just love these movies so much. Unlike most trilogies like Indiana Jones or Back to the future, this trilogy has three films that are great all the way through. This is one of those trilogies where seeing one film will lead to the next and the next. It is so interesting, deep, action packed and well portrayed. The series following Bruce Wayne from troubled child to hardened vigilante to superhero is inspiring to watch, it's the one of the few superhero movies that allow us to end such a great story. Christian Bale in my opinion is the definite article in Batman as I grew with him. The first film was good, the second film was a masterpiece and the finale was the best ending to a trilogy ever. There are too many moments to choose from that I like, I look forward to watching it repeatedly in the future.

Thank's sister channel Movieclips trailers.

4: Dr. Strangelove, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

Longest title ever, am I right? The ever popular satire of the Cold War, told through the eyes of President Muffler, an RAF Captain, the presidents council, Captain Kong of the Bomber squad and many others. The story about what if we attacked Russia is answered, as we get a horrifying, yet very funny view on some very important characters. The President is a weak foolish oaf, Dr Strangelove is a brainwashed scientist formally of Nazi Germany, Captain Kong is the rodeo king of bombing and General Ripper, the psychotic, rusky hating madman. This film is not just quotable, satirical and packed with mesmerizing performances (yes, Peter Sellers is the president and Dr Strangelove and the RAF officer.), but it is still accurate in it's message about war being childs play and eventually will lead to our demise, but it's in human nature to kill and wage war, even in the face of Armageddon. Not to mention the best death ever put to screen that happens near the end. From the mind of Kubrick, we get his best film ever made and the funniest film ever.

Owned by AlBoesch

3: Spirited Away

You heard me say it and I admit it, I love this film too much to hate it. But I can't hate it if nothing is wrong with it. Yeah the parents are annoying and it's confusing at first, the final product was nothing short of a work of pure Genius. The Idea's, the animation and the performances are fantastic. The story about overcoming fears is nothing new, but seeing this you'll feel as though you just went on a magical journey. As for Miyazaki, he's off my radar for now, but one I will come back, yes, one day! I have done a whole review on it and the only new thing to say is that it has inspired me to do film in a whole new light. IT ROCKS!

cosmo111687

2: A Hard days night

The Beatles are awesome, therefore the movie is awesome. The reason I really love this film is due to it's subject, it's a mockumentary about a day in the life of the Beatles. But unlike most films based on Pop-stars, this avoids any pretentiousness and goes straight for laughs, joy and music. The spirit of rock n roll is explored very aptly and few have been able to capture such a great feeling of joy and freedom experienced by music. The personalities and music are perfectly done, the fact that this is a musical and not just any musical, but one of the highest rated films on Rotten Tomatoes with 99% and two Oscar nominations. I feel as though this film was robbed by Mary Poppins at the Oscars, the music will last the ages and so will the Fab Four.

Williamsguy40

1: The Shawshank Redemption

Yeah I think it will come as a shock to most when I say that my favorite film is The Shawshank Redemption. No other film has this much heart, soul and beauty coming from such a dark and depressing story line. The story of a wrongly convicted banker sent to prison for double man-slaughter, he finds hope in the friends he makes, the lives he changes and challenges he faces. The film has great pace, great actors and great emotion. The ending will of course have you cheering for hours. It's hard to say what I love about this film without giving too much away, so I will just say that Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins give the performance of a lifetime. So much is achieved through so little and it has changed my life for the better FOREVER!

With thanks to Joonhee kim 

Top Twenty Favorite Movies

Surprise, Surprise! Happy New Year and to bring in this New Year Treat, I will be counting down my Top 20 Favorite movies of all time. Ten today and ten tomorrow as per usual. Just a heads up, I know this is sort of like Doug Walker, but you know what I am still gonna do it, but I will try to avoid most similarities between this and Doug's if possible. But instead think of this as a tribute to the Nostalgia Critic, from whom non of this would have been inspired by. And of course this is all my opinion and not a deceleration of the best movies of all time (well, maybe one or two).

Number 20: Lawrence of Arabia
Who doesn't know of the classic epic of the sand. The biography of Lt. T.E. Lawrence is told around the time of his ascending to influence the Arab tribes to unite against the Ottoman Empire during the Great War until his fall from grace. We see the trials and tribulations of his leadership and all is brought vividly to life by a star studded cast including the late Peter O'Toole, Sir Alec Guinness and Academy award nominee Omar Sharif. Many complained about historical inaccuracies like O'Toole's portrayal and the others he meet's. But the audience shouldn't be concerned about the history, but rather the artistry and scale of such a memorable masterpiece of David Lean.

19: Watchmen
Now this film always got the shaft end of critics and Comic book nerd alike, but I believe it is incredibly underrated in terms of being a comic book film, an action film and superhero film. It's cinematography mimics the dark and gritty world of Alan Moore's comic book with a shade I like to call lacquer vision, it's dark but makes the characters and locations stand out more. And I just love Jackie Earl Haley's performance as Rorschach, he really becomes the character and at the same time makes it his own. Nothing much else to say after doing a whole review on it, but it's style and story is impressive and one I would like to create.

Video belongs to Movieclips on youtube.

18: Citizen Kane
I believe it's almost compulsory to put Citizen Kane on any top/best of list (unless it's a list of worsts, which it isn't). A story based on real person, it delved into the meaning of the last words of Charles Foster Kane and the people he met through his life. I love the ideas, the shadows, angles and characters. Orson Welles really wanted to push the envelope of cinema as an art form to something greater. Although a flop on it's release, none would ever consider that this would become one of the modern greats of cinema and art. My favorite shot is the entering into the mirror room, just by how creative it was. 

Video is the property of William Canfield

17: The Great Escape
While it is a war film based on the POW camps of WWII, it does it's damned best to tell a great story. Led by another great cast including Steve McQueen and Richard Attenbrough, the story follows a gang of mischivous escapee's who's only goal is to escape constantly and cause trouble for the Nazi war effort. To counter this, they are each sent to the inescapable camp, but realize little too late that putting all the master escapee's in one camp is probably the worst move you could do. The best moment are in the preparations and the extents they go into escaping. It's just a fun story that turned out to be great.

This ironically belongs to TheGreatEscapeMovie

16: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
As a fan of Cult movies, how can I not put at least one on this list (Don't hold your breath, there are more). The satirical tale of how King Arthur and his knights of the round table is such a delight, coming from the masters of absurdist comedy Monty Python. The kookiness of medieval Britain is brought vividly to life on a ham string budget and classic Python actors John Clease, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin. The comedy is off the wall, it is ultra quotable and in my opinion, the best Python comedy ever made.

Video by BassmanFOO

15: The Nightmare Before Christmas
I don't care that Burton didn't direct, this is still to me a Tim Burton film. It's morbid and macabre nature, offset by a whimsical, heartfelt tone is some of the best form of storytelling I have ever seen. While the story might be short and it's tale said by some to be cliched, the message and songs are what really make it stand out. The decision to do stop motion adds to it's awesome factor. It's a film I love to watch at Christmas and Halloween, making it two for the price of fun.

Video by Demolishern

14: Indiana Jones: Raiders of the lost Ark

This was kind of a toss up between Lost ark and Last Crusade, so I decided to go with the first and original classic. The collaborated efforts of my favorite director and the representative of childlike imagination in fiction (you know, before he became the nightmare child of fiction) show an ability to be nostalgic and new (like a police-box). While when the plot can be quite silly when you think about it, they took it seriously, giving it a dark overtone and included fast paced action, childlike scares and a sense of epic adventure that makes everyone feel like a kid whenever that great John Williams music pops up.

 

video belongs to tkearton15

13: Nowhere Boy
While a later film in this list is clearly exploitative of the Beatles image, this is of it's own design all together. Telling a story unknown to most, about the pre-Beatles years of John Lennon's life, it is destined to be a cultural icon. The reveal of the meeting of his mother, Paul and George are minor next to the familial rifts that formed around John. It can be heartbreaking and crowd pleasing, not to mention bringing us closer to the man behind the Beatles. Again the artistic liberties annoyed some, but they can easily be shrugged off, as the entire film is carried by a charismatic Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Also the cheeky ending by not even mentioning the name, shows how much of distance there is between John Lennon and The Beatles. He was not the Beatles, he was the Walrus.

This belongs to CulturClub France

12: 2001: A Space odyssey
Possibly one of the greatest Space films of all time, no wonder they call this the ultimate trip. I won't lie, when I saw this film, it went right over my head. But the beauty of this film lies in it's ability to suck you in with more to discover and giving you a reason to re-watch. The poetry and science reflect and bounce off each other like an equal and opposite reaction, it still frightens me how accurate the film could be given the time period. In fact it scares me on a subconscious level how closely we rely on technology and thus is a cautionary tale of how evolution can kill as well as enlighten.

Courtesy of MoviesHistory

11: Donnie Darko
Donnie is an ass-hole, I know that now, but I still like him. The film has undergone many transitions of subconscious meanings, from a critique of religion being an organisation rather than a community to expression of free speech to a loving send up to the classic Science-fiction of old. I still find the side characters intriguing, the villain menacing and the ideas creative. I feel there needs to be at least one thought provoking film on a best of/top no. list and this is my one. I feel the characters are relatable and story to be one of the best. I would recommend avoiding explanation videos of the films true meaning, as it would just infuriate you more.

Thanks to Xnear

Avatar the last Airbender Sozins comet

As the Nickelodeon animated TV show, Avatar the Last Airbender, drew to a close, fans were riled to see how their favorite show would end. Gaining legions of followers over the past three years and I having only finding out about it five years after it had finished just how amazing it was, I was determined to see how it it ended. I should note now that unless you have seen the show, I recommend turning away now and watch the series from beginning to end. I plan on using many spoilers and references to other episodes. So be warned, for I shall review "Avatar the last Airbender Sozins comet".

SPOILERS!SPOILERS!SPOILERS!SPOILERS!SPOILERS!

Ahem...There are spoilers ahead.

Now as a finale, all plot threads needed to be rounded up. But at the same time continuity was needed to be kept. So characteristics like Aangs reluctance to kill had to be addressed, considering that most of the pop-culture Messiahs (I'll explain in Herouary{January} my Messiah protocol theory) have directly or otherwise caused the death of the main and/or secondary Antagonist. So they used a very clever technique to avoid this and keep this characteristic. The pressure is also piled on as this is the end of not only the series, but essentially an era of the shows history. So nostalgia, Easter eggs and slight-of-hand was used to make this a memorable experience.

The story plays out as Aang is struggling to master Firebending as thought by his former nemesis, now mentor Prince Zuko. Things don't get better as it is revealed that Zuko's father, Firelord Ozai, plans to use a comet as a source of Super-Firebending and burn whats left of the earth to create a new empire from the ashes. Frustrated, Aang is constantly told by many that it is his destiny to destroy the Firelord and bring balance by his death. But this clashes with his pacifist airbending nature and seeks new methods of defeating him. But Aang is called away to a mysterious island and the next morning is nowhere to be found. His friends, Sokka, Kitara, Toph, Zuko and Suki, each search to find him, but come up empty handed. Out of options, they seek the help of General Iroh, Zuko's uncle who had disappeared after their failed siege of the Fire nation Capital. Meanwhile, Ozai makes for his final preparations and crowns himself Phoenix King, while crowning Azula, his daughter and Zuko's sister, Firelord. Her mentality is slipping more and more, especially after the betrayal of her friends previously and so is paranoid of and banishes everyone. Meeting masters of many forms of combat art and bending, Sokka, Toph and Suki are sent to dismantle the air fleet of the Fire Nation and Zuko and Kitara are sent to defeat Azula. As all battles build, it is only the Avatar who can end the hundred year war and bring balance to the world. (Yeesh and I thought Les Miserables had too many plot threads)

Seeing this for the first time, I thought it was great, seeing it a second time, I thought it was a near perfect way to end a great show. When I say near perfect, I mean 99.9% awesome. My .1% falls into the airing, continuity and partially the Deus ex Machina. For airing, the finale was aired as a two hour movie, perfect. But it's release was as a four part (apparently 88 minutes minus commercials). This can be irritating when it leaves you on a cliff-hanger, I really wish it would be edited into a flowing narrative without interruptions. As for continuity, a commercial came out for the Legend of Korra on the second episode and this dissipated any suspense the show had left. If they revealed after the final airing, maybe we would be holding our breath, but it felt like the last two Doctor Who finales. It was sad to see these eras end and see the Doctor leave, but the knowledge that they were replaced before the episode is aired left us expectant of this new Doctor and it didn't catch us off-guard, when it should have, as it revealed the new Doctor. And I can say I do not like the look of Korra. Apparently it was continuing the story, but honestly, i'm just not that interested in it. The idea is good and it does continue the story, but the characters are annoying and I miss the old guys. 

But for the Deus ex Machina, the more I thought about(and you really should), it actually makes sense. The Lion turtle that gave Aang this new ability was referenced to in previous episodes and we are living in a world where animals are cross-bred and people can bend the elements to their will. This fits into the world they have created, although I will understand it's delay in arrival. In films like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, the protagonist must defeat the dark lord of ultimate power and are helped out at the last minute by a rushed rule not understood by anyone unless they have read the books throughout. The Deathly Hollows should have been introduced much earlier and how Harry defeated Voldemort I never understood. In Lord of the Rings why couldn't the Eagles fly closer to Mount Doom to save the hero's the long, dangerous journey, but then suddenly because Sauron is dead, we can now go there. (Cough) Bullshit (Cough)! Here, we really do get a good idea that this is the unquestionably likely outcome of the events that took place. 

I really didn't think Ozai was that great a villain, I think it would have been much better if Zuko and Aang had to fight off Azula, who had overpowered her father and took his place. But the image is more powerful with what we got. I never felt he was shown enough for us to believe he was much of a physical threat. Don't get me wrong, the battle is great, but the villain is rather weak. This is why I hold the fact that Azula is probably one of the best antagonists ever. Her defeat is so satisfying to see, she truly was the villain we loved to hate. And like all others I was displeased with the most fateful loss...of space sword. Don't lie, you cried out when disappeared from view. But just like the series, it had it's great comedy from Aang, Sokka and surprisingly from Zuko. Yeah, he has grown a funny bone over these past few years. It also had the awesome action with the retaking of Ba Sing Se, the destruction of the air fleet, taking down Azula and depowering the Firelord. Oh, the last one was amazing, you really felt the animators cared passionately for the finale. It was loud, fast paced and tense, the lightning crackle turned everything from hellish red to terrifying blue, you felt the punches and kicks and the resolution. I Think this is some of the best animation I have ever seen, the symbolism, the themes and the power all represented by blinding red and blue light of corruption and good. And, I won't lie, I cried at the scenes when Zuko reunited with Iroh, it was beautiful and compassionate. But the other was tears of Joy. Seeing Aang and Kitara FINALLY admit their feelings is welcomed by me most of all. I know of the theories, like Zuko and Kitara or Aang and Toph, but I say...Shut Up. I like them together the way they are.

So overall opinion, it is probably the most fitting finale given to a series of this magnitude. The moral is better than any other I have heard. In others like Star Wars or Harry Potter, where the hero's must destroy the dark lord as fate has said it, this animated Nickelodeon TV series has a much better moral than films written by serious writers who want to write a serious story. That we can find any other way to stop cruelty and evil other than killing, is probably the best way to prove a character than any other. 

Gravity Falls

Lets get it off our chests, It's not a movie, it's a animated TV series that was introduced to me by a friend. He told me about a character named old man McGucket. So driven mad with curiosity, he showed me it and now I am binge watching it. In fact, tomorrow I'm gonna review Avatar: The last Airbender "Into the Inferno". But I don't really see these shows on par with each other in terms of maturity and writing. Allow me to elaborate.

In Gravity Falls, the series revolves around two siblings, named Dipper and Mabel, as they travel to the mysterious town of the same name. They stay with their Grunkle Stan, the cheap, con artist owner of the "Mystery Shack". While there, they discover conspiracies and mystical and dangerous Black arts. I say Black arts as they put in everything from weird creatures, voodoo, the occult, psychics and so on and so forth. They interact with many of the towns residents including Soos, a lazy, accident prone employee of the shack and Wendy, the nonchalant, easy going love interest of Dipper (she's 15 and Dippers 12, so in a few years it might work out). They also interact with many others, but more about that in a minute. They combat the threats with the use of a journal of practically all the monsters and dangers present. All in all, it makes for quite an interesting Summer.

If I had to say, my favorite character is Grunkle Stan. He's a delightful grump and eccentric yet is also charismatic. I enjoy his attitude, including thinking he is superior because his cons work and his yearning for riches and power. His big reveal at the end is actually a bit of a shock and I have developed a theory around it. Dipper and Mabel are nice, there's nothing really bad about them and they keep our interest. Mabel is really energetic and Dipper is very much grounded in terms of his "reality". As long as they keep our interest and don't really teach any bad messages, I'd say this is suitable for all. The only character I am not to big a fan of is Soos, he's not terrible, but I've seen his character before. He's lazy, yet lovable, he makes mistakes, but always keeps that grin on his face. Again, he's not bad, but I've seen his character before and I would like to see more than a comedic foil. But I can't complain about voice acting, the actors have created memorable performances which help make the characters, especially Alex Hirsch who voices Stan and McGucket.

The other cast of characters include two dimwitted officers that make chief Wiggum look like Columbo (Seriously they can't do anything right, I don't know what their problem is), Robbie V, a punk rocker of a boyfriend to Wendy and Dippers rival, Lil' Gideon, a power hungry "psychic" with a thing for Mabel and Old Man McGucket. Good god, this man need his own show. Besides Grunkle Stan, he is by far the funniest character in the show. He is an insane, hillbilly stereotype with a mind for machines, but is unstable and constantly seeks attention (that and...GOLD!!!GOTTA FIND ME SOME GOOOOLD...Sorry about that, It happens whenever anyone mentions G-O-L-D) He is probably my favorite character along with Stan just due to their eccentric nature and cartoony sense of humour.

Speaking of senses of humour, remember when I said this show differed from Avatar in terms of maturity. Well it's more mature with its comedic writing. There is always a sort of double-entendre or in joke that most under thirteen won't get. But it also has a very juvenile sense of humor, like Mabel or Soos. Both are childish and random, yet fit well into the environment. While on the subject of writing, it is very clever and really well thought out. The use of myths, legends and conspiracy theories is well done in keeping our attention, as well as balancing simplistic comedy and complex mysteries. It actually reminds me of Twin Peaks mixed with Sleepy hollow and Fish hooks (not surprising, since Alex Hirsch created this and Fish Hooks). In fact it's eerily similar to Twin Peaks, with the mystery and the quirky town folk. The Simpsons is actually similar to it as well. Pop-culture references a plenty, celebrity cameos and an absurd story line to boot. I think that's what makes this show really good, it's awesome comedy.

When I think about it, the show can actually get pretty violent. People are battered and mutilated off screen, cartoon effects disguise the actual facts of damage (for example, a gnome is kicked in the stomach very roughly and vomits up rainbows, replacing the blood from internal bleeding). Fights occur in each episode or battles occur in the back ground. There also seems to be areas of threat and some scary imagery that is welcomed, considering it's a Disney show. 

As for my theory, unless you watches all the first series, don't read any further (and no this isn't reverse psychology, do not read any further):
Old man McGucket discovered the secrets of Gravity Falls and wrote the Journal. Wanting to gain this knowledge, Old man McGucket wrote how he knew Grunkle Stan was pursuing him, so hid the book. This was confirmed when we saw screen shots of a younger McGucket writing the book. On the front cover, a six fingered left hand is seen. McGucket has a bandage around one of his hands. I believe he cut off his sixth finger to hide himself. After gaining the three books off of Gideon and Dipper, Stan installed them into a device to power it. We have yet to see more.

To finish off I will give you my favorite part of this show, the opening titles.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

You knew this was coming, now we shall review it. I doubt it will be news to anyone that this is actually one of my favorite films of all time, my favorite animated films and my favorite Tim Burton film (yes I know Henry Selick directed it, but Burton wrote the story and produced it). But I do believe that this is fairly underrated in terms of animated films and I believe so many more should see it.

The reason Burton was unable to direct was due to his involvement with the directing of Batman Returns. Instead he hired his friend Henry Selick to direct, while he produced. The story came from Burton while he was still working in Disney and was heavily inspired by How the Grinch stole Christmas, Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer and by his own upbringing as a very solitary child. Intending to have it made into a TV special and have narration by Vincent Price, he pitched the idea, but was rejected. He returned with Danny Elfman writing the songs and score and Selick directing. 

The story is of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween, who brings Halloween to children all over the world. He and the population of Halloween Town celebrate each year in the same manner and now poor Jack has become depressed and bored by these old traditions. He yearns for new adventures and so searches for these new methods. In a sub-plot, a rag doll creation of the towns local mad scientist (wonder if he knows my towns local mad scientist), named Sally, also yearns for adventure and seeks it out by any means necessary. She is in love with Jack, but is much too shy to speak to him. Meanwhile, Jack discovers a route to the holiday world and finds Christmas Town. Inspired, he seeks methods of recreating Christmas in his image, but still capture the joy he felt in finding something new.

I have two reasons that there should be a larger audience for The nightmare before Christmas.

Point One: It's scary. I personally don't find it in the least bit unsettling or scary, but surprisingly many still do years after. This is important for children growing up as it teaches them fear and helps them overcome fear. But this is a more subtle fear. It's not in your face gore and blood, it's not a monster tearing people apart like in, say, Piranha or Paranormal Activity. No, these are just for shock value and aren't particularly memorable. These are fears about broken dreams and unhappiness. True it throws creepy imagery at you, but it also builds up an environment where the main characters are disappointed or miserable about their lives turn of events. Really think about this when you watch it next time. Ask yourself have I ever felt that way. The answer is, we all have. We dream of great accomplishments and amazing feats. This film not only teaches about these fears, but sub-consciously about overcoming them. But It's Christmas, let's not discuss the gravity of fear at such a peaceful time, instead our next point is,
Joy: while scares are there, the joy is most definitely there as well. We sense Jack's joy by his admiration of the Christmas spirit. This helps the Scrooges and Grinch's who are caught in a rut. By searching for new alternatives in places we never thought we would find them also introduces the subject of change. Change is hard and we need to accept that fact. But just like the namesake it can change as well. By trying something new we find something new about ourselves in the process: Potential. We can do anything when we set our minds to it and this film is the prime example of such. Heck, change can remind us of what we have or had and teaches us to be more grateful for these gifts. So at the end, when Jack has returned to his old ways, he grateful for the experience and has learned to love what he does.

But I just love the film. I watch it every Christmas and I think it's somewhere very high on my top 20 favorite films. But why do I like it. The morbid themes among the heart-warming story. They capture the worlds of joy and of creepiness with such accuracy, the type of worlds we think of when we say Halloween and Christmas. I also love the moral as I have explained above. But what really sets it apart is the music. This has one of the best soundtracks ever composed in a movie by Tim Burton or Henry Selick. My favorites would have to be "This is Halloween", "Jacks Lament" and "Poor Jack". The first is mainly because of how catchy it is, but the other two are because of how they voice the emotions of the character, like most musicals should. And the creativity of the locations and the story reaches Miyazaki levels of genius. Jack is such a relatable and entertaining lead and we join him for the ride for one of the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! I will admit some of the side characters are a bit forgettable, but the main focus is on Jack, where it should be. The villain Oogie Boogie has probably one of the best villain songs in cinema, it's lively and also swimming with evil. At first I didn't really buy the romance between Jack and Sally, until I realized it was developing behind the scenes and that jack was searching for love and happiness and finds in the last place he would look. This leads to one of the more heartfelt songs and the more beautiful images in the film. This hammers in the message of Christmas that extends to all of us.

Be with whom you love and cherish, take pity on those who done you wrong (unless they treat your friends shamefully) and accept change as it comes, with an open mind and a open heart.

Video by Fill10000, all credit to him.

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

I think I love Anime now. Yeah, weird isn't it, those who know me knew how much I thought Anime was overrated, bubbly and irritating. But the more I think about it, Anime has been part of my life since I was six, like many of us. I grew up up watching Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, many of these films are underrated compared to the more mainstream American films and they have great imagination and creativity. But at the same time I can get really annoyed by people telling me that it's flawless and incorruptible. The story can be lacking in some, the characters can be over-sexualised (Thank you Sailor Moon) and the animation can be disorientating some times due to how over-the-top or flashy it can be. Hopefully some films take a page out of this film in it's creativity and ingenuity.

And this film is actually very innovative in its animation and story-telling techniques. Here they communicate through their facial expressions and the music. It's essentially a silent movie, with the occasional use of sound effects. It was a collaboration between french house Daft Punk and Japanese director Kazuhisa Takenouchi for a visual realization of the album Discovery. I wonder what the pitch was like for this movie. The music will be based on: Daft Punk, the animation will be: Anime and the story will be:

Four aliens in a band who are kidnapped by an eccentric, evil music producer so that he can make millions off of controlling their minds and making them the optimum music experience. But a malevolent plot underlines their success and a member of their species races to save their lives as he is infatuated with Stella, the bands Bassist. Arriving on earth they are converted into a generic rock band and have their memories erased to be more compliant to demands. They are an instant hit and are marketed world-wide. It's a race against time to save the band from a fate worse than death (turned into pop stars)

The film is too short for me to find any real problem. I mean, this is the first non-Miyazaki Anime I have seen and it just pops. The Anime is used to great effect, creating worlds and cultures and even simulating the ending of 2001:a Space Odyssey as they fly through space and dimensions. The designs and movements are flowing, and the characters each have their own designs that reflect their personality. Stella is slender and meek, yet no-nonsense and caring, Baryl is short and energetic, yet tough and quick, etc. The villain is also very good, his evil holds no bounds as he seeks vast amount of power. My only real problem is it's length. It felt less like a movie and more like a very long, but very good music video. And the music is just fantastic. It's like an updated Fantasia with modern music and imagery. I found this movie after I listened to Daft Punk for a while (yea, I like Daft Punk, what about it!). The music produces a feeling of space and mystery, while at the same time keeps the excitement and wonder of exploration. I think my favorites are "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", "One More Time" and "Digital Love". Oh and for those who think Kanye West can hold a candle to the original you will be sorely mistaken. It did so much from one little idea and it really paid off. Critics and audiences loved it, now so do I. It felt like an experience and a trip that you never wanted to end.

Spirited Away

Bet your curious aren't you, you think just because I review a majority of films positively, that I will automatically give this movie a good review. Keep in mind I have given films that are considered Masterpieces poor reviews. Bet your shaking in fear now. Well, allow me to continue and give, this movie, my truly honest opinion.

Released in 2001 in Japanese theatres, the film had received rave reviews and was the highest earning film since Titanic. Seeing this, lifelong fan of Miyazaki John Lasseter was determined that all should see it. He set work on hiring many professionals fit for the task of dubbing the film to perfect timing. Not only bringing in renowned script writers and fitting words to mouth movements, he used actors that would try nail the personalities of each individual character. These included big names like Tara Strong of Fairly Odd Parents, Teen Titans and Xiaolin Showdown fame (are you fan-gasming yet?) and Daveigh Chase from Donnie Darko, The Ring and Lilo and Stitch (fan-gasm commenced). Miyazaki explained how he had two other ideas to pitch, but were rejected. Instead he pitched an idea based off of his friends lazy ten year old daughter (remind you of anyone?) and Alice in Wonderland. 

The story follows the standard ten year old sour-puss with no regard for others, whines a lot and is a spoiled brat. Chihiro (荻野 千尋) and her obnoxious parents are moving to a new town and she is terrified of change. On their way, they get lost and wind up in a abandoned train station which leads to an abandoned fair ground. While there the parents engorge themselves on a feeding frenzy like pigs (Oh the anvil of irony...OW! Who put that there!). Exploring, Chihiro discovers a bath house still running, but is confronted by a young boy, named Master Haku, who tells her to leave. Running back she finds her parents and you'll never guess what happened to them. No really, guess. Tracing her steps, she makes her way to the entrance, but finds it turned into a river. Haku finds her and brings her to the bath house. Assuring her and her parents safety, Chihiro searches for a job off of the malevolent witch Yubaba, to stay in the spirit world and save her parents.

Lets get off what is bad about this film and there are somethings that really irk me about it.
On is the parents, I have never met any pair more inconsiderate of their child's opinion or safety, or as greedy as the pigs they are a metaphor of. This culminates into a poor first five minutes which introduces us to the Character Chihiro in such a negative light, as with her parents. The other is the abrupt ending and the parents not learning their lesson about greed and consideration. 

Hey guess what.....DECEMBER FOOLS ASS HOLES! Do you think I would dislike this film just because it's extremely well received in all regards, no, this film deserves all its praise. The animation, the creativity and imagination, the incredibly likable characters and the sheer amount of EPICNESS packed into two and a half hours. Chihiro evolves, like a main character should from a whiny, terrified girl, to a self assured and braver hero. I compare her to Luke Skywalker or Frodo or Harry Potter. The character is set up, placed on a journey and learns more about themselves and evolves to something greater. At the end you are happy to see her become something greater and are proud to see how intelligent a character is by learning from her mistakes. The other characters like Kamajii, the boiler geezer(Her surrogate Grand-father), Lin, a worker who employs her (Her surrogate big sister), Zeniba, a rival witch (her surrogate Grand-mother) and Haku, her closest friend in a world as mad as a march hare. I called each character those roles because I just love how they support and treat with upmost respect Chihiro. One thing I didn't like about the hype this movie is that it was treated as complete originality, which when you think about it most ideas are inspired subconsciously by another idea. It was sort of inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, but it wasn't responcible for the creation of scenarios, characters, designs, locations and lessons learned. Included also is the scary imagery of pig parents and the spirit No-Face. I believe he inspired the spirit of Summer-ween from Gravity Falls. His quiet nature and monstrous appearance really is unsettling. But he is a quirky character with a lot of heart. I guess you could say that about the entire film, nothing but heart and passion, a vision was brought to life in the most incredible way possible. Everyone has their favorite scene, mine is Chihiro serving the Stink spirit and saving it's life. It really fills you with joy and happiness. The other is when the characters are travelling on a train. Doug Walker pointed this out, but the scene has a good sense of Atmosphere and has great pacing. No dialog and beautiful imagery is perfect combo for a mesmerizing scene. I also love the Music, especially The Return when Chihiro is travelling back to the bath house.

One thing I don't get is why everyone says Anime and Animation are different. It's not, Anime is a form of Animation. Animation is, and I quote, 

Animation is the process of creating a continuous motion and shape change illusion by means of the rapid display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other.

                                                                       So there, stick that in your pipe and smoke it. 
You know I would say watch this movie quickly, but would I dare say you have already seen it.
I would love to hear your opinion, please send in your response (To do so, click No Comment and type in what you'd like to say) and I am also on Facebook and Twitter, please like or join or click to follow my posts.

Video by cosmo111687

Basil The Great Mouse Detective

By this point I think I know my audience well enough. I know you know that after at least sixty updates, fifty cult films and a year of progress, that I review obscure, underrated, cult followed films and television. So at this point I think if you can handle films about Killer clowns and TV shows about an alien who travels in time and space in a phone-box, then I am sure you can handle a story about a anthropomorphic mouse version of Sherlock Holmes.  

Yea, I'm reviewing this movie from my childhood about a walking talking mouse who is the rodent equivalent of Sherlock Holmes. I saw this at a young age and to tell the truth I didn't find it that great. It wasn't funny as it didn't have a lot of jokes I got, the characters were mean and there were no songs that I liked. Today, those are some of it's greatest strengths. I get the jokes, the characters are diverse and memorable and only two songs that are put in there as a villain song and just a normal song in a certain environment is better than songs right the hell out of nowhere. I love the character Sherlock Holmes and so I love Basil. Let's wait until later to discuss the good and the bad.

Now the story starts out as following Olivia Flaversham, the daughter of a clockwork toy maker who is kidnapped by a crippled bat. He was sent by the notorious Napoleon of Crime, Professor Ratigan, in hope of building him a robotic replica of the Queen of England who will name him, at her Diamond Jubilee, as ruler of the mice of England. But close on his tail is Basil of Baker street, the worlds greatest detective. Olivia meets a newly out of service Dr. Dawson, who assists her in finding Basil. Together they set out to find Mr. Flaversham and save the crown. 

The story is quite short as you can see and that leads to my major problem for this movie, It's a bit too short. I am unsure of why this is, but it's a little over an hour and ten minutes long. But at the same time I believe this to be the optimum amount of time for a Sherlock Holmes story (but more about that later.). My other problem is that the animation is not that great. I mean the characters and their movements are good, plus the climax has excellent use of CGI which make for a great battle scene. But the backgrounds, the design of London just seems a bit too dark and bit bland, nothing really pops out at me. But in a strange contrast between Black Cauldron and Mouse Detective, I found only two good elements in the former and two poor elements in the latter. As for everything else, I really do like it. For the main character to switch from Olivia to Basil was a good idea as Olivia's cuteness can only last so long before it gets annoying. And you know what, Basil is probably my third favorite portrayal of Sherlock, right after Benedict Cumberbatch and Jeremy Brett. His intelligence, ego, mannerisms and bravery is a great portrayal of Holmes. But not only that, he is also one of the best Disney protagonists ever. Most others are handsome or pretty Princes and Princesses who sing and dance with animals. But this change is so much more interesting and a nice change from the standard Disney formula. I suppose, while we're talking about him, I personally don't much care for Jonny Lee Miller from Elementary. I don't think he's bad, I'm just not that interested in the American adaption when I have a perfectly good version in England.

Then there is Professor Ratigan, who is voiced by non-other than Vincent Price (Edward Scissorhands,  The Abominable Dr Phibes, The Fly). Mr Price eventually went on to say this was one of his favorite roles. And he has received universal acclaim from all critics and audiences as living the role with his usual eccentricity and menace. In fact just thinking about it, if he had lived much longer, he would have been perfect for the portrayal of Moriarty in multiple other Sherlock Holmes adaptions. And of course I believe this to be my second favorite portrayal of Moriarty after Andrew Scott from Sherlock. He is so caught up in his evil and "nastiness" you can't help but laugh with him. The animosity between Ratigan and Sherlock rival that of a real Sherlock Holmes episode (in fact, lets discuss that now). In most adaptions, You need at least one hour to set the characters, develop them, set the tone and atmosphere and show the gradual development of the case. This needs at least an hour, otherwise it feels rushed and clunky. I think this is why I don't like a forty minute long episode of Elementary, as it just feels rushed and less like a story, but more like a crime drama without the cleverness or wit of the original source material.

How about the other characters. They are good too, like Dawson, Olivia and Holmes' pet dog Toby. They are enjoyable and contribute enough. I like the way they made Dawson less of a comedic bumbling fool and more of a stern, upper society yet outside his comfort zone. Sure he can stumble about a bit, but he's not meant to be the main intellect, he's the heart and anchor for Basil to make sure he is not to drawn off course. And while we are here, I enjoy the comedy. All the references, Basil's over the top reactions, Ratigans evilness and other subtle humour. I think the songs are OK. My favorite being Ratigans villain song. It's so cheerful and energetic and all in praise of a insane criminal mastermind. The other, as I stated earlier, takes place in a seedy pub. So to entertain the men obviously a seedy music number is played to keep the drunks in check.

And that is it, I look forward to seeing what you think of tomorrows review and please leave a comment for whatever film you want seen reviewed. Goodnight, good-day, good evening and good morning. (PS, here is my favorite scene in the movie)

All credit to Wimberly Wilson on youtube.

The Black Cauldron

This movie is boring. I think I should leave it at that. Seriously, don't watch this, It will bore and anger you, it's so bad. Oh all right, I'll go into more detail about it. But believe me, you should listen to my first few lines.

Based on the five part novel series, The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander, the story is based off Welsh Mythology and tells the tale of Taran as he goes on journeys and adventures with his band of friends. It was a very dark book and very deep, with good ideas and mythology. So naturally, after the passing of Walt Disney, they sought to make a movie based off the first novel and probably make a series much like Lord of the Rings. But it was a long time since the release of the previous film and a lot of money was put into the film, that I think it lost sight of what it was trying to do and just tried to earn back how much was put in. And, what do you know? The film flopped, critics and audiences were displeased and were unsatisfied with the end result.

And what was that end result. After a confusing opening, we meet our hero Taran. An assistant pig feeder who dreams of being a great warrior. He gets his chance when it is discovered that the pig can see the future (really?) and Taran is sent to bring the pig to safety (Why Him?Surely the pig owner knows how to take better care of the pig). But The Horned King searches for a mystical Black Cauldron, a magical source of power that can raise an army of Darkness and grant unbelievable power. To find it he finds the pig and Taran and imprisons them both. While imprisoned, he meets Princess Eilonwy and a musician named Fflewddur. They escape and meet a small creature named Gurgi (The equivalent to Smeagol) and together search for the Black Cauldron.

According to different sources, many scenes were cut out that included extreme violence. This is where are main problem lies. Not that I crave battle and blood, but the film is a dark film, but yet it feels so restrained. In my opinion they should have gone all the way and tried to scare us and intrigue us with complex plot and good character. It fails in most areas. The story is way too short and it's padded with unfunny dialog or jokes, little action despite being a fantasy film associated with a novel and the characters are bland, cowardly, unfunny and vain. The main character Taran is so self-obsessed that he causes most of the problems in the movie by negating his responsibilities and fantasizing. The Princess, as far as female protagonists go, is poorly done. She has no development apart from a sentence and is useless (she does literally nothing throughout the entire film). Gurgi is so bad as comic relief. Most have a problem with his voice, but to tell the truth I don't find it that bad. But when he sacrifices himself at the end, you feel no emotion for him. On watchmojo, they placed his sacrifice higher than the Iron Giant (No comment!) and I really wish people would stop giving this film so much slack. I feel as though this film came out when a lot of studios were trying to do adventure/fantasy films. Films like Warner Bros Quest for Camelot and Baksi's Lord of the Rings are classic examples.

But out of all the bad things in this movie, two stand out as good. One is the animation, as I said they put a lot of money into this and it really shows. The shadows, the designs, the magic performed and the movements all seem very flowing. It's just a shame there was a poor adaption of the story for this. The other is the villain. The Horned King is not only badass in design, but also in personality and character. He destroys everything and everyone and has little regard for life. Also being voiced by John Hurt doesn't affect him. One of the greatest actors ever in one of the worst films I have ever seen, only he shines out. But even this film found a way to screw him over. The ending is so anti-climatic and slow, that you can just guess how the film ends and turn it off. I heard this film was developing a cult following, but as a reviewer of cult movies and having seen nearly sixty-four of the best and worst, all I can say is...PLEASE DON'T DO IT! It is unworthy of the mainstream audiences and the underground Cult followers. My advice, watch The Iron Giant or the Baksi Lord of the Rings.
You know what else, I'm not putting a video on my blog for this, instead I direct you to Doug walker's website to get an extra opinion.

http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/specials/33645-disneycember-part-9

Yellow Submarine

How can I describe this film. Imagine taking LSD, weed and Marijuana all at the same time. Being a Saturday night, I believe half of you are stoned right now or half have a hangover from yesterday. Well, imagine that and then you decided to sneak into a low budget British animation studio and just for the hell of it, you made a film. It would be sober compared to this film (which is ironic considering the people who wrote this were sober). 

Based on some songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Lee Minof and Erich Segal took ques also from contemporary writings of poet Roger McGough, included puns, double entendres, in-jokes and pop-culture references. Also included are an assortment of psychedelic rock hits including "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds", "All you need is love" and the title song "Yellow Submarine" (one of my personal favourites, if I do say so myself). Also prevalent are memorable characters, imaginative landscapes and locations and, apparently, social and political satire.

The plot, (yes, it actually has one that makes sense this time!), tells the tale of "Young Fred" sent from Pepperland to find help after an army of Blue Meanies invade. He comes across the Beatles and asks each one for their help. They agree and race back to Pepperland and save it's inhabitants for the dreaded Blue Meanies. Along the way the pick up Hitchhiker Jeremy Hillary Boop PhD. They journey through the sea of monsters, the sea of time, the sea of nothing and the sea of holes. It's all in your mind you know. After hi-jinks ensue, they battle the forces of the Meanies with the most important things in the world...(Acid?) no it's music and love.

I find this to be one of the trippiest films I have ever seen. Wild imagery, crazy characters and bizarre situations. And that is why many like me, love this film. It is just like a Beatles song integrated with the mad mindscape of miyazaki. The visuals, the humour (oh the humour, let me tell you, if you have ever seen a recording of the Beatles performing, seen them performing or watched A Hard Days Night, the film captures it perfectly with pinpoint precision) and the Beatles immortalized on film as cartoons. The film brought a whole new outlook on animation. It can be taken seriously and it can be adult orientated (not in the way you are thinking...mind like a sewer you've got) but it can be aimed at just the mature. By now the humour is quite tame and it can be viewed by pretty much anybody. The reason it has such a huge Cult following is because of it's distinct animation style, it look's as though each frame were drawn on paper, like pages of a book then flipped creating a flowing motion. All the characters have their own walk and persona. Paul is a young Beethoven, George is a deep, guru type and poor Ringo feels like a pair broken drum-sticks. Of course the other characters like Sam and Jeremy are a lot of fun, both are eccentric and over-the-top and so enjoyable to watch. For some unknown reason I always think of communism when I see the Blue Meanies (well that or the Joker off of Batman the animated Series). I think that would have been very apt. The non-conformity of a universal grayness in the environment, lack of appreciation for art or expression, etc, etc, etc. I mean there is such an atmosphere to this, everywhere feels exciting and dangerous, the characters are eccentric and quirky, the locations are vast and impressive and the music.

GOOD GOD! the music is among the best I have heard. My personal favorites are "Hey Bulldog" and "When I'm sixty-four". The song sequences are probably the opposite of The Prince of Egypt, less of expressing the characters feelings and more for just putting in the songs. But this only heralded the age of music videos and lead to greater creativity. Now of course I have two problems with the movie. One, like I said, the song sequences have little to no point except for a brief interlude of song, so you could probably skip a few, but they entertain so I recommend you to watch them. My other is that the Beatles had little involvement except for allowing the use of their songs and for cameos at the end. But by this point they were tired and just wanted to do music. Out of all the films with the Beatles name, this and Hard days night are my favourite. Is it for everybody? No, but fans of The Beatles and lovers of animation will love it. It is certainly better than many other movies about singers just to exploit their image for money (Ahem...Never say never...ahem..Justin Bieber...Ahem!), the animators and the studio took it seriously, so we took it seriously.

This video is owned by The Beatles. All rights to them.

The Prince of Egypt

Let us celebrate our nearing to Christmas by watching another film about...Moses and his freeing of the Hebrew slave from Egypt. I am doing this for the holiday of Hanukkah or Festival of lights, celebrated as a Jewish holiday (like you don't know). My apologies it comes out so late. I won't go into to too much detail for fear of insulting anybody, so instead of concentrating on the religion or history, I will analyse as a film.

I have to admit, I love this film. The music, the scope/size, the animation and the acting. Each actor contributes so much to the character they portray and take it seriously even if the film is animated. For these reasons, it is one of my favourite animated films and you may think it would lead to a biased review. Well actually I do have some complaints and qualms with it. But more about that later. For now, let's concentrate on the plot.

Well, after a huge opening number (seriously, this trumps Lion King's circle of life!) we meet Moses and Ramasses II, both have great power and a loving family. When Moses meets two slaves, they reveal themselves as his siblings. Conflicted over the power he reigns over his own people and the commitment to his family, he tries to find a compromise. But after accidentally killing a slave driver, he runs from home and is met by a group of nomads of Midian. Tzipporah, a woman he met earlier and helped, marries him and they settle to a peaceful life. But God of the Hebrews calls on Moses to free the slave of Egypt, to let his people go. (Okay, by now that is a lot of plot, but there is so much more). Setting off the Egypt, he finds that his brother is now Pharaoh and must appeal to him for their freedom. It is now a battle of two opposing forces, with the many false Gods of Egypt under the command of an embittered Ramasses versus the Moses with the influence of God and his extended family of the Hebrews.

Now the film has a lot going for it. The stellar cast including Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum, Sandra Bullock, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren and more! (Sorry, but there are reasons this film is underrated and reasons why it should not, this is one of those reasons). Also it has brilliant animation and it's made by Spielberg's company, Dreamworks, whats not to like. How about the comedy. Not all, but most of the comedy here seems in my opinion, very forced. The scenes when the characters are trying to do something funny, it comes off as...well, awkward. Other times it is actually very natural. Casting Jeff Goldblum as Moses brother Aaron actually works because the stammering and timidness in Jeff's voice works for the character, while at the same time can be warm and friendly or cold and abrasive. The main source of comic relief comes from Hotep and Huy (voiced by Steve Martin and Martin Short) and...yeah they are very unnatural given the setting and stand out way too much. That said they do have a good music number. But this all comes down to it, my only fixing of this script would be keeping out all the comedy and going all out to create a darker, more poignant retelling of the story of Exodus. The scenes I spoke of earlier as natural humour, should remain as they offset the darker material making the lighter material much more welcoming after watching the darker stuff. My other complaint is actually personal, as I find the more times I watch it the less effect it has on me. This is due, I suppose, to my ability to retain almost every-single detail from films. I mentioned this in my Scott Pilgrim review, so you get the drill.

As for what I love. Well, everything else. I love the songs, especially the opening song and the Plagues. Each song moves the story along and/or conveys the characters emotions. There are no songs I dislike or favour less. Most of these songs and the incredible score are thanks to one of my favourite composers Hans Zimmer, whom you may have heard of as the composer of the score of The Dark Knight and Gladiator. Also, in case I forget, Moses mother is sung by Ofra Haza, one of the best singers I have ever heard who sadly passed away The actors, as I said, amazing. The intimidating presence of Ralph and the everyman presentation of Val are very good and when you see the development of their character it really feels like historical fact you just watched, even if there are some artistic liberties. The actual size of everything and using the animation to it's fullest potential is really quite incredible. Concentrating on the relationship rather than the religion is actually a really good idea. If religion was the focus it might have caused controversy (or more of it) and it would also be forced. Thank goodness they kept it to the brothers and made us realise that the two were still close even after those many years. And its just an all around feel good film. After watching, you feel a little bit more holy. For atheists and agnostics, you can still enjoy it. Just read all of the above to see whether or not it's your cup of tea. 

I believe the reason nobody talks about this film anymore is the religious themes and the fact that nobody takes animation seriously (even though it has it's own category in the Academy Awards and three animated films are so good they were nominated for Best Picture). The other reason is that some actually compare it against The Ten Commandments. At this point I should think that you would be getting some better points from Nostalgia Critic or Doug Walker. He has Disneycember and Dreamworksuary, while as the critic he has covered it in his old vs new Ten commandments vs Prince of Egypt and in his top 11 underrated nostalgic classics. I don't have to much more to say except that this is a real classic and one of the best animated films of all time.

 Video belongs to Jessica van den Brand