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I've no idea how I came across this film to begin with. Absolutely no idea. But Ewan McGregor sings in it, and that is often a good thing. I'm starting to wonder how often he is hired for this capability of his, and how often he just might throw it in there.
The Bassist joined me in watching this, and not long in to it he asked me whether it was meant to be a comedy. He did chuckle quite a few times, but at the end of it I was left wondering how comedic it was intended to be. It's not obnoxiously funny, it just has some enjoyable lines. And a very amusing montage of attempted ransom calls.
Neither McGregor nor Diaz were overly famous when this was made, which again leaves me wondering how I found it. Perhaps it was on TV at some point. The reason I'm trying to recall is that at the moment it feels like I've just always happened to have this movie in my collection, which obviously isn't the case. I just don't remember seeing it for the first time, nor deciding it would be worth purchasing, nor hunting it down on VHS and I can't even remember the last time I watched it. But I have seen it that many times that I was giggling at moments before they were about to occur (resulting in quizzical glances from The Bassist).
I guess it's just melded in to my teenage experience somehow.
Final Thought: Ian Holm and Stanley Tucci are fascinating, chameleon-esque actors.
Up Next: All Dogs Go To Heaven (1991)
I feel slightly cheated that, although I own this on VHS, there are no trailers. Why is it that trailers on VHS are enjoyable and part of the overall experience, but trailers on DVD are an annoyance? Is it just the nostalgia of it?
Harrison Ford as the president of the United States. A lot of actors have had a go at that by now. Ford's take seems to be that the president is just a normal guy, who wants to watch the football and spend time with his family. Which is somewhat refreshing.
For movie purposes however, he also conveniently has military training and is a war hero, which so many everyman action characters happened to have back in the 90s. So, inevitably, the time comes when our hero has to reluctantly draw from his old training to save the day.
Despite his supposed military training, Harrison Ford fights like he's in a bar brawl. Which I personally think is great. You can believe that he would actually fight that way. When he's hit, he feels it and you can tell. That makes you cheer him on all the more.
And is there any role that Gary Oldman can't play? The man is amazing.
Final Thought: When was the last time a fax machine saved the day?
Up Next: A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
I thought that I'd thought of all the movies I have on VHS from way back when, without actually checking in the box stored under my couch, but it turns out that I didn't do as good a job as I thought.
I forgot about Air Force One and A Life Less Ordinary.
So, although it will mess up my alphabetical order rule, I'm going to add these in.
If I were able to sneak these in manually and keep true to my alphabetical order, I would, but I think I'm trapped in chronological posts.
Dammit.
I used to insist that my father read Alice In Wonderland to me every night. When I got a little older, Alice Through The Looking Glass was one of the first proper books I read on my own. That may be why I've always liked Through The Looking Glass just a little bit more - I felt so proud to have read it all by myself, and I thought myself quite clever for that.
Disney's version of Alice mixes elements from Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass into the one film. And I must admit, this isn't one of my favourite Disney cartoons.
I don't find this film as elegant as some other Disney cartoons, but I'm having trouble pinpointing why. I thought it may be because Alice is just a bit too affected, but then she's supposed to be precocious and slightly bratty. Yet, something didn't quite translate from the books. She's always trying to act grown up, but she never quite feels obnoxious in the books, whereas she sometimes does in the film.
I do feel like story doesn't really follow a consistent path, but then neither do the books, and neither do dreams, so that lack of a path is merely a factor of the story itself. Most likely the fact that I'm so used to the books means that the use of elements from both of them disrupts the story for me. I wonder what I'd think if I didn't know the books so well?
There's also something that bothers me about the way the dream characters are drawn. Again, I'm having trouble specifying what it is. It just doesn't feel as lovely as 101 Dalmatians or Beauty And The Beast, for example.
There's been numerous attempts to adapt Alice for the screen over the years, and to me they never quite make it. (Tim Burton, as much as I like his earlier work, and if anyone could do it, you'd think he could. But his version was a disgrace and I don't want to talk about it). I think the problem with Alice is that the fact it mainly takes place in a dream world. No matter how extravagant you try to be when filming it, it will always seem that it's not fantastical enough.
Final Thought: It's nowhere in the books, but the scene in the film where Alice is trying to find a path through the forest and encounters various strange birds is actually my favourite part, as it turns out.
Up Next: All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
This is a Disney film that I know for certain I watched over and over again as a kid. This may have been the first Disney film I saw at the cinema, I'm not sure. The VHS is stored under my couch. I bought the soundtrack. I memorised all the lyrics. I even memorised the opening monologue and several of the scenes. I have since, somehow, misplaced that soundtrack CD, which is incredibly disappointing.
It's hard to imagine what this movie would have been like without Robin Williams as the Genie. I remember watching a couple of episodes of the spin off TV series one Saturday morning, and being tremendously disappointed. It just wasn't the same without Robin Williams. Any actor who took on the role after him was stuck trying to imitate what he did, which rarely succeeds.
This film sparked the trend for using big name actors to provide voices for animated films, thanks to the great job that Williams did. However, it quickly devolved to be based solely on the actor being popular, rather than their being a talented voice artist. I've ranted about this already, and possibly will again, because it's such a shame. Decent voice actors are so skilled, and the lack of that skill can make an animated film really bland to me. Without subtlety and nuance in the voice, the character just can't be convincing. In this case, obviously Robin Williams was a big drawcard, and no one could have played the Genie like him, but he was a factor of a film that was already so good. It falls apart when they start relying on the names to bolster a film that has a poor script and lazy animation. The voice work should enhance the story, not distract from it.
It's a severe pet peeve of mine, and I can't help but get frustrated about it.
Final Thought: Hooray for animal sidekicks who can't talk but totally sound like they can.
Up Next: Alice In Wonderland (1951)
I'm not sure what pulled me to watch this movie for the first time. I can't remember having seen the trailer, or having read a review, or anyone commenting on it to me. So far as I know, I picked it up at random. Apart from liking the stars (which, let's face it, is a starting point for most people when it comes to choosing films to watch), I took something of a gamble.
I find the concept interesting. It's not entirely a fresh take on who governs our fate, in fact it's a pretty easy step to take. It works for me because it's simple.
The idea behind it, so far as I can tell, is that perhaps those who guide us are just as caught up in bureaucracy as we are. Perhaps they are just as unsure of the reasons they do things, but they do them anyway because that's what they're told. It's easy to grasp the metaphor of the higher powers being just as corporate as those on Earth.
The soundtrack is quite lovely too.
Final Thought: Matt Damon is possibly the most likeable person in Hollywood.
Up Next: Aladdin (1992)
I think I was in my early teens when I saw this film for the first time. It played on television a lot in my teens, so I'd see a bit here and there, and after a while I made a point of watching the whole thing. Plus, I was oddly very keen on the Terminator films, which will come up later.
This is not a film to start watching after 10 o'clock at night, particularly if you plan to watch the special edition (which has an extra half hour of footage and makes more sense). I started watching this two nights ago, but realised there was no way I was going to stay awake for it, so I gave up and started again tonight. It is a very long film, the kind that James Cameron is partial to making. But it holds your attention. I'd forgotten how arresting some moments were.
I'd also forgotten that one of the characters has a pet rat, who happens to have a pivotal role. (This is interesting to me as a rat owner myself these days. You rarely see them featured as pets in movies).
I really quite enjoy James Cameron's movies, especially those from the 80s and 90s. I think I like his style - I find that he blends action, suspense and humour in the right proportions for my tastes. Little touches, like having one of those stuffed Garfield toys with the suckers on its paws stuck on a window in the rig (remember those?!), or having a fake pot plant on the rig because of course a real one wouldn't survive underwater... Those little touches show a thoughtfulness in the filmmaking that I appreciate.
This film does have an inaccuracy in it that I see in a lot of films and it really bugs me. Whenever someone is giving CPR in movies or on TV, they never tip the victim's head back properly so that they can receive air effectively. Why do they always get this wrong?? Is it on purpose? I've read somewhere that they always do CPR with bent elbows, instead of straight as you're meant to, on film because there would be too much risk of cracking an actor's rib if they got too enthusiastic about it. Is there some similar convention for the breathing side? I can't explain how much this irritates me. Well, I could, but it would be lengthy.
Final Thought: No one says "son of a bitch" like Ed Harris. He really makes the most of the "bitch".
Up Next: The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
