Where'd they get CAT scan from?... I mean, did they test it on cats? Or does the machine sort of look like a cat?

Dawn ,'Sleeper'


Buffista Movies 6: lies and videotape  

A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.


sj - Dec 29, 2008 11:31:28 am PST #9218 of 10000
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Surviving Picasso is another movie I really like that never came out on region 1.


Volans - Dec 30, 2008 6:25:07 am PST #9219 of 10000
move out and draw fire

OK. Time for my Wall-E rant. Now that I've seen it since Mal got it for Xmas.

I don't like it. It's better than A Bug's Life, but I don't think it's going to be remembered as one of Pixar's best. Yes, yes, I get the whole parable stuff, how Eve found a vegetative substance, gave it to the male leader of people, and it triggered him to gain a ton of Knowledge, after which he had to lead his people out of Eden (the Axiom). And it will amuse me to refer to the Serpent as "Wally" from now on. But I still don't think it was a good movie. And yes, I enjoyed all the references, both the Pixar standards (the yellow pickup truck, the Lumo light) and the other movie shout-outs (man learning to walk upright a la 2001, the assistant bots going around the circle hallway a la 2001, the Axiom in the nebula a la Star Trek, etc. And EVE rocks like a rocking thing. And the art and animation and esp. the sound were freaking awesome.

But there was no real antagonist - Auto was following his directive and wasn't sentient evil, regardless of whether he looked like HAL or not. And while all the humans we met seemed nice enough, I wasn't sure why I was rooting for the race.

Even B&L wasn't totally evil. B&L is certainly one possible future, but despite their capitalistic drive, they are the best corporation I've ever seen: at least one Wall-E model lasted 700 years, they built FTL starliners and had the foresight to build everything needed to keep them going forever. Even their earthside docks were still functional.

But...I don't believe any of the assumptions I was asked to make (spoilers)

(like Earth being habitable again, or babies being born or decanted on the Axiom, or A FREAKING SPACESHIP HEELING OVER TO STARBOARD, or the behavior of the EVE probes or...). And the resolution happened way too fast. And replacing a robot's motherboard doesn't make him lose his memory...and shocking him doesn't make it come back.

But you know what REALLY bugged me about it? I sat thru the whole thing, dodging the huge anvils of MESSAGE (the starliner should have been called Anvil), even to the end of the credits where Wall-E replaces Lumo's bulb with a new energy-saver bulb. And then I looked at all the Wall-E tie-in merchandising, esp. that bit of landfill-to-be that Mal got for Xmas, a small Wall-E that responds to sound and dances. And the hypocrisy of Disney/Pixar just pissed me off. They are Buy-n-Large, by and large.


Connie Neil - Dec 30, 2008 6:42:22 am PST #9220 of 10000
brillig

Yes, yes, I get the whole parable stuff, how Eve found a vegetative substance, gave it to the male leader of people, and it triggered him to gain a ton of Knowledge, after which he had to lead his people out of Eden (the Axiom). And it will amuse me to refer to the Serpent as "Wally" from now on.

Huh. That never occurred to me. I thought her name was Eva and thought it was silly.


Frankenbuddha - Dec 30, 2008 6:50:55 am PST #9221 of 10000
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

But there was no real antagonist - Auto was following his directive and wasn't sentient evil, regardless of whether he looked like HAL or not.

I'm not sure why that's a problem. And if Auto isn't "evil", than neither was HAL, who was also following his directive, even if it was malfunctioning.

The anti-corporate message from a Disney movie, however, was a contradiction I can appreciate having problems with. However, I think this IS going to be remembered as one of Pixar's best, especially given how (wonderfully) unconventional the first half of the movie was compared to other films of this type. And I totally didn't get a Garden of Eden parable out of it. At all.


DavidS - Dec 30, 2008 6:59:46 am PST #9222 of 10000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

I'm with Frank (as with most things movie related). I don't think a story requires an antagonist so much as an obstacle. And there were plenty of obstacles.

I do concur that it was pretty hypocritical for Dixar/Buy N Large to be lecturing us.

I didn't really care or mind about the edenic parable in the least. That's just subtext, and it's as good a framework as any to hang on the movie.

I loved the animation - particularly the scenes on ruined Earth. It's a huge leap forward technically and aesthetically.

And I loved the non-snake-like Wall-E a lot. He was constant in the face of adversity. He risked much for what he wanted. He was kind and steadfast. It was like Sam Gamgee falling in love with Aeryn Sun.


DavidS - Dec 30, 2008 7:01:38 am PST #9223 of 10000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Heh. When you type in "Sam Gamgee" Google helpfully offers "Sam Gamgee Potatoes."


Connie Neil - Dec 30, 2008 7:02:18 am PST #9224 of 10000
brillig

I liked the commentary on people who always have a cellphone to their ear--or (ahem) talk to people primarily through a screen of some sort. Hi, everybody!


Frankenbuddha - Dec 30, 2008 7:06:00 am PST #9225 of 10000
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

It was like Sam Gamgee falling in love with Aeryn Sun.

Yes! This! Perfect analogy, Hec.


Connie Neil - Dec 30, 2008 7:09:38 am PST #9226 of 10000
brillig

I don't think Igor got much attention, but there were lots and lots of similarities between it and Wall-E. The main female is Eve (or Eva, I can't remember), and exposure to classic film is a key character development point. I wonder if the people who own the rights to Annie really understood how the song "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" was going to be used.


Jessica - Dec 30, 2008 7:14:04 am PST #9227 of 10000
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?

EVE = Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator

I do concur that it was pretty hypocritical for Dixar/Buy N Large to be lecturing us.

I'm not sure what the solution is, though. Should Andrew Stanton simply have not given them the script until they agreed not to merchandise it? At the end of the day I'd rather have the movie than not.

It was like Sam Gamgee falling in love with Aeryn Sun.

If Sam Gamgee were a DRD.

Finding Nemo (my favorite Pixar until WALL-E came along - I'm a shameless Andrew Stanton fangirl) didn't have an antagonist either. Stanton doesn't really do villains. At their most basic, both movies are about tiny little nerds who goes to the ends of the earth and battle impossible odds to reconnect with their most-loved-ones. His movies make me happy.