Took the kids (plus some neighbor kids) to Big Hero 6 today, and it was tons of fun! Definitely Disney's "let's merchandise to boys this year" answer to Frozen, even if it just might pass the Bechdel test. (There are two female characters with names who talk to each other about science, but it's always in big group scenes because ALL of the scenes are big group scenes except for when Hiro is alone with Baymax.)
The production design is really fantastic. "San Fransokyo" is an absolutely beautiful city. Baymax is sweet and funny, and there is a scene where he learns how to fist bump that makes me want to buy one for Ichabod Crane.
The story could be better plotted, but it's heart is in the right place and I really wound up loving it by the end.
Stay through the end credits. There is a Thing.
I'm watching Shall We Dance (1937, Rogers and Astaire). There's a scene where Astaire's' character decides that if he can't dance with Rogers' character then he'll dance with a dozen or so women wearing masks of her face. I'm finding it kinda creepy, which isn't my usual response to Rogers and Astaire movies.
Hitchcock's North by Northwest remains awesome, in spite of the fact that one of the villain's minions is an *actual* commie-pinko-fag.
I watched that election night instead of tormenting myself getting the bad news drip-drip-drip through the night.
Wow, Tom. I feel like I should have been on something while watching that.
Busby Berkeley must have had access to the really good drugs.
Hitchcock's North by Northwest remains awesome, in spite of the fact that one of the villain's minions is an *actual* commie-pinko-fag.
But, Martin Landau. I think he made up for it in Mission Impossible.
Saw
John Wick
yesterday. Keanu obsession aside, that was a great action flick. Very confident direction for a first feature. Lots of interesting shots and angles. Good pacing.
But, Martin Landau.
That was 100% in the writing nothing to do with the acting. (Male) minion to main villain: "It just seemed too pat. Call it women's intution."
Main villain to minion: "I would swear you were jealous. I'm flattered".
They decided making the villains communists wasn't quite villainous enough, so they indulged in a bit of gratuitous queer bashing too. A jarring note in an otherwise superb film. (Even though I'm a lefty, the anti-communism was not jarring - integral to the plot. Not even absolutely sure it was a McGuffin. I think the film would not have had the same style and atmosphere if it had been stolen jewelery rather than stolen secrets. .)
Oh one other bit of unintentional bit of humor.
Non-gay minion: "Don't worry about me. I'll be safely over the border into Canada by morning." Cause I guess in the 50s, Canada had no extradition treaty. Actually not so amusing - the McCarthy era ethos seeped so deeply and casually into film. Canada as refuge for spies because a lot of blacklist victims were able to move there and earn a living. Similarly, describing the art object used to smuggle the microfilm as a "pumpkin" was a reference to the Alger Hiss case. But in spite of my parents being victims of the McCarthy era, my family kind of shrugs stuff like that off in fiction. If we skipped fiction whose politics appalls use, that eliminate a huge portion of whats out there, including stuff that has given us a great deal of enjoyment.
Saw John Wick yesterday. Keanu obsession aside, that was a great action flick. Very confident direction for a first feature. Lots of interesting shots and angles. Good pacing.
I've heard good things about it. Also, Adrienne Palicki (sp?), but not sure in how big a role.
That was 100% in the writing nothing to do with the acting. (Male) minion to main villain: "It just seemed too pat. Call it women's intution."
Oh, totally gratuitous. On the other hand, I completely understand the crushing on James Mason. The voice alone...
