Rigel (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} rigelkitty) wrote,@ 2008-03-29 14:45:00 |
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Video Reviews (3/29/08)
Movie: The Animation Show Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (2003, 2005)
Review: If you've been a fan of independent animation for quite a long time, about twenty years, then the first volume of The Animation Show will be a bit of a ripoff. It features shorts from old Spike & Mike festivals and International Tournees going all the way back to the 80s. With the exception of Hertzfeldt's admittedly hilarious interstitials, I'd seen nearly all the others in one format or another in prior shows. The second disc is where the value is really at. These come primarily from the current century and are very cleverly selected for both their entertainment and art value. A few are a bit too abstract, and others are of questionably low video quality, but most are fantastic examples of stop-motion, traditional 2D, and CG animation. My personal favorites included "Fallen Art", "RockFish", and the amazing Indiana Jones-style "Ward 13" which seems to only be easily available on this DVD. Be sure to check the special features for a few extra animated tidbits, too.
Rating: ***1/2 out of *****
Movie: A Dirty Shame (2004)
Review: Despite the fact that the film is rated NC-17, the naughty factor of this feature ranks no higher than a dirty joke or a pornographic cartoon. Tracy Ullman stars as an angry housewife whose inner sex addict is awakened by a bonk to the head. The town's comedic decency patrol takes to the streets as Baltimore, John Waters' traditional stomping grounds, is reduced to a perverse, slapstick paradise. Many elements hearken back to the darker Cecil B. Demented as well as being reminiscent of classic 80's late-night schlock. There's very little depth, especially when you get Johnny Knoxville involved, and feature David Hasselhoff taking a dump. Unlike Waters' earlier outings, this may have been intended for offense, but instead came out very silly. It falls apart pretty badly at the end, but by that time, the whole caricature has gone over the top in adult-themed zaniness, overacting, and nekkidness. Quite funny, but mostly just cheesy. The long documentary in the special features is watchable and enlightening.
Rating: *** out of *****
Movie: A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Review: I don't really understand the fascination with cinematically interpreting a person's personal experiences with drug trips. It can't possibly be as fulfilling as actually taking the drugs, and only really serves as an object lesson. This particular one, based on Philip K. Dick's own trips, is a combination of the personal downfalls of Requiem For A Dream and the comedic value of Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. While the rotoscoped animation is so fantastic and realistic that it's easy to forget you're effectively watching a cartoon, it's wasted on this particular topic that consists mostly of people under the influence wigging out at each other. The moral of the story is obscure, if it exists at all, and the film ends in the middle of the story, without a resolution. Even the sci-fi parts of getting there aren't particularly science, but simply mildly dystopian, with a single rather predictable twist. The value here is in the art form, but the story itself doesn't deserve such unique treatment.
Rating: ** out of *****
Movie: The Animation Show Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (2003, 2005)
Review: If you've been a fan of independent animation for quite a long time, about twenty years, then the first volume of The Animation Show will be a bit of a ripoff. It features shorts from old Spike & Mike festivals and International Tournees going all the way back to the 80s. With the exception of Hertzfeldt's admittedly hilarious interstitials, I'd seen nearly all the others in one format or another in prior shows. The second disc is where the value is really at. These come primarily from the current century and are very cleverly selected for both their entertainment and art value. A few are a bit too abstract, and others are of questionably low video quality, but most are fantastic examples of stop-motion, traditional 2D, and CG animation. My personal favorites included "Fallen Art", "RockFish", and the amazing Indiana Jones-style "Ward 13" which seems to only be easily available on this DVD. Be sure to check the special features for a few extra animated tidbits, too.
Rating: ***1/2 out of *****
Movie: A Dirty Shame (2004)
Review: Despite the fact that the film is rated NC-17, the naughty factor of this feature ranks no higher than a dirty joke or a pornographic cartoon. Tracy Ullman stars as an angry housewife whose inner sex addict is awakened by a bonk to the head. The town's comedic decency patrol takes to the streets as Baltimore, John Waters' traditional stomping grounds, is reduced to a perverse, slapstick paradise. Many elements hearken back to the darker Cecil B. Demented as well as being reminiscent of classic 80's late-night schlock. There's very little depth, especially when you get Johnny Knoxville involved, and feature David Hasselhoff taking a dump. Unlike Waters' earlier outings, this may have been intended for offense, but instead came out very silly. It falls apart pretty badly at the end, but by that time, the whole caricature has gone over the top in adult-themed zaniness, overacting, and nekkidness. Quite funny, but mostly just cheesy. The long documentary in the special features is watchable and enlightening.
Rating: *** out of *****
Movie: A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Review: I don't really understand the fascination with cinematically interpreting a person's personal experiences with drug trips. It can't possibly be as fulfilling as actually taking the drugs, and only really serves as an object lesson. This particular one, based on Philip K. Dick's own trips, is a combination of the personal downfalls of Requiem For A Dream and the comedic value of Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. While the rotoscoped animation is so fantastic and realistic that it's easy to forget you're effectively watching a cartoon, it's wasted on this particular topic that consists mostly of people under the influence wigging out at each other. The moral of the story is obscure, if it exists at all, and the film ends in the middle of the story, without a resolution. Even the sci-fi parts of getting there aren't particularly science, but simply mildly dystopian, with a single rather predictable twist. The value here is in the art form, but the story itself doesn't deserve such unique treatment.
Rating: ** out of *****
