Coraline (US, 2009)

The film reminded me of Paul Berry’s brilliant short The Sandman (UK, 1991), particularly in the focus on eyes, and Coraline’s Grimm inheritance makes sure that this fairy tale is properly scary. The stop motion animation is fantastic, it has the flexibility of CGI, particularly with the elaborate camera movements, without the technique’s ugly ‘plasticness’.
This [...]

Monsters vs Aliens (US, 2009)

This postmodern (all the monsters are from ’50s SF movies) concoction has some interesting visuals and shedloads of limp gags (one or two are OK) and a terrible ‘girl finds career-minded fiance is not worth it’ sub plot. I saw the film at the National Media Museum’s IMAX (Bradford, UK) in 3D; the first 3D [...]

Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir, Israel, Germany, France, US)

There’s been some discussion about how Persepolis and Waltz the Bashir have brought animation to ‘maturity’ with their serious take on the world. No doubt this remark has been made many times and is a symptom of people suddenly having their preconceptions about animation challenged. Why animate a film/drama documentary about the massacres in Sabra [...]

Persepolis (France, 2007)

Animation’s starting to get the ‘adult’ appreciation it deserves; as are graphic novels. Marjane Satrapi’s graphic autobiography forms the basis of this excellent film. If ever the political was embedded in the personal then it’s in lives that live through revolutions; the Iranian one in ‘79 in this case. By focusing upon the travails of [...]

Robots (US, 2005)

Fabulous visuals; witty. But… same-old Oedipal narrative and monstrous mother. (OAR) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358082/