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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
2001 | Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi
I have almost nothing new to add, everything you've heard is true: the animation is almost religiously astounding for the time and even now (in spite of some expected hiccups for the rudimentary motion capture of the time: i.e. speed being an issue - anything that moves above 0.1 MPH has an unsightly motion blur all over it and all the running looks like mall-jogging), CGI wouldn't look this good for years and years afterward but the thing moves at a snail's pace with an oddly apparent avoidance of any sort of fun. Certainly still weird and visually prepossessing enough to get a pass (if this didn't have its unforgettable photorealistic animation it would suck just as hard as any other generic sci-fi fodder, this is home to some truly bracing imagery) - but what the actual hell were they thinking with this writing? All the characters are nonentities in their own story (delivered with similarly boring voice acting by an all-star cast, which most animated films would later replicate directly) and whatever remnants of a story are left behind in the rubble *do* have the potential to be poignant and thought-provoking but are rather just passively mentioned a time or two by way of banal exposition into a mess of things that don't add up to anything more than a stupid story. Can't believe they thought this would work with... anyone (especially fans of the character-driven games given that they turned this into some odd but rather bland alien film for some confounding reason lol) considering all the massive amounts of money they shoveled into it - and minus a few more points for being another tech-heavy future fantasy set in a world that's entirely grey and decrepit. However, the last half hour is some squarely invigorating, enigmatic spectacle that finds an intense beauty in how mind-boggling and glamorous it all is - you'd think the whole thing is always one second away from collapsing into the best of non-western genre surreality. In fact It seems almost unreal in and of itself to be watching something so conventional yet so unrestrained and auteurish. Really needed like eight movies to fully explore these themes but I'm also kind of glad they didn't - half epic and half yawnsville but the epic is more epic than the yawnsville is yawnsville.
  
    Singapore Rain Map

    Singapore Rain Map

    Weather and Travel

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    This application shows rainy areas(with animation!) inside Singapore and notifies you of coming rain...

    iStopMotion for iPad

    iStopMotion for iPad

    Photo & Video and Education

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    *** Winner Macworld Best of Show 2013 *** *** Winner Macworld Best of Show 2012 and Mac Observer...

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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Klaus (2019) in Movies

Jul 28, 2020 (Updated Dec 24, 2020)  
Klaus (2019)
Klaus (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Visually Interesting - with strong voice performances
We have seen the Origin story of Santa Claus many times and in many ways over the years, so it was with some trepidation that the BankoMarquis ventured forth to check out the Netflix original film KLAUS which covers some very similar territory.

And I need not worry, for KLAUS is a visually interesting film with some very good voice performances that elevates a (relatively) by-the-book story into quite a delightful film experience.

Directed and Written by Sergio Pablos - a veteran animator with credits like Disney’s Tarzan, Despicable Me, Rio and Smallfoot - KLAUS tells the tale of…Jesper, a mailman who is also a privileged youth who’s lackluster ways runs him afoul of his father and he is banished to a remote, Northern country where her runs afoul of…KLAUS.

And…you can probably figure out where the story goes from there, but it is not the story - or the destination - that matters, it is the journey. And…what a wonderful journey it is.

Let’s start with the best part - this film is GORGEOUS to look at. Pablos uses hand drawn animation with lighting techniques taken from digital animation and the result is crisp, clean and stunning to look at. I will watch this film again, just to look at the visuals.

As for the voice casting - it is stellar - with one, small quibble. The great J.K. Simmon is…well…GREAT as Klaus. His deep baritone voice is perfect for the enigmatic hermit that is hiding secrets - and a heart of gold. Rashida Jones, Will Sasso, Norm MacDonald and the always brilliant Joan Cusack add their tremendous voices to the proceedings very well. My only quibble is with the work of Jason Schwartzman as Jesper, the character we follow throughout the film. I found his voice and character grating at times (I know this is on purpose, so Schwartzman did a good job in his work) but, I would have liked to have Pablos “tone down” the lead character just a bit.

But that is a “quibble” in a very entertaining movie that is a wonderful family film that can be enjoyed on different levels - and for different reasons - by children and adults alike.

Letter Grade: A-

8 Stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
    Tennis Camera

    Tennis Camera

    Sports

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    *** BEFORE BUYING CHECK IF YOUR DEVICE IS SUPPORTED!!! *** Supported Devices: iPhone 5 iPhone...

Teenage mutant ninja turtles mutant mayhem (2023)
Teenage mutant ninja turtles mutant mayhem (2023)
2023 | Animation
8
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Franchise has taken a break from the recent live-action updates and has returned to animation to reboot and modernize the franchise.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a loving and updated look at the story as Seth Rogen and his creative team have shaken up the franchise but remained true to the core characters and universe.

The film follows the four Turtles Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Donatello (Micah Abbey), and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), who are looking to find acceptance in the world despite their father Splinter (Jackie Chan), warning them not to trust humans and that they will never be accepted.

As typical teens do, the boys frequently rebel to sneak out and use their Ninja skills to travel New York to do tasks ranging from shopping to watching outdoor movies which only fuels their desires to be accepted and
have normal experiences such as High School.

At the same time as a crimewave is happening attributed to a menace known as Superfly (Ice Cube), who is gathering all kinds of high-end gear for his nefarious scheme.

When the brothers become aware of this while helping a human named April (Ago Edebiri), they become obsessed with her and desire to help her get to the bottom of the thefts and hope to win her approval as well as human acceptance in the process.

What follows is a madcap adventure with plenty of action and humor and
several celebrity voices which adds a new level of fun to the expanded
cast of supporting characters.

The animation style is at times a bit rough to watch over an extended
period but as the film progressed I became used to it and it did much like the two recent Spider-man animated films grow on me even if it can be distracting at times.

The cast is solid and the film seemed to play well to viewers of all ages
as there were jokes and references for all ages and the storyline was engaging even if it did at times seem to drag in places.

In the end the film is a loving and solid entry into the franchise and one that I am sure we will be seeing more animated entries from in the near future and is a must watch for fans of all ages.

4 stars out of 5
  
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018)
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Great animation. (1 more)
Great acting.
Long runtime. (1 more)
Not as funny as the first movie.
Ralph doesn't quite strike gold for the second time.
Thinking of Wreck it Ralph you'll usually think of the first movie and unfortunately for the sequel you'll probably still think of the first one. That's not to say that the second one is bad, it just can't quite leave the shadow of greatness that was the first movie.

The jokes fall a little flatter, and the friendship between the main duo is kinda creepy in a sense, at least when it comes to how much Ralph can't let Vanellope go. It also feels exceptionally long for an animated movie.

Moving to the good... It is at least still funny albeit not as funny as the first. Vanellope is still the main draw even though the film has the name Ralph in it. He just can't compare to Vanellope who steals all the scenes she's in.

If you like Kids movies I'd recommend this anyway and if you like Animated movies it's as good as the majority of them. Just don't go into it thinking it's gonna be as amazing as the first movie.