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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Chicken Run (2000) in Movies
Jul 23, 2020
Chickens Can Run
I love the stop motion animation. It is perfect, its excellent and phenomenal. Chicken Run was Aardman Animations' first feature-length production, which would be executive produced by Jake Eberts. Nick Park and Peter Lord, who run Aardman, directed the film. The movie is a loose parody of the film The Great Escape.
The plot: Award-winning DreamWorks animation from the Aardman team, telling the story of a band of chickens doomed to a life of egg-laying on a Yorkshire chicken farm. When a flamboyant American rooster arrives on the scene, the hens hope he can teach them to fly to freedom. However, when a chicken-pie making machine is installed, their need becomes urgent and they must devise other means of escape.
Its a excellent film. It has humor, adventure, darkness and most of all chickens. Lots of them. A must see if you haven't already.
The plot: Award-winning DreamWorks animation from the Aardman team, telling the story of a band of chickens doomed to a life of egg-laying on a Yorkshire chicken farm. When a flamboyant American rooster arrives on the scene, the hens hope he can teach them to fly to freedom. However, when a chicken-pie making machine is installed, their need becomes urgent and they must devise other means of escape.
Its a excellent film. It has humor, adventure, darkness and most of all chickens. Lots of them. A must see if you haven't already.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
8.3
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From DreamWorks Animation comes the highly anticipated culmination of one of the most popular...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies
Dec 19, 2020
I'll keep this one relatively short - Onward is fucking delightful. It's brimming with charm, it's emotionally exhausting, it's full of colour.
It feels different for Pixar. The opening scenes feel more like a Dreamworks effort, but it's not long before the studio's signature stamp is prominent. The narrative is imaginative, and emotionally draining. I'm a goddam grown man and I 100% was welling up on multiple occasions. I'm a big brother who has always hoped that my younger brother looks up to me, and I frequently feel that I don't always get it right, so this screenplay really got me. Right in the feels.
It also happens to have a damn fine voice cast just to seal the deal.
Onward is genuinely brilliant. Seeing Pixar's take on the realm of Tolkien-esque fantasy is wonderful, and it deserves to stand up with the studio's very best productions. Now excuse me whilst I go and cry into a pillow.
It feels different for Pixar. The opening scenes feel more like a Dreamworks effort, but it's not long before the studio's signature stamp is prominent. The narrative is imaginative, and emotionally draining. I'm a goddam grown man and I 100% was welling up on multiple occasions. I'm a big brother who has always hoped that my younger brother looks up to me, and I frequently feel that I don't always get it right, so this screenplay really got me. Right in the feels.
It also happens to have a damn fine voice cast just to seal the deal.
Onward is genuinely brilliant. Seeing Pixar's take on the realm of Tolkien-esque fantasy is wonderful, and it deserves to stand up with the studio's very best productions. Now excuse me whilst I go and cry into a pillow.
Vivo (2021)
Movie
Vivo is a 2021 American computer-animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Sony Pictures...
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Watch out pixar
Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon was an example of setting your expectations low and coming out pleasantly surprised. The first film proved that the studio could create animated masterpieces and it left audiences across the globe hooked.
However, expectation has never been higher for its sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, but does it soar to the dizzying heights of its predecessor?
Thankfully the answer is a resounding yes. From beautiful animated dragons to breathtaking aerial-bound sequences, this sequel just about surpasses the original in every way.
Following on five years after events in the first film, Dragon 2 follows a 20-year-old Hiccup, voiced wonderfully by Jay Baruchel, and his sidekick Toothless in their home town of Berk as the residents come to terms with living peacefully alongside dragons.
Being Hiccup, he is naturally curious to learn about a legendary ‘dragon master’ who can enslave the beasts to form an army and sets out to persuade him to care for the animals like the villagers. This plot point is sidetracked from the outset however as we are introduced to Valka – Hiccup’s long lost mother, voiced by a rather miscast Cate Blanchett.
The bond between Hiccup and Toothless has grown massively in the five year break between films and this makes them even more enjoyable to watch. Yes, each of the villagers has their own dragon to look after, but it is the relationship between the two primary characters which we really care about the most.
Feline similarities in Toothless will not go unnoticed, his cat-like qualities give him an air of cuteness that you wouldn’t expect to come from such a menacing and ultimately deadly creature, and it is testament to Dreamworks that they have managed to craft such a personality for a character that never speaks.
The animation is also absolutely stunning, from the crystal waters of the sea around Berk to the people and dragons themselves, everything has been given an upgrade after the first film’s success and the battle scenes are beautiful in their simplicity – there’s no worrying about losing track of characters here.
However, it’s not all smoke and mirrors, the story has real meaning. Family values are explored, the way to treat animals is also looked at brieflyrs_634x1024-140205120546-634.cate-blanchett-bp.cm.2514 and ultimately, this is about one young man’s journey to maturity.
Unfortunately, the vocal performance of Cate Blanchett detracts somewhat from the overall magic. Her peculiar Scottish accent, which travels all over Europe by the time the end credits roll, is of particular annoyance and it’s a better film when she is not playing a central part. This is a shame as the realisation that Hiccup’s mother isn’t dead should be one of great consequence, but Blanchett’s strange acting hampers the scenes.
How to Train Your Dragon is to Dreamworks what WALL-E is to Pixar, each film is one of, if not the best animated feature from either studio and Dragon 2 follows that trend. It is the rare sequel that is superior to the first film – a la Spider-Man 2.
It’s an emotional rollercoaster too, and in some places very dark, possibly too much for children, but for teenagers and adults alike, there is something to enjoy here. From the engaging plot to the mesmerising soundtrack.
Overall, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a fine film, helped along the way by some incredible animation, amazingly deep characters and a meaningful story. Only a poor showing by Cate Blanchett stops it achieving perfection.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2014/07/16/watch-out-pixar-how-to-train-your-dragon-2-review/
However, expectation has never been higher for its sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, but does it soar to the dizzying heights of its predecessor?
Thankfully the answer is a resounding yes. From beautiful animated dragons to breathtaking aerial-bound sequences, this sequel just about surpasses the original in every way.
Following on five years after events in the first film, Dragon 2 follows a 20-year-old Hiccup, voiced wonderfully by Jay Baruchel, and his sidekick Toothless in their home town of Berk as the residents come to terms with living peacefully alongside dragons.
Being Hiccup, he is naturally curious to learn about a legendary ‘dragon master’ who can enslave the beasts to form an army and sets out to persuade him to care for the animals like the villagers. This plot point is sidetracked from the outset however as we are introduced to Valka – Hiccup’s long lost mother, voiced by a rather miscast Cate Blanchett.
The bond between Hiccup and Toothless has grown massively in the five year break between films and this makes them even more enjoyable to watch. Yes, each of the villagers has their own dragon to look after, but it is the relationship between the two primary characters which we really care about the most.
Feline similarities in Toothless will not go unnoticed, his cat-like qualities give him an air of cuteness that you wouldn’t expect to come from such a menacing and ultimately deadly creature, and it is testament to Dreamworks that they have managed to craft such a personality for a character that never speaks.
The animation is also absolutely stunning, from the crystal waters of the sea around Berk to the people and dragons themselves, everything has been given an upgrade after the first film’s success and the battle scenes are beautiful in their simplicity – there’s no worrying about losing track of characters here.
However, it’s not all smoke and mirrors, the story has real meaning. Family values are explored, the way to treat animals is also looked at brieflyrs_634x1024-140205120546-634.cate-blanchett-bp.cm.2514 and ultimately, this is about one young man’s journey to maturity.
Unfortunately, the vocal performance of Cate Blanchett detracts somewhat from the overall magic. Her peculiar Scottish accent, which travels all over Europe by the time the end credits roll, is of particular annoyance and it’s a better film when she is not playing a central part. This is a shame as the realisation that Hiccup’s mother isn’t dead should be one of great consequence, but Blanchett’s strange acting hampers the scenes.
How to Train Your Dragon is to Dreamworks what WALL-E is to Pixar, each film is one of, if not the best animated feature from either studio and Dragon 2 follows that trend. It is the rare sequel that is superior to the first film – a la Spider-Man 2.
It’s an emotional rollercoaster too, and in some places very dark, possibly too much for children, but for teenagers and adults alike, there is something to enjoy here. From the engaging plot to the mesmerising soundtrack.
Overall, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a fine film, helped along the way by some incredible animation, amazingly deep characters and a meaningful story. Only a poor showing by Cate Blanchett stops it achieving perfection.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2014/07/16/watch-out-pixar-how-to-train-your-dragon-2-review/
Noddy Toyland Detective - Let's Investigate
Education and Games
App
Join Noddy as Toyland’s most famous detective in an adventure filled with storytelling, learning...
Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) in Movies
Nov 11, 2019
A great conclusion!
I fell in love with this franchise when I saw the first film in the cinema. I had a pass at the time, so watched it three times that week.
The second instalment tugged my heartstrings, and I was nervous to see what the third would do. Would it suffer from classic third fizzle syndrome? Will it have a satisfying conclusion? Will I like it? No, yes, and YES!
They managed to capture all the essence of the original, but made it enough of an evolution to realy show progress. So much character development and to come up with an end that says "Yes, this story is done" but also that they live on and it is the start of new things.
As someone who started in her late (very late) teens, watching a young Hiccup finding his feet, to grow with him and Toothless has been magical. I now have my own baby, and can not wait to share these films with him.
This trilogy is, I feel, the best thing to come out of DreamWorks, and while neither sequel is quite as strong as the first, they stand up as sone of the best in cinema!.
The second instalment tugged my heartstrings, and I was nervous to see what the third would do. Would it suffer from classic third fizzle syndrome? Will it have a satisfying conclusion? Will I like it? No, yes, and YES!
They managed to capture all the essence of the original, but made it enough of an evolution to realy show progress. So much character development and to come up with an end that says "Yes, this story is done" but also that they live on and it is the start of new things.
As someone who started in her late (very late) teens, watching a young Hiccup finding his feet, to grow with him and Toothless has been magical. I now have my own baby, and can not wait to share these films with him.
This trilogy is, I feel, the best thing to come out of DreamWorks, and while neither sequel is quite as strong as the first, they stand up as sone of the best in cinema!.
Force: Dynamic Figure Drawing for Animators
Book
Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators Capture the force in your life drawing subjects with this...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Shark Tale (2004) in Movies
Jul 7, 2021
Ghastly. I mean holy shit these fish are fucking UGLY. I was expecting some sort of ironic enjoyment or overlooked nuance a la something like 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵!, but instead I just got an in-your-face assault of nauseating animation and the worst sound design DreamWorks has ever shat out - Angelina Jolie is barely even audible in this. I'm a firm believer that the most aesthetically horrible time period was the 2000s - specifically the mid-2000s - and this tried so hard to be 'in the now' when it was released that it feels like looking back at some sort of garish cave drawing that serves as a reminder for how much society has progressed since then. For instance, you know how you can go back to Finding Nemo and not be repelled because it doesn't open with a fucking "MTV Cribs" parody? I've never been a huge fan of Will Smith's shtick but here it grates worse than it ever has before or since - and with such an irredeemable, downright annoying character like this fugly little idiot to boot. In fact the only intrigue in any of these voice performances are from Jack Black and - er - *checks notes* Martin Scorsese. I can't honestly say it was laugh-free but I can still say it sucks hard.