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Oh, the woe that is Canadian Netflix. Technology has not solved the problem of visiting Ye Olde Video Stoppe, where we would finally agree on a movie, but couldn't find it on the shelf. Woe, woe, woe!
We ended up watching Crank because Netflix doesn't have The Transporter. Completely inspired by video games from all generations, mostly GTA, Jason Statham is a hitman named Chev Chelios who crosses the wrong crowd. He wakes up after being beaten up and injected with a drug that will kill him in an hour. The key to staying alive is for him to not stop moving and keep his adrenaline racing. As one can imagine, someone channelled their inner 15 year old or consulted some 15 year old boys because the movie is lewd and crude, including insulting trash talk between the characters. There's car chases, car crashes, parkour, jump cuts, smash cuts, frenetic, fast paced editing. There was a lot of stuff that grossed us out, but the violence is so over the top that it's hard to take seriously. However, it was also a pretty tasteless movie in many respects with many problematic elements in hindsight. Come to think of it, I can't recall a more tasteless movie :P
I caught The Book of Life in 3D with friends on the weekend. It was a good movie, but perhaps too long and visually cluttered for children. It's extremely fast paced for a simple story and it felt like the creators had too many ideas to cram in. I don't regret seeing in the theatre as it would have been so dull on a small screen. It could have been shorter and better balanced with some quieter periods, but I loved that the characters were puppets, who are at the whims of gods. There were some great character designs that worked together well despite being vastly different. At first it appears that the story is all about the female lead, Maria, but it's actually about one of her friends, Manolo, as he tries to find his way in life (and win Maria's heart). Maria is not a Disney princess by any means, and the conflict she faces as she is pressured to marry her other friend (and town hero) Joaquin was very thoughtfully done.
We ended up watching Crank because Netflix doesn't have The Transporter. Completely inspired by video games from all generations, mostly GTA, Jason Statham is a hitman named Chev Chelios who crosses the wrong crowd. He wakes up after being beaten up and injected with a drug that will kill him in an hour. The key to staying alive is for him to not stop moving and keep his adrenaline racing. As one can imagine, someone channelled their inner 15 year old or consulted some 15 year old boys because the movie is lewd and crude, including insulting trash talk between the characters. There's car chases, car crashes, parkour, jump cuts, smash cuts, frenetic, fast paced editing. There was a lot of stuff that grossed us out, but the violence is so over the top that it's hard to take seriously. However, it was also a pretty tasteless movie in many respects with many problematic elements in hindsight. Come to think of it, I can't recall a more tasteless movie :P
I caught The Book of Life in 3D with friends on the weekend. It was a good movie, but perhaps too long and visually cluttered for children. It's extremely fast paced for a simple story and it felt like the creators had too many ideas to cram in. I don't regret seeing in the theatre as it would have been so dull on a small screen. It could have been shorter and better balanced with some quieter periods, but I loved that the characters were puppets, who are at the whims of gods. There were some great character designs that worked together well despite being vastly different. At first it appears that the story is all about the female lead, Maria, but it's actually about one of her friends, Manolo, as he tries to find his way in life (and win Maria's heart). Maria is not a Disney princess by any means, and the conflict she faces as she is pressured to marry her other friend (and town hero) Joaquin was very thoughtfully done.
