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The Boxtrolls, a review by GSyren

The Boxtrolls (5-053083-022105)

United Kingdom 2014 | Released 2015-01-26 on Bluray from Universal Pictures

96 minutes | Aspect ratio Non-anamorphic 1.78:1 | Audio: English DTS ES 6.1 (Discrete), French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Arabic Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi Dolby Digital 5.1, Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Dutch DTS 5.1, Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo

Directed by Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi and starring Steve Blum, Dee Bradley Baker, Max Mitchell, Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris

From the creators of Coraline and ParaNorman comes a magical family adventure about heroes in all shapes and sizes: The Boxtrolls. Quirky, mischievous and good-hearted, these box-wearing creatures have lovingly raised a human boy named "Eggs" (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) in a charming cavern below the bustling streets of Cheesebridge. But when evil Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley) decides to capture the lovable misfits, it's up to Eggs and his feisty young friend, Winnie (voiced by Elle Fanning,) to save the Boxtrolls. Also featuring the voice talents of Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Toni Collette and Tracy Morgan, critics are calling The Boxtrolls "a delectable treat!" (Brian Truitt, USA Today)

My thoughts about The Boxtrolls:

I was really excited to see The Boxtrolls. I loved Coraline and ParaNorman, so I had very high hopes for the next film from Laika. And technically it is absolutely brilliant. I love Coraline and ParaNorman, I might have given this four stars. But now that I know that Laika can do better storywise, I don't feel that it's worth more than three and a half.

I rate this title

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on February 5th, 2015)

Angels & Demons, a review by Dragonfire

I decided to go see Angels & Demons last Friday.  I did like The Da Vinci Code overall as well as the book versions of both.  This isn't a movie that is going to appeal to everyone because of the plot, but I think it worked as an entertaining movie. 

An experiment at the CERN facility in Switzerland creates antimatter.  Shortly after that, one of the scientists is murdered and some of the antimatter is stolen.  At the same time, the world is watching the Vatican after the death of the Pope.  The Cardinals have arrived and are preparing to start Conclave, the process of selecting the new Pope.  Four of the Cardinals are kidnapped and the Illuminati takes credit.  The group also claims to have planted the antimatter somewhere in Vatican City and that it will go off at midnight that night.  An Inspector with the Vatican police decides it would be a good idea to call in Robert Langdon to try to figure out the few clues they have to go on since he knows a lot about the Illuminati.  Vittoria, one of the scientists, is also summoned to the Vatican because of the antimatter.  She and Robert try to find the cardinals and the antimatter before it is too late.

My Thoughts

I did enjoy this movie overall. It works overall as a decent thriller, though some things aren't that realistic.  There are people who have issues with the Catholic Church, so it isn't so far fetched that someone would target the Vatican during an important time when the new Pope is being selected.  It does seem a bit odd that will all the police type figures around - the Swiss Guard and Vatican Police - that a college professor would be brought in to try to deal with the situation.  It does mostly work and makes for some interesting scenes.  The mystery works, though it could have been stronger.  A few scenes have some suspense without the movie being that suspenseful overall.  The action scenes are fine, though nothing truly outstanding.  The camera work in some scenes did bug me, especially when the camera got jerky during some scenes.  That always annoys me.  I don't think that the movie was depicting Catholics or the religion in general in a negative way.  One character ends up doing some terrible things because of their ...rather...twisted view of their religion, but that doesn't make all members of the religion twisted and evil.  The cast does work well - and Tom Hanks's hair looks much better than it did in Da Vinci Code. 

Overall I think this is an entertaining movie, though it isn't going to appeal to a lot of people. 

 

I did get a longer review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Angels & Demons

(From Angels & Demons on May 21st, 2009)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Grosse Pointe: The Complete Series (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia (United States) Length: 360 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles:

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Plot:
The onscreen melodrama is nothing compared to what happens when the cameras stop rolling on the fictitious primetime soap GROSSE POINTE. The comedy follows the lives of six young actors trying to adjust to the demands of instant stardom, as their hit show launches them into the world of premieres, paparazzi and power. There's the two-faced diva, her insecure best friend, the wide-eyed newcomer who threatens the offscreen balance of power, the surfer stud, the show's heartthrob and his stand-in/gofer. Guiding these "innocents" through the savage world of network presidents and last-minute rewrites are the producers, who live in constant fear of the one misstep that would send ratings plummeting and their careers into oblivion.


Grosse Point
1.01 Pilot
Writer: Darren Star (Writer)
Director: Andrew Fleming
Cast: Irene Molloy (Hunter Fallow), Al Santos (Johnny Bishop), Lindsay Sloane (Marcy Sternfeld), Bonnie Somerville (Courtney Scott), Kohl Sudduth (Quentin King), Kyle Howard (Dave "The Stand-In"), William Ragsdale (Rob Fields), Michael Hitchcock (Richard Towers/Ted Johnson), Nat Faxon (Kevin the P.A.), Michele Dalcin (Mary Johnson), Katie Fountain (Marilyn the Extra), Bonnie McFarlane (Katie Ellis), Lisa Mende (Pat Kemp), Michael Mitz (The Director), Nicole Nieth (Jessica), Martin Spanjers (Adam), Jeb Armstrong (Ira)

I was really surprised about this series. I would have liked to see more of it than the one season we got. My favorite character is the one played by Lindsay Sloane (who I liked as Valerie on Sabrina the Teenage Witch).

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 28th, 2011)