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Monsters University, a review by Dragonfire

Monsters University



I went to see Monsters University last Friday when it opened.  It is the newest movie from Pixar, and the first prequel that the company has done.  It is set before Monsters, Inc. and tells how Mike and Sulley first met when they were at college.  Mike spent most of his time studying, determined to make it through the scare program.  Sulley is a member of the Sullivan family, a family well known for scaring, so he is accepted from the first minute he arrives.  He thinks he can just coast through because of who he is.  Things go horribly wrong during a class.  The only chance that Mike and Sulley have to finish the scare program is to work together with the unpopular Oozma Kappa fraternity.

The movie is cute, fun, and entertaining.  It is nice to see the monsters again, and see them in a different situation.  Some other characters that were in the first movie are also in this one.  Randall isn't as bad, though there are hints of his true nature popping up every so often - and I don't mean his tendency to go invisible.  Much of what happens at the college is a lot like Revenge of the Nerds, but it manages to work.  Some people will probably be disappointed that the plot isn't more original.  Adults will probably find the movie predictable, but children probably won't.  The movie does have a message tied to working hard and working with others. There are some serious moments here and there and a few that are touching, though nothing to the degree of some of the previous movies like UP or Toy Story 3.  The humor works without resulting to all the gross humor that so many of the other animated movies resort to. 

The animation is gorgeous, with bright, vibrant colors in some scenes, and duller more subdued colors in others.  A lot of the scenery looks fairly realistic - the grass and trees.  Sulley's hair continues to look amazing, though it does have a slightly different look than it did in the original movie. 

The movie is showing in 2D and 3D.  I saw the 2D version.  The short before the movie, The Blue Umbrella is very well done.  It is a little different from the others Pixar has done, but it is great.  There are a lot of different looking monsters around the campus.  Some of them are very unique looking.  I really like all the different monsters. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Monsters University and think it is a good, interesting prequel to the first movie.  It isn't quite as good as the first movie, but it is still very good and way better than most other animated movies. 

I did post a longer review at Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.  I would have rated the movie 4.5 stars there if I had the option.  Since I don't, I decided to round up to 5.

Monsters University


(From Monsters University on June 29th, 2013)

Zatoichi's Cane Sword, a review by Antares

Zatoichi's Cane Sword (1967) 84/100 - Ichi has just had a windfall in a crooked dice game, and he decides to celebrate his luck with a bowl of noodles and hot sake. Sitting next to him is an old man who appears to be drowning his sorrows. Ichi offers the man a drink and the two begin a conversation. As is typical in Zatoichi fare, he is then attacked by yakuza members who ran the crooked game. He dispatches them with ease and pays the restaurant owner for the damage and he leaves. The old man he was talking to asks him to come to his home for a brief moment. As they enter the old man's home, Ichi surmises that the old man is a blacksmith, due to the foundry type smells associated with that profession. The old man tells Ichi he used to be a swordsmith of great reputation and he asks Ichi if he can take a look at his cane sword. At first Ichi is apprehensive, especially after the ambush he just endured, but he senses that the old man is honorable, and he hands over his sword. The old man inspects it and then tells Ichi that his sword has wrought a lot of death and that it was forged by his old mentor. He then informs Ichi that his trusted sword, has a small, unnoticeable crack near the base, and has reached the end of its life and will shatter the next time he kills with it. Ichi is visually shocked and then a sense of foreboding doom comes across his face as he realizes that with out his trusty weapon, his rogue lifestyle could be his downfall. He decides to give up his life as a roving yakuza gambler and settle down in this village as a masseur at a local inn. Before he leaves, he grants the old man's request of keeping his mentor's crafted sword as a memento of his one time sensei.

This was probably the boldest screenplay so far in this series, as it places Ichi in the most vulnerable situation he has had to face. Aside from the earlier scuffle at the noodle bar, there would be no action pieces for the next hour and twenty minutes. But during that duration, the story sets up a situation involving the old man creating one last great sword, that will eventually be stolen by the yakuza boss of the village as a bribe for a corrupt local magistrate. Ichi, while working at the inn, overhears the magistrate and the yakuza boss plotting to take over the entire region. He now realizes that he must return to his old lifestyle to right the wrongs about to be inflicted upon the village, well knowing that he will probably be killed when his sword fails him. What follows is one of the best plot twists I've ever seen in a chanbara film, and elevates this film to the top of list when comparing the entries in this canon. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. The final action scene, almost an hour and a half into the film, is easily one of the best in the series. As I've written before when it comes to Zatoichi movies, a little patience makes for a better payoff when the final showdown arrives. This will definitely be a repeat viewing experience for me in the future.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on May 8th, 2014)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Chef - Series 1

Personnel
Gareth Blackstock is the executive chef at Le Chateau Anglais, and he is infuriated when management cuts his budget. He is one up on the budget when Everton shows up and volunteers his service as a chef for no compensation in order that he can train in the most famous kitchen in England.



Meet Britain's finest -- and most ill-tempered -- chef, Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry), of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt. Chef Blackstock rules his kitchen with an iron ladle and puts up with no slacking. Tuck in and prepare to double over in laughter with this hilarious and much loved comedy series from the BBC!

British comedy at its most lazy and worst. Canned laughter was essential, as there was nothing that even made me titter. Lenny Henry lost his comedy skills after Tiswas, and his character in this, obviously based on a black Gordon Ramsey, is simply pathetic. The remainder of the cast are a hodge-podge of familiar character actors, and all look totally bored and uninterested in this dire pilot show.
Ebay here we come.
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 23rd, 2009)