Wow this movie looks pretty great. The face-off between Captain America and Iron Man promises to be thrilling. I can see now that they are indeed going for a more Captain America based story, but the whole gang is here to fight! We will see how long the movie goes before they become friends again. I am guessing an hour and a half, and then forty-five minutes with some new villain. We will see, but that is my guess.
Let’s Go Back In Time And Talk About That Warcraft Trailer!
I was going to talk about the Warcraft trailer when it came out awhile ago, but I got distracted by a Pen. I am very confused by this movie. On one hand the CG orcs look pretty good, but on the other, the humans look like a bunch of guys doing cosplay (actually the cosplay guys may look better). I get keeping the look of the game, but the armor is just odd looking when on real people.
I don’t know that I am on board with the story either. I know that it is based on the first Warcraft game Humans and Orcs that came out in 1995, but it just seems odd. Orcs invade the human world from another planet, and the two races square off. Plus a lot of people know Warcraft from the MMO, but none of the other races are in this movie, so there are going to be a lot of disappointed elf fans, and the MMO is also sort of light hearted and playful, yet the tone of this movie seems deadly serious.
What I am getting at is that Warcraft looks like it is going to have a bunch of guys in goofy armor fighting alien orcs while spouting dialog like it is Shakespeare, and I am not sure that is a recipe for success. Unless they are trying to get on the new MST3K series.
Wait… I Know That Voice
Have you ever been watching a cartoon/anime/video game/commercial/movie trailer and thought to yourself… Hey, I know that voice! That voice, if you didn’t know already is connected to a human body sitting in a booth somewhere in Los Angeles and that body is fascinating.
John DiMaggio, known for such voices as Bender from Futurama and Jake the Dog from Adventure Time, wanted to celebrate and document the varied talent and effort that Voice Actors put into their work. The film simply allows them to talk, strangely something Voice Actors like to do, and over the course of the 1hr 30min runtime you get to put a face to that voice you are always hearing.
The film gives you a greater appreciation for the work that they do and the effort they put into each roll. They show and explain how Voice Acting is more than talking with a funny voice or accent; really breaking down how Voice Acting is different from stage or film acting. The real attraction is the cast of characters whose voices grace our ears. All of them are passionate about their work and proud of their skills, but you get the sense that the community is fun, tight-nit, and humble – there is little ego on display.
The film takes some time to develop, introducing viewers to people but not really establishing who they are; sort of just throwing viewers into the deep end to figure things out themselves. Overtime however you get a sense of who each person is and what they do or more aptly who they voice.
If you are a fan of cartoons, anime, video games, or voice work in general I highly recommend I Know That Voice. Its on Netflix and you’ll be talking funny for a week just to see if you have what it takes to a Voice Actor.
I Don’t Even … It’s Well … The Gods Of Egypt Trailer …
There is so much I don’t understand about the Gods of Egypt trailer. First off who thought a movie about feuding Egyptian gods was a good idea, and then to have it star two very white dudes: Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and King Leonidas (Gerard Butler). Three if you count Jamie Lannister’s plucky human sidekick (I am not going to bother looking it up).
I mean I kind of get it. People aren’t watching swords and sandals movies anymore, so let’s try and mix it up by having different people wear the sandals, but still, no. Not to mention different people aren’t wearing the sandals. They are the same people, but just representing a different people group, so they kind of messed up their own idea.
Even more confounding is that even though this is the first trailer, they have given away the entire movie. In order! The two gods fight and Jamie looses his eyes. Leonidas is a very bad god and subjugates Egypt, so the humans send some plucky kid to help Jamie. They struggle their way back to Egypt so Jamie and Leonidas can go at it again. The only thing they didn’t show was Jamie almost losing, but then the plucky human does something to save Jamie at the last minute. The trailer was one scene away from being the CliffsNotes to its own movie.
God of Egypt is shaping up to be 2016’s The Last Witch Hunter, but it may even look worse, and that is saying something.
Shmee Is Turned Inside Out!
Inside Out ended Pixar’s two year hiatus from feature films, and it is a return to form for the studio. Their previous three outings, Monsters University, Brave, and Cars 2, were all fine films, but they were just not up to the bar that Pixar had set for themselves. Inside Out is able clear that bar with the style and charm we have come to expect from the studio.
Inside Out gives the emotions that shape our personalities, well personalities. The emotions that star in this film live inside the mind of an eleven year old girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias). They are dominated by the happy go lucky Joy (Amy Poehler). Who does all she can to make sure Riley is happy all the time, but things get harder for Joy when Riley unexpectedly moves to San Francisco.
As you would expect from a movie about emotions and memories, Inside Out is an emotional film. You feel for Riley as she is moved away from everything she loves, and tries her best to stay in control of her feelings. Watching this acted out through her various emotional personalities in her mind is funny, touching, and a little sad. Between this movie and Big Hero 6, Disney has been doing its best to tug at the heartstrings with their animated movies.
The voice talent is all amazing. Pixar is still the best studio at finding the best people to be in their films. Other studios go out and get big stars for their films hoping to draw people in that way, but Pixar is smart enough to get the people that are really the best fit for the film, and their movies are always better for it.
3D animated movies are usually treats for the eyes, and while Inside Out is fun to look at and watch, nothing about it will blow you away. This is a story based move, not a special effects extravaganza. The colors are bright and they pop, but there is nothing that you will see that will wow you the way other animated movies have. This is not a slight, but just something to be aware of.
Inside Out is a great film, and one that really brings emotional weight to an animated film. Which is fitting seeing that the movie is about emotions. It is good to see Pixar up its game and deliver a movie that lives up to its now prestigious name.