Shorts Package: TIFF Shorts

Hello here is a new thing I am doing called Shorts Package. It is where I review three shorts. Sorry about starting all these new series on my blog: you guys probably think I'm crazy, I think I'm crazy, the world thinks I'm crazy. AAAARG!!!!

ONE FREAK OUT LATER...

Sorry about that. Anyway this time I am reviewing shorts playing at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival (April 8 to 21) at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Time for the first short.

Wallpaper: A man moves into a new house and he discovers the history of the house through layers of wallpaper.  It has a nice fantastical feel to it and the animation is pretty good too. It is simple in a very charming and creative way.






Transfolding: Paper dances around, moves, and makes pictures. That is mainly what happens in Transfolding. It is very beautiful and entrancing. But if you have a short attention span you may not want to watch paper dance for seven minutes. Other than that, this is very good.


The Numberlys: We are in a time before the alphabet and there are only numbers. After a hard day in the number factory, numbers 1 2 3 4 and 5 decide they are bored of only numbers, so they make letters. It is sort of like a cross between a Dr. Seuss book, a Looney Tunes cartoon, and a little bit of a Three Stooges comedy. Out of all the shorts I have reviewed in this post, this one is my favorite.









This has been my Shorts Package. Thanks for reading. I hope you like it. See you all next time. Goodbye.

YOU CAN MAYBE PROBABLY KIND OF NOT REALLY MAYBE YOU CAN DO THIS

Film Talk: Is Traditional Animation Dead

Hello welcome to a new part of my blog I like to call Film Talk. It is where I discus and debate about movies. I may only do it every once and a while or I may never do it again. Today's topic is: "Is traditional animation dead?" Let us begin.

My Opinion on Animation: I like animation. It can take you to all sots of places but it is expensive to draw. I think that computer animation is nice but is only good for animating non-human things. Like say bugs or monsters. When it animates humans it does tend to look very plastic. Good examples are the early Shrek movies or Hoodwinked. The technology has gotten better so it does look less plastic. But I think even as flat as traditional animation is it does come off as more three dimensional.




Foreign Films: There aren't that many traditionally animated movies in North America. But in other country's there are a lot of traditionally animated movies like AninA and The Triplets of Belleville. But the question is, will computer animation take over there as well? My answer is maybe, it doesn't seem to be going away. However there are a fair share of foreign computer animated films. So the only solid answer I can come up with is maybe.




Was Traditional Animation Just a Phase in the Industry: Maybe it was just something like silent films that was popular for a decent amount of time but was gradually replaced. However with silent films you are missing one of the five senses. So I don't think traditional animation was a phase; it is still alive in TV shows.



 Is Computer Animation Just a Phase in the Industry: Most fans of traditional animation will say yes. But even as an animation fan I will say no. Because some people thought that talking pictures would just be a fad and now almost every single movie coming out has sound. So it seems that computer animation is here to stay for now.






 Will It Make a Comeback: Probably not. Nowadays computer animated film seem to bring in more money. So most animated films are computer animated. So un
til some studio executive says "I want to make a traditionally animated film" we aren't going to get one. But things do make comebacks like handlebar mustaches. So maybe it will make a comeback but most likely no.

Conclusion: So really I have no idea if traditional animation is dead or not. It is mostly looking like it is. But foreign films and TV shows are keeping it alive. Honestly it looks like traditional animation is finished. But you can draw your own conclusion. This has been Film Talk.

MEL DOUGLAS AKA MR. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING

AninA

Over the next several weeks I will be reviewing films premiering at KIDS TIFF (April 9 to 21) playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theater. I'd like to thank the organizers at TIFF for giving me the opportunity to advance screen some of their movies. For my first movie I shall be reviewing AninA. It is based on the book Anina Yatay Salas by Sergio López Suárez.






The movie starts with a girl named Anina Yatay Salas (Federica Lacaño) going to school. All the kids at her school make fun of her because all three of her names are palindromes (words that are spelled the same forwards and backwards). At school Anina gets in a fight with another girl named Yisel (Lucía Parrilla). They both get in big trouble. The next day Anina and her father (César Troncoso) go to the principle's office. The principle (Cristina Morán) gives Anina and Yisel a weird punishment. She gives them each an envelope and tells them not to open it until one week has passed.

At first she is very curious about what is inside the envelope. But she doesn't want to get in trouble so she tries to open Yisel's envelope. Unfortunately she can't get close enough to Yisel so she gives up. When she get's home Anina's neighbors give her mother (María Mendive) a book on discipline, but Anina's mother rejects it. The teacher in Anina's class gives Anina and Yisel the job of taking inventory of the first aid kit. When Yisel leaves to find a teacher Anina looks in Yisel's backpack for the envelope. Instead she finds a bunch of postcards from Australia.






          ***SPOILER ALERT STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END RUINED***

It is the day before she can open the envelope. Anina finds more about the postcards from Australia. Apparently, Yisel's father works in Australia and he always sends her postcards. That night Anina has a nightmare about the envelope and that it gets opened. When she wakes up it turns out that she opened the envelope in her sleep. Not only that, but the envelope is empty. She goes to school and presents it to the principle.But she is not mad at her. She said that she did this so she would become better friends with Yisel. She also tells Anina and Yisel to put a gift in the envelope and give it to the other. Anina lives a happier life with new friends. The End.




                                           ***SPOILERS OVER KEEP READING***




AninA is a very good movie. It has very relatable characters and a good moral. Anina also has these little fantasies like imagining that she is a drop of oil. In fact, it kind of reminds me of Calvin's fantasies in Calvin and Hobbs. But the best aspect is the animation. It has a very stylized look to it. That looks flat but very three dimensional. Also something interesting that I found is that when Anina has a flashback the style of animation changes. I could go on and on about the animation but I have to keep going. The only bad thing I can think of is that in the middle a lot of stuff goes on and it doesn't seem to have a main focus. Other than that this is probably one of my favourite films.

WORLDS WORST SALESMAN U. N. TRUSTWORTHY

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Hey is it Christmas Already? No, it's not; why did I even say that? OK the only reason I'm reviewing this is because it is a remake and it is remake month. It is time for my review of Miracle on 34th street (1994).

The movie starts with a store called Cole's Department Store giving a Thanksgiving day parade. But the man being Santa Claus in the parade (Jack McGee) is drunk. So he get's replaced at the last minute by a man who claims his name is Kris Kringle (Richard Attenborough). He is so convincing that the woman in charge of the parade named Dorey Walker (Elizabeth Perkins) makes him the Santa Claus for the store. When doing his job, Kris tells people the best stores to find toys. The head of Cole's likes the idea and makes it the stores new gimmick. All the kids in town believe that Kris is the real Santa except Dorey's daughter Susan (Mara Wilson). Dorey's boyfriend Bryan (Dylan McDermott) tries to convince Susan that Kris is the real Santa by taking her to see him at the mall. When she sees Santa she realizes several things: first of all Kris has a real beard, second he can speak a lot of different languages,  thirdly his Santa costume seems authentic, and finally Susan sees him speaking sign language with a deaf girl.

One night Dorey and Bryan go out and get Kris to babysit Susan. Susan asks Kris for a New house, a Father, and a baby brother for Christmas. She says if Kris can get her that, he is the real Santa Claus. Meanwhile Cole's rival store Shoppers Express realizes that Cole's has became more popular. So Shoppers Express hires the man that Kris replaced in the parade to frame Kris for a crime. The man they hired insults Kris and Kris threatens him by raising his cane. But the man fakes getting hit and Kris gets arrested. Everyone is sad and knows Kris is innocent. So a court case is called to decide.

              ***SPOILER ALERT STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END RUINED***

Bryan calls several people to the stands who say that Kris is the real Santa. But the opposing side calls several people (and a reindeer) who deny the existence of Santa. The next day it looks like Kris is going to lose but Susan gives The Judge (Robert Prosky) a Christmas card with a one dollar bill inside of it. On the bill the words "In god we trust" are circled. The Judge says that if the American government can print that there is a god then the same rules must apply for Santa Claus. Kris is released and Bryon and Dorey get married which means Susan has a father. Kris even buys Susan the house she wanted. The End.

                                      ***SPOILERS OVER KEEP READING***



I think this is a very good movie. Richard Attenborough's performance is a good portrayal of Santa Claus. The movie has all the heart of the original. But just one problem, at first it seems to be a normal family movie. But after Kris get's arrested, it get's really really dramatic. But one cheesy montage later it's back to being a normal family film. Other then that it seems to be a good film.

Changes From Original: The two stores are totally different in this version. The villain instead of the crazy psychologist is the head of a rival store. Personally I like the villain in the original better. The reason Kris is released is changed. I don't know which reason is better. The man that Kris replaces has a bigger role in this. In the original the girl just wanted a house not a house, a father, and a brother.

Which is Better: I think the original is better. While I do like this one I feel that the original did have more heart to it. The girl in the original did the character of cynical nonbeliever better (Mara Wilson came off as a bit too cutesie). So in my opinion I think the original is better.

THE TOP HAT LOVING TRIO

Top Ten Weirdest Movie Moments

Oh boy another top ten list. This time I am listing the top ten weirdest movie moments. The rules are: it can be a moment in a movie that you just can't explain. It can be just a few seconds of something strange or it can be something longer like a musical number. Time to begin.


10 The Singing Telegram Girl from Clue
Clue is as of now the only good movie based on a board game. But I am getting off subject. This is how the Telegram Girl got incorporated. The murderer turns out the lights and there is a knock at the door. It opens and there is a Singing Telegram Girl who says, "I am your singing telegram". Then she dies and the door closes. That was just so random.





9 A tie between Broadway Melody and Moses Supposes, both from Singin' in the Rain
Both these songs are strange. Moses Supposes just starts as this guy giving our main characters some impossible tongue twisters, then our main characters have a mental break down and start singing about the tongue twisters and start tearing the room up. I could not get a clip of the whole Broadway Melody number, but just imagine a cartoon in real life that goes on for a while.



8 Everything is Honey from Winnie the Pooh
This starts as Pooh being really hungry for honey and he starts thinking everything is honey. But he realizes that he is eating mud and stops. That's like if in the middle of one of my reviews a picture of a singing dancing walking talking hat popped up.








7 The Santa Clause Speech from Gremlins
This one comes out of nowhere. Our heroes are trying to figure out how to stop the Gremlins from destroying the town. Then for no reason Kate starts talking about the worst Christmas of her life. Once she finishes her monologue it is never brought up again.

6 The Pink Elephants from Dumbo
It starts with Dumbo getting drunk (That sounds so weird when you say it out loud). Then he starts hallucinating pink monsters elephants. It is especially weird at the end where the elephants turn into cars, airplanes, and boats then explode.








5 The Chase Scene from The Thief and the Cobbler
This is like a surrealist painting cartoon. I think the video speaks for itself. This whole movie is really, really odd. It's like Dr. Seuss meets Arabian Knights meets Escher.






4 The Costume Ball from Labyrinth
Our hero is transported inside a bubble where a costume party is going on...of course there is. It's not a normal costume party: everything is in slow motion...and a song is playing in the background...did I mention it is inside a bubble?




3 Let's Make Music Together from All Dogs Go to Heaven
This all starts when a giant alligator tries to eat our hero. But our hero sings and the alligator starts singing too. This is very odd. I mean, the alligator never comes back again except for at this one scene at the end. Also there is a giant clam...











2 Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo from Home on the Range
Jumping color changing cows being lead by a yodeling dancing sparkly cattle rustler. Do I have to say anything else?






1 The Tunnel of Doom from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
This starts when everyone gets on a boat of doom and they enter a tunnel of doom. Inside the tunnel they see some of the most bizarre imagery in G rated film, and Wonka also recites this creepy poem. Once it's over no one talks about it. If I was there, I would have ran away screaming after we left the Tunnel.

This has been my top ten weirdest movie moments I hope you like it. Now I need to get back to reality. Goodbye.

WORLDS MOST UNPOPULAR PRODUCT: SUBMARINE SREEN DOORS