So I sat here trying to think of reasons why I liked “The Easter Bunny…” and then after about three hours of sitting still and looking into a wall, I realized that I was being a little too easy on Rankin Bass. Even in this day and age, there’s a certain charm to Rankin Bass and their stop motion creations. “The Easter Bunny…” has a great visual sense with character designs and pastels that are aesthetically pleasing and rather appealing to the eyes, and they’re always nothing short of superb when providing special effects, even considering the time these movies were made.
Tag Archives: Adventure
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
Many people will reason for “Horton” that it’s a good movie because, it’s much better than the previous attempts. And frankly, I’m not buying it. Is “Horton” as bad as the previous live action attempts? No way in bloody hell. But is it good enough to be a classic? No way in bloody hell. “Horton” makes the right decision of using animation this time around and pumps the screen with skilled comedians and it pays off to a certain extent as the adventures end up rather amusing. As an animated effort, it has the right idea, it just doesn’t know how to compose Seuss without turning itself into another “Shrek,” and I prayed this movie would have sense enough to not aspire to appeal to that audience and yet it did.
Serenity: Better Days #1 (of 3)
I’ll tell you what the fundamental problem with “Serenity: Better Days” is, so far. There’s too much fore-shadowing to “Serenity.” There’s so much it became pretty irritating to read at times. Wash makes a hint at the possible getting together of Kaylee and the Doc, and heck even the cover has Wash and Zoe holding hands. We know what happens in “Serenity,” there’s no need to keep connecting the dots to remind us this is a sequel to “Those Left Behind,” and the second part of the comic book prequel… you follow?
Hawk Jones (1986)
And now for a trip down memory lane: Back when I was a young lad, my dad used to look for kids movies we could watch whenever we were up to no good and around our block there was a store that had an incredible collection of movies for sale. The selection was absolutely fantastic, with movies that were very hard to find and rare, and became even more so once the Blockbuster’s and Netflix’s of the world choked them out. Either way, he bought us this movie called “Hawk Jones” on VHS for a mere five bucks and boasted about its surefire entertainment value. Well, he wasn’t incorrect.
Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina (2007) (DVD)
There’s simply no denying it; “Appleseed Ex Machina” has some utterly incredible animation with some of the best character designs I’ve seen in the CGI field in years. The landscapes are extraordinary, the visuals are absolutely dazzling, and much of the action is committed with a tight editing brilliance that keeps the action in a constant rapid fire pace. The “Appleseed” films always have the most dazzling computer animation, even if you don’t always receive the most enriching experience. If you recall our early review of the first “Appleseed” movie, you’ll remember that we pretty much disliked everything it stood for. It was overly complicated, cliché, tedious as all hell, and was pretty much existent for its incredible animation with zero substance to provide its audience. Okay, so John Woo allegedly produced this sequel, so what? “Appleseed Ex Machina” is just the same movie as its predecessor, except just boring with a little more to offer, which isn’t saying much when you consider the first film’s goals.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Beyond watching the movie marathons every summer on the local television stations as a child, I never really considered myself a fan of the Godzilla movies. Granted, I love the character of Godzilla, but I never actually cared about the mythos, the supporting characters, or any of the spin offs. But at one time I really cared for characters like Gamera, and Ghidorah, and Jet Jaguar, so the endless recommendations on the part of movie geeks insisting this was a very different Godzilla movie swayed me enough to want to see what “GMKG” was actually about, and surely enough it’s a very good Godzilla movie that takes all of the monsters and makes them villainous threats once again.
Rambo (2008)
Speaking as someone who hates “First Blood,” and managed to completely dislike all of the subsequent “Rambo” movies, I’m surprised to say that “Rambo” or “John Rambo” isn’t a bad movie. In fact, it’s good, it’s really good. Much like the previous “Rocky Balboa,” Stallone seeks to send off his iconic character through the means of a stern and classy storyline that closes all arcs, and leaves our tragic hero with dignity and a sense of closure. How this will play with the studios who want more “Rambo” movies, one can only imagine, but for what it is, it’s a neat little farewell to a very silly action hero.