If you go into “A Nutcracker Tale” expecting full blown Tom and Jerry mayhem involving burning hands, cut tails, and knives to the butt, then you’re going to be disappointed. We’re now at a time of sheer confusion where a cat cutting a mouse’s tail is crossing the line yet we’ll willingly allow our children to watch MTV. Censors and the FCC can never seem to make up their damn minds, anymore.
Tag Archives: Fantasy
The Snow Queen (2007) (DVD)
One of the appealing aspects of “The Snow Queen” that instantly won me over the unorthodox atmosphere present within this fantasy world. Director Julian Gibbs never quite opts to provide a set and strive for a period piece, instead he makes a noticeably unrealistic set piece and alters it enough to make the world of “The Snow Queen” from the impoverished village to the winter wonderland look like a moving painting as done from a surrealist of a sort. The pastels and shades to “The Snow Queen” are so utterly appealing to watch, and while I could notice the CGI, I absolutely loved what Gibbs was going for with this.
Harry Potter Interactive DVD Game – Hogwarts Challenge (DVD)
For you parents out there who just can’t make enough this year to give your kids something huge, and don’t poop golden coins that allow you to spend hundreds of dollars on game systems, controllers, and games, there’s always the cost effective alternative of the “Interactive Harry Potter DVD Game.” Setting aside my hatred of the franchise, I dove into the interactive DVD Game of Harry Potter with an open mind, and prepared to do battle with my remote. Here’s the gist: This game allows up to four people to be able to take the role of a young wizard and test your knowledge and reflexes on games that reference the first three movies.
The Asian Superman Myth (2007)
Hi, I’m Felix, a movie critic who, you may know, has been a hardcore Superman fan since before I could read. Superman is a character that’s meant a lot to me over the years, and I take great humor in folks who pay homage or poke fun at the character because Superman is a versatile creation that’s ripe for any context. “The Asian Superman Myth” is a mock documentary that begs the question: Is Superman really Asian? It’s possible, is it not? Claveria makes a great case for the notion. In Claveria’s film, the world shown is a world where Superman exists, and Superman is not only just a popular comic book character, but an anomaly that may or may not exist among us.
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Some comic books just aren’t meant to be made into movies. There are just some concepts that look great on a page with a great artist that completely fails to translate on screen. “Fantastic Four” will forever be one of the prime examples of this argument. Tim Story and co. have failed to prove many people wrong in the assertion that this story can be turned into a serious action packed movie. On its surface it’s artificial fluff, a complete piece of colorful junk like cotton candy that’s there for nothing more than to look pretty and provide you with an instant bit of pleasure, and yet really has no long lasting effects or nutritional value.
Square Pegs (2007)
There’s not much to say about “Square Pegs” other than it’s probably one of the most surreal, and yet most powerful short films I’ve ever seen. Not only does the imagery spark a head trip of pure acidic proportions, but it’s such a fantastic statement about faith, and the ongoing war of good and evil and the religious belief of the human soul being wrestled with even after we die. Though I’m not sure I agree with the overall statement Ben Hicks makes about the atheists role in the “war” that ensues for our state of being after our death, “Square Pegs” is nonetheless a powerful little film that makes the best of its low resources.
The Ant Bully (2006)
When we experience misery in our own lives, we look for ways to vent our frustration. When we’re bullied, many of us in anger tend to bully as well, only on smaller individuals than us. “The Ant Bully” is yet another “What they do when we’re not looking” animated film that revolves around yet another microcosm with species learning to survive in our mass consuming intrusive world. Films like the hilarious “Over the Hedge” and the groan inducing “Barnyard” as well as a slew of others dare to demonstrate such a concept.