professor-x Reviews

The Croods (2013)

Stay in your cave, unless you want to get out!

[4/10 · 29 March 2013]

The Croods was fun to watch, and teaches kids to take risks while instilling reasonable family values along the way. There are many great laughable family moments; but, if you stop and think about what's actually going on, there is little purpose to the characters journey. I'm not a huge fan of Dreamworks storytelling, but this is definitely their worst story.

As always, the visuals were risky, hit and miss. Initially, I thought that the characters were very ugly, but after five minutes of seeing them on screen, I was able to enjoy their expressiveness. I had a similar experience with PIXAR's UP... the characters were so weird, but when the acting started, things were fine.

All of the animals in the film felt like they were inspired by an acid trip with Dali inside of an 80s airbrush painting. The wild elements were always interesting, but not the best quality.

So again, there are lots of unique interesting scenes and creatures here, but it all seems a little unfocused and half realized. There are TONs of great special effects in this animated feature, so if you like nature on a big scale, this might be something for you to focus on while kids enjoy the goofy antics of cave people.

If you have nothing better to do, get out of your cave and see this one!

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

The Patriot meets Van Helsing meets Deathstalker

[6/10 · 18 May 2007]

I'm confused. Does anyone know how to write a concise comment about the essence of a film without rewriting the entire script, or merely stating that the plot was ambiguous? "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is an entertaining period action film. I say 'period' only because it feels like a believable portrayal of a fantastical moment in history (i.e."Van Helsing" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" - but minus a small amount of the cheese.) As far as the fine art of film-making goes, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" will never be a hailed a masterpiece, but there are more than a handful of ideas and sequences within the film that make it a must.

The costume design is interesting, most of the cinematography is lovely, but seeing modern production drawings within the film is lame.

The films bulky runtime of two hours and twenty minutes is a bit hard to swallow. A thinner script and more film on the cutting room floor would have done this move wonders. AKA - smart people.

"Brotherhood of the Wolf" is very entertaining, and quite good quality in almost every respect, except pacing/shot selection, and visual effects.

If your first language is English, I highly recommend watching this film in French, with English subtitles. (If your first language is French, I highly recommend that you watch this film in English, with French subtitles.) It helps lessen the 'cheese factor' when you're watching a "foreign" film.

The Czech Year (1947)

Is it fun to watching an entire Czech year?

[7/10 · 23 February 2007]

A lengthy series of numerous animations comprise "Spalicek", also known as "The Czech Year." This animation is not available in the US, and can only be obtained via Amazon Japan, contained on the first volume of Jiri Trnka Film Works DVD collection.

As far as I can tell, "The Czech Year" might be more accurately described as "The Czech Seasons". Each short contains a simple story, somewhat related to the emotions and traditions associated with each season.

Like most of Trnka's work, the puppet designs are simple, but full of life. "Spalicek" doesn't have the same refinement of Trnka's later work, but is wonderful as his first big foray into puppet animation.

Since I am not fluent in the Czech language, this series of shorts can be a little difficult to watch. A great deal of story information is sung and spoken rather than acted. Still, there are great bits of animation, visuals, and music to keep things somewhat interesting.

Story of the Bass Cello (1956)

Play It Again!

[8/10 · 23 February 2007]

Like the majority of Trnka's work, the characters within "Story of the Bass Cello" are easily accessible. In this case, they are quirky, vulnerable, and honest.

I greatly enjoy Trnka's ability to simply and clearly communicate many instances of embarrassment with an economy of motion. The tale is so sharp, funny, and simple. The music is great.

The clean puppet designs and detailed costumes are classic Trnka. People often refer to him as the Walt Disney of the Czech Republic, but I think that does his work an injustice. Most of Trnka's work is clean enough for kids, but comfortably walks in a realm that will entertain children and adults. The look of his puppet animation is vastly different than anything Disney produced.

...great animation, great music, great fun!

This animation can be found within the American released "The Puppet Films of Jiri Trnka" DVD.

Defense Play (1988)

Eat Lunch and Watch a Movie

[5/10 · 25 February 2006]

For some reason I've found it my duty to push my hands through the muck of 80's film until something worthwhile rises to the surface. There are so many trashy 80's films geared toward teens and the immature college crowd, it can be overwhelming trying to find treasure within all of the trash.

I was mostly interested in Defense Play because of Susan Ursitti. I had just watched Teen Wolf the night before, and wondered where the likable Boof had gone. Defense Play was her next feature film. While Ursitti's dialogue was stilted, she was still the most charming character of the lot.

There are a few other seasoned 80's supporting actors peppered in here and there, but most of the screen-time is hogged by our generic hunk David Oliver. It's hard for people to sympathize with a spoiled athletic military college playboy, but Oliver managed to be fairly tolerable while having everything.

Other than Ursitti, the poster art and plot were the true hooks for me, full of 80s shticks. Airwolf meets Russian war games? Smartly (budget-wise) the movie features a radio controlled military drone gone amok, and the jet stock footage that favors can buy.

The plot was predictable, and I knew who the secret bad guy was by the second act, but the chuckle factor was pretty high. If you now what to expect, you won't be disappointed. It's a cheesy 80's movie, that barely avoided going directly to VHS.

Make a sandwich, eat some chips through the bag dialog, and all will be well.

OTHER 80's B SCI-FI that has risen to the surface: Timerider - The Keep - Ghost Warrior

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959)

Dream a little harder...

[7/10 · 10 December 2005]

Jiri Trnka - master Czech animator, illustrator, and sculptor. I sing his praises constantly, but this time I wasn't quite as enamored by the animation. While "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is definitely worth seeing, (so colorful) I feel that much less of the camera work and animation was done by Trnka himself.

Animating a human puppet convincingly was always something that Trnka managed to do, but the animation within "A Midsummer Night's Dream" feels a little rough around the edges when compared to the previous work within "Old Czech Legends" (which is still my favorite piece, simply due to the quality of the work, and the odd content).

So in short, don't pass this one up, but you might be slightly disappointed if you're an uber animation nerd. I have only see this work without English captions/voices.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Almost Not Good

[5/10 · 6 May 2005]

While "Kingdom of Heaven" has the same epic flavor of "Gladiator", it falls apart due to basic story problems and a poorly directed cast. The cinematography is way below Scott's usual goodness.

Time and time again I've tried to cut Orlando Bloom some slack, but year after year he delivers the same steely unappealing character. Legolas was awesome, but it's time for something new.

Moments of minimal dialog were interesting, but shoddy acting wasn't solid enough to bridge sizable moments of silence. When characters did speak, the result was often laughable and confusing.

Several key portions of the score were taken directly from Scott's original Gladiator, without shame. How can a "Kingdom of Heaven" be composed from a compilation of backlot seconds?

Old Czech Legends (1953)

"Old Czech Legends" - An Amazing Series of Czech Tales

[8/10 · 21 April 2005]

This is some of the most ambitious stop-motion that I've seen to date. Jiri Trnka wasn't at all intimidated by the technical challenges of the medium, and steamed ahead to tell "Old Czech Legends" without compromise.

The Character movements are executed so competently; only a master like Trnka could pull something like this off. The level of detail, volume of characters, and even the camera work leaves nothing other than "impressive" in my mind. Fire, smoke, spinning camera moves, walking in snow, crowds, birds, quadrupeds, delicate props and matte paintings... it's all here.

The European gestures are fun to watch, so unconventional when compared to traditional formulaic American animation. If you're a fan of stop-motion, or animation in general, this one's for you.

This animation can by purchased through Amazon Japan.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1981 TV Movie)

A beloved tale of consequence

[7/10 · 17 April 2005]

Wonderfully narrated by Robert Hardy, this elaborate stop-motion animation is a literal recitation of Robert Browning's original poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" (published 1842).

The original box description reads as follows:

"For children of all ages, a beloved tale comes to life in a splendid production that highlights the art of the puppeteer. Against an imaginative medieval background, the story of the Piper who rids the town of Hamlin of its rats plays out – complete with the town's betrayal and the Piper's unique revenge. An enchanting tale for every family's pleasure."

Parents should feel obligated to show their children works like these, to instill an interest in the arts, imagination and even history to some extent. If you enjoy stop-motion and medieval tales of woe, this is your cup of tea.

Related works: "Krysar" Jiri Barta -- "Old Czech Legends" Jiri Trnka

The Pied Piper (1986)

An odd bit of inspiring animation...

[8/10 · 16 April 2005]

Krysar, also known as "The Rat Catcher", is a truly beautiful bit of obscure animation, executed by Czech animator Jiri Barta (not to be confused with the late Jiri Trnka).

The most amazing aspect of Krysar, other than its sheer oddity, is the unfathomable amount of labor that went into its production. If you manage to find a copy of this film with "the making of" included, you'll be astonished as characters evolve from sketches into finalized wax sculpts, which are later perfectly replicated in wood by a master carver.

While the storytelling itself is linear, the characters faux language makes Krysar an interesting ride. People often liken the visuals with cubism, which does a somewhat accurate job of summing up the animations crooked 3D format. Every shot is a very well planned collage of 3D puppets and skewed sets.

If you enjoy stop motion, and animation in general, this is a very colorful, disturbing, and worthwhile piece of puppet animation. While not entirely suitable for children, I wouldn't hesitate in showing this to teens.

After years of being unable to purchase Barta's work within the US, a wonderful compilation of his work has finally been released onto a region 1 DVD. The disc is entitled "The Labyrinth of Darkness", which I find rather humorous. A compilation of Barta's work was released years earlier in Japan, with almost the same title "Labyrinth of Darkness and Light". I guess America's Grimm loving population is too cool for the light.

Related Fable Animations: Old Czech Legends - Jiri Trnka The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship - Francis Vose

Hanover Street (1979)

Harrison Ford - No Major Complaints - No Spoilers

[12 November 2004]

Despite numerous negative reviews of this Film, I decided to give it a chance anyway. Harrison Ford almost always shines.

In "Hanover Street" Ford's delivery seemed a little dry at times, but not that often. His future as Indiana Jones, and other "emotional yet tough" characters peaks through on several occasions.

There is a good balance of action and romance here, decent character development. The pacing is a little slower than modern films, but comparing an older film to modern drivel doesn't do much good. Sitting through this film should be a cake walk for people with an attention span.

So over all, a good film!

Warning to Parents: There is a very short amount of frontal nudity in this PG film.