Jonwo Reviews

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

A Classic is every possible way.

[10/10 · 19 November 2009]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Live Action/Animated films have been a sub genre which has been around since the dawn of animation with films such as Pete's Dragon, Song of the South, Mary Poppins etc but it was Roger Rabbit that set the bar high. Essentially a murder mystery with animated characters, Roger Rabbit tells the story of Roger, a 'Toon' who is accused of murdering Marvin Acme who was supposedly seen having an affair with Roger's wife Jessica Rabbit. On the run from Judge Doom, Roger finds help from Eddie Valiant, a gruff detective who has a disdain for Toons as his brother was killed by one.

The film is an achievement both technically and from a story Point of View with a great cast with Bob Hoskins as Eddie and Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom, the film isn't aimed at kids but they will enjoy with cameos from from iconic cartoon characters and it show how great a director Robert Zemeckis is. It is still watchable today and is not only one of the best family film but one of the best films ever.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

A Surprisenly Tasty Film

[9/10 · 12 November 2009]

Sony Pictures Animation have had mixed success in comparison to the more established studios like Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky with their films coming out at the wrong time with Open Season opening after the glut of talking animal films and Surf's Up which opened after Happy Feet but with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, SPA has finally found a hit film, the animation is stunning especially the water and the food weather and unlike say, Shrek the look is cartoony but works in its favour, the voice actors are equally as good with Bill Hader as Flint, Mr T as Earl and Anna Faris as Sam but it's Steve the Monkey who steals the film. The story itself works very well expanding on the original book and while the second half lags a bit, overall I left the cinema both with a smile and hungry.

If The Smurfs and Hotel Transylvania are half as good as Cloudy then Sony Pictures Animation will continue to thrive.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

A Dark and Delightful classic.

[9/10 · 12 November 2009]

Robert Zemeckis, the main pioneer of Motion capture films with films such as The Polar Express, Monster House and Beowulf attempts a new version of a story that has been many times before and needless to say it doesn't disappoint. Jim Carrey is a revelation as Scrooge and the three Ghosts but his performance is so good that each has its own personality, Bob Hoskins and Colin Firth are very good as Crachit and Fred. The 3D in the film is stunning and Zemeckis uses to a great degree but it's never a gimmick. It is a faithful adaptation of the story but it's not for young children and several scenes were quite dark and scary which actually added to the film and it's not as heartwarming as previous versions but the happy ending remains. If there is one or criticisms is that some scenes went on a bit too long and some characters were not as well animated and suffered from dead eye.

Overall, a great Christmas film and it does show the potential of motion capture and if they continue to improve it then it's going a great tool for filmmakers.