James' Movie Blog

 Childhood will ultimately lead towards adulthood. There, as an adult, we discover the world in a different light, and meaning. However, there are times in our adulthood that we yearn for going back to our childhood, but unfortunately, we cannot. Luckily, there is the medium of film to occupy us with that theme of wanting and trying to go back to the past. And, a more recent example of this theme is 2018's “Christopher Robin” from Disney; a surprise hit that connects adulthood with that of childhood. While the film does suffer from a rather weak story, the rest of the production is quite the visual treat. Everything about this film just screams eye candy to both the young and the old. “Christopher Robin” may feel formulaic when it comes to its story, but is a good effort at bringing forth nostalgia the adults in the audience. The plot has Christopher Robin, who imagined all of The Hundred Acre Wood and Winnie the Pooh, leaving his friends behind, and growing up into becoming a har...

  When it comes to video games and movies, they are generally perceived as being not that good. A factor for this can be mostly blamed on the studios who produce them; they do not not have a clear understanding of how the source material should be viewed to the general public. Which is something they have to take into consideration: appeasing both the fans of the source material, and the general audience. Companies like Fox and Universal, at least try and give fans of the game something to look forward to. But Disney? That's just not going to work out. Sure, the company might have tried putting their hands into video game adaptations with 1993's “Super Mario Bros.”, and have dabbled with original concepts revolving around video games, like with “Tron”, but for the most part, Disney has stayed away from video game adaptations. That is until Disney released their 2010 feature, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”, loosely based on the video game series, “Prince of Persia”. The r...

  A perfect example on how to do a stop-motion animated film, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” succeeds in every way possible. It has an interesting story, it's tremendously funny, the cast does an excellent job at lending their voices to this animated film, and this movie brings together a lot of genres into one whole production. This film is wonderful and full of great entertainment. Whenever an animated movie comes along, it tries to break the barriers on how to define a cartoon; this movie proves that point beyond all expectations. We have two of the most recognized characters in animation history making their feature film debut, and they triumph boldly. “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” is an ambitious project that brings two popular clay figures to the big screen. The plot is that England is holding its annual Giant Vegetable Competition and unfortunately there's a rabbit infestation in the area that's causing a real problem. ...

  When the Disney company reinvented themselves in the 90s, people were very surprised with the output of creativity that they delivered. Most of their films were vaunted, and highly praised among both critics and audiences. And among these films, was the 1992 effort “Aladdin” based off the story of 'Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp' from the 1001 Arabian Nights. When it first came out to the general public, it quickly became iconic due to its inclusion of a very popular actor, Robin Williams, and led to many more animated films to have either a famous comedian attached to an animated project, or, have celebrities in animated films. As for the film itself, it is quite an impressive feat. From the thrilling action, to the memorable songs and characters, it seems that the movie has something for everyone. “Aladdin” is just one of those movies where Disney did everything right.   The story takes place in the fictional kingdom of Agrabah, located in the middle of the desert. Here,...

Guns. They are both fascinating and very deadly. Over the years, people have used guns as a means for two different kinds of activities: hunting and protection. The later is being considered one of the most dangerous forms of defense in more recent times. Control with guns is still a relevant issue that plagues many people and politicians. Especially, in the United States of America. In fact, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution has the statement proclaiming that a person can have the right to own a weapon in their household, should they so desire. But, the leitmotif has become something that can bring up controversy, especially when used in the wrong manner. And nowhere is that more explored than in the 2002 documentary feature “Bowling for Columbine” directed by Michel Moore. Moore's film chronicles the infamous high school shooting, and puts into play, the dangers of trying to be safe in the United States. While there are some minor problems with the movie in g...

  The sword and sandals genre of action movies is rarely seen today. But right at the turn of the 21 st Century, the genre was revived in the most unlikeliest of ways. And the film that started this new revival was the 2000 film “Gladiator”, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russel Crowe. When it was released, it got rave reviews and even won the Oscar for Best Picture. Now that the film has seen the passage of time, we can clearly see that the movie has aged by just a little bit. While not absolutely perfect, “Gladiator” is one of those movies that definitely takes its time, but revels in its own visual style. The story follows a Roman soldier by the name of Maximus (Crowe), who just won an impressive battle for the current emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). All Maximus wants to do now is go home to see his wife and son. Unfortunately, Marcus Aurelius wants to appoint Maximus as the next successor to Rome; this displeases his son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who procee...

When it comes to discussing animation studios, many people bring up companies like Disney or Pixar. However, the British animation company Aardman is rarely talked about. This is most likely because the main work that they are known for the most is Wallace and Gromit, and their other works do not get that much recognition. This all changed in the year 2000 when Aardman released their first feature length film “Chicken Run” to popular success from everyone. A co-production with DreamWorks, the movie was hit in both the United Kingdom and United States, and ultimately becoming the highest grossing stop motion animated movie of all time. And the film deserves this recognition. From spectacular animation, to memorable characters, the movie is a special retelling of the classic film “The Great Escape”, but for a much younger crowd. Although there is one minor complaint that deters the film greatly, the rest of the movie is quite good. “Chicken Run” is a magnificent production, showcasing on...