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alexoren
Reviews
Tangled (2010)
Predictable
Disclaimer: I have 3 kids, aged 6, 9 and 12, so I've seen more than my share of Disney animated movies with them (mostly on DVD but some in theatres).
We saw the 3D version of the film. Technically, it was very good. However, this was the first 3D film using polarization glasses that I saw so I don't really have a frame of reference -- comparing it to Anaglyph technology makes no sense. I did feel that the effect was overdone and distracting at times but some scenes benefited from it.
The animation was good. The voice acting was good. The songs were mediocre. The plot...
The plot can be characterized by one word -- Predictable. It's like Disney Studios have a mold that they force every story into. You have the brave but naive protagonist, the scheming villain, the dashing "travelling companion" that turns into a love interest, the pet (chameleon this time), the "comic interlude" characters. You get the the same gags, the same jokes, the same romantic progress: mutual distrust, getting to know each other, falling in love, having a fight (prompted by the villain's treachery), splitting, realizing their mistake, coming together again, defeating the villain, living happily ever after... Even the same moralizations.
Almost everything that happened since Rapunzel left the tower felt all too familiar, like I've seen the movie before. Which was a huge disappointment.
Tangled was not a bad movie but it was not a good one either. My 6yo liked it very much. The other kids thought it was OK. I missed Aladdin. Verdict: 6/10.
Open Season (2006)
A classic example of a bad movie
This movie is bad, not "cult" bad, not "so bad it's good", not even "funny" bad, just plain old boring bad. It is so stupid and tiresome that the commercial breaks (we saw it on cable) were a relief.
The main premise -- a domesticated animal trying to adjust to the wild -- is unoriginal but holds the potential of decent sitcom style laughs. Unfortunately the promise is unfulfilled, as you see most of the jokes coming from a mile off and the humour is aimed at the lowest common denominator. Some are repeated so many times that you cannot help but groan.
Most of the characters are one-dimensional (the rest are more accurately described as zero-dimensional), they are nothing more than walking stereotypes, afflicted by both idiocy (no thinking skills whatsoever) and schizophrenia (behaviour and motivations change wildly from one moment to the next).
To summarize: there is no plot to speak of, there is no acting to speak of, no suspense, no believability, no feelings for the protagonists or the antagonists (except annoyance), nothing notable or memorable.
Not for lack of ambition, mind you. Open season takes every cliché, every situation, every lame joke that ever (dis)graced the screen, tries to cram all of them into 83 minutes and doesn't even attempt to tie them together into a coherent whole.
Out of the 6 people that watched it, 5 (me, wife, father-in-law, 12yo girl, 8yo boy) found it stupid and boring while 1 (5yo boy) liked it.
So if you are in the 4-5 years-old demographic, you'll probably like it. Otherwise, there are better ways to kill your time.
Bag the Wolf (2000)
Bad wolf
I saw this movie on cable (recorded on a PVR). The description and previews were mildly intriguing, plus my wife was otherwise busy so I decided to use the opportunity and watch something that she would apriori not appreciate. Last time it happened, the movie in question was "Crank", which I found quite entertaining.
Well, "Bag the Wolf" is no "Crank". In fact, it is a bad movie. Not "funny" bad, not "campy" bad, just bad. - The acting is terrible - The characters are not believable - The dialogues are trite - The delivery is forced - Plot holes abound - The directing is wandering and confused I could go on, but you get the idea.
There are no redeeming qualities to this film. The only positive thing I can say about it is that Deanna Dezmari looks good, with and without clothes. Oh, and the guy that plays Natasha's stepfather does a pretty decent job. Not academy award material but head and shoulders above the rest of the "actors" (which is, unfortunately, not saying much).
Verdict: avoid.