The Weeds Paradox

The TV show Weeds is a perfect of example of why you don't work children into the narrative elements of a long running series. Now in it's fourth season, the Botwin boys are unmistakably aging, and no good can come of it. Early on in the series, the characters acted as little more than emotional sounding lines for Nancy. They had their own minor plot lines, sure, but minor is all they really were. Occasionally the needs of the brothers would intrude upon the larger scope of the narrative (Silas steals a ton of weed, Shane goes crazy, etc.), but they just couldn't compete with the far more interesting stories of Doug, Andy, Conrad, and the rest of the lot. Oh yeah, and Silas was such a whiny bitch.

Interesting, considering it was a scene from this week's episode, "Lady's a Charm," centered around Silas that sparked the writing of this post. He had that stupid emo haircut, constantly disobeyed his mother, and complained nonstop about everything. Silas was a brat. What's my point

I guess the boys are on summer vacation, and they live in southern California, so the passage of time relative to school or the changing of seasons can be ignored. But the treatment of the characters with respect to the plot needs to be more consistent. I actually like the idea of treating the boys as if they were however old, and always have been, each new season. It's something I don't think has been tried before on television and leads to a bevy of story ideas the writers might not be able to fit into the show in one pass.

The timeline of the show moves at a glacial pace. I don't even think the last dozen or so episodes, which so far span all of season 4 and most of season 3, have covered more than a few months in Weeds-time.

they were lost amidst the much more interesting story arcs and stronger performances by the older and wonderfully played ensemble cast.

read: fourth year of watching Hunter Parish and Alexander Gould mature before the camera





Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk, as Doug Wilson and Andy Botwin, respectively.

WALL-E (2008)

Pixar seems to good to be true. The studio responsible for such groundbreaking films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles has another bona fide classic on its hands with this summer's WALL-E. It would seem that, at some point, the bubble would have to burst and Pixar would have to produce a flop. It's just not natural to be this good this consistently.

WALL-E continues Pixar's tradition of increasingly beautiful computer animated films. The visual care present in each successive film always seems years ahead of what the rest of the industry is doing or capable of. It's nice to see filmmakers that aren't content with resting on their laurels; the envelope is continually being pushed. But the impressive technical feats of their movies is just the icing on the cake. These craftsmen have always cared as much about telling a good story as creating a visually stimulating one. And that is, perhaps, where WALL-E's greatest strength lies.

Director Andrew Stanton, who previously directed Finding Nemo and has had a hand in most Pixar creations, has crafted a tale with virtually no dialogue; a substantial risk if one expects to be able to entertain the children of the ADD generation. Adding to this bold experiment is the inclusion of live-action footage, a not so subtle jab at the direction the human race may be headed, and a soundtrack that consists largely of songs plucked from 1969's Hello, Dolly!.

WALL-E meanders from one exquisite setpiece to another, stopping occasionally for some touching characterizations and brief bouts of exposition, never in a hurry to get where its going. It's refreshing to see a major motion picture take the time to meditate on the simple charm of watching WALL-E himself discover things about himself and the world around him. Plot-wise this is the simplest Pixar movie yet, but who needs a plot when the other elements are so overwhelmingly enjoyable.

Grade = A

Visually Spare?

In reading the A.V. Club article "Primer: Pixar" I was confounded by the term "visually spare" in Donna Bowman's and Noel Murray's description of Finding Nemo. Having the utmost respect for these two writers and their opinions, I must respectfully disagree with their assessment. The colors pop, the scenery is dense, the effects are gorgeous, and the character models ooze detail. Granted, there are stretches where there isn't much to see, but the characters are in the ocean - sometimes there' s gonna be some dead space. And even in those scenes there's always something happening; debris wafting by, subtle reflections or beams of light penetrating the deep, and so forth. Visually spare... ha.

In all fairness, perhaps our definitions differ. I consider the visual upgrade from Monsters, Inc. to Finding Nemo to be the most substantial in Pixar's filmography, acknowledging that with each successive release their movies look better and better. So while Ratatouille may be the, to use my term, most lavish animated film ever, that title is probably going to be WALL-E's today when I see it. I don't know, it's still #10 all-time and my #2 Pixar.

...and this is why.

As an "in response to..." article I never really gave much thought to having to defend my choices for the animated top 10, but after re-reading I see that the argument for my top 10, or against AFI's (depending on how you look at it) hasn't really been supported. So let's get to it...

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Most people already understand the importance of this film; being the first full-length animated feature. I admit it is sort of a cop-out #1, but considering when and how it was made, the fact it still stands up against the best hand-drawn animation of today, and what it did for the cinema industry, and the Disney company, as a whole it's hard to knock it. We may not have had animated features at all if it weren't for the success of this movie.

2. Beauty and the Beast - A controversial choice? Maybe, but since when is any #2 choice on a list not? But it's also the strongest film from the Disney renaissance and perhaps, as a complete motion picture, one of the best Disney films ever, which is saying something. It's also the only animated movie to ever be nominated of the Best Picture Oscar.

3. The Lion King - Yes, it was Hamlet with lions, but darker, more mature themes are always welcome in the world of overly innocent children's fair. Not to say that kids couldn't enjoy the vibrant visuals, the best music of any Disney movie, and comic relief that's still better than most movies, period. And look me in the face and tell me Jeremy Iron's Scar isn't the best, most deliciously evil villain in any Disney movie ever.

4. Sleeping Beauty - Lost in the shuffle of that middle Disney era I spoke about, most people tend to forget about this one. I can't blame them, really. The main character is asleep for a good portion of the film, the "hero" is little more than a plot device, and the movie doesn't have that classic Disney look. But the villain is, like Scar from #3, so very good, the music is tops, and the art style is some of the best in any animated film outside of Studio Ghibli.

5. Pinocchio - Like Snow White... it's another easy choice for any top 10. Great story, characters, art, and the quintessential Disney song, and that has to count, not just "for something," but "for a lot."

6. The Iron Giant - Never given the credit it deserves, this one was knocked for being an old fashion, 2D, cell-animated cartoon that came out during the first few years of the computer animation boom. A shame, too, because not only is it the best hand-drawn film (produced in the US) not made by Disney, but everything about it works so well together. The art style perfectly complements the vibe produced by the story, amplified by some of the most well-rounded characters in any animated movie.

7. Gulliver’s Travels - Had #1 not come out two years prior, this would have been the first ever animated feature. Had it been, there's a very real chance that today parents would be taking their kids to Fleisher Studios World, or Land, instead of Disney. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it wasn't and today we'll always wonder "what if?" But a random bit of trivia isn't enough to make the list alone. It had a great story, based on the classic novel, wonderful music, and the some of the best use/examples of rotoscoping we've ever seen.

8. Toy Story - I'm getting to the point of sounding a bit redundant talking about story, music, artwork, etc. after seven not only great cartoons, but movies in general. So forgive me if I gloss over the specific details of what makes Toy Story so good. It's hard to imagine where we would be today without it, and it's only been 13 years since its release. Like #1, imagine what we'll think of it in 71 years.

9. Cinderella - Until people figured out animation could be used to actually express artistic vision, fairy tales seemed to be the only genre of story worth putting to paint and paper. With that notion, it's no wonder some of the best full-length cartoons are based on fairy tales (see #1, #2, and #4). Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, to me, represent the two most standard fairy tale ideals. And both movies are so good, and so very similar, that swapping them in this list wasn't something I didn't' think about long and hard. At the end of the day, though, Sleeping Beauty is just a bit more grand.

10. Finding Nemo - Until I see WALL-E, #10 will still be the most lavish computer animated film ever. And coming from a studio that has yet to make a flop, that accolade is nothing to sneeze at. Story, characters, etc. - they're all fabulous, but you've seen it (most likely) so you know. Extra credit for a plot that, like #3, is more mature than you probably realize; a parent in a desperate attempt to find their missing child.

So now you see the reasoning. Feel free to disagree with any, or all, of my choices. You're wrong, of course, but that's your right.

Thoughts on the AFI Top 10 Animated Films

(Written in response to “AFI Strikes Again” by Dan Marfield.)
AFI Strikes Again
AFI List
Nominee List

I think it’s worth noting that since this is an AFI list, only films produced in the US are considered. Apologies to those that think the US is the only country capable of animation, but without including the rest of the planet the list boils down to AFI’s nine favorite Disney movies (including Pixar) and Shrek. To a competent cinema fan, that last sentence should suggest the relative weakness of the list. But the fun of list making is working within certain specificities and seeing how things turn out.

Some movies that would seem like locks, at least for the nominee list, were snubbed for one reason or another. There’s a need to acknowledge movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit that mix live-action and animation; Mary Poppins and Song of the South come to mind, but I understand their exclusion. Also, it may appear that stop-motion is woefully underrepresented. In fact, The Nightmare Before Christmas was the only stop-motion film to even make the nominee list. But there really isn't a large enough pool to choose from for these films. Other than Nightmare… there is really only Chicken Run and James and the Giant Peach, neither of which would probably make anyone's top ten. And those numerous Christmas specials that you’re thinking of were made for TV, so the Land of Misfit Toys won’t be showing up here.

How movies the likes of Monster House and Shrek make even the nominee list is beyond me, especially considering some very obvious exclusions. Here are some films that didn’t even get nominated:
Gulliver’s Travels – The second fully animated feature ever and my first VHS tape.
A Boy Named Charlie Brown – Made for TV, but its runtime of 86 minutes makes it feature length. Also, give it some dap for being a film based on a comic strip.
The Fox and The Hound
Any Warner cartoon features (Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales, Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters, Daffy Duck’s Fantastic Island) – Yes, they were a collection of animated shorts, but they had animated bridging sequences to connect everything in one continuous film. If Fantasia counts, these should, too.
The Last Unicorn – It has beautiful art and surprisingly adult themes. Its largest detraction, or selling point, is the soundtrack produced by the band America.

Clearly Disney is going to dominate the list. That fact is well understood. But I can’t stomach Snow White…, Bambi, and Pinocchio all together at the top. They span the years 1937 – 1942, and that’s too much of a concentration for my tastes. Pick one to represent the era, or at least spread them out. The same could be said for the early ‘90s Disney renaissance. From 1989 to 1992 we got, in order and once per year, The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. There wasn’t an animated feature in 1993, but we can include The Lion King in 1994.

Then there is the middle era for Disney. This one is harder to define as it runs an impressive 31 years from 1950 to 1981. Only 13 features were released during this span, making the typical wait about two and a half years between. Not terribly concentrated, but anyone will be hard-pressed to argue against the bulk of the Disney classics; (chronologically) Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound. That is practically a Top 13 right there.

After 1994 the computer animated feature really took over, starting of course with Toy Story. Only a handful of quality cell-animated features were made in the last 15 years; The Iron Giant being the best of that lot. Otherwise we have to consider the likes of the eight released Pixar films and products from DreamWorks and Warner Studios. Nothing outstanding and too early for anything recently made to be considered an “all-time” sort of film.

So, without further ado, my Top 10 Animated Features
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. The Lion King
4. Sleeping Beauty
5. Pinocchio
6. The Iron Giant
7. Gulliver’s Travels
8. Toy Story
9. Cinderella
10. Finding Nemo

Honorable Mention:
The Little Mermaid
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Last Unicorn

The End

For simplicity, I will be combining my three previous blogs into one. Actually, I'll be using an "iframe" to display each of the other blogs in this one. While there may be content I have yet to publish that would fit well into any of these blogs (movie reviews, for example), all content will be published in this blog. The others will never again have new posts made in them.

The point of this is to have regular access to these blogs. It is something I'd like to have available, not only to myself, but to anybody that cares to view them.

In My Opinion...
This blog started as a place to publish the articles I wrote for The Daily Cardinal. It eventually morphed into a straight up review blog for movies.


The *Original* Questions, Comments, and Snide Remarks
This blog started as a simple journal but eventually became neglected. To reinvigorate it I switched to a standard format for each topic covered. I have since decided that a question, comment, or snide remark need not have the other two to make a decent blog post.


The Yellow House Diaries
This blog was about the shenanigans of the then current and eventually former residents of 1701/1703 Regent St.