Fantastic Mr. Fox reviews

flipp525
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Post by flipp525 »

My god, the last two episodes of Season 3 are just superb. Enjoy.
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Post by The Original BJ »

Damien wrote:I only saw the first four episodes of Mad Men this season (TimeWarner's fault, not mine.)
You can buy it on iTunes. I'm almost finished with season 3 right now.
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Post by Damien »

Mister Tee wrote:
Damien wrote:I also loved the stop action effects, which conjured up memories of the old Davy & Goliath tv show- -- a reference I'm sure Tee will recognize even if no one else does.
Did you note the fleeting glimpse of Davy and Goliath on Mad Men this season (Pete Campbell watching, on the weekend he'd been abandoned by his wife)? I can't believe I used to be up at 8AM to watch stuff like that.
I only saw the first four episodes of Mad Men this season (TimeWarner's fault, not mine.)

My sister gave me a Davy & Goliath DVD as a joke Christmas present. (Haven't brought myself to watch it yet.)
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Post by Mister Tee »

Damien wrote:I also loved the stop action effects, which conjured up memories of the old Davy & Goliath tv show- -- a reference I'm sure Tee will recognize even if no one else does.
Did you note the fleeting glimpse of Davy and Goliath on Mad Men this season (Pete Campbell watching, on the weekend he'd been abandoned by his wife)? I can't believe I used to be up at 8AM to watch stuff like that.
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Post by Zahveed »

I remember Davy and Goliath, vaguely. They had reruns when I was a tot.

I'm glad this movie gets the Damien "Undamned Cartoon" seal of approval.
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Post by Damien »

A sweet, lovely and quintessentially Wes Anderson movie. One reviewer described the picture as "laconic," and I think that word points out both the film's virtues as well as flaws. It's nice to see an animated film which isn't hyper-active, although there are sequences that seem too lethargic when you have stop-action animals rather than human beings on screen.

The film's dry wit is admirable, although the humor tends to make you smile rather than laugh out loud. There are some wonderfully inventive visuals (I especially love the sight of the animals running as they are digging tunnels). The characters are nicely delineated.

It's all very low-keyed in the Wes Anderson fashion, and if I'd still rather see Anderson regulars like Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson in the (celluloid) flesh rather than as disembodied voices, this film is so much more intelligent, clever and witty than such ridiculously overpraised unbearable crap as Ratatoulle, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Chciken Run as to seem to exist in a completely different universe. And unlike those cartoons, this movie has a sense of deeply felt emotional connections.

And has any filmmaker been so concerned about family dynamics since Vincent Sherman?

I also loved the stop action effects, which conjured up memories of the old Davy & Goliath tv show- -- a reference I'm sure Tee will recognize even if no one else does.

6/10




Edited By Damien on 1262941050
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Post by Okri »

Saw it today. Quite good. Little surprised at the level of enthusiasm but twas fun.
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Post by Franz Ferdinand »

I loved this movie! It was a great mix of Roald Dahl (who I first read in grade 3 and inspired my whole love affair with reading that I carry to this day) and Wes Anderson, whose movies I will always watch when I have the chance. I wasn't crazy about the ending that was tacked on to make the movie a more feasible running time (basically everything after the cider flush-out at the feast), but I am sure a second viewing will make it better. A fantastic movie :;):
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Post by Eric »

I'm joining the chorus here. This is my favorite of the year, among the couple dozen I've seen. It's also easily Anderson's best since Rushmore.

Also very interesting to think that the best picture line-up, even with 10 nominations at its disposal, will likely be outclassed by the best goddamn cartoon category, so long as they refrain from snubbing Ponyo, Up, Coraline and Fox in favor of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
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Post by The Original BJ »

Fantastic Mr. Fox was quite an enjoyable movie. I particularly agree with the comments about the animation -- the film is a real visual dazzler, rich with wit and detail in its images. (I could probably cite that this is yet another of the year's animated films that wouldn't be out of place in Best Art Direction, but I can only keep playing this broken record for so long.)

I was also pleased to enjoy a Wes Anderson film again. I like Rushmore and loved The Royal Tenenbaums, but (sorry, Sabin) I thought The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited were more evidence of a talented artist trying to show off the same tricks than really special movies.

Fantastic Mr. Fox, interestingly enough, DOES show off a lot of those same tricks, but maybe it's both the combination of animation, which gives Anderson's trademark visual style a fresh look, and adaptation, which provides Roald Dahl's unique sensibility as a jumping off point, which make the film special -- another clever entry into the Anderson canon rather than a retread.

And speaking of artists moving in interesting directions -- that was a Desplat score!!! It sounds like nothing I've heard from him before. (I'd just assumed while watching the film it was Mark Mothersbaugh.) What buoyant, fun work! I'm convinced Desplat can do anything.

The Pixar-groupie in me still would cite Up as the year's best animated flick, but it's been quite a strong year for animation. I think Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Ponyo are all strong works by filmmakers with very unique visions, and all would be 100% deserving nominees.
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Post by Mister Tee »

A real pleasure machine of a movie. Wit comes at you at a breakneck pace. If I have a quibble, it's that the final reel descends into more familiar cartoon territory, and, oddly, also seems to slow down a bit as a result. It's much the same sense I had with Triplets of Belleville: you had so much freshness going for you; why'd you think you needed an action finale?

But, truly, that's a minor objection. The characters (and actors behind them) are strong, the dialogue sharp, the animation beyond amazing, and the film, except for that last patch, moves like the SST. I'm to the point where Up is now running third among animated features this year, behind both Coraline and this.
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Post by Sabin »

You've seen it?

I just mean in watching films like Tokyo Sonata or Summer Hours, you can make a case for them being deeper. Fantastic Mr. Fox has nothing of terrible importance to say, unlike Ratatouille and WALL-E which are more thematically resonating animated films. Fuck that: films. Ratatouille and WALL-E are masterpiece movies rich in theme. But Fantastic Mr. Fox's joie de vivre is the most intoxicating of the year for me, save for The Brothers Bloom which is insanely underrated, a little problematic, but deeply touching.

I may very well go see Fantastic Mr. Fox again in a couple of days.
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Post by Sonic Youth »

Sabin wrote:I don't know if Fantastic Mr. Fox is the best movie of the year
Stop your frontin'. You know very well it is. :D
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Post by Sabin »

I don't know if Fantastic Mr. Fox is the best movie of the year but there hasn't been a filmgoing experience I've had like it all year. I loved every minute of this film and it began with the first minute. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a glorious moviegoing experience that takes everything I love about Wes Anderson and expands the canvas. The canvas he created with Bottle Rocket expanded to Rushmore in scope and then outward further to The Royal Tenenbaums. If it turns out that The Royal Tenenbaums is essentially the largest expansion of his vision by the end of his career, I wouldn't be surprised. It feels like the most Wes Anderson film that anybody could possibly make: all the preoccupations visually, literately, etc. in one glorious package. The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited are strong pieces of filmmaking with various flaws, but The Royal Tenenbaums felt like a bar of expressionism that was placed so high and couldn't really be reached in terms of vision. Everything else is treading water.

Here comes Fantastic Mr. Fox with a wonderful new trick: stop-motion animation. Owen Gleiberman wrote that Wes Anderson essentially creates cartoons and has been working towards this film for years. Wes is in fact an expert animator, micromanaging performance and decoration. His micromanaging style has been given new form and it feels liberating. It's the Best Goddamn Cartoon of the Year and my favorite Goddamn Filmgoing Experience too.
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Post by Zahveed »

I'm looking forward to this movie.
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