Home Before Dark (Mervyn LeRoy, 1958) 8/10
Perceptive drama charting the return home of a wealthy young woman (Jean Simmons) after spending a year in a mental institution. She gradually comes out of her fragile state after realising that it was the conditions at home that resulted in her acute nervous breakdown. Shattering account of a failed marriage - her priggish professor husband (Dan O'Herlihy) never loved her and has instead always been in love with her step-sister (Rhonda Fleming). Gradually she manages to overcome her fragile state with the help of her husband's colleague (Efrem Zimbalist Jr) and starts to take charge of her life. Since it's the 1950s it takes over two hours for the word "divorce" to crop up and when it finally does everything falls into place for her. This plot could have worked even better with Douglas Sirk at the helm. The stark chilly Massachusetts locations compliment Jean Simmon's magnificent performance wavering on the brink of insanity.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
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The Echo of Thunder (Simon Wincer, 1998) 5/10
A family in the Australian outback has to contend with the arrival of a young girl - the farmer's (Jamey Sheridan) daughter from a previous marriage. She faces resentment from her dad's second wife (Judy Davis), older daughter and a bully at school. Typical Hallmark tv film about the importance of family and how challenges and hardships are overcome leading to happiness and forgiveness. Davis is very good as the uncompromisingly tough woman who has a hard time accepting her husband's daughter from a previous marriage. Filmed on stunning New South Wales locations.
A family in the Australian outback has to contend with the arrival of a young girl - the farmer's (Jamey Sheridan) daughter from a previous marriage. She faces resentment from her dad's second wife (Judy Davis), older daughter and a bully at school. Typical Hallmark tv film about the importance of family and how challenges and hardships are overcome leading to happiness and forgiveness. Davis is very good as the uncompromisingly tough woman who has a hard time accepting her husband's daughter from a previous marriage. Filmed on stunning New South Wales locations.
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One Against the Wind (Larry Elikann, 1991) 7/10
True story of Countess Mary Lindell (Judy Davis) who worked for the French Red Cross during WWII in Paris and helped many Allied soldiers escape from the Nazis. Episodic film deals with her heroics which involve her help of a downed British pilot (Sam Neill), her daughter's (Kate Beckinsale) involvement with a German soldier, her pursuit by an SS officer (Anthony Higgins) and help by a priest (Denholm Elliott). Davis gives a strong performance bringing to life the woman who was later proved to have actually been a double agent for the Germans. Good old fashioned war film.
True story of Countess Mary Lindell (Judy Davis) who worked for the French Red Cross during WWII in Paris and helped many Allied soldiers escape from the Nazis. Episodic film deals with her heroics which involve her help of a downed British pilot (Sam Neill), her daughter's (Kate Beckinsale) involvement with a German soldier, her pursuit by an SS officer (Anthony Higgins) and help by a priest (Denholm Elliott). Davis gives a strong performance bringing to life the woman who was later proved to have actually been a double agent for the Germans. Good old fashioned war film.
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Georgia (Ben Lewin, 1988) 7/10
Rare film has a typically tough performance by the great Judy Davis. A hotshot lawyer is manipulated into attending a photo exhibition where she discovers that her real mother was the photographer who died under mysterious circumstances at a party. Was her drowning an accident, a suicide or murder? Davis also plays the free spirited mother in flashback sequences and tries to get at the truth by talking to various people at that party - her adopted mother, a business tycoon and a cop - all of whom have a different version (shades of "Rashomon") of the events that fateful night. Meanwhile there is a masked intruder wielding a razor and who wants to kill to stop the truth from coming out. Australian production that never got a release abroad thus depriving fans from witnessing an energetic and intelligent performance by Davis in one of her best roles.
Rare film has a typically tough performance by the great Judy Davis. A hotshot lawyer is manipulated into attending a photo exhibition where she discovers that her real mother was the photographer who died under mysterious circumstances at a party. Was her drowning an accident, a suicide or murder? Davis also plays the free spirited mother in flashback sequences and tries to get at the truth by talking to various people at that party - her adopted mother, a business tycoon and a cop - all of whom have a different version (shades of "Rashomon") of the events that fateful night. Meanwhile there is a masked intruder wielding a razor and who wants to kill to stop the truth from coming out. Australian production that never got a release abroad thus depriving fans from witnessing an energetic and intelligent performance by Davis in one of her best roles.
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A Cooler Climate (Susan Seidelman, 1999) 6/10
Old fashioned "women's picture" with two great stars facing off each other. A down-and-out divorcée (Sally Field) gets employment as a housekeeper at the house of an affluent but neurotic matron (Judy Davis). Their tense relationship eventually thaws after various hysterical events involving their angry daughters, the matron's philandering husband and life's assorted disappointments. Both Field and Davis were deservedly nominated for the Emmy. Beautifully shot film in scenic Vancouver which subs for New Haven.
Old fashioned "women's picture" with two great stars facing off each other. A down-and-out divorcée (Sally Field) gets employment as a housekeeper at the house of an affluent but neurotic matron (Judy Davis). Their tense relationship eventually thaws after various hysterical events involving their angry daughters, the matron's philandering husband and life's assorted disappointments. Both Field and Davis were deservedly nominated for the Emmy. Beautifully shot film in scenic Vancouver which subs for New Haven.
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Red Light (Roy Del Ruth, 1949) 6/10
George Raft is typically intense seeking his brother's killer by looking for a missing bible that holds a clue to the murder. Virginia Mayo provides attractive decoration as the lady friend who helps while Raymond Burr and Harry Morgan provide the sinister sleaze. Interesting little B-noir with Raft pretty much a Cagney clone.
George Raft is typically intense seeking his brother's killer by looking for a missing bible that holds a clue to the murder. Virginia Mayo provides attractive decoration as the lady friend who helps while Raymond Burr and Harry Morgan provide the sinister sleaze. Interesting little B-noir with Raft pretty much a Cagney clone.
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The Caller (Matthew Parkhill, 2011) 1/10
Boring horror film has a woman receiving ominous crank calls after she moves into an apartment. Is it her stalker ex-husband? Is it a voice from her past? Is the apartment full of ghosts? Is it all in her imagination? Why doesn't she just disconnect the phone and save herself the bother of later being attacked by a weird woman wielding a huge kitchen knife. Trashy horror film that just goes on and on and on.
Boring horror film has a woman receiving ominous crank calls after she moves into an apartment. Is it her stalker ex-husband? Is it a voice from her past? Is the apartment full of ghosts? Is it all in her imagination? Why doesn't she just disconnect the phone and save herself the bother of later being attacked by a weird woman wielding a huge kitchen knife. Trashy horror film that just goes on and on and on.
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Our Very Own (David Miller, 1950) 5/10
The film is a time capsule catching America at mid-20th century in a story dealing with the daily life of teenagers, the introduction of television in households - the film was shot in 1948 - and handles the subject of adoption in a rather archaic manner treating it as a stigma. A young girl's (Ann Blyth) life gets a jolt when in an angry exchange with her younger sister (Joan Evans) discovers she was adopted by her loving parents (Martin Milner & Jane Wyatt). Her family, boy friend (Farley Granger) and best friend (Phyllis Kirk) are all very supportive but she insists on meeting her birth mother (Ann Dvorak in a flashy bit) causing a crisis in the household. It all works out in typical 1950s fashion with Blyth discovering the worth of the parents who actually brought her up. There are interesting bits throughout - the young teens interacting at a birthday party, the family getting a television installed with the annoying kid sister - little Natalie Wood - who gets the entire opening 20 minutes of the film as she makes a nuisance of herself with the visiting mechanic. Wood carries off the part with ease and was still seven years away from adult stardom.
The film is a time capsule catching America at mid-20th century in a story dealing with the daily life of teenagers, the introduction of television in households - the film was shot in 1948 - and handles the subject of adoption in a rather archaic manner treating it as a stigma. A young girl's (Ann Blyth) life gets a jolt when in an angry exchange with her younger sister (Joan Evans) discovers she was adopted by her loving parents (Martin Milner & Jane Wyatt). Her family, boy friend (Farley Granger) and best friend (Phyllis Kirk) are all very supportive but she insists on meeting her birth mother (Ann Dvorak in a flashy bit) causing a crisis in the household. It all works out in typical 1950s fashion with Blyth discovering the worth of the parents who actually brought her up. There are interesting bits throughout - the young teens interacting at a birthday party, the family getting a television installed with the annoying kid sister - little Natalie Wood - who gets the entire opening 20 minutes of the film as she makes a nuisance of herself with the visiting mechanic. Wood carries off the part with ease and was still seven years away from adult stardom.
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The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey, 2017) 7/10
Corny but exhilarating musical based on the rags to riches life story of P.T. Barnum with more than a few liberties taken with his actual life. With the musical genre sadly dwindling on the big screen this dazzling, energetic feel-good attempt is a breath of fresh air even if it uses all the stale clichés in the book to achieve something that is akin to a glittering Broadway show which so many around the world can never hope to view. It does it with the help of the marvelous Hugh Jackman who plays the title role with a joi de vivre that is infectious in it's charming capacity to enthral an audience. The film's underlying message is a plea for diversity and a stress for humanity to accept each other and live in harmony. Of course it IS a fantasy and never more so than in the country Barnum found his immense fame. His circus consists of a midget, a bearded lady, the world's tallest and fattest man, a couple of black trapeze artists, a tattooed man - all of whom are treated as freaks by the white folk, never to be accepted as part of society except as a freak show to be seen at the circus. The impressario uses them to climb the ladder of success and provides his wife (Michelle Williams) and two daughters an enriched lifestyle even though "polite" New York society does not accept them as equals. The film's many songs are tuneful but instantly forgettable - the Oscar nominated "This is Me", an anthem which the circus performers sing in defiance wanting acceptance and the catchy "A Million Dreams" which the young Barnum sings with his childhood sweetheart before he makes it big. The musical's spectacular showpiece is the soaring ballad "Never Enough" sung by the "Swedish Nightingale" (Rebecca Ferguson) who is being promoted on the New York stage by the showman and who also comes between him and his wife causing a dent in their happy marriage. The plot moves like a Bollywood film with scenes extracting equal measures of laughs and tears interspersed with songs. Fast paced film is nothing but schmaltzy fluff which does what it starts out to do which is to entertain just like the Greatest Showman himself.
Corny but exhilarating musical based on the rags to riches life story of P.T. Barnum with more than a few liberties taken with his actual life. With the musical genre sadly dwindling on the big screen this dazzling, energetic feel-good attempt is a breath of fresh air even if it uses all the stale clichés in the book to achieve something that is akin to a glittering Broadway show which so many around the world can never hope to view. It does it with the help of the marvelous Hugh Jackman who plays the title role with a joi de vivre that is infectious in it's charming capacity to enthral an audience. The film's underlying message is a plea for diversity and a stress for humanity to accept each other and live in harmony. Of course it IS a fantasy and never more so than in the country Barnum found his immense fame. His circus consists of a midget, a bearded lady, the world's tallest and fattest man, a couple of black trapeze artists, a tattooed man - all of whom are treated as freaks by the white folk, never to be accepted as part of society except as a freak show to be seen at the circus. The impressario uses them to climb the ladder of success and provides his wife (Michelle Williams) and two daughters an enriched lifestyle even though "polite" New York society does not accept them as equals. The film's many songs are tuneful but instantly forgettable - the Oscar nominated "This is Me", an anthem which the circus performers sing in defiance wanting acceptance and the catchy "A Million Dreams" which the young Barnum sings with his childhood sweetheart before he makes it big. The musical's spectacular showpiece is the soaring ballad "Never Enough" sung by the "Swedish Nightingale" (Rebecca Ferguson) who is being promoted on the New York stage by the showman and who also comes between him and his wife causing a dent in their happy marriage. The plot moves like a Bollywood film with scenes extracting equal measures of laughs and tears interspersed with songs. Fast paced film is nothing but schmaltzy fluff which does what it starts out to do which is to entertain just like the Greatest Showman himself.
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Carrie's War (Coky Giedroyć, 2004) 7/10
Charming and atmospheric adaptation of Nina Bawden's novel. Children's story about the adventures of a young girl and her little brother when they are evacuated from London during the Blitz and go up North to rural Wales and live with a family - a strict pastor and his sister - who take them in. Touching film with eccentric characters - an old aunt (Geraldine McEwan) is a highlight - and the lovely Welsh countryside make this a most pleasant viewing.
Charming and atmospheric adaptation of Nina Bawden's novel. Children's story about the adventures of a young girl and her little brother when they are evacuated from London during the Blitz and go up North to rural Wales and live with a family - a strict pastor and his sister - who take them in. Touching film with eccentric characters - an old aunt (Geraldine McEwan) is a highlight - and the lovely Welsh countryside make this a most pleasant viewing.
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Annihilation (Alex Garland, 2018) 7/10
Psychological science-fiction story that steam rolls glimpses of various films from the past - "Stalker", "Jurassic Park", Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Return to Oz" and "Alien" with it's basic structure resembling the old haunted house films of yore with either spooks or a deranged killer out to get the stupid folks who venture in. It is all presented in a cerebral manner and comes off eerie and horrific with moments of suspense, awe and an ending that is like a drug induced mind-trip. A meteor hits a lighthouse on the Florida coast and a strange shimmering light envelops the surrounding area which gradually starts to grow. A number of Government based expeditions are sent into "the shimmer" all of whom never return until one man (Oscar Issac) comes back in a catatonic state and goes into a coma. His wife (Natalie Portman) - a biologist and former soldier - accompanies a group of four women - a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a surveyor (Tessa Thompson), a paramedic (Gina Rodriguez) and a linguist (Tuva Novotny) - into "the shimmer" which is a wonderland of flora and fauna that has started genetically mutating. The plant life has begun taking on a human shape while the wild animals are not only ferocious but can make guttaral sounds like the humans they kill. The expedition becomes a harrowing game of survival with a finalé involving cheesy CGI psychedelic effects, alien forms and colorful tumor-like mutations. The ambiguous ending caps what is an interesting entry in the genre.
Psychological science-fiction story that steam rolls glimpses of various films from the past - "Stalker", "Jurassic Park", Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Return to Oz" and "Alien" with it's basic structure resembling the old haunted house films of yore with either spooks or a deranged killer out to get the stupid folks who venture in. It is all presented in a cerebral manner and comes off eerie and horrific with moments of suspense, awe and an ending that is like a drug induced mind-trip. A meteor hits a lighthouse on the Florida coast and a strange shimmering light envelops the surrounding area which gradually starts to grow. A number of Government based expeditions are sent into "the shimmer" all of whom never return until one man (Oscar Issac) comes back in a catatonic state and goes into a coma. His wife (Natalie Portman) - a biologist and former soldier - accompanies a group of four women - a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a surveyor (Tessa Thompson), a paramedic (Gina Rodriguez) and a linguist (Tuva Novotny) - into "the shimmer" which is a wonderland of flora and fauna that has started genetically mutating. The plant life has begun taking on a human shape while the wild animals are not only ferocious but can make guttaral sounds like the humans they kill. The expedition becomes a harrowing game of survival with a finalé involving cheesy CGI psychedelic effects, alien forms and colorful tumor-like mutations. The ambiguous ending caps what is an interesting entry in the genre.
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American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson (Ryan Murphy, Anthony Hemingway, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Daniel Minahan, John Singleton, Matt Bomer & Nelson Cragg, 2016) 9/10
Fascinating 10 part tv series which recreates the sensational O.J. Simpson trial when he was accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her lover Ron Goldman. The film perfectly captures the media frenzy surrounding the case with most of the drama centering not only on the accused, O. J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.), but mainly on the flamboyant characters in court - the defence team led by Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), Robert Shapiro (John Travolta), F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane) and the prosecuting team led by Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) and Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown). Other prominent characters who play a role in the drama are the D.A. Gil Garcetti (Bruce Greenwood), Simpson's close friend, Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer) and Al Cowlings (Malcolm Jamal Warner) who drove the vehicle down the L.A. freeway with Simpson in the back seat holding a gun to his head as the police gave chase. All of the drama - the freeway chase and the court trial - was caught on live tv. The film won Emmy awards for Outstanding Limited Series, Best Actor for Courtney B. Vance, Best Actress for Sarah Paulson and Supporting Actor for Sterling K. Brown. Additional nominations went to Ryan Murphy, John Singleton and Anthony Hemingway for directing individual episodes, to Cuba Gooding Jr. for Best Actor and both John Travolta and David Schwimmer for Supporting Actor. A riveting film.
Fascinating 10 part tv series which recreates the sensational O.J. Simpson trial when he was accused of brutally murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her lover Ron Goldman. The film perfectly captures the media frenzy surrounding the case with most of the drama centering not only on the accused, O. J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.), but mainly on the flamboyant characters in court - the defence team led by Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), Robert Shapiro (John Travolta), F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane) and the prosecuting team led by Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) and Christopher Darden (Sterling K. Brown). Other prominent characters who play a role in the drama are the D.A. Gil Garcetti (Bruce Greenwood), Simpson's close friend, Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer) and Al Cowlings (Malcolm Jamal Warner) who drove the vehicle down the L.A. freeway with Simpson in the back seat holding a gun to his head as the police gave chase. All of the drama - the freeway chase and the court trial - was caught on live tv. The film won Emmy awards for Outstanding Limited Series, Best Actor for Courtney B. Vance, Best Actress for Sarah Paulson and Supporting Actor for Sterling K. Brown. Additional nominations went to Ryan Murphy, John Singleton and Anthony Hemingway for directing individual episodes, to Cuba Gooding Jr. for Best Actor and both John Travolta and David Schwimmer for Supporting Actor. A riveting film.
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Murder By Death (Robert Moore, 1976) 8/10
Amusing parody of various detective characters from the world of fiction in particular those created by Dashiel Hammett (Nick Charles, Sam Spade), Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple) and Earl Derr Biggers (Charlie Chan). The plot has a hint of Christie's "Ten Little Indians" / "And Then There Were None" - the world's best known detectives are invited by a mysterious host (Truman Capote) to his spooky fog-bound mansion (the front doorbell is a loud and hysterical female scream voiced courtesy of Fay Wray from the original "King Kong" in 1933). Gathered and confined together in the dining room they are told that a murder will occur at midnight and the murderer is amongst them. A prize of a million dollars is offered to the detective who can solve the murder. The guests are a distinguished lot - Dick & Dora Charles (David Niven & Maggie Smith), Sam Diamond and his assistant (Peter Falk & Eileen Brennan), Inspector Sidney Wang and his adopted son (Peter Sellers & Richard Narita), Jessica Marbles and her wheelchair bound nurse (Elsa Lanchester & Estelle Winwood) and the famous Belgian detective Milo Perrier and his chauffeur (James Coco & James Cromwell). The guests are served by a blind butler (Alec Guinness) and a dumb cook (Nancy Walker). The jokes (screenplay by Neil Simon) come fast and furious, often in bad taste and liable to give today's humorless and oh so prim and proper American youth a serious coronary attack. The superb cast is game and run through the silly but very funny situations with tongues firmly in cheek. Sir Alec Guinness is a standout giving a perfectly droll performance which suddenly drifts into hilarious camp (trivia: it was during this film's shoot that he was offered the script of "Star Wars"). Great fun.
Amusing parody of various detective characters from the world of fiction in particular those created by Dashiel Hammett (Nick Charles, Sam Spade), Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple) and Earl Derr Biggers (Charlie Chan). The plot has a hint of Christie's "Ten Little Indians" / "And Then There Were None" - the world's best known detectives are invited by a mysterious host (Truman Capote) to his spooky fog-bound mansion (the front doorbell is a loud and hysterical female scream voiced courtesy of Fay Wray from the original "King Kong" in 1933). Gathered and confined together in the dining room they are told that a murder will occur at midnight and the murderer is amongst them. A prize of a million dollars is offered to the detective who can solve the murder. The guests are a distinguished lot - Dick & Dora Charles (David Niven & Maggie Smith), Sam Diamond and his assistant (Peter Falk & Eileen Brennan), Inspector Sidney Wang and his adopted son (Peter Sellers & Richard Narita), Jessica Marbles and her wheelchair bound nurse (Elsa Lanchester & Estelle Winwood) and the famous Belgian detective Milo Perrier and his chauffeur (James Coco & James Cromwell). The guests are served by a blind butler (Alec Guinness) and a dumb cook (Nancy Walker). The jokes (screenplay by Neil Simon) come fast and furious, often in bad taste and liable to give today's humorless and oh so prim and proper American youth a serious coronary attack. The superb cast is game and run through the silly but very funny situations with tongues firmly in cheek. Sir Alec Guinness is a standout giving a perfectly droll performance which suddenly drifts into hilarious camp (trivia: it was during this film's shoot that he was offered the script of "Star Wars"). Great fun.
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Where Eagles Dare (Brian G. Hutton, 1968) 9/10
Old fashioned war thriller written especially for the screen by Alistair MacLean - the novel came soon after. Boy's Own adventure has a team of British agents infiltrate the impregnable "Schloss Adler" / Eagle's Nest, a German headquarter to rescue a downed American General during WWII. The suicidal mission involves the rescue, destruction of the castle and an escape which is next to impossible. The team soon realise they may have a spy amongst them which adds to the danger. Richard Burton is the dashing leader with Clint Eastwood the munitions expert amongst a group of six. Helping them (and adding colour and a bit of romance) are lovely Mary Ure and voluptuous Ingrid Pitt. Ignore a lot of the fake front and back projection and sit back and enjoy Burton's marvelous voice as he gets most of the film's dialogue, Eastwood's action packed scenes and particularly the film's famous set-piece at the end which involves a cable car and a fight to the death on its roof followed by a death defying leap between two cable cars. This hit film rescued Burton's almost dead film career - he was drinking heavily off the set and lamenting his failing marriage (to La Liz) - and after years on television helped kick-start Eastwood's career as a movie star and director. Great fun and a must-see.
Old fashioned war thriller written especially for the screen by Alistair MacLean - the novel came soon after. Boy's Own adventure has a team of British agents infiltrate the impregnable "Schloss Adler" / Eagle's Nest, a German headquarter to rescue a downed American General during WWII. The suicidal mission involves the rescue, destruction of the castle and an escape which is next to impossible. The team soon realise they may have a spy amongst them which adds to the danger. Richard Burton is the dashing leader with Clint Eastwood the munitions expert amongst a group of six. Helping them (and adding colour and a bit of romance) are lovely Mary Ure and voluptuous Ingrid Pitt. Ignore a lot of the fake front and back projection and sit back and enjoy Burton's marvelous voice as he gets most of the film's dialogue, Eastwood's action packed scenes and particularly the film's famous set-piece at the end which involves a cable car and a fight to the death on its roof followed by a death defying leap between two cable cars. This hit film rescued Burton's almost dead film career - he was drinking heavily off the set and lamenting his failing marriage (to La Liz) - and after years on television helped kick-start Eastwood's career as a movie star and director. Great fun and a must-see.
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Coco (Lee Unkrich & Adrian Molina, 2017) 8/10
If the after-life is going to be anything like the colorful and mariachi infused wonderland (as kitschy as Disneyland) shown in this charming Pixar film then going to meet one's maker shouldn't be such a dour, creepy and frightening prospect. Give me music anytime over fire and brimstone and rivers of honey and milk. The film, an ode to Mexican culture, has a plot revolving around the "Día de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) which is the joyful celebration of one's dead family members who supposedly return for a day to join in the festivities. Miguel, a little 8-year old boy, is born into a family of shoemakers and is forbidden to pursue his love of music. He idolizes an old deceased singer-actor, Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), and the film is the child's journey into the land of the dead to try and discover if the beloved singer is his great-great grandfather who abandoned his wife and little daughter Coco (who is Miguel's great grandmother now almost senile) to go pursue his career as a musician. He is helped on this exciting and often danger-filled journey by the almost dead and forgotten Héctor (voiced by Gael García Bernal) and a tripping dog called Dante. The complicated plot involves a race to the death by returning to the land of the living before old Coco totally forgets her dead papa who needs to be remembered by her in order for him to get to return every year on the "día de Muertos". Confused? Well you gotta watch the film to understand and enjoy. The film is a feast of colours with the afterlife a continuous series of lavish parties which look like a combination of the parties thrown by William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies at their castle-like home in San Simeon California back in 1920s Hollywood and the ones described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in "The Great Gatsby" where the likes of Frida Kahlo appear dancing with a chorus of papaya seeds. The fantastic colourful creatures from Mexican folk art - the alebrijes - appear in the form of flying lizards and gryphons swooping across the sky like planes. At it's heart the film celebrates the joy of family and togetherness a concept that is sadly in decline the world over. Winner of two Oscars - Best Animated film and Best Song which went to the rather boring anthem-like "Remember Me".
If the after-life is going to be anything like the colorful and mariachi infused wonderland (as kitschy as Disneyland) shown in this charming Pixar film then going to meet one's maker shouldn't be such a dour, creepy and frightening prospect. Give me music anytime over fire and brimstone and rivers of honey and milk. The film, an ode to Mexican culture, has a plot revolving around the "Día de Muertos" (Day of the Dead) which is the joyful celebration of one's dead family members who supposedly return for a day to join in the festivities. Miguel, a little 8-year old boy, is born into a family of shoemakers and is forbidden to pursue his love of music. He idolizes an old deceased singer-actor, Ernesto de la Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt), and the film is the child's journey into the land of the dead to try and discover if the beloved singer is his great-great grandfather who abandoned his wife and little daughter Coco (who is Miguel's great grandmother now almost senile) to go pursue his career as a musician. He is helped on this exciting and often danger-filled journey by the almost dead and forgotten Héctor (voiced by Gael García Bernal) and a tripping dog called Dante. The complicated plot involves a race to the death by returning to the land of the living before old Coco totally forgets her dead papa who needs to be remembered by her in order for him to get to return every year on the "día de Muertos". Confused? Well you gotta watch the film to understand and enjoy. The film is a feast of colours with the afterlife a continuous series of lavish parties which look like a combination of the parties thrown by William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies at their castle-like home in San Simeon California back in 1920s Hollywood and the ones described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in "The Great Gatsby" where the likes of Frida Kahlo appear dancing with a chorus of papaya seeds. The fantastic colourful creatures from Mexican folk art - the alebrijes - appear in the form of flying lizards and gryphons swooping across the sky like planes. At it's heart the film celebrates the joy of family and togetherness a concept that is sadly in decline the world over. Winner of two Oscars - Best Animated film and Best Song which went to the rather boring anthem-like "Remember Me".