piasharn | Entries tagged with movies

I just got back from seeing Pixar's Brave.

I don't bother to see movies in the theaters much anymore, because it just doesn't seem worth it, but I'm a Pixar fan and really excited about this one because OMG FEMALE PROTAGONIST! YES! FINALLY!

See, one of my biggest complaints with Pixar's movies was the lack of female leads. Oh, they've had some kickass female characters, but these characters were never the focus of the story. So I decided to spend the money and see it on the big screen.

You know what? I loved it. Not only did we finally get to see a brave, independent female lead, but, even better, there was no romance in the plot. (At least not for Merida, that is. Her parents are obviously happily married.) The story focuses on Merida, her life as a Princess in a mythical Scottish kingdom, and the conflict she feels about her duties to her clan and the fact that she'd rather be racing around the woods with her bow and arrows rather than learning more feminine behavior.

Yeah, the Princess-who-is-more-a-tomboy-than-a-lady thing has been done before, but Pixar really seems to have a knack for wonderful characterization (Oh, man... the interaction between Merida and her father was great. Plus, the heavier focus on the relationship between her and her mother was very touching.) and storytelling, so I'm not complaining. And I can't say that I've ever had anything bad to say about their artwork.

I know that there's wank going on about this film, because I've already come across entries on Tumblr about it. Parents wailing that they can't take their son to see this move, because what will they do if they admire a female character? The horror! It might even turn him - gasp! - GAY. Also, apparently the fact Merida isn't interested in getting married means that she's a lesbian, so clearly Pixar is totally promoting the Homosexual Agenda.

Yeah.

I'm going to wait and tackle those arguments later. I might actually try and write something up about the movie, it's portrayal of gender roles, and the response it's been getting. We'll see. Everyone here in the US is still flipping out over the Supreme Court's decision over health care reform, and given how many political blogs I follow, it's going to take a while before I can focus on much else.

Anyhow, in my opinion, Brave is much better than most of the other stuff that's been coming out lately (although The Hunger Games was decent) and actually worth the cost of a ticket.

One teensy not-quite-complaint: With all the running around and horse-riding Merida does, she'd spend half of the night getting her hair untangled. As someone who has long, crazy, curly hair like hers, I've learned this the hard way.

(Now that I think about it, I need some Brave userpics... Guess I'll use Wall-E for this entry since they're both Pixar movies.)

p.s. Stay until the very end of the credits.

I actually saw a couple of movies in the theater recently, which I rarely do. I was originally planning on writing up some commentary on Wall-E, mostly as a response to various comments being made on how it promotes Agenda X or is propaganda for certain points of view. It wasn't my intention to write anything about The Dark Knight since I haven't seen as many people freaking out over what it really means. Besides, I'd just end up repeating what a lot of people have written: lots of action, and Heath Ledger was absolutely amazing as the Joker.

Side Note: The trailer for the Watchmen movie... Eeeee! The trailer really looks amazing, and I hope that the movie lives up to it. There's a lot that goes on in that series, so I'm curious as to how they'll trim it down to fit into a movie. If they do it right, it will be fantastic. And I hope that the squid is in.

So, not too much to say. Then I found this.

To sum up the article, the author believes that George W. Bush is like Batman.

A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . .

Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W."

Seriously. No joke. Not a satire piece. He honestly thinks that this movie "...is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war."

It gets better.

Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.

Like W, Batman puts himself in the line of fire every day and takes bullets and beatings and dog bits himself rather than sitting in an office somewhere while he sends others to be injured and killed.

Like W, Batman values the lives of soldiers, officers, and innocent bystanders and does his best to prevent (or at least limit) the number of casualties.

Like W, Batman... oh, I give up. Make your own joke.

Via The Leaky Cauldron. There are apparently rumors that Chris Columbus will be returning to direct the sixth and seventh HP movies.

Nooo... Please. Let someone else have a chance. No offense to the guy. He did some nice work on getting the core cast together and supplying the initial sets and whatnot. But his work seemed so... so... Warm and fuzzy? Kiddish? Theme-park like? Something like that.

There's also an article up of an interview with Terry Gilliam, who was a potential candidate to direct the first movie, and how he stated that the first two movies were "shite" and missed the point of the series. This seems to have started a row in the comments about how wrong he is and how Alfonso Cuarón ruined the third movie.

Personally, I still think that the third movie is the best. Yes, I'm biased. PoA is my favorite book in the series. Lupin, who plays a major role in it, is my favorite character. I also adore Cuarón's work.

(And anyone whose describes Lupin as being "like your favorite gay uncle who does smack" earns my undying devotion.)

( The HP movie babbling continues. )

I'm curious to see what David Yates will do with OotP. Now that's a messy story to sort through! I'm glad that he's at least given the male leads hair cuts. Although Harry's hair is now a bit too short for my tastes. On the plus side, Luna looks exactly how I imagined her. And he got the creepily girly/frilly look for Umbridge. Tonks' hair is longer than I pictured, and they apparently decided to keep it purple, but I love the outfits they have her in.

I saw Brokeback Mountain this evening.

...wow.

Anyone who tells you that this is a bad movie, that it doesn't deserve the praise and awards, that it advocates infidelity or adultery does not know what they are talking about.

Nor can I see how anyone could believe that it trying to lure people into being gay themselves. (You would have to be masochistic to want to go through what these characters experience.) This is not a happy movie, people. It is, however, a very poignant and moving one. It is intense not in the sense of that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, but rather through the emotions that lie beneath the words.

And it's a story that desperately needs to be told.

Current Mood: touched
Current Music: Bach

I know, I'm a bit late in jumping on this bandwagon, but this article is just begging to be made fun of. Besides, finals are coming up next week, and this works well as a stress-reducer.

There is a lot of critical buzz preceding the upcoming Ang Lee film Brokeback Mountain (known alternately in most circles as The Gay Cowboy Movie). By now, predicting this movie will dot critics' year-end best in film lists is like predicting Tom Cruise will say something loony in the next six months. No, the real speculation on Brokeback Mountain is how it will be received by audiences.

I'm predicting it will not do very well, relatively speaking. It will likely make more at the box office (and on DVD and in the foreign market) than it cost, but regardless of how they spin it, I'm guessing American audiences will stay away in droves. Why?

The "yuck" factor.

For all of our modern cultural "enlightenment," and despite the pervasiveness of gay characters and stories all over American media, and regardless of the success of shows like "Will & Grace" and "Queer Eye," by and large Americans -- blue state, red state, Christian and non -- innately find homosexuality repulsive.

Someone needs to introduce this guy to slash and yaoi. Or at least point out all the girl-on-girl themed porn in this country that indicates at least some attraction to homoeroticism. Then again, in this guy's world, "homosexual" seems to apply exclusively to gay men and not gay women. (Oh, wait... I forgot. Lesbians don't really exist. They're just experimenting or waiting for Mr. Right to come along.)

It's part of our makeup. It's biological, it's conscience-born, it's part of the imago dei. It's part of a "moral aesthetic" most everyone bears latent. To be blunt, we know anal sex is gross, and we especially know anal sex between men is repulsive. Even for most of those who have no basis for which to call it a sin find the act itself "gross."

Of course, this obviously has nothing to do with cultural influences. That's why all societies that have ever existed have been unanimous in their disgust of homosexuality - especially the male/male variety. Just look at the ancient Greeks, Romans, Japanese, and Native Americans for perfect examples of how people everywhere despise gayness.

And anal sex is always icky. That's why you will never, ever find straight pornography that features it. Only icky gay people think anal sex is fun. Certainly not good, wholesome, Christian Americans.

It must be biology in action! No one could ever think that two men having sex is erotic.

Brokeback Mountain may win awards, but it will not have an audience who is not attending either out of perverse curiosity or some sense of liberal duty. The young ladies who are fans of Gyllenhaal and Ledger do not want to see them making out.

Of course they don't. That would be yucky.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: John Lennon

We finally get a good look at everyone's favourite werewolf, Remus Lupin. (Many thanks to

sakuraigirl for finding the picture in the first place!) Said image brings a couple of interesting surprises...

1. The Mustache

That's right, Lupin is sporting facial hair. I've never really cared for mustaches in the first place. (Although I don't mind them so much when they're accompanied by a beard or goatee.) Besides, I never imagined Lupin with one. As a result, I'm a bit unsure about this, but I'm sure it will grow on me.

2. The Scars

Slightly less noticable (I didn't even notice them right away.) are the two scars across Lupin's face. There's a long one just above his left eye that bisects the eyebrow, continues over the bridge of his nose and down across his right cheek. The second is smaller, just below his left eye and runs parallel to the first.

The more I think about it, the more sense these scars make. After all, prior to the invention of the Wolfsbane potion, Lupin turned into a monster evey full moon. Deprived of other humans to attack, he turned that violence on himself. It would be logical that at least some of the damage he did to himself would result in scars.

Overall, though, he looks great. I've heard wonderful things about Thewlis, and he certainly has the gentle, caring look that I associate with Lupin.

Just looking at it makes me want to glomp him. ^^;;;

What is it about Lupin that brings out the fangirl in me, anyway? Any reference to him makes me shriek with glee. (You should have heard me squeal when he first appeared in Order of the Phoenix.)

Now if you'll pardon me, I think I'm going to go make some Harry Potter fanart. Of course, it won't be as good as

forthrysmian's... Oh, well.

Current Mood: fangirlish
Current Music: Hildegarn von Bingen

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Brave
Brave
It's the Bat Signal! No, wait, it's the...
No, no, no, no...
Love is a Force of Nature
The "Yuck" Factor
It's about time!

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Entries tagged with movies

Brave

Brave

It's the Bat Signal! No, wait, it's the...

No, no, no, no...

Love is a Force of Nature

The "Yuck" Factor

It's about time!