Tuesday 27 October 2009

You wrote a bad song Petey...

I could have written so much more, but i'm 100 words over the limit already. Just go watch it, you'll love it, i promise.



Fantastic Mr Fox


People who haven’t seen this film have issues with it. I’ve been looking forward to it for months, but it seems like every time I bring it up someone pipes up with a contrary opinion. True, the voices are American, the directors and writers and producers are American, only the bad guys have English accents, but really, are we so closed minded as to reject a film based on the fact that it’s an American adaptation of a British story?

True, Wes Anderson is American, but so what? Fantastic Mr Fox was the first book he ever bought, he begged for the rights to it over 10 years ago, he gained the approval of Roald Dahl’s wife, and he lived in Dahl’s house whilst writing the screenplay, all of the sets and props in Fox’s home are exact replicas of the furniture in Gypsy house. What more do people want? Yes the story is fleshed out, but it is a short story. As Dahl’s wife puts it, “it had to be embroidered.” Anderson and Noah Baumbach retain the core of the story, stating that they “wanted to write a Roald Dahl movie,” rather than just taking the story and running away with it.

The story follows Mr Fox (Clooney), his wife (Streep) and his teenage son, Ash (Schwartzman) as they move to a new tree near the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, the three meanest farmers in the world. Mr Fox has given up his bird thieving ways to become a newspaper man, but the proximity to the farms proves too tempting to resist, and he’s soon back to his old ways. What follows is a kind of Ocean’s Eleven meets The Animals of Farthing Wood, but far more whimsical.

The stop-motion animation in the film is wonderful, lending the film a handmade, old fashioned quality. It isn’t slick, but it’s not supposed to be. Seeing the workings behind it, looking out for the imperfections, is what makes the whole film work. It’s not perfect, but it is created out of love, its flaws are what make it special, a theme reflected through the story and the characters.
What I love about the film is that it is still so obviously a Wes Anderson movie. The direction and the storytelling hasn’t changed to fit the animated genre, he adapted the genre to perfectly fit his own directorial style. The dysfunctional family dynamic recognizable in all of Anderson’s films is still there, as is the trademark shot composition and the hilarious deadpan dialogue. If anything it works better animated than it does in live action.

A fantastic vocal cast, stunning visuals, hilarious dialogue, and genuinely captivating set pieces, could you really ask for anything more from an adaptation of one of the most popular children’s stories of all time? This is an adaptation for people who grew up with the story, it’s a kids film for adults, and i urge everyone to go see it right away.

16 comments:

cansin said...

I genuinly GENUINLY want to see this movie so horrendously bad.
But everyone shoots me down when I suggest to go.
worth going on my own? lol
x

Anonymous said...

I saw it with 3 others and we all enjoyed it! I felt a little uncomfortable for some of the parents in the audience, because it's not really a kids movie.

Here is an interview Wes Anderson did that I found very interesting, maybe it will convince your friends...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120682083

Anonymous said...

Hi! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog.
Is it hard to set up your own blog? I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about setting up my own but I'm not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? With thanks

Here is my blog post diets that work fast for women
my web site > diets that work

Anonymous said...

Hello, Neat post. There's a problem with your website in internet explorer, would test this?
IE nonetheless is the market leader and a large section of people will pass over your magnificent
writing due to this problem.

My web blog: How To Hack Facebook Account

Anonymous said...

You could also do cross mailings, lawn sign exchanges, newspaper co-ops,
etc. Someone with a bad credit score ranking can either
obtain unsecured personal loans. Having stocks has a
lot of great benefits, and this use of taking loans [] against it is one of the
best ones.

Anonymous said...

Great blog here! Also your web site lots up fast!
What web host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your associate
link for your host? I desire my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol

Also visit my web site - jungle heat cheats

Anonymous said...

Thanks for finally talking about > "You wrote a bad song Petey..." < Loved it!

My blog post: samoan tattoos

Anonymous said...

I think this is among the most important information for me.

And i'm glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things,
The site style is perfect, the articles is really great : D.
Good job, cheers

Here is my weblog :: mandatory fun weird al yankovic free album download

Anonymous said...

When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now
whenever a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the same comment.
There has to be a way you are able to remove me from
that service? Appreciate it!

Feel free to visit my web-site: Shanghai interpreter

Anonymous said...

I think the admin of this web page is genuinely working hard in support of his web page,
as here every information is quality based material.


Also visit my site New Balance Store

Anonymous said...

One gentle form of exercise is the 'cani-walk', which is a non-competitive stroll.
Now I would like to help you experience a little fun, as you get ready to implement a personal development
plan. Online shopping with A Fun Zone coupons, A Fun Zone coupon codes, A Fun Zone
promotional codes and A Fun Zone free shipping, has made it possible for people
to shop for almost everything they need from the comfort of their
own homes. While too much gaming is probably
unhealthy, some programs are actually quite beneficial to children. A complete staff means every service including basic services
to the gardener and driver also.

My web site: cool math games 4 kids iv fun activities

Manoela said...

I loved the text, very informative! Thanks for the quality content!

Oséias said...

I found this link from a Facebook group. They recommended this site. And really everything I've seen so far is very good! You like quality. Congratulations and highly recommend!

frases para conquistar um homem pelo whatsapp said...

I found this link from a Face, very good

cupcake para vender said...

thanks very good

filipe barcellos said...

I loved the text, very good