Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Coraline Movie Review


Coraline Movie Review By Cruz Salas



 
In the eerie and creative movie Coraline about a little girl ignored by her parents in Ashland, Oregon, starring Dakota Fanning as the voice of Coraline, Terri Hatcher the voice of the mother and other mother, John Hodgman as the voice of the father and other father. Coraline is a stop animation film meaning you take pictures frame by frame of manipulated objects like dolls and hand made from scratch scenery in the case of this movie so they look like they're  movie. It's a kids’ movie but there is some adult humor in this movie and the concept of this movie is more adult because I personally don't think they fully understand exactly what it's about and the details about the story line. This movie is also in 3D and how they do that is they film the movie from one camera taking pictures since it’s stop motion animation then move it the length of the doll’s eye to eye space.
In the movie, Coraline, about a little girl who moved to a new house, and ignored by her parents she gets bored and finds a little door leading to a new world where everything is perfect until things get a little weird. When Coraline first finds the door there's a brick wall behind it but at night it's a tunnel to an alternate world where her parents pay attention to her, her neighbors are are actually exciting and fun instead of boring and weird like Mr Bobinsky the blue weird gymnast with rats voice by Ian Mcshane, Miss Spink and Miss Miriam who are too old  washed up burlesque dancers voiced by Jennifer Sanders and Dawn French, and Wybie played by Robert Bailey, Jr. the awkward weird grandson of the owner of the house Coraline lives in, and the world is pretty and perfect. But her other mother and father want her to stay forever by sewing buttons over her eyes when Coraline has a worried look she plays it off like she'll think about it and walks up stairs to go back to sleep where when usually she does that she wakes back up in her real world but when she wakes up she's still in the other world so she tries to escape by heading out the door but when the other mother catches her she turns into this tall skinny creepy spider like creature but with the same face and throws her into a room where Coraline meets three ghost children who the other mother did the same too but the children let her sew the buttons to their eyes so the other mother could eat them to keep her youth and beauty so they warn her and ask if she can retrieve their real eyes they also tell her that the doll that Wybie gave to her from his grandma's trunk not knowing is the other mothers spy so she can create your perfect world to lure you in.  Coraline finds a way to escape but when she gets back her parents are no where to be found and realizes the other mother kidnapped her. So Coraline goes back to retrieve her parents but doesn't know how because the other mother controls the alternate world so Wybie's cat (voiced by Keith David) who can talk there told her that the other mother is a sucker for games but she plays dirty and even if you win she won't let you go so you have to play the game win and distract her to get back home safely.  
This movie is very creepy, but has a well thought out and put together story line. It was also very carefully planned because they used this movie with full stop animation in everything from the scenery, to the dolls, the dolls clothes, and each character had multiple outfits they all were hand sewn and had wiring inside them like the dolls so they could be one hundred percent manipulable, to the furniture that moved, everything was one hand made and two shot frame by frame to make them look like they're moving. It's ridiculous how well they made the movie, how they made it, and how it all came together it must have taken a very long time to make and I am impressed I'm sure that if you decide to watch this. movie you too will be very impressed since you will know how they made everything. I'd say for a "children's" movie it was very good from the story line, to the animation, to the voice actors, to the kinda weird trippy vibe of the movie it was very on point and well put together. All the voice actors for the main characters did a very good job at voicing characters who Daktoa Fanning who has played in other movies such as the Twilight series, Terri Hatcher who you may have seen in the show Desperate Housewives of Orange County, and John Hodgman who has written many books like "The Areas of My Expertise the way the voiced the characters was very natural and well put. 

Coraline is an interesting, creative, weird, eerie movie that relates to the idiom and question of "is the grass really greener on the other side. The story line is intriguing and full of twists and turns. I found it very fascinating how they did the stop animation for the scenery and the dolls alike. Overall it was a phenomenal movie and would give it a nine out of ten.



Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Two And A Half Men Premiere Review

Cruz Salas
Period 2
10-8-13
Two And A Half Men Premiere Review
                Well if you have not watched Two And A Half Men who was created by Chuck Lorre and Lee Anderson and aired September, 22 2003 It’s basically about Walden, Alan, and Alan’s kid Jake living together in a house that Alan’s dead brother used to own but that’s after Charlie Alan’s brother (Charlie Sheen got killed off) and what has happened since is Charlie Sheen left the show after being in a out of rehab and quit after not agreeing with his contract lets catch you back up to speed. They killed off Charlie Sheen’s character by him getting run over by a train (yes I know very creative right?) and now Ashton Kutcher (also seen in That’s So 70s Show, Jobs, No Strings Attached, ect) he bought Charlie’s old beach house and has let Alan also known as Jon Cryer (has been in movies such as Pretty In Pink and No Small affair) and his son stay in the house but in this premier episode we have learned Alan’s son Jake who is played by Angus T. Jones who has also been seen in such movies as See Spot Run and Bringing Down The House has enlisted in the army and is now stationed in japan thus also cutting off his character.  
                This episode starts off as Alan who is Walden’s (Ashton Kutchers character that has received a lot of bad criticism and hate from killing off Charlie Sheen’s character) assistant looking for his own assistant. As Walden finds this out and gets irritated someone rings the doorbell, Alan answers the door

 and it’s a 25 year old woman stating she is Alans niece, Alan lets her in and she talks about the last time she saw Charlie and how he gave her checks every month. Already has this episode came in with a twist making it interesting and shocking that Charlie had a daughter and never told Alan about it, but it isn’t surprising that he had a kid with all the laying around Charlie had done in previous seasons. Walden comes in and meets Alan’s niece who’s name is Jennifer; he shows Jennifer her fathers old room while Alan calls his mother to tell her she has a granddaughter. Now all this new information all in one episode is kind of a big rush and a lot to take in all at once, retaining it all is a little difficult. As much criticism this show has had from killing off Charlie Sheen’s character and being at its lowest ratings it still is doing well and is just as entertaining and humorous as it was before but you still do feel something missing and it’s just that vibe Charlie puts off and how everyone misses him since he got taken off the show. Once the grandmother (Evelyn) gets Alans call she on her way and while this is happening Jennifer says she wishes her dad was here and Alan says he is and shows her is yern with his ashes and when he does he trips accidentally dumps the ashes so he vacuums them up then Berta the housekeeper tells Jennifer stories about Charlie but starts to cry and makes a remark towards Alan saying god took the wrong harper. The Grandmother Evelyn who is played by Holland Taylor also seen in The Practice, George Of The Jungle, and Legally Blonde; meets her new 

granddaughter, asks where she is staying and insists on having Jennifer stay with her. Alan disagrees while Alan and Evelyn are arguing Jennifer leaves without being noticed then Alan in frustration with his mother and his niece leaving spills the ashes off the counter again. So Alan, Walden, and Evelyn go look for her find her at a bus stop convince her to stay with them and then they go have a drink at the bar. Walden shows the bathroom where Charlie and her mother had sex when they get back an attractive waitress asked if they needed anything Jennifer replied a designated driver back to the beach house she agrees to it then Walden thinks he’s getting hooked up but really when they get back Jennifer takes the waitress back to the room. Evelyn says well Charlie’s back! 
                This premier Nangnangnangnang episode overall was very well put together but I did not like that they were trying to fill in Charlie Sheens old characters persona with his daughter they are trying to bring the character back in Jennifer so the show doesn’t have that empty space and so they can bring back some of that comedy Charlie brought back to the table for instance the drinking and the women that they didn’t really have when the character got killed off because both Walden and Alan aren’t heavy drinkers or womanizers. But the writers and producers: David Richardson, Michael Collier, Chuck Lorre, Lee Aronsohn, Eric and Kim Tannenbaum have done a very good job putting together this premiere episode I just personally don’t like the route they took to fill Charlie’s characters role in the show.