It´s sad that there are films The Iron Giant that are so very underrated but luckily it seems to be getting the recognition it diserves with each passing year. It´s the first animated feature from the brainchild of Brad Bird, the man that brought us The Incredibles and newly released Ratatouille, both animated films that have been huge in the CG animation film making and are regarded to be close to perfect. The Iron Giant not far from being a perfect film, it has all that an animation film needs: A great solid scipt and story, characters that you connect emotionally with, a satisfying ending, great voice cast, no songs or dances, splendid animation and it is as much for adults as children.

The story of The Iron Giant starts when the Giant crashes on earth near a small american town in the late 50´s. The Iron Giant starts connecting with a boy, Hogarth Huges that has been raised solely by his mother. When words starts to spread around the military get´s involved and might trigger something dangerous in the giants behaviour.

It´s far from being an unwatchable film, it´s entertaining for all ages… All Ages! That is a goal that few animated films can accomplish, the whole movie feels natural and it never feels tacked on or forced at any part during the viewing. There are no moments where you might role your eyes out of an expression of sighing. It seems unfair that recent failed animated films get more recognition than this almost-forgotten classic, The Iron Giant stands the short test of time and is likely to keep doing so i the future. It is one of the 20 greatest(if not ten) animated films of all time. If you have not seen this Brad Bird production, don´t think twice about it! go rent it and buy it if you like it as much as all the other animation buffs out there.

*****

Who could have thought there were children animations that can easilly horrify and haunt adults. Whatership Down is a previous animated featurette from Martin Rosen that was animated a little more family friendly, though not very famliy friendly whatership down is somewhat more apealing to the kids than plague dogs. That is not to say that plague dogs is bad, it´s far from being bad. It´s an underated film that probably got shunned for the reason that it seems trojan horsed adult animation for kids but it is way too dark for kids and is very depressing and grim the adults.

The story tells of two dogs that get their chance to escape from the science lab that they are being tested at. The dog, Rowf, has been tested repeatedly how long he can continue to swim when he is thrown in a water tank and half drowns every single time. The other dog, Snitter, has been recently been through some sort of a brain surgery that does not leave him in good mental condition. When they escape they soon realize that the world that snitter remembered is way more cruel than he remembered and they face the fact that they must become wild animals to survive in the wilderness.

The characters are very sympathetic and you do root for them all the way no matter what they´re actions are to survive. The voice actors are good but the sound mixing makes the talent somewhat suffer. The animation is dark yet generic in a small dose here and there, it fits the story wich everyone might not find fascinating and sick(it´s supose to make you feel for these dogs) or depressing(wich it is) and look past the whole point. The ending can leave you thinking both ways but i do not want to be one of those who thinks it´s a good ending when it all leads to what really happens.

This film should mainly be viewed by the people who can handle being depressed for an hour after viewing or for those who want the same tone as Whatership down except a darker, more disturbing atmopshere and story. It´s not a family film or for those who want something entirely generic.

“103 minute version” : ****

Every once in a while comes a phenonemon that brings people all around the world to see talents of someone who has never gotten the big shot that person is waiting for. Known examples are Steven Spielberg and George Lucas(the 70´s Lucas), now has emerged a filmmaker by the name James Rolfe who loves films and loves making films even more. He has made over two hundred films to date(all shorts) wich includes the now famous AVGN(angry video game nerd) shorts that brought his talent before the world and has now gotten somewhat regocnised. He has recently made his two hundred film wich is a documentary about his life ever since he got near anything that could record or photograph.

Cinemassacre 200 displays the talent and films that James Rolfe has made. He tells the story of when he first got his hands on recording devices, his love for films, about the style and production of his films, the angry video game nerd shorts and his ambition. The documentary is a very good one that covers most of what you want to know in a short period of time but it still leaves you wanting more and to see some of these films. When i was younger, me and my pal´s used to make films like this that where mainly splatter´s goofy fun and we loved to watch our end result even though it was far from perfect. Yet, here we have a documentary that brings not only his nostalgic memmories but also a part of your own if you ever made shorts like this. The editing, writing, directing and production in his videos has progressed throughout the years and he has obviously learned a thing or two and edjucates us with everything we might want to know about his films and he story behind his films.

I hold this as his best peace of work yet and he is finally catching a break and getting the recognition that i hope he will have achived in the near future. I recomend this film to anyone who wants to embrace this sort of nostalgia of making shorts, documentary fans, people looking for fresh talents and anyone who loves his former work. For those who are curious can see the film for free and way more of his other work can go visit his website at: Cinemassacre.com

This guy is going somewhere big!

****

I look up to Clint Eastwood, not only as an actor but as a marvelous director who always knows how to pull my emotional strings. He can work with actors well and get the best performance possible out of them, unlike some director´s like Tim Burton who only has actors that are great actors. The greatest director´s are the ones that work well with actors, show hints off their style and leave their mark on cinematic history. As off now Clint is leaving a large trail of great films and he has always hit his mark. This time i got to watching his 2003 film: Mystic River, many people remember it mostly for losing the Oscar to the third installment in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Luckily, Eastwood has had many critical hit´s since then and has earned a large amount of awards and a few Oscars.

This film tells the story of three former childhood friends who lost their friendship after a traumatizing event. 25 years later, they have all gone their separate ways but when one off their daughter´s is murdered they all start to connect to each other in a different way. The story and characters shine in their spotlight and the actors are fantastic, especially Tim Robbins and Sean Penn.  The mystery of the case holds the viewer´s interest and it leads to a conclusion that is worth your time. The character´s motivations are all understandable untill the last few minutes of the ending, the film could have ended a few minutes earlier but there is the aspect of Sean Penn´s character that is interesting enough to forgive that “second ending”.

You can spot traces off Clint Eastwood´s film style in dramas: The music, character motivations and the ending. So to the fans of Eastwood´s films that have not seen this one, put it on your must see list. Mystic River is without a doubt one of his five strongest films.

*****