Sorry! Sorry!! Sorry!!! Like Really Really Really Sorry!!!! Most of all to Disney and more to the readers of this blog. It has been nearly a week since I saw the best animation movie of the year to date and I haven’t done anything to urge you folks to make your way to the nearest theatre to watch an absolutely gorgeous Red Haired Merida (Kelly Macdonald) ride through not the just the woods but into your hearts with absolute ease. And I know I sound like a fan boy but what the heck. I love animation and I love Disney Pixar. So all bias forgiven.
The essence of Brave – and there is no need to scream “Spoiler Alert” – is summarized in the last 2 lines of the movie. Something that all of us could actually take away a lot from. “Our fate lives within us. You only have to be BRAVE enough to see it”. That one line is what people keep giving us but very few of us are actually BRAVE. Princess Merida definitely was.
Not because Princess Merida was a brilliant archer – which wasn’t what a princess is supposed to be. Not because Princess Merida could ride like the wind (especially on her favourite steed Angus) – which wasn’t what a princess was supposed to be. Not because Princess Merida wanted her frizzled red hair to be open enough to breath (or for that matter her clothes) – which wasn’t what a princess was supposed to be.
It was because she had a belief in herself that pushed her to stall a wedding which was all but sealed in blood. A belief that got her to run away from home and do something really stupid i.e. get a witch to create a concoction that turns her mother into a bear. But the same belief that gets her to stand up to the situation and find a way out of the mess that she has got herself into.
Brenda Chapman was the first American woman to direct a full length animation feature film from a major studio in Prince of Egypt. Why did she stop is something I am not familiar with. But the magic that she created in 1996 is only magnified significantly with the use of technology that is accessible to us these days. She has also partnered in the screenplay with the lead directors Mark Andrews and Steve Purcell both of whom had no major experience in directing before. Surely Chapman was of great help.
Original music by Patrick Doyle (also the voice of Martin) & fabulous editing by Nicholas Smith come together to give us an extremely enjoyable movie from the house of Disney Pixar (tell me something new… yawn!!!...). The good news for us animation fans is that Dreamworks is also doing fabulously well. So one can expect more such blockbusters in the near future. 8 on 10 for Brave. Watch out for the slow motion release of the arrow when Merida challenges her suitors – makes the entire movie totally worth while.
Watch the trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi678863641/
Showing posts with label Billy Connolly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Billy Connolly. Show all posts
Friday, 29 June 2012
Monday, 10 January 2011
The Man Who Sued God
Steve Myers (Billy Connolly) is a lawyer by professional qualification. But the legal profession was never really his “cuppa” as they would say down under. He chooses to be a fisherman instead. An you would not blame him if you see the work environment that he has. Nice laid back coastal village in New South Wales. Pristine Blue Waters. The sun shining down its really mellow rays which are warm and just the right temperature to sit back and enjoy your fishing – even if it is on a daily basis. He is not really doing too well for himself but is happy with his young (about 10 years old) daughter Rebecca (Emily Browning) who he has visitation rights to, thanks to his divorce with Jules (Wendy Hughes). Matters aren’t getting any better especially when lightning strikes Steve’s boat and blows it to smithereens. It shouldn’t be too bad right especially if its covered by insurance. But that’s not to be. Every insurance company needs to find a reason to deny claims and in this case, our scheming insurance company denies Steve his claim calling it “An Act of God”.
Now what exactly is “An Act of God”? And who has the right to define what qualifies under the phrase. Can it be done by a bunch of people who represent the insurance company. Are they qualified to be experts in the matters that pertain to the person upstairs? Or should it be left to the church to decide as to what falls under Acts of God and therefore be the right people to pass judgement on the issue? So, Steve Myers decides that he has had enough of the insurance companies playing the fool with innocent people. But he doesn’t sue them. He decides to sue God instead. Now the church, being the representative of God, have to respond to the summons. If they are unable to, then they are proven not to be God’s representatives. And if they do respond to the summons and lose the case, then the insurance companies are bound to have a tough time against the church eventually. Either ways, the public is bound to win.
Billy Connolly’s performance as The Man Who sued God is fabulous and rib ticklingly funny to say the least. He is ably supported by the rest of the cast especially Judy Davis who plays the role of Anna Redmond, the local reporter and eventually Steve’s love interest. Mark Joffe’s direction is also good and doesn’t let the movie wander in different directions. You can be rest assured of not losing attention through the movie.
Add this to the list of the many movies that never see the light of the day back home and totally deserve to. But the trend is slowly but surely moving in the right direction as can be seen. And will continue to do so for sure the way things are going. At the end of the day, one really cannot blame movie houses for not releasing the so called not so commercial movies because they are in the business of making money for their organizations and not just promoting great cinema right? So the only way out is to employ a few dozen people whose job is to only see movies all through the week and pass their judgment on the quality of the movie and more importantly whether the movie will work or not. I would be more than glad to volunteer for the job (on a part time basis to begin with ). Would be great fun for sure!!!! 7 on 10 for The Man who Sued God.
Now what exactly is “An Act of God”? And who has the right to define what qualifies under the phrase. Can it be done by a bunch of people who represent the insurance company. Are they qualified to be experts in the matters that pertain to the person upstairs? Or should it be left to the church to decide as to what falls under Acts of God and therefore be the right people to pass judgement on the issue? So, Steve Myers decides that he has had enough of the insurance companies playing the fool with innocent people. But he doesn’t sue them. He decides to sue God instead. Now the church, being the representative of God, have to respond to the summons. If they are unable to, then they are proven not to be God’s representatives. And if they do respond to the summons and lose the case, then the insurance companies are bound to have a tough time against the church eventually. Either ways, the public is bound to win.
Billy Connolly’s performance as The Man Who sued God is fabulous and rib ticklingly funny to say the least. He is ably supported by the rest of the cast especially Judy Davis who plays the role of Anna Redmond, the local reporter and eventually Steve’s love interest. Mark Joffe’s direction is also good and doesn’t let the movie wander in different directions. You can be rest assured of not losing attention through the movie.
Add this to the list of the many movies that never see the light of the day back home and totally deserve to. But the trend is slowly but surely moving in the right direction as can be seen. And will continue to do so for sure the way things are going. At the end of the day, one really cannot blame movie houses for not releasing the so called not so commercial movies because they are in the business of making money for their organizations and not just promoting great cinema right? So the only way out is to employ a few dozen people whose job is to only see movies all through the week and pass their judgment on the quality of the movie and more importantly whether the movie will work or not. I would be more than glad to volunteer for the job (on a part time basis to begin with ). Would be great fun for sure!!!! 7 on 10 for The Man who Sued God.
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