Thanks for the review Jim. We were debating on whether to see the film - I'm very familiar with McKean's work, but it was showing only in the District. So it looks like we'll be getting a baby sitter and making the trek into the District to the Landmark.
larry On 10/13/05, Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I took my lovely bride on a date and saw "Mirrormask" at the local art house > (which in our case has better screens and seating than most megaplexes). > > The film is written by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (if you don't know who > they are... well, you should), directed by McKean (his directorial debut) > and features effects by the Jim Henson Company. > > The story is rather simplistic (it is a fairy tale) but not overly so. > Young Helena, a child of circus owners, escapes the extravagance of her life > through drawing. Her sketches (all, of course, done by McKean) paper the > walls (and floors and ceilings) of any space she considers hers. > > Shortly after a family crisis erupts she awakens to find herself in the > world of her drawings. She is attacked and drawn into the wake of the > self-important juggler, Valentine. > > The Black Queen of the Dark Lands has, she discovers, been attacking the > Land of Light. Unfortunately the White Queen has been stricken with an > unnatural sleep and cannot defend her kingdom. Helena, now drawing > Valentine in her wake, accepts the task of discovering and finding the > unknown charm which will awaken the White Queen. > > From the first frame the film is utterly compelling. Dave McKean's art work > is translated beautifully and meaningfully to the screen in an orgy of > techniques and styles. Analog camera effects work seamlessly with digital > effects. CGI creations flow naturally with animatronics and prosthetics. > There is a level of (and attention to) detail unheard of in most films. > > There are several laugh out loud funny moments but they seemed somehow > frantic as if the film were veering someplace else. There is no cohesive > thread to these moments which make them somewhat jarring when they occur > despite the fact that they are, in fact, laugh out loud funny. > > There are also moments of tremendous emotional depth. I found the rending > the Orbiting Giants especially moving and the delirious, leaping flight of > Monkey Birds awe-inspiring. The many (and oh so wonderfully constructed) > sphinxes provided elements of both humor and a curiously defined > undercurrent of dread. > > The characters perfectly reflect McKean's mixed media work. Characters are > insane collections of traditional puppetry, human actors, 2D animation and > 3D computer work. The film is presented in gauzy, soft focus (indicative of > the fantasy in which Helena is partaking) which only serves to cement those > many disparate elements. > > The acting is perfectly aligned with the film with the four major actors > handling several roles (a fact which has led some to wrongly discount > "Mirrormask" as a "Wizard of Oz" want-to-be). > > The audio is less perfect but still more than adequate to the task. Much of > the music is reminiscent of small-band circus music and is perfectly suited > to the visual style. However more than once the score was simply too loud > and drowned out lines of dialog. > > I warn you however that while this is nominally a children's story much of > the imagery is dark and even disturbing in places. While there is no blood > or graphic violence the dream-state violence that does occur seems to me > more likely to affect small children. You may want to watch it first > yourself before you let the kids watch it. > > Kids (and adults) may also have issues with the pace of the film which is > uneven at best. Like a dream the story unfolds in fits and starts which I > found intriguing but others may very well find utterly annoying. > > My only real complaint however would be that the film ends somewhat abruptly > with no real exploration of the ramifications of the events depicted. The > story in the "real world", which is built up well initially, doesn't > ultimately connect as intimately as we expect it will with the events we've > experienced in Helena's world. And that's a small shame. > > It does little to mar the experience however. At some level this is a film > which doesn't explicitly need a story. It's just that insanely beautiful to > watch. > > I also have to mention the credit sequences. Both the opening and closing > sequences were stunningly done. It's worth it to stay and watch the end > credits (there are no extra scenes but they are beautiful). It was also > interesting that the credits actually detail which animators worked on which > specific sequences. > > I believe this is a film that will inspire string feelings in anybody who > watches it. Unfortunately I think many of those feelings will be confusion > and annoyance. This is definitely a movie you'll either love or hate. > > Jim Davis > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Get help! RoboHelp http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=58 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:176934 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
