By Lindsey Washburn | Observer Contributor
Tale of Despereaux
I’m not usually so harsh, but I really, really liked the book by Kate DiCamillo … And what I saw on that screen had almost nothing to do with the book that I read. If I were DiCamillo I would have taken my name off it. It was hard for my mother and I to follow, and we consider ourselves of average adult intelligence. I can’t imagine what the eight-year-olds thought. I was disappointed in all the actors (even Dustin Hoffman and Sigourney Weaver), but even if they had impressed me it couldn’t have saved this ship from sinking. I wash my hands of it.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
I was very pleased with this movie. I thought it was perfectly cast from Keanu Reeves looking dazed to Jaden Smith being unconditionally loveable to John Cleese reaffirming my faith in humanity. The special effects looked rather digital, but the artistic concepts were grand and beautiful. I’m really looking forward to watching this again when it comes out on video … And, Jennifer Connelly, please eat something.
Kung Fu Panda
Dreamworks just keeps outdoing itself (and Disney) again and again. The fight scenes were extravaganzas of color and kung fu (and these guys did their homework, no doubt). I think everyone knows that Angelina Jolie played Tigress, but there were other actors in it too, I promise. James Hong, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, and of course, Jack Black brought life and individuality to CG ducks, bears, monkeys and snakes. The philosophies of kung fu were gracefully demonstrated, and well-choreographed homage was paid to martial arts classics like Fearless Hyena. It was splendid. Simply splendid.
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