Saturday, July 7, 2012

Cinema Babble: Not Exactly What You Think

The Flick: Brave

The Peeps: Given that this is an animated film, the talent is all about the voices. And those are: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd, John Ratzenberger, etc.

The Dealio: Merida, (Macdonald), is a free-spirited princess, from the tops of her sproingy red curls to the tips of her dainty, boot-wearing feet. This situation is viewed with much pride and indulgence by her da, the king, (Connolly), and wry despair  by her straight-as-an-arrow mum, (Thompson). But, as her birthday approaches, the entire cycle of change speeds up: she is now of marriageable age,  and it is the fond desire of her 'rents- especially mum-that she make a fine match. Except....that Merida is not at all sold on the idea. She would rather be off, bow in hand, tromping through the woods and honing her fightin', fishin' and frolickin' skills.
 In an ill-conceived brainstorm, Merida makes a really, really ill-conceived bargain with a witch:  a spell that will change her parents' ideas about her future. She wants them to really see her in a new light. Okay, she does get her wish. It's just not the one she thought she requested. Before you can say 'Rumplestiltskin', the entire kingdom is turned upside down. Now it really is time for Merida to show how truly brave she can be. 

The Grading Session: 4.59 pengies out of 5. Pixar has really come a long way from the days of the dead eyes and inhuman-looking skin. Merida, especially, is a riot of colors, textures and glorious red hair. But even the bears, hounds and horses get their time to shine, as well. The storyline gets bogged down towards the last third with some tiresome repetition, but, as a whole, this is a valiant effort. I am especially impressed by the outcome of the love story. It is definitely not what you think. But it  is definitely more than you might expect from a little, animated flick.

Lessons Learned: You may think that you know those around you down to the very tiniest eyelash, how they will react, what is on their minds and what they are really thinking. You would be so wrong. And, hopefully, you might be able to figure this out before it is too late. Lastly this: How is it possible that those we love the most have such power over us? Easy: re-read the beginning of that last sentence.

Notable Quotables: If you had the power to change your own fate...would you?

No comments:

Post a Comment