About a year and a half ago, I stumbled upon a description of a film. It was very lengthy and detailed even with only describing the first quarter of a masterpiece in the making. It shooked me. It shooked me in a way nothing else I have ever read in just a treatment blew me away before. Everything about it sounded incredible. Beyond what someone could think of on film. But that wasn't what killed me. In the small upperhanded corner, there was a photo. One single shot of a film that I will always remember as iconic. I printed this few page description out. I showed it to a few people hoping that they shared my excitement. I think people humored me into listening, but I don't think anyone trusted the gravity of what I saw. That paper, I still have today. That photo, was Wall-E.
I could write endlessly about Pixar's brilliance as a studio. They've taken the dedication that Walt Disney had with his animation and made something even more perfect out of it. They went beyond the perfection of animation that Walt had, but with film as a whole. These people study it, they breath for it. No other studio in the world makes genius after genius movie like these guys do. They out do themselves, almost every single time. It's unheard of.
What I have heard of is negativity from people saying that the golden age of film is gone. We'll never get Bergman type films back. We'll never see a day where Fellini makes a film. We'll never have what Welles did with Citizen Kane. New cinema is gone. That could be true. We've got nothing left but CGI and what are we making out of that? Adaptating Beowulf and Transformers. All that I would agree with even. But, we have Pixar and I think it's every bit as good as Bergman or Fellini. I think it's every bit as important. Yes, it's apples and oranges as far as content. However, you ask 10 people if they've seen 8 1/2 or The Seventh Seal...maybe 2 have, 3 tops. Now how many of us have seen Toy Story? Every single person.
I haven't seen Wall-E yet. I plan on at least seeing it once this weekend. Perhaps a second and third time as well. I'll experience with different people. I already know it's perfect. I felt it for Finding Nemo when that came out. Andrew Stantion might be the best thing that happened to cinema in the past decade as far as I'm concerned with what he's directed.
Some of the reviews just to back up my claim of greatness:
"I must drop my inhibitions about dropping the M word -- especially since I've already used magnificent -- and call WALL-E the masterpiece that it is." - Wall Street Journal
"Some day, there will be college courses devoted to this movie." - New York Post
"It's remarkable to see any film, in any genre, blend honest sentiment with genuine wit and a visual landscape unlike any other." - Chicago Tribute
"Daring and traditional, groundbreaking and familiar, apocalyptic and sentimental, Wall-E gains strength from embracing contradictions that would destroy other films." - Los Angeles Times
"Pixar's ninth consecutive wonder of the animated world is a simple yet deeply imagined piece of speculative fiction...it has plenty to say, but does so in a light, insouciant manner that allows you to take the message or leave it on the table" - Variety
"Enough to restore your sense of wonder not only in movies, but in the universe as well." - metromix.com
"The idea that an ancient Hollywood musical, with its love duets and foot-tapping dance numbers, would be the thing that awakens emotions in both humans and robots, is pure genius." - Orlando Sentinel
I could go on...but you get the idea
1 comment:
and all the people are fat–it's great. you forgot to mention that.
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