Movie madness, part 2: What Dreams May Come, Aliens, Animation shorts galore

Another screen legend has departed, Joan Fontaine who starred in Rebecca and won an Oscar in Suspicion, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Fontaine's older sister is Olivia de Havilland, who starred as Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind. After my two main movie selections from the last couple of days, I probably should have stuck with the classics.

12/15/13 What Dreams May Come, Best Visual Effects, 1998

I remember when this movie came out, and something about just didn't interest me or make me want to see it. This little project of mine forces me to overcome (or try to overcome) those prejudices. However, I am going to say I was right and curse my list. Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra star as Chris and Annie Nielsen who suffer the accidental deaths of their children in a car accident. Annie has an incredibly hard time in moving on and falls into a very severe depression. Chris helps Annie cope, he also has a fatal accident (I don't think this is really spoiling anything, the whole movie is based on death and the hereafter). Chris goes to what may be Heaven and must address his own demons and questions. Okay, anything else may give something important away. I found the movie far too preachy and uneven. I don't mind movies that slip in a message here or there, but I appreciate subtlety; this movie wouldn't know 'subtle' if Noah Webster himself provided the definition. The movie won for Best Visual Effects, and I will say it is a visually powerful film, full of bursts of color and shadows. Other than that, I thought it was heavy-handed and kept wishing for it to end.

12/16/13 Aliens, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, 1986

Two and half hours? TWO AND A HALF HOURS? I almost filed a complaint with Amnesty International until I acknowledged that this punishment was self-inflicted. I assumed that the sequel was also directed by Ridley Scott, and I was looking forward to it after the debacle that was What Dreams May Come. But, no, James Cameron, a man who can't stop himself from cinematic excess, directed. Again, I cursed my list. I read where some of the actors were sent to military training school to prepare for their roles. I think the time and money would have been better served for acting classes. I felt bad for Sigourney Weaver, who was the only bright spot, and her young charge, Carrie Henn, who played Newt. I actually think time stopped as I watched; I looked at the little counter as the movie played, and it never seemed to progress, I was rooting for the aliens. Damn.

12/17/13 Collection of Animated Shorts from 1979 - 1990
I have VHS tape that has this great collection of animated shorts, most of them are Oscar winners and a few are nominees. I've had it for probably 20 years, and have watched it several times over the years. It's great. I saw it on Amazon.com in DVD form, and I may have to upgrade. Don't let the animation part fool you, many of these shorts are really not suitable for kids (Creature Comforts may be the exception).

Special Delivery, 1978 One of several entries from the National Film Board of Canada, and this is probably my second favorite after Creature Comforts. The story line reads like a Coen Brothers film. It revolves around a series of misunderstandings involving a husband and wife and the postman. To say much more will spoil the surprise. I like the animation style, but I'm not sure how to describe it, kind of like watercolors, maybe? It's not claymation or stop-motion.

Every Child, 1979 This was a short that was promoting UNICEF's declaration of the rights of the child and tells the story of a child being passed from home to home, unwanted, until the baby is found by two homeless people who love the child. I supposed it would sound horribly crass to say I didn't like it, but I didn't. I think the message is great and because like many animated shorts, there really isn't any discernible dialog, it can be easily understood by anyone. I found the sound track/sound effects terribly annoying, and maybe that's where it lost me, like nails on a chalkboard.

The Fly, 1980 is an animated short that follows the brief adventures of, you guessed it, a fly. The perspective is from the fly. I'm not sure there's a lot more I can tell you. It's interesting animation, black and white (does that mean flies can't see color?).

Crac, 1981 is another animated short from Canada, although this time not from the National Film Board of Canada. It also uses a technique similar to the one in Special Delivery, like watercolors, they swirl around and the transitions are very 'flowy' (I should learn some more technical terms), and the music is really wonderful. It looks like it is set in Quebec or some other part of French Canada (that's my history majoring showing, sorry, I'll put her away), and it seems like the story is following a family, but it is actually following the life of a chair that has seen and been a part of the family history (kind of like a velveteen rabbit), and then becomes part of an art installation. It's a lovely piece, and makes you look at the old family furniture in a different way.

Tango, 1982 I am honestly not sure what is going on in the film, something tells me there is a deep philosophical point to be made, but I'm too tired to figure it out. There is some Tango music being played and various characters come in and out of a room, first one, then two, then more, all doing different things. The animation is stop motion. It's kind of cool. The director is Zbigniew Rybsczynski, a Polish director, who worked with a lot of artists during the early days of MTV(when they actually showed videos).

The Great Cognito, 1982 nominee Will Vinton, the man behind the singing raisins commercial, directed and produced this claymation short. The Great Cognito is an impressionist who can change his face into other people or even things. It's a neat example of claymation, but I found it a little annoying after three minutes.

Sundae in New York, 1983 Fans of former New York mayor, Ed Koch, and of New York City, will love this. An animated Ed Koch sings and dances a variation of "New York, New York"; it's not actually Koch, but it's still pretty funny.

Charade, 1984 is probably how some games of charades go: one team can raise an eyebrow and guess the book, movie, song and another team can gesticulate and dance like the Bolshoi Ballet and the team will not guess in a million years. It is hilarious as the off-screen voices yell out their answers (I think it's sad that I actually guessed some of the clues). Of course, the British voices make it even funnier, as they politely don't guess the answers.

The Big Snit, 1985 nominee A married couple are playing Scrabble when the husband cannot think of a word; tired of waiting, the wife goes off to vacuum, and his mind starts to wander. In the midst of him watching tv and her cleaning, they miss the alert that there is an imminent doomsday type of explosion. They get into an argument because he's not playing, but he is sawing, an annoying habit, to be sure, and she shakes her eyes (shake shake shake). They reconcile and start hugging, blissfully unaware of the disaster that has occurred. I liked this one better than the winner, Anna and Bella

Anna and Bella, 1985 tells the story of two sisters, Anna and Bella who are best friends, worst enemies. The short follows them as children, through teenage years, adulthood and as elderly women. There are some significant things that happen, and I'm sure it's poignant, but I didn't care for it.

A Greek Tragedy, 1986 follows three Greek Caryatids, female figures that provide support in Greek architecture instead of columns. It's very humorous as they occasionally tire from their labor, they laugh, they dance. Nice use of mythology.

Your Face, 1987 nominee I love Bill Plympton and this is one of his great works, I think. It's got a creepy, funny song and his trademark animation, which features the morphing of the man's face.

The Cat Came Back, 1988 nominee Mr. Johnson is silly enough to open his door and bring in a stray cat (don't ever do that), only to find it is devilish and mischievous indeed. Every time Mr. Johnson tries to get rid of the cat, it comes back (but you probably figured that out, didn't you?), the funny parts are the different and politically incorrect ways he tries to get rid of it. Even in death, the cat will not go away. Careful, you may find yourself humming the song.

Technological Threat, 1988 nominee The threat of robots taking over our jobs is not a new idea in movies or books, but it is given a new look in this short.

Balance, 1989 I have seen this short at least a half-dozen times and I find it so interesting, there are so many potential interpretations, sociological, political, etc. Five figures balance on a square floating in space, they all understand what they need to do to balance and not fall off. They fish and when one figure seems to land a big one, the other figures rush to the other side to get back in balance. Of course, this paradise cannot last forever, and when one of them finds a box and brings in to the platform, the previous order begins to disintegrate. Materialism at its worst.

Creature Comforts, 1990 What can I say? I can watch this over and over and over, and I have. Nick Park (of Wallace and Grommit) assembled a top notch cast of zoo animals and interviewed them on their thoughts of captivity and life in general. I love the Brazilian jaguar, who just wants more space; the family of polar bears and turtles, and all of them, really. It just makes me laugh.