Movie Review: Pixar's Brave (2012)

Pixar has set the bar so high for computer animated features that judgment against them is particularly strict. This works against Brave, which is unfortunately a grandly mediocre accomplishment. For any other studio, it might have been enough to be cute and adventuresome, but for Pixar, audiences will demand emotional attachment, resourcefully funny humor, dramatic poignancy, and character development that begets unforgettable personas. Brave just doesn't bring any of that to the table, instead being palatable and pleasant but never groundbreaking or awe-inspiring. It's hopelessly average - made almost unforgivable because of the quirky, bounding desk lamp that has become known in the industry as a proclaimer of animated masterpieces.

"A princess strives for perfection," insists Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), a proper, respected leader trying desperately to curb her impetuous daughter's mindset. But defiant young princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) wants nothing to do with the games of competition that will decide her suitor from the three neighboring clans of Scottish warriors. Betrothal and a planned life couldn't be more unattractive to the orange-haired youth who wants to journey into the forest for adventure and archery practice. While King Fergus (Billy Connolly) entertains the visiting lords and their sons, Merida sneaks out and stumbles into the secluded cottage of an old wood carver who offers to conjure a spell that will forever change the queen's stance on marriage.

As with the trailers for Up, Brave wisely gives nothing away with the brief, comedic, introductory television spots. But magic, destiny, fate, legends, the breaking of traditions, and the pursuit of freedoms are all involved in the fast-paced world of ancient Scotland. There is also no less than three montages governed by singing; an element generally absent from the stirring orchestral compositions found in Pixar's more mature ventures. The stereotypical portrayal of Scottish culture feels reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon's Viking inhabitants, which is to say that the visuals of clothing, sets, and character designs are largely unoriginal. The typical rebellious teen provides laughs, but again creates a sense of the film struggling to relate to audiences. A role reversal of mother and daughter caring for one another is mildly amusing but also derivative of the frequent theme of prematurely being forced into responsibility and action, found in countless other animations.

Although commonly taken for granted, the water effects are spectacular, as are various elemental inventions. Anymore, scrutiny seems pulled in directions other than the stunning imagery that takes innumerable hours and plenty of talent to construct and animate. Alas, the lack of an involving plot negates the splendor of lighting, cinematography, smoke-like wisps, or even Merida's hair, an impressively buoyant, spongy, carrot-colored mass that is seemingly a character of its own. Comic mischief, silly rudeness, a PG-worthy intensity, and occasionally mirthful dialogue similarly get lost in the resoundingly contrived cure for the curse, complete disregard for closure with the witch, and ignorance to the resolution of Merida's three brothers' plight (which is unexplained despite a more than trivial involvement). Brave is frustratingly trifling.

- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com) Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Television Aerial Installation, Get the Answer to Your Poor TV Reception

There are still a great number of households nowadays who haven't been upgrading or switching to a more advanced TV watching. They are certainly being contented with what they currently have.

But do you know that there is an easier way for you to enjoy television watching and staying away from poor TV reception on your TV set?

Getting a new improved television aerial installation is one great solution in having a clearer TV picture. You only have to choose from the variety of TV aerials and see which one works for your location.

In most cases, you are getting contented on the kind of TV reception. But if all the chances are there to improve it, then why not make a difference now.

In making a start, you initially need to look for a TV aerial installation company that can make the proper assessment of your aerial installation needs.

Since there are many options when it comes to the kind of TV aerial that can be used, you need to have someone to check which one will work for you.

If you currently have an existing aerial that you used at home, then you may only need to get some upgrade. There will be no new aerial installation needed, just a simple upgrade will do.

Depending on the location that you are at, there will be a certain television aerial that would work. Thus, getting the help of the expert to make a preliminary survey of your area is a better idea.

It is never too late to get the answer to your TV reception problems. You can always get a solution from the right people and company around you.

You just have to go along with the latest technological advancements if you want to enjoy your TV watching most. And getting the right television aerial installation is what you need to do.

Keep in mind as well, that you only need to seek the help of the proficient television aerial company. It is the only way to have the best assistance you want.

Make up your mind now. You can get the right answer to your poor TV reception needs today. Be ahead of the TV aerial advancements coming in the next few years.

With a little effort and a small amount of money that you have to spend, you will get the best TV reception and enjoy your TV watching the most. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Movie Review, Atlas Shrugged: Part II

Ever since watching Atlas Shrugged: Part I, I couldn't wait to watch Atlas Shrugged: part II. In case you have no idea what these movies are about, they are based on Ayn Rand's epic ground-breaking novel, Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand published her novel in 1957. Since its publication, this novel has been the catalyst for inspiration and controversy ever since. I must confess that I had never heard of this novel before the movie came out. Now that I've watched both movies, I definitely want to read Rand's work.

Rand's theme in the novel is each person's individual achievement in the world and how success should be perceived in relation to the good of mankind. The author explores what would happen when the success and achievements of individuals is stifled and they are devalued-even made to appear as heartless, greedy individuals... all because they believed in the capitalism and the American dream-to work hard and succeed.

The characters are complex and Rand's theme may seem intellectual and possibly "boring;" however, as the novel translates to the movie, the characters come to life in a compelling way. The plot combines inspirational ideas, drama, romance and the mysterious character of John Galt. I loved the character of Dagny Taggart. She is a woman who knows what she wants. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also intelligent and gutsy. She stands up for her principles in a world devoid of men and women of true character.

Dagny embraces the values of capitalism and knows that this system is what can and will save the world that is on the brink of economic disaster. The Government and its micromanagement is not the catalyst for rebirth of a society built upon individual rights and the opportunity to follow your dreams for success. Your success can be shared with the world, but on your own terms and not because the Government wants to steal it from you. That is tyranny, not a free society.

The male lead character is Henry Reardon. His philosophy was to succeed in business and make money. He was not afraid to admit that he was in business to earn a living. Of course he wasn't a selfish man who didn't care about humanity. However, he realized that capitalism was the answer and it was his right to work hard and succeed in life. He would not bow down to the politicians and Government bureaucracy who wanted "to steal" from his business and devalue his rights as a businessman. The villains in the movie aren't your usual "evil" bad guys but rather wolves in sheep's' clothing.

This is definitely a must-see movie, especially if you value your freedoms and believe in the Constitution and what our Founding Father's wanted for America. For details on the movie: Atlas Shrugged: Part II. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Blame It On The Movie

A couple of months ago after watching a rather strange, yet superb offering from Greek cinema titled 'Dogtooth'; I decided to browse the IMDb website to see what other people thought of the film. Eventually I came across a thread on the message board which was discussing disturbing films; being a dedicated follower of controversial cinema I read on and found that a number of people had mentioned a film called Murder Set Pieces and so, after reading how 'horrific', 'sick' and 'extreme' this film was supposed to be, I added it to my 'LoveFilm' rental list!

A few days later, I was on the 'LoveFilm' website checking to see which films I was waiting for, when I noticed that amongst someone's review for Murder Set Pieces were the words 'You won't get to watch this film, as it's banned in the UK and cut by 20 minutes in the US' in big, bold lettering. Highly irritated, I decided to check whether there was any truth in this and after some research, I discovered that the film was in fact rejected by the BBFC in 2008, thus making it illegal to supply the film in the UK. Apparently, this was a film that in the BBFC's words 'may encourage a harmful association between violence and sexual gratification' something which is apparently 'reflected in research and consistent with public opinion'. And which members of the public might they be exactly?

This was not the first time that I, a grown woman, was being told what I could and couldn't watch (two summers ago I had planned to watch A Serbian Film at Frightfest, until it was pulled due to BBFC cuts). Apparently I am responsible enough to vote, have a mortgage and supervise a classroom full of children, but when it comes to planning my Sunday night in front of the TV, I am far too stupid to be left to my own devices and clearly need some assistance. Why was it that as a university educated adult, with the ability to make financial, political and religious decisions, I was having my viewing habits dictated by people who had never met me, knew nothing about me, yet chose to lump me under the term of 'the general public'? It was because my choice of films were those that fell into the category of movies which had the potential to harm- now I was always under the impression that it was humans who harmed other humans? I don't ever remember a case of a person being bludgeoned to death by an axe wielding video cassette!
Yet the concept of the media having a harmful and corrupting effect on the general public is nothing new. In the past we have seen a whole host of films, computer games and songs demonised because it was thought they had some influence on a particular crime. In the 1970s it was reported that gangs of teenagers dressed as 'Droogs', were committing acts of violence similar to those depicted in A Clockwork Orange, and many say that this, along with alleged death threats, are what led to Stanley Kubrick banning his own film.

The early 1990's saw copies of Child's Play 3 removed from the shelves, after it emerged that the stepfather of one of Jamie Bulger's killers had rented the movie; yet it was never confirmed whether either of the boys had actually watched it.

More recently the computer game Manhunt became the latest target, after it was alleged that the murderer of Stefan Pakeerah- who was stabbed to death, had mimicked behaviour from the violent computer game. And who can forget the 1984 Video Recordings Act with its notorious Video Nasties; films apparently so vile, so violent and bloody that they were considered harmful to watch, on the grounds that they could deprave and corrupt (anyone who has actually seen one, will know that the majority of them are most likely to either send you to sleep or have you wet yourself with laughter).

What is worrying is that few people seem to challenge this perception that life imitates art, (and yes I am aware that many of the texts I have referred to here can only very loosely be described as art!!). What is startling is not the fact that more and more films are crossing boundaries, dealing with taboos and pushing the limits, but that the real problems behind violent crime, anti-social behaviour, promiscuity and immorality are often ignored. When will we start to talk about bad parenting and a decline in community values? When will we acknowledge the fact that sometimes violence does not have a reason, that we can't blame the media or society and that in fact some people are just downright evil?

Did Jack the Ripper remove the intestines of Annie Chapmen because he had just watched Cannibal Holocaust? Can the murder and sexual assault of the victims of the Moors Murderers be blamed on the killers having a penchant for films such as Saw or Hostel? No, these horrific acts happened because the killers were sick, twisted and evil; period. Perhaps a film, DVD, computer game can give ideas, but the evil needs to be in the killer's mind already; a serial killer will maim and dismember regardless of whether they watch a violent film, because they are cold, calculating and often mad. We cannot censor, ban or withdraw a text simply because it might give someone 'ideas'. Where will we draw the line? Are we going to ban school children from studying Macbeth because if features violence and murder or The Colour Purple because of the rape scenes?

Any sane and remotely intelligent person knows that it is not right to copy the acts they may see in the Saw films, in the same way that a person who may enjoy watching extreme films is not necessarily a pervert. I love controversial and so-called disturbing films; I have grown up on a diet of Uwe Boll, David Cronenberg, and Larry Clark. I have sat through The Human Centipede, Irreversible, Martyrs and such like. As a child I was obsessed with horror films and throughout my teens and adulthood, I have set out to watch every film dubbed disturbing, sick, and ultra-violent. But I don't go out and commit random acts of violence, I don't get turned on by watching these films, they don't make me want to go out and rape, murder, or eat other people, why- because I am not a lunatic! Because I am intelligent enough to know right from wrong, because I am one of the many sensible people who can watch a film and know that it is just that- a film.

I overheard a comment from a fellow teacher at my school recently, apparently one of her Year 9 boys has been getting into lots of fights recently because he seems to be playing too many violent computer games; umm no, he isn't doing too well in school because his parents couldn't care less about his education and he is a little trouble maker. I'll end on this note; there is no freedom when it comes to choosing which film to watch- censors, governments and councils have all made sure of that and yet it remains that anyone can choose to become a parent... I'll let you decide how that works. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Reviews of Famous Martial Arts Movies, The Duel

"The Duel" is more of a canvas soaked in blood rather than a movie and it is filled with moments of rage and bloody encounters, filling each scene in the movie with decisive death blows and displays of ultimate fury. Directed by the legendary Chang Cheh under the Shaw Brothers banner, the dialogues and the conversations between the characters in the movie seem to be an excuse to move from one bloody encounter to another. Apart from the mindless butt-kicking, "The Duel" also touches the sensitive topic of corrupted politicians and politics, thus forcing the protagonist to over-ride the law at all points to take down a bunch of power- hungry politicians trying to destroy peace and harmony.

The opening scene shows Tan Jen-chieh (Ti Lung) getting a huge butterfly tattoo drawn onto his chest, as a show of his affection for Hue-dieh (Ping Wang). But the happiness doesn't last forever, as Tan gets involved in a war between his gangster grandfather and a fierce rival. Chang Cheh tries to create a western impact with such a violent crescendo as a gang of assassins stroll down the streets butchering innocents. When knives and swords start being thrown meaninglessly, "The Duel"transforms itself into a cinematic butchering playground, bursting arteries and cutting through bellies as if there is no tomorrow. The screen is filled with carnage, bashed up faces, torn shirts and blood.This blood bath results in the exile of Tan and his grandfather getting murdered.

"The Duel" is violent although the climax reveals the director's honest attempt to take on the political world. Tan ultimately takes down each and every bad guy in a bloodbath. However, the evil Senator manages to escape the punishment. Chang shows that no matter what the degree of violence is, it will not be able to vanquish the real masterminds manipulating the government. This was a well realized fact and was beautifully presented in the climax of the movie. Instead of letting the bruised and battered protagonists stand upright at the end of the movie; Chang shows them trying to stand up and surprisingly freezes the frame. This was done probably to show the shadow of mortality looming on all mankind, no matter who they are. The battle against mortality can never be won, no matter how good you are at Kung Fu.

The glamour that is usually associated with Shaw Brothers is very evident throughout the movie, more during the numerous bloody scenes. All other colors have been used brilliantly throughout and the audience is left spell bound at one point. Quality sound, which is a vital factor for the success of a Kung Fu film, is amazing throughout the movie. The screams, slices and the gushing blood leave a long lasting impression on the minds of the audience.

Successful both as a movie based on Kung Fu and as a take on the political world, "The Duel" is a movie worth watching. Providing useful articles, reviews and writings on movies and films online.

Television Influence on Small Children

The Greek and Latin languages are where the word 'television' has its origin. The word is a derivative from 'tele', which is a Greek word translates, to 'far sight' and 'visio' is a Latin word that means 'sight.' In the latter part of the 1930s, the television made its way to the commercial markets. These days, television is the single most popular type of audio-visual in commercial set-ups and home. Merely mentioning the word 'television' calls to mind a medium which assists individuals in keeping abreast with entertainment issues and current affairs. No longer is the television set a single communication unit. The television has evolved in the complexity of the design to transmit recorded material that is stored on Blu-ray discs, laser discs, DVDs and video cassettes.

Television History

The television history spans over time zones and regions, in view of the fact that the technology has evolved in different places and at different times. This communication system, as it is known these days, is not the brainchild of any one specific inventor. The process has taken the endeavours of a number of engineers, over several decades, to develop along various overlapping designs, to utilize commonly accepted electronic and mechanical principles. Despite the fact that electromechanical television sets have been abandoned for the completely electronic, ultra-modern designs, the fundamental design rests on the discovery of selenium photo-conductivity in 1873. That discovery which was made by Willoughby Smith brought about the scanning disk invention from Paul Gottlieb Nipkow in 1884. In 1926, a demonstration of televised moving images was carried out by John Logie Baird, that technology was joined with the image dissector that was designed in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth, to provide viewers with the fundamental principles of the television that we currently know.

These days, the world of television is discovered by children at an incredibly tender age. A number of studies have indicated that kids who are younger than 6 years old watch television, DVD or video on a daily basis, at an average of 2 hours. In a number of instances, watching television can be useful, particularly the wildlife and educational programs that have the capacity to broaden the understanding and knowledge of your child in relation to the world around him or her. In addition, it can introduce them to a variety of communities and cultures of the world. However, at the moment the negative effects are seemingly outweighing the uplifting ones.

The Negative Influences of Television on Children

The formative years in the life of child, particularly the first two to three years, are vital to the mental growth and development of the child. Those are the years in which a child learns by way of interacting, observing, playing and discovering new things. As a result, these first few years are extremely vital for the physical and mental development. Therefore, a pattern of watching television excessively could hinder his or her social activities such as spending quality time with members of the family, reading and playing with friends.

There are a number of television programs that portray extreme violence and this could induce lots of changes in behaviour in young children. In view of the fact that kids can relate easily to what is being shown on the television screen, they will be more prone to imitating the behaviour that is depicted. As a result, you may notice aggressive behaviour in your child. In addition, it could cause the little one to develop sleeping disorders and have nightmares because his or her sense of anxiety and fear has been stimulated by what is shown on the television. In addition to this, it will possibly result in creating confusion in the mind of the young child as it relates to knowing the difference between good and bad. That is because parents most likely teach their kids that aggression and violence is bad but the program on the television will possibly show the heroes or 'good guys' perpetrating violence.

Apart from the violence, drinking and smoking scenes are depicted widely in commercials and television programs, without giving an explanation of the unfavourable consequences. The repeated and continuous exposure to these programs will make children feel as though these activities are quite acceptable and normal. As a result, kids who watch these programs on a regular basis are a great deal more likely to mimic and develop these unhealthy habits from an early stage in their development.

In the developed world, obesity is a widespread problem and television is among the important factors that are responsible for the increasing incidences of obesity among kids. Excessive watching of television decreases physical activities of the kids and simultaneously amplifies the popularity of unhealthy foods, such as potato chips, soft drinks and other snacks that they see on the commercials. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.

Adaptation Decay

When a franchise reaches a certain level of popularity, it has become a noticeable trend to adapt written works, comic books and even video games into Hollywood Pictures. This practice has become prevalent in a number of recent motion pictures: Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, the numerous superhero movies, Transformers and games like Resident Evil and Tekken. While seeing these materials in motion is definitely a big draw of a film adaption, there is often one thing that long time fans of a franchise end up looking at when these movies finally come out: How faithful the movie is to the source material.

For fans, it often does not matter how pretty the effects are or how famous the cast and production crew are, the film is rendered pointless if nothing resembles the original. Books seem to get off the easiest in this department, as at worst content is omitted due to the fact they need to compress a large amount of content into a relatively small time frame by comparison. It is the same with comics, though they are spared because an issue is often a self-contained story and does not reach the length of a novel, though skipping through big events is still a problem present in these...

Other franchises are not as lucky however. Video games seem to lose the most when they are ported from the home consoles to the big screen. Starting with the concept with something as simple as a fighting game it was a wonder how so much was changed in regards to Tekken. The characters were not recognizable beyond their names and most of the fighting styles were not even similar, and this is taking into account the transition from video game design to real life. Resident Evil is another game series that falls short in the film adaption department, whose story has absolutely nothing to do with the games beyond there are zombies in them.

Children's franchises also take a hit here, with Transformers and Avatar the Last Air Bender also receiving a number of negative criticisms in regards to how faithful they were to the original concepts. Admittedly while Micheal Bay's Transformers is its own universe, it does not really make people think of the classics beyond wondering what happened to them and why they are like this in his version. Avatar on the other hand just has a number of problems utilizing the original's content and is once more not recognizable by fans beyond their names.

While it is not true to say all adaptations of different media are bad, they suffer a lot in the transition and makes people question whether it was really worth it in the end. Further there are times when the creator is not even consulted for such and thus the distance between the adaptation and the original becomes even further. There is no real line to be drawn at what can and cannot be done in a movie, which is what makes these creative liberties happen. Providing articles, reviews and writings on movies online.