Most Watchable

In 2001 I was... 17 years old. And I was a sold out uber fan of all things Rings. I had already read the trilogy of books well before the first installment of the movie trilogy had hit theaters (I even got through the first third of the Silmirillion, if you can believe it); I read all of the positive reviews of the Fellowship of the Ring many times over, and argued those who brought out what they considered weaker elements. At the tender age of 18, I even went so far as to cement my undying love for the story as to have the words "The One Ring" tattooed on my upper right shoulder. I was one of the many people who walked around wearing the ring around their necks, as if I needed any more evidence to prove that I was a nerd. And now, just over 10 years since the film's initial release, I have looked upon the first part of the epic collection once again, now on Blu-Ray, and I must say... while it's still an enjoyable movie, I can find validity for some of the criticisms laid upon it.

What issues I'd had with the Fellowship of the Ring have been more than made up for in The Two Towers, the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Frodo and Sam are off on their own to continue their treacherous journey to Mordor; Merry and Pippin have been captured by the demonic Uruk-Hai; and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are hot on their trail. This film is a grandiose action adventure film like they gave us back in the distant days of an older, coded Hollywood system. There is everything in this picture, and it is at a much more deliberate, yet never tedious pace. Watching the extended version of the film, it clocks in at just under four hours, yet I was ready and nearly willing to pop in the third and final chapter except that doing so would cost me another four hours of time and I don't have eight hours in a day which I can devote solely to watching movies.

I can remember the terrible anticipation I had for the final chapter in the Lord of the Rings series as December, 2003 approached. Why terrible? Well, for one I was struck with horrid dreams of watching the film and being utterly shocked at how wrong they had gotten it, although I had love the previous two films. And secondly, it was all going to come to quick end. One must understand that by this point, I had lived with the characters for nearly four years already. And to a certain degree, for my whole life. Through books, my parents, and these films, Middle Earth and its inhabitants had earned a well deserved place in my heart where it remains to this day.

As for my dreams of complete and utter horror at the epic misstep which I was fearing for the final third, Peter Jackson and crew soothed my fears away on that cold December afternoon. I was once again transported to that world of trolls and wizards, hobbits, dwarves and elves, and it all seemed somehow authentic to me, as if this could have all taken place in a time now long forgotten by men.

I think that this is partly the allure of the stories created by the Oxford English professor those many years ago; the books are so full and rich with life and characters, and the flora and fauna of the natural wold, that one cannot help but feel that what they are experiencing are actual recorded events in the earths history.

The books had left such an indelible mark upon me that even now, having been some half dozen years since I've read a one of the three, I still remember moments not found in other interpretations of the stories. I find myself thinking back upon them with great fondness, as one might fondly look back upon the days of a carefree youth in their old age; like old friends which remain forever in your heart.

I'm going to surprise my friends and say that when it really comes down to it, I'm really just an old softy. I love to be moved by a movie just as much as anyone. I love to be caught off guard and made to care for characters and the trials which they endure in order to come out the other end, and the friendships which they create with one another, and the loves that spark between two connecting souls which sparks a fire which burns for a lifetime. There is nothing that lifts my spirits like a good love story with a big, involving emotional journey. The movie just has to do it honestly. And for me, WALL-E does that.

Beginning with Ratatouille, followed by WALL-E, and to some extent, Up!, we have entered into a new era of animated film. Yes, I understand that we've had high quality digitally animation since 1995's Toy Story, but I'm not speaking about the means by which the artist has painted his picture. Rather, I'm looking at the content of the frame itself. The three aforementioned films are part of a moment in time which I like to call the "Pixar avant garde" period. This refers to the very peculiar nature of the stories which the studio was telling at the time. With Ratatouille, they created a film which revolves around one character's love for the culinary arts in an idealized Paris, France. Not your typical fare for an animated film, or a high cost summer blockbuster either. With Up! they begin by telling a very touching and deeply felt story of a young boy who grows up, finds his true love, marries her, and grows, the both of them, old together. Eventually, within the opening montage, the old man's wife of many years dies. All of this is told without a singal word of dialog. With the middle, and most accomplished film of the three, WALL-E, the story is a deeply layered epic of the human heart as told by non-human characters, as well as a commentary on the gross over stimulation of our society by means of commercial inundation.

There is an innate beauty to be found in the story of a lonely character who finds love. Does it matter that the character at hand is a dirty little robot waste-management device? Well, in Ratatouille, Pixar made us care about the dreams of a ordinary sewer rat with an extraordinary taste for French cuisine. So if rodents in the kitchen can win you over, than a rusty little emoting tractor with the biggest eyes you've ever seen should have no problem.

When the film begins earth is uninhabited. The plains are no longer painted with a broad brushstroke of green, and the blue of the sky has long since been overtaken by the murky brownish-gray of airborne pollutants. The monuments of man's legacy are no longer created by the sweat of an artist, attesting to greatness one may achieve while in unified force against the odds. Rather, towering edifices of garbage clutter up the cityscape of this futuristic wasteland. The earth is one large garbage dump which is frequented by ferocious dust storms which stretch for miles on end. WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last working, emoting thing which exists on a planet (all accept for a cockroach which acts as his sole companion). It is WALL-E's endless task to convert the endless piles of unruly waste into cubed building blocks which he uses to create his ghost-town metropolis. From what it appears, WALL-E has been alone for a very, very long time. We understand this because he maintains his own mechanical form through spare parts offered by already deactivated waste allocation models, which he keeps on a shelf in a little trailer provided by his creators, the seemingly benign BnL company (Buy 'n Large). It is this logo that we find all nearly ever piece of garbage this lonely little robot collects. It is this sign of leisure which has brought the planet to its knees.

One day, WALL-E discovers a quirky luminescent red dot which seems to have a mind of its own. Due to his insatiable curiosity, WALL-E chases the rascally elusive light all about the human forsaken landscape until it finally settles on a field of lifeless, dusty earth. What comes of this peculiar light is a space ship which had been using the dots (many dots that all meet up in one place) to find a decent area to land. What comes out of the space ship is beautiful, almost egg-like machine which sprouts arms and a head, and who floats above the surface of the earth with the most beautiful elegance. Her name is EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), and as far as robots go, she's WALL-E's dream. One might say that EVE has taken on the sleek appearance what a robot made by Apple may look like. Whereas WALL-E looks more like the DOSS running system. But, since WALL-E has never had contact with another robot (at least not for a couple hundred years), he has no reason to think that she would not go for the rusty little box-like machine. Unfortunately for WALL-E, EVE is all about her work. Ain't it the way.

What follows is the most amazing story of a character who wants to be loved, and is tenacious in it's pursuit. There is nothing corrupt of cynical about the character of WALL-E. He is pure, like an infant. His only understanding of the concept of love comes from an old VHS tape of Hello Dolly! which he plays over and over again, in hopes that one day, possibly, the images he sees on his magnified iPod would manifest themselves and he too could escape the cold darkness of his lonely world. Even when EVE is not entirely fond of the little trash compactor and tries to blow him up with her laser cannon, he still sees the chance for connection; when her task is completed and she goes into a state of hibernation, WALL-E takes care of her as if he were the husband of a a woman who had slipped into a coma. And when EVE is retrieved by her shuttle, WALL-E abandons the life that he's known for all his long years and hitches a ride on the space bound craft so as not to be separated from the one he loves.

However, to say that WALL-E is simply a love story with no other importance attached would be a gross misinterpretation of the film. In my opinion, once the shuttle craft returns to its mother ship (the Axiom), we are soon thrust into one of the most horrific and bone chilling versions of the future I have ever seen. No, their is no violence to be had; no post apocalyptic gangs which roam the streets of this gigantic space cruise ship. Everything is as bright, shiny and new as it was when they first set out from earth some 700 years prior. What is terrifying is the lack urgency. The people aboard the Axiom are round, almost gelatinous forms of life. They do not walk, but have powered hover-chairs which they use as their primary source of mobility. And they do not interact with the others, per se, on a one to one basis. They use social networking as their one mode of communication, with little holo-screens that appear right before their faces. They do not eat food, as in solids, but drink meal-shakes around the clock. Their lives are completely without direction, and they are simply happy to consume and be sedate. As someone who relies on their physical conditioning to remain within the world of dance, I find this to be shocking and quite possibly the most horrific vision of the future I have ever seen.

The captain of the Axiom is just as lazy and aimless as the others. The only real job he has is to ensure the complacent nature of the passengers on board. The temperature must remain a constant 72 degrees, it is always sunny and bright (a hologram sun, of course) and there is never an eventful day ever to be had. The people are only expected to live out their days in the futility of their selected entertainments.

On the wall in the main deck, we see the portraits of the various captains that came before our current one. It shows the cycle of the devolution of each successive generation, until we finally come upon the present. It's revealed in the film in a hopeless message from the former CEO of the BnL corporation (played by Fred Willard in his actual human form) that due to the lack of gravity found within the ship, the people will have suffered a decrease in bone mass, making their body practically useless for anything other than loafing around on their power chairs.

Although some may find this somewhat heavy handed, I would say that it all works extremely well in portraying a future which is not to unlikely in the way we are all head in our own day and age. However, what truly sets this film apart is the love story. One scene in particular finds WALL-E and EVE in outer space, apart from the ship. It is one of the sweetest, most beautiful scenes in the movie and in recent cinema. It consists of a dance between the two, and a little electric spark of a kiss which EVE gives to the little rusty robot. I love how WALL-E responds to the kiss by spinning gleefully in space with such abandon. It is a beautiful thing.

Perhaps what I find most appealing about the picture is its simplicity. The simplicity of its emotions; the simplicity of its message; the simplicity of its characters. I don't know about anyone else, but for me, WALL-E stands head and shoulders above anything Pixar, or most other studios have come out with in a very, very long time.

A good film which mark a transition for the Pixar studios as it was to delve into more interesting and, perhaps, more philosophical territory which found it's culmination is the 2008 masterpiece, "Wall-E".

How is it possible that a stop motion animated, giant gorilla make a grown man cry? Well, it can and it does, and it did it for me.

It never ceases to amaze me how the simple message of It's a Wonderful Life is able to moves me to tears each and every time I watch it. I could get bogged down in a heavy laden review of what I liked and did not like about the picture -- where there are many points in the former, proverbial basket, and a few small quibbles in the latter. No, I'd much rather sit this one out and appreciate the film for what it means to me, and how very deeply it moves my spirit.

It's the idea of affirmation. The value of one single human life truly enriching and impacting the world around it. Never in the history of the movies has a film come out quite like this one, which almost single-handedly makes the case for individual importance in the grand scheme of the universe. Yes, the universe. I would also be so bold as to say that this film, perhaps more than any other, shows how a work of art can actually, in a state of existence, can change the way a person looks at themselves and the people around them for the good.

I don't know of anybody who can walk away from this picture without feeling some kind of existential liberation after having spent two-plus hours with the. Bailey family. Oh, sure the film will have it's critics who feel the need to nitpick the various techniques and stylistic flourishes which the director (Frank Capra) chose to implement; or the acting choices which Mr. Stewart and Ms. Reed made while performing in this picture. But why bother? Isn't the message what is important?

But as for any who would make such a case out of some supposed "poorness" of the cast quality or the execution of their talents, I would ask them to take a closer look at this ageless epic of he human heart. I would go so far as to say that James Stewart gives an incredibly nuanced performance which should be recognized by any who would wish to study the art form. This is a performance which, in my mind, rivals the best of any of today's top leading men. Stewart not only stands his own ground, but gives them a good run for their money. Just take a look at the scene outside of the Bailey home after Stewart's kid brother Harry comes home from abroad with a wife and job in-toe. Watch Stewart's carefully gauged expressions, how his face melts from one stage put-on happiness for his younger brother's future to unveiling the deeply troubled mind after realizing his own lack of one. It's fantastic. It's like watching a master painter at work.

I think people tend to give Stewart the short end of the stick when it comes to his acting ability: hence the childlike simplification of his first name, "Jimmy," which by today's audiences he is more widely know (if they are aware of him at all). We tend to think of the caricature rather than the man, with his simple, handsome features; his pronounced lower lip and that long vocal draw (which often times grossly misrepresented and exaggerated while being impersonated). We rarely take the time to look at the entrancing beauty of the face of the man. We're too busy conjuring up a misrepresented memory of a few key quirks and to come to the realization that, up close, there is a very complex individual who is more than capable of every task which was placed before him.

It's funny how he so encapsulated the worries and hopes and dreams of the every man. In that very scene which I mention above, Stewart's mother (played beautifully by Beulah Bondi) has a brief and sweet interaction with her son. As she speaks to him, he grunts in response, giving each a playful flair of charm with each specific "hmmph." It greatly amuses me because it reminds of myself, and how inarticulate I can become when faced with what appears to be insurmountable pressure. And the loving prods of the mother, they remind me of a very close friend of mine how she has that deep affection of a mother for me. It's probably my favorite scene in the movie.

Perhaps It's a Wonderful Life is more than a simple movie. Perhaps it has something very real to say about our very lives and how we choose to use them. And perhaps I'm unable to wipe this silly grin off of my face, thinking "yes, it's true. Life is pretty wonderful. Isn't it?"

Krysztof Kieslowvski was a genius and quite a few moments in his film Blue does quite a good job of making that argument. What an incredible picture this is. Juliette Binoche is transcendent as Julie, a woman who has just lost her husband and daughter to a terrible car accident from which her own life was miraculously spared. Would she call it a miracle that she was left alive while her entire family she had worked to create was taken? I cannot think that this would be the case. However, as we see in the movie, the tragedy of death is very real. Yet the need for that which is alive to go on living is equally real and important. That which is alive must live; and that which is gone must be remembered. I could go on and on about the themes which this movie explores, and the various depths of emotions which it unveils, but I'd rather you just go and watch it for yourself. It is a fantastic experience and a wonderful affirmation of pain.