tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post3318687544438078839..comments2023-11-05T02:01:53.847-06:00Comments on Antagony & Ecstasy: REGRETTABLY, "LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS" WAS TAKENTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-52334516023801689182013-03-15T11:41:28.130-05:002013-03-15T11:41:28.130-05:00Addendum: And now that I have finally seen the fil...Addendum: And now that I have finally seen the film I can confirm that quote haunted me throughout. <br /><br />I really wanted to like "Guardians". The poignant story of how and why this film came to be haunted me throughout the proceedings as well and made me sad that the planned franchise died on arrival. There were moments that were at least pretty to look at, and I love some of the design choices (my God, the hummingbird-fairies!) <br /><br />But ultimately, the whole thing felt weirdly morose -and mind you, this is coming from someone who <i>likes</i> "dark" animated films- and, honestly, boring and unimaginative.Trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-89086278117775307132012-12-01T17:02:47.460-06:002012-12-01T17:02:47.460-06:00"...young man without a past learns who he is..."...young man without a past learns who he is and who he can be, as brought to you by the glut of boy-centric animated movies over the past 15 years, and <b>every JRPG ever made</b>."<br /><br />And here we have yet another quote (emphasis mine) which is itself another reason why I love your blog.Trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08108657342054862720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-60457120868749683722012-11-29T20:51:48.343-06:002012-11-29T20:51:48.343-06:00Ah, Tim, I was thoroughly enchanted by this film, ...Ah, Tim, I was thoroughly enchanted by this film, but to each his own.<br /><br />But I must question what you mean when you say you hope the film's "cool box office reception" will change thinking on how [animated? children's?] movies are made. First off, there's a debate in the animation industry right now over whether RoTG is really "underperforminng," or if studio experts are writing it off too early because it is animated. After all, trailing right after Twilight, James Bond, and a new Spielberg film is not bad by live-action standards. The film is also doing well with its target audience.<br /><br />That notwithstanding, I think it would be a shame that out of all the Dreamworks animated releases, this would be deemed the "bad investment" because it is one of the better Dreamworks films. No pop cultural references, songs with royalty fees, or scatalogical humor. But what I was most impressed by is the balanced screen-time and development of all the Guardians. In Kung Fu Panda 2, the action revolves around Po and Tigress without much regard to any of other "Fab Five," and of the many reasons why I hated Madagascar 3 was that Ben Stiller (the Lion) and Chris Rock (the zebra? I dont' even remember) said everything, while everyone else was a waste. In RoTG, Jack may be a central character, but his relationships with the other Guardians and even with Pitch are important to the story. I didn't find Tooth grating, and in fact, I like how she was the one who disarmed Jack and ultimately was essential to Jack's "rise" to guardianhood. A note on her design: I like how she never upstaged any character; she was either a bright focal point of a scene, or a fluttering detail of enchantment.<br /><br />As you brought up that the "Gaurdians" title might be a problem, I certainly hope studios don't assume that successful films must have a one word title, or an ambiguous adjective for that matter. The words "Tangled" and "Brave" were not what drew me to those films, and the upcoming "Epic" film from Blue Sky sounds just laughable.<br /><br />I hope Rise of the Guardians profits. I am a believer!KayMartha12https://www.blogger.com/profile/18374583887079610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-16858466985236953662012-11-29T02:51:20.780-06:002012-11-29T02:51:20.780-06:00"though I guess nothing but its release date ..."though I guess nothing but its release date suggests otherwise."<br /><br />Well, also the frost-themed protagonist. What's he gonna do during Easter, make the remaining slush melt more slowly?<br /><br />Also, why is the Easter Bunny Australian? Haven't bunnies kind of ravaged the continent's natural ecosystem?Daniel Silberberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08685707813625269747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-31343768726709959662012-11-28T15:58:09.326-06:002012-11-28T15:58:09.326-06:00Well, I liked it a little more than you did, but I...Well, I liked it a little more than you did, but I felt there were a number of interesting elements that were sort of brought up and then never really explored in any meaningful way - the similarities between the kids having faith in the guardians and Jack having faith in the moon, for instance, or the parallels that Lindsay-Abaire was trying to draw between Jack and Pitch.<br /><br />I did appreciate that there were no ridiculous pop culture gags or fart jokes.<br /><br />The funniest thing about this movie being set at Easter is that it led to the immortal scene where some kids can't find any eggs at an Easter egg hunt, and one of them says, "Well, I guess Easter is cancelled this year," as if kids desperately look forward to finding colored hard-boiled eggs every year.franklinshepardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13858074176921317138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-51294080146995105782012-11-28T10:20:35.599-06:002012-11-28T10:20:35.599-06:00My hope is that the very cool box office reception...My hope is that the very cool box office reception the film has thus far received will change some thinking in terms of how these movies are made and marketed, but this hope is obvious grounded in nothing more than my desire to believe the best about humanity.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-48916180420820495722012-11-28T08:27:06.293-06:002012-11-28T08:27:06.293-06:00And surprise, surprise, this is a DreamWorks film ...<i>And surprise, surprise, this is a DreamWorks film and the stunt casting doesn't play at all</i><br /><br />This fact depresses me more than it should :(<br /><br />WHY DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND?caerphotohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08126464462656422279noreply@blogger.com