TITAN AE. I was flicking through my DVD collection last night and came across a film I originally saw in New York in 2000. Titan AE.Yes, I know its a cartoon, and yes, I know it did terribly at the box office and pretty much destroyed Don Bluth's studio. But, it is great.
'A reluctant young hero holds the key to the future of mankind in the palm of his hand in the eye-popping sci-fi adventure.Its the year 3028 and the Drej, a vicious alien race, have destroyed Earth. Fifteen years later a young man named Caled (Matt Damon) learns he possesses a genetically encoded map to the Titan, a spaceship that holds the secret to the salvation of the human race. With the Drej in hot pursuit, Cale blasts off with the new crew of the Valkyrie in an attempt to find the Titan before the Drej destroy it...along with mankind's last chance of a home of their own.'
Fantastic computer generated 3D and standard hand drawn 2D animation merge to bring this story to life. Colours and visuals (especially the ice scene) that, watching upscaled, were outstanding (on blu-ray they must be amazing).
As it says on the cover of my copy from the U.S. "This is the movie 'Star Wars' fans Have been waiting for". I couldn't agree more.
I highly recommend getting hold of this and giving it a watch if you missed it first time round. 9/10
North by Northwest, 1959 - DVD ReviewI've recently been getting into Hitchcock movies again - especially with seeing 'Dial M for Murder' on a re-release at the local 'picture house'.
But this weekend I treated myself to North by Northwest. I had never seen this one before (amazingly) and throughly enjoyed the full 2 hours and 16 minutes of it - that must have seemed like a lifetime at the cinema in 1959.
Tagline: A 3000 MILE CHASE . . . That blazes a trail of TERROR to a gripping, spine-chilling climax!
Basic plot: Advertising Exec from New York Roger Thornhill is kidnapped by spies who believe him to be a CIA agent known as George Kaplin. Escaping in one of the best drunk driving scenes I think has ever been put on film (Cary Grant should have got an Oscar just for his face!), Thornhill sets out to find the real Kaplin and clear himself of murder.
I always thought the crop-dusting scene was near the end of the movie - how wrong was I!? The movie went on - but not in a bad way, you wanted to find out what was going to happen around every corner.
Set in the late fifties it reminds you of how small the world used to be, and how romantic.
A great mystery thriller full of adventure, comedy and romance. Again, another high score from me, 8.5/10!
2 comments:
TITAN AE is a great movie!
8/10
AH! N/NW has special meaning to we native-born South Dakotans. I saw this with my chums in my hometown SoDak movie theater. The entire theater burst out laughing at bad guy James Mason reading a report about George Kaplin's travel agenda. In his British accent Mason says, "And you are to be at the Sheraton Motor Inn in Rapid Ci-tee South DAH-KOT-TAH..." :)
There are so many wonderful production things happening in the movie. One is the string orchestra playing in the background at the hotel as Cary enters to meet his friends, "It's A Most Unusual Day." The US govt spy agency head seated at the table discussing the mixup of Cary and Kaplin, "What do we do? We do nothing." :) Character actor Ned Glass is at the ticket office in Grand Central Station. I read where the marvelous hillside house in the Black Hills where Mason is meeting to take people in a fateful plane ride is actually in that area. We think we spotted it years ago. It's on the way to Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore and the tree groove where Cary meets the girl were actually constructed PROPS! Yes, hard to believe.
Thanks! Hk
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