tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post2805293240939803807..comments2024-02-23T05:17:08.682-05:00Comments on The Film Freak Central Blog: WALL·E TalkbackBill Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-30433844203774252572008-07-12T00:27:00.000-04:002008-07-12T00:27:00.000-04:00Also: Looney Toons/Merry Melodies. Pepe le Pew's ...Also: Looney Toons/Merry Melodies. Pepe le Pew's hopeless quest for romance, the reduction of a cultural musical staple to iconic sound byte...<BR/><BR/>He (Wall-E) is a transcendent archetype of animation, like Felix's bag of tricks. Ontologically delicious. Pixar's first use of live-action footage deserves more evaluation?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-78388743798309393772008-07-11T16:16:00.000-04:002008-07-11T16:16:00.000-04:00Anybody catch the Lord of the Rings riffage during...Anybody catch the Lord of the Rings riffage during the climax? Distract the disembodied red eye while Wall-E puts the [ring] into the [volcano]?<BR/><BR/>Sort of a sad self-comment on the surrender to formula.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-84681027123423057652008-07-08T00:42:00.000-04:002008-07-08T00:42:00.000-04:00Ian wrote it; my bad. Should be fixed shortly.Ian wrote it; my bad. Should be fixed shortly.Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-50220490875565098242008-07-07T23:53:00.000-04:002008-07-07T23:53:00.000-04:00Off topic for a moment, just was wondering who wro...Off topic for a moment, just was wondering who wrote the Lars + Greg + Cottage trio? It says Ian at the top, but Walter at the end - spectacular writing regardless, but was just wondering.<BR/><BR/>Also, big kudos to Walter for the Get Smart and Hancock reviews, two great films I wouldn't have seen had it not been for the recommendation. Keep up the good work!Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03940764967908491433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-12240306797048316132008-07-06T21:58:00.000-04:002008-07-06T21:58:00.000-04:00Veteran critic John Simon would definitely disagre...Veteran critic John Simon would definitely disagree with you there. Back in the '70s, according to him, only 10 people in the entire country or world; I can't remember which) are qualified to write film criticism -- while including himself in the list, of course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-27442529502123707222008-07-06T11:47:00.000-04:002008-07-06T11:47:00.000-04:00berandor, re: Phil PlaitIf a film critic goes ahea...berandor, re: Phil Plait<BR/><BR/>If a film critic goes ahead and says that critics are stupid, he very obviously has to put himself at the top of that list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-48976239589056944622008-07-05T21:06:00.000-04:002008-07-05T21:06:00.000-04:00Oh, John. You're just as stubborn as I am. I'm not...Oh, John. You're just as stubborn as I am. I'm not doing a good enough to convince you, you're not doing a good enough job to convince me. What does it matter? <BR/><BR/>The "BNL defense" is actually reminding me a lot of the elaborate "it's all a dream" justifications for the happy endings of Spielberg's <I>A.I.</I>, <I>Minority Report</I>, and <I>War of the Worlds</I>. <BR/><BR/>I'll admit it, Alex Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13028946403342782184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-78843278658141701762008-07-05T04:00:00.000-04:002008-07-05T04:00:00.000-04:00Damn. I like Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, but h...Damn. I like Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, but his review of <A HREF="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/07/04/bad-astronomy-review-hancock" REL="nofollow">"Hancock"</A> contains twice the assertion that "critics are stupid". <BR/><BR/>Not that I disagree with regards to a lot of movie "critics" out there nowadays, but still. Someone with Phil's status: a big blog that is read Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08178910224548079394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-28069060994018354272008-07-05T01:44:00.000-04:002008-07-05T01:44:00.000-04:00The physical change in the humans is sort of the w...The physical change in the humans is sort of the whole point of their story. If it's an indication that the entire story is some sort of self-referential fake, it seems pretty much any movie could supply sufficient evidence for the same interpretation, if someone had the patience to bang their head up against a wall indefinitely. An infinite number of monkeys and an infinite number of walls, orO'JohnLandishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560571840235787129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-43855845387762252042008-07-04T14:05:00.000-04:002008-07-04T14:05:00.000-04:00Everyone is convinced the structure of the film is...<I>Everyone is convinced the structure of the film is divided in halves, and yet it's somehow odd that the two halves--with wildly different settings--have some sort of stylistic difference? That's pretty thin. Also, I don't recall any stylistic differences between the Earth of the first half and the Earth of the second half, which seems odd if the happy ending is a dream.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, the Alex Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13028946403342782184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-87626940474326328002008-07-04T11:27:00.000-04:002008-07-04T11:27:00.000-04:00I have to say that as far as the BNL logo goes, I'...I have to say that as far as the BNL logo goes, I'm totally on board with Ian's interpretation. I'm reminded of the South Park episode where Wall-Mart takes over the town until the townspeople burns it down and gives their patronage to the local general store, which becomes successful and eventually grows into a megalithic superstore which the townspeople burn down etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-2335635580335034622008-07-04T10:13:00.000-04:002008-07-04T10:13:00.000-04:00I think I speak for everyone when I say Alex, O'Jo...I think I speak for everyone when I say Alex, O'John: get a room!Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-69755305112393509122008-07-04T07:16:00.000-04:002008-07-04T07:16:00.000-04:00Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things a...<I>Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.</I><BR/><BR/>I hadn't tried to justify my case, Alex Jackson, but if you can't work it out for yourself:<BR/><BR/>Everyone is convinced the structure of the film is divided in halves, and yet it's somehow odd that the two halves--with wildly different settings--have some sort of stylistic O'JohnLandishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560571840235787129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-18921047803634554262008-07-04T03:55:00.000-04:002008-07-04T03:55:00.000-04:00I do wish I could've been a fly on the wall at wha...I do wish I could've been a fly on the wall at whatever first meeting took place between Andrew Stanton and the suits at Disney. There had to have been one, right?<BR/><BR/>One thing that has stuck with me is the collage of pictures of 'old earth' that the Captain calls up reminds me of EPCOT center.<BR/><BR/>More than one person has told me they didn't like the movie because of the hypocrisy Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-24825906831540278492008-07-04T01:14:00.000-04:002008-07-04T01:14:00.000-04:00For the record, I think everything "mike a" said i...<I>For the record, I think everything "mike a" said is total nonsense. WALL-E isn't Mulholland Dr.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't think you have done much to justify your case John Landis. Mike's conclusions are completely fair and based on accurate observations from the film. There is, in fact, a stylistic difference between the Earth stuff and the space stuff. And the BNL logo does, in fact, appear afterAlex Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13028946403342782184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-58887340379275613902008-07-03T15:05:00.000-04:002008-07-03T15:05:00.000-04:00I went to see the film for a second time yesterday...I went to see the film for a second time yesterday, and it felt like a completely different movie (most likely because I have become something of a different person in trying to process it after the first viewing). I found myself more caught up in the story and less in just watching Wall-E moving around (which, in retrospect, was very distracting the first time), but more importantly, I found Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-39377065149369603692008-07-02T16:23:00.000-04:002008-07-02T16:23:00.000-04:00Re: Hancock reviewIt's the Capital Records buildin...Re: Hancock review<BR/>It's the Capital Records building, not Tower.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-85428081125525023542008-07-02T13:09:00.000-04:002008-07-02T13:09:00.000-04:00If somehow the entire portion on the ship had been...<I>If somehow the entire portion on the ship had been some sort of Jacques Tati creation--a version of the first half, but with people and greater stakes--the movie could keep the exact same ending (which isn't at all the kind of thing little kids would like, except that it's happy, sorta) and you might not see a better animated film in your lifetime. They were SO close.</I><BR/>Agreed, Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13762164283789249806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-72216981967079366252008-07-02T10:00:00.000-04:002008-07-02T10:00:00.000-04:00Yeah, something I've been meaning to say, vis-a-vi...Yeah, something I've been meaning to say, vis-a-vis Walt's review and this talkback: my problem with the "Zarathustra" moment isn't that it panders to the diaper set, it's that it panders to EVERYONE. The friend I was with, who sorta fits the LCD profile, guffawed like a chimp at a carnival because "the 2001 music" is the cheapest laugh-getter there is; I just kind of squirmed, wondering why Bill Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14011398543859221282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-16104774143425712212008-07-02T08:20:00.000-04:002008-07-02T08:20:00.000-04:00A few thoughts:Ian, of course the Zarathustra mome...A few thoughts:<BR/><BR/>Ian, of course the Zarathustra moment was incredibly important to the story. Even with the silly character design, the only serious thing the humans had to do was remember how to walk. I just wish they hadn't used that music. And the pace of the film at that point was a bit manic for such an important moment.<BR/><BR/>-----------<BR/><BR/>For the record, I think O'JohnLandishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560571840235787129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-26231555491359107852008-07-01T20:28:00.000-04:002008-07-01T20:28:00.000-04:00I think I will be referencing Wall-E for the rest ...I think I will be referencing Wall-E for the rest of my life whenever I'm engaged in some coffe-shop philosophizing. And I think there are about ten different ways to look at the film, and probably none of them are right, and thank you, Ian and others, for engaging me. <BR/><BR/>The thing with the diaper-pandering is that this is the first Pixar movie (except for maybe Cars, which I'll just set Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-81953456153851436122008-07-01T18:58:00.000-04:002008-07-01T18:58:00.000-04:00@ o'johnlandis:Your Pixar list is spot-on.However,...@ o'johnlandis:<BR/>Your Pixar list is spot-on.<BR/>However, I'd put <I>WALL-E</I> down just below <I>Finding Nemo</I>. It's funny, I used to think of the latter as being Pixar's weakest link until having kids of my own, but that's because, a)<I>A Bug's Life</I> is so innocuous as to have been completely forgotten by me (pre-spawning) and b) <I>Cars</I> hadn't been released, yet.<BR/><BR/>I guessAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13762164283789249806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-42755654090166860652008-07-01T12:57:00.000-04:002008-07-01T12:57:00.000-04:00On-topic: I look forward to seeing WALL-E.Off-topi...On-topic: I look forward to seeing WALL-E.<BR/><BR/>Off-topic: I also would give a minor organ for an FFC review of the new <I>Mad Men</I> Season One DVD. That show gives me a full-on Sinatra in my trousers.Jefferson Robbinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356665406917571985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-10828223113436184602008-06-30T18:56:00.000-04:002008-06-30T18:56:00.000-04:00What I'd like to know is, where's the love for The...What I'd like to know is, where's the love for <I><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1BZ9XaxLx0" REL="nofollow">The Little Panda Fighter</A>, <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tJsAuG2TR8" REL="nofollow">The Little Cars</A>, <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaNjWrCyKQQ" REL="nofollow">The Little Bee</A></I> and--ahem--<I><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2c1ptxw3uU" REL=Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9668842.post-85536089188498774252008-06-30T18:30:00.000-04:002008-06-30T18:30:00.000-04:00I'll never misspell him again if you give me an ed...I'll never misspell him again if you give me an edit option...<BR/><BR/>Kaizer Scorsese.<BR/><BR/>But man, that's awkward. Almost like misspelling Kubrik.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08178910224548079394noreply@blogger.com