Film Reviews: Simon Pegg Week: Day 5: Run Fatboy Run

“Sorry. I went for a run this morning in my trunks...and I think I've got a bit of a rash...you know, down there in the, uh...scrotal zone.”

Yesterday with Paul, we lost Wright and today we lose Frost and Park. However, we still have a film co-written by Pegg. Run Fatboy Run is a fantastic serious romantic comedy that anyone can enjoy.

Pegg plays Dennis Doyle (“from downstairs”), a man who left his fiancé, Libby, pregnant at the alter—he just ran away for reasons later revealed. The plot of the film is Dennis trying to maintain his relationship with Libby and their son, Jake. However, things get more complicated when Dennis meets Libby’s new American boyfriend, Wit who right off, the audience can tell is not a nice guy (even though he acts like one). Dennis has always run away from all the uncomfortable situations in his life and has never finished anything he starts—he is a quitter. However, when he finds out the Wit is a marathon runner and is signed up for an up-coming race, he decides to show Libby that he can change and that he can finish something. Problems arise when he cannot find a way into the race since the dead line was several months ago. His good friends are there to support and to push him, motivate him, and essentially force him into running the race. Will it be enough? Can he change? Does Libby still love him? Is he running for the right reason?

There are so many things that I love about this film. First and foremost, the way it is set up and the flow and mood of the piece. On the surface it is just another romantic comedy but it is more serious than most of the one’s I have seen. It has a mood not unlike the film Definitely, Maybe that is funny but also serious. Run Fatboy Run is very hilarious but has a message and a theme to get across about facing ones fears and committing to ones responsibilities, which the film articulates wonderfully. The first time I saw this was in theaters when it first came out on a date with my first serious girlfriend. After seeing Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I just had to see this. When I did see this I laughed my arse off for most of the film but there were several moments when I teared-up and at one point cried. This film pulls at all the right heartstrings. Simon Pegg is a brilliant writer.

 In addition, writing for this film is Michael Ian Black who wrote the original story. I know him best for his comedic work on the short-lived television show, Stella. Directing Run Fatboy Run is David Schwimmer who most people know from Friends. Schwimmer and Pegg had co-starred together a year earlier in Big Nothing which formed their relationship and created this great film. However, I was not impressed at all with Big Nothing. In fact, I think it is by far the worst Pegg film there is. It is not the fault of Pegg or Schwimmer, the film just sucked and I have been debating on reviewing it or not.

Anyway, semi-co-starring in Run Fatboy Run is Dylan Moran who played David in Shaun of the Dead who is most known for his hit comedy show, Black Books which also starred Bill Bailey (Spaced, Hot Fuzz). Also, the voice of the television commentator towards the end of the film is none other than Peter Serafinowicz (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead).

Run Fatboy Run also has a phenomenal British soundtrack. Seriously, check it out. Each song works perfectly with the scenes they are behind. The film is also a great look at areas in London such as Canary Wharf and Hamsterheath Park.

There are a few things to point out. One is that in the scene when Dennis is snogging his reflection in his mirror, if you look closely, you can see the crew reflected in the television screen on the left. Schwimmer was aware of this but since they were on a time restraint and it really was the best take, he used it anyway. However, the scene is so engaging that I did not notice it until I watched the DVD commentary and he pointed it out. Also, the flashback scene when Dennis is on the bus was never scripted and was added much later. It is a wonderful and important scene and I am glad they decided to add it.

In the scene where Wit is intimidating Dennis with his penis, he is really powdering his balls—talk about a method actor.

Finally, something that blows my mind is how great of an actor they have to play Jake. Matthew Fenton is a brilliant child-actor and he never forgot a line not even once. He makes the film that much more believable.

Run Fatboy Run truly is a gem. It has many hilarious moments juxtaposed with very serious content, the acting and writing is brilliant, and the theme of the film is great. I was going to give it 4.9 out of 5 because I do slightly enjoy Shaun and Fuzz more but since the difference is negligible, I might as well give Run Fatboy Run 5 out of 5 stars.

Film Reviews: Simon Pegg Week: Day 4: Paul

“This is America. Kidnapping a Christian is worse than harboring a fugitive”

Alright. He we are: Day 4. The last film to be made by Simon Pegg and co. After this, all that are left are simply films he has starred in.

Paul is the third film made with Pegg, Frost acting, and Park producing. Edgar Wright wasn’t on-board this time which may explain why this is my least favorite out of the three films—it is certainly one of the funniest but it just doesn’t have the Wright feel to it (and yes, that pun was indented). Instead, this film was co-written by Pegg and Frost instead of Pegg and Wright and it was directed by Greg Mottola who directed Superbad—this might explain further, why I was not that impressed by Paul—I did not really like Superbad all that much.

Pegg goes back into a nerd-dork role that is even more dorky and nerdy than Tim from Spaced. However, he does take-up Tim’s old carrier of graphic artist so there is some reference to Spaced. If you pay attention, there are a few more nods to this. For example, the guys (Jim and Jason) that did all of Tim’s drawings in Spaced also did Graeme’s drawings in Paul. While on the subject of art, you may, notice that the t-shirt the Ruth is wearing has a comic that is drawn by the same guy (Oscar Rights) who did Danny’s flip-book cartoon in Hot Fuzz and the art for the continuity holes for Shaun of the Dead on the DVD.

Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) are on holiday from England to go to comic-con in San Diego and then take a road trip down the Extraterrestrial Highway to visit all the alien paranormal hotspots such as Area 51, the Black Mailbox, and Roswell.

The film starts with a spaceship landing on a little girl’s dog named Paul in Wyoming in 1947 (1947 was also the year of the Roswell crash and the year Pegg’s mom was born). We then cut to comic-con (not the actual comic-con). The Orcs in the street are actually the real Orc costumes borrowed from Peter Jackson (Pegg makes friends everywhere he goes).

While on their road trip, driving one night a car starts to speed up behind them blaring its horn and flashing its headlights. They think it is couple of rednecks they pissed off back at a diner but it turns out to be just someone in a hurry. Once the car passes them, the driver loses control and the car flips off the road. When Graeme and Clive go to investigate, it turns out to be an alien called Paul.

Paul is being chased by secret agents done up to look like “men in black” and the film essentially becomes a “road-trip’ movie with aliens. It’s mostly a comedy but does have action and suspense. I guess the best way to describe it is a cross between Race with the Devil, E. T, and National Lampoon’s: Vacation.

Just a couple of side-notes. While the filming of Paul was taking place, Park was also producing Scott Pilgrim and Pegg became a father.

Paul, like Spaced, references tons of science-fiction films and Steven Spielberg films in general. There are references and nods to Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Aliens, Predator, Back to the Future, E. T, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws, etc. One of more subtle but great references to look out for is the scene at the bar and the bluegrass band is playing the cantina theme from Star Wars. At one point Paul talks to Spielberg on the phone and it really is Spielberg talking.

A few location shots are also references back to great movies. For example, the town the group stops in where Paul is dressed as a cowboy (at this point it is not a CGI Paul but the stunt-coordinators son dressed up in a Paul costume) is a very famous location. The town is Las Vegas, New Mexico and on the very block, that Paul is filmed is the diner from the scene in Easy Rider when Jack Nicolson is first introduced. In addition, it is where the car is blown up outside a pharmacy in No Country for Old Men. There is a scene from Red Dawn that is shot here also.

The movie also features a very famous cast and the film is very well acted.

However, it still was a letdown after seeing Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Paul does not have the clever blend that gave the other films humor. Paul mostly relies on running gags, references, and essentially, for lack of a better term, ‘potty-mouth’ humor. It is a hilarious film, I will give it that, but I feel it could have been so much better had Edgar Wright been working with them like the last two times. Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that this time it was intended more for an American audience, I really can’t say why it wasn’t such a hit with me as the his previous works. However, that is not to say that films starring Simon Pegg are always worse without all his friends working on it as well, for example, Run, Fatboy, Run is a great movie and it has only Pegg and no Wright, Frost, or Park.

I like the movies pace and I like how it accesses more than just laughter from the audience. The film does have intense and serious moments as well as a few adrenaline fueled scenes that seem to be out of an action movie, but overall, it is just not as great as the movies that came before. Paul gets  4 out of 5 from me.

I will say one fantastic thing about this film is Paul himself. The detailed CGI animation is the most realistic I have seen in many films. It is brilliantly animated and I bow down to the huge animation team that made this possible. Watch the film, the look of Paul is really spectacular and I truly admire the work of these animators. The film gets an extra .5 stars just for the work that went into the CGI for Paul. That doesn’t seem like much, but that is a huge percentage of quality to dedicate to only one aspect of an entire film. So with the work on Paul, the film gets 4.5 out of 5

 

*!SPOILER ALERT!*

I thought I would throw this in here because of something in Nerd Do Well. Throughout the movie, there is the mystery of who plays the boss of the secret agency. We know she is female from her voice. Now most of the super-sci-fi fans will probably pick up on the voice and figure out who it is. The people who like to feck with surprises will check imdb. I am assuming those of you reading this part knows whom it is. In Pegg’s book he talks about how when he was a kid he had a huge crush of Diane Keaton and at one point fell in love with another actress for a brief time. He wrote poems when he was younger and wrote one for Diane Keaton and one for the other actress. Here is that poem: it can be found on pg.263 of Simon Pegg’s book Nerd Do Well published by Gotham Books in June, 2011:

Sigourney

You make me feel…

Like countless innuendo

You drive me round the bend

Oh Sig!

What will I tell Diane?



Film Reviews: Simon Pegg Week: Day 3: Hot Fuzz

"I may not be a man of God, Reverend, but I know right, and I know wrong, and I have the good grace to know which is which."

Today I review the second movie made by the knock out team of Edgar Wright (director\writer), Simon Pegg (writer\actor), Nick Frost (actor), and Nira Park (producer): Hot Fuzz.

Hot Fuzz is a brilliant film—just look at the trailer. Hot Fuzz follows the character of police officer Nicholas Angel. Angel is play of those action flicks that have the ‘ultimate character’ the quintessential ‘infallible character’. This character is a staple in the old westerns but also seen in action films, the perfect soldier, the greatest sheriff, etc. These characters excel in every area of their field. Angel is the perfect cop. However, the movie’s plot is centered on the theme of what if you throw a character like this into a more real-life world. The answer is no one wants to deal with him. Essentially, he is go great he is like Batman if he patrolled the city with the lowest crime rate. Angel is making all the other cobs look bad so the chief inspector (played by Bill Nighy who played Shaun’s stepdad) has him promoted to Sergeant of a small-town with a record for having the lowest crime rate in all of England.

It looks like Angel is going to be pretty bored and the film plays with the old theme of “country-mouse-city-mouse”—having a character totally out of his\her element. However, strange accidents start occurring and the film enters the territory of mystery\thriller. The film over all is an Action-crime drama-mystery-suspense-gore film, which is fecking amazing.

Angel eventually seems to figure out what is going on and fits all the pieces together to form a very diabolical plan that boils down to money which is the typical goal of most antagonists in actions and crime dramas. However, it turns out that the truth is far more sinister and psychotic pulling the film deeper into the thriller and ‘actionsploitation’ genre (the few scenes of heavy gore help with this also.

Hot Fuzz brings in elements from all sorts of action films. There are guns, guts, explosions, chases, and even a scene that is a parody of a ‘giant-monster battle’—I’m not joking. Also, let’s not forget that Hot Fuzz also adds in that age-old joke of action films of taking the supposed peaceful character and turning him\her into a violent person, like the derringer-totting priest (this is also seen in Machete).

The film also draws on elements from Shaun of the Dead and shows us the emerging style of Wright and Pegg. Like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz uses the clever blend of foreshadowing, puns, and irony as the vehicle for most of the humor. Hot Fuzz even references back to the ‘short-cut’ scene from S.o.t.D. In addition, if you notice, the same arcade machine is in the village tavern that was in the Winchester.

Though the film is playing on the action-crime genre, it also tries to go for an element of realism, which just adds to the laughs. There is a fast-paced-adrenaline fueled montage about paper work! Paper work! Hot Fuzz relies more on these montage scenes that Shaun of the Dead did as it pertains more to the style of action than horror.

Hot Fuzz also has a kick-arse soundtrack! It is flipping fantastic and each song works cleverly with what is going on in the film. It is mostly a rock-based soundtrack but has a few exceptions. Also, the movie has its own theme song! This was seen with detective movies of the 70’s and 80’s and with monster movies of the 60’s, most notably The Blob.

There is also a great use of images for metaphors. When Angel loads up with all the guns and has the shotguns sticking out of his backpack, they look a bit like wings, which plays on the character name, Angel.

The cinematography is also quiet effective.

The relationship between Danny (Nick Frost) and Angel has some sexual\romantic subtext that like with Shaun and Ed and even with Tim and Mike, seems like a joke. Pegg, talks about this in his book, Nerd Do Well. With Shaun and Ed, it is more of a joke and both Shaun and Ed are to be considered straight. However, in regards to Angel and Danny, it is more hinting at sexual tension and less like a joke. If any time Pegg and Frost’s characters had potential for a relationship between each other, it is in Hot Fuzz.

Another character from Spaced has a role in this film, Bilbo (Bill Bailey), Tim’s boss at the comic shop, is one of the cops at the front desk in the small town. It is also worth mentioning that both him and Timothy Dalton (Mr. Skinner), most known for his brief carnation as James Bond, have appeared in Doctor Who, like almost everyone who works with Pegg.

And if you want to talk about six degrees of separation, Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy were both in Shaun of the Dead together and are also both in Hot Fuzz as Angels superiors inn London. What is funny about this is between Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, both Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy both starred in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Even more amusing is that the whale in THG2TG is voiced by none other than Bill Bailey, who we know was in both Spaced and Hot Fuzz with Simon Pegg! Furthermore, all of them have appeared in Doctor Who except for Martin Freeman.

Hot Fuzz is another flawless production by Simon Pegg and co. Again, I have to give it 5 out of 5 stars. These guys really know what they are doing.

Also check out the disc art on the DVD, it is done exactly like the art of the Point Break DVD seen in the film or at least my copy looks that way.

This is last film made with Wright, Pegg, Frost, and Park all working together. They did make a fake movie trailer for when Grindhouse came out for a movie called “Don’t” which is a play on the whole ‘don’t’ horror-movie-sub-genre. I would love it if this film got made. Everyone keep their fingers crossed and write in or tweet to Pegg and\or Wright requesting it get made. You can see the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VLe8sVRumw

 

Zombie Movie Review (28) of the Week: Simon Pegg Week: Day 2: Shaun of the Dead

“How’s that for a slice of fried-gold?”

Shaun of the Dead. To put it simply, this is a fecking masterpiece! There are those out there that think Pegg made this film to make fun of Romero movies. Quite the contrary. I admit that it is a parody and a satire but to paraphrase the great Mel Brooks “to truly parody something you must love it” And Simon Pegg loves George Romero and especially loves Dawn of the Dead (1978). He even has several chapters in his book Nerd Do Well mostly about zombies and Romero.

Shaun of the Dead is about a slacker and his companions trying to survive a zombie infested London. Shaun is for all intents and purposes essentially the same character as Tim from Spaced. In fact, he could have easily written the movie as part of the show with all the same character. The film is produced, directed, and for the most part, stars, the same people who produced, directed, and starred in Spaced. Shaun=Tim, Ed=Mike, Yvonne=Daisy, Pete=Dwayne. Peter Serafinowicz is just great at playing dicks. His words, not mine, but I have to agree with him. He does a great job as Dwayne and Pete.

Shaun is not having the greatest of days. His girlfriend of five years as just left him, his best friend only holds him back and is usually the cause of all Shaun’s problems, and he is stuck at a dead-end job.

The film uses a clever blend of irony, foreshadowing, and puns to give the film a nice circular feel and comedy about it. For example, the night before the shit really hits the fan, Shaun writes down all the things he needs to do the next day which are to go visit his mom, get his girlfriend (Liz) back, and sort out his life. Funny enough, because of the zombies, he accomplishes all these things; mostly protect the ones he cares about. Also part of this blend relies heavily on dialogue; lines certain characters said to another are used in reverse later in several situations.

Shaun is not actually a hero. Well, he is and he is not. He would have been more successful if Ed did not keep fecking up everything, and really most of the causes of death can be related back to some of Ed’s earlier selfish actions. Even Pegg says it in his book, that Shaun is not a hero per se, just a guy, trying to do the best he can with what he has and trying to protect the ones he loves. He is not the smartest guy, and he is certainly not the strongest or trained in any field of survival of combat and yes, by this description, Shaun is not a Hollywood action or horror hero. However, to my mind, all the qualities make him a true hero because even though by all rights he could have been killed at any time, he tried his hardest and did some very brave things.

Shaun of the Dead also has a really nice look to it. Wright is great with directing. The film uses quick montages as in close up flashes of related things such as getting ready in the morning, giving it an action movie feel.

Despite it being primarily a comedy, the movie is still a horror film. Now most people will not be ‘horrified’ as such by the film but (!SPOILER!) likable characters do die and the zombies are really fecking realistic esp. compared to other zombie films that came out around the same time. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I prefer the look of the Shaun of the Dead zombies to the look of the zombies in Romero’s Land of the Dead, and Pegg’s zombies are based right off Romero zombies.

This is why this film is more of homage to Romero rather than an insult. This is essentially Pegg’s love letter to Romero. The zombies are only ever as fast as Bill Hinzman (the cemetery zombie) is in the original Night of the Living Dead, which is also the rule that The Walking Dead uses. The make-up in Shaun is fecking fantastic! These are some of the best zombies I have ever seen next to The Walking Dead zombies.

The film also references Romero’s films constantly, taking elements from Night, Dawn, Day, and the 90’ remake of N.o.t.L.D. The music that opens the film before the camera cuts to the pub is from the scene in Dawn of the Dead where they land the helicopter at the airfield. Shaun’s mother is named Barbra and when Shaun and Ed call her to tell her they are on their way and she argues with them, Ed yells into the phone “We’re coming to get you Barbra” referencing that famous line from Night of the Living Dead (1968). The music that plays during Shaun’s rescue-run-through is the fighting music from Dawn of the Dead. Later when Shaun and Ed start throwing stuff at the zombies in their yard, the end credits music from Night of the Living Dead (1990) plays in the background. Then towards the end climax of the film when they all are acting like zombies, Shaun acts like ‘Bub’ from Day of the Dead, which is in fact his favorite zombie ever. Finally, at the end of the film when Shaun is flipping thru the channels and gets to the game show about zombies trying to grab meat, the game music is mimicking the Gonk music that is from Dawn of the Dead.

There is also a reference to Spaced when they are running from the apartment; the music playing was used several times in Spaced. Of course, that could just be because they already had the rights to the music.

When Pegg was growing up he loved movies, and he still does. When he first saw Dawn of the Dead, he fell in love with it. It was the European cut version so there was not much gore but he would later see the U.S version as well as Romero’s other films.

Romero clearly appreciates the film that Pegg and Wright made. Although he was not aware that they might cameo in Land of the Dead, when asked at a press conference if he was considering it he just said something like “sure, I guess, why not?” Which goes to the laid back nature of Romero who is always open to suggestion for his films—he loves input. So, the nest time you watch Land of the Dead look out for Pegg and Wright. They are the zombies a person can get their picture taken with and Pegg got to use the mold that made Bub’s mask which made him ecstatic. In addition, Romero had Pegg do a voice cameo in my personal favorite of his zombie films, Diary of the Dead; listen closely to all the various newscasters throughout the film and you will spot him.

The Winchester pub is actually based off the tavern Pegg used to always hang out at and formed a relationship with the owners whose names were John and Bernie which are the names for the characters who own the Winchester. Shaun also mentions the pubs weekly quiz in the film, which is also taken from the real-life pub

Coldplay has a cameo in the movie as the band that is working with “Zomb-Aid” and in fact, Pegg did work with Coldplay for a little while.

Finally, there is a great message in the film. The film goes back to one of Romero’s old messages about how we are essentially zombies anyway. Watch the beginning of the film and look at all the people you see. They all end up as zombies you see later on but it is filmed in a way that they already look or act like zombies. The famous line from the 90’ remake of N.o.t.L.D “they’re us and we’re them” or the whole monologue in Dawn about how people are drawn to a mall. So, this horror-comedy comes with a philosophical message which makes it even more awesome

I give Shaun of the Dead 5 out of 5 stars. This movie turned me on to Pegg and kick-started my journey into zombie obsession.

Film Reviews: Simon Pegg Week: Day 1: Spaced

“Life just isn't like the movies is it? We're constantly led to believe in resolution in the establishment of the ideal status qua, and it's just not true. Happy endings are a myth. Designed to make us feel better about the fact that life is just another thankless struggle.”

Spaced is a fantastic show. It is sort of like the British equivalent of the Big Bang Theory if you use Douglas Adams logic as if it is like the other show in the sense that they are entirely different. Both shows are about for lack of a better term—nerds. The difference being that Spaced is more focused on the “slacker-nerd” group more common in the late 90’s. I like Spaced a hell of a lot better and it has little to do with the fact that I think Simon Pegg is fucking awesome. Spaced\was the first time that Pegg, Frost, and Wright worked together. Most of you are probably more aware of their first film, Shaun of the Dead.

I also like Spaced better than BBT because I like the references more. Spaced mostly references great films first and foremost. The rest of the references are from video games, some comics, and a few TV references.

Firstly, I highly recommend, if you like Simon Pegg’s work and would like to learn more about him, to read his recently published book Nerd Do Well. It goes into his life as well as his career in more detail than I will. I will add some facts that I learned from his book but if you really want to know everything about all his work, read the book. It is an easy read and entertaining

Before doing Spaced, Pegg had done a few sketch shows such as Big Train, which is almost like a more modern Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He also worked with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost before. The three of them are an unbeatable team who has made three fantastic and flawless films together so far.

Jessica Hynes (Jessica Stevenson) is also a wonderful actor—she like the others, is really dedicated.

Spaced was written by Peg and Hynes who also star as Tim and Daisy who are essentially based off Pegg and Hynes. Pegg’s Character Tim Bisley is a reference to a comic book artist whose name is Simon Bisley. Tim is also a graphic artist and since Simon Pegg plays Tim Bisley, it is also a pun and a reference.

There is just something about Spaced that makes me happy every time I watch it. Maybe it is the nerd in me.

The other characters along with Tim and Daisy have something to do with it. The acting on all accounts is superb and the characters are fully fleshed out.

Nick Frost’s character ‘Mike’ is based off a character idea that he always had.

Martha’s character is based off the voice of the actor’s old landlord and off this drunk woman she met in Greece. Martha is just great

The character of Brian and Tyres I can easily sum up with clips from YouTube.

Brian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhUMRgZjKr8

Tyres: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y54jev1Uyao&feature=fvst

Also, let’s not forget about one of many people’s other favorite characters, Colin. Colin is the miniature-schnauzer owned by Tim and Daisy, played by the dog, Aida. Pegg loved Aida so much that he now has a miniature-schnauzer of his own called Minni.

The show also has a great feel to it. Though it is essentially a comedy, like real life it does have serious and down moments to it. And even though it is a comedy I would not call it a sitcom like Big Bang Theory is. First off, Spaced has no audience laugh tracks. Secondly, since it is filmed in Britain, it is not censored.

The show has a great soundtrack bringing in pieces from everywhere that perfectly fit the tone of each scene and the same goes for the sound effects.

Edgar Wright is a brilliant director and like so many great director’s, he is a perfectionist. Pegg and Wright are a great team and Frost adds more greatness to them. The cinematography is Spaced is amazing as well—Wright knows what we wants out of a shot.

Also, there is a character that appears in only one episode who, for those of you who enjoy British comedy might recognize, Vulva is played by David Walliams who later will go on to do Little Britain

Most of Pegg’s fellow actors are usually in several of his films along with him—even in the films that Wright and Frost do not do with Pegg, (they always work together when Pegg has a story in mind), and you will see people from Spaced and previous films. Also almost all of them have appeared on Doctor Who including the actors who play Shaun’s parents.

Overall, Spaced is a fantastic work of art that all nerds, geeks, and dorks will enjoy as well as cinemaphiles. I highly recommend it with a 5 out of 5 rating.

Check out the DVD documentary Skip to the End to find out where Tim and Daisy are now.

Film Reviews: Run, Lola, Run (Lola Rennt)

“Did you run all the way here?”

"The breathless pace of Run Lola Run is positively exhausting, stimulating and inspiring." (filmsondisc.com)

Dedicated to Paul Nnodim

Hello. I am back. I know it has been awhile since my last review. I took a break during winter vacation and then when I got back some stuff happened and I did not really feel like blogging but I am back

The first time I heard about this film was about three years ago when, bored one day, decided to watch I Love The 90’s, and there was a segment on this film. However, I wouldn’t see it until a year later in my German Philosophy course.

Run Lola Run is one of my favorite films of all time. The actual title is Lola Rennt, which translates as ‘Lola Runs’. RLR is a German film that came out in 1998. It was written and directed by Tom Tykwer and is his masterpiece. The film stars Franka Potente as Lola and Mortiz Bleibtreu as her boyfriend Manni. Filmed on location in Berlin.

The essential plot of the film is that due to a series of unfortunate events, Manni is potentially in a heap of trouble with an organized crime syndicate. Lola didn’t pick him up at the meeting place because her moped was stolen and so Manni took the subway where he lost a bag full of money that he was delivering to his boss and he now has only 20 minutes to find 100,000 Marks ($60,000) or else he is dead. The rest of the plot is Lola desperately trying to acquire the money to save her boyfriend.

However, though this is the plot, it is essentially not, what the film is about. On the surface, this seems to be a crime thriller or action flick but that is far from the case. In truth, the work is an existential film focusing on the nature of time and second chances. The films creative story draws on three films. One well-known classic that the other two films also draw on is Rashomon. This story we have all seen in some form—one story told from several perspectives suggesting that the nature of truth could be subjective. The second film is Blind Chance, which shows the same story happening three different times with slight differences that affect the outcome greatly. Finally the film Sliding Doors which came out the same year as RLR (though RLR is exceedingly better) which shows the same story from essentially two different universes.

I really do not want to give too much away because I could easily break the film down scene by scene and explain its genius, however, that could potentially spoil it for most who have not seen it. I will go into further detail though. The film is 80 minutes long and those 80 minutes are broken down into sections. The first is the opening credits and introduction along with the set up of the plot. Then there are three 20 minutes segments, which are the same twenty minutes in time with different outcomes. In-between these segments are flashback scenes filmed in red to distinguish them as well as express the importance of love as a factor in the film, which are about 1-2 minutes each. Finally, there is the conclusion and credits, which make up the final six minutes.

The film’s point is focused on the cliché of ripples in the pond, the butterfly effect, etc—that the littlest of things can make the biggest differences. Lolo tries to get the money and save Manni three times which means she obviously fails the first two times (I’m not going to disclose if she is successful in the end). However, unlike Blind Chance or Sliding Doors, Lola remembers each of the twenty minutes and the film hints at this in a few subtle but important ways. For Lola, the entire film is linear and so it has been an hour for her, but for Manni, it has just been twenty minutes, which is similar to a later film the most likely was inspired by RLR, Groundhog’s Day.

Tom Tykwer does some wonderful things with the cinematography. Run, Lola, Run has almost every artistic style of camera work thrown into it, each for something particular. All the flashback scenes where Lola and Manni are explaining what happened in the beginning are all in black and white to make a distinction in time. Certain crucial scenes are shot in split-screen to emphasize and build tension. Digital camera are also used for a few scenes to show that they are not part of the main story but are important in affecting the main story and the eventual outcome of the 20 minutes. For the rest of the film 35mm cameras are used. During many scenes, Tykwer uses snorkel camera, which gives the scenes a great movement effect. There are also a few birds-eye-shots. Tykwer also uses still photography for future events and outcomes. Each time Lola goes through the 20 minutes she encounters a few characters that she affects. Despite only touching their lives for less than five seconds, their lives are significantly altered. Tykwer ends the film with this photograph effect but only shows us the first picture rather than showing us what is now in-store for Lola and Manni.

The sounds to the film are also a component of the overall effect of the film. For example, when Lola is running through all the people she could go to for help in the beginning and thinking about who would be best, if you pay close attention, we hear the sound of a roulette wheel, which is symbolic of her choosing a person, but also is very significant to the events in the third 20 minutes. The main soundtrack is mostly sung by Franka Potente, which gives us a bit of insight into Lola’s thoughts as she is running because even when we are panicked our minds are never on just one thing. The music also has a panicked and adrenaline feel to it which fits perfect for the pace of the movie and really gets your heart beating in sync with Lola’s.

There are a few things to pay attention to. A few events do not change for any of the segments. These are fixed either points that happen without Lola doing something different, or things that cannot be changed. Try to spot them. One of them is very important. There is a further sub-message about the passage of times in regards to a woman outside the bank in the first 20 minutes. At first she is blurred and in the distance and she is played by a young woman. However, once she is next to Lola, we see she is played by an elderly woman. One final thing to pay attention to that few people ever make the connection, is that the man who in the beginning stole Lola’s moped is the man on the moped in the third sequence and the theme of Karma is introduced which one could suggest is another theme of the film.

One more thing, the credits at the end go from top to bottom rather than the standard bottom to top which is cool and could further be a critique on time and space

Run, Lola Run is a flawless film. It is aesthetically pleasing, it sounds great, and the sound, camera work, and everything else, line up perfectly with each other to form a genius work of art. The film is so straightforward despite its not entirely linear plot, that the dialogue is essentially unnecessary. That is not to say the script is written badly—the script is also fantastic and the love scenes are especially dependant on dialogue and that dialogue is important to the overall film. What I mean is that if you watch it without subtitles or dubbing you can still fully understand the films plot and message. Speaking of which, if you ever buy the DVD use the subtitles and not the dubbing because the dubbing sound ridiculous. The voices do not match the bodies at all in the right way and the dialogue is changed in stupid ways that I feel takes away from the film. I love the existential heavy message of the movie. The acting is phenomenal and there is nothing one could argue was ineffective in the film or lacking. Even though it is not mathematically possible, I give Run, Lola, Run 6 out of 5 stars!

P.S be on the look-out for Simon Pegg week!

©2010-2012 ~ZeTrystan---(Picture)

Film Reviews: Christmas Edition 18: Twilight Zone: Night of the Meek

In memory of

Rod Serling

December 25^th, 1924 – June 28^th, 1975

(That’s right, born on Christmas)

Today’s Christmas film review is on a fantastic story from Rod Serling: The Twilight Zone: Night of the Meek. This is episode 11 of season 2, I also watched the remake of it from the 1985 reboot of the show which is season 1, episode 30.

Night of the Meek is about a depressed and drunk man, named Corwin, who is right above the poverty line and is a Santa Claus at the local department store. He gets depressed when he sees the world and all its problems and wishes there was a real Santa Claus so that the poor children of the world would get gifts on Christmas. The wealthy, or for that matter, the well of children really don’t need a Santa Claus, their parents typically get them most of what they want—this is Corwin’s philosophy. All he wants to do is give the poor of the world a great Christmas.

After being fired from his Santa job, he stumbles upon a back full of trash one second and the next full of gifts—the bag will give whatever is asked for in the hands of Corwin. Corwin, overcome with joy, begins to hand out presents to everyone in the slums. The police are called in because it is assumed Corwin has stolen all of the gifts from somewhere, perhaps the very department store he worked for. The bag quickly goes back to being full of trash and in the end, Corwin pulls out the gift that the manager of the store who accused Corwin of stealing, asked for.

When the night is almost over and Corwin has handed out presents to everyone, he asked if there was anything left for him. However, he got the greatest gift of all, to be the world’s biggest gift giver, he only wishes he could do it every year—and sure enough he gets his wish.

I love the original version of this—in fact, the first time I saw it, it made me cry. The ending when Rod Serling gives a little speech is beautiful. The remake is great too but I recommend watching the original first. I give the original a 5 out of 5 and the remake 4.5 out of 5.

Film Reviews: Christmas Edition 17: A Christmas Carol 2009

“If I could work my will every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!”

So my final verdict of the various versions of A Christmas Carol I have seen, in order from my favorite and what I consider the best, to the worst:

1984, 1970, 1938, 2003, 1951, Muppets, 2009

I finally watched the 2009 Disney version of A Christmas Carol. By now, I have nothing to say about A Christmas Carol, but plenty to say about this version

This version was hailed for being verbatim—word for world from the original dialogue. This is somewhat true; it is not 100% verbatim, close, but not fully. There are also a few things thrown in that did not happen in the story.

What follows is a list of everything wrong with Disney’s A Christmas Carol 2009.

First off, the main complaint that the movie was made too zany and silly is true—well, it is not very zany, but it does have the Disney feel. Also like Disney, all the children’s faces, except for Tim’s, are like fat little Cherubs and because of the CGI, I got to say, I found most of the faces really creepy and disturbing because normal people don’t look like that. Another thing that I really did not like was when the spirits and Scrooge would be traveling thru the air—I do not know, maybe it is because a few minutes before, I had had a poptart and some Coke, but those scenes made me slightly nauseous. I didn’t feel like I was actually going to vomit, but I definitely did not like how these scenes made me feel.

The best part—the real WTF moment of the film, is when Scrooge is listening to the business men casually talking about his death and one of them clearly just did some cocaine—I am not even kidding. Now I know that this was common and not even illegal at the time but what the hell was the point of putting that in there? It is completely unnecessary to the film in every way. I know that the kids watching the film will be totally oblivious to this most kids don’t know what cocaine is and it is only for a brief second but this is a kids movie, so who was it for? I understand putting subtle adult humor in kids films so that the parents will be able to enjoy it more, but this wasn’t humorous it is just “oh look, that guy just did cocaine”, I mean it is really out of nowhere.

Another thing that is totally unnecessary is the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come chasing Scrooge around the poor parts of London and then zombies come out of nowhere while he is being chased by Death, and then he shrinks for no reason! What the heck is going on?

Furthermore, the Ghost of Christmas Present dies in a really creepy way: while he is still laughing he starts to turn to dust even when he is just bones and eyeballs, he keeps laughing.

I will give the film some credit, it certainly had a few creative ideas—most of them I thought sucked—but it was creative. Jim Carrey actually does a good job portraying Scrooge; of course, he portrays practically half the characters as well. I did not like how when the ghosts would mock Scrooge for things he had said, they would imitate his face or the faces of others—it was somewhat stupid. I also feel that Zemeckis took the description of the Ghost of Christmas Past excessively literal because he looks like an actual candle. Again, creative but I did not like it. Or how the Ghost of Christmas Present traveled around with Scrooge in a spirit form of part of his house—just stupid.

I feel that even though the CGI made it easier to do many things, I think this version would have been better if it had been live action or even animated.

Overall, it is not that bad of a film—it is not my least favorite adaptation of A Christmas Carol, just the one that has the most things wrong with it and the most things I thought were bad. Therefore, in the end I give it 2.5 out of 5 for A Christmas Carol adaptation and 2.9 out of 5 as a film in general.



I guess at this point I should briefly mention another A Christmas Carol I recently watched—the 2003 version.

Not much to say about this one. Patrick Stewart plays Scrooge and he does a fairly decent job. This version is unique because like the 2009 version, it starts with Marley’s death just like in the book. I thought the affects were shoddy but the scene transitions were nice. Marley’s spirit was also different this time and I liked the portrayal of Scrooge and Isabelle’s love story. Scrooge is shown as a more sympathetic character from the beginning, more bitter and rude than an ass. The Ghost of Christmas Present showed Scrooge a prison which I have never seen in another version—I really liked the 2003 version’s Ghost of Christmas Present as well as The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and the scenes about death.



Film Reviews: Christmas Edition 16: It’s a Wonderful Life

In memory of

James “Jimmy” Stewart

(Wonderful actor, winner of an Academy Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Brigadier General in the USAFR)

May 20^th, 1908 – July 2^nd, 1997

“Boys and girls and music…why do they need gin?”

Like with A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life is a timeless Christmas Class—more timeless I might add, released in 1946 and still doing very well. However, unlike A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life is only shown on one channel once a year on Christmas Eve.

There are few things to be said about this movie that haven’t been said before, but I’s still like to give a review for those who love the film and would like to hear someone else’s ideas about it and for those who have yet to see it. Trust me, there are people who have not seen it, one being my girlfriend until last night when we watched it together and she fell in love with it.

First, I know this story is getting a bit old, but I wanted to again, make fun of Fox news for calling The Muppets a communist propaganda film. If any film should be called out for its potential anti-capitalistic ideals, it is It’s a Wonderful Life. The main antagonist is like a real life Scrooge who never got visit from spirits but actually spends and enjoys his money. Mr. Potter is the wealthiest man in Bedford Falls. He owns more than half the town, is without a doubt a bastard— he is cruel, conniving, only concerned with profits, and disregards the intrinsic value of human life. Not to mention the fact that the world where Potter owns everything is a world of vices and anger.

This beloved classic that was made during the 40’s right after WWII, arguably one of the most greatest times in America being united as one, is more anti-capitalistic than a the Muppets who are technically owned by Disney, one of the largest corporations in the world.

FYI, I do not think The Muppets or It’s a Wonderful Life are communistic propaganda

It’s a Wonderful Life is a fantastic movie. Despite it being over two hours and over fifty years old, it draws the audience in and is quite an affective film.

 For those of you who have not seen the film, it takes place on the day the main character, George Bailey (James Stewart), is thinking about taking his life. This day also happens to be Christmas Eve. Angels up in Heaven are deciding what they should do about it and decide to send Clarence, an angel who has yet to receive his wings. However, Clarence is simple minded but also innocent and faithful. Joseph, the head angel shows Clarence the important highlights of George’s life in a series of flashbacks.

The flashbacks show the audience that George is the most selfless person most of us have ever met. He constantly sacrifices his own wants, hopes, and dreams for the betterment of others—starting with when they were children, saving his younger brother’s life but in the process losing hearing in his left ear.

George is a tragic character, the protagonist of the story, we, the audience, feel sympathetic for him at every turn. George since, childhood, has always wanted to get out of the small town and travel, see the world, go to college, build and invest in things. He is a man brimming with ideas and hopes of the future, an intelligent man who sacrifices everything for those less fortunate. He never leaves his hometown or even state, let alone the country, he never goes to college, he never gets to fulfill any of his ideas, and he does not even get to go to war to fight the Nazis due to his bad ear. He does get to build things however. With all his talent and ingenuity, George builds a whole community of quaint little homes that are worth twice what it cost to build.

He feels like his life has been meaningless especially since he never achieved even half of his dreams. Then, at the height of his revelry, when his brother is returning home from war a hero, tragedy strikes. Clarence comes down to stop him from throwing his life away. After Clarence convinces George that killing himself would only make matters worse, George decides it would have been better if he had never been born, and so Clarence shows George exactly that: a world where he was never born.

George then realizes, as the title suggests, that it really is a wonderful life and the ending of the film could not be any better.

James Stewart does a wonderful performance as always. There are a few things wrong with the film however—I only critique this film because I love it. There are a few scenes where it is clear there is something wrong with the editing, sometimes it feels like you may have missed some lines of dialogue. In addition, the concept of angels is a bit inaccurate but it is creative so that makes up with it. Another problem is that several of the child actors are not convincing at all but then again, they are children. Overall, however, this film is really good. The background music is beautiful—I mean really aesthetically pleasing, the film itself is aesthetically pleasing with some innovative (for the time) film work to look out for. It is a great family film and is an existential film. A classic, heartfelt, film and a Christmas tradition for most. You can catch it on NBC Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24^th, at 8:00 PM eastern (a week from today).

I give It’s a Wonderful Life 4.9 out of 5 stars (only for the reasons listed above, personally, it is a 5, and is close enough to not really matter).

Zombie Movie Review (27) of the Week: Aaah! Zombies! (aka Wasting Away)

“Look at me! Look at the crazy zombie!”

I absolutely love this film. I think it is brilliant, I think it is creative, and I think it is artistic. This movie has two names, Aaah! Zombies! and Wasting Away. To my knowledge, the real name is the first one, which is what it is called on my DVD copy as well as the films official website. However, imdb has it listed as Wasting Away. This title does not even make any sense.

Anyway, the film is so great because it is from the zombie’s perspective—that is right. This has never really been done before and it is quite a creative concept.

The movie starts out with a government conspiracy to cover up a chemical that was intended to turn soldiers into super soldiers. However, it instead kills them and then brings them back as zombies. One soldier tries to stop the cover up and in doing so is hit by the truck carrying the shit and one of the barrels falls off and rolls next to a container of soft-serve mix outside of a bowling alley which is where are lead characters, Mike, Vanessa, Tim, and Cindy, are hanging out.

Tim works at the bowling alley and is letting his friends hang with him before it opens for league night. Mike is hungry and decides to mix soft-serve ice cream with beer from one of the kegs also near the chemical drum. The ice cream ends up green but does not deter our young friends from eating it quite quickly, dying, and coming back.

The film creatively shows us the world from the zombie’s perspective in color while the rest of the world’s perspective is shot in black and white giving the message that both groups are not seeing the full picture, the world of the living, especially.

The film comes up with several other creative concepts such as drunks being able to understand zombies, and the rest of the world appearing to move quickly because zombies are so slow physically and mentally. The movie does pay tribute to good old Romero by having slow zombies but also by mentioning Romero’s zombie films and agreeing with most of the world, including Romero himself, that the worst of his zombie flicks is Land of the Dead.

Aaah! Zombies! is almost a pure comedy but towards the end gets dramatic and serious which adds depth to the film and it really is touching. After this, it gets right back into being a comedy again and the mood transitions are flawless in my opinion.

Because the film, takes new stance on an old concept, by showing it to use through different eyes, (even if this perspective only applies to this form of zombie) it has some existential undertones.

The acting is great despite the film going for a sort of b-movie feel. I already mentioned how wonderful the cinematography is. Overall, the film is flawless and is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I know this review is short but I really did not want to give anything away—it is just a masterpiece you have to see for yourself. My roommate could not stop laughing when I showed him this flick.

Final thoughts: this film to my mind is perfect, it was successful in everything it sought out to achieve and it was executed beautifully. If you love zombies, you are sure to love this movie. It is sold at FYE, which is where I picked it up, I would not be surprised if Newbury Comics sold it, and of course, there is always good old Amazon. This movie gets a 5 out of 5 unrelated to Romero ratings.

If you are new to the sight, please check out my Zombie Movie Reviews page for more…well…zombie movie reviews.

As always, comments are always appreciated.

Film Reviews: Christmas Edition 15: A Christmas Story

In memory of:

Darren McGavin

(The “Old Man” who also played the title character on the short-lived but brilliant Kolchak: The Night Stalker)

May 7^th, 1922 – February 25^th, 2006

 “You used up all the glue—on purpose!”

Today the Christmas film review is one that I feel is safe to assume 9 out of 10 of you reading this may have seen. It is came out in 1983 but that is not the real reason most people have seen it. I say this is because for as long as I can remember, every Christmas, TNT puts on a 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story. That being said, there is no real reason for me to do a review of this film—even the trailer gives away practically every memorable and favorite moment of the film. However, I still want to do a review because I really like this movie and I figured, why the hell not?

For those of you, who know the plot and what have you, feel free to skip down to my opinions of the film.

The film is a period piece taking place in the 1940’s. It focuses on a nine-year-old boy named Ralphie who only wants an air rifle for Christmas. The piece follows the family dynamics and childhood troubles of a typical kid growing up in the 1940’s around Christmas time.

Everyone has their favorite scene or clip: the lamp, the soap, the fight, the dogs, Santa, the flagpole, etc. In addition, everyone has their favorite quotes from it—most people and quote the entire movies dialogue, verbatim and have the timing down pat.

There are several reasons why I love this film. One is that even before it was on TNT, we would rent and watch this every year and so it became a part of our traditions. My dad really loves this movie and saw it in theatres when it first came out. The reason he loves it so much is, even though he grew up in the 60’s and not the 40’s, the film reminded him of the happy times at Christmas that he had as a child. His Christmas’s were similar to the one in the film because they never had a lot of money growing up.

Though the film has not much really going on and there are, few messages there are some things to take away from the film. It is the little moments that you remember, sitting by the fire and\or TV with the dog and parents during the holidays—those are the things you remember most, those are the really important things. This film ends with one of these moments and though it is a straight up heartwarming comedy from the get-go, that last scene, could make someone cry.

The movie gets most of its value from nostalgia but there are not things wrong with it that I can pick out, even the kids are decent actors. The cinematography is also really good, The only thing I can pick out is that certain scenes it is obvious that the actors, usually the kids are having a very hard time not laughing, but I don’t really see that as something that takes away from the film.

Because of all this, the only reason to give this movie a bad review is if the person reviewing it simply does not like it. That being said this film no matter what at least warrants a 3 out of 5 but I give it a 5 out of 5.

Brad Jones (aka The Cinema Snob) has a really funny review of A Christmas Story in which he lovingly rifts on it. However, just to be polite, I warn you that anything that the trailer did not give away, his video does. It is worth watching however:

http://thecinemasnob.com/2010/12/26/the-big-box-a-christmas-story.aspx

Film Reviews: Christmas Edition 14: Charlie Brown

In memory of

Charles M. Schulz (the writer of, and real-life, Charlie Brown)

November 26^th, 1922 – February 12^th, 2000

Bill Melendez (director, animator, and original voice of Snoopy)

November 15^th, 1916 – September 2^nd, 2008

Vince Guaraldi (fantastic and innovative jazz musician)

July 17^th, 1928 – February 6^th, 1976

I love the Charlie Brown specials but I especially love the Christmas specials. We grew up with the first one on VHS, and would watch it every year. This is one of my dad’s favorite Christmas specials. When he was a kid, this was his first introduction to Christianity. His parents were Christians but never practiced. Before Charlie Brown, my dad was pretty much a cynic when it came to Christmas, just like most of the characters in Charlie Brown.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

“Everything I touch gets ruined…”

This is the greatest Charlie Brown special, let alone Christmas special. It is also the first Charlie Brown animation. They had only six months to write a special and they did a fantastic job. The biggest concern was how the comic strip would translate into animated film. At first, most of the people thought it looked bad but they ran it anyway and it was a huge success. I love the animation style even though there are so many continuity animation errors but I would rather keep those than have it digitally re-mastered with all of them fixed. One of the greatest things and creative things about Charlie Brown is that all the characters are voiced by real children. No one before had ever done this and I cannot think of any examples of anyone doing it since. Yes, it has religious overtones so if you are into Christmas for the spirit and the feelings, or purely for the capitalistic consumerism that Christmas has become you probably will not like Charlie Brown—though you may still appreciate it from an aesthetic perspective and its other messages. The other main message of the special as well as most every Charlie Brown special is anti-consumerism. This is huge message in A Charlie Brown Christmas—so you will probably especially hate A Charlie Brown Christmas if you work for Fox news. The only reason the conservative never called the Peanuts gang communists is that there are messages of what Christmas is really about which is the birth of Christ.

It is heartfelt, heartwarming, speaks about the true meaning of Christmas, and it very creative. In addition, the background music is done by the great jazz artist Vince Guaraldi who does a fantastic job. I may be biased for growing up with it but I give it 5 out of 5 stars.



It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)

“Hockey stick!”

This special is not as great as the first one but it is still Charlie Brown, and it is still brilliant. This episode is less centered on a single plot like the first but it still has that whimsical feel to it. Unfortunately, Vince Guaraldi had died before this one was made but everyone else was still alive, kicking, and producing wonderful child-hood animated adaptations of the brilliant comic strip. The first one was still in the early days of Charlie Brown so not all the characters were present. However, in It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, the rest of the gang makes an appearance such as the fantastic Woodstock, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Franklin. This time the episode it again, featured around the Christmas play, but it is mostly animated adaptations of original panels from the comic strip strung together to make somewhat of a plot, but really, plot is absent from this episode.

As far as twenty minute animated children’s Christmas specials go, I give this a 4.5 out of 5.



I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003)

“Happiness is a warm puppy next to you”

Sadly, by this point, Charles Shultz has passed away. However, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown was still written by him since most of the material, like the last Christmas special, is from the comic strips. Although, unlike It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, this one has more of a plot and instead of being around twenty minutes long like the last two, this one is around forty minutes.

The plot it that Rerun, Linus and Lucy’s little brother, who this is the first time he has appeared in a Christmas special, wants a dog for Christmas because he really loves Snoopy. And who doesn’t love Snoopy? Snoopy is amazing and can do anything!

At first, I was hesitant about watching this because it is new and two members of the team the created the animated escapades of Charlie Brown are deceased. In fact, it is really quite good, considering. It still has that old Charlie Brown feel to it and the style is only slightly noticeably different. It is funny, warm, and classic Peanuts. I give it 4.25 out of 5 stars.