Ice Age 2 and Eight Below
Ice Age 2
First off, let me say that I was not a huge fan of the first one. Skrat was funny, of course, and some of the moments were giggle worthy (the birds!!) but overall it was just blah. The animation was ok... except for the humans... and the plot wasn't TOO kiddy-minded. I bought it cheap but still... I DID buy it.
So I wasn't exactly RUNNING to the theatre to see the second one. I waited until Sunday to see it. Friday I saw Slither. THAT one I went running to the theatre for. With all that in mind...
Ice Age 2 was better than the first. The animation worked better, looked better, WAS better. The story, while likely to induce mass vomitting in any scientist (or wannabe) watching it, still has enough endearing qualities and bits for all the characters that it works. Skrat is STILL the highlights which is sad if you've seen the commercials. Why? Well, you've seen almost ALL the Skrat bits. Stupid Ad Men!! But you still have the possum brothers! They're fun as hell and beautifully animated! Skrat stands out because he's quiet but the Possum brothers talk AND have the silent acting bits that are a real treat for those paying attention.
Which is hard when you have kids all around you. Oh, but this time it wasn't the kids who were the biggest distraction. Oh, no... it was the GRANDMOTHER who was trying to GET her grandkids interested in the movie. Shame she didn't have the patience to let the MOVIE do that. The bitch wouldn't stop talking about what was on the screen. I almost thought the kids were blind until she said "See that?! That's SKRAT!!"
NO shit, lady! See this? It's my foot kicking your throat!
But the movie is fine. Go see it. Avoid old people.
Eight Below
Paul Walker really can't act very well. It's odd how that doesn't stand out as much when he's opposite Vin Diesel or Jessica Alba but it becomes glaringly apparent when acting opposite 8 dogs... or Jason Biggs. And the dogs had several scenes where they were CLEARLY looking to the trainer. What's Paul's excuse?
And, sure, being a guy I tend to forgive this in attractive WOMEN (cough... Alba, again... cough) but not so much in the pretty boys. Brad can act. Tom can act. Leo can't. Paul can't. The dogs can follow direction. So can Paul. And he does it better than Cuba did in his own dog movie.
Snow Dogs not Boyz n Da Hood.
Anywho, the story itself takes FOREVER to get underway. We get to meet Paul and JAson and everyone else. We learn their jobs. We meet the dogs. We learn they work on Antarctica and we get to SEE Antarctica (still beautiful but for the best shots see March of the Penguins!) and we learn what the dogs are for. We meet the incoming scientist who wants to do a dangerous thing and we learn that Paul helps him and then the danger parts start. But see, everyone knows the movie is about the dogs getting left alone at the south pole of the world (8 Below, get it? meh) and yet it takes for frickin EVER to get to that point. Then we get to go back and forth from the dogs surviving (sort of) and Paul 'acting' the part of survivor's guilt... or is it guilt of leaving family behind... or the sadness from thinking you left friends to die... or is it the pain of just not knowing? Oh, jesus, Paul... PCIK ONE ALREADY!!!
Ok, Ok, Ok, enough about Paul. The movie is good and exciting and heart warming and tear jerking and all that. But it's in SPITE of PW and BECAUSE of the dogs.
And Jason Biggs.
Waht?
I like Jason Biggs.
Shut up.
First off, let me say that I was not a huge fan of the first one. Skrat was funny, of course, and some of the moments were giggle worthy (the birds!!) but overall it was just blah. The animation was ok... except for the humans... and the plot wasn't TOO kiddy-minded. I bought it cheap but still... I DID buy it.
So I wasn't exactly RUNNING to the theatre to see the second one. I waited until Sunday to see it. Friday I saw Slither. THAT one I went running to the theatre for. With all that in mind...
Ice Age 2 was better than the first. The animation worked better, looked better, WAS better. The story, while likely to induce mass vomitting in any scientist (or wannabe) watching it, still has enough endearing qualities and bits for all the characters that it works. Skrat is STILL the highlights which is sad if you've seen the commercials. Why? Well, you've seen almost ALL the Skrat bits. Stupid Ad Men!! But you still have the possum brothers! They're fun as hell and beautifully animated! Skrat stands out because he's quiet but the Possum brothers talk AND have the silent acting bits that are a real treat for those paying attention.
Which is hard when you have kids all around you. Oh, but this time it wasn't the kids who were the biggest distraction. Oh, no... it was the GRANDMOTHER who was trying to GET her grandkids interested in the movie. Shame she didn't have the patience to let the MOVIE do that. The bitch wouldn't stop talking about what was on the screen. I almost thought the kids were blind until she said "See that?! That's SKRAT!!"
NO shit, lady! See this? It's my foot kicking your throat!
But the movie is fine. Go see it. Avoid old people.
Eight Below
Paul Walker really can't act very well. It's odd how that doesn't stand out as much when he's opposite Vin Diesel or Jessica Alba but it becomes glaringly apparent when acting opposite 8 dogs... or Jason Biggs. And the dogs had several scenes where they were CLEARLY looking to the trainer. What's Paul's excuse?
And, sure, being a guy I tend to forgive this in attractive WOMEN (cough... Alba, again... cough) but not so much in the pretty boys. Brad can act. Tom can act. Leo can't. Paul can't. The dogs can follow direction. So can Paul. And he does it better than Cuba did in his own dog movie.
Snow Dogs not Boyz n Da Hood.
Anywho, the story itself takes FOREVER to get underway. We get to meet Paul and JAson and everyone else. We learn their jobs. We meet the dogs. We learn they work on Antarctica and we get to SEE Antarctica (still beautiful but for the best shots see March of the Penguins!) and we learn what the dogs are for. We meet the incoming scientist who wants to do a dangerous thing and we learn that Paul helps him and then the danger parts start. But see, everyone knows the movie is about the dogs getting left alone at the south pole of the world (8 Below, get it? meh) and yet it takes for frickin EVER to get to that point. Then we get to go back and forth from the dogs surviving (sort of) and Paul 'acting' the part of survivor's guilt... or is it guilt of leaving family behind... or the sadness from thinking you left friends to die... or is it the pain of just not knowing? Oh, jesus, Paul... PCIK ONE ALREADY!!!
Ok, Ok, Ok, enough about Paul. The movie is good and exciting and heart warming and tear jerking and all that. But it's in SPITE of PW and BECAUSE of the dogs.
And Jason Biggs.
Waht?
I like Jason Biggs.
Shut up.
posted by wmjwatson at 8:00 PM
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