The Lego Movie

I know many of us were wary that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s animated action/adventure flick, “The Lego Movie”, would clock in at 100 minutes of soulless commercial fodder. I admit that I walked into the theater prepared for my contraband 6-pack of Twinkies to be the most engaging thing I consumed that evening. However, 10 minutes and one face splittingly amped-up theme song later, my misgivings had vanished entirely.  

The audience is invited to follow Lego construction man Emmet, voiced by Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, TV’s Parks and Recreation), through his everyday routine as it is dictated by the corporate state of Bricksburg. This corpocracy is managed by the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell, Anchorman, Elf), who aims to vanquish creativity and free thought with the aid of his superweapon, the Kragle. Emmet lives under this regime in ignorant bliss, until a chance encounter with cool-girl WyldStyle (Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) leads him to join her and other master builders (those who can build freely without instructions) in their search for the Piece of Resistance, which will stop Lord Business’ nefarious plot.  

The strength of this premise is precisely what allows “The Lego Movie” to succeed where other plaything-based films have failed. Lord and Miller tapped into the heart of Lego’s cross-generational appeal when they decided that the battle between free-wheeling expression and careful, planned construction would be the center of their plot.

Any viewer will be able to sympathize with the plight of the master builders, as we’ve all known the kids who agonized over the models on the front of the box and then put them on the shelf, never to be touched again. And if you were that kid, then the film’s live-action twist(ish) finale will reach out to you, as well.

At its core, “The Lego Movie” understands why we bought our tickets, despite all of our fears of commercial pandering and childish storytelling. Lord and Miller use their screen time to successfully illustrate all of the sides of Lego building that unite parents, children, siblings, and playmates. Indeed, we all know that the joy of creativity goes hand-in-hand with the frustration of unrealized ideas, the pride in skilled construction, and the drama of creative differences.

Above all that, however, is a central theme that makes me want to watch this film again with my brother, and then again with my parents, and one more time with anyone else who ever argued with me about the merits of color vs. size coordinated Lego city planning. This is the notion that all of our favorite Lego creations are memorable to us now because of who we remember sharing them with. The Lego Movie is kitschy, cute, funny, and nostalgic, but above all it is a film to share. I can only hope that my still-uninitiated friends and family members won’t get sick of me singing “Everything is Awesome” before I’m done sharing it.

Frozen

In my family, we have writers, animators, lawyers, and women. Plenty of women. Binders full of women, if you will. And I don’t mean to boast, but the women of my family are strong. They’re independent, they get stuff done, and they’re not about to take any of your shit.

Given all that, it may seem odd that we still make a habit of seeing animated movies—specifically of the princess variety—together (or, maybe not, given the animator in the family). And although they’re typically the only way a woman gets to be a protagonist, there’s certainly something to be said for not continuing the princess culture in Disney movies.

And from the outside it seems Frozen is more of the same: Bouncy and optimist Princess Anna (Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) sets off into the mountains of Arendelle (and acquires a crew of sidekicks along the way) to find her older sister, Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel, Rent, Enchanted, Glee), whose icy powers have set the kingdom in an eternal winter.

I’m sure you can guess what happens along the way: true love, sing-song, comic relief, yada yada yada.

But it’s two weeks after I saw Frozen (yes, quite late to this party) and I can’t get it out of my mind.*

For starters, we have a movie with two prominent, dynamic, and intricate protagonists who are women. Already we’re off to a good start, and it only gets better! Because it turns out that the movie’s main plot line is focused on the relationship between the two sisters. Sure, there’s boys along the way, but whatever: Anna makes the conscious decision to prioritize Elsa over not only herself but her true love too.  

Anna’s plot line cuts through the one-true-love bullshit that seems to be omnipresent in most every movie geared towards young women. And if that wasn’t enough to get me all excited in my social justice Wario parts, when she finally does pick a guy he practices full consent. I could barely control myself.

Some have argued that the film’s musical magnum opus “Let It Go” still sends the wrong message about makeovers for little girls, but I’m happy to see Elsa not only give young women like my younger sister(s) a healthy portrayal of mental isolation and its repercussions, but the beauty in expressing yourself and reaching out to others.

It’s Disney, so obviously there are plenty of improvements to make in the future: more varied body types, side plot lines that are only tangentially related brought in to perform another song and dance number and especially more people of color (especially where their culture should be/is already being represented). These are legitimate criticisms to be made of the princess culture developed at Disney, and should continue to be pushed towards.

But for today, I’m just happy that there’s a princess movie I can show my six-year-old sister that will promote a life goal aside from Prince Charming. And every time she throws on her cape and traipses around the house creating ice castles and swirling fractals warms my heart.

*See how late this PD post is?

Wreck-It Ralph

Let’s talk straight here: a lot of kid’s movies are about learning who you are and what you want to do with that. They use a variety of plot devices, narratives, foils, characters, and shiny animation techniques to teach the children all the lessons about growing up, developing your personality, and being a good person.

This is basically a long way of saying: ignore the critics that are saying “Wreck-it Ralph” is some stale incarnation of these things. Spoiler alert: it’s all the same lesson. This movie just does it with enough young pizzazz that it takes you for a ride along the way.

The titular character, Wreck-it Ralph (John C. Reilly, Step Brothers, Magnolia), has been working inside a videogame as a villain for years. It’s not his fault, he’s coded that way! But Ralph has enough of it, setting off to different games to prove himself a hero and win a shiny medal. Along the way he inadvertently cross contaminates the games and threatens the livelihood of his friends and the arcade games they live in.

There is certainly a lot going on in this movie. There’s dangers to the integrated world of video gaming; Ralph gets sidetracked helping a girl in the racing game Sugar Rush; his protagonist counterpart, Fix-it Felix (the goofy Jack McBrayer from 30 Rock) goes searching for him with the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch, from Glee, Best in Show, as herself) from the first-person shooter game he steals the medal from; and not all is as sweet as it seems in the Sugar Rush kingdom….So yeah there’s a lot of story. Granted the first 30 minute are not promising and of course along the way we encounter different examples of what it means to really fit into your environment.

But what the movie does so well is not letting itself get too bogged down by it all. It’s not hokey or preachy, rambling or lost, it is a clever mash-up of video games and kid’s movies; and it does that with style. But what many critics are seeing as a flaw I see as a well executed adventure ensemble. The audience now has so many more characters and narratives, and since “Wreck-it” more than manages it, the result is visual feast.

The graphics are superb (as is to be expected from a modern kids movie); and the thought behind the style of each game world (and the game train station they travel through) is clearly meticulously thought out. This movie dazzles and delights, and with so many positives it’s easy to just push start.   

Proportionally sized review about pre-movie short “Paperman”: Implausible, beautiful, and adorable, “Paperman” is an impressive update to 2D animation that tells a sweet love story. It’s pretty cute, and should be gracing the youtube virals in no time.

Brave

Pixar faithful were excited for a return to relevancy once again.  After the cash-cow misfire of Cars 2, the crafty 3-D studio was ready to unveil their newest delight, in their first female protagonist, Merida.  Brave, while certainly an upgrade from Cars 2, still leaves you a bit disappointed.  It feels like your straight-A-student brought home a B-.  

As far a children’s movie, the film is still a lot of fun.  Kelly MacDonald (Boardwalk Empire, Trainspotting) delivers a fiery performance, giving Merida a precocious and delicious spunk.  The film balances both mischievous slapstick and charged action sequences.  However, all of this is set in a majestically crafted backdrop of the lyrical and misty highlands of 10th century Scotland.  Pixar has truly outdone themselves this time.  The cinematography is completely immersive, give both a somber yet enchanting ambiance.  The technical proficiency of the animation (for instance Merida’s fiery bob) is absolutely stunning. You can feel the mist tickling your face and the smell of pine enticing your nose.

However, that is where the good news ends.  Brave is your typical story of teenage daughter clashing with close-minded mother.  The mom gets turned into a bear and now they have to learn to get along, or she’ll remain a bear forever.  Just like Studio Ghibli, an animation of Pixar’s caliber can’t get away with such elementary plot lines.  The studio has become renowned for blending both innocence and mature themes allowing to them to appeal to a wide array of audiences.  But with such a recycled writing style, older crowds become quickly alienated and bored. While the movie does delve into interesting themes with its handling of mature decision making and the mother-daughter relationship, the movie doesn’t reach the heights of adulthood that other Pixar movies achieved.

While Pixar latest venture is a fun-flick, presenting mature characters packed with complexity to a wide-eyed audience, that truly would have been brave.