Movie Review: Super Slick Spy Flick

Cars 2 movie poster, image property of Disney and Pixar.

Cars 2 ADMIRABLE

It’s that time of year, my friends.  That time every summer where Pixar offers up their yearly masterpiece!  This year’s movie is director John Lasseter’s Cars 2, a sequel to the 2006 Cars, and although it’s not their best movie I still had a lot of fun racing around the world in this super slick spy flick.

Larry the Cable Guy returns as the voice of Mater, the dim-witted hillbilly of a tow truck.  Although only a supporting character in the first film, this time the show really is all about Mater.  While his best friend—racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson)—is racing in the World Grand Prix, Mater is caught up in some international espionage.  British spies Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) mistake Mater for their American informant and the three embark on a secret mission that closely ties into the race McQueen is racing in.

The animated film takes us from Tokyo to France to Italy to London and back to Radiator Springs again and the locations are all fully-realized and create a fun backdrop to the action.  Although it’s hard to believe that McMissile and Shiftwell don’t realize Mater isn’t really a spy—and that Mater is clueless that they think he is—the action more than makes up for its implausibility.  The action sequences are well-executed, exhilarating, and often humorous.  Seriously, there is a lot of high-adrenaline awesomeness in this movie!

That being said, the majority of movie critics seem to hate this movie.  They’re calling it the fall of Pixar.  While I’ll admit that it’s probably their worst movie, I don’t think it’s by any means awful.  It’s still a really entertaining movie.  One problem many are citing is the choice to make Mater the star of the show instead of McQueen.  I didn’t mind at all because I happen to like Mater.  All I wish is that we could have seen more depth from Mater.  We’ve all become accustomed to Pixar movies being full of insight and heart, and Cars 2 just feels a bit superficial.

But as far as spy movies go, it’s more enjoyable then some live-action Bond flicks!

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Ask Joaquin: What is Your Favorite Pixar Movie?

From Anonymous:  What is your favorite Pixar movie?

Well, this question could essentially be answered in one sentence, and that would be a very short blog post!  So I'm going to take the opportunity to rank all twelve of their movies from my least favorite to my most favorite.  Sound good?

Now, the movies on the bottom of my list don't mean that they are bad.  Ranking Pixar movies is like ranking jewels.  The jewel that ends up in last place is still a jewel, just less shiny than the jewel in first place!

12 Cars 2
Cars 2 is vastly different from the first Cars movie.  So different that it's almost hard to think of it as a sequel at all.  And while I found it to be really fun and exciting with all of its espionage and action, it just didn't resonate emotionally like most Pixar movies do.
11 Cars
While Cars 2 is fast and flashy, the original Cars was slow and nostalgic.  While it's about friendship and finding what's important in life, it's also an ode to forgotten small towns.  Growing up in Ordway, Colorado I could definitely relate!
10 Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 broke the rule that sequels have to suck.  This movie successfully continued the story of our favorite toys while introducing us to some great new characters.  The song "When She Loved Me" makes me cry every time.
9 A Bug's Life
A Bug's Life was Pixar's second movie and it proved that Toy Story wasn't just a fluke.  It's based on the Aesop fable about an ant and a grasshopper, but it's like ten times cooler!  I just love Heimlich's "I'm a beautiful butterfly!"
8 Monster's, Inc.
The concept of Monster's, Inc. is so original!  What if the monsters in our closets were scared of us?  Brilliant!  The little girl Boo is so adorable, the monsters are so funny, and that climax with all of the doors is simply awesome!  I'm excited for the prequel Monsters University in 2013.
7 Ratatouille
This movie came out while I was living in Chile and I remember seeing some posters for it and thinking, "Who wants to watch a movie about a rat in a kitchen?"  Well, the answer to that question is "ME!"  For a foodie, Ratatouille is such a decadent and savory film!  It has a really interesting story, a great message, and I love the French atmosphere with the beautiful score and the gorgeous color palette.
6 The Incredibles
On the surface, The Incredibles is about retired superheroes.  But it's so much more than that.  It's a family drama centered around the parents feeling unfulfilled in life.  Something I think many can relate to.  I also love how the superpowers match each person perfectly.  We have the dad who is strong and dependable, the mom who stretches herself thin running the household, the teenage girl who wishes she could disappear and the little boy who is full of rambunctious energy.
5 Toy Story 
The beginning of the Pixar legacy, Toy Story is a monumental film.  Not only is it the first full-length computer animated movie in the history of cinema, it's a really good movie!  I remember when I first saw this movie and the goosebumps it gave me.  The images were so real!  The characters were so funny and relatable!  It was like nothing I had ever seen.  I was impressed with the visual style, the heartwarming story, and the great adventure of it all.  What kid didn't imagine their toys having a life all their own?
4 Toy Story 3
Over a decade later Pixar decided to add yet another sequel to the Toy Story franchise.  I was a little skeptical, because let's face it, movies that end in "3" usually aren't very good.  But in my opinion, Toy Story 3 managed to surpass the original in excellence.  Our favorite toys are on another spectacular adventure, but this time they are ten years older and so is their owner Andy.  This movie was very bittersweet, providing lots of laughs while reminding us all that at some point we have to grow up and move on.  I was so scared that the toys were going to die in the end that I was bawling my eyes out.  Who else but Pixar can make me fall in love with plastic toys?
3 Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is movie magic!  The underwater world is so artfully depicted that I wish I were an amphibian!  Oh, and this movie is where I first fell in love with Ellen DeGeneres!  Ha ha!  Her delightfully quirky Dory is so fun to watch and she balances out the serious fuddy duddy Marlin perfectly.  I loved Nemo's struggles to prove himself and his father's struggle to let him do so.  The various characters they meet and the obstacles they face are so memorable, like the stinging jellyfish or the surfin' sea turtles.  And Dory's motto of "Just keep swimming" are words to live by.
2 Up
Up, to me, was the perfect balance of comedy and tragedy.  I was laughing and crying in equal measure all throughout.  The opening sequence telling Carl and Ellie's story through music and beautiful animation is probably one of the greatest scenes in movie history.  It's so wonderful.  And from there we embark on a whimsical adventure with balloons pulling a floating house, exotic birds, talking dogs, and an unlikely friendship between an old man and a little boy.  Up is colorful and bright while dealing with the heavy themes of death and loss and regret.  I love it!
1 WALL-E
WALL-E is an exceptional film.  Not as an animated film, or as a Pixar film, or as a kid's film... no, WALL-E is hands down an exceptional film period. The cinematography is stunning, the musical score and all the sound effects are ingenious and the storytelling is pitch-perfect... and oh what a story it is!  One trash-compacting robot is the last "living" thing on earth.  Humans have long since abandoned the planet and are floating in space.  Wall-E's life is simple... that is until he meets Eve who is a robot sent to earth in search of plantlife.  She finds a small leaf in a boot and returns to the ship.  Wall-E, smitten with her, follows.  By the movie's end the robots have fallen in love and the humans have returned to earth.  Although this movie was scoffed at by some for being too environmental or too against big business, I think the real point of WALL-E is to remind us about our own humanity.  To remind us to love one another and appreciate all the good that the universe has to offer!

Indecisive Idiot

I'm sure any waiter who has ever waited on me hates my guts.  Although they always smile and say things like "No problem!" or "Take your time!" or "I'll check back later!" I've never bought it for a second.  Behind their tip-hungry eyes I can see their true feelings:  "Hurry up and order, you indecisive idiot!"

What can I say?  I'm riddled with self-doubt and lack a ridiculous amount of confidence.  I'm so apprehensive about making decisions that I can't even order from a restaurant menu.  Every waiter I have ever had has always returned to my table multiple times, only to be asked to give me just one more minute to choose.  Why do I completely suck at making decisions!?

And if I'm with other people who have all decided and are ready to order, suddenly I feel the pressure to just make up my mind and get on with my life.  So I'll say, "Um, you go first" to give myself just one last minute to decide.  As the waitress goes around scribbling in code on her little pad, my eyes dart back and forth across the menu like a frantic ADD bunny rabbit.  The chicken sounds good but so does the burger it's black and bleu I like bleu cheese but I don't know what's so black about it do they burn it I could always ask for it medium rare that's how I like it but the chicken does sound good it has lemon and poppy seeds but I heard that poppy seeds register on a drunk driving test and make it look like you are drunk that's really weird because I'm obviously not drunk but I won't even be driving because I don't have a car but then oh gosh why is the waitress looking at me is it my time to order oh my goodness so am I getting this chicken then I guess I will but then again there was that burger with the bleu cheese and... and... oh my gosh... eyeballs staring at me... "I'll just have the pasta carbonara!!"

Recently, my indecisiveness has reared its ugly head in more important areas of my life.  You see, I'm having mixed feelings about the Art Institute of Salt Lake City where I am supposedly starting school in a couple of weeks.  Here are some things that have me freaked out:

• Transferring credits has been like pulling teeth.  When I was set to start at the Art Institute of California - Hollywood, that school had accepted something like 62 credits.  So I was sad that the Art Institute here was only accepting like 30 credits.  Half the credits!  So I'm currently in a battle with them over credits.  I want them to accept more, and although I was supposed to hear back from them Monday, I haven't heard anything.
• The number of credits they accept will determine whether or not I am a Sophomore or a Junior... which will determine the amount of out-of-pocket money I will have to come up with.  The plan as a Sophomore has me paying over $400 myself.  The plan as a Junior has me paying nothing.  Of course the school is sending me bills for the large amount.
• Apart from the bill they keep resending, I haven't received any communication from the school in weeks.  It's not for lack of trying on my part.  I call my adviser.  I email my adviser.  Nothing.  I haven't even registered for classes yet...

So this school is just seeming really fishy right now.  I can't explain it, but I'm having a really bad feeling about it all.  I feel like I shouldn't go there.

But it's not just that.  Sometimes I don't even feel like animation is what I should be doing.  I'm sure most of you are shocked by this news because that's all you've ever known me to want.  However, all through high school I was flip-flopping between Illustration or Graphic Design.  In fact, when I went to BYU the original plan was to study Graphic Design.  But because of that summer where I started doing some animation, I made the rash decision to switch majors the day that school started.  So my decision to be an animator is only three years old.  Now I find myself questioning my abilities as an artist.  I'm good, but am I that good?  I like it, but do I love it?

And what about writing?  I've always enjoyed writing.  I have a blog, for goodness sake!  Currently I'm completely consumed with working on my novel.  I've been writing much more than drawing lately.  Much more.  Does that mean anything?

I better make a decision and stick to it, because school is obscenely expensive and I don't want to rack up student loan debt for nothing.  What should I do?  Oh, Lord, what should I do?

I'm so indecisive!!

Movie Review: Panda Finds Inner Peace

Kung Fu Panda 2 movie poster, image property of Dreamworks.

Kung Fu Panda 2 AWESOME!

It’s not often that a sequel outshines the original, but in my opinion Kung Fu Panda 2 was a shining improvement on an already likable film.  It had kung fu action, plenty of laughs and a lot of heart.  And boy did it have some beautiful animation!

Jack Black stars as Po, the fat and fluffy panda bear who unexpectedly became The Dragon Warrior in the first film.  He works alongside The Furious Five—Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan)—to  protect China from any possible threat.  When informed by their mentor Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that China—and even Kung Fu as they know it—is threatened by an evil peacock named Shen (Gary Oldman), Po and the others embark on a dangerous mission to stop him.

The story gets interesting when we discover that Shen has a personal vendetta against Po.  An old soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) had prophesied years ago that Shen would die at the hands of a panda.  In order to stop the prophecy from coming to pass, Shen killed all of the pandas in China… or so he thought.  Po is the only one left that can stop him.  The evil doesn’t stop there of course.  Peacocks were the inventors of fireworks, but Shen has found a way to use the principles of fireworks to his own wicked advantage.  He has created what is essentially the first gun ever, and with it he plans on destroying Kung Fu and taking over all of China.

The emotional core of the movie involves Po searching for the truth of his origins.  He realizes that his father, the goose Mr. Ping (James Hong), cannot really be his biological father.  I mean, Po’s a panda after all.  And when Po sees Shen’s henchmen for the first time he has a brief flashback of his past… a past involving his mother.  He soon becomes consumed with curiosity of the circumstances surrounding his birth, and when he discovers that Shen knows something about it he seeks answers from him.  This makes their battles all the more intense.

My favorite thing about Kung Fu Panda 2—aside from the surprisingly deep and intriguing story—was the use of various animation styles!  No less than three!  The beginning opens with a kind of 2D animation that evokes the feeling of shadow puppets.  Very beautiful.  It explains the back story of Shen.  Po’s flashbacks and memories are also shown through the use of 2D animation in a different style than the opening.  This style is similar to the opening of the first Kung Fu Panda movie.  Stylized and simplified, yet graphic and gorgeous.  I really loved these scenes.   Then, of course, the majority of the movie is computer animation full of dimension and vibrancy.  The fight scenes were choreographed beautifully and the locations were full of breathtaking detail.

The best scene is where Po finds inner peace, doing a rhythmic sort of martial arts while controlling a drop of rain, letting it roll over his body like a small ball.  This scene is intercut with the 2D animation showing his mother running through the woods with baby Po in her arms.  It’s hard to explain in words, because it’s something so visual!  The result is dramatic and emotional and just so stunning.  I was very impressed.

The strength of the movie came through its humor and its animation.  Dreamworks is definitely working its butt off to compete at Pixar’s high level of quality.  Technically, Dreamworks is doing amazing things, but their storylines still don’t connect as personally as Pixar’s do.  Kung Fu Panda 2 got really close… perhaps the closest they’ve come since How to Train Your Dragon… but they still lag behind.  They are closing the gap, however, especially with Pixar’s Cars 2 looking less than promising.

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Movie Reviews: Seven Movies!

I’ve fallen behind on writing movie reviews… so I’ve decided to quickly catch up by posting no less than SEVEN reviews right here, right now in one post!  Holy mackerel!  But in order to not bore the crap out of you, I’ve decided to limit my ramblings to paragraph-long mini reviews.  Enjoy!

The Adjustment Bureau AWESOME!

Matt Daman plays a politician who meets a fascinating dancer (Emily Blunt) in the men’s bathroom moments before making a big speech.  She inspires him, and although their meeting is fleeting, he just can’t stop thinking about her.  When he runs into her again in his life, he discovers that there is a group of people called The Adjustment Bureau who work to keep all human beings on their set paths.  He wasn’t meant to ever see her again, and the rest of the movie has him working against his own fate and destiny in order to be with the one he loves.  This movie was a whimsical twist on science fiction, dealing a bit with God and our life’s purpose, and I found it to be completely enjoyable!  Daman and Blunt had fantastic chemistry and I couldn’t help rooting for them from the get-go.

Arthur AVERAGE

Russell Brand plays Arthur, a rich playboy and a drunk who has to marry a woman he doesn’t love (Jennifer Gardner) or else his mother will cut him off from the family money.  To complicate things, he has fallen in love with a quirky, poor girl named Naomi (Greta Gerwig).  The comedy is a remake of the 1981 Arthur starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, and I couldn’t help but compare the new one to the old one while watching.  While the original is my favorite, I found that the remake still managed to maintain a lot of the sweetness and charm, even while making some big changes.  The biggest change was switching the character of Hobson from a male butler to a female nanny (Helen Mirren), which presented a very different relationship between Hobson and Arthur.  Different doesn’t necessarily mean bad, and once I got over the changes I found the movie to be pretty funny.

Hanna ADMIRABLE

Saoirse Ronan plays a 16-year-old girl named Hanna who has been living alone with her father (Eric Bana) all of her life in a remote, snow-covered forest.  He has trained her to be the perfect assassin, and when the time comes, Hanna is set out on her mission: to kill an intelligence agent named Marissa (Cate Blanchett).  The movie is for the most part a stylistic game of cat and mouse, but while Hanna is being pursued by Marissa and her operatives, she runs into an average family and meets a young girl her own age.  Here the movie shifts slightly to become more of a coming-of-age story where Hanna discovers that there are many things she’s never known:  like friendship and young love.  This aspect of the movie was very endearing in my eyes, and the humanity of the film really provided a nice contrast to the more violent action-driven scenes.  The movie does leave a lot of things unanswered and unexplained, but I guess that’s kind of what I found to be most fascinating.

Water for Elephants ADMIRABLE

Robert Pattinson plays a veterinary student, Jacob, who quits school after the unexpected death of his parents.  He runs away and joins the circus—as clichéd as that is—where he meets the ringmaster August (Christoph Waltz) and his beautiful wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon).  Jacob becomes the new vet working with Marlena’s elephant, and the two fall in love.  My only complaint of this movie was I felt the characters had nothing more in common than their mutual respect for animals.  A few more scenes of the two of them talking together might have helped me to believe that she would run away with him.  However, the true star of the show was Christoph Waltz!  Without him, I wouldn’t have liked the movie as much as I did.  He is truly a brilliant actor (go watch Inglourious Basterds now!) and his character is deeply complex and compelling.  A good villain is one you love to hate, and Waltz knows how to make that happen.

Prom AWFUL

Aimee Teegarden leads the cast of high school kids getting ready for prom night.  She plays Nova Prescott, a goody-goody who is in charge of the prom committee.  When an accidental fire destroys all of the decorations a mere three weeks before the big dance, she is forced to redo it all with the help of Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell) who is the “bad boy.”  Obviously these two opposites attract.  Other plotlines involve a geeky guy trying to ask a girl—any girl—to be his prom date, a girl afraid to tell her boyfriend that she’s not going to the same college that he is, and a lower classman crushing on a pretty girl who is interested in a jock with a girlfriend.  Being a Disney flick, it’s not surprising that it suffers from extreme cheesiness and bad acting…

Fast Five AWFUL

Vin Diesel plays Dominic Toretto, the leader of a group of fast-driving thieves.  Along with his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and her boyfriend Brian (Paul Walker) they enlist the help of a multitude of others to steal money from a corrupt Brazilian businessman named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).  To add to the difficulty of this feat, the money is being kept safe within a police station and Toretto is being pursued by a federal agent named Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson).  Although the plot sounds as if it would be action-packed and riveting, I found myself incredibly bored throughout the overlong movie.  Aside from a very cool—albeit unrealistic—action sequence at the beginning involving a moving train and the final car chase where they drag a heavy bank vault behind them, the movie is oddly devoid of any action or suspense.  Instead it is filled with horrible “serious” dialogue that amounts to zero character development, mingled with unfunny banter and unmotivated fighting.  Dwayne Johnson is such a bad actor that he makes Vin Diesel look like an Oscar winner.

Rio ADMIRABLE

Jesse Eisenberg voices Blu, a domesticated macaw that can’t fly in this fun and colorful animated film.  When it is discovered that he is the last male of his species, he is whisked away by his owner Linda (Leslie Mann) to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in order to mate with the only remaining female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway).  Jewel, however, isn’t the least bit interested in the pathetic Blu, but when they are kidnapped by some bird traders they are forced to work together to escape.  Throughout their journey they meet several fun characters, grow to care about each other, and Blu even learns to fly.  This movie comes from the same studio as Ice Age, and I thought it was a huge improvement both visually and story-wise.  The colors were vibrant, the story both fast-paced and endearing, and I loved the original music.

Movie Review: 'Hop' is Like Hip Hop Without the Hip

Hop movie poster, property of Universal Pictures.

Hop AVERAGE

Let me start off by saying this movie is not that bad.  However, it's also not that good.  The first few minutes were spectacular in my opinion.  The movie opened with the bustling and vibrant candy factory on Easter Island, and it was so charmingly magical that it put Willy Wonka's factory to shame.  Adorable little chicks and bunnies scampered about running the shiny golden machines that created chocolates and marshmallows and all of the delicious treats that boys and girls hope will fill their baskets come Easter morning.  It truly was wondrous to behold.

Unfortunately, we don't stay in that fantastical place for very long.  The majority of the movie is set in the boring old "real world" that we inhabit every day.  And for me, the magic of the movie stopped there.  In my opinion, the entire movie should have been animated.  It would have been so much better.  Instead we get a cartoon rabbit wandering around a dusty Los Angeles pooping jelly beans.

The main character, E.B. (Russell Brand), is the Easter Bunny's son who does not wish to follow in his father's footsteps.  Instead of taking over the family business by delivering Easter candy to all the children in the world (except China, which was actually a pretty funny little joke), E.B. wants to be a rock n' roll drummer.  So he escapes Easter Island and heads to Hollywood.  Soon he finds our human, Fred O'Hare (James Marsden), who is an unemployed twenty-something-year-old house sitting for some rich people.  Together they form an unlikely friendship and help one another live their dreams.

The story is cute enough I guess, and Russell Brand's E.B. actually had some really funny lines.  His one-liners helped me to watch the whole movie without falling asleep, actually.  Unfortunately, everything that happens just never lives up to it's opening scene.  Even the end was oddly non-climactic.  I heard someone describe this movie as an Easter version of the The Santa Clause.  And it really is.  Fred O'Hare ends up becoming the Easter Bunny and he even flies around in a sled...  It tries so hard to be hip and cool, but the end result is a forgettable family film that never lived up to its potential.

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Happy Birthday, Jeremy Ashida!

It's my friend Jeremy Ashida's birthday today!  He's a happily married singer/songwriter, and I really admire his gusto in pursuing his dreams no matter what.  I decided to honor him and his music today by posting the three music videos that I have done for him.  I hope you guys enjoy!

Movie Review: 'Rango' is Resplendent

Rango movie poster, property of Nickelodeon and Paramount.

Rango AWESOME!

I have been absolutely dying to see this movie.  Ever since I saw the very first trailer in theaters, I knew Rango was a must-see film.  In those brief minutes I could tell that the animation was phenomenal, the story-telling was bold, and that Nickelodeon Pictures was really stepping up it's game.  What a shame that the circumstances of my life would leave me waiting an entire month after it's opening to see it!

So I really don't know what I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said.  Roger Ebert, one of my favorite film critics, wrote, "Rango is some kind of a miracle: An animated comedy for smart moviegoers, wonderfully made, great to look at, wickedly satirical, and (gasp!) filmed in glorious 2-D. Its brilliant colors and startling characters spring from the screen and remind us how very, very tired we are of simpleminded little characters bouncing around dimly in 3-D."

And I agree with him 100%!  So many "family" movies these days seem to have been cookie-cuttered out of sugar cookie dough then quickly slapped with some brightly colored frosting and rainbow sprinkles.  The end result is a sugary mess of emptiness with no nutritional value to speak of.  Yet Rango seems to think that maybe, just maybe, kids are ready for some real food.

The story is of a lizard who enters a town in desperate need of a hero.  They are living through a horrible drought of water, feeling pressure from many foes.  Folks are selling off their land, they are tormented by hawks and snakes, and they are beginning to lose faith.  But when Rango comes in, talking big and (accidentally) defeating one of their foes, he becomes their sheriff.  He then begins to unite the townspeople in a quest to bring their water back, all while grappling with the existential question: who am I?

The film, for the most part, has the look and feel of a classic western complete with gunfights, and saloons, and tobacco.  Some people have an issue with that.  Someone I know wrote on Facebook that Rango was the worst movie she had ever seen.  She said she wanted to walk out of the theater because she found the movie immoral, which is simply not true.  Is it gritty? Yes.  Is there some violence?  Yes.  Are the characters a bit rough around the edges?  Yes.  They say things like "hell" and "damn."  Some of them smoke cigars or make off-colored jokes.  They don't pretend to be perfect, but they all have a value that I feel many would admire:  they have faith and the strength to carry on.

And it's a shame that some people would get so caught up in their haughty habits of passing righteous judgment, that they would somehow be oblivious to the religious overtones.  Right from the get-go Rango encounters a prophet-like character named Roadkill.  He's an aged armadillo on a sacred mission of sorts who speaks in metaphors about life and destiny and death.  Then we meet the townspeople who are passing through many trials and tribulations, yet still clinging desperately to the hope that their salvation will come.  In one scene they even pray to The Spirit of the West for their deliverance.  And Rango, in a beautifully otherworldly scene, gets to stand in the presence of The Spirit of the West who reminds him that no man can leave his own story.  Rango returns to the town to be the hero he was meant to be.

All this elevated impact while being incredibly funny, totally unexpected and off-beat, wildly action-packed, and sparkling with visual panache.  Rango is easily one of my favorite animated movies of all time.

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No Longer Unemployed Bums!

We entered the cul de sac of the Kesler Kingdom late last Wednesday, beginning our job search on Thursday.  I am very happy to announce that in less than a week Brian and I have both secured employment here in Orem, Utah.  Moments after Monday night's post, Brian was offered the data entry job that we hoped he would get.  Then yesterday afternoon I received a call from the movie theater with the same happy news.  We're no longer unemployed bums!

I am supposed to go in later today to fill out paperwork, then Thursday I'll be in training, and Friday I'm said to be working in full swing.  Brian has the rest of the week off (lucky fella) but begins his training on Monday, April 4th.  He trains part-time for a full week and then begins working full-time the following Monday.

Brian will be getting more hours at a higher pay rate than I, so he'll be contributing more to our bank account.  However, thanks to my job, we will be able to see movies whenever we want for free.  A definite bonus!  I also hope to come up with artistic ways of bringing in some extra dough (any ideas anybody?).  And with our lowered monthly expenses (no rent, no power, etc.) we should still have an extra $700 or so to whittle down our suffocating debt.  Once we get our credit cards paid off and various family members reimbursed, we will begin to look for a place of our own.

And as far as school goes, switching everything over from L.A. to S.L.C. won't be able to happen before this Monday when the spring term starts.  Besides that, I'm just starting at a new job and really want to get situated with that before I begin schooling.  So now I have to make a choice...  Do I begin in July with the summer term or do I start as early as May with their late-start program?  May has the appeal of being sooner rather than later, but it's done in half the time of a regular term so I would be doing two weeks worth of work in just one week.  It sounds a little overwhelming and I don't want to do poorly in school because I'm so stressed.  On the other hand, July just seems so far away.  I'm not getting any younger here people.

What should I do?

Transferred Credits

Transferring college credits is a pain in the ass.  I'm just saying.  First, I had to request my transcripts by mailing a form to Otero Junior College where I got my Associates Degree.  Then I had to call The Art Institute of California - Hollywood to see if they had gotten them in yet.  AI said they didn't get the transcripts, so I called OJC to see what was going on.  They assured me they had both mailed and faxed my transcripts, so I called AI back and left a message. 

A week later my adviser got back with me to inform me that AI did receive my college transcripts.  Then she started talking about scheduling a time to take my placement test.

"Wait, I still need to take that test?"

"Well, what do you mean?" she asked, "Everybody has to take that test."

"But, I have an Associates Degree, remember?  Didn't my math and English classes transfer?"

"Well, we can't transfer any classes without the course description.  If you want to bring in OJC's course catalog, we can take a closer look at the classes you've taken."

"Okay.  I'll get those to you then."

"Awesome, so when can you take the placement test?"

"If my math and English classes transfer, I shouldn't have to take that test, should I?  I mean, I won't be taking any math or English classes with AI."

"Oh, right.  Because of the Associates Degree..."

"Yes.  So why don't we wait and see whether or not my classes transfer before I sit down and take a two-hour placement test that I might not need to take."

"Oh!  That's a good idea.  Just get us the course catalog and we'll go from there."

So I went to the OJC website and printed out almost 100 pages of the course catalog.  I even had to buy more printer ink.  I took them to the school and had to explain again why I wasn't taking the placement test.

"I'm just dropping these off.  That's it."

So after all of that, I am very happy to say that 62 credits have transferred from OJC to AI!  This is how it's broken down:

Media Arts and Animation - Bachelor of Science

Core:  I have 3 out of 104 credits completed.
Foundation:  I have 9 out of 26 credits completed.
General/Liberal Studies:  I have 20 out of 24 credits completed.
Humanities:  I have ALL 8 out of 8 credits completed.
Math and Science:  I have ALL 8 out of 8 credits completed.
Social and Behavioral Sciences:  I have ALL 8 out of 8 credits completed.

This is awesome because I'll only be taking Core and Foundation classes which are directly related to my major!  The one class I am missing in the General/Liberal Studies section is "Visual Language and Cultures."  So it's still nice and artsy fartsy!  And all that other boring stuff is finished already!

Application Essay

I suppose it is a bit embarrassing that it has taken me twenty-four years to figure out what it is I want to do with my life.  Most people my age are done with college already; working in their dream jobs.  Yet what is my dream job? What are my career goals?  A few summers ago I got a taste of what those goals might be.  On a lazy day with nothing to do I discovered that if I drew a series of drawings, each one just slightly different than the last, and strung them all together on the computer it created something crudely resembling the animation I saw in the movies.  I had always enjoyed drawing, but somehow using images to tell a story in such a visual and kinetic way ignited a new fire within me.  Over time as I continued to venture into new projects and gain attention here and there, the light bulb flickered on.  I didn’t want this to be a hobby on the side of my boring “real” job.  I wanted to be an animator!  Maybe someday open my own little indie animation studio.

So with a dream finally realized, I’m ready to pursue higher education in the field.  And that’s where The Art Institute of California - Hollywood comes into play.  With the high quality of instruction, connections with the animation and film industries in the area, and innovative technologies and programs I have no doubt that I will be sufficiently prepared for an exciting new career doing what I love.  The passion for the art of animation is alive within me, but what I lack is knowledge of the sophisticated tools and disciplines that professional animators command with ease.  I hope to learn the tricks of the trade to elevate my current style of animation to one that is more commercial-ready.

While attending The Art Institute of California - Hollywood I plan on fully immersing myself in the school experience in order to be successful.  I will dedicate the time necessary to complete all assignments given to me, both in class and out of class.  I will participate in group discussions and be open to criticism in the hopes of personal growth.  I plan on learning as much as I can from not only the instructors but also my fellow students.  Hopefully I can make strong friendships with those who share my same interests, and thus build a network of animation connections to help me throughout my career.  I know that with the school’s outstanding program coupled with my own personal commitment and drive, I will successfully achieve my goals and work for years to come in a career that I am passionate about.

This was the application essay I submitted this past weekend to The Art Institute of California - Hollywood.  I'm really enjoying the fact that it's getting a second use here on my blog.  : )  And by the way, I start going part-time in April. 

"Happily Ever After" by He Is We

 

Inhale, breathe steady, exhale, like you're ready, if you're ready or not.
Just a boy and a girl trying to take on the world, and we want to get caught.
In the middle of a very happy ending, let's see what we've got, let's give it a shot.
Let's give it a shot.

See my music video for the song "Happily Ever After" performed by He Is We.

1 Day: Thrifty Christmas Episode on YouTube!

The last few days have been crazy hectic as you can imagine.  Working in retail means that this is the only time of year when the hours are plentiful, which means I've been scheduled a lot, which means that I haven't had much time for anything else.

On top of work, we had our friend Kelsey over for dinner one night, Brian's family came up to decorate cookies with us and see the Christmas lights at Temple Square another night, and we've been packing and/or selling our possessions at a much more intensified rate pretty much every night.

So I haven't had much time to blog.  Our cable and internet has already been canceled, so we've been going to the library to use the free wi-fi.  Brian more so than I (because of all the work; see above).

And on top of all that, I decided a few days ago to make a Christmas short called "Thrifty Christmas."  Watch it on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIi6xrcOF8c

Or watch it right here!

Movie Review: 'Tangled' is Hair-Raising Fun!

Tangled movie poster, property of Disney.

Tangled ADMIRABLE

Almost every review I had read for Tangled before seeing it had some sort of hair-related joke or two, so I couldn't resist doing the same.  I didn't find the movie to be full of "split-ends" like some people said or a "hairdo gone flat," I just found it to be entertaining and funny and often quite beautiful to look at.  In fact, those with negative opinions of this movie are in the minority.  The film is getting remarkably good reviews, which speaks highly of Disney's animated future.

Tangled is a retelling of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel, but Disney has of course made a few changes.  For example, her hair is not only long and lovely, but also full of magical healing powers.  She's also a princess, but of course she doesn't know that, seeing as she was kidnapped as a baby by the woman who she thinks is her mother.  Every year on her birthday the kingdom sends up a million floating lanterns into the night sky in hope that someday she'll return home.  From her tower, Rapunzel can see these floating lights, and longs to know more about them.  When the thief Flynn Ryder breaks into her tower in order to hide from the palace guards, Rapunzel decides that he might just be her ticket out of there...

Obviously comedy and adventure ensue.  And obviously the two fall in love.  Rapunzel is voiced well by Mandy Moore who infuses her with a lot of innocence, curiosity, and gumption.  Zachary Levi does great as the witty and charming Flynn Ryder, and also proves that he can sing as well (everybody already knows that Mandy Moore can sing).  There are plenty of musical numbers in this one, yet I found them to be less memorable than the songs from Princess and the Frog.  "Less memorable" doesn't mean to say that they were awful.  The songs by Alan Menken were just fine and dandy, just not quite amazing.  He's done better work in past Disney films.

The animation style in this movie is very pretty to look at.  The color palette mostly consists of pastel pinks and blues and greens, and the coloring is done in a way to evoke a hand-painted feel.  It doesn't by any means look hand-drawn, but there is a softness and warmth to it that sort of bridges the gap between pen-and-ink and CGI.  The scene where the glowing lanterns are released into the sky is simply breathtaking to behold.

But overall, the movie is funny.  You'll find yourself laughing at many things, including some slap-sticky frying pan hits from Rapunzel and witty banter from Flynn.  The two animals in the film, a horse and a chameleon, get the majority of the laughs I feel, and some of the ruffians they encounter are also quite amusing.  Tangled really is hair-raising fun for the whole family!

Sorry.  I just couldn't resist.

Love movies?  Check out my Movie Page!

Gitano

Dear Jack,

My little gitano!  You are free to live wherever you want.  I think you should live in Paris and study art and cooking.  Learn to speak French.  There's nothing tying you guys down.  Live on less than nothing and experience life, my little gitano...  I love you, Jack.  Tell Brian hi!

Love and blessings,
Dad

That's what my father wrote back when I wrote to him explaining our recent decision to move to Los Angeles, California.  Sure, it's no Paris (and no New York either) but it's definitely a step in the right direction.  At least Brian and I think so.

Sometime in October I think is when we first started to consider an out-of-state move.  Up until then, I was sure we would stay in Utah another year at least.  But one day while browsing online for new apartment rentals in Salt Lake City, I decided to do a search for apartments in New York.  Then Los Angeles.  I even looked into Colorado Springs where my siblings live.  I just started looking at various random cities and states as the sudden realization came over me:  we can live anywhere.

While there was a definite reason why I came to Utah, there is no reason why Brian and I should live in Utah now.  I came out here to go to Brigham Young University, and obviously that reason is now null and void.  I don't regret coming out here because this is where I met Brian.  In fact, I'm positive that he is the only reason I was meant to move to Utah at all.  We've been together two years now living in Salt Lake City (a place we moved to escape the bubble that is Provo/Orem) but there isn't a concrete reason for staying here.  We aren't attending school here, we're just working.  And the jobs we have are by no means our dream jobs.  I don't want to work in retail for the rest of my life any more than Brian wants to work at a movie theater.  If anything, staying put here in Salt Lake City is like floating when we need to be swimming.

So it was earlier this month that we made the firm decision to move to California.  With our lofty dreams of becoming movie directors and animators, it just seems the state to be in.  Brian can attend auditions for stage shows and movies and television series, and there are a ton of great animation schools I can attend once we've attained California residency.  Plus, I'll be closer to a lot of my extended family who live in the LA area, including my Tia Loca and my maternal grandparents.  It's risky just picking up and leaving, but we fear that if we don't do it now we won't do it ever.

Of course, it will be sad to leave our friends and family here in Utah.  We've been sharing the news with people little by little, and most are extremely excited for us even if they are sad to see us go.  Brian's mom, however, did not take the news so well.  We've been the most afraid to tell her, and we kept finding reasons to put it off.  We were going to tell her when they all came over for our early Thanksgiving meal on the 14th, but then decided we didn't want to spoil the celebration.  We even considered just moving and telling her once we were there, but that clearly wasn't the best idea.  So it was yesterday, on Thanksgiving, when she kept asking if we'd found a new place, that I finally told her.

You see, Brian was at work (the poor kid worked from 8 AM to 2 AM yesterday, an 18-hour shift) so I rode with Brian's sister Jenny down to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family.  I almost went to Thanksgiving with my roommate Mesun, but decided at the last minute that it would be better to spend it with the Keslers.  I'm glad I did, because at least the cat is out of the bag now.  I finally had to tell her, because she could tell something was up and she kept trying to get information out of everyone else.  We had already told his sisters.  So finally I said, yes, we are moving out of state.  She guessed California and I said yes.  And then came the waterworks.

She cried and cried and cried.  But not because she was upset with our decision, but because she was going to miss us.  Desperately.  Brian's mom admittedly has a hard time with cutting the apron strings.  She doesn't want any of her kids to move away from her... especially as far away as California.  "What about the birthdays?" she asked.  "What about the recitals and the concerts and the holidays?"  She misses us enough already, and we only live an hour away.

Poor thing.  Jenny kept assuring me that she would be all right.  I hope so.  And now that Mama Kesler knows, I figure it's safe to really make it known on my blog.  We're moving to Los Angeles at the end of this year.  We don't have every detail figured out yet, but we're moving no matter what.  I guess it's true that I'm just a gitano, a gypsy, and I have to keep moving on.  I need to add another location to my ongoing list of addresses...

Wizard Week: 'Harry Potter' Was Almost a Cartoon!

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Alan Horn (President of Warner Bros.) revealed that the Harry Potter franchise was almost an animated one!  Yep, Steven Spielberg wanted to direct it, but not in live action.  Now, I love me some animation, but it's pretty hard to imagine the movies any other way.  And what's more, Spielberg wanted to combine the story lines from more than one book to create one movie. 

Why am I explaining all this?  Just read Alan Horn's statement for yourself!  Gosh, lazies, you want me to do everything for you...

“I did think it would be worthwhile for Steven Spielberg to direct,” Horn said. “We offered it to him. But one of the notions of Dreamworks’ and Steven’s was, ‘Let’s combine a couple of the books, let’s make it animated,’ and that was because of the [visual effects and] Pixar had demonstrated that animated movies could be extremely successful. Because of the wizardry involved, they were very effects-laden. So I don’t blame them. But I did not want to combine the movies, and I wanted it to be live action.”

So luckily, Spielberg was out and Chris Columbus was in (the director of Home Alone, not the discoverer of America)!

And speaking of a drawn Harry, do any of you ever check out the fan art?  Well, it's all over the internet so check it out sometime!  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

Movie Review: Will Ferrell Has a Big Head

Megamind movie poster, property of Dreamworks Animation.

Megamind ADMIRABLE

Wanna hear something funny?  We were planning on seeing For Colored Girls last night but ended up seeing Megamind instead.  They said that we couldn't see it because the movie was literally only for colored girls.  Okay.  That's not true.  Megamind just had an earlier showtime and I had to get up early in the morning.  So instead of a drama, we ended up with an animated comedy.  And do you know what?  It was actually funny.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the general premise of this movie, since there have been ads running for it for a year now it seems.  Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt) is Metro City's pride and joy.  Their superhero and defender of justice.  And Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell) is the villain.  But Megamind's schemes never seem to work, no matter how many times he kidnaps Roxanne Ritchi (voiced by Tina Fey) the local news reporter and rumored girlfriend of Metro Man.

But one day, surprising even himself, Megamind's plan works and Metro Man is destroyed.  Nothing is stopping him from wreaking havoc on Metro City.  But without the opposition, being a bad guy turns out to be pretty boring.  He realizes that without a hero, his role as villain is pointless.  So he and his minion (voiced by David Cross) set off to create a new superhero to fight named Tighten (voiced by Jonah Hill).  Unfortunately for everyone, Tighten becomes a villain and it's up to Megamind to save the day.

What appealed to me with this movie was the originality of the script.  I felt like it was a different take on the whole superhero thing, and there were plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep me entertained.  The jokes were all very funny (I will admit that one went over my head and Brian had to explain it to me... ha ha) and the animation was superb.  Will Ferrell, surprisingly enough, managed to create a very lovable and well-rounded character.  Megamind has a heart, and it's very nice to see him change his stripes at the end.

This movie wasn't quite as good as How to Train Your Dragon, which was both funny and heartwarming, but it definitely had more meat than Despicable Me.  Looks like Dreamworks is getting better lately.  I'm proud of them.

They still aren't as good as Pixar though...

Love movies?  Check out my Movie Page!

Another Exclamation Point Update (And Possibly the Last)

Last Thursday I got an email from my friend Eva, announcing that our highly anticipated contract was in its final stages and would get to me "tomorrow perhaps."  Naturally, I checked the mail on Friday.  Again on Saturday.  Even on Sunday (nobody could convince me that the mail doesn't arrive on Sundays).

On Monday I went to the leasing office of my building, asking if I'd gotten any packages.  Perhaps the contract couldn't fit in my mailbox... maybe it was in one of those document mailers or something.  Maybe it was a giant stack of papers!

The office didn't have anything.  In fact, when I asked again yesterday, they told me to quit asking.  "The postman will leave a note on your mailbox if they leave something in the office with us.  If you don't have a note, than you don't have a package."

"So... there's no chance at all that maybe they forgot the note.  Or maybe my note fell off.  Or maybe..."

"Look, kid.  Nobody's sent you anything."

So you can imagine my surprise today when I checked my email and discovered my contract had been emailed to me!  There it was, ready for me to download, print, and look over!!

The only downside, is that part of the contract states that I'm not allowed to reveal anything related to Tenny prior to the date decided by Eva.  Unless she gives me written permission.  So while I had originally planned to blog about the project and give my readers a taste of my process... I cannot do that.  Sorry guys!!

Well, I've got a $10,000 contract to sign and more than enough work to do!

Movie Reviews: Triple Feature of Movies With Subtitles

If you are wondering why I suddenly seem to be seeing a lot of movies lately, the reason is that Brian put his tail between his legs and ashamedly returned to his job at the theater.  I guess you just can't teach an old dog new tricks.

So with Brian back in his suit and tie at our local cinema, we are once again reaping the benefits of free movies.  Hence my recent Easy A and The Town reviews.  So last night, once we were free of our jobs, we decided to have a movie marathon.  Oddly enough, the movies we decided to see all had one unifying theme:  they each sported a subtitle to create titles of impressive length.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps movie poster, property of 20th Century Fox

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ADMIRABLE

I must admit that I have never seen the original Wall Street movie, but apparently viewing it's not necessary to understand the plot of this one.  Seeing as this sequel comes a good 23 years after the original, the screenplay was smart to provide the audience with any needed background information.  However, the screenplay wasn't always so smart... and at times this movie got a little preachy and a little sloppy.  The plot was all over the place and could have been fine-tuned just a tad more, and sometimes its message of "greed is bad" was a little too obvious.  Especially in the last ten minutes or so when the characters have their change-of-heart moments.

However, despite those two comments, I still found the movie to be very interesting and very well-acted.  As much crap as people like to talk about Shia LaBeouf -- yes, he's been arrested and can be a douche blah blah blah -- he's a very talented actor.  This movie proved to be a good one for him, giving him the opportunity to work against such greats as Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin, and Frank Langella.  He stars as a young Jake Moore who plans on marrying Winnie Gekko (Carey Mulligan), daughter of the infamous Gordon Gekko (Douglas).

Throughout the film, he grapples with his own inner capitalist while seeking advice from Gekko, eventualy working for Bretton James (Brolin), and trying to avenge the death of his first financial mentor Louis Zabel (Langella).  All this while trying to convince left-wing Winnie that he's not obsessed with Wall Street.  I've been a big fan of Carey Mulligan since I saw her in An Education, and she is flawless in this movie as well.  Her character goes through a lot when she is forced to reintroduce her estranged father into her life... and it's even more troubling for her as she begins to realize how like her father her boyfriend is.

For Brian's review of this movie, click here.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole movie poster, property of Warner Bros.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole ADMIRABLE

By far my favorite movie of the night, Legend of the Guardians was spectacular on many levels.  First off, let's talk about the visual style of this movie.  Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), it should be of no surprise that this movie looks amazing.  The animation in this movie is photo-real and gorgeous.  At one point, Brian leaned over to me and whispered, "This animation is flawless."  It's true.  If you are a fan of the medium, you will definitely appreciate the artistry of this film.

Some might argue that the visual aesthetic is a little show-offy (if that's even a word) -- I mean, Snyder does pull off his signature slow motion to highlight the action -- but there is a lot more to this movie than a good look.  The story, although typical at first glance and fairly fast-paced, is quite adult for a kids' movie.  Which is good.  Only in modern times has children's entertainment become idiotic and empty.

The story involves a young owlet named Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) who is kidnapped by the Pure Ones (akin to the Nazis) and is forced into slavery when he objects to the mistreatment of the "lesser" breeds of owl.  His brother Kludd, however, (voiced by Ryan Kwanten) is sucked into the doctrine of the Pure Ones and becomes a soldier.  Their choices drive the brothers apart as Soren escapes with a ragtag team of owls and embarks on a journey to elicit help from the Guardians: a legendary group of owls who defend justice.  Kludd however stays and remains loyal to Metalbeak and Nyra (Joel Edgerton and Helen Mirren) who lead the Pure Ones on their evil quest for domination.

Brian's only lament was that he felt the characters were a bit one-dimensional, and I can see his point.  Soren is good because he's good.  Metalbeak is bad because he's bad.  However, this movie is still very remarkable.  The ending may not be a surprise (telling you that good prevails is hardly a spoiler) but getting there is completely entertaining.

For Brian's review of this movie, click here.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb movie poster, property of Columbia Pictures

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb AWESOME!

This movie was originally released in 1964, but they were playing it at Brian's theater as part of a Cult Classic event this month.  One of Brian's coworkers was there with her boyfriend, so we sat with them.  Apart from the four of us,  I think there were only another 5 or so in attendance... which is a shame.  This movie, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Peter Sellers in three roles, is a comic gem.  Very odd, unconventional, and quite arguably, genius.  If you haven't seen it, I urge you to do so!

I don't want to give away too much, but basically an insane Air Force General Jack Ripper (Sterling Hayden) commands all of his planes to bomb the U.S.S.R. without any authority to do so.  The President (Sellers) is now in the War Room of the Pentagon trying to fix the situation before the planes reach their target.  He argues with a Commie-hating General Turgidson (George C. Scott), seeks advice from an ex-Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove (Sellers), and desperately needs a secret code that only Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (again Sellers) knows.

Ah, what an enjoyable night at the movies!

Love movies?  Check out my Movie Page!
For Brian's review of this movie, click here.

Exclamation Point Update

Do you recall a blog post of mine from August 23rd entitled, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?  Well, click the exclamation points if you have forgotten and need to reread it.  It told of an email I received from my friend Eva, who is a singer/songwriter, about our contract being completed so we can begin work on a joint project.  It was a happy day indeed, worthy of celebration and excess punctuation. 

However, on August 29th I received another email, stating the following:

My husband and manager had about 10 changes and sent them off....when we're 100% satisfied I'll have her read it....things are moving though

At least we have a starting contract.....Hope to send it soon :-D

What?  They sent the contracts back!?  I mean, let's be realistic here.  It took a year just to get the lawyers to write it up in the first place, and now we're asking them to make changes?  Who are we kidding?

But mere moments ago I was pleasantly surprised to see this message in my inbox:

Just a quick note to say that the final provisions are being made and you will be receiving your contract very soon!!!!  Tomorrow perhaps!!!


It may appear scary with all the lawyer babble but remember the $10,000 and the fun we'll have creating it :-)


Can't wait!!

Well, Eva, I can't wait either!  So to everyone out there reading this, I ask that you please say a little prayer, knock on wood, cross your fingers, and wear your lucky underwear to make this a reality!