coyote-43 Reviews

Corpse Bride (2005)

Well made, but disappointing.

[5/10 · 3 December 2005]

I was looking forward to this movie because I'm a huge Tim Burton fan, the concept is GREAT, and the animation looks fantastically amazing.

I really, really wanted to love this movie.

As far as the visual direction goes, I was not disappointed! The set design is beautiful, the puppets are beautiful, and the animation is incredible! The directing and editing is terrific. If I must compare this movie to Nightmare Before Christmas, I admit Corpse Bride was, at least, much more visually stunning.

The story, however, is a disappointment. The visual storytelling and the voice acting is good, but the actual plot and script leaves much to be desired. The first musical number was a good introduction to the setting and plot, but the others seemed like wasted opportunities to get to know the characters better. The subplot with the villain seems to just get in the way of telling an interesting story. Overall, there was a lack of motivation and character development in the main characters.

At the end of the movie, Victor and Victoria haven't changed at all. You get the idea they're both still just following their parents wishes. The ending is confusing as Victor and Victoria haven't really gotten to know each other at all. --and you never really learn if Emily loved Victor or just the idea of getting married. I'd have liked to see the characters evolve. Especially Victor. I'd have liked to see him do something because HE decided to, not because someone else told him to or made him feel guilty.

As a Burton fan, it was a big relief to see that while he was the director, he was NOT the writer. Watch this movie for the visuals if you're an animation fan, but don't expect much else (besides selling a lot of toys at Hot Topic).

Dogville (2003)

( Quality movie : subpar storytelling )

[5/10 · 3 April 2004]

Ah, Dogville. What can I say about Dogville?

THE GOOD: Dogville was very well made. Lars von Trier is a magnificent director. The movie sort of had the feel of a stage play. This was due largely, though not entirely, to the experimental set design, which was very simple, yet elegant. In short, I loved the directing, acting, set design, costumes, special effects, and editing.

THE BAD: I did not like the incredibly pretentious story. Yes, I like movies that make me cry. However, this movie's attempt at manipulating my feelings was way too blatant for my taste. Dogville was a formulaic "show the good and happy exterior and then show the dark and ugly underbelly" movie, where the main character's suffering was not to make the story interesting as much as to make the story "art". The message was not only a cynical outlook on human nature, but on any attempts to deny the dark side of human nature. I loved the ending, which was also cynical. Dogville had a great ending. The ending did not make up for the rest of the movie.

THE UGLY: The hardships of the main character start out reasonable, but become more and more ridiculous as the movie progresses until they no longer even seem plausible. I mean, our hero is raped by everyone in the movie at least twice.

RATING: 3 out of 5