Anti-Romanticist Reviews

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Strange and Beautiful at the same time.

[20 December 2005]

I infinitely enjoyed Nightmare Before Christmas. While it is not for everyone, anyone who is into something truly unique should check out this movie. If the fact that movie genius Tim Burton was involved in this movie did NOT spark your attention, then please continue to read.

The story in a nutshell: Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloweentown (with a speaking voice of Chris Sarandon) is depressed. He is growing bored with scaring people and now wants to try something different. This is when Jack comes to a fantastic place--Christmas Town. The idea of Christmas excites Jack, which eventually leads to the kidnapping of Santa Claus (or "Sandy Claws" as the Halloween populace calls him). Without giving spoilers, let's just say that things don't go quite as well as Jack planned.

This story, while it might sound a bit cheesy on paper to some people, is pulled off beautifully. The humor is stuck in a very subtle way and despite their appearances, you will grow to love these characters. The wonderfully composed soundtrack doesn't hurt either.

The first song, "This is Halloween" does a perfect job of introducing the townspeople of Halloweentown. It also opens up in a flashy way (that's in a GOOD flashy way though). The slick stop-motion animation pulls you right in, including ghosts carrying packages and wind blowing through a rag-doll's hair (the rag-doll being Jack's love interest, Sally, voiced by Catherine O'Hara). Then within less than 10 minutes of the movie, the problem of the story is revealed.

"Jack's Lament", which is gorgeously sung by Danny Elfman (who also happened to compose the soundtrack to this movie) describes Jack's problem perfectly. "What's This" is a polar opposite of the lament, bursting with joy. Danny Elfman excellently portrays Jack's anguish here and through out the rest of the movie.

The other voices are nicely done as well, from the vocals in the seemingly morbid song "Kidnap the Sandy Claus" (sung by a trio of twisted youngsters) to the Las Vegas styled "Oogie Boogie Song" to the sad "Sally's Song". The lyrics in this music (lyrics are also written by Danny Elfman)can range from witty to pure poetry. Don't be surprised if you find yourself singing the songs yourself--they are THAT good.

So all in all, a must watch. Buy it or rent it now. You will definitely not regret it.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Ignore the critics--THIS MOVIE IS WONDERFUL!

[13 June 2005]

This movie was a really big surprise for me. I have never seen Phantom of the Opera live, but if life has taught me one thing, it's that plays to movies usually do not transition that well. Fortunately, this is not the case with Phantom of the Opera.

The story is absolutely captivating. Without saying any spoilers, I can say that if you keep an open mind to this movie, you will enjoy it. Although the plot does occasionally drag for the average viewer, it flows just fine for me.

The acting is actually quite decent. I didn't think Gerard Butler would EVER play the Phantom, but I loved him in the role. He really stood out for me. Sure, he's not exactly the operatic type, but he has enough character to more than make up for it. Emmy Rossum's singing talents are quite impressive as well. Actually, now that I think of it...Everyone fits their role quite well. Carlotta/Minnie Driver's dubbing singer did a good job of being over the top in her singing and Raoul was well...Raoul.

The music is another thing that stands out. The lyrics and tunes are very catchy and fit the theme of an opera house very nicely.

And of course I can't forget the lavish settings. The interiors are very beautiful and detailed. Not only that, but the people who decorate them have perfect costumes! Once again, it fits the theme of an opera house perfectly.

PROS: Gorgeous and lavish sets and costumes. Excellent music--with good singers and catchy lyrics! Storyline is very lovely--good mix of romance, drama and intrigue. Good to watch if you're like me and had never seen POTO before!

CONS: Storyline drags a little for the average viewer. Songs will be stuck in your head for weeks to come (or is that a PRO? I'm not sure. Heh.)

OVERALL: 9/10

Sly 2: Band of Thieves (2004 Video Game)

Our Favorite Thievius Raccoonus Is Back!

[18 September 2004]

After going through the whole storyline of Sly 2, I must say I am really blown away. Sucker Punch has managed to stay strong, despite the high expectations of fans set by the first game.

For those of you who don't know about Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, the first game starred Sly Cooper, a master thief (in training) in search of a book of family secrets stolen by five villains. And his main villain--a mechanical owl called Clockwerk who just happens to be a rival of the Cooper Clan!

And now, set two years after the first game, Sly is back and this time, his friends get in on the act!

Starting with the story, what basically happens is that Sly is going to steal the Clockwerk parts so that they may be destroyed. But you see, it's not quite that easy. When he arrives at the scene of the crime, he finds out the parts were already stolen by another gang called "The Klaww Gang". And now Sly must find the parts before Clockwerk is rebuilt. Don't worry about the story dragging on though, it's extremely compelling and will keep you going until the end.

The controls and general gameplay are very slick, just like the first one. However, there have been a few modifications to gameplay. First off, world hubs are gone! They have been replaced with large cities, which act as your levels. They're not exactly world hubs per se, but the levels are split into the different areas for your exploration. You also run a bit slower this time around, but you do have a button that allows you to sprint.

If you thought the variety of gameplay in the first game was broad, check out this game! This game is chock full of activities and different things to do. These tasks may range from plain old sneaking around to dancing/tux wearing to controlling an RC Chopper and much, much more! It is guaranteed you will never be bored with all of these things.

As suggested by the subtitle "Band of Thieves", you'll be able to play as Murray and Bentley this time around, as well as Sly Cooper himself.

As for basic styles, these pretty much sum it up:

-Sly: The character who does the thievier jobs, like pickpocketing, sneaking around and taking recon photos.

-Murray: The fighter.

-Bentley: The hacker and the thinker. When you play as him, you have to be careful before you step forward since he isn't able to get into close combat that well.

Sucker Punch does a great job of making all three playable characters unique. Each has a different set of moves, however not all of them seem to be of any important use. Perhaps if Sucker Punch incorporated them better, then I'd be even more satisfied.

As for the graphics, the slow-down is gone! (YAY!) While the graphics haven't changed too much, they have received a tune-up as well as some additions, including sound effects text for when you defeat enemies. The animations are also cool and sometimes funny to watch (Sly using his cane as a back scratcher *snort*).

The music is much better this time around and the voice acting is still pretty top-notch!

Overall, this game is good. I was able to beat the storyline in about 17 hours, which is at least seven hours longer than the first one for me, although experienced players might beat it quicker. While the length is much better than the first, I regret to say this game doesn't have much re-playability. It doesn't let you replay through the levels in the game once you beat them and that kind of stinks since the jobs are all fun to do and complete. But I can see why Sucker Punch didn't add this in though. It wouldn't work in the kind of gameplay Sly 2 has.

MY SCORE:

9.5/10

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (2002 Video Game)

I can't believe it stole my heart!

[25 August 2004]

Have you've ever picked up one of those games you thought would be really bad, but instead you fell in love with at first game playing session? This is what happened with me!

The story, as expected, follows our protagonist, Sly Cooper (who comes from a long line of thieves), as he searches for the pages of his family's heirloom, the Thievius Raccoonus, which holds all of the family's thieving. You see, when Sly was just a young cub, five intruders showed up in his home and murdered his father. As if that wasn't bad enough, these five fiends also stole all of the pages of the Thievius Raccoonus. Fast forward a few years later, after Sly has met his pals Murray, the clumsy but brave hippo and Bentley, the worrywart, geeky turtle and now you have the present time of the game!

While Sly adventures, he will have the aid of tight and intuitive controls, smooth animation, his special cane (which is useful for hooking on to objects and whacking foes) and pages he collects that unlock more moves for him, whether you chose to collect them or not. And what would a thief be without stealth moves? You WILL be making Sly sneak along walls whenever you see a blue aura, which assists you as you progress through the game.

The worlds Sly travels within are very gorgeous to look at. With a combination of cel-shading and cartoony graphics, this game will provide you with plenty of eye candy. Unfortunately, the view is ruined whenever the frame rate drops and strangely, it rarely happens when there are enemies on the screen, nor does it ever really hamper with your game play.

This game is jam-packed with variety. You'll never be bored. Heck, how often do you get extremely entertaining chase scenes on rooftops or with fireworks? Or a unique boss battle that plays like a rhythm game? Speaking of which, the five villains aren't the only folks you must deal with! Being a thief, you're also going to get chased by the police. Namely: Carmelita Fox, who also happens to be Sly's love interest (or so it seems).

The characters, before I forget, have excellent voice acting (most of the time)! They truly set a mood to the game, something that is rare these days! Sucker Punch truly has great taste in voice acting (well, except Carmelita--she sounds a bit overdone sometimes).

So, top all of this goodness off with a $20 price tag and what do you get? A game you should go and get now!