God that is an unbelievably good COLOR OF MONEY parody. First of all, Stiller's Cruise impression is spot-on (he nailed Cruise's spazziness at that age). Second, they didn't even alter anything. Most of what's in the sketch is dialogue lifted right form the film. Stellar stuff.

Oh how I wish this wasn't true of me. I could have done something worthwhile with that 90 minutes. 

I finally caught Zero Dark Thirty on Starz. Never was super interested in it because I always felt it looked like a sort of propaganda film. Was actually really entertained and drawn-in by it, and surprised to see it focused more on how much we fucked up and got in the way of actually finding UBL.

After that they played Terminator 2, so it was a good way to spend an evening.

Last edited by KayRule (2014-03-03 03:44:00)

Due to having kids, my last movies watched are usual animated and/or in the family category. That being said, getting to rewatch Mulan from an adult's point of view, filmaking and story, etc.

I think the best aspect of the movie is the characters, especially Mulan. Not the conventional "Disney Princess" but a young lady who doesn't need to be rescued but is trying to do the rescuing. I like the aspect that she is far more of a free agent in terms of her decisions and responding to the events she ends up causing.

The other characters are not always as fleshed out, with some caricatures that full characters in the three companions, but they certainly provide some fun and comic relief. 

The film also does a good job of keeping a serious tone as it explores both the lighter side (the camaraderie of soldiers in song) and darker side of army life and war (the destruction and death). Despite being a movie aimed at kids, there are some heavy themes dealt with here, and can provide an opportunity for parents to discuss such things. It isn't simple as it seems on its face.

Keeping in mind that this was released in 1998, there are some technical aspects that are really amazing. If you do watch the film, the part with the Hun army coming down the snow covered mountain, which features an animation program similar to Massive used for the Lord of the Rings armies.

My only complaint is the sometimes lack of sensitivity towards Eastern cultures and beliefs, and  almost pop style music in places.

Overall, it is a 9/10 and a fun movie to watch and rewatch.

No need to explain. I don't have kids and that's my main genre.

This is a wonderful reflection (hah, pun) of "Mulan!" This movie has such an odd relationship within the Disney community (it either inspires immense love or immense hate) and I'm always surprised at that. There's really not much to dislike about it. I kind of see it as a follow-up to "Beauty and the Beast" and a predecessor to "Frozen" with how it treats its female lead. I'm happy that Mulan herself was later inducted into the Disney Princess line, although I hate that rather than focus on her warrior traits, they instead dress her up in make-up and the fancy clothes she only wears, like, once in the film (at least Merida's in the bunch now, and she's not proving so easy to fancy-up). Back to the film, though; it's also beautiful to look at, and very much honors ('nother pun) its source material. It does definitely have a slight lack of sensitivity to the culture it's portraying, but really, what Disney feature doesn't? I'm not saying it's excusable, but certainly nothing new for Disney . . .

Nostalgia Chick hit upon nearly the same points in one of her earlier reviews.

Also Glenn Close sang the chorus of 'You'll Be In My Heart' as Tarzan's mom.

Last edited by Sam F (2014-03-03 18:22:51)

Well, I think that "Jungle Book" really started that trend and continued on under Disney's directing and guidance. My wife pointed out that "Snow White" started it but limited in characters, making it a little less of musical. Which, I think is to your point.

Jungle Book makes a good distinction in the genre due to having multiple songs for many different characters, rather than limited to the main character(s).

As for Mulan, it would be nice to see a crossover genre of toys that is a combination of GI JOES and and Disney to create a more combat style figure. But, that is just me

Quick note on Mulan that I forgot to mention. I love the casting, despite Eddie Murphy's odd humor references at times. I think the casting is really well done, has some great chemistry, especially with Mulan and her family.

I did a quick IMDB read as I watched the movie and was surprised to read who did the voice of Mulan's father, Fa Zhu. He was played by Soon Tek Oh, who started in numerous MASH episodes on TV. His last episode featured him leaving for the States to become an actor. An example of art imitating life. I also wish George Takei did more voice work as his role as the chief guardian was really well done.

I also thought the combat was more realistic than many other animated movies. Obviously it is still unrealistic but there are some moments where you see some real combat moves that could work. I like that aspect of the film too, especially in the fact that they don't make Mulan a physical power house.

Technically, the entire Hun army, save a couple of strays. You know, the whole avalanche thing.

I mean, maybe she kind of pulled a Batman in that she didn't kill them but didn't have to save them from the giant wall of snow either.

And, personally, I would not call Shan Yu incompetent so much as overconfident. He destroys the Imperial Army and would have destroyed Li's army as well if not for Mulan's avalanche. He works Li over pretty well too.

Yeah, it's cartoonish, especially towards the end but it strikes a balance with showing some of the darker aspects of war, as well as the lighter tone. I don't always like the humor as it can be too quippy but it carries through its theme and character arc all the way to the end.

And this just might be my point of view, but I don't think the danger is underplayed as much when they take the time to show a village burned to the ground and the dead Chinese army.

It could have been more but I still think it strikes a good balance between serious and silly with a lot of genuine humor and character moments.

Fly into fabulous Memphis International Airport and hear him tell you about the white zone and what not to do in it.

Tony Scott's final movie. It's a fairly effective action thriller, but not a clever one. The character stuff felt somewhat clichéd. Unstoppable is an entertaining one-time watch, but nothing to write home about.

The constantly moving camera reminds me a lot of Michael Bay. After a while it can get tedious (think Revenge Of The Fallen); fortunately, Unstoppable is only 98 minutes long.

That's surprising. I helped host a large variety of screenings during my time as a theater supervisor, but we never had orders strict as that. It was first come, first serve and we gave passes to any show for the remainder of the night to anyone who showed up too late.

As for the film itself, that's pretty much how I remember it, Marty. It was kind of cool, decent characters, but nothing overly special. Honestly, it kind of felt like a turn-of-the-century TV movie. I learned a few things about trains, so yay.

A few months ago, some Polish cities introduced mandatory waste segregation. Posters were created to promote this procedure. One of them shows a black kid and a white kid saying: "we support segregation". Talk about awkward...

Speaking of racial issues...

Decades ago, white people used to entertain their children by telling them thrilling stories about distant countries and their exotic (non-white) inhabitants. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire seems to continue that un-PC tradition by constructing a fairly tale around an existing culture. And an enjoyable fairy tale it is. If you discount the controversial portrayal of India and treat the movie as a purely fictional narrative, you won't be disappointed. It's a genuinely moving "rags to riches" story.