The Iron Giant   ...   movie reviews , spoiler_medium
sat 2005-may-28 13:10:03 pdt   ...   permalink

Monday we watched The Iron Giant. It's written and directed by Brad Bird, who later did The Incredibles (though this one is traditional animation).

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( thing that actually spoiled it for me a little )
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In any case, it is quite well done. It's one of those stories that's written for children, but without being too simplistic. Actually, come to think of it, I guess it is somewhat simplistic in that the characters do fit "good guys vs. bad guys" archetypes. So I guess what I really mean to say is just that although it's clearly intended for children, as with The Incredibles, it's compelling enough for grownups too. (Although it's certainly not as good as The Incredibles.)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy   ...   movie reviews , spoiler_medium
sun 2005-may-01 11:24:52 pdt   ...   permalink

So friday night we went to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and naturally we brought our towels. As a long-time fan of the books, I of course had high hopes for the film version, though I tried not to set my expectations too high for fear of being disappointed.

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( more details )
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So in the end I was not in the least disappointed. It not only lived up to my hopes, it actually exceeded them: I thought it was brilliantly done, and captures the spirit and humor of the books beautifully. My biggest complaint was simply that it ended too soon -- I wanted more.