blaisepascal

My review of this movie is going to be straight to the point and from the heart, just like Rocky Balboa. I had huge expectations coming in. The Rocky series is one of my favorites, but Rocky V was such a disappointing way to end it. When I first heard about Rocky VI I, like any sane movie goer, had my doubts. But from the time I saw the first trailer on (the one that was just the close up of his eyes), I knew in my gut this would be great. Sly took the only thing left that could make Rocky the underdog once again, father time, and used it to his advantage. And most of all for me, the reason why this movie hits so close to home is because I too once lost the love of my life. I know the crushing grief that follows you around every single day as a result and Rocky Balboa captures it with tragic accuracy. This is a movie for anyone who's ever loved and not given a damn what the world thinks about them because of it. This is a movie for anyone who believes in the human spirit and living life on your own terms. This is a movie that was for me, and if there's a pulse in your body, should be for you too. Thanks Sly, you did all us Philadelphians proud one last time.

If I could use one word to sum up Nacho Libre, it would be silly. And I mean that in the best way possible. All of my favorite comedies are completely silly, and Nacho Libre is no exception. There is plenty of stuff that makes no sense, as you can pretty much tell from the first "training" scene. But the chemistry is there with the cast and the script is so off-the-wall that you have to be completely lacking a sense of humor to not crack up while watching Nacho Libre. My only slight complaint about the film is that sometimes Jack Black is a little too Jack Black and not enough Ignacio. He lays his normal schtick on a bit thick now and then and puts the character and the lucha libre storyline on the backburner. But as a fan of lucha libre I really loved the way it's portrayed in this film. There are some nice action sequences and the last fight scene is really unique and well done. Plus the Human Tornado cameo will have PWG fans marking out.

Sometimes when I read the comments people leave for silly comedies like Nacho Libre it makes me wonder why they saw the movie in the first place. What did you expect? Do you even like comedies? It seems like some people are offended when movies try to make them laugh. Why not relax and just try to have a good time? I have a hard time imagining how anyone could hate Nacho Libre. It's visually pleasing with some beautiful cinematography and fun action scenes. It has a great soundtrack that fits the unique tone of the movie perfectly. It has great performances from the entire cast, from the bit character old man who always cheers on Nacho, to Jack Black himself who despite my small criticism still gives a great performance. It has a cute little feel-good story. And it's just plain and simple a hilarious and fun film.

That is the best word I can use to describe this movie. What we have here is a visual and aural feast, with a charming plot and somewhat misguided direction.

The thing I can't understand for the life of me is how people are painting it as some sort of social commentary. The Americans are very fat... and so are the French (the ones in this movie). The French eat cheese and drink wine. The Americans eat hamburgers and there are some sleazy apartment complexes in New York. Oh what commentary! Such observations have never been made before! My feathers are rifled and my underwear is bunched!

Pardon my sarcasm, but this movie just has a very exaggerated style throughout, and in my opinion anyone who is focusing on its "criticism" of certain cultures is missing an extremely entertaining film. The Triplets features what has to be the best soundtrack I've heard in a film in quite some time, and the theme will be stuck in my head until I can get my hands on the CD (at least I hope there's a CD of the soundtrack!). The parts with the Triplets themselves are so charming, and pleasing to the ear, that I only wish they were in the movie more often.

Which ties in with my only criticism of the movie, the pacing and direction are off, as many people have commented. At times the Triplets leaves you wondering how long you'll have to wait before another brilliant scene comes along, and at other times it throws so much brilliance at you at once that you can't keep up no matter how hard you try. The story is nowhere near fleshed out enough in some areas, and far too fleshed out in others. And we need more musical numbers from the Triplets!

While the animation is jaw-dropping, and the mixing of different media such as cell shading is cutting edge, I honestly didn't care for the style of the art very much. The cyclists, in my opinion, just looked creepy. The constantly fat and/or dentally impaired characters got too over the top fairly quickly. Despite the fact I wasn't a fan of the style, I still found the film very enjoyable simply because of the quality of the animation. Also, I did enjoy watching some characters, such as the mafia goons and the grandmother.

In the end the Triplets of Belleville leaves you feeling like you just ate the most extravagant, over-indulgent, delicious cake you've ever come across. It was very lacking in the basic food groups needed to make a meal fulfilling, and you know you got very little of substance from the feast. Still, you'll be damned if you didn't stuff your face.