Lady and the Tramp - 9 stars out of 10

Lady and the Tramp - 9 stars out of 10

“Lady and the Tramp” has everything that you’d expect from a Disney classic.  Cute characters, comedy, good voice acting, a memorable moment, and a happy ending.  But the details are what set this film apart from the others.  Long before Steven Spielberg had the idea to shoot “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” from a child’s viewpoint by lowering the height of the cameras, Walt Disney animated “Lady and the Tramp” from a dog’s perspective.  The animators created models of the house and took pictures from low angles to help transport us into the dog world.  Very little of the humans’ faces are shown to keep the film’s perspective within the canine community.  This film is Disney animal animation at its finest, highlighting the natural appearance of different dog breeds while characterizing them through their stereotypes (English bulldog, Chihuahua, and my favorite: Jock the Scottish terrier).  The stereotypes extend to the other animals, especially the Siamese cats and the beaver.  The zoo creates a perfect setting for a “Bambi sequence,” in which the animators have a chance to show off their skills through realistic animal movement, while the script ties the scene into the plot through Lady’s muzzle.  The film is very clever, using the shadows in the pound to make all of the dogs appear to be wearing stripes, and creating harmony in the songs through the barking and howling of the characters.  One thing that I love about this story is that it is very honest.  The opening scene where Darling receives Lady in a hat box was inspired by a gift exchange between Walt and his wife, and Walt uses his fond memory to remind us of our own sentimental experiences with dogs.  I also think that the love story is very pure as it is experienced by two dogs that do not have any ulterior motives.  That is why the spaghetti scene has become one of the most iconic love scenes in all of film – their love is completely innocent.  I also believe that this film speaks to adults who can relate to a dog becoming less of a priority once a child arrives, and the writers purposefully cue the adults in to what the change is between Jim Dear and Darling before it is made obvious to children.  The comic treatment of pregnancy is definitely memorable.  The voice acting is fantastic with Barabara Luddy (Kanga, Merryweather, Mother Rabbit in “Robin Hood”) as Lady, Bill Thompson (White Rabbit, Mr. Smee) in five different roles that required five different accents (Cockney, Irish, Scottish, German, and Italian), Verna Felton (Fairy Godmother, Queen of Hearts, Dumbo’s Mother) as Aunt Sarah, and Thurl Ravenscroft (singer in many Disney films) as the alligator.  I believe that a lot of the Disney magic from the 50’s through the 70’s comes from the various combinations of these refined voice actors.  It is also worth noting that Alan Reed (the voice of Fred Flintstone) voiced a character in this film 5 years prior to the release of “The Flintstones.”  While this film doesn’t have a lot of Disney’s most well-known musical hits, the songs are very beautiful.  From the opening sequence that places an original song overtop of Silent Night to the magical atmosphere created by Bella Note and the dog back-up singers in He’s A Tramp, I find this to be one of the most underrated Disney soundtracks.  When you compare this film to “Oliver and Company,” it is amazing how superior one dog film can be to another.  “Lady and the Tramp” is the complete package and should not be looked over when listing the Disney masterpieces.

[Pictured: How could I post any other picture with this review?]

Spice World - 3 stars out of 10

Spice World - 3 stars out of 10

“Spice World” is far from a great film.  These girls aren’t actors and the story is a means to an end.  What “Spice World” DOES accomplish is the cultural preservation of the late 90’s Spice Girls phenomenon.  The film doesn’t really have a plot; in fact, it is more of an anti-plot as the random flashbacks and dream sequences try to create some semblance of a story but just make everything more disjointed than before.  The lack of action brings all of the attention to the personalities of the girls.  If you don’t have a favorite before watching this, you will after (or you will just despise them all, but they are actually pretty likable).  Despite the disdain of critics, this film was a box office smash.  While the Spice Girls have become a forgotten chapter in pop history, I appreciate that this film allows them to live on and serves as a reminder of how big they actually were.  If nothing else, “Spice World” will make you pull out your old Spice Girls cassettes and rock out to Wannabe like it’s 1996.

[Pictured: ...how did this look normal in the 90's?]

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - 10 stars out of 10

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - 10 stars out of 10

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” lives up to the high expectation set by “X-Men: First Class.”  This series, a prequel to the trilogy that was made from 2000-2006, explores the origins of the characters and the challenges faced at Charles Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.  However, it is clear that this is more than a stand-alone trilogy.  “Days of Future Past” has creatively connected the dots between the old trilogy and the new trilogy, something that I am not sure has ever been done.  Bryan Singer has somehow found a way to meld the young X-Men into a plot with their elder alter-egos, which could technically make this film a fourth installment in the original trilogy rather than a second installment in the prequel trilogy.  More importantly for X-men fans, this could even explain away the highly controversial main character killing spree in “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006).  I couldn’t help but walk away from this film thinking about how the connection between trilogies is genius (and how the confusing title is actually a perfect description of the film).  The story itself is really interesting too, using knowledge of future events to help Charles pull his life together and to show the duality of Magneto and Charles being friends and foes.  All of the acting is well executed from James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence to Patrick Stewart and Ellen Page.  I think that everybody will fall in love with Quicksilver’s powers as they provide comedy while being integral to the plot and really cool.  His orchestrated escape from the Pentagon is one of the greatest sequences of special effects that I have ever seen.  That will always be the iconic scene of this movie.  I also appreciate that all loose ends were taken care of, particularly the explanation that the altered history’s effects on the future aren’t applied until Wolverine wakes up, and the fact that Hugh Jackman is the only actor to cross over between trilogies since Wolverine ages at such a slow rate.  “X-Men: Days of Future Past” is basically flawless but will be very confusing if you do not have any knowledge of the original trilogy.

[Pictured: One of the best scenes from the entire X-Men franchise]

Five Easy Pieces (1970) - 3 stars out of 10

Five Easy Pieces (1970) - 3 stars out of 10

“Five Easy Pieces” was a total disappointment.  Perhaps I had a false expectation after reading the synopsis, but that is no excuse to create a movie in which nothing really happens.  I had so much hope that the story would use classical music as a means of understanding the characters’ quirks or as redemption for one of them, but their musical fame had nothing to do with who they were or how the story play out.  They could have been professional bowlers or card players for all we care, and the story would’ve worked out the same way.  The biggest draw for this film is its interesting characters; unfortunately, they are unutilized.  The story is composed of uneventful travel, random sex, and sporadic yelling instead of interesting character transformations.  The performances of Jack Nicholson and Karen Black are impressive and their Oscar nominations are understandable, but I have a hard time rationalizing the nomination for Best Picture.  Perhaps I just need to go watch “Music of the Heart” to get my fix of sentimental music journeys, but “Five Easy Pieces” left me wanting more.

[Pictured: One of the only interesting things to happen during this movie]