Film Review: "Brave" (***)

I realize that after a film as bad as "Cars 2", many were looking for Pixar's next to be a rousing and masterful return to form for the company that has put forth multiple genuine masterpieces in its relatively short lifespan. Apparently it's some great fault on the studio's part for not turning out another absolute masterpiece just two years after their last brilliant film. One can't comment positively on this film without mentioning the irritating barbs it's received over this past week. For one thing, you can't proclaim a studio's decline on the shortcomings of a single film. You can't even proclaim a director's, for that matter. People should remember pretty freshly that shortly after making "Hulk", Ang Lee went on to make something as great as "Brokeback Mountain".

"Cars 2" may be the "Hulk" in this situation, but saying "Brave" is the metaphorical equivalent to Lee's 2005 60s set romance could be an overstatement. It lands more favorably in relation to "Taking Woodstock", a film of Lee's where he wasn't attempting a masterpiece. He was doing something different. Similarly, "Brave" doesn't hit the same notes as has been known in Pixar's history, but it's not trying to. As a matter of fact, I can only think to applaud them for going so bravely outside their narrative and technical comfort zone to attempt something like this. It's not what you expected, but when has that ever been a bad thing?

"Anna Karenina" Trailer

Can I be perfectly honest in saying that "Anna Karenina" sounds particularly all over the place, even if it does have the potential to be wildly gorgeous thanks to cinematography by Seamus McGarvey and Joe Wright's natural sensibilities? I have a tendency to distrust films with Jude Law in the cast, which is no mark against him. It's just that they often don't know what to do with him. This seems like similar terrain, since Aaron Johnton is given more focus than Law. Johnston is an odd actor, and tends to feel rather too timid in all his performances. I know it sounds like I'm declaring war against "Anna Karenina" from the start, but this could be the boring period spectacle that the Academy just fawns over. In fact, I'm certain it will be.

"Brave" Trailer

I'm not going to start placing bets on the latest film in Pixar's canon of releases, going now into the realms of mythic Scotland. Is this trailer somewhat disappointing? Yes, and I had been looking forward to "Brave" after that initial teaser. However, the trailer also doesn't give us a single hint of what the film is actually about. It's in Scotland. There's a princess. She's a ginger. There's a bear. That's it. And we're not likely to get a trailer that reveals anything important until next year, by which time I won't be watching trailers at all. So I can say my expectations have been slightly aired out, but I'm still generally interested.

Film Review: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (**1/2)

Within minutes of returning home from seeing the eighth and final Harry Potter film, I started tweeting away my untarnished thoughts on the event. I only got out three slight jabs, as I realized how many people on the receiving end of them were probably massive fans of the books and the films. I was suspended in disbelief when all the positive reviews came flowing in, because it does seem curious for a film series that's garnered quite a bit of critical recoil in the past to suddenly get all this buzz. It goes to show how the weight of hype and expectation can forcibly change an experience. Oddly enough, it didn't change mine. How I saw the film the first time is how I'll always see it, and trying to deny that is foolhardy.

The proudest jab, and somehow compliment, that I laid out on Twitter early this morning was "I feel like 'Deathly Hallows: Part 2' is the perfect companion piece for 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'." I meant that in the best respect to "Transformers" and the worst respect to "Potter". That's largely because both films are so completely obsessed with that final battle, where everything blows up and the ultimate stakes are at risk. After taking care of that final mission in Gringotts, which is surprisingly one of the more favorable parts of the film, they just rush on over to Hogwarts, and then everything goes off like clockwork,

By "clockwork", I mean unyielding and extremely flawed if you throw in the wrong cog. The thing with the Transformers comparison is that while both go into the final battle with urgency, we never get a sense of exactly what we have to lose in Potter. Yes, it's the final war of the wizarding world, and in fact the muggle world as well, but we never once get any sense of extreme danger. In fact, in David Yates' intention to move things along quickly, the battle feels way too small and glossed over. We barely even see the full extent of it. He instead decides to dwell too long on plot details that could've been given a little less time and devotion. Occasionally the film moves too rapidly, and then it just slows to a sluggish crawl.

New Developments on Pixar's "Brave"

It can't be said that Pixar is venturing into new territory with this year's Cars 2, because the first film was extremely generic and the sequel is shaping up to be just as uninspired. I know you're probably saying that it's Pixar and they will salvage it in some way, but I just don't think they will. So if this year is shaping up to be a massive letdown, we can take comfort in knowing that next year is bringing us two promising features, one of which is another sequel which may or may not turn out useless, Monster's Inc. 2. The other is Brave, the first fairy tale from the animation studio as well as the first film of theirs starring a female protagonist. I honestly didn't notice that until now, but up to this point it has been all male protagonists. It doesn't mean the company has been sexist in the past, but I think they just never got around to it.

Sure the whole Disney princess thing has been done time and time again, but not so much like this. For one thing, we have confirmation that Reese Witherspoon will not be playing the protagonist. Instead the Scottish tomboyish princess will be voiced by similarly Scottish Kelly MacDonald (No Country for Old Men). This is something I'm very excited about because it continues to prioritize Pixar putting suitable voices to certain characters, rather than just hiring famous actors to do the roles. The only time I can recall most assuredly in the past where Pixar put star quality over suitability to the role was assigning Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy as the two main characters in Cars. They were just preparing us for that film to disappoint.

Brenda Chapman was originally slated to direct the film, making her Pixar's first female director, but she pulled out unknown reasons. She'll still be listed as co-director, much like Jan Pinkava was credited as co-director of Ratatouille from before Brad Bird came in, but Mark Andrews will be the surrogate director bringing this film to term. Andrews directed the splendid Pixar short One Man Band, and I expect him to do a more than admirable job with Brave. Providing that Cars 2 is the fall from grace that I expect it to be, Brave could be a return to form. I still prefer its former title of The Bear and the Bow, but I'll forgive it. Pixar has released a few nice pieces of art direction for the film, and it sets the scale for a lovely feature. The previously mentioned short film One Man Band is embedded below in case you need further proof of the director's suitability to this film.