Quick Takes: "Bambi", "Detachment", "Mirror Mirror", "Bourne Ultimatum"

"Bambi" (1st Viewing)

Directed by David Hand

Less than two weeks past my 25 Greatest Films of All Time list, and I'm already reconsidering certain selections. For example, I suspect next year will see a marginal decrease for "The Illusionist" in lieu of its place being taken up by this more seasoned of animated delights. It's not to say "Bambi" decreases Sylvain Chomet's recent masterwork in any degree, but I can only admit a "Greatest of All Time" list is still a work in progress for me. There are blind spots to be filled, and I can't even begin to comprehend that this was one of them for so long. Who hasn't seen "Bambi", right? While I do have faint memories of childhood, they don't stand the test of time as well as recent experiences.

Something that strikes you in the first moments of the film is how layered the illustrations of these woods are, beyond simple cardboard cutout movements. The way the trees move as perspective changes is a thing of extreme beauty that no other traditional animation Disney flick has quite achieved. As years progressed, the composition of animated pictures has become very stationary and simple, whereas in "Bambi" so much is moving with the action. There's a big to-do in the first five minutes of the film that has all the animals in motion. It brings us into this graceful world with such vim and life. In replacement of overt magic, Disney has given us a more natural wonder to behold.

Academy Announces "Mirror Mirror" as Preemptive Champion!

On Friday, it seemed like the world united in a display of profound anger and hatred for Tarsem Singh's fairy tale revisioning of the classic tale of Snow White, "Mirror Mirror". It was immediately condemned as nothing more than a manipulative kids film that throws hideous visuals at children, desperate to come off as cool. Obviously, given my own perspective on the film, I do not agree with the haters. I believe the film finds small, yet broad, strokes to paint over the familiar story in a way that rings as significant for the world it is releasing onto today, as well as sneaking in some unexpected and hilarious jokes along the way. I still profess confusion as to why nobody speaks of the film's magnificently tucked-in rape joke.

It appears that the Academy agrees with me entirely, if perhaps they have taken things a bit too far this time. In a stunning show of passion and confidence, the 85th Annual Academy Awards have announced a preemptive winner for the grand majority of the categories, and that winner is "Mirror Mirror". Taking the prizes for Best Picture, Director (Tarsem Singh), Actress (Julia Roberts), Actor (Armie Hammer), Supporting Actress (Lily Collins), Supporting Actor (Nathan Lane), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Makeup, Costume Design (A well deserving Eiko Ishioka), Film Editing, Visual Effects, and controversially Best Animated Feature. A whopping record of 17 wins!

FILM REVIEW: "Mirror Mirror"

For quite some time, Tarsem Singh's joyous reiteration of the Snow White fairy tale went without a name, though I admit that I would still have been excited to see "Tarsem Singh's Untitled Snow White Project". It has kind of a jaunty ring to it, but no less than "Mirror Mirror" does. It seems like this could so easily have been titled "Snow White and the... Whatever... Just Give it a Name", but it means something to me that Tarsem took so long landing on a title for a film that was well into production, and perhaps already wrapped up shooting. It was the first thing I thought about heading into the theater, but the last thing that was decided upon. Perhaps that's because Tarsem realized the film's potential as, in itself, a sort of fun-house mirror upon the world it being released upon.

Perhaps I'm reading a deal too much into it, but "Mirror Mirror" didn't seem preoccupied with telling a simple story that's been told countless times before, or putting it into a genre context like "Snow White and the Huntsman" looks to do much later this year. It was much more of a retelling in a different context, being mindful of the landscape the film is coming out to, in both a literal and slightly sexual sense, in this day and age. Not every film would dare be so unhinged and flamboyant in every waking moment of its runtime, but Tarsem pulls it off without ever losing the heart of the film.

The Snow White in this film is cooped up in her castle by the eccentric and careless Queen Clementianna, who isn't so much evil as she is hilariously off-kilter and self-absorbed. Snow White, meanwhile, isn't turned into a one-dimensional princess with no ambition. It seems like such a simple move for her to be compassionate towards her people, but it adds a dimension to her that makes her more than just a pretty face. It's that selfless motivation that puts audience respect on her side, but there's a complexity in that she lacks the self-respect that the Queen has in spades. It's an decisive and compelling contrast that sets the board nicely.