celluloidnotes

The Oscar nominees are in. And as I’ve said previously, oy, it was kind of a weak year at the cinema. Glad to see that The Visitor, Frozen River, and Happy-Go-Lucky all earned a nomination. Roger Deakins earned another nomination this year. Maybe it will finally be his year to win an award. He always deserves it, but if he wins it this year it’d be like spitting in the face of all of the amazing films he’s shot.

Only real disappointments: no Wallace & Gromit for short animated film and no Synecdoche, New York for best screenplay, which I think probably deserves it. Though, look at the list, this is no place for experimentation. Especially this year. Also, what the hell happened in the supporting actor category? Heath Ledger and Robert Downey, Jr. Really? I guess.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Sean Penn for Milk (2008)
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)
Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)
Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Achievement in Directing
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh
In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
The Reader (2008): David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Changeling (2008): Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister
The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Achievement in Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Milk (2008): Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra SchuttBest Achievement in Costume Design
Australia (2008): Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West
The Duchess (2008): Michael O’Connor
Milk (2008): Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky

Best Achievement in Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom
The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O’Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat
Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard
Milk (2008): Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman
WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar(”Jai Ho”)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam(”O Saya”)
WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman(”Down to Earth”)

Best Achievement in Sound
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty
WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt
Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King
Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers
WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron
The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin
Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)
Entre les murs (2008)(France)
Revanche (2008)(Austria)
Okuribito (2008)(Japan)
Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)

Best Documentary, Features
The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2008): Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath
Encounters at the End of the World (2007): Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser
The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn
Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Conscience of Nhem En, The (2008): Steven Okazaki
Final Inch, The (2008): Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant
Smile Pinki (2008): Megan Mylan
Witness from the Balcony of Room 306, The (2008): Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde

Best Short Film, Animated
La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio KatoUbornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya (2007): Konstantin Bronzit
Oktapodi (2007): Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand
Presto (2008): Doug Sweetland
This Way Up (2008): Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

Best Short Film, Live Action
Auf der Strecke (2007): Reto Caffi
Manon sur le bitume (2007): Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont
New Boy (2007): Steph Green, Tamara Anghie
Grisen (2008): Tivi Magnusson, Dorthe Warnø Høgh
Spielzeugland (2007): Jochen Alexander Freydank

The BAFTA Nominees were just announced yesterday and there are no real surprises in here outside of the number of nominations that Burn After Reading has received, which was a notably weak Coen Brothers film. Slumdog Millionaire leads the pack with eleven nominations, and seems like a sure bet on British Film of the Year. Also somewhat notable is a fair amount of nominations for The Dark Knight. There has been a lot of speculation about what the nominations The Dark Knight have really meant in regards to the year in cinema, as the film will likely receive upwards of four nominations at this years Oscars (cinematography, editing, special effects, make-up, best supporting actor, best score). Now, The Dark Knight was surely a solid film, but is it really Oscar worthy? Was it that good, or is it a particularly weak year at the the theaters? It’s probably a little of both, when films like Burn After Reading, Tropic Thunder, and In Bruges continue to get nominations throughout awards season you can only hope that next year will bring something a little more substantial.

Anyhow, the nominees:

Best film
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best British film
Hunger
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Man On Wire
Slumdog Millionaire

Leading actor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Leading actress
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Kristen Scott Thomas - I’ve Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Supporting actor
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Brad Pitt - Burn After Reading
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Supporting actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire
Tilda Swinton - Burn After Reading
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Milllionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Original screenplay
Burn After Reading - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
I’ve Loved You So Long - Philippe Claudel
Milk - Dustin Lance Black
Changeling - J Michael Straczynski

Adapted screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth
Frost/Nixon - Peter Morgan
The Reader - David Hare
Revolutionary Road - Justin Haythe
Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy

Film not in the English language
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You So Long
Persepolis
Waltz With Bashir

Animated film
Persepolis
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir

The Carl Foreman award for special achievement by a British director, writer or producer for their first feature film
Simon Chinn (Producer) Man On Wire
Judy Craymer (Producer) - Mamma Mia
!Garth Jennings (Writer) - Son of Rambow
Steve McQueen (Director/Writer) - Hunger
Solon Papadopoulos, Roy Boulter (Producers) - Of Time And The City

Music
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight - Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
Mamma Mia! - Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus
Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman
Wall-E - Thomas Newman

Cinematography
Changeling - Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister
The Reader - Chris Menges, Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle

Editing
Changeling - Joel Cox, Gary D Roach
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
The Dark Knight - Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon - Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
In Bruges - Jon Gregory
Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens

Production design
Changeling - James J Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Donald Graham Burt, Victor J Zolfo
The Dark Knight - Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
Revolutionary Road - Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
Slumdog Millionaire - Mark Digby, Michelle Day

Costume design
Changeling - Deborah Hopper
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jacqueline West
The Dark Knight - Lindy Hemming
The Duchess - Michael O’Connor
Revolutionary Road - Albert Wolsky

Sound
Changeling - Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
The Dark Knight - Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
Quantum Of Solace - Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
Slumdog Millionaire - Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
Wall E - Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

Special visual effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Barba, Craig Barron, Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
The Dark Knight - Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Pablo Helman
Iron Man - Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
Quantum Of Solace - Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

Make-up and hair
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
The Dark Knight - Peter Robb-King
The Duchess - Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
Frost/Nixon - Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
Milk - Steven E Anderson, Michael White

Short animation
Codswallop - Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
Varmints - Sue Goffe, Marc Craste
Wallace And Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death - Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker

Short film
Kingsland #1 The Dreamer - Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
Love You more - Adrian Sturges, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber
Ralph - Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
September - Stewart le Marechal, Esther May Campbell
Voyages D’Affaires (The Business Trip) - Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Noel Clarke
Michael Cera
Michael Fassbender
Rebecca Hall
Toby Kebbell

Pick of the Week:
Special
Dir. Hal Haberman Jeremy Passmore
Starring: Michael Rapaport

Michael Rapaport plays a young man who has an adverse reaction to the anti-depressants he has been prescribed and starts to believe that he is a superhero. But no one is really sure what is going on. This looks to be a funny, engaging film that is more interested in character study and what superhero mythology says about society. I’m taking this as the pick of the week. Interesting script.

Bolt
Dir. Byron Howard Chris Williams
Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman

Another kids movie that looks like it is sure to bore everyone over the age of 5.

Twilight
Dir. Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke

Based on the best-selling novel, this is a film that attempts to turn the vampire narrative on it’s side. A loner falls for a mysterious young man who turns out to be a vampire, and he tries to not bite her while everyone else is trying to and then zzzzz….

Last Week’s Top 10:
1. Quantum of Solace
2. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
3. Role Models
4. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
5. The Changeling
6. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
7. Soul Men
8. The Secret Life of Bees
9. Sax V
10. The Haunting of Molly Hartley

PICK OF THE WEEK:
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
dir. Mark Herman
Stars: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend

If you need any cue to let you know that Oscar season films are upon us this is it. The early buzz on this film seems pretty positive, sure to be a tear jerker. But then again almost all WWII films are both Oscar contenders and tear jerkers. Hopefully this will be a film that can rival Roman Polanski’s brilliant The Pianist because WWII films are often a little formulaic so that they can be: a. Oscar contenders b. tear jerkers.

Soul Men
dir. Malcolm D. Lee
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Issac Hayes

Two legends of soul music, who have not spoken in twenty years decide to reunite after the passing of their former band leader. With a plot like this and both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes passing away shortly after shooting wrapped the pressure is on both MGM and Dimension to get this film seen without appearing as though the studios are marketing this in bad taste. The verdict is still out on this.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
dir. Eric Darnell Tom McGrath
Stars: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, etc. etc.

This will certainly bring in tops at the box office this week. The highly anticipated, and highly publicized sequel to one of the biggest kids films in years is going to be a smash. If it will actually be any good remains to be seen. It’s a ridiculous question, but since we’re at the front end of Oscar season at the theaters, does this have any chance against WALL-E? Probably not.

Repo! The Genetic Opera
dir. Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Alexa Vega, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton

This horror rock opera from Saw director Bousman is going to get split reactions across the board. Some are going to hail this as the new cult classic horror film that Rocky Horror fans have been waiting for, while others are going to find that this is a big snooze fest worthy of Alien vs. Predator stature.

Role Models
dir. David Wain
Stars: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks

Judd Apatow staples take on a film worthy of their talents. A couple of energy drink salesman take on a big brother program and learn to love their new kids (and, surely, zaniness ensures). The buzz on this film is not nearly as positive as you would expect (if you expected anything at all)…and then again Paul Rudd is pretty much great in everything he is in.

House
dir. Robby Henson
Stars: Reynaldo Rosales, Heidi Dippold, Michael Madsen

And the late fall slew of crappy horror films continues. Maybe we’re wrong over here, correct that, hopefully we’re wrong, I, personally, would love a great horror film to come out, but this doesn’t sound like it will be the one.

Last Week’s Top Ten:
1. High School Musical 3
2. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
3. Saw V
4. Changeling
5. The Haunting of Mary Hartley
6. Beverly Hills Chihuahua
7. The Secret Life of Bees
8. Max Payne
9. Eagle Eye
10. Pride & Glory

Persepolis has been reviewed to death, because every time a decent animated film for adults comes out the critics have to go bat shit for it. It was clearly a great film, but a giant stir is caused every time because most people seem to forget the last time they went nuts for an animated film. Persepolis was an engaging and innovative film, so here are four other reasons to not blow off an animated film just because it’s a “cartoon.”

The Triplets of Belleville:

A brilliant animated film (also French) that was something of a precursor to this years WALL-E. Essentially a silent film, Triplets of Belleville is the story of an evil corporation that exploits and kidnaps people for personal gain, when they kidnap a young bicyclist the get more than they bargained for from his elderly mother.

Spirited Away:

Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is one of the more obvious examples of Miyazaki’s unique style of anime. This along with films like Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle are a great example of how anime can have an intelligent trajectory and be visually engaging.

Wallace and Grommit

No matter if you’re watching the shorts or the feature Wallace and Grommit are always interesting animation, and humorous, inventive stories. Nick Park’s ability to play with genre conventions, and his knowledge of film history make Wallace and Grommit a layered adventure that I have never not enjoyed.

And finally, I couldn’t really decide on a finale, so take your pick, you get the idea, this happens every year or two: South Park: the Movie, Team America, Beavis and Butthead do America, WALL-E, Shrek, and on and on…

Dreamworks attempt at chipping away at the Pixar monopoly on CGI animated features is a much larger success than one would expect. It, of course, doesn’t really hold up against WALL-E, but the star studded cast of voices and a clever story come together to make a charming, humorous film somewhat reminiscent of Pixar’s earlier incantations.

Kung-Fu Panda is the story of Po, a noodle serving Panda, raised by a goose, who is incredibly obsessed with kung-fu. The day he lies to his father and says he had his “noodle dream” – the dream which indicates the heir is ready to take on the family business – he finds out that the dragon warrior is about to be crowned. The dragon warrior is to be the greatest of all warriors, and will be given the coveted dragon scroll, an event that Po (voiced by Jack Black) must see. Things go awry for the over-weight panda and he doesn’t get there in time, and finds himself flying through the sky on a chair strapped with fire-works, and becomes the Dragon Warrior. The mishappened adventures begin there, as he undergoes training to defend the Valley of Peace against those who would like to see it undone.

The film is well put together with lots of celebrity voices that never get too distracting. At the heart of the film there is a solid story, with typical children’s fare themes, but it’s engaging nonetheless. Dreamworks puts together a solid film, with some great animation. With this film it seems as though Dreamworks is poised to challenge Pixar’s stranglehold on quality kids films. Kung-Fu Panda may not be the best children’s film of the summer, but it’s good, and most importantly it can be enjoyed by any age demographic.

For readers in the Minneapolis area:

If you are like me, you enjoy a good cup of coffee, a nice tumbler of whiskey, rain storms, and movies. Particularly movies that are not going to be found at your local Blockbuster. Also you probably enjoy all of these things at locally run businesses (damn those FOXNEWS sponsored thunderstorms…).

This isn’t just a random rant about something that pissed me off so stick with me here.

I frequented Cinema Revolution for many years - prior to moving away - it’s easily one of the best video stores (if not the best) in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and they are in trouble. The store is having some financial difficulties and I thought I’d throw something up in hopes that you value what John and Cinema Revolution do for the community as much as I do. The store is run by volunteers who support film screenings around town, host cinema discussion evenings, allow you to rent local filmmakers (often for free) and have a selection that no one else in town can compare to. So here’s a little bit of an e-mail John Koch (owner) sent out to some today, about why Cinema Revolution is important:

We believe that a local store run by live local people is something of value - a store that curates film as a gallery would curate any other form of art, a store that actively promotes film in the community, a store with a real, tangible personality. Cinema Revolution creates an artistic context for your DVD rental experience; we help guide you through innumerable choices, and celebrate films that otherwise are marginalized or ignored. We are active in the community as well. Through the nearly five years of our existence, we have shot a feature film using all local talent, we have held dozens of film screenings through Cinema des Artistes and our Film Society, commissioned new original short films from local artists, held weekly live film discussion groups, started a local record label, and have helped actively promote countless festivals, performances and screenings by local producers. It is a major part of our mission to connect, support and inspire our local artistic community. If you value what we do for the community, we ask you to please help us continue in these endeavors.

So, if you can donate a little bit to help them out, if you can’t do that, make an effort to rent some films from there, go to a screening hosted by Cinema Revolution, or participate in one of their weekly film discussions.

Here are the details sent out about how you can help out:

We are seeking to raise $5,000 by September 15th to help make our move to a new location a reality, as it cannot be done without this additional support. The suggested donation is $20 (and if 250 people can do this, we will make our goal), but please feel free to give at any level you can afford. With your collective help we can make this happen.

We are also seeking volunteers to help in this fundraising effort. If you are interested in helping out, contact john@cinemarevolution.com. We are also open to any suggestions or advice anyone may have to help us along.

In just the past two years we have lost legendary video stores Discount Video and Box Office Video. We have seen the Oak Street and Bell Auditorium film programs vanish, we have watched the entire film editorial staff at the City Pages lose their jobs, and Hollywood fare is now seeping into our beloved Lagoon Cinema. Please help keep an active, inspiring film culture alive in the Twin Cities and donate securely via PayPal today at www.cinemarevolution.com (Click on the link below).

Please note that if for any reason we do not achieve our financial goal, your generous donations will be refunded directly through PayPal. If we should raise more than our goal, the extra money will be applied to growing our movie collection to help fill our new space. Also be aware that we are not organized as a non-profit organization for tax purposes, so your donation is not tax deductible.

That’s all I’ve got, it’s well worth a little bit of your time or money to help keep filmmaking in the city alive. Adios.

WALL-E is easily the best animated film of the year, proving itself to be a more mature and well-rounded film than any of the year’s best so far, including Kung-Fu Panda. Pixar seems to have taken a whole new approach with WALL-E. They have always been a production company that likes to throw in a little something for the adults in the audience, while maintaining it’s integrity as a film for children.

WALL-E is the adventure of a small waste management robot that takes on a personality after it has been left behind on Earth. Humans have left the planet after covering it in garbage, leaving behind a small army of WALL robots that are in charge of cleaning up the mess, hoping that someday the planet will be able to support life again. WALL-E is the only robot left after hundreds of years. He and his Twinkie-eating cockroach friend seem to be the only life on Earth until EVE appears, a scouting robot hunting the galaxy for vegetation,

WALL-E naturally falls in love with the very sleek looking EVE, who seems to share a lot of characteristics with Apple products. Nonetheless, this is where their adventure begins. Soon afterwards the film becomes even more heavily politicized as after about an hour humans finally appear on the screen. They have grown fat and lazy from the ample technology at their disposal. They have no need to do anything for themselves or even interact with each other because they have allowed the very un “green” technology to rule their lives.

The first hour of the film is in near silence, at least sans-dialogue. Which is part of the brilliance of this film, it’s exciting and engaging even without dialogue, for both kids and adults. There are a lot of parallels here with Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times, Chaplin’s first sound film. Though there is sound, it is largely used for comedy and not for propelling the story, that is largely done with the visual expressions. The animation is phenomenal for this reason; even with a cast largely comprised of robots Pixar has made a cast of expressive, engaging, lovable characters that may be among their best ensembles to date. Furthermore, for the first time they have included real people in portions of the animation, again, similar to Chaplin. Chaplin only had dialogue when it was heard through a medium to show the artificial nature of its engagement. Likewise, WALL-E only allows real people to be seen through TV screens. A rather exuberant Fred Willard portrays the CEO of the world’s biggest company Buy-N-Large, no coincidentally he is also president of the United States when the world finally becomes so polluted that it is uninhabitable. This heavy stylization is surely helped in no small way by the assistance of cinematographer Roger Deakins as a visual consultant.

WALL-E is a phenomenal film for both kids an adults, constantly winking to the older member of the audience with visual references to films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and it’s rather blatant political agenda. Whether or not you have kids to take to the cinema, go see WALL-E, it will surely win the Oscar for this years Best Animated Film, and it deserves much more than that for it’s stunning visuals.