Coraline (2009)

In 2002, I discovered the cunning and creepy book Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Even as an adult, I was completely scared by the book. Just this Friday, the film version was released in theaters. The film version is on par with the book in its excellence. In 3D, the movie is an amazing, fun-filled experience.

Coraline is about a little girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who moves to a new house. She hates her parents who refuse to pay attention to her and is completely bored by her new surroundings. One day, she stumbles upon a portal. Everything seems the same except that the people have button eyes. What she didn't know was that her other mother (voiced by Teri Hatcher) has other evil means for her.

In 3D, the film is absolutely beautiful. If you ever have seen a film shown in REAL-D technology, you know what it is like, but for those who don't, it is like real life. The movie honestly looks like there are drawn out actors right in front of your eyes. Seeing this makes me regret my decision not to see My Bloody Valentine in 3D, but from the looks of it, Monsters Vs. Aliens and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs look promising in 3D.

Aside from all that, the stop motion animation is great. It is hard to believe this wasn't done on the computer. That's just how good it is. Henry Selick, the man behind The Nightmare Before Christmas (and not Tim Burton contrary to belief), manages to scare the audience with this without even breaking a sweat. Also, the animation looks even better in 3D.

If you haven't figured it out yet, see the film if possible in 3D. If not, the film is amazing as well in 2D. Neil Gaiman's book has gotten a great adaptation for the screen. It has in no way lost its creepiness and intrigue. Coraline will definitely follow in the tracks of Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas by becoming a cult classic and selling clothes at Hot Topic.

Perspolis (2007)

Persepolis, an often banned book, has made its way to the big screen in a powerful way. The film carries all the artistic elements from the book. The viewer easily relates to our main character and we become completely engrossed in the movie.

Persepolis is autobiographical story of the author of the book, Marjane Satrapi. Chiara Mastroianni voices her as a girl living in Tehran during the turbulent 80's. Marjane quickly realizes what is going on around her and tries to participate in the revolution. Through this, she realizes the struggles in life and love.

The movie is flawless aside from one thing, the fact that they barely changed the graphic novel. Though it may be artistic and great, why make an animated movie out of an already drawn book? Still, it is very interesting and quite well done. I can't deny it.

Persepolis is gripping and powerful. The animation is great and a treat to watch. The stark black and white contrasts well with the few scenes in color. The movie's acting and message are excellent. Though not much work may have been done to adapt the graphic novel, it still winds up being great.

WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E is an undeniably cute Pixar movie with a surprising message. It brings a new twist to the computer animated genre by bringing film back years ago, all the way back to the silent age. It is easily one of the best of the year so far (but we'll see after Australia, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and Revolutionary Road).

WALL-E is the very sweet story of a robot named WALL-E. He lives all by himself on Earth crushing trash into cubes. He also watches Hello Dolly! and finds new uses for laptops. One day, a robot named EVE lands on Earth looking for the last living plant there and WALL-E falls in love. The two (and the viewer) are whisked away into a world stretching across space where the only humans surviving are lazy people who no longer walk.

WALL-E includes barely any dialogue. Most of the dialogue is uttered by the two robots and the only words are "WALL-E" and "EVE". It's great, but not something that many people will enjoy. Many people can't take a silent film because they say it's boring. Hopefully, this will change that.

This movie is surprisingly an environmental message movie. It continues to amaze me that Pixar decided to make a message movie. A great idea! They should continue to do this because hopefully it will raise awareness.

WALL-E is a journey that is perfect for families. It, like all other Pixar movies, will take you into a new, beautiful world you've never seen before. This may will take quite a few awards in award season, no doubt, yet, of course, it should but won't win best picture. Too bad.