038. Brave

038. (28 Jan) Brave (2012, Brenda Chapman) 41



Mildly amusing if Merida's read as a character concealing her lesbianism while helping her mother come to terms with it. If this is just generic feminist filmmaking, it's far less interesting. Less ambitious than most Pixar fare, Brave has fewer opportunities to fall flat on its face. It's still not particularly enjoyable, with a completely lame plot, unnecessary violence against women, and a tacked-on ending. Still, I've had a far worse time watching more grating Pixar.

037. Frankenweenie

037. (28 Jan) Frankenweenie (2012, Tim Burton) 36



It's not shocking that Frankenweenie is so dull and joyless, as Tim Burton doesn't direct anything but nowadays, but considering the film's targeted at young children you'd think it'd at least hold some intrigue. Hideously designed characters unable to emote make this deeply unpleasant from the start. But the film's themes of death and grief aren't doing it any favors. There's some amusement in hearing one of the sad sack kids say, "I welcome death." The funniest bit involves sharp-toothed mutant sea monkeys, but amusing moments could be listed on one hand. I pity the kids whose parents dragged them to this.

009. ParaNorman

009. (12 Jan) ParaNorman (2012, Chris Butler & Sam Fell) 40



Even in its efforts to be progressive, masking one of the leads as a homosexual who looks like half of West Hollywood, ParaNorman misses the mark. The characters are bland and the few who get an actual arc don't get a convincing one. That's what happens when your script is one nonstop chase scene. Nods here and there to Halloween or Night of the Living Dead are more obligatory than clever, as the film tries to pay its due as a watered down horror movie for children. Wreck-It Ralph may have been clumsy with its anti-bullying message, but it wasn't this grating. The characters are hideously designed, but there are some interesting visuals like ominous clouds that announce the arrival of the film's villain.

007. The Pirates! Band of Misfits

007. (12 Jan) The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012, Peter Lord) 34



There's some humor in making Queen Victoria villainous while these earnest pirates are too amiable for their own good. Unfortunately, the film is fairly dreadful on every front from terrible voice acting to lame jokes to an ugly aesthetic. Not to oversell Nick Park's work, but this has none of that charm. It's actually frustrating how unfunny this is considering it stole an Oscar nomination from The Rabbi's Cat.

313. Wreck-It Ralph

313. (22 Dec) Wreck-It Ralph (2012, Rich Moore) 50



Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch seem like they're in competition to give the worst voice performance. Other than that, this is generally inoffensive. The throwbacks to video games of my childhood are rather enjoyable, but they're references that are surely lost on the targeted audience. The anti-bullying message is very "in," but clumsily handled. The enjoyable and varied set pieces keep this from being a slog.

298. Rango

298. (02 Dec) Rango (2011, Gore Verbinski) 50



The eccentric, mildly amusing humor of Rango might've sustained it for an hour, but it certainly wears out its welcome with that extra 45 minutes. There's some impressive use of animation, particularly in how well-utilized water is. This looks infinitely better than the ugly aesthetic of Pixar flicks. The tacked-on environmentalist message is unnecessary.

050. Chico & Rita

050. (11 Feb) Chico & Rita (2011, Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal & Fernando Trueba) 38



The aesthetic here is reminiscent of Waltz with Bashir, which is hardly high praise. The content is far frothier, centering around a decades-long love affair between a Cuban singer and pianist. If the passage of time and character relationships were at all well-established, the film might not be so jarring and impossible to connect to. As it is, this has a nice interlude or two, but it's mostly grating considering how sexy and romantic the film thinks it is.

040. A Cat in Paris

040. (03 Feb) A Cat in Paris (2011, Jean-Loup Felicioli & Alain Gagnol) 66



Easily one of the nicest surprises of the 2011 Oscar nominees, it's hard to imagine something more deserving than A Cat in Paris edging out trash like Happy Feet 2. With some genuinely great gags and a fairly ingenious plot that centers around a feline with a double life, the film overcomes the shortcomings of the aesthetic. It's exciting and engaging even if the twists and turns are a tad too convenient. Considering most of the film takes place in a few hour span, it's all the more remarkable how quickly these 70 minutes fly by. Serge Besset's enthralling score is one of the very best of the year.

033. Kung Fu Panda 2

033. (28 Jan) Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011, Jennifer Yuh) 28



The first Kung Fu Panda looked cheap and ugly, so it's irritating that this is more of the same. The gags here are outright awful; there's not a genuinely funny joke in the film's runtime. The voice cast is among the most underwhelming in animation's history.

The plot unfolds terribly. Action sequences become anticlimactic because of the poorness with which their handled. The characters are at the top of a collapsing tower, for instance, and somehow manage to easily slide off a building's roof below after falling more than a dozen stories. That's stupid, but what's far more objection is how the film's final moments set up another sequel.

498. Puss in Boots

498. (25 Dec) /Puss in Boots/ (2011, Chris Miller) 60



So the only 2011 releases I've done rewatches of were The Tree of Life and this. Interesting priorities on my part.

477. Puss in Boots

477. (23 Nov) Puss in Boots (2011, Chris Miller) 60



Wisely distancing itself from the Shrek franchise from which it spun off, Puss in Boots never even considers mentioning pop culture humor. There's a timelessness to its humor as a result, making it astonishingly fun and lighthearted. The aesthetic is impressive, utilizing some complicated and wonderfully animated tracking shots. I do, however, admittedly have a penchant for movies with cats.