How to Train your Dragon.

When I first saw the trailer for How to Train your Dragon I was skeptical. It looked liked your average kids film. Boy was I wrong. This movie was amazing. The voice acting was great, the music was great, and the story was surprisingly deep. Everyone, including adults, will find something they love about this film. The only drawback is that it can get a little intense and scary at points, so I would recommend not taking children under the age of 6-7.

The film follows a young Viking named Hiccup who, unlike the other Vikings, is scrawny and more brains than brawn. Due to this, he is never allowed to help fight the dragons whenever they attack. One day, he builds a contraption to shoot dragons out of the sky and as luck would have it, it works. After seeing the injured dragon that he took down, he has a change of heart and lets it free. Thus a new friendship begins. Not to spoil anything, but this is one of the few movies that has made me cry.

The voice work was phenomenal. Hiccup and his father (voiced by Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler respectively) are both great. With Hiccup, you get the feeling that he’s an out of the ordinary and not respected young man who wants to make a name for himself. Although he has minimal lines, Butler shows he has a knack for a more serious role. America Ferrera plays the love interest Astrid. She is portrayed as a tough character who wants to be the best, and she does a really good job of it. The comic relief is done very well, and never overstays its welcome. Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse/McLovin) and the fraternal twins Tuffnut and Ruffnut (TJ Miller and Kristen Wiig respectively). The humor is mostly physical, which works well in the Viking setting.

The cgi and camerawork were phenomenal, especially in 3D. I’m mostly against 3D in films, but the flying sequences (along with the accompanying music) were breathtaking. At one point, Toothless narrowly escapes a crash by pulling sharply up. When he pulls up, you can actually see the wind trailing behind his wings. The 3D was used to great effect and was not the gimmicky “throw stuff at the screen” type. It made you feel immersed in the universe. During one of the flying sequences, Toothless glides across the water and it “splashes” you. It's hard to explain, but it was a great immersive experience.

One of the movies strongest points was the music. John Powell has crafted an amazing score. The music that plays during the above mentioned flying sequences is some of the best I have heard in ages. It really makes you believe you’re flying too. I have had the main theme blasting on my computer for more than 2 hours. That alone should tell you how much I loved it.

There is really not much else I can say other than go see this movie. Make sure you see it in 3D. You will not be disappointed. It’s one of Dreamworks best movies in a long time.

The lack of updates lately.

One of the least fun things about being an independent critic is the fact that I have to pay for all the movies I see out of my own pocket. Shitty movies rank in a very close second. As of late, I haven't had the money necessary to see every new movie that's coming out. My next one SHOULD be How to Train your Dragon, and it should be posted on Sunday. Until then, continue to watch good movies. oh and continue to not support the ones that deserve a spot in the deepest reaches of Hell!

Alice in Wonderland; a huge visual treat, but lacking in the other departments.

I wanted to love this movie. It seemed like the perfect match for Tim Burton's visual and storytelling style. Unfortunately though, it lacks in everything but the visuals.

The story was good, back when it was American McGee's Alice. I would have loved to see Burton tackle that, but instead he pussified it to make a more family oriented film. In doing so, it lost much of the charm it originally had. Now that I have bitched about stealing the story, it would probably be wise to explain what it actually is. Alice is all grown up and is forced into an arranged marriage (her family died in a fire and she became suicidal in the game) but during the ceremony she runs away to follow the White Rabbit (played brilliantly by Michael Sheen). Soon after, she finds herself in a Wonderland taken over by the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter). The interesting thing about this movie is that it seemed to focus on he Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp). This is more than likely for marketing reasons. What better to sell a movie than to focus on the big name actors! This may come across as harsh, and I don't apologize for it. The story was fucking awful To end this, the pacing was just rushed. It barely had any development.

The actual acting was all over the place. Mia Wasikowska, who played Alice, was just bad. Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp were good as usual, but they didn't do anything different form their usual Burton Characters. The big standout was Alan Rickman as the Blue Caterpillar. Christopher Lee was also good, and I won't spoil who he plays.

The music, for the most part, was competent. It was refreshing to see Danny Elfman do a good job after the horrid Wolfman soundtrack. It was creepy and foreboding, but also fast paced and heroic when it needed to be.

Now for the cream of the crop; the visuals. There were a few a black sheep, like the completely cg creatures. They just didn't mix with the live action actors, for the most part. My personal favorite was the Jabberwocky. It was very faithful to Lewis Carol's original concept art for it and my god it was awesome. Wonderland itself was well done. It really fit Burton's style for mindfuck moments. This is one of the few movies that I can recommend solely based on visuals.

There's really not much else I can say about this movie other than go see it if you're a fan of great visuals. If you're expecting an amazing story or acting, go see Shutter Island instead.