Madagascar

Features, Shorts, Live-Action and Direct-To-Video
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Post by AniMan » June 20th, 2005, 2:12 pm

Saw Madagascar this past Saturday (6/18/05). How to sum it up? Hmmm..
I can't say it was bad. It wasn't. But I certainly can't rave about it, either. It was just.. okay. See it on video. The characters were entertaining for the most part, but the story loses focuse when we get to the island. It just seems to meander after that. The story doesn't seem to have any point or reason other than to be a jump-off point for the next gag. Bit of a disappointment. But, on a more positive note, it was leaps and bounds better than that piece of garbage Shark Tale. :lol:
Do. Or do not. There is no try.
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Heh yeah....

Post by fani » June 20th, 2005, 8:07 pm

I totally agree Ben. But you know that makes you wonder, has one of those reviwers taken ANY ENGLISH classes?

I mean most review nowadays are sarcastic rants about the movie or if they like it praise it to high heavens!! Or if it's Disney (in my country) they bash it liek no tomorrow. THey bashed EVREY SINGLE Disney animated movie in my country excpt Lilo.

Whatever happened to those GOOD reviwers in the old days

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Post by Ben » June 21st, 2005, 7:33 am

I think we get this in a couple of weeks.

Looking forward to it, in a non-hyped up kinda way. :)

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Post by ShyViolet » June 21st, 2005, 9:38 am

You know...

Opinions are opinions, and yours, with the greatest of respect, are getting really tired.

I actually agree with what he's saying in that most people do just live in the now - gawd knows how many people I know or read about who won't/can't even watch a black and white film or anything from before the 60s or 70s.

The best way I saw the Pixa/DreamWorks divide explained recently was the quote about it being like the 1930s and 40s, when the differences were between if you were a "Disney" or "Warners" type of person.

Luckily, most of us are above this and can appreciate ALL kids of animation, even those who fill themselves with pop-culture references in a bid to appeal to more families.
I get your point. Barrier actually is right about a lot of things....it was just my emotional reaction.

Anyway, I deleted the post.

I realize what I said about on-line critics was kind of insulting. I hope you didn't take that personally, I certainly didn't mean it that way. (You're better than most critics, on-line or not.)

Well, sorry for going off-topic again. :oops:


:roll:
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

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Post by PatrickvD » June 21st, 2005, 9:41 am

Saw it a few days ago. I kinda enjoyed it, the penguins are hands down the best characters in the film. Overall it's pretty good, eventhough it does loose steam once they're on the Island.

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Post by Ben » June 21st, 2005, 11:05 am

No need to delete a post - it's your opinon and right to say what you think, and I didn't take anything personal about the critic remark.

I do think critics are strange animals - they basically have a job moaning about ptojects that take ages to get made and they just pick them apart!

I think the reason I try and get underneath that - as do most at DVD Toons - is that we really understand the process and how things can get "screwed up" along the line.

It's a miracle films - particularly animation - come out as well as they do, given the crazy and disjointed way they are put together! :)

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Yeah

Post by fani » June 21st, 2005, 11:12 pm

The critics in my home country ALWAYS tear apart Dsney animated movies . They've been doing that for twenty years. The only thing that did not get any bashing is Lilo and Stitch, God knows why.

I just think most critics don;t even know how to criticise p[roperly which opinion are actually their bias and which are the actual criticism.

Plus they don't seem to take proper writing classes to actually write something decent. I remember I was reading The Toronto Star review on Polar Express it was just a rant about how she hates the movie . This could have been a nice entry on livejournal or any blogging place but my god, in a PUBLIC NEWSPAPER!!

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Post by ShyViolet » June 22nd, 2005, 11:10 am

I remember I was reading The Toronto Star review on Polar Express it was just a rant about how she hates the movie . This could have been a nice entry on livejournal or any blogging place but my god, in a PUBLIC NEWSPAPER!!
You are sooooooo right. And it's not just one newspaper or magazine, so many journalists don't know how to properly express their thoughts. Ditto non-fiction authors! I mean, one of the first things you learn about how to write an essay in High School or college is that you have to first express your viewpoint and then give reasons to back that up.

A lot of crtitics have forgotten that, or they never knew it in the first place. Yeah, even the "important" ones from the NYT, etc., feel that their big-name quality means they can say whatever they want without being clear and concise.

It's a miracle films - particularly animation - come out as well as they do, given the crazy and disjointed way they are put together
Oh, defintely. I still can't believe all the changes Aladdin went through. Ditto Beauty and the Lion King. Was Little Mermaid's production as complicated? We don't hear much about the making of that film.
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

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Post by Ben » June 22nd, 2005, 2:24 pm

Mermaid was pretty smooth I think.

Once Ashman came on board and started working with Menken on the score, the rest fell into place. It really was a simple little picture, done at an innocent time, with Ashman really taking the lead and saying "okay this needs to be the best of Disney with the best of Broadway" and just sticking to that.

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Post by fani » June 30th, 2005, 9:47 pm

In Antartica

Penguin#1: Well this sucks...

^_^

Love the film

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Post by Uli » July 1st, 2005, 3:11 am

...
Last edited by Uli on May 25th, 2007, 8:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Ben » July 1st, 2005, 1:38 pm

Only a couple weeks more to go...

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Post by Uli » July 2nd, 2005, 12:55 pm

...
Last edited by Uli on May 25th, 2007, 8:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Ben » July 10th, 2005, 6:05 pm

Well, got back from a preview screening this afternoon...

Funny. Funny flick, and possibly DreamWorks' wittiest. But talkie, very talkie and it could have done with a set piece or two sprinkled throughout. A spike or two of excitement would have gone a long, long way.

Voices: Good - I knew who they all were but it didn't encrouch on my enjoyment. Even Stiller, of whom I have grown very tired of his schtick, was an addition to the enjoyment.

Score: as is more and more the case - simple, forgettable Zimmer music that is servicable for the film, but not much else.

Gags: fun, though I can't but help comment on the usual burb/fart gags and the fact that I can just see kids all over the place spitting out their drinks at home!

Animation: the most fluid and attractive of all the DreamWorks pictures, with a wonderful style that was apparent from the first images and trailers.

There's much more to say, but I liked it. The Penguins stole the show easily, much more so than the Lemurs, who got on my nerves after a bit (the spirit of Peter Sellers only goes so far).

Best bit: Antarctica... "Wow, this sucks!" ;)

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Post by PatrickvD » July 11th, 2005, 8:00 am

Ben wrote:Well, got back from a preview screening this afternoon...

Funny. Funny flick, and possibly DreamWorks' wittiest. But talkie, very talkie and it could have done with a set piece or two sprinkled throughout. A spike or two of excitement would have gone a long, long way.

Voices: Good - I knew who they all were but it didn't encrouch on my enjoyment. Even Stiller, of whom I have grown very tired of his schtick, was an addition to the enjoyment.

Score: as is more and more the case - simple, forgettable Zimmer music that is servicable for the film, but not much else.

Gags: fun, though I can't but help comment on the usual burb/fart gags and the fact that I can just see kids all over the place spitting out their drinks at home!

Animation: the most fluid and attractive of all the DreamWorks pictures, with a wonderful style that was apparent from the first images and trailers.

There's much more to say, but I liked it. The Penguins stole the show easily, much more so than the Lemurs, who got on my nerves after a bit (the spirit of Peter Sellers only goes so far).

Best bit: Antarctica... "Wow, this sucks!" ;)
LOL I totally agree, that was the best bit and the penguins did completely steal the show. I was also afraid Ben Stiller's character would get on my nerves, but out of all the voice actors he did the best job. Alex, the Lion had the most personality out of all the characters. He was very funny. My only complaint is that it was kinda short and it sorta looses steam once they get to the Island. This is in my opinion, hands down, the best Dreamworks flick yet. Unlike the Shrek films, this one genuinely made me laugh.

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