Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2009-09-29 10:20 am
matt_zimmer) wrote2009-09-29 10:20 am
Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Heroes, Smallville, Dollhouse, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, and the first episode of The Cleveland Show.
Wallac & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death
VERY cool Aardman stop-motion cartoon. I have always loved Wallace and Gromit and I think Nick Park is a genius. This one was a little different from the cartoons that came before it in that the ending has some bittersweet pathos in it and is somewhat moving. Granted, the feature film Curse Of The Were-Rabbit also had some touching stuff in it but that was completely balanced out by the silliness of bunnies spouting rainy tears. Here Fluffle's pain is real and you completely believe that the short is about to give her a sad ending.
I'm a little bit miffed at them giving Wallace a new girlfriend. Granted, making her the serial killer was probably the thing that made the plot move forward, but what happened to the lady-friend he hooked up with at the end of Curse of the Were-Rabbit? I really liked her and I would have liked to have seen her (and Thatch) again although it's pretty clear that each Wallace and Gromit short has only VERY loose continuity with each other.
I also really really appreciated the characterizations of both Wallace and Gromit here. When Wallace believes Gromit has bitten Piella he becomes bewildered and disappointed rather than outright mean which is something that always happened in those annoying Pluto cartoons with Mickey Mouse. And I love Gromit's conscience which is something the writers could have EASILY forgotten for a cheap joke involving a dog using the bomb to blow up kittens. I LOVE that they didn't even try to make a joke about going there because it makes Gromit look VERY noble (which he is). Although the people of Yorkshire might not think so (that was hilarious).
I think that Gromit not being able to talk is one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses because this inability obvious frustrates him and if he was able to the cartoon would end in five minutes. Strengths because it makes the animators going to absolutely heroic lengths to makes him the most expressive cartoon character of all time. You know exactly what he is thinking even if Wallace doesn't. My favorite Gromit expression for this film was when he was gingerly, and insincerely, comforting Wallace after Piella dumped him. That was hilarious too.
Random Thoughts: This reminded me a lot of Flushed Away in the fact that this seemed to really use more pop-culture gags than the previous shorts or movies (including Chicken Run). Granted, Flushed Away used a LOT more but they were pretty noticable (and funny) here. I loved the "Ghost" reference.
I'm glad Gromit was the one to find a true lady friend in Fluffles. Her character was so great because at first you didn't quite understand why she was so afraid to connect with anyone until it's revealed her owner was the killer. GREAT forshadowing for a the twist.
I think my ranking of the Wallace and Gromit cartoons goes like this:
1. The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit
2. The Wrong Trousers
3. A Matter Of Loaf And Death
4. A Close Shave
5. A Grand Day Out
So even though this wasn't my favorite of the Wallace and Gromit cartoons (the climaxes of Were-Rabbit and Trousers were both more exciting) it's still one of the best cartoons I've seen in a long time. Even though Aardman doesn't have Pixar's track-record for box office hits, it definitely shares it's penchance for quality. A wonderful cartoon. ****1/2.
How They Donut: The Making of "A Matter of Loaf and Death": Cool featurette on Nick Park but I have to wonder why it was in widescreen when the American DVD of the film was in full-screen. It makes you feel cheated to see all of these beautiful shots in widescreen when the feature itself is cropped off at the sides. ****.
Shaun the Sheep: Bonus Episode: "Off the Baa!": Cabbage football! This short is a little boring when compared to the Wallace And Gromit stuff but it's cute and charming none-the-less. I really like the pigs and Shaun himself is adorable. I REALLY hope a season set of this show comes out soon or I will be sorely tempted to pick up the four volumes (Off the Baa!, Back In The Ba-a-th, Sheep On The Loose, Little Sheep Of Horrors). I've only seen one or two of the shorts on Disney Channel and I'd love to own a big collection of them. ****.
Shaun The Sheep: Off The Baa! Trailer: Very cute and funny. ****1/2.
A Matter of Loaf and Death DVD Menu: Too much emphasis on trailers (which sort of makes the FastPlay option pointless) and I've always considered main menus that automatically play the movie if you leave them on too long a no-no (Warner Home Video is the most guilty of this). Plus, maybe I was spoiled by the animated menus of Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away but the static menu here seems a HUGE step backwards for Aardman. *.
Heroes "Ink"
VERY interesting stuff involving Peter and Samuel (T-Bag). The idea that Peter could get sued for his troubles is an interesting angle that superhero cartoons or shows (with the notable exception of The Incredibles) don't deal with all too often. I also hope that Peter's partner's suspicions that Peter is causing the accidents is further explored as that a neat angle too.
The deaf woman's ability is amazing. The ability to see sound is just great and her realizing how to use it for the first time with the cello was absolutely moving. It was also nice to see Louise Fletcher getting work especially since the character she played here was benevolent for once.
Matt and Sylar this week was tragic. I actually hope Matt goes back to New York soon to undo what he did. Yeah, Sylar's a serial killer but Angela and HRG had NO right to ask him to do what he did especially since he's the one who has to live with the consequences. I think an opportunity for him to reverse it could come the next time Angela calls him for a "retouch".
Am I the only one who thinks setting up Sylar as Nathan's replacement is a TERRIBLE idea? It occurs to me the amount of damage Sylar could do as a U.S. Senator if he ever broke free from Matt's spell and that there wouldn't be an easy way for Angela and HRG to remove him from that position if he "woke up". Even worse, would be if he woke up and Angela and HRG weren't aware of it. I don't think they'll make things THAT dire but I honestly think Angela and HRG need their heads examined.
I hate Gretchen. She is SO annoying and I'm saddened that the producers seem to be setting up a romance between her and Claire. She's the new West. What happened to that underwater kid? He was cool and I'd love to see him and Claire hook up.
Good episode this week. ****.
Smallville "Savior"
Liked this. Not bad. Chloe is no longer an idiot and it's been a LOOONG time since we've seen the entire cast in a single episode. Zod is pretty great but I'm wondering how he connects to the Zod that Lex was possessed by. And what happened to Lex?
I understand the "no tights, no flights" rule but the show is smart to start exploring flight and costumes. Granted flight should have happened five years ago but with Millar and Gough running the show they were less interested in the Superman mythos than teenage angst.
I think it's neat that they are exploring the city in a bottle from the comics. The JLU comics did an issue on it and I almost wish it had been explored in the show.
Nice episode. ****.
Dollhouse "Vows"
This show is starting to show the potential Epitaph One hinted at (that STILL needs to be shown on Fox) even though what shook down in that episode were barely hinted at here (involving a potential romance between Claire Saunders and Boyd Langton). They also pulled off some impressive casting coups with Alexis Denisof (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel) and Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galatica). Upon the Bamber casting I reflected that Joss is as big of a geek as any of us.
Wasn't too impressed with the Echo storyline. It was too self-contained after the mythology the latter part of the season last year dove into. Thankfully it wasn't the be-all and end-all to the episode so I'm still giving it a super-high grade.
Paul Ballard is getting messed up. It's now clear how damaged the character is becoming and you could tell DeWitt's words about November cut him deeply.
Best scene of the episode was part with the existential musings by Topher and Claire. It was simultaniously sexy, violent and heartbreaking. If I were Claire I'd ask Topher to try to restore Whiskey's original persona while keeping all of her memories of Saunders. It was shown to be possible when Alpha did something similar with Echo last year.
VERY cool. ****1/2.
The Simpsons "Homer The Whopper"
Fabulous episode. Y'know, they've NEVER shown Comic Book Guy with a hidden talent before but when you think about it, the idea that he could write and draw a fantastic superhero comic book that would interest kids is a logical place to take the character. I also want to give the episode MAJOR props for not taking the easy way out and have CBG taken down by his own hubris in his desire to direct the sequel. "Worst. Movie. EVER." He SO did not sell-out and that was both completely in character and impressive that the writers realized that.
Homer as Everyman was great. I wasn't really digging the weight subplot but if something DIDN'T go wrong with the movie (and of course the suits were largely responsible) the Simpsons and Comic Book Guy would have both wound up millionaires. This isn't Roseanne (thank God).
I REALLY enjoyed this and am relieved to see the show has STILL kept the improvements it went through in it's transition to Hi-Def. VERY enjoyable. ****1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Pilot"
This was just SO great. This almost felt like a segment of The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase at the beginning of the episode with the entire Family Guy cast but once Cleveland and Cleveland Jr (missed him from the latter episodes of Family Guy) got going the show really came into it's own. Cleveland is such a sweet character and I like that the spirit of the show reflected that and seemed more geniunely emotional than Family Guy has ever truly attempted to be. Cleveland's new family is great and I really dig the theme song to the show. I'm going to have to keep my eye on Raulo because he's probably going to be this show's break-out character. I also really enjoyed the bear neightbors.
I liked this premiere a lot. ****.
Family Guy "Road To The Multiverse"
One of the best Brian and Stewie's "Road To..." segments in YEARS and the best one since the show was first canceled. It actually had, drumroll... a musical number! And the entire cast was involving for once. I love how perfect Brian found the Disney world until the anti-Semitism and the fact that Stewie still pondered staying there even after that. I love all of the different worlds Stewie and Brian wound up on and thought it was neat that the bulk of the climax was set in the dog-dominant world. I wish they hadn't killed human Brian off at the end but the entire last act seemed to be leading towards that so I wasn't surprised.
The Robot Chicken universe was great ESPECIALLY the slam Seth MacFarlane took at a noticably angry Seth Green. Heh. He's a good sport.
This was hilarious. ****1/2.
American Dad "In Country... Club"
The weakest cartoon of Fox's Sunday line-up. I dunno, I just feel like this show has done a million Stan and Steve plots like this before. The highlight of the episode was Roger's "perfect day" subplot and I was pleasantly surprised and amused that it actually went off without a hitch (even though I didn't want that bird to die I was actually rooting for him). Funniest scene of the episode was Roger reading the original 7000 page Sex and the City Movie script to Stan as torture. It was so funny because Seth MacFarlane delivered his lines as Roger so gingerly and with equal amounts of contempt and disgust. Brilliant.
I wish the rest of the show had been as great. ***1/2.
Wallac & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death
VERY cool Aardman stop-motion cartoon. I have always loved Wallace and Gromit and I think Nick Park is a genius. This one was a little different from the cartoons that came before it in that the ending has some bittersweet pathos in it and is somewhat moving. Granted, the feature film Curse Of The Were-Rabbit also had some touching stuff in it but that was completely balanced out by the silliness of bunnies spouting rainy tears. Here Fluffle's pain is real and you completely believe that the short is about to give her a sad ending.
I'm a little bit miffed at them giving Wallace a new girlfriend. Granted, making her the serial killer was probably the thing that made the plot move forward, but what happened to the lady-friend he hooked up with at the end of Curse of the Were-Rabbit? I really liked her and I would have liked to have seen her (and Thatch) again although it's pretty clear that each Wallace and Gromit short has only VERY loose continuity with each other.
I also really really appreciated the characterizations of both Wallace and Gromit here. When Wallace believes Gromit has bitten Piella he becomes bewildered and disappointed rather than outright mean which is something that always happened in those annoying Pluto cartoons with Mickey Mouse. And I love Gromit's conscience which is something the writers could have EASILY forgotten for a cheap joke involving a dog using the bomb to blow up kittens. I LOVE that they didn't even try to make a joke about going there because it makes Gromit look VERY noble (which he is). Although the people of Yorkshire might not think so (that was hilarious).
I think that Gromit not being able to talk is one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses because this inability obvious frustrates him and if he was able to the cartoon would end in five minutes. Strengths because it makes the animators going to absolutely heroic lengths to makes him the most expressive cartoon character of all time. You know exactly what he is thinking even if Wallace doesn't. My favorite Gromit expression for this film was when he was gingerly, and insincerely, comforting Wallace after Piella dumped him. That was hilarious too.
Random Thoughts: This reminded me a lot of Flushed Away in the fact that this seemed to really use more pop-culture gags than the previous shorts or movies (including Chicken Run). Granted, Flushed Away used a LOT more but they were pretty noticable (and funny) here. I loved the "Ghost" reference.
I'm glad Gromit was the one to find a true lady friend in Fluffles. Her character was so great because at first you didn't quite understand why she was so afraid to connect with anyone until it's revealed her owner was the killer. GREAT forshadowing for a the twist.
I think my ranking of the Wallace and Gromit cartoons goes like this:
1. The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit
2. The Wrong Trousers
3. A Matter Of Loaf And Death
4. A Close Shave
5. A Grand Day Out
So even though this wasn't my favorite of the Wallace and Gromit cartoons (the climaxes of Were-Rabbit and Trousers were both more exciting) it's still one of the best cartoons I've seen in a long time. Even though Aardman doesn't have Pixar's track-record for box office hits, it definitely shares it's penchance for quality. A wonderful cartoon. ****1/2.
How They Donut: The Making of "A Matter of Loaf and Death": Cool featurette on Nick Park but I have to wonder why it was in widescreen when the American DVD of the film was in full-screen. It makes you feel cheated to see all of these beautiful shots in widescreen when the feature itself is cropped off at the sides. ****.
Shaun the Sheep: Bonus Episode: "Off the Baa!": Cabbage football! This short is a little boring when compared to the Wallace And Gromit stuff but it's cute and charming none-the-less. I really like the pigs and Shaun himself is adorable. I REALLY hope a season set of this show comes out soon or I will be sorely tempted to pick up the four volumes (Off the Baa!, Back In The Ba-a-th, Sheep On The Loose, Little Sheep Of Horrors). I've only seen one or two of the shorts on Disney Channel and I'd love to own a big collection of them. ****.
Shaun The Sheep: Off The Baa! Trailer: Very cute and funny. ****1/2.
A Matter of Loaf and Death DVD Menu: Too much emphasis on trailers (which sort of makes the FastPlay option pointless) and I've always considered main menus that automatically play the movie if you leave them on too long a no-no (Warner Home Video is the most guilty of this). Plus, maybe I was spoiled by the animated menus of Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away but the static menu here seems a HUGE step backwards for Aardman. *.
Heroes "Ink"
VERY interesting stuff involving Peter and Samuel (T-Bag). The idea that Peter could get sued for his troubles is an interesting angle that superhero cartoons or shows (with the notable exception of The Incredibles) don't deal with all too often. I also hope that Peter's partner's suspicions that Peter is causing the accidents is further explored as that a neat angle too.
The deaf woman's ability is amazing. The ability to see sound is just great and her realizing how to use it for the first time with the cello was absolutely moving. It was also nice to see Louise Fletcher getting work especially since the character she played here was benevolent for once.
Matt and Sylar this week was tragic. I actually hope Matt goes back to New York soon to undo what he did. Yeah, Sylar's a serial killer but Angela and HRG had NO right to ask him to do what he did especially since he's the one who has to live with the consequences. I think an opportunity for him to reverse it could come the next time Angela calls him for a "retouch".
Am I the only one who thinks setting up Sylar as Nathan's replacement is a TERRIBLE idea? It occurs to me the amount of damage Sylar could do as a U.S. Senator if he ever broke free from Matt's spell and that there wouldn't be an easy way for Angela and HRG to remove him from that position if he "woke up". Even worse, would be if he woke up and Angela and HRG weren't aware of it. I don't think they'll make things THAT dire but I honestly think Angela and HRG need their heads examined.
I hate Gretchen. She is SO annoying and I'm saddened that the producers seem to be setting up a romance between her and Claire. She's the new West. What happened to that underwater kid? He was cool and I'd love to see him and Claire hook up.
Good episode this week. ****.
Smallville "Savior"
Liked this. Not bad. Chloe is no longer an idiot and it's been a LOOONG time since we've seen the entire cast in a single episode. Zod is pretty great but I'm wondering how he connects to the Zod that Lex was possessed by. And what happened to Lex?
I understand the "no tights, no flights" rule but the show is smart to start exploring flight and costumes. Granted flight should have happened five years ago but with Millar and Gough running the show they were less interested in the Superman mythos than teenage angst.
I think it's neat that they are exploring the city in a bottle from the comics. The JLU comics did an issue on it and I almost wish it had been explored in the show.
Nice episode. ****.
Dollhouse "Vows"
This show is starting to show the potential Epitaph One hinted at (that STILL needs to be shown on Fox) even though what shook down in that episode were barely hinted at here (involving a potential romance between Claire Saunders and Boyd Langton). They also pulled off some impressive casting coups with Alexis Denisof (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel) and Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galatica). Upon the Bamber casting I reflected that Joss is as big of a geek as any of us.
Wasn't too impressed with the Echo storyline. It was too self-contained after the mythology the latter part of the season last year dove into. Thankfully it wasn't the be-all and end-all to the episode so I'm still giving it a super-high grade.
Paul Ballard is getting messed up. It's now clear how damaged the character is becoming and you could tell DeWitt's words about November cut him deeply.
Best scene of the episode was part with the existential musings by Topher and Claire. It was simultaniously sexy, violent and heartbreaking. If I were Claire I'd ask Topher to try to restore Whiskey's original persona while keeping all of her memories of Saunders. It was shown to be possible when Alpha did something similar with Echo last year.
VERY cool. ****1/2.
The Simpsons "Homer The Whopper"
Fabulous episode. Y'know, they've NEVER shown Comic Book Guy with a hidden talent before but when you think about it, the idea that he could write and draw a fantastic superhero comic book that would interest kids is a logical place to take the character. I also want to give the episode MAJOR props for not taking the easy way out and have CBG taken down by his own hubris in his desire to direct the sequel. "Worst. Movie. EVER." He SO did not sell-out and that was both completely in character and impressive that the writers realized that.
Homer as Everyman was great. I wasn't really digging the weight subplot but if something DIDN'T go wrong with the movie (and of course the suits were largely responsible) the Simpsons and Comic Book Guy would have both wound up millionaires. This isn't Roseanne (thank God).
I REALLY enjoyed this and am relieved to see the show has STILL kept the improvements it went through in it's transition to Hi-Def. VERY enjoyable. ****1/2.
The Cleveland Show "Pilot"
This was just SO great. This almost felt like a segment of The Simpsons Spinoff Showcase at the beginning of the episode with the entire Family Guy cast but once Cleveland and Cleveland Jr (missed him from the latter episodes of Family Guy) got going the show really came into it's own. Cleveland is such a sweet character and I like that the spirit of the show reflected that and seemed more geniunely emotional than Family Guy has ever truly attempted to be. Cleveland's new family is great and I really dig the theme song to the show. I'm going to have to keep my eye on Raulo because he's probably going to be this show's break-out character. I also really enjoyed the bear neightbors.
I liked this premiere a lot. ****.
Family Guy "Road To The Multiverse"
One of the best Brian and Stewie's "Road To..." segments in YEARS and the best one since the show was first canceled. It actually had, drumroll... a musical number! And the entire cast was involving for once. I love how perfect Brian found the Disney world until the anti-Semitism and the fact that Stewie still pondered staying there even after that. I love all of the different worlds Stewie and Brian wound up on and thought it was neat that the bulk of the climax was set in the dog-dominant world. I wish they hadn't killed human Brian off at the end but the entire last act seemed to be leading towards that so I wasn't surprised.
The Robot Chicken universe was great ESPECIALLY the slam Seth MacFarlane took at a noticably angry Seth Green. Heh. He's a good sport.
This was hilarious. ****1/2.
American Dad "In Country... Club"
The weakest cartoon of Fox's Sunday line-up. I dunno, I just feel like this show has done a million Stan and Steve plots like this before. The highlight of the episode was Roger's "perfect day" subplot and I was pleasantly surprised and amused that it actually went off without a hitch (even though I didn't want that bird to die I was actually rooting for him). Funniest scene of the episode was Roger reading the original 7000 page Sex and the City Movie script to Stan as torture. It was so funny because Seth MacFarlane delivered his lines as Roger so gingerly and with equal amounts of contempt and disgust. Brilliant.
I wish the rest of the show had been as great. ***1/2.
no subject
I'd vote for sun because the CG/FX sequence would be neat but I can see them going the way of a final showdown where Peter figures out how to strip powers, like his father, at the last minute then I don't knoww, HRG comes in and blows his head off with a gun or Claire impales him.
no subject
They should have used Claire's blood to heal Nathan. I think there was another death where that would have made sense too but I forget what it was (it wasn't Daphne).
no subject
no subject