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CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE (Dir: David Soren, 2017).
A longer, more in-depth version of the following review can be found on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
DreamWorks Animation’s Captain Underpants is a lighthearted superhero spoof based upon the successful series of children’s books by Dav Pilkey.
4th graders George and Harold accidentally hypnotise their strict school principle Mr Krupp into believing he is inept y-fronts wearing superhero Captain Underpants. Although distinctly lacking in superpowers, Captain Underpants soon finds himself battling evil school science teacher Professor P in his bid to rid the world of laughter.
Captain Underpants' bold animation style lacks the finer details of DreamWorks' best features but does a nice job of bringing Pilkey’s illustrations to 3D ‘life’. Further enhancing the visuals is an innovative use of varying animation techniques such as rod puppets and traditional 2D. Unsurprisingly, considering its subject, much of the humour is of the toilet variety. This may limit its appeal to younger audience members, although there are some unsophisticated laughs to be had by kids and grownups alike. Largely absent are the pop culture references which were once a staple of DreamWorks movies; instead we have some neat self-referencing humour and inventive breaking of the fourth wall.
Ed Helms is on vocal duties as Krupp/Captain Underpants and does a fine job of switching from insanely angry principle to authoritatively stupid superhero at the click of a finger. Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch also impress as best buddies George and Harold.
Subtitled The Fist Epic Movie, its underwhelming performance at the box office means it is unlikely we will see a Captain Underpants 2. Which is kind of a shame. The movie is no masterpiece but its embracing of different animation styles, along with its general good-naturedness, make it the most original and entertaining Dreamworks animation in recent years.
THE ALPHABET MURDERS (Dir: Frank Tashlin, 1965).
A comedy thriller based upon Agatha Christie’s 1936 novel The ABC Murders in which Belgian's finest, Detective Hercule Poirot (Tony Randall), investigates a series of murders, each victim being bumped off in alphabetical order. Chief suspect is the dubiously initialed Amanda Beatrice Cross (Anita Ekberg).
The Alphabet Murders was an attempt by MGM to repeat the success of their series of comic mysteries adapted from Christie’s Miss Marple stories. Returning are Marple scriptwriters David Pursall and Jack Seddon, while directing duties are handled by former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin. Tashlin brings his Termite Terrace cartoon sensibilities to the movie, setting out its kooky objectives from the opening, when Tony Randall addresses the camera first as himself and then in makeup as Poirot. With Tashlin's knack for visual humour, and some striking black and white photography courtesy of cinematographer Desmond Dickinson, the film is a visual treat.
Unfortunately, the quality doesn't extend to story treatment. As an Agatha Christie adaptation The Alphabet Murders is pretty unsatisfying. What it is, however, is a showcase for the considerable talents of Tony Randall. Randall’s is a fantastic performance, over the top and pantomimic to be sure, but his Poirot is a great comic creation. An excellent support cast including Anita Ekberg and Robert Morley (as Captain Hastings) also register strong performances.
Yet, despite the efforts of much of the Miss Marple team, and a cameo appearance by those movies stars Margaret Rutherford and Stringer Davis, The Alphabet Murders was not a success. Somehow the elements that worked so well for Marple just don’t gel for Poirot. Possibly the character was not as well suited to comedic interpretation or maybe the overtly American sensibilities of director Tashlin was not suited to something moored so much in Britishness.
While The Alphabet Murders must be considered a disappointment, it is certainly not a disaster. In truth there is much in the movie to enjoy, all depending on how one approaches it.
150+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
Rayuela (1963) è il romanzo che più di tutti ha contribuito alla consacrazione dell’argentino Julio Cortázar nell’Olimpo dei grandi della letteratura, con Tolstoj, Hugo, Faulkner e altri grandi romanzieri, lui che era conosciuto specialmente per i suoi racconti. Eppure, Rayuela non è un romanzo nel vero senso del termine, perché ha caratteristiche proprie che lo rendono unico, discostandolo molto da ciò che è stato scritto prima ed anche da ciò che è stato scritto dopo. I tentativi di definirlo sono stati molteplici. C’è chi l’ha chiamato controromanzo, chi antiromanzo (parola che però a Cortázar piaceva poco), chi ha azzardato un’immagine suggestiva: il buco nero di un enorme imbuto. La realtà è che forse, se proprio lo si vuole riassumere in una singola espressione, si dovrebbe dire che Rayuela non è soltanto un libro, ma una grande, meravigliosa ricerca.
Una ricerca, o meglio un mosaico di numerose ricerche differenti. C’è la ricerca del protagonista Horacio Oliveira, del Centro di tutto e del Centro di se stesso, o di ciò che egli chiama il kibbutz del desiderio. C’è la ricerca del lettore, che deve muoversi tra le pagine per trovare il prosieguo della storia . C’è la ricerca di Cortázar (o del suo alter-ego Morelli), che nel romanzo persegue la distruzione degli schemi della società moderna a partire dal suo strumento principe, il linguaggio. E ovviamente c’è molto, moltissimo di più: prendendo in prestito le parole dell’autore, Rayuela è «in sé molti libri», infiniti libri, una creatura che muta e si trasforma a seconda dello stato d’animo in cui si trova il lettore in quel preciso istante della sua vita nel quale decide di aprire il romanzo. E quella di avventurarsi in un libro come questo non è una decisione da prendere a cuor leggero, perché Rayuela è, in definitiva, un grido d’allarme, una sveglia, una bomba atomica: una volta letto (in maniera attiva e consapevole) non si torna più indietro.
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