Flight is Robert Zemeckis's first live action film in 12 years since Cast Away. Before this film, Zemeckis was working on motion capture animation films, thinking that those types of films would be the future of filmmaking. Unfortunately, it backfired on him, but thankfully he has returned to live action filmmaking. Although this film is easily not his best in his filmography, it's still nice to see Zemeckis do this type of filmmaking.
What really differentiates this film is its performances. Denzel Washington does a really remarkable job here, he portrays a real life alcoholic flawlessly. It's not my personal favorite performance from Denzel (Training Day takes the cake for that one), this is still a solid performance from him and I see him easily getting nominated for Best Actor this year. The rest of the cast is wonderful, John Goodman steals the show as a really funny drug dealer.
Although the performances were remarkable, the script wasn't as remarkable. While there are a few great moments, mainly with Denzel dealing with his drinking, the rest of the script is completely by the numbers and is very slow. Half of the dialogue was even predictable and the events that went on are not hard to figure out either. Zemeckis and his cast really try with the material they are given, however the script can't save the film.
As I mentioned above that there are a few great moments throughout the film, one of them was the plane crash sequence. There was nail biting suspense throughout and it set up the film perfectly. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't live up to its expected greatness from the beginning.
Although it's nice to see Robert Zemeckis return to live action filmmaking, Flight had a lot more potential than what was offered in the film. I really enjoyed the performances and the direction, but thanks to an uneven and predictable script it becomes just a decent film. If anything see the film for Denzel Washington's performance and the plane crash scene. It's a decent character study that could have been something great. Maybe next time, Zemeckis.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10- Decent
Wreck-It Ralph
Disney Animation's lastest film Wreck-It Ralph goes inside the world of one of my most beloved childhood memories: arcade videogames. The film does a Toy Story-esque approach by exploring what video game characters do when the arcade closes. The film also pulls a Who Framed Roger Rabbit approach by having famous videogame characters pop up in cameos. This sounds like a dream for a person who grew up playing and enjoying arcade games. The real question in the end is "Is it worth it?"
The animation of Wreck-It Ralph is simply beautiful. The animators put a lot of detail in each of the video game worlds, making each world resemble the video games they are parodying. The character design is wonderful here too, each of the characters have original looks to them and the video game character cameos look very nice as well.
The voice cast here is remarkable. Each voice fits their characters perfectly. I liked everyone in their roles, but I give specific praise to Sarah Silverman. She's normally very annoying in her roles, but here she is much more relaxed and fun. Not to mention her character is very likable as well.
The story here is a wonderful and sweet tribute to arcade games. While the film does have a tendency to go for more Disney cliches towards the end, it really works for the most part. There are nice plot twists, wonderful emotion and excellent humor for everyone to enjoy.
Wreck-It Ralph is a wonderful addition to the Disney Animation canon. With beautiful animation, an excellent voice cast, and a heartwarming story, this film is not to be missed. It's not only fun for the whole family, it's also more enjoyable if you are a huge video game fan. While it goes through standard Disney cliches, it's still a wonderful time at the movies that should be seen as soon as possible.
Rating: 9 out of 10-Excellent
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