Mecandes' Humble Abode » Cartoon

Up

Mecandes — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:39:32 +0000

Pixar’s latest film, Up, isn’t the studio’s greatest, but it was a heartwarming odd-couple adventure… especially for dog lovers. Definitely worth seeing in 3D, which added a lot to the peril of some of the high-flying adventure. The film was something a little different from Pixar; a bit more understated with more of a tug at the ol’ heartstrings than anything else we’ve seen from them… and are we starting to see some Miyazaki influence? Worth seeing, though may not end up as re-watchable as their other films.

Starting with the old man’s backstory was an interesting decision; I kept thinking it might have played better if we didn’t know him at all at first, with his backstory coming out as flashbacks later in the film…

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels

Mecandes — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:54:31 +0000

Lightsaber Duels is a game that really highlights just how much of a gimmick the Wiimote is. Truthfully, the Wii’s controller is not what it seems at first glance: it can only really sense basic movements, and it can’t really be used to represent an object in completely 3D space. In this game, each of the four directions that you wave the Wiimote — up, down, left, right — correspond, basically, to a button press in any other fighting video game… you aren’t able to stand and wave your lightsaber on-screen the way you would expect. (In fact, the old PC game Die by the Sword played better than this with the mouse — and that was a decade ago!)

So, when the game doesn’t allow you to actually swing a lightsaber, you have to ask yourself — what was the point? If you love the cartoon, and are having kids over, you might have some fun renting it… but can’t recommend purchasing it when the core single-player “campaign” can be completed in about half an hour.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Mecandes — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:32:35 +0000

First, you have to understand what this is: it’s the first few episodes of a half-hour television series which will air on a children’s cartoon channel. If you go in thinking it is the next epic “Episode” in the Star Wars saga, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But if you take it for what it really is, you will realize that it is going to be a very awesome TV show! I went into this expecting to be disappointed — the trailers hadn’t impressed me. Instead, I was surprised to find myself very entertained, especially during the second half when it becomes more light-hearted and comical. We laughed a lot, and outside the theatre after the film all the kids were talking excitedly about their favourite aspect of the film: the comical battle droids. I’m really looking forward to watching more of this series with my kids.

4 stars (out of 5)

Wall-E

Mecandes — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:18:46 +0000

I went into this thinking that it was the kind of story I would love as a child of the 80s (and fan of Silent Running, E.T., Short Circuit, Romie-0 and Julie-8, etc.), but the film turned out to be overrated. It was a solid Pixar story (and better than Cars), but I just didn’t connect with it like I thought I would. My son was bored and wanted to leave, and my wife fell asleep. It’s one of those films where you see all the best parts during the trailer.

3 stars (out of 5)