Tag / ian holm

by Jaime Rebanal

Ratatouille Review: A Testament to the Artists Working on their Craft

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Brad Bird’s second animated film for Pixar may not be an action-packed ride in the same way that his previous animated films were but knowing what it is that Ratatouille stands for, it’s hard not to love the sort of experimentation that it sets out for as far as the work of Pixar has gone. But of course being the Pixar apologist that I am, I can’t help but find myself being brought into a whole other world when looking at the beautiful animated backdrops being utilized to their very fullest and Brad Bird’s touch also helps in setting that into place with Ratatouille. In coming back to the familiar and backhanded criticism that animation is recognized as being geared primarily towards children, Pixar’s films have always found a way to resonate with adult audiences over the years but in looking at the story that they are telling in Ratatouille perhaps something more is coming along the way. In this story of a rat who is doing everything that he can in order to become a cook for as unorthodox as it is, we have another tale about the way art impacts others – something that is only set to resonate with viewers of all sorts.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Alien – Review

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Ridley Scott’s Alien remains one of the defining works in both the horror and science fiction genres, a film that, like any of the best of their genres, invented a whole new universe by starting small. From the many films that the Alien series has spawned, Ridley Scott’s original film still remains my favourite of the bunch for good reason. It remains my favourite because it shows how little is necessary in order to start a universe of its own from scratch. Although eventually this rule was broken by eventual sequels (as much as I love James Cameron’s Aliens), it’s already impossible to deny the impact that Ridley Scott’s original film would have left behind on science fiction and horror within years to come. In itself it would easily have been just a “haunted house movie in space,” but perhaps there’s a whole lot more that results in the final product actually turning out to be all the more clever.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Brazil – Review

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Terry Gilliam’s Brazil is one of the biggest struggles I’ve had in a long time, not in the sense that it is a bad film, but because I find it so hard to pinpoint every last detail about why I love such a film. On first watch, I had a very odd impression of it and it didn’t leave very much of a clear taste in my mouth, but over the years, my love for the film has developed and it has quickly become a film that only goes to remind me of the intelligence to be found in such an art form. Brazil just goes to remind me what I love about movies in the first place. In that sense, I always love how a film like this is willing to play around with our own senses, but it leaves more that resonates like many of my own favourites do. Brazil is truly something remarkable. Continue reading →