The Croods
(USA, 96 min.)
Dir. Kirk De Micco & Chris Sanders, Writ. Kirk De Micco
& Chris Sanders, story: John Cleese & Kirk De Micco & Chris Sanders
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine
Keener, Cloris Leachman.
How the visual arts have improved since the days of the
Neanderthal! The animated feature The
Croods gives audiences young and old (but mostly the young’uns) a sense of
the full scope of animated storytelling with this harmless romp through the
Stone Age. Emma Stone stars as a sprightly cave kid named Eep, who has a mop of
hair unrulier than Skeeter Phelan’s, and crazy Nic Cage plays her cave daddy,
whose idea of bedtime storytelling is to make cautionary tales on the cave walls.
“New things are bad,” advises dad as he tells Eep and the family to stay in the
cave and be afraid of the dark.
The story is pretty much a run-of-the-mill kids’ story in which a wild child tames the wilder beast of her father. The Croods is predictable, corny, and frequently juvenile, but it’s nice to see a film cater strictly to kids and avoid the usual jokes geared at the parents, which usually land with a thud because they’re outdated pop culture references by the time the film is released. There’s nothing especially profound about The Croods, but it is enjoyable escapism buoyed by spirited vocal performances, especially Cloris Leachman as the cave granny, and a magical score by Alan Silvestri. On the other hand, parents might be taken aback with how quickly the strong-willed Eep becomes a bubbly airhead in the presence of the animated hunk played by Ryan Reynolds. The Croods seems like a step back for gender representation after last year’s red-haired warrior Merida in Brave.
Bigger points go to the film’s imaginative flair for
conjuring animals that play around the Croods’ Stone Age jungle, most notably a
rainbow sabre-toothed cat that performs bold rescue missions in the two
standout scenes of the film. This adorable feline might be the best thing about
the film. Cat people are sure to rejoice over the cuddly kitty, but that
doesn’t bode well for The Croods.
The script of The
Croods might seem offensively on the nose even to a four-year-old, but
directors Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders take visual storytelling to its peak
with film’s outstanding animation. The visual design of The Croods excels just as much as its script might be lacking. This
could seem like a five-star movie if watched with the volume off, although that
might do a disservice to the actors and the composer. There is so much to
marvel at as The Croods features
stunning dust clouds, fire, and sunlight that looks as close to life as the animated
arts can probably get. (The billowing smoke and clouds, however, add an awkward
shade of 9/11 imagery to the apocalyptic climax.) The texture and minute detail
of each frame is truly outstanding and looks great even without 3D glasses. The Croods is a significant step in
computer animation; the story itself, however, might be just as crude as
something a caveman would write.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
The Croods is now available on home video.
***Note: The Croods was accompanied by a copy of 12 Years a Slave, which I hastily saw on the big screen when it opened here November 9th. (5 star eview here.) I look forward to watching it again!
Drinking Buddies
(USA, 90 min.)
Written and directed by Joe Swanberg
Starring: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron
Livingston.
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| Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson in Drinking Buddies, a Magnolia Picutes release Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures. |
Craft beer is taking pubs by storm. Bottles and mugs of
tasteless swill are going down the drain in favour of hops and body. The same
could be same of the movies, which are fighting back against artificial excess
by being natural and complicated. Joe Swanberg, a player in the mumblecore movement
of American independent cinema like screener pile alum Lynn Shelton, offers a
story of truth and maturity that deserves a hearty toast. Drinking Buddies is a finely observed character study.
Drinking Buddies
boasts a most impressive performance by Olivia Wilde, who is having a banner
year with her strong turn in Paul Haggis’s Third Person, as Kate, who works at a microbrewery with her drinking buddy Luke
(Jake Johnson). Kate tries to take their friendship to the next step during
their nights of endless binge drinking enveloped in the faux-romantic filter of
bubbly beer. There’s nothing especially groundbreaking about Drinking Buddies as the subtle humour of
the film follows the predictable route of a mildly amusing sex comedy with indie
charm. Swanberg has a way of capturing all the misinterpretations and mixed
messages that result in messy relationships and awkward mishaps, so Drinking Buddies has a down to earth
naturalness underpinning its lo-fi humour. It’s believable and honest. Like a
cold glass of suds, a romantic comedy goes down much better without all the
artificial flavour (and empty calories) of the mass-produced stuff. Cheers!
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
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| Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko in To the Wonder, a Magnolia Picutes release Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures. |
To the Wonder is now available on home video.
