STARTWO, FRIDAY 12 DECEMBER 2008
VIDEO VIBES WALL-E Voice cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger and Sigourney Weaver Running time: 98 minutes Distributor: Berjaya HVN ES, if you only watch one animated feature this year ... watch WALL-E. I’d even go so far as to say that WALL-E is probably one of the best movies (let alone animated feature) released this year. The movie tells the story of a lonely robot named WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth Class), that was left behind to clean up Earth while human beings escaped the dying planet to live in outer space. After more than 700 years, WALL-E (Burtt) has developed quite the quirky personality, and is feeling rather lonely. That changes when a sleek new robot named EVE (Knight) comes to Earth, and WALL-E becomes infatuated with her, which leads to him chasing her halfway across the galaxy on a wild adventure. The first-quarter of the movie is virtually silent, featuring little WALL-E scooting around happily on his own, with nary a care in the world; and this is arguably the most charmingly wonderful sequence I’ve ever seen in any movie this year. Only the most cynical and mean-spirited person could watch this movie and not feel the slightest bit charmed by it. No, really, go watch it. Watch it for the amazing animation, which is probably one of the best Pixar has ever come up with. Watch it for its charming characters, which will have you rooting for them even though they are but mere robots. Watch it for the creatively done story, which is more original than all the other animated features of the year combined. Watch it for its quirky little lead character, that is probably the cutest robot character ever created. And most of all, watch it for that wonderfully warm, innocent feeling you get when you see WALL-E and EVE finally holding hands. – Michael Cheang
Robot with a heart young African American girl Raya (Rutina Wesley) who has big ambitions and is well on her way to an Ivy League college, only to find out that her sister died of a drug overdose; causing her to leave her dreams behind and return to her Toronto neighbourhood, where crime rates are high and prospects are low. Going back to where she started was not an easy step for Raya, as her former friends like Michelle (Tracey Armstrong) felt deserted by Raya in the past. Struggling to pursue her dreams, Raya works hard to earn
Y
Valiant Voice cast: Ewan McGregor and Ricky Gervais Running time: 75 minutes Distributor: Speedy Video JUST how exciting can a pigeon’s life be? Well, in this film, our feathered friends go on highly dangerous missions in war. Valiant (McGregor) is a small pigeon that wants to do great things – like enlist in Great Britain’s Royal Airforce Homing Pigeon Service (RHPS) though all the odds are against him. The setting is World War II, a
ENTERTAINMENT
time when Allied forces relied on pigeons to carry messages and Britain needed to get a crucial message from the French resistance. Valiant and his hopeless team, by reason of high casualty rates among the pigeons being captured by enemy falcons, are sent to the forefront for a mission. But of course, like most feelgood animations go, our little hero saves the day and brings the message back to the British troops. With thick English accents, the movie is entertaining enough with various cliché elements found in military movies. Except this is about pigeons, of course. You have the typical macho guys, the cute nurses, slow motion scenes of running or flying together and the heroic “we will fight for cause and country” ideal. Not many laugh-out-loud scenarios (besides the exaggerated clichés, which are quite funny), but not too boring either if you’re aiming for some good family fun. Lest you think that this is just another one of those animated movies, the closing credits and a quick Google search will make you realise the story was based on the fact that Britain used about 250,000 pigeons in World War II. In fact, some 32 pigeons were even given the Dickin medal, the highest award for animal bravery. – Sarah Chew
How She Move Cast: Rutina Wesley, Dwain Murphy, Tracey Armstrong, Cle Bennett Running time: 91 minutes Distributor: Berjaya HVN LIKE a typical dance movie, How She Move is not so much about the storyline as it is the dance choreography. But story wise, it is about a
a scholarship through an exam, with the pressure to do well from her mother who is also emotionally broken due to the death of her sister. And while dancing was not what she initially had in mind, Raya soon discovers that it may be her only way out. Packed with amazing dance moves and soundtracks from big names like Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and Lil’ Mama, the movie takes the audience through with a beat every second of the way. – Alycia Lim
T21