When making a statement regarding the animated cinema, one can't be broad in scope -- you have to narrow things down to a point where you really know what you're talking about. Disney has revolutionized this area, with their sometimes brilliant, sometimes mediocre animated films -- from Snow White And The Seven Dwarves, to Hercules. But outside cel animation, there are different masters -- the up-and-comer Henry Selick, of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach. Even more notable, is the excellent Nick park, creator and animator of Wallace And Grommit. Of all these films, considering A Grand Day Out, and The Wrong Trowsers, the best is A Close Shave -- by turns, deliciously exciting and wonderfully funny, the animated masterpiece is a near perfect example of story-telling. How much of a story can you cram into thirty brief minutes? This is just about how much. With humor, both physical and sophisticated, and action, truly exciting, the storyline pulls together in unexpected moments -- the expressions we see on the faces of our heros (Wallace and Gromit) are far more then we have came to expect. This is an excellent example of how well good stop-motion can communicate to the audience.
Grade: A
- Max Solovitch Scheinin (Scheinin not stirred)
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"Movies are really a kind of dream state, or like taking dope. And the shock of walking out of the theatre into broad daylight can be terrifying. I watch movies all the time, and I am also very bad at waking up." - Martin Scorsese, from Scorsese on Scorsese
(C), 1997, Max Solovitch Scheinin
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