Walt Disney Presents: This Review of Walt Disney's The Secret World of Arrietty Inside Walt Disney's El Capitan Theater

I've driven to Hollywood, through Hollywood at least a hundred times since getting my license ten years ago but it wasn't until this past Monday that I finally saw a movie inside of the famous El Capitan Theatre. The building has loads of history as a California landmark and draws you in with it's vintage facade. Aside from open-mouthed gasping at all the antiques and chocolate malts from the Disney Soda Fountain next door my favorite part about the whole nostalgic experience was the music played by the on-site organist. It reminded me of getting to Dodger Stadium early to listen to Nancy Bea play ragtime as I watched Nomar Garciaparra stretch near third base. You should know though that I enjoy organ music so much that: a.) I bought Nancy Bea's CD (now out of print?) from the Dodger Stadium top deck store, b.) listened to my dad's Organ Music Vinyl LP about thirty times as a kid, c.) downloaded the song The Happy Organ by Dave Baby Cortez because I heard a clip of it from an infomercial, and d.) love this song way too much.

The El Capitan is owned and operated by Disney so obviously everything is Disney related. The previews are all for Disney movies, the snacks are Disney themed, and the guy working the concessions was none other than Shaun Weiss, the fat kid from 1992's Mighty Ducks. Just before the movie begins the curtains raise and you get to watch as five different LiteBrite sprinkled backdrops reveal the projection screen.

We went on a Monday afternoon to watch The Secret World of Arrietty, an animated film from Japan based on the book The Borrowers. There were maybe ten people in the theater making that one of the few perks of working retail and having weekdays off. The plot is simple: Arrietty and her family are little people that live inside the walls of a house and borrow things to stay alive. Arrietty is spotted borrowing by a normal sized human boy named Shawn and since "beings" pose a threat to all little people, Arrietty and her family have to move.

Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, and Carol Burnett highlight the voice-over dubs on the American version. I am not a fan of English dubbing over Japanese animation. It annoys me when the speech is out of sync with how the mouths on the character are moving. This alone keeps me away from staying open-minded about most Anime shown in the United States. I'll read a million subtitles before I accept this tradition.

Arrietty's story is familiar but the animation is not. Again, I'm not an authority on Anime or Studio Ghibli films but the way they illustrate wide landscapes and action scenes made me feel like I had 3D glasses on. I've seen so much Pixar that I forgot how good something non-CGI can look. There's a short scene where Arrietty's father drops a rock to propel her upward that left me wondering how many weeks that took to animate. The following piece where Arrietty gets her first glimpse of the kitchen is simply amazing. Every landscape is met with great detail and color.

Ultimately, the film is for children. The writing is simple and it won't keep you as invested as most feature Disney animated films, but any adult who remembers watching The Littles on mid-Sunday afternoons will love looking at this and following Arrietty on her journey towards becoming a real borrower.

B+

- Mike O.

John Carter of Burbank

Last night Disney treated a select few to an early screening of its latest feature film John Carter. For the benefit of those without WIKIpedia, John Carter is based on the Edgar Rice Burros character, which has been around since 1912. After so many incarnations in comics and a few movies that never came to be, this is John Carter’s first appearance on the big screen.

But you’ve already seen this story.

Some did it very well; I’m talking to you Daniel Day Lewis. While some didn’t do it justice, I’m talking to you James Cameron. The story is in fact one of the earliest versions of the cliché: Man travels to foreign land, sheds skin, becomes one of the people of said land and finds unlikely love in that land.

Even though in many ways it’s the original version of that tale, John Carter could have been a victim of cliché. Instead Andrew Stanton, the Pixar visionary behind great stories like Toy Story and Finding Nemo reminded the audience that something becomes cliché because it’s originally worth repeating over and over again.

John Carter won’t take you on a lot of twist and turns story wise, however the plot remains solid without surrendering to the action. We get a great John Carter in former Gambit Taylor Kitsch and another super animated performance from Boondock Saint Willem Dafoe. Each important role in the film could have been a lesson for writers on how to give characters voice.

The visual of transforming Utah into Mars, creatures and all is the skeletal support of this film. Without drowning the viewer in dry red everything, Mars becomes a believable world on the brink of death. CG characters are so true to the actors and material, personally Dafoe is now my favorite Martian. Kitsch on screen superpowers make me believe this is what we’re all like when we become superman and get superpowers by going to an alien planet. Well choreographed action with complementary score, seems basic but still manages to go beyond film 101.

Bottom line, to all the skeptics like myself, relax this is John Carter of Mars.

Overall I give the movie a 4 out of 5 but the true importance of John Carter is to our current age of cinema. Beginning with the dark tone of Batman Begins, then that moment where we saw the first Watchmen trailer and now seeing a movie that some fans have waited more than twenty years for. John Carter solidifies this age of cinema as the age of the movie we thought we’d never get to see.

Thank you to L.A Times, and Geoff Boucher for hosting these events, it’s probably a lot of fun for you guys, but it can’t be easy. Hats off to you! Though I will not pay to read it online for $5.

- David N.

Unemployment Fun Zone: Early Tron Review

Twenty years ago a movie was released that changed.........absolutely nothing. The original Tron was boring to anyone who ever had sex with a girl.

Today I got to see the sequel Tron Legacy and I got the same feeling all over again. After seeing the previews and taking part in the marketing games, I had hopes for this new tron movie to out do it's predecessor by leaps and bounds. On some levels it accomplishes this, the look of the world of tron alone is a win. However this movie really did not make great use of 3D effects, simply changing the angles on the light cycles or better cameras on the disc games would have been a hundred times more immerse than the bland "commin at cha vision" that plagued it's effects. The one redeeming thing about the movie was it's music. Former KROQ DJ Jason Bentley and Daft Punk do an amazing score that stays true to the feel from start to finish. In fact the best part of the movie is watching Daft Punk at the end of the line club. One major bright spot Olivia Wilde is awesome and the only actress in Hollywood that I think is Hot!

I won't spoil much but the story lacks any kind of emotional tie, I just don't ever believe that Kevin and Sam are happy to see each other. Too many plot holes especially when it comes to the character of Tron. The end of the movie is too predictable and for a movie that's suppose to spawn more sequels it's leaves nothing for any of the protagonist to build on. Come on Disney, there was no need for a pirates 2 or 3, a third mighty ducks, or a second tron.

Want to see better movies watch The Dark Knight and Inception again. Tron doesn't need your money, it will be number one this weekend no matter what. I saw this movie for free tonight and I still want my money back and not to mention the six hours of my life overhearing fat nerd girls and gay computer dweebs talk about their favorite family guy moments and how they would write a tron themed episode of Futurama. This was the only point in my life I envied the deaf.

Movie itself 2 out of 5.

Pre screening Fun zone factor 1 out of 5.

- David N.

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[Editor's Note: I honestly can't wait to see Tron: Legacy. Obviously I'll have to judge for myself and be held to an "I told you so" if things go sour, but those neon jumpsuits are too much to pass up. I don't plan on seeing it in 3D although that might change considering everything I've read about the plot. Add to this that I've never seen the original Tron. The first I heard of it was via The Simpsons Halloween special years ago. Let the onscreen laser tagging begin!]