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Reviews
WALL·E (2008)
Brilliant storytelling and visualization
I entered the theaters with high hopes after seeing Pixar's previous efforts. I found The Incredibles and Ratatouille to be exceptional. Under this prejudice I review WALLE:
The movie's beginning brings you to a much darker and curious realm than you may be used to from Pixar. Get used to it WALLE is a darker (albeit rated 'G') cinematic experience that I would never describe as a kids' movie. The live action sequences and slight details of character animation and environmental interaction drove the humor in the direction of wit at tastefully waltz-like cadence. Some viewers will not appreciate such an approach to laughs in a world breeding seemingly generic comics, but that's another reason why I think WALLE succeeds in being excellent. Pixar once again breaks the mold and demands with excellence that the industry conforms to their standards.
WALLE is one of those experiences your kids will have and then rediscover as adults, only then realizing how much they took for granted. If you're of an age to appreciate intelligent and beautiful cinematography and scripting you will thusly feel right at home.
I would recommend WALLE to anyone, regardless of age or movie taste. This movie experience will rock you to your core if you are even slightly inviting to the new.
Lay It Down (2001)
Setting a Negative Christian Stereotype
(As a note, I'd like to say that I saw this movie at my annual church camp, where the entire youth group laughed at it. I bought it when I saw it on a shelf one year later, if only for the humor I derived from a bad attempt at making an evangelical movie.)
Lay it Down falls short of many movie fans' expectations on several different planes. Most of the problems lie within the impersonal acting. Regardless of the nice cars in the film, or the truth in Christ's sacrifice for you, as a movie AND witnessing tool, Lay it Down hardly delivers.
Most good opinions of the movies are supported by Christians agreeing with the message. While it's easy for a Christian to agree with the points delivered, the audience hardly ever witnesses life outside a cliché. The fighting scene between Ben and his brother is horribly dubbed. And there are at least three blatant typos in the subtitles.
I encourage anyone to watch the movie a second time with the director's commentary on. It really helps you understand just why the movie was written how it was. The director's views on secular society are practically opposite of what would cater to a movie-goer's needs: he shows a pedantic understanding of Nonchristians, as well as some points of religious conflict; most of the editing, he admits, was rushed, but "satisfactory"; he thought the over-used transitions and themes to be effective; and was completely happy with the acting.
He also inserted motifs that he was rather proud of: -All (read: most) of the names are significant. Ben Destin = "Been Destined", Gus Pelman = "Gospel Man", Nicky D = Nicodemus. -The car doing donuts is symbolic of the circling nothingness that is a life without Christ. -When Ben leaves on Pete's motorcycle, he crosses his crutches to form a "cross".
I'm not making any of those up. He throws around things like this in between saying while street racers and the like "blow their brains out with guns", and how "God is in control when your born and when your die". Yes, that was not a typo. He really says that.
I have (little) forgiveness reserved for this movie. The "cool cars" and "good message" don't do jack to make this movie good. However, the movie was made from a group of unprofessional individuals on a budget less than 1/100th of "The Fast and the Furious's", and the time limit was unforgiving. With that in mind, I give it a score of 2/10, instead of the 1/10 I so dearly think it deserves.