Tag Archives: adventure

#168- The Adventures of Robin Hood

Quick recap: Robin Hood- that guy who stole from the rich to give to the poor and who also had an enormous tights budget, apparently.

Seriously, I rip my tights just trying to get them on. Either he was loaded and bought an endless supply or he was magical and never ripped them.

Seriously, I rip my tights just trying to get them on. Either he was loaded and bought an endless supply or he was magical and never ripped them.

Fun (?) fact: The sound of Robin’s arrow can be found in nearly all of the Star Wars films.

I too am a mere commoner! Watch as I put my hands on my hips and throw my head back for a hearty laugh!

I too am a mere commoner! Watch as I put my hands on my hips and throw my head back for a hearty laugh!

My thoughts: The Disney version of Robin Hood was a favorite of mine as a kid so it was neat to see where so many of the scenes came from and to appreciate how perfect the animals were for each role. Robin Hood is totally a fox! Bess is definitely a hen! This is normally where I would put up a picture as reference but even I was surprised by the amount of Furry pictures related to this movie.

Errol Flynn....IN TECHNICOLOR! I hope they just said this over and over again in the trailer, with an echo for added effect

Errol Flynn….IN TECHNICOLOR! I hope they just said this over and over again in the trailer, with an echo for added effect

The lore of Robin Hood has been around for centuries, proving that people always love a good hero story. After watching the movie, even I briefly considered learning how to sword fight because it looked so badass. Despite being made in 1938, I think the film could still have an impact on younger generations, if they would give it a chance. Youths, you know. The story is a bit more complicated than your typical adventure movie, but I think it still resonates.

Errol Flynn made for a great Robin Hood, and I loved how amused he seemed by everything, even when he was captured at the archery tournament. From what I have seen in these early adventure films (The Thief of Bagdad comes to mind), heroes didn’t take themselves too seriously, despite knowing that they were fighting evil. I can see how the story of Robin Hood could’ve been a dark one, and there is plenty implied in this version about the suffering of the Saxons, but I prefer something a little more lighthearted.

The few drawbacks from the film were little things, like the weird accents that faded into different nationalities and the use of TECHNICOLOR. I love color as much as the next guy, but this was a bit overkill. When it is called TECHNICOLOR though, I wouldn’t expect any less.

Final review: 4/5.

Up next: The Day the Earth Stood Still

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#162- Princess Mononoke

Quick recap: After Ashitaka is attacked by a demon, he goes in search of a cure. While on his journey, he becomes involved with a war between the animals of the forest and a mining town.

Is it too much to ask for a two hour movie with just these guys?

Is it too much to ask for a two hour movie with just these guys?

Fun (?) fact: This is probably common knowledge, but Neil Gaiman was the one to adapt the dialogue so that English speakers could better understand what was going on. Is there anything that guy can’t do?

'I know Neil Gaiman needs to be an animal, but how white can we portray him?' 'SO white. As white as you can possibly get.'

‘I know Neil Gaiman needs to be an animal, but how white can we portray him?’
‘SO white. As white as you can possibly get.’

My thoughts: I had no idea what to expect going into this since my knowledge of anime is about as stereotypically American as you can get (translation- I’ve seen Cowboy Bebop and parts of Inuyasha thanks to late night Adult Swim). That’s not to say I have anything against the genre. There is just so much to choose from that I wouldn’t know where to begin. I’m not sure Princess Mononoke was a good starting point but that’s not because it was a bad movie.

First, let me admit that as much as I tried, I kept being reminded of FernGully, even though the two aren’t that similar. I guess it was the battle between nature versus industry that led me down that path, although-side note- FernGully doesn’t hold up after all these years. I watched it a couple of years ago and it brought back some great nostalgia but that’s about it. Princess Mononoke is leaps and bounds much more complex than that movie and I would venture to say more complex than most animated films. I was really impressed with how much the film required me to concentrate and didn’t just tell me how I was supposed to feel. My thoughts toward the characters changed with each scene and even at the end, I wasn’t sure how I felt. I won’t give away the ending but I will say that if you are looking for a feel good film for the entire family, this ain’t it.

also not kid appropriate because of this scene. Pictured is a big fat NOPE.

also not kid appropriate because of this scene. Pictured is a big fat NOPE.

My one complaint, and I’m not even sure it is one, is that I felt like some of the movie was lost in translation. I understand that there are words in the Japanese language that are almost impossible to translate but the dialogue just seemed so simple compared to the plot I tried to follow. Is there a version I could watch with subtitles? I’m not even sure that would fix anything. The American voices also threw me off more than I expected (Billy Bob Thornton? Really?) and they didn’t seem to fit at all with the characters. I guess I was hoping for something a little more authentic to the original and not so Disneyfied.

Final review: 4/5. The animation alone is worth the score and is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen but the theme also impressed me. I feel like I would need to watch it again to really understand what was going on.

Up next: Kandahar

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#144- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Quick recap: King Arthur and his knights go on a journey to find the Holy Grail, encountering many terrifying obstacles along the way.

like this rabbit with nasty, big, pointy teeth

like this rabbit with nasty, big, pointy teeth

Fun (?) fact: The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is roughly 24 miles per hour.

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My thoughts: I planned on starting out this section with the belief that people either love or hate Monty Python, but then I thought about it a bit and realized that I don’t know anyone who hates this movie. I might just know some awesome people, though. I watched this movie back in college after my roommate, a theatre major, stared at me with dropped jaw when I admitted I had never seen it. I remember being reluctant to try it because I knew barely anything about British humor except for a couple of shows I would catch on PBS sometimes late at night, and those were just stuffy sitcoms. From the second the credits came on, I knew that this movie was for me.

I had the pleasure of attending a Monty Python Quote-Along at my local Alamo Drafthouse , which I don’t recommend if this is your first time seeing a movie. The Drafthouse subtitled the most popular lines, although I was a little disappointed that a few of my favorites weren’t included. But then I remembered that I have this blog and can do whatever I want! So now, without further ado, I present my 5, I mean 3, favorite Monty Python scenes. I’d love to just quote the whole thing right now but for the few people who are reading this and have not seen the movie, I’ll refrain.

1. The opening credits

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2. the witch scene

90cc181fc49fad3fff1a1b6b782ddb4d3. the scene where the knights must answer 3 questions before crossing the bridge

imagesWhat I loved most about watching this on the big screen is being with other people who love this movie even more than I do. There were some in the audience who have watched the Holy Grail upwards of a hundred times and still enjoy it. I’m nowhere near that number but if given the opportunity, I would gladly watch it again and laugh the entire time.

Final review:  5/5. Watch it!

Up next: 4 Weddings and a Funeral

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#126- The Thief of Bagdad

Quick recap: A thief-who lives in Bagdad- has a lot of fun stealing stuff until he falls in love with the princess. Basically it’s like Aladdin but without the monkey and the altruistic reasons. And without Genie (RIP Robin Williams).

Instead of getting a Middle Eastern guy to play the Thief of Bagdad, they got Douglas Fairbanks-the whitest name ever.

Instead of getting a Middle Eastern guy to play the Thief of Bagdad, they got Douglas Fairbanks-the whitest name ever.

Fun (?) fact: The special effects for this movie are amazing, considering it was made in 1924. During one scene, as Fairbanks is jumping in and out of the large pots, he actually installed trampolines in each one to make it easier to hop.

I suspect this was also done with special effects. Can't be sure, though.

I suspect this was also done with special effects. Can’t be sure, though.

My thoughts: A bonus fun fact: I started this blog chronologically, but after sitting through 9 silent films I couldn’t take it anymore and gave up. It wasn’t even that they were bad, but that they were so EPIC.  It was hard to continually sit through something so heavy and long (that’s what she said) and know that the next movie would give me no reprieve. But then I saw A Clockwork Orange at the Alamo Drafthouse several months later and it renewed my passion. All that to say I made the right choice to watch randomly so that when the time came for another silent movie, I’d be ready.

The Thief of Bagdad comes from the 1001 Arabian Nights collection of stories  so it’s basically your quintessential adventure movie. Fairbanks, who plays Ahmed the Thief, was the go to actor for all things adventure, starring in movies such as Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and The Black Pirate. He spends the entire movie flexing his muscles and practically winking at the camera, to show the audience how awesome he is. It was difficult to root for him at times because he was a thief just for the sport of it instead of helping others.Not that I was expecting much, but Aladdin is the only story I know from Arabian Nights and that guy stole bread to give to children. Kind of a lot to live up to, though.  Fairbanks was enjoyable to look at, although the thin lips bothered me. Was that a fashionable thing to have or did all people in the 20s just have naturally thin lips? This bothers me more than it should.

Not a complaint, but it seems like he should've been able to steal a shirt at some point.

Not a complaint, but it seems like he should’ve been able to steal a shirt at some point.

If there is any reason to watch The Thief of Bagdad, it’s the setting. Director Raul Walsh had the set built on 6 1/2 acres of land and spared no expense. Every detail is beautiful and ornate. The fact that it was made in 1924 makes it all the more inspiring to think of the work that went into making this movie.

Final review: 4/5. When you take into account that the story came from an ancient book, the racism is not as bad as I expected.

Up next: Singin’ in the Rain

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