The Golden Compass

It's a little late to be writing this post, but better late than never. The Golden Compass movie was fantastic. Fans of the book will not be disappointed, and that's saying something because I've never really liked a movie based off one of my favorite books. The film was so well done. The plot of the movie and the plot of the book were surprisingly the same, a rarity when it comes to transferring book to screen. The film makers did a great job of staying loyal to the Pullman's story, which makes me so happy because I love it just the way it was written. The Golden Compass definitely didn't need any spicing up. Another reason I hate based-off-book movies is because nothing is ever how I imagined it to be, but watching the movie was a pretty bizarre experience because I felt like I was watching my thoughts. Everything was perfect: the actors, the set, the costumes. I loved every bit of it.

If you're interested in reading the book, go check out the review I did last December.

Ratatouille

I suppose this review may be a little biased. I'm a huge fan of Disney Films. Our family lived in Orlando till I was nine years old and we spent a lot of time at the theme parks. Mickey Mouse is sort of in my blood.

The great thing about Disney-Pixar is that the movies are always fantastic no matter what age you are. Don't skip out on this one just because it's rated G. Ratatouille is my favorite Disney-Pixar film yet. Monsters Inc., Nemo, and (dare I say?) even Toy Story come up short compared to this film. Ratatouille tells the story of Remy, a rat with a very developed sense of taste and smell. His father, a sort of chief of their rat colony, encourages Remy to use his gift, however the two have contrasting ideas about how to take advantage of such a unique skill. Daddy doesn't approve of mingling with humans, a necessary task if Remy ever wants to pursue his dream of being a chef. After being separated from his family, Remy is given the opportunity to fulfill his aspirations by cooking at Auguste Gusteau's, his now deceased hero's, restaurant. He's discovered by the human Linguini, an untalented chef despite being the famed Gusteau's son. Linguini and Remy team up to bring attention back to the once 5 star restaurant. Together, the pair battles hungry customers, food critics, health inspectors, and the shady head chef, Skinner. The movie, while being absolutely hilarious as well as an impressive display of animated art, manages to touch on some meaningful life lessons. Having faith in the little people can sometimes result in an incredibly tasty plate of ratatouille. The film's motto is "Anyone can cook!" and it points out this attitude doesn't only apply to the kitchen.

Also, thumbs up to the short film played before Ratatouille! Lifted is a play by play of a little green alien's experience trying to pass an extra terrestrials version of the human driver's exam. It was lots of fun, as always. You can download it on iTunes.

If you want to learn more about the film or buy tickets, Ratatouille's official website is complete with a summery, reviews, videos, character profiles, and information about the cast and crew. There's also a podcast put out by Disney-Pixar. I've subscribed, but I haven't actually watched any of the shows yet. I'm looking forward to it.