Meewella | Critic

According to P

Tag: Ian Holm

QuickView: Lord of War (2005)

Lord of War poster

“You read the newspaper? Every day there’s people shooting each other. You know what I do when I see that? I look to see what guns they’re using, and I ask myself: why not my guns?”

Yuri Orlov

Lord of War succeeds in portraying the ethical apathy and mercenary attitude that fuel the arms trade. Following the fortunes of an ambitious Ukrainian American entering this world ought to heighten the tension through personal stakes, but it unfolds in a fashion largely predictable to anyone familiar with crime drama. For such an extravagant character, Nicolas Cage’s performance is surprisingly muted, resulting in large swathes of the narrative being communicated in a flat voiceover monologue that lacks the energy of, say, The Wolf of Wall Street. Whilst its subject matter is important, in focusing on Yuri’s competing conscience and ambition, Lord of War fails to engage in the political complexity of this world, simply alluding to the powerful connections he has made. The film is bookended by its most powerful messages: first, an impressive opening sequence that follows a single bullet from a munitions factory all the way to its eventual use against an African child; and secondly, presented in passing with closing text, the bleak fact that the world’s five largest arms dealers are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

6/10

Ratatouille (2007)

Ratatouille poster

director: Brad Bird
writer: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco
starring: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Peter Sohn, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Peter O’Toole
running time: 111 mins
rating: U

Anyone can cook,
but only the fearless can be great.

Over the past decade Pixar has been growing steadily and is now churning out a film every year, yet somehow always of impeccable quality in visuals and heart. Ratatouille is a perfect example of both these qualities but, like many of Pixar’s recent releases, seems to lack the originality of their earlier work.

Food-loving Remy [Patton Oswalt] is an unusual chef. Primarily because he’s a rat. When he finds himself alone in Paris, separated from his family, he teams up with hapless human chef. Languine [Lou Romano] is a new employee at the restaurant created by the renowned Gusteau [Brad Garrett], who inspired Remy with his motto, “anyone can cook”. With Remy’s help, Languini soon becomes the talk of Paris. Meanwhile Remy must deal with conflicting loyalties to his new life and his uncouth family.

Rats!

Visually Ratatouille delivers a treat, as one always expects from Pixar. Unusually there is a large cast of human characters, not as overtly stylised as The Incredibles but still retaining a cartoonish appearance. Fur has long been one of Pixar’s strengths and cute rats look wonderful, showing off their coats under a variety of conditions, often drenched and even electrified! Most of the film occurs in enclosed spaces but the outside shots of Paris are breathtakingly recreated with incredible detail. The outdoor highlight is a chase through Paris which is simply one of the best action sequences I’ve seen recently in any medium.

The voice acting is capable but unremarkable, though this elevates Pixar above most of its mainstream competition where celebrity voice talent overpowers the characters themselves. The exception is Peter O’Toole’s ominous food critic Anton Ego. Of note is that there is much successful visual, physical comedy here, unusual in a film that is clearly designed for both children and adults. Usually the physical side is reserved for weaker gags to appeal to the younger audience. Unlike other family films that resort exclusively to middle-of-the-road material to appease everyone, here plenty of elements are geared at different sections of the audience so that everyone is kept entertained. There are humorous digs at the French and the inherent snobbery of haute cuisine, but it is always playful rather than mean spirited.

Linguini and Colette

The chief criticism is that beyond the initial creative conceit of a gourmet rat in a kitchen, the story unfolds in a charming but utterly predictable manner. Indeed this feels like a culmination of an alarming trend with Pixar as their unique storytelling spirit of the Toy Story to Monsters, Inc heyday gradually slips away. It is telling that Pixar releases now mark the central focus of the Disney calendar, because it seems the studio is becoming subsumed into its publisher: this tale is exactly what one would expect of a Disney cartoon a few decades ago. Although little is known about the plot for the forthcoming robotic Wall-E, one is hopeful that it may buck the trend.

So Ratatouille remains at the peak of animated fare with a providing much for both children and adults to enjoy. Yet while its polish is undeniable, one cannot help feel that, like Cars, it fails to live up to the legacy that precedes it. Nevertheless it remains one of the top family films of the year, further cementing Pixar’s dominant position.

rating: 3/4

"A film is a petrified fountain of thought."

(CC) BY-NC 2003-2023 Priyan Meewella

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