at least dunderklumpen had a witch and somewhat of a story
this......I don't know what this was. an attempt to dazzle or be arty using pointlessness and bizarre imagery? that somehow if I don't "get it" i'll be labeled uncool by the hipsters who slobber all over this film? I generally love arthouse films if they have something significant or innovative to say, but this films belongs in the town dump.
There was a story to this film, just not a lot of plot; The Madame's grandson gets kidnapped by Mafia at the Tour de France and she proceeds to rescue him. As a fan of surrealism, the random and bizarre imagery did not bother me that much, for that is what surrealism aims to do. Not to mention the animation and character design are creative and stay in your head long after viewing for all the right reasons, plus at times it felt like a throwback to old-school animation. I always applaud a film for managing to tell a story (even if it is not all that complex) without the use of much dialogue, if any. I also found the sound design of the film to pretty well done, for outside a few musical sequences, there really was not much music in the film and hell some of the music did come from objects you can find in most houses.
While the film does not flat out say it, there appears to be a condemnation of modernity with the dietary habits of those in Belleville standing out the most, for I don't think there are any characters outside the triplets and the waiter, who are not fat. Hell, the first thing Madame and Bruno are served are burgers that put the ones from the Heart Attack Grill to shame, plus the Statue of Liberty there is fat as all hell and holding a burger plate. Now you might say that this is critiquing American Culture, and I would not disagree, but it is still a problem of modernity.
You also see modernity criticized in the way the small town advanced, for their once quaint home got surrounded by quite frankly ugly scenery, with a railroad being built right next to their home. When Madame and Bruno arrive in the triplet's apartment, you see a similar problem with the railroad, but you also see poor living conditions. Before they even enter the apartment room, you see the seedy underbelly of the city with prostitutes and johns. Now while this practice has gone on for many years, the way it is portrayed here is of a direct result of modern progress.
Not everyone sees the same things, but this is what I saw.
HI-F___ING-YA
Nicholas Cage Deadfall
2014 Rankings: imdb.com/list/mOL23rGRrh0/
Yes, obviously everybody who, unlike you, enjoyed this movie must be a "hipster"... dude, it's 2014!
--
No, Schmuck! You are only entitled to your INFORMED opinion!!
-- Harlan Ellison
At least I'm not the only one who didn't find the appeal.
shareI totally agree with you, bregund. The only thing I really enjoyed about this movie was it's fantastic and detailed animation. I love surrealism when they try to tell something significant or they're just generally funny, such as Being John Malkovich, and I also really enjoy movies with little dialogue like WALL*E. This, however, was neither particularly funny (except for some scenes) or meaningful (although I do see some of the points about ''fat'' culture it's hardly deep). I didn't really hate it either, but it's most definitely overrated, most likely by the ''hipsters'' who always love things that try to do something new, no matter how pointless they ultimately are. Like most of Miyazaki's movies, I think this one quite simply just tries too hard to be different.
--
How boring to live in a world where everything must have a 'point'
If you think Belleville Rendez-vous belongs in the town dump
You must be throwing away some pretty beautiful things.