MirrorMask
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Movie Reviews of MirrorMask
Movie Review: lost on america
Summary: 5 Stars
Dave McKean is hands down one of the most overlooked artists of our time, and it really is a shame that this film was given such a limited release in the states. chances are that many people who like McKean have no idea that he's actually the "crazy digital edited picture guy who's done all those album and book covers" (as a friend puts it). being a huge fan, I was a little worried that, when I finally tracked down a theater that was actually showing Mirrormask, I might be dissappointed with the final product. I left the movie, stepped out the door, took 2 steps, then turned around and bought a ticket for the next show. I only managed to see it twice before it left limited theatrical release, but the second time around I coulden't believe how much of the film's texture I had missed the first time. this movie really happens in layers. you can follow the story, the visuals, the music, or any combination of the total elements, and it plays out very differently depending on how you're watching it. there was really nothing about this movie that ended up leaving me feeling like something had been overlooked or missed out on.
Mirrormask really was just as impressive in every aspect as big budget fluff like Episode III... but americans just don't seem to want to latch on to something that feels like it's too much of an art film - even with the Henson name attatched to it. sadly, this religates Mirrormask to something of a niche market, but I hold great hopes that McKean and company will produce more films, even if that maeans they'll have to pull back some of Gaiman's typically darker writing style and pad it with Labyrinth-ish sillyness.
all in all, this film really does quietly overshadow the bulk of what hit screens in 05' and it's absolutely worth a look.
Movie Review: Defines a different kind of movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Maybe you've heard that "it's all been done before." Gaiman and McKean prove that wrong with this unique movie. It really is something new.
McKean has worked for years in the comic industry, defining a visual style that works at a visceral level. The style has many ways to look, depending on the combination of collaged photos and painterly fantasy. Some times McKean's work evokes sculpture in concrete or stone, other times it's a pen-scrawl of some horrible fear trying to waken. Disparate elements come together on his canvas to create a rich visual experience. I never imagined that such painterly fantasy worlds could come to life - well, I was wrong. This movie's imagery defies easy description. I can only invite you to see it for yourself, and to experience a movie that is truly like no other. The small-screen video makes me regret missingn the big-screen theater experience.
The sound track generally works well, too, from the surreal drone of Mrs. Bagwell's Victrola to the nightmare chant of the Jill-in-the-boxes during Helena's transformation. I'm not normally one to notice, but Mirrormask's music complements its look flawlessly.
You didn't come here for the story: light and dark in conflict, lost mystic artifact, plucky youth, untrustworthy side-kick. The acting doesn't distinguish itself either, despite some great hissing from the evil queen and good moments from the sphinxes. Stephanie Leonidas does a good job in the Helena role, with a convincing sulky/sultry mix. If you liked the acting in the original Dr. Who series, this will rise to your highest expectations.
The story isn't the strength here. You'll see it and remember it for creating a look that others are sure to copy.
//wiredweird
Movie Review: A movie for artists
Summary: 5 Stars
Mirrormask was the movie I wanted to see in the theaters, but which wasn't released widely, so I couldn't.
So I got the DVD so I could watch it.
I liked it, a lot. It's a subtle movie, and I think if you're not already an artist of some kind it might go over your head--but for those who are artists...either visual artists, or writers, or the like...you'll like the little homages to the craft that are scattered through the movie.
Also, the woman who plays Helenor is a very good actress. :) (And she's actually older than she looks--I thought her between 12 and 14, but she's really 21 or so!)
Really, Mirrormask is a book made faithfully on screen by a writer who understands visual arts. It's a blend of the best of the two--the most creative Visual Art with the most creative Ideas and Writing. You could SEE the things a writer thinks up in the privacy of their own head up there on screen, which doesn't happen often--there are subtle differences between the creative writer and the creative artist, and I think this is the first movie I've ever seen where something similar to my own internal state as a writer has been translated on screen in a visual way.
There are a lot of little jokes in the dialogue and visual art, but they're in-jokes and I think hard to pick up.
But that's ok--the movie will be a good one for re-watching, so you can pick up the subtleties better the second time around.
So, if you're intersted in a film with texture and beauty and creativity and some pretty good acting, pick the DVD up now, and have fun being a kid again (but a sophisticated one!) while watching it.
Movie Review: Boy, have some people missed the point...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a stunning, gorgeous, mind-blowing movie.
It seems criticisms of this movie are stemming from two basic complaints: first, that the story is unoriginal/derivative; and second, that the movie is all visuals, no plot. The first complaint misses the point completely. The whole point of the story is that it is ARCHETYPAL. It deals with fundamental human issues of identity, growth, dark and light, good and evil. To complain that an archetypal story is unoriginal is like complaining that an apple doesn't taste like an orange. To have completely unrelated expectations is to be disappointed.
The second complaint is once again an issue of erroneous expectations. A distinction must be made between film as pure entertainment and film as pure art. These two genres sometimes co-exist, of course, and there is a spectrum in between. Yes, this is a visual movie. It is self-consciously a movie intended to display film-making as a visual art, which it first and foremost is. When appreciating a painting, is the central issue the painter's choice of subject matter? No, it is technique, execution, mood, effect. Who decided film is only successful or worthy if the plot entertains us sufficiently? Seems to me that is rather a shallow, provincial and self-absorbed viewpoint.
For goodness' sake, leave your expectations and preconceptions at the door and just accept this movie offering at face value. Complaining about what it isn't (and isn't meant to be) is pointless and a waste of everybody's time. Watch it and appreciate it for what it is: a classic, archetypal story beautifully retold in an exemplary display of film-making as a visual art form.
Movie Review: Creativity Mirrored and Unmasked
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most remarkable films I've viewed in quite some time. While I admit to a love of fantasy, I like this film for more than just its fairy-tale/dream aspects. The imaginative and creative visuals, coupled with a symbiotic script, prod one into delving into one's own mental and emotional wellspring to make the synaptic link that fleshes out the plot. Unlike other reviewers, who complain that the visuals are stunning but the plot weak, I feel that the story and the visuals cannot be separated, (Neil Gaiman's graphic novel background is evident in this respect) but combine to create a rich and unique vision of a timeless issue - adolescent rebellion vs love of family - the difficult transition period from child to adult.
The film requires the viewer to think and use both story and visuals together, to fill in the unspoken details relayed through the visuals and soundtrack. Example - the void of the Dark Queen's eyes - inpenetrable "windows of the soul", the antithesis of "mirrors" - Looking into such eyes, one does not see a reflection of joy, life, or love - only a black, empty, and souless void. Other such visual devices and metaphors (such as the mechanical dolls singing "Close to You" as they transform Helena into a doll-like copy of her anti-mother) flesh out the relationships between the characters, for those who look beyond the surface of the fantastic visuals and take the time to make the connections. Not a film to be viewed once and dismissed, I have viewed this film four times now, (I bought the DVD after the first viewing) and find new depth and entertainment each time I view it.