How to Train your Dragon

[blamebrampton]

One of the few upsides of Evil Mag TM is that I am back reviewing in print rather than just for web formats. Which is why tonight I watched How To Train Your Dragon (DVD release). I know that at least one of my flistees loved this in its cinema release, and I have to agree, it's wholly charming!

The animation is vibrant and refreshing, the characterisation consists of actual characters rather than entirely stock, the hero is a natural philosopher rather than a classic Viking -- it was all the things I tend to adore. But what made me burst out with laughter is that it slips in a Norse gravegoods misinterpretation joke! Someone on that writing crew is at least friends with a costume historian, and this amateur one appreciates the wink!

Thoroughly recommend this for everyone with small people, or with an adult academic interest in the postmodernist approach to storytelling through technology exemplified by Dreamworks (feel free to use that excuse next time someone raises an eyebrow when you buy a ticket to a kids film without a kid in tow, I have a Very Dull lecture that goes with it if you need more.)

Comments

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

I shall recommend that the Old Woman buy it for SG! I'm sure she'll welcome the opportunity to watch something other than 'Hairy bloody MacLary' on constant replay next time we visit. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

SG WILL LOVE IT!!!! It's a wee bit violent, but Dreamworks violent, look, less gruesome than the pig salting.

And there's SCIENCE, albeit science done with a charcoal stick, but engineering that involves a smithy!

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

Oh, she's fine with a bit of violence, my girl. ;)

And have you heard? Stephen Fry will be playing Mycroft in the Sherlock Holmes sequel! JOY!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Some days, the universe decides it loves us ;-)

*butts in*

[lilian-cho.livejournal.com]

The Rubber Ducky Jr. movie version, you mean? =D

Re: *butts in*

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

Indeed! I cannot call him that, though, as I once wrote ill-advised Harry/Draco/rubber ducky smut, and the resulting mental image is just so wrong on so many levels...

All I am going to be able to think about when I see SH2 is Oscar!Fry and Bosie!Jude! 8D

Re: *butts in*

[lilian-cho.livejournal.com]

X-D

AHAHAHA Mycroft/Watson ogawd. It _can_ work >=D
Man, Jude Law looked so, so young in Wilde. Like barely legal (in the U.S. at any rate) young =3

I'm glad he didn't play romance leads (except for Wilde, I guess) until he was in his 30s. He looks more mighty fine now >=D

Re: *butts in*

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

I will be watching with my HPF (Het Protection Factor) 100 slash goggles on!

Ah, Jude. He made something of a habit in his younger years of playing jailbait for older men, didn't he?

*fondly recalls Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil*

Re: *butts in*

[lilian-cho.livejournal.com]

I'll have to check out that movie now X-D

Re: *butts in*

[wincestuouslove.livejournal.com]

Michael Caine almost became Jude's sugar daddy in Sleuth.

Re: *butts in*

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen it, but I MUST.

*molests your icon*

[vaysh11.livejournal.com]

"an adult academic interest in the postmodernist approach to storytelling through technology exemplified by Dreamworks" - why, I say the exact same thing (minus the Dreamworks) every time I go to a kid's movie without kids in tow. ;)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's because we're similarly classy and full of silliness ;-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Oh it's another one I missed and really wanted to see! In the past years (decade?) it seemed certain animated features were the best films around anyway.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It and UP are two of my favourite films of the last couple of years. I was all prepared to hate both after the hype, but was utterly unable to, they were so thoroughly kind and funny and clever.

Some of the kids' stuff around these days is horrid, but the good stuff is very good indeed, it's worth you hunting down the DVD!

[lilian-cho.livejournal.com]

Oh hurrah! If it's on the par of Up, I'd absolutely love it =D

Thanks for the rec.

[deerang2002.livejournal.com]

Ah, I absolutely loved the movie as well! The wry jokes, the characterization of the young Vikings...the portrayal of the whole race of Vikings, in general, was just awesome! And Toothless was so cute...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I loved the fact that even with all the Viking Stereotypes, there were so many points of difference among the characters, and that they could change and learn.

And yes, Toothless was very cute indeed!

[bloodbelieve.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adored this! I particularly loved the ending, if that's not too ambiguous -- I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it -- but I thought it was such a nice message. But yes, I found it totally charming and loved it, and didn't mind paying to see it a second time with a different friend \o/

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The ending was terrific! I loved everything about that, including the 'Oh. Oh well ...' moment (that should be suitably cryptic for anyone who's not seen it!)

I had to give the disc back, and now can't wait for it to come out so I can buy it!

[pingrid.livejournal.com]

What's the misinterpretation joke?! :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You know how they used to say that the turtle brooches were breast coverings? Hiccup (the main character) receives one of his mother's breast armour pieces as a helmet, with his dad wearing the matching one. I cracked up in a thoroughly undignified way.

PLEASE buy the airline and upgrade me! And NOT LONG NOW!

[flamewarrior.livejournal.com]

I loved that film. My housemates sat me down and made me watch it.

And I would love to have your Very Dull lecture!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'll write it up for you one day! (Just making it through comments today, baby steps!)

And GOOD HOUSEMATES! That film is a happy, as the lolcats among us would say.

[seshat1.livejournal.com]

I *adored* that film :D

I mostly wanted to see it because it was about DRAGONS but I was so pleased that it was awesome, as I dragged three friends (no kids lol) with me. Hehe.

It's on my Christmas list! (Or will be, anyway, it's currently just on my amazon wishlist lol)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I think you were one of the people who may have mentioned loving it, so I was really happy when it became available for review just in time!

It's on my list too, now :-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_aurora_sky_/]

omg. THAT MOVIE. I went and saw it in theaters 4 times. I absolutely LOVED it. The Lion King has been THE animated movie for me literally since it came out -- nothing could compare, and nothing had moved me as much as the Lion King did... Until Hiccup and his dragon came along. <3

I honestly can't remember the last time I loved a movie that much. Like I came out of the theater and immediately wanted to buy another ticket. Everything about it was perfect and smart <3 Let's just hope Dreamworks doesn't KILL it with the sequels :\

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I suspect you may have been the person who wrote about it several times and convinced me it was A Good Thing long before I had a chance to see it. You were COMPLETELY right!

And yes, I could do with one or two shorts set in that world, as they sometimes do, but a franchise would rip it up.

[bonfoi.livejournal.com]

I've wanted to see the flick, in fact, it's on my list at the movie rental place. Good to have yet another endorsement for it.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Do, it will make you smile thoroughly (after a bit of nervous lip-biting and mild teariness).

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

on a slightly related matter, I am currently training my Dragon. I've just installed Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software and currently in the process of training it to recognise my voice and speech patterns. In fact, I've just dictated this entire comment :-)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

HEE! You are SO ahead of the times young Ant! And that's a decent program, not a single wacky made-up word in the lot!

[ant-queen.livejournal.com]

It is spookily clever. While it does have the occasional mistake, it apparantly scans your word docs and emails to learn your writing style and context for particular words. I have a friend named Krystal, so I was expecting to have to correct when I told it "send email to Krystal", but lo and behold, it picked her out of my contact list.

Now I'm just waiting for it to say "I can't do that Dave" :)

[emerald-dragon8.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wanted to see that! Yay for holidays, now I can!

I always get raised eyebrows because I love kids movies and go to them all the time. :) I should definitely say I'm going for a class or something. But then I also get raised eyebrows when I go to the cinema alone (which I used to do more often, but still do occasionally when no one is available to accompany me, or if I've run out of people to see Harry Potter with - because I always see HP at least 10 times). :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I went to see When Harry Met Sally alone after one of my few bad break-ups, and sat there saying helpful things like 'Pffft.' 'As if!' and 'Find a NICE man, you fool!'

The people who had gone to it as a date film all edged away from me.

I'd see kids' films with you, they're often very good, and have less to hide behind than adult ones, so they need to rely on strong stories if they are to succeed.