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Shrek This Out
I'm finally back... The last month has been the craziest of my existence so far. I have been adapting to my work schedule and I hope that from now on I will be able to write this column more often. Today, we have a review of Shrek by Q-Brick who will soon retire from his journalistic duties. He will be missed. We also have my thoughts on the season finale of Dawson's Creek and some tidbits on Zoolander and Vanilla Sky to chew on.
'Shrek' Review
"I've always heard that the voices of animated characters are always recorded first. With the newest computer animated full length feature Shrek, the poor slugs who slaved to bring this very fresh comedy to the screen definitely had their work cut out for them, largely because of the verbal antics of Eddie Murphy. He voices the diarrhea-mouthed jackass, so pivotal to this tale of a world inhabited by all manner of fairy tale folk and probably had the animators working overtime.
The donkey is the sidekick (get it?) of a monster (Mike Myers) who's more slacker than ogre. When the local lord of the land, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) decides he needs a princess to legally make him a prince, the two are pressed into service. There are a number of these princesses-awaiting-rescue available so they choose Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) figuring that slaying her dragon guardian makes her the easiest job.
I guess I don't get out enough but the computer images in Shrek really took me by surprise. I think everybody with a SAG card needs to worry or at least consider another career. There are times when some of the secondary or background characters aren't quite that realistic. For that matter, the rendering of the princess is probably the most disappointing compared with the title character and Murphy's donkey.
But I don't think the creators of Shrek were going for photo realism anyway. Apparently they attempted to retain the flavor of cartoon characters but with a fully three dimensional look. If that's the case Shrek achieves this end and in a most entertaining fashion. I've never seen digital characters so expressive, especially the donkey. The animators must have used one of their dogs as template for action because he reminded me, more than once, of our dog Dibbs.
I also have to mention the wannabe-prince, the repellent Lord Farquaad. Lithgow's wonderfully foppish theatricality coupled with the character's nightmarish bigger-than- life head makes him one of the truly memorable villains...animated or otherwise.
I will have to classify Shrek in the same category as the current Spy Kids. It's one of those flicks that the parents will enjoy as much as the kids. The little ones at the screening were beside themselves when the ogre did something typically gross (like making a candle with a hefty glob of ear wax extracted from his head). But the comic references in Shrek seem to be aimed squarely at an older audience. Watching it reminded me of the old Rocky & Bullwinkle television series. It was a cartoon where the grownups got all the jokes. Shrek is in the same tradition. It's another Fractured Fairy Tale...with better animation."
(Review sent in by 'Q-Brick'.)
Dawson's Creek Season Finale
If you have been reading this column regularly, you know that I'm a huge Katie Holmes fan. I have also been a fan of her TV show Dawson's Creek for 4 years. The season finale of the show is on May 23rd. Thanks to a little luck, I have been able to get my hand on the script to the last scene of the season. It's 10 pages long, the act four of the last season episode entitled 'Coda'. The premise according to WB Media is: While Pacey (Joshua Jackson) sails the summer away on the high seas, Dawson (James Van Der Beek) packs his bags for a summer film program in California and struggles to say goodbye to Joey (Katie Holmes), who secretly wants him to stay with her for the summer.
The entire final scene takes place in Dawson's room at the Leery's house. Dawson and Joey are finishing watching E.T. (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!) Joey swipes a tear at the end of the movie. Dawson asks Joey to help him pack up his stuff. Dawson talks about it being the last time they will see each other before Thanksgiving. They imagine their future, Dawson making a crack about working the graveyard shift at Kinko's in 4 years. They start one of those Williamson-esque quizzes with 'All-time favorite movie'. Dawson answers the typical Jaws while Joey says Daydream Believer. All-time most embarrassing moment: for Dawson it's making out with Eve in front of the entire school. For Joey, it's offering to have sex with Dawson and him turning her down from a season ago. Then they go into all-time hugest regret. Joey tells Dawson it's lying about not having sex with Pacey to him. The discussion turns into Dawson's virginity. He calls himself 'The Last American Virgin'. All-time most life altering moment brings some memories to Joey. She says her mom's death, her dad going to prison, Pacey and the world famous season one cliffhanger kiss between her and Dawson. The kiss, 'it changed everything, it's a powerful thing, having your biggest wish come true in a moment'. A moment of silence and Joey asks Dawson to stay. She compares her silence to his departure to a Merchant Ivory film. The discussion turns into the last few years which have been, according to Joey, 'a soap opera'. Dawson tells Joey it's time for him 'to get the hell out of this room. This chapter is over, Jo.' Joey then describes the friendship between the two of them as pure magic. She's about to go, but the ladder isn't there anymore so she can't make a classy exit which would have been far more cinematic. Before she goes, she asks him what was his all-time most life altering moment. 'It could be this one, it could be saying goodbye to you.' They kiss, but the script says it's fragile and sweet. The only way they could say goodbye was this kiss. (END SPOILERS!!!)
Reading this, I think it means the end of the show. With all the main characters going to college except Pacey, it's the end of the show at Capeside. The show becomes Dawson: The College Years next season. I'm disappointed by how it ends in Capeside. The rushed break-up of Joey and Pacey and the resurrection of her romance with Dawson have really frustrated me. As a longtime fan of the show, this ending really bothers me. I wished it could have been better. The writers have had four years to prepare for this and it's not even GOOD. Oh well, perhaps the show will re-invent itself next season and blow our mind again...
Tid-Bits
First up is a small test-screening review of Ben Stiller's next movie Zoolander:
"As far as Zoolander, all I can say is that it's just not funny. The crowd laughed (actually chuckled) maybe 5 times. Ben Stiller has this annoying accent throughout (almost as annoying as Adam Sandler's in Little Nicky). The movie seemed to drag on for ever, and it was under 90 minutes long. At the end nobody clapped. I don't think anyone was expecting it to be this bad."
(Scoop sent in anonymously.)
Vanilla Sky
"Vanilla Sky reshoots: Tom Cruise returns to refilm under the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Brooklyn side near the water. Penelope Cruz will film on the pathway known as 'Literary Walk' in Central Park. Exact dates for both shots is unknown, may be during week of May 7th."
(Scoop sent in by 'The Mole'.)
I'm extremely perplexed by this news. It's the first time I ever heard about reshoots on a Cameron Crowe film. The Oscar winner has never needed them before, why now? I'm scared he may have rushed into this film a little too quickly after Almost Famous. Anyway, let's hope it turns out great.
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
