Winnie the Pooh (DVD/Blu-Ray) - Dir. Stephen J. Anderson, Don Hall. Starring Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson, John Cleese.
Old-fashioned hand-drawn animated feature from the new Disney.
The "plot" of Winnie the Pooh-in which Eeyore loses his tail and Pooh runs out of honey-sounds familiar somehow. Almost as if it's the plot to ever Pooh story I've ever encountered.
It's no coincidence. This new Winnie the Pooh is a deliberate return to the classic style, to a simpler era of cartoons which I'm not nostalgic enough to call "better," but which have an undeniable innocent charm.
Historically, mainstream revivals of properties like this one have gone bigger, broader, bolder to bring something new to audiences that have seen it all-"Pooh Conquers the Martians," "Pooh Catches Malaria," or something along that track. The film we got instead feels almost like a backlash against that trend. Its focus goes sharply inward; it embraces the well-worn edges of stories already told like a dirty old blanket and discards anything unfamiliar.
Each component of Winnie the Pooh, from its narrative to its visuals to its music, could have come from almost any era of Disney animation. The only clues to its modern origin are the vibrancy of the colors, the clarity of the sound and images, and the presence of some minor celebrity voices like John Cleese and Craig Ferguson (the impossibly talented Jim Cummings still voices both Pooh and Tigger).
The Pooh universe, with its narrowly limited palette of characters and settings, lacks the depth and variety that have made newer, more dynamic animated films appealing to all ages. Over time, the stories exhibit an almost depressing sameness that would drive any grown-up into a fit of teddy bear-mutilating rage. But for young children, the rigorous monotony, the joy of finding the slight twist that makes the old new again, and the constantly surprising quality of the humor are ideal.
And it's tough to get bored when the movie is over this quickly. At barely an hour long, it recognizes exactly when its formula is wearing thin and wraps things up.
Winnie the Pooh is ultimately as airy and forgettable as the musical numbers that bridge its scenes. But while it's on the screen, the creators' artistry, wit, and love for their craft seeps through every frame.
Rated G for Gluttony.
4 out of 5
A Little Help (DVD/Blu-Ray) - Dir. Michael J. Weithorn. Starring Jenna Fischer, Chris O'Donnell, Kim Coates.
Warm and intelligent drama from sitcom writer/producer Michael J. Weithorn.
With her relationship to her son and her marriage both already on the rocks, a well-meaning but weak-willed dental hygienist (The Office's Jenna Fischer) is left directionless after the premature death of her husband (Chris O'Donnell, who still hasn't been sufficiently punished for Batman & Robin to be trusted with a full-length role).
At its most basic, this is a story about the struggle to build a new identity by a woman defined entirely in terms of who she used to be: a teenage rebel, an object of lust, the wife of Bob. There is little indication left in the meek current incarnation of Fischer's character of what these things used to mean, but she lives in their shadow all the same. Even her drinking problem seems less like a real addiction than a habit picked up as a temporary substitute for a personality.
Fischer's sincerity through it all makes for one of the best performances of the year.
This is a drama, but its dark humor surpasses any comedy in recent memory. It's the frank, non-manipulative kind of humor that comes from an honest look at the lives of flawed people. A cast made up entirely of unlikable characters is nothing unusual; a film that makes us like them anyway is something special.
You know it's been a strange and worthwhile ride when a screaming match between Fischer's character and her 13-year old son over who "sucks" more is, all at once, tragic, hilarious, and completely understandable.
A wonderfully heartfelt movie.
Rated R for inappropriate tattooing.
4.5 out of 5
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