REVIEW: How to Train Your Dragon

Welcome back readers, sorry that I have taken another of my all-too-often breaks from writing, and I could make up a load of excuses to justify my prolonged silence, but it's just not worth it. I will say this though, that one of the main reasons my writing has wained a bit, is because of the increasing cost of movies, in parts of the country a ticket has climbed to the ridiculous price of $20 to see a film, practically the cost of owning it once released, and also because of the sheer entertainment bliss that is Netflix Instant Streaming. For anyone who loves movies and has access to a computer or gaming system like Wii, or Xbox 360, you owe it to yourself to put aside $9 a month and grant yourself access to the wonderful world of Netflix. I have been personally catching up on hours of film and television that I have never found time or opportunity for, and it is such a fantastic system. $9 gets you one physical DVD at a time, shipped to your home in about 1 business day, but the real gem is the unlimited streaming that you can do with their gigantic catalogue of digital media. So as incentive for the first person who reads this, here is a free month of Netflix, on me, as a gift to my most loyal readers, or the most vigilant.

Go to: www.netflix.com/tellafriend and enter the priority code: M150759620835

This starts your free trial of Netflix, that if used right, will definitely get you hooked! Remember this is first come first serve though, so if the code doesn't work, someone beat you to it! Start your DVD queue, and really start building your instant streaming queue, it's fantastic. And as a new feature to the blog, since I have been spending so much time with Netflix, at the end of each post, I will recommend something for you that is available through Netflix Instant Streaming that I watched and particularly enjoyed. Now, on to the review.

How to Train Your Dragon

Directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders

Written by Cressida Cowell & William Davies

Starring:

Jay Baruchel

Gerard Butler

Craig Ferguson

America Ferrera

Rated PG for Sequences of Intense Action and Some Scary Images, and brief mild Language

IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/

In the opinion of this writer, the DreamWorks Animation Studio has been one that has been dogging Pixar Studios since they entered the animation race. Plagued by semi-successes like "Shark Tale", "Madagascar", "Flushed Away", and "Bee Movie", while trying to squeeze every last dying breath out of their one, tremendously successful, yet unfortunately overworked franchise, "Shrek", DreamWorks has been attempting to match Pixar in the quality of their work, the creativity of their stories, and the overall caliber that is still unmatched by any modern animation gracing the silver screen today. Then in 2008 along came "Kung Fu Panda," the movie that in my opinion, has been the closest parallel to the work of Pixar. A tremendously imaginative story, set in an equally well-imagined and stylized world, with memorably characters, and gorgeous animation. I absolutely loved that film, and was proud that Dreamworks SKG had finally produced something that I saw as on par with Disney's animation giant. But once I saw the first trailers and shots from their new film, "How to Train Your Dragon," my heart sank as it looked like their were retreating back to the weird animation style that hindered their other films from being great. But as the movie neared released, and early buzz started to leak that the movie was not only good, but better than "Kung Fu Panda," my interest began to reawaken. All this being said, and now having seen the movie, it is probably tied with the 2001 powerhouse that was the first "Shrek" film, as DreamWorks Animation's second best film, but it lacks the heart, polish, and originality that still, in my opinion, keeps Po and his panda friends on top.

"Dragon" is in no respects a bad movie. It's very well animated, while I would like to know who designed the character models and names for the Vikings and punch them in the face, because the bizarre look of the people of the world just seems out of place with the gorgeous backdrops of sea and mountain. The dragons are inventive and fun, if not a bit silly, and the 3D flying sequences can rival "Avatar." But overall, the movie just doesn't have the same weight that you felt with "Kung Fu Panda," in it's seamless blend of East and West, and the relatable message of "Be yourself and find beauty there." DreamWorks' newest film tried to play the same emotion, but because you find yourself alienated from most of the characters, and simply watch them instead of trying to put yourself in their shoes, the emotion runs thin and eventually fizzles out in the third act. There are some moments to like and truly connect with, but overall the movie is just mindless fun, with stuff blowing up and plenty of adolescent humor. I definitely enjoyed the movie, just not as much as I would have hoped. And just as an after thought, I hope that Hollywood wises up, and never ever casts Jay Baruchel in a voice role again, having to listen to his nasally, whiny voice the entire film was painful to say the least, and his delivery on his lines made me wonder whether or not he even knew what he was saying. Keep trying DreamWorks, but you've still got a lot to learn from Pixar.

How to Train Your Dragon is now in theaters nationwide

My Review: B-

Netflix Review:

For anyone who fancies themselves as a fan of Monty Python, whether it be their hysterical antics on the Flying Circus, or their three legendary features, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", "Monty Python's The Life of Brian", or "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life," Netflix has something just for you! Streaming in 6, hour long episodes is a brilliant documentary that examines the Pythons back to their beginnings all the way to their worldwide phenomenon status, with interviews from personal friends, fellow celebrities, archival footage, and indeed the 5 living Pythons themselves, Eric Idle, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones. It's an intimate and hilarious biopic about some of the funniest men to ever live, and chances are you'll walk away from it having learned something you didn't know!

"Monty Python's Almost the Truth" is available on Netflix Instant Streaming

My Review: A