Throwback Thursday Review: 'Ratatouille'

Sorry for the delay on this review, as it was supposed to be published on Thanksgiving. I watched the film on Thanksgiving, but only recently had a chance to sit down and write about it. Anyways, I'm reviewing Ratatouille to coincide with the most recent Pixar release, Coco. I felt Ratatouille was the perfect choice because it's a Pixar film about a foreign culture (France), and since it's all about cooking, it ties into the food motif of Thanksgiving! The Throwback Thursday Reviews I have scheduled through the end of the year include Pitch Perfect, The Room, Looper, and Jumanji (1995) to go along with Pitch Perfect 3, The Disaster Artist, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I'm also well aware that I've yet to publish the last two Throwback Thursday Reviews in addition to all the other significantly delayed ones. I haven't had a chance to sit down and watch any of them yet, but I will get them out there!

'Ratatouille' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Animated Feature.

Ratatouille scampers alongside the remarkable rat Remy, whose heightened sense of smell and passion for cooking cultivate a foolish fantasy that he may one day become a world class chef. As fate would have it, Remy unexpectedly winds up underneath one of France's most exclusive restaurants, which happens to also be the restaurant popularized by Remy's culinary idol, Auguste Gusteau. When the garbage boy, Linguini, discovers the rodent and bears witness to Remy's unique expertise, the two strike a peculiar partnership in hopes of rising through the restaurant's ranks.

Ratatouille was cooked up concurrently by Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, who co-directed the feature and developed the story with Jim Capobianco while Bird was the sole screenwriter. Like the vast majority of Pixar's work, the film is still stirring thanks to exceptional animation, worthwhile themes, and a reluctance to adhere to any formula. However, despite its shared characteristics, Ratatouille always seems to be one of the forgotten films among Pixar's nineteen animated features. I'd daresay it's one of their more underrated entries in the grand scheme of things.

Ratatouille's unique flavor is derived from the ingenuity of its masterful storytelling. The emphasis remains on character and servicing the story in spite of all the entrées presented to the viewer. There's never a wasted moment, and a deft balance of humor and seriousness is successfully achieved in Bird's script. 

Ratatouille even offers ample meta commentary on criticism through the Anton Ego character by pointing out the humble origins of a critic's subjective perspective. Bird walks the tightrope between satirizing critics and glorifying them quite well in presenting an honest outlook of the profession.

And of course the animators ensure kitchen utensils, food ingredients, rat fur, and human hair are all as intricately detailed as any of the incredible animation to be found in Pixar's other offerings! Elsewhere, Michael Giacchino's swell score encompasses an extraordinary assortment of compositions ranging from pleasant and deliberate to swift and lively, but each one stands out as an inviting accompaniment underneath the ongoing events. 

Tossed to the forefront, Patton Oswalt's pleasant personality strictly suits Remy's delightful disposition and Lou Romano grants Linguini an apprehensive aptitude fitting of the character's aloof clumsiness.

Ian Holm chews the scenery as Gusteau's fiendish head chef Skinner, Brad Garrett brings a light-heartedness and compassionate nature to Gusteau, but Peter O'Toole's seemingly cynical food critic Ego is perhaps one of the standout supporting characters. Sprinkled throughout the animated ensemble, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, and John Ratzenberger can all be found voicing Remy's doubting dad Django, Remy's amiable brother Emile, cunning female chef Colette, mysterious German sous-chef Horst, and worried waiter Mustafa.

Ratatouille remains a bold, original recipe thanks to its inspired mixture of seasoned storytelling, charming characters, outstanding animation, and pinch of heart. When it's all over, you won't be able to resist the urge for a second helping. 

Film Assessment: A-

Retrospective Review: 'Alien'

Today I'm introducing a new form of review called a Retrospective Review. The basic idea is to provide another opportunity for me to review older films aside from Throwback Thursday Reviews as these reviews won't always tie into a corresponding release. However, the first couple Retrospective Reviews are all coming this week as an excuse for me to review the Alien Anthology, seeing as my Throwback Thursday Review schedule didn't have enough room built into it to review any of the Alien films. This week I'm reviewing all four Alien films' theatrical cuts and will save my thoughts on the respective Director's Cuts for another review down the line so be on the lookout for an Aliens review soon. Also, there will be some spoilers in the review considering the film's age and popularity.

'Alien' Review

Nominated For: Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects.
Won: Best Visual Effects.

Alien escorts the crew of commercial space-vessel Nostromo as they are awakened from cryo-sleep to investigate an intergalactic SOS. The crew board the alien starship and stumble across a nest of eggs when suddenly a parasitic organism leaps out, attaching itself to one of the crew members. The crew return to the ship and are able to remove the face-hugger, only to discover the creature spawned offspring when a little alien bursts out of Kane's chest and retreats into the ship's depths. The crew are left to fight for their lives as they're picked off one-by-one by the ever-evolving extraterrestrial.

Alien is widely regarded to be one of the best sci-fi horror outings ever created, considered a true hallmark of the science fiction/horror genre. Alien was directed by Ridley Scott, an unproved directorial commodity at the time who has since more than made his mark on science fiction. Scott understood that the task at hand didn't simply call upon him to make a "scary" movie but to authenticate tension over the course of two hours. The tense atmosphere of Alien is one that slowly creeps up on you, not unlike the titular Xenomorph, building and building for a quick release only to further escalate that foundation. The sense of uneasiness derives from a concoction of every technical element on display; the remarkable visual effects, the grungy production design, the vacant score, and the smart screenplay.

The special effects in Alien are timeless, it's been 38 years since Alien was first released yet the aesthetic still works. The creature design remains creepy as ever, the filthy set design projects the guise the ship's been lived in, and the production design, editing, and cinematography meld seamlessly enhancing the claustrophobic nature of the Nostromo. Jerry Goldsmith's spacial score mimicks the vacuum of space with a void sound at the film's start, steadily crescendoing to communicate a sense of unease in the film's more precarious moments. Goldsmith's compositions effectively transition between conveying a sense of comfort and urgency instantaneously, and the steady build of suspense allows for successful scares and a swelling of anxiety throughout the two hour runtime.

Screenwriters Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett set the stage for a slow burn but as I've already attested to, the build pays off exceptionally well. O'Bannon and Shusett also cleverly wrote the proceedings so that you're not quite sure who the true protagonist is for a large portion of the plot proceedings. While that's grown increasingly more common amidst the horror genre, I thought it worked even better than usual in Alien. The writing duo do an admirable job crafting the crew as the dynamic between them adds further authenticity to their individual roles onboard the ship and the bond they share.

The crew's chemistry works no only thanks to the script but the powerful performances on display. Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto make up the company of the Nostromo and each provides a unique role in the story and an innate likability so you feel for these characters.

Weaver in particular stands out as Ripley, in-large part because she survives the whole she-bang but also because Ripley's such a fantastic female character. It's not too often that franchise bolster a female lead and even when they do, they typically succumb to tropes of a poorly written female character. However, Ripley's a strong female character that's not an annoyance or sex appeal. Ripley's an everyday woman placed in a scary situation but maintains a clear head throughout, following protocol at every turn. Weaver brings a levelheaded nature and a sense of relatable paranoia to her character that sucks you into the ongoing events.

Other actors who deserve an additional shoutout include Ian Holm's eerie portrayal of an analytical android Ash, Tom Skerritt's charming Captain Dallas, and Bolaji Badejo for making a menacing movie monster of the Xenomorph. In summary, Alien has truly stood the test of time. After thirty eight years Alien still chills and thrills, cementing its status as a magnum opus of sci-fi horror.

Film Assessment: A+