A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Pros:  Gee-whiz 3D animation, witty script, great voice cast Cons:  None With the success of the Pixar/Walt Disney collaborative efforts  Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc,  and  The Incredibles , it looks as though animated films, particularly computer-animated films, are experiencing a creative Renaissance as critics and moviegoers of all ages are treated with features that are visually stunning, wittily written, and are appealing to kids and adults alike. Pixar, which started out as a tiny division of Lucasfilm Ltd and first wowed viewers with the short but visually stunning "Genesis Effect simulation" in 1982's  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , continues its run of avant garde 3D animated hits with 2007's  Ratatouille , a story of a French rat who joins forces with the son of a recently deceased chef to fulfill his dream of becoming, of all things, a gourmet cook. Written and co-directed by Brad Bird ( Iron Giant, The Incredibles ) t...

(C) 2012 New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) Directed by Peter Jackson Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee Gandalf : Well, why does it matter? He's back! Thorin Oakenshield : It matters. I want to know - why did you come back? Bilbo Baggins : Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right... I often think of Bag End. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong, that's home. That's why I came back... 'cause you don't have one, a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can. Considering the success of director Peter Jackson’s epic fantasy film series The Lord of the Rings ($2.92 billion worldwide box office gross, plus 17 Academy Awards won out of 30 nominations)...

(c) 1979 20th Century Fox Alien (1979) Directed by Ridley Scott Written by Dan O’Bannon, based on an original story by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shussett Starring; Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, John Hurt In space no one can hear you scream. Released in the summer of 1979, director Ridley Scott’s  Alien  is the most effective blend of science fiction and horror since Howard Hawks’  The Thing from Another World  (1951). Set almost entirely aboard a commercial space tug owned by “the Company.”  Alien  borrows effectively from Hawks’ chiller about a Cold War era military-science team’s fight against a parasitic alien and Steven Spielberg’s  Jaws.  Its leisurely pace, laser-like focus on characterization, and Scott’s unerring instinct for creating rising tension help earn  Alien  its status as one of the greatest films ever made. A...