Faith: Welcome to 2 Bloggers and a Movie...even if you don't blog about movies.
Mandi: I blog, but just not about movies.
Faith: So the title still works.
Mandi: Technically, yes. And thanks for asking me to be a part of this!
Faith: So...I remember you telling me you didn't like Wall-E as much as you thought, or something like that. Right?
Mandi: Right. I guess from the previews I was expecting a more cutesy movie, and it kind of took a really dark turn. Plus it had a political message, which kind of annoyed me.
Faith: I actually thought the political message would be really annoying too, but since it turned out to be more about getting fat and not killing the earth, I didn't care as much.
Mandi: True, but for some reason I just didn't expect the whole "take care of the earth" message to be so strong, so it kind of blindsided me.
Faith: Well, it is the trend these days. You know, "I like to be a part of solution." Hehe.
Mandi: Earth concousness is all over the news and reality. I go to the movies to escape that. I'm all for saving the earth though, so I guess if the message gets through to some kids and they start taking actions to help the Earth, it's not all bad.
Faith: Quite true. Because no kid wants to see a bunch of overweight adults rolling like sausages into a pile. No matter how funny it is.
Mandi: Hee hee. That was amusing. Especially Mary catching the kids.
Faith: Yes! Loved that part. So, besides the blatant message, you didn’t just love Wall-E (the character)?
Mandi: It just didn't really hold my attention. I think it jumped in to the deeper plot before we really got to know Wall-E so I didn't have a big attachment to him.
Faith: I thought he was so adorable. I got so used to not hearing full dialogue, that when I did start to hear it, I was a bit thrown.
Mandi: I knew there wasn't going to be a lot of dialogue. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I expected it to be like the shorts before the movie, but just longer…if that makes sense.
Faith: Makes sense.
***SMALL SPOILER ALERT***
Mandi:: I'll probably watch it again when it comes out on DVD (over and over and over again thanks to my 4 year old nephew who liked it). Maybe I'll like it better that time because I'll kind of know what to expect. I am one of those people who sits through the entire closing credits, and I was really happy with the way those were done. Showing humans getting back to being functional and the Earth healing itself.
Faith: That was very cute. I especially liked the idea of growing pizza.
Mandi: LOL, yeah.
Faith: Can I have a pizza garden? It would feel far healthier.
Mandi: You would be a millionaire if you could pull that off!
***END OF SPOILER***
Faith: Haha! So, as a Pixar movie, where does it sit?
Mandi: I think it's at the bottom of my list right now. But like I said, it might grow on me.
Faith: Hmm...I think it's right before A Bug's Life...which puts it near the bottom. But if I'm rating it with all the other animation I've ever seen, it's pretty high on the list.
Mandi: Oh! One thing that I did think was neat was how they combined live action and computer animation.
Faith: That was cool! Don't really see that at all, and it didn't look weird.
Mandi: They worked it in really well. It wasn't like they just threw it in so they could claim to be the first movie to do so.
Faith: Yeah, those Pixar people are nice and modest like that.
Mandi: Yeah. What did you think of the short before hand?
Faith: Funny that you say that. I was just trying to remember what it was!
Mandi: Presto. The magician and rabbit.
Faith: Ah, crazy magician and his funny bunny. It was hilarious!
Mandi: I really enjoyed it. I think I just enjoy the shorts that have animals in it more than the ones without. For the Birds is my all time favorite. It'll be hard to beat that one!
Faith: For the Birds was the best. The one before Ratatouille just didn't work for me, though. That was the one with the guy helping the baby bird fly, right?
Mandi: I think that was the alien one.
Faith: OK. I'm a liar. You're right. I did like that one.
Mandi: LOL
Faith: Was the baby bird one before Cars?
Mandi: No, that was One Man Band. I didn't care for that one. I can't even think of the one you're talking about.
Faith: Great. Now I have to find it. (And no, I didn't really like One Man Band either).
Mandi: LOL
Faith: You know what, my baby bird one might be before a non-Pixar movie.
Mandi: I'm trying to think of other movies it could have been a part of.
Faith: Thank you, Google! First Flight in 2006. Dreamworks. Definitely not Pixar. And we are WAY off topic.
Mandi: Doesn't take much.
Faith: Haha. Hmm...I need to be a better movie reviewer for a moment. Back to Wall-E. I know what you disliked about it. What did you like about it?
Mandi: I liked the message that we are in control of our destiny. If we don't like something about ourselves, or our lives, we have the ability to change it. And Wall-E IS adorable. But he does remind me a lot of Johnny 5 from Short Circuit.
Faith: But that's what makes him adorable! I never thought I'd think a robot was so darn cute, but he totally is.
Mandi: Yeah, I definitely think that tapped into my childhood memories of that movie.
Faith: Who (or what) was your favorite supporting character? For me, it's a toss up between the little cleaner robot and the captain.
Mandi: I really liked John and Mary. The little cleaner robot was a hoot!
Faith: Pure comic relief.
Mandi: When Wall-E puts dirt on him and he freaks out. Priceless.
Faith: If he'd been human, I think he may have looked a little like David Hyde Pierce. Only shorter.
Mandi: LOL...I was just thinking the shorter part. Or one of those overly anal kids.
Faith: Yes. Some kid with glasses and perfect hair, carrying around a big cleaning brush.
Mandi: Who doesn't even know the word "fun" exists.
Faith: Yet, he seems to make everyone laugh.
Mandi: I really like Mary and John though. It's amazing because the bulk of the movie is dealing with the love story between Wall-E and EVE, yet I was happier when Mary and John noticed each other than when Wall-E finally got EVE's attention. I think the human factor goes a long way with me.
Faith: I think the Pixar people realized that too. You can only go so far to humanize a couple of robots. I loved Mary and John playing in the pool. "I didn't know we had a pool." So great.
Mandi: LOL. John Ratzenberger always has pretty awesome characters. I like watching the Pixar movies just because I know he'll be in there somewhere.
Faith: Very true. I love the joke he did in Cars...just in case we all forgot he's a Pixar staple.
Mandi: I don't remember the joke.
Faith: At the end--at the drive in--they're all watching car versions of the Pixar movies. He keeps commenting on the “wonderful actor” playing all of his roles.
Mandi: Oh yeah! Did it seem to you that EVE was the most...I guess I could say "human" robot.
Faith: Very much. She had more vocabulary and expressions, and she seemed...softer.
Mandi: Emotionally she was the kind of hard working girl, not taking much crap from the guys because she had to prove herself. At least that's how I felt about it. Then she softens up to Wall-E
Faith: It was very 30s era screwball comedy.
Mandi: Yeah.
Faith: EVE is the robot equivalent of Katherine Hepburn!
Mandi: True!
Faith: No, no, Carole Lombard...she's my favorite.
Mandi: Hee hee....that works too.
Faith: So. If you had to give a 50 word or less review of Wall-E, what would you say?
Mandi: Hmmm....let me think about that for a minute.
Faith: Good, because I have to think as well.
ONE MINUTE LATER
Faith: OK. Here I go. With its usual stellar visuals and adorable characters, Pixar won my heart once again with Wall-E. I never thought I'd fall in love with a robot, but I just want to hug him and squeeze him and call him George. Though not my favorite Pixar movie, Wall-E is still some darn fine filmmaking.
That’s 53 words, but who cares.
ANOTHER MINUTE OR SO
Faith: Still thinking?
Mandi: Hee hee...thinking, writing, erasing, re writing, etc. I'm trying to think of what to say because everytime I come up with something, I realize that I actually liked the movie more than I thought I did.
Faith: Haha. And people say movie discussions aren't worthwhile.
Mandi: While Wall-E is no where near my favorite Pixar movie, it did hold my attention and get me thinking. I couldn't help but be touched by Wall-E's longing for love and companionship, which are very human emotions. Because it has WAY less dialogue than other Pixar movies, I think it will bridge the language barrier easier to help us realize that we have to work together as ONE planet to survive.
Okay...that was just my thought process...I should probably cut that down. I can follow directions.
Faith: Nope. No touchy. That works for me! So it turns out the message didn't bother you so much?
Mandi: Apparently not.
Faith: Yeah, cute wins out every time.
Mandi: Hee hee. True.
Faith: Well, I think that wraps it up. It's been a pleasure!
Mandi: This has been fun! I love things that make me see other points of view! Thanks for asking me to be a part of it.
Faith: We must do it again.
2 comments:
Fun reading your interview! I could hear Faith's voice in my head but since I don't know Mandi, I had to hear my voice instead. Blah! Haven't seen Wall-E yet, it'll be on my netflix queue. Hubby will probably say he doesn't want to watch it 'cuz it's a cartoon, but every time he does watch one, he ends up liking it. But I never say "I told ya so." :-)
What a fun movie review! Especially since it is the only summer movie I have seen so far! On a side note right after I saw this movie I read this article in Slate (http://www.slate.com/default.aspx?id=3944&qt=wall-e) which while I totally disagreed with it, was an interesting perspective.
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