Titanic

( A Film Review )

Characters : Leonardo DiCaprio ( as Jack), Kate Winslet (Rose), Billy Zane (as Cal
Hockley), Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Bernard

Synopsis

Hill, David Warner.

:

Showing the picture on the TV, Lovett receives a phone call from Rose Calvert
(Gloria Stuart), who claims to be the woman in the picture. She is flown in, where she
begins to tell a story about a woman, Rose DeWitt Butaker (Kate Winslet). Rose is a 17
year old girl being forced to marry a man she does not love. This man is Cal Hockley
(Billy Zane), a rich eccentric with more love for his money than Rose. Calvert's story
begins with these two arriving at the farewell of the R.M.S. Titanic, nicknamed "The
Unsinkable." The first class members board with pets and luggage, while third class
members need to be checked for lice and other diseases before boarding. A poor artist,
Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), wins a ticket for third class during a poker game. His
friend, Fabrizio De Rossi (Danny Nucci), also boards in order to escape to America.
Shortly after the ship leaves the dock, Jack spots Rose standing on the first class level.
Rose is so miserable with her engagement that she runs to the edge of the boat to commit
suicide. Jack stops her, and the two begin a friendship which later turns into a passionate
affair.
As the voyage continues, Jack and Rose grow more intimate, and she tries to summon
up the courage to defy her mother (Frances Fisher) and break off her engagement. But,
even with the aid of an outspoken rich women named Molly Brown (Kathy Bates), the
barrier of class looms as a seemingly-insurmountable obstacle. Then, when circumstances
in the Rose/Cal/Jack triangle are coming to a head, Titanic strikes an iceberg and the
"unsinkable" ship begins to go down.
All passengers of Titanic got panic how to save themselves not to become sinking in
the dark and cold night on the middle iced-ocean. The crew of Titanic tried very hard to
give aids by moving them out of Titanic onto lifeboats. However, Rose and Jack were
stucked on the deck of Titanic and they were under shocked how to save themselves. Both

of them finally were floating on the iced-ocean in the darkness while Jack was still eager
to save Rose, the girl wom he really loved from being unsinkable. Though at last they
were a part of away, Rose could be saved by the aid of other ship while Jack was one of
the dead victim of Titanic.

Evaluation
1. Character : By keeping the focus firmly on Rose and Jack, Cameron avoids one
frequent failing of epic disaster movies: too many characters in too many
stories. Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack is likable and energetic in this part -two characteristics vital to establishing Jack as a hero , while Kate
Winslet is as vulnerable Rose.,When a film tries to chronicle the lives
and struggles of a dozen or more individuals, it reduces them all to
cardboard cut-outs. In Titanic, Rose and Jack are at the fore from
beginning to end, and the supporting characters are just that supporting.
The two protagonists (as well as Cal) are accorded enough screen time
for Cameron to develop multifaceted personalities.
2. Story

: Titanic is the kind of epic motion picture event that has become a rarity.
You don't just watch Titanic, you experience it -- from the launch to the
sinking, then on a journey two and one-half miles below the surface, into
the cold, watery grave where Cameron (producer) has shot never-before
seen documentary footage specifically for this movie. This makes the
true story movie look like a live news that is specially aired for the
viewer in the worldwide. To make this movie, Cameron built an allnew Titanic, let it sail, then sunk it. So, the viewers can not diffrentiate
which scene is the real one and the unreal.

3. Soundtract : Where my heart will go on voiced by Celine Dion is very lovely song
and able to remind all viewers of the real Titanic and its story, as well as
true love between Rose and Jack which ends in unpredictable way (a
tragedy). It's impossible to deny the power of the visual effects, especially
during the final hour, as Titanic undergoes its death throes, the film
functions not only as a rousing adventure with harrowing escapes, but as a
testimony to the power of computers to simulate reality in the modern
motion picture. The scenes of Titanic going under are some of the most

awe-inspiring in any recent film. This is the kind of movie that it's
necessary to see more than once just to appreciate the level of detail. The
picture's spectacle is the ship's sinking, but its core is the affair between a
pair of mismatched, star-crossed lovers.

Recommendation
Just enjoy this dramatic movie and you will find that you are impressed due to its story,
supporting characters and visual effects that make this movie look vivid. I believe you will
fell being involved in this story because it was adopted from the true and real tragedy of
sinking of a very luxurious cruise ship at that time. How lovely and unpredictable the love
is !

The Bodyguard

( A Film Review )

Characters : Kevin Costner (Frank, as bodyguard), Whitney Houston (Rachel, as

superstar), Gary Kemp, Bill Cobbs, Michele Lamar Richards (Rachels
sister), Ralph Waite, Tomas Arana, Mike Starr, Robert Wuhl
Synopsis

Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner star in this acclaimed blockbuster, which all the
girlies love. Whitney Houston stars as Rachel Marron the superstar singer who is
desperate need of a bodyguard. Rachel has been recieveing death threats for quite
some time which she doesnt know about. Her manager Bill Devaney decides its
time to get a decent bodyguard. Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner) comes recommended
as the best and while he is hesitant to take on the job after some persuasion decides
he will. Rachel is less than cooperative but when she finds out that she has received
many of these threats in the past becomes a little more accomodating towards her
new bodyguard. The other members of the household however are less than friendly
especially the promotions manager Sye and the old bodyguard, Tony, who believes
he can do just as good a job as Frank if not better. Eventually Tony and Frank come to
an agreement after a heated battle in the kitchen.
Rachel decides that since she cant go anywhere without her new bodyguard the best
way to enjoy a date is to actually date him. After their night together Frank is distant
as he doesnt normally get involved with his clients. Rachel and Frank disagree on
this and all is not well. Until Rachels life is once again threatened and saved by
Frank.
Rachel and her family retreat to a lakeside cabin where Franks father lives to escape
the unknown killer. Here Frank discovers there is actually a professional out to kill
Rachel as well as a deranged psychopath sending death threats. A terrible tradgedy
occurs and the rest of the film is based around this and Rachels love for Frank.

Evaluation
Characters : The acting in The Bodyguard is very good. Kevin Costner, obviously
aware for whom the role has been originally made, puts a lot of effort into hismore
than impressive. Whitney Houston, on the other hand, has a somewhat easier job of
playing character in many ways similar to herself and therefore doesn't have to
display acting talent. Whitney was not very convincing as an actress , of course
because she is only the best singer, she should really stick to what she does best and
thats singer who has become quite a favorite of many people simple on the fact
that it boasts veteran Kevin Costner, and some because they just love Whitney. The
supporting cast is also good, especially Michele Lamar Richards as Rachael's sister
and it is refreshing to see Mike Starr playing a nice guy for a change.

2. Story
: As the film begins, Frank is hired to guard Rachel, who has received
death threats, so he must spend long hours visiting her mansion and watching her
concert act. In one such appearance, with Rachel dressed in metal as a kind of Mrs.
Ben Hur, Frank becomes so apprehensive about the fans that he uses a fire
extinguisher to keep them peaceful. It is from this sort of trumped-up action scene,
interspersed with palmy glimpses of Rachel's privileged existence, that the film has
been patched together.
Romantic sparks between Frank and Rachel would have disguised much of the
clumsiness, but those sparks are minimal. Sporting the close-cropped haircut he must
have had in grade school, Mr. Costner plays Frank in the extremely muted, colorless
style that befits Frank's job description. A similar restraint translated wonderfully into
slow-burning sexual tension when Mr. Costner appeared in "No Way Out," but this
time the effect is more wan. And as Frank, he spends a lot of time looking more
watchful than the film's events really warrant.
Sondtract : The Audio however was quite impressive. There was little use of the
surrounds in as far as effects or ambience goes but they were used quite well in
some of the actually soundtrack instances. There was also a noticeable fluctuation in
the audio volume, another film which you have to keep turning up and down to hear
the dialogue. The dialogue was however sharp and clear and in all quite good.
Most impressive was the soundtrack by Alan Silvestri which in its original days was
extremely popular, good, but hardly anyone will remember it and even now
fantastic , unlike Whitney Houston's songs that play throughout the whole film. But
you have to love Whitneys singing her songs, such my love, I will always love you,
run away, etc.
Recommendation
Enjoy it because this movie was quite entertaining us at that time. Although it got so
many
criticism due to the best actor and pop diva as the leading stars of this movie, this
movie could
impress me at that time. Whatever the movie critics say, the movie is still amusing
to watch.

Part 1

Review: How To Train Your Dragon

by Ben on February 26, 2010 7 comments

When I saw the first trailer for How To Train Your Dragon, I must admit it didnt pique my interest. A nonPixar film is automatically fighting an uphill battle in the animation industry, andDragon just didnt seem that
interesting to me. So I practically surprised myself when I decided to check out an advanced screening (in

3D, no less) at the Manns Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Thursday night. I was also surprised with how
much I ended up enjoying the film.
How To Train Your Dragon shares plot elements with a lot of stories weve seen recently. The plot follows
Hiccup, a young Viking living in a culture that thrives on fighting dragons. His dad is the chief of the village
and wants nothing more than for his son to grow up to be a hard-nosed Viking like the rest of the tribe.
Thats what Hiccup wants, too but the problem is hes kind of clumsy and seems to be more of an
inventor than a warrior (hes the apprentice to a blacksmith). When Hiccup uses one of his inventions to
take down a Night Fury (the most mysterious and rare of all dragon classifications), he finds he doesnt
have it in him to kill the beast and instead befriends it. As the rest of the story unfolds, Hiccup attempts to
convince his tribe that dragons may not be as bad as they thought.
So why did I like this film? First off, aside from the overly-cartoonish characters (admittedly a Dreamworks
style that I dont particularly care for), the animation was phenomenal. There were a few sequences in
which Viking ships were travelling over water where I literally whispered wow in the theater because of
how beautifully the water was rendered. I know its a small detail, but it was some of the best CG water Ive
ever seen. More than the water, though, I loved the actual dragon training sequences. Remember the
scene in Avatar where Jake Sullys Navi flies through Pandora on the back of a dragon? This film does
that same sequence, but better (and about half an hour longer). You can practically feel the wind on your
face as Hiccup and his dragon soar through the air, coast above the water, and dodge through rock
formations. Its genuinely thrilling filmmaking, and I had an insane amount of fun with those scenes.
I mentioned before the film shares plot elements with a few other films. Besides the Avatarsimilarities
(which are too blatant to ignore), How To Train Your Dragon also borrows a bit from Cloudy With a
Chance of Meatballs, one of my favorite animated films of the past decade. The protagonists in both films
are different from societal norms; they are outcast inventors trying to impress their fathers and score their
first girlfriend at the same time. They both get in over their heads, but eventually prove that not only is it OK
to be different, but its ultimately necessary for the well-being of their respective towns. Oh, and Id be
remiss if I didnt mention the (slight spoiler alert) huge monster dragon that appears near the end of the film
bears a striking resemblance to the Kraken from the upcoming Clash of the Titans. The animators must
have been pissed when they saw that Titans trailer.
Rising above the shuffle of filmic references and breathtaking visuals is a solid cast featuring Jay Baruchel
(Shes Out of My League, The Sorcerers Apprentice) as Hiccup, Gerard Butler (300, Gamer) as Stoic,
Hiccups father and village chief, and late night talk show personality Craig Ferguson as Stoics right hand
man, Gobber. Butler and Ferguson relish in their Scottish accents, while Baruchel mercifully plays it straight
and avoids any annoying vocal tricks. America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Kristen
Wiig round out the cast in supporting roles, all to fine effect. (Hill plays a character clearly based on Jack
Black.)
The film tries to introduce a romance that didnt work for me, partly because Astrids (Ferrera)
transformation from badass alpha-female who wants nothing to do with Hiccup to instant girlfriend was
rushed and didnt feel natural. Theres even a scene reminiscent of Aladdins famous A Whole New
World montage where Hiccup and Astrid fly for the first time together, but it isnt enough to make their
relationship believable. With that said, the visuals during that sequence were spectacular. Theres one shot

in particular that stood out as something Ive never seen before. The camera stays locked in a side profile
view of the pair flying atop a dragon as the dragon goes into a flying flip, with the background around the
camera rotating but the trio staying right-side-up for the duration of the shot. Its a cool little touch; add that
to the training sequences I talked about earlier and I think we have one of the most gorgeous films of the
year so far. Its no surprise that Academy-Award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins was a visual
advisor on the film.
Speaking of visuals, I havent mentioned the 3D yet. Like Pixars Up, this movie uses 3D as a means of
adding depth instead of bringing things out into the face of the audience. Im generally not a fan of 3D, but
this felt totally organic and didnt distract from the story at all. However, if youre not willing to part with the
extra cash for the more expensive 3D ticket, Im confident the film will look just as dazzling in the standard
two dimensions.
My last point comes with a brief disclaimer: Im fully aware some people are going to accuse me of reading
too far into a kids movie, but I figured Id bring this up anyway. At one point, Astrid disgustedly looks at
Hiccup (who has just failed a training mission in Viking Camp) and says our parents war is about to
become ours. You better figure out whose side youre on. Poignant words from a movie geared towards
kids, especially today. Later on, Hiccup and his father argue over the merits of saving the dragons or
fighting them. Theyve killed hundreds of us! Stoic yells at his son. But weve killed thousands of them!
Hiccup replies. Theyre just defending themselves. Im not going to use this review as a platform for my
own political beliefs, but it would appear someone was trying to slide a little current affairs into this movie.
For those who would argue with me on this, let me offer a bit of defense: I think the aforementioned points
are just as relevant as the political references in The Dark Knight.How To Train Your Dragon was based
on a book written in 2003, so its probable that if those specific bits of dialogue were in the text, they were
written with the War on Terror consciously or subconsciously in the authors mind.
Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois co-wrote (with a few others) and co-directed, and overall I had a really
fun time with this movie. The characters arent as fully rounded as Id like, but the breathtaking visuals and
fun tone of the film more than made up for any missteps along the way. While I havent seen many of
Dreamworks Animations films outside of the Shrek series,How To Train Your Dragon definitely ranks up
there next to the first Shrek film as my favorite of their work so far. Unlike the Shrek sequels (and, from
what I hear, other Dreamworks Animation films since), this movie does not rely on pop culture gags AT ALL
and instead chooses to focus completely on the story and the characters. Obviously this was a great
decision on their part, one I hope they repeat in the future. Id recommend this movie to anyone of any
age. How To Train Your Dragon hits theaters on March 26th in the United States and March 31st in the
United Kingdom. Until next time

Part 2

How to Train Your Dragon Review

Vikings, dragons and a kid who go from zero to hero.

March 26, 2010
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Adapted from the Cressida Cowell book by screenwriter Will Davies and directors Dean
DeBlois & Chris Sanders, How to Train Your Dragon follows Hiccup (voiced by Jay
Baruchel), a Viking teenager who lives on a desolate island where fighting dragons is what
separates the men from the boys. And as the scrawny, ne'er-do-well son of the Vikings'
chieftain, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), Hiccup is definitely still a boy. However, he's now
reached the age where he must face the rite of passage of slaying a dragon. The problem is
that Hiccup lacks the both the nerve and physical ability to do it.
As the village's unluckiest and most accident-prone citizen, Hiccup has no real friends save
for maybe the blacksmith Gobber (Craig Ferguson), who also serves as the dragon
training instructor. Hiccup soon finds himself at a crossroads when he begins dragon
training with the other youths in his tribe -- Astrid (America Ferrera), Fishlegs (Christopher

Mintz-Plasse), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), and twins Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) and Tuffnut (TJ
Miller) -- even as he secretly befriends and cares for a wounded dragon which he names
Toothless.
In Viking culture, there's nothing more treacherous or dangerous than consorting with the
enemy -- especially when it's a dragon. But Hiccup discovers that maybe the dragons fear
the humans as much as they fear them. Will Hiccup finally become the man his father wants
him to be by slaying a dragon, or will he honor his newfound friendship with Toothless?

Watch our chat with Gerard Butler and the gang behind How to Train Your Dragon.

DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon is a sweet film that, despite a valiant
effort, never truly rises to the occasion. Its biggest drawback is its formulaic "zero to hero"
storyline, where the outcome is a foregone conclusion from the start. Beyond just clinging to
Joseph Campbell's oft-used "Hero's Journey" paradigm, HTTYD also retreads some of the
same ground covered in Disney's 1997 animated feature Hercules and its direct-to-video
prequel Hercules: Zero to Hero, where the title character is a gawky misfit who, after
accidentally wreaking havoc on his own village, must undergo training in order to attain his
true potential. (The upcoming Clash of the Titans remake also owes a fair deal to
Disney's Hercules, but I'll get into that in next week's review.)
On a technical level, it would be nice to see a CG-animated film that actually looks different.
Every CG-animated character nowadays, whether human or animal, has the same body
type, facial structures, movements, etc. I know studios probably want consumers to be
confused as to whether they're seeing a Pixar film or a DreamWorks one (or a knock-off of
both), but there was a time when you could tell animated movies apart. It gave the films and
those making them -- whether it was Disney, Ralph Bakshi, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros.,
Rankin-Bass -- a sense of identity and a distinctive brand look. Now everything looks

handsomely produced but generic. This film's no different.

But what helps elevate How to Train Your Dragon above the glut of other recent animated
fare is its message about tolerance and realizing that your enemy may not be as different as
you think. I'm sure some film student will read too much into the movie and find a post-9/11
or War on Terror metaphor to use as the thesis for a term paper. But the film's really just
trying to send kids a positive message (albeit a heavy-handed, sermonizing one) about the
perils of fear, prejudice, and violence. It's tough to really knock a kid's film that tries to do
something more than the usual spate of fart jokes and musical numbers. I just
wish HTTYD had been a bit more original and daring given its intriguing Vikings vs. dragons
premise.

Part 3.

Review: How to Train Your Dragon

By Peter Martin (Subscribe to Peter Martin's posts)
Posted Mar 26th 2010 9:45AM
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews, Family Films, Dreamworks, Movie
News, Reviews, New Releases, Cinematical
000

Many movies aimed at children are abject failures. They pander to kids, pretending they're smarter than
their parents, and insult adults, reducing them to simpering caricatures. Soaring and swooping, both
visually and emotionally, How to Train Your Dragon avoids those traps, instead playing out as a grand,
invigorating, all-ages adventure.

Adapted from a book by Carolyn Cressida Cowell *, the film takes significant liberties with its source
material, but starts at the same place. Vikings landed on the North Atlantic island of Berk and made it their
own. The older generation speaks with a thick Scottish brogue -- historically accurate, if delightfully
disconcerting -- and preaches the old Viking ways. Young Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel at his most
diffident) wants nothing more than to be a good Viking, just like his father Stoick (Gerard Butler, born to play
a character with that name). Hiccup's resolve is tested by his adolescent clumsiness and a sneaking
suspicion that he may never be half the man that he imagines his father to be.
Dragons besiege the island. Thus an annual coming-of-age ceremony involves a young lad or lady
demonstrating their qualifications as a Viking by killing a fierce flying creature in battle. Hiccup is all too
eager to begin training as a dragon-killer, hoping to prove his manliness, but his father is reluctant to put his
soft, gentle son on the battle lines when he seems too gentle and awkward to survive.

Things change when Hiccup encounters a wounded dragon in the woods. Hiccup has been raised to
believe that dragons are the mortal enemies of the Vikings, and are to be terminated with extreme prejudice
whenever the opportunity presents itself. Yet when faced with an ideal situation to assert his Viking-hood
and slay a deadly beast that is temporarily defenseless, he wavers.
It's a life-changing moment, as Hiccup realizes it's not within his nature to kill another being. That quickly
dawning, daunting self-awareness will affect forever his relationship with everyone he knows.
He tries to tell his father, but the old man has already decided that training to become a dragon-killer may
toughen up his boy. It might kill him, too, but that's a chance that Stoick is willing to take with his only
offspring, in hopes that Hiccup will prove worthy of his mighty lineage.
Under the firm and loving tutelage of Gobber (Craig Ferguson, speaking with the densest, most lyrical
Scottish accent heard in years), Hiccup and his peers (voiced by America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, and
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, among others) must learn how to fight the rich variety of dragons that live on the
island. Meanwhile, Hiccup sneaks off to help the wounded dragon, and learns more than he ever thought
possible about dragons, and about life, and about love.
The wounded dragon, named Toothless by Hiccup, doesn't speak, and acts like any animal in the wild,
which is one of the things that make How to Train Your Dragonsuch an endearing and successful movie.
Toothless is his own beast, just as Hiccup is his own young man. Both follow their instincts, and both prove
to put the interests of others above their own.
Hiccup's desire to please his father is driven by love and respect. We don't know what happened to his
mother, or when she passed off the scene, but if she were still around it's easy to think that Hiccup would
be considered a momma's boy in the testosterone-driven environment inhabited by the Vikings. The young
girls in Hiccup's training group are more traditionally masculine than he is.
The conflict between Hiccup and Stoick is thus easy to understand in modern terms. And it's foolish, and
would be foolhardy, for Hiccup to think of rebelling against his father or against society, because where else
would he go? He lives on an island in the middle of an ocean. He has to make peace because he has no
choice. That makes his actions all the more courageous and praiseworthy.

Solidly rooted on such a strong, character-based foundation, How to Train Your Dragon is free to take
flight for multiple stirring action scenes. They are every bit as rousing as they need to be. Directors Dean
DeBlois and Chris Sanders previously helmed Lilo & Stitch, and some of that same manic energy is carried
over here, especially in the scenes with Hiccup's joking, jousting peer group.
The thin, reedy voice of Baruchel (recently seen as the star of She's Out of My League) serves his
character well. Ferguson's broad, friendly delivery wrings as much humor as possible from his peg-legged,
hook-handed, jovial Falstaff. Butler doesn't add too much to Stoick, but neither does he distract.
Inappropriate and unnecessary celebrity voice casting has often been a distraction in the films of
Dreamworks Animation, but that's not a problem here.
The film gallops through its 98-minute running time, imparting lessons here and there, but mostly happy to
tell the story of a boy and his dragon. The 3D effects will likely thrill those who pay to see them, though 3D
at its best still reminds me of old ViewMaster slides.
How to Train Your Dragon should be just as enjoyable in 2D as it is in 3D. That's the great thing about a
good movie: you forget the format you're watching and get caught up in waiting to see what happens next.

Part 4
MOVIE REVIEW

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Paramount Pictures

Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon.

No Slaying Required: A Viking Aids an Enemy and Wins a

Friend

By A. O. SCOTT
Published: March 25, 2010

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The story told by How to Train Your Dragon the new 3-D feature from DreamWorks
Animation is a fairly standard one, exploring themes that are so familiar in the universe of allages cinema that they hardly need elaborating. The hero, a young Viking named Hiccup (voiced
by Jay Baruchel), is a misfit adolescent who proves his mettle, pleases his hard-to-please father
(Gerard Butler) and saves the world while learning important lessons and rattling off some
wisecracks. Supporting characters include a spitfire love interest (America Ferrera), a gaggle of
goofy friends (including the inevitableJonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a crusty old
mentor (Craig Ferguson) and a cute nonhuman sidekick.
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Related

This Way There Be Dragons(March 21, 2010)

In a lot of movies the sidekick would be a reason to stay away, but this one, a jet-black, cat-eyed
dragon named Toothless, is one of the main attractions. Not that the rest of it is so terrible. How
to Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders and based on a popular
childrens book by Cressida Cowell, is closer to the sweetness of Kung Fu Panda than the
coarseness of the Shrek movies. Its borrowings from other movies are not egregious, and its
kinship with everything from Finding Nemo to Avatar puts it in reasonably good big-budget,
mass-entertainment company.
Like Avatar in particular, this movie is about a young man who betrays his warlike tribe and
learns to love the enemy. But the deeper similarity is visual. The rocky promontories off the coast
of Berk (Hiccups windswept native island) are a lot like the floating mountains of Pandora, and
the various species of winged lizards capering in the skies above resemble the beasts ridden by
Navi warriors in their battles against the sky people.
And the real distinction of How to Train Your Dragon the reason it deserves to be seen in a
theater with special glasses on, rather than slapped on the DVD player when the children are
acting up lies in those airborne sequences. Movies and aviation grew up together, and at least
since William A. Wellmans Wings won the first best-picture Oscar back in 1929, filmmakers
have been obsessed with using the medium to capture the feeling of flight. When Hiccup first
climbs on Toothlesss back and urges the dragon to take wing, the hearts of the audience soar
with a primitive and durable delight. The techniques that enabled this feeling may be dauntingly
complicated, but the feeling could not be simpler.
A different kind of simplicity works, to equally satisfying effect, in the scenes that refer most
directly to the films title. When Hiccup first meets Toothless, a type of dragon especially feared
by the Vikings of Berk, the animal is hurt and scared. His damaged tail prevents him from flying,
and Hiccup outfits him with a brace and a prosthetic fin. But in the meantime, the young man,
like Temple Grandin or Cesar Millan, intuitively decodes the animals behavioral patterns,
debunking generations of Viking superstition about the bloodthirsty, aggressive nature of
dragons.

The development of the bond between Hiccup and Toothless is conveyed virtually without
dialogue, which suggests that DreamWorks Animation has absorbed a useful lesson from its
rivals at Pixar. The last two Pixar movies in particular Wall-E and Up have reestablished the importance of silence in animated entertainment. Because the medium allows
such freedom to create expressive images, it often renders words superfluous. (The richness of
the images here owes a lot to the participation of Roger Deakins, the supremely talented liveaction cinematographer on movies including No Country for Old Men and A Beautiful Mind,
who served as a visual consultant on How to Train Your Dragon.)
Music is always welcome, though, and John Powells score, while occasionally obvious and
bombastic, is also subtle and sensitive when it needs to be. And what is true of the soundtrack
applies to the movie a whole, which is a shrewd blend of conventional pop-culture pandering and
exalted cinematic artistry.
At the beginning and the end, How to Train Your Dragon is noisy and action-packed in the
usual way, attempting to justify the price of a ticket with eye-straining, ear-popping large-scale
effects. Really, though, sitting through those assaults is a price worth paying for the tenderness,
beauty and exhilaration that are the movies great strengths. The way the dragons look, the way
they move, the way they catch the light, dissolve in the mist, somersault through the air and dive
toward the ground all of this is likely to make you forget the uninspired plot and the shopworn
lessons, even as you are reminded of some of the basic, ecstatic reasons you go to the movies in
the first place.
How to Train Your Dragon is rated PG. Some crude humor and intense cartoon combat.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Opens on Friday nationwide.
Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois; written by Will Davies, Mr. Sanders and Mr.
DeBlois, based on the book by Cressida Cowell; art director, Pierre-Olivier Vincent; production
designer, Kathy Altieri; visual-effects supervisor, Craig Ring; produced by Bonnie Arnold;
released by Paramount Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
WITH THE VOICES OF: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), Craig Ferguson
(Gobber), America Ferrera (Astrid), Jonah Hill (Snotlout), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs),
T. J. Miller (Tuffnut) and Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut).

Part 4

How to Train Your Dragon -Film Review

9:00 PM PDT 10/14/2010 by Kirk Honeycutt

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The Bottom Line

A lively though disjointed 3D cartoon that never quite entices an audience to invest emotionally in its fantasy world.

Opens:
Friday, March 26 (Paramount)

Cast:
Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson

Directors:
Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

"How to Train Your Dragon" pits dragons against Vikings with one small child standing between them
crying, "Why can't we all just get along?" The Vikings are all brawn and matted, bushy hair -- and there's an
implication of not much brains -- while the dragons are a menagerie of fierce flying, fire-belching,
multitasking creatures that fear and are feared in equal measure. From this, DreamWorks Animation tries
to fashion a 3D movie that will intrigue kids and adults alike but might play raggedly in both camps.
Despite its jocular title, the film contains intense action scenes and violence, enough so that small children
supplied a background of cries at one recent screening. Nonetheless, opening week should find long lines in
front of cinemas. How favorably youngsters respond to the dragons might determine what kind of legs the
cartoon eventually will achieve.

The film is directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who did the marvelous "Lilo & Stitch." In many
ways, it's the same movie: A child adopts, then tames a lethal creature.
But the intimacy and pop culture references of the "Lilo & Stitch" story are jettisoned in favor of ancient
warriors and mythical creatures that feel remote. It's hard to form a rooting interest in either Vikings or
dragons.
More curious from an animation standpoint are the dull human characters. They are plastic creatures that
look like ads for children's dolls. Most of the male Vikings come off as no-neck athletes on steroids. The
youngsters look closer to cartoon humans, and at least they come in different sizes, with our protagonist
and a valiant young Viking girl who catches his eye being downright skinny. What are they eating that
everyone else is not?
The centerpiece of the movie is a developing friendship between a Viking boy, Hiccup (voiced by Jay
Baruchel), and a dragon nicknamed Toothless. By befriending rather than killing a wounded dragon -- as
tradition and genes should dictate -- Hiccup realizes that everything his elders know about dragons is
wrong.
Dragons are trainable, peaceable and affectionate. But try telling that to tribal elders or your father (Gerard
Butler) -- who just happens to be the chief -- or even that friendly dragon master (Craig Ferguson,
thickening that Scottish brogue even more if such a thing were possible).
There are side issues here for the young protagonist, who tries to win over his dad and a young Viking girl
(America Ferrera) while not embarrassing himself in front of other Viking teens. It's all standard-issue
coming-of-age stuff. Recasting the formula in a Nordic neverland doesn't freshen things up much.
The film's calling card is action. The extended battles and flying sequences -- Hiccup trains Toothless to
allow the boy to ride him with a saddle -- provide plenty of thrills. Indeed, the directors and their animation
team really seem to perk up during these bravado sequences.
Otherwise, the visual element is disappointing. Beyond the plasticity of the humans, the world of the story
feels sketchy at best. The cold, glum Norse Isle of Berk, where everyone lives -- borrowed from a book series
by British author Cressida Cowell -- grows wearisome, and its other world, that of the dinosaurs, never
comes to life.
There is a wide array of dragons flying through the air, but the film introduces them so quickly that you
never know one from the other. The film treats them with ambivalence as the animators can't decide
between ferocity or cuddliness. Toothless has a kind of feline look, and the others look like they belong in a
Chinatown parade.
"Dragon" reps a solid effort from DreamWorks, but the audience perhaps feels the effort more than it
should.

PP
part 5

Movie Review: 'How to Train Your Dragon'

The writing and directing team behind 'Lilo & Stitch' creates a sweet coming-ofage story set in ancient Viking times.

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) befriends Toothless, an injured Night Fury, the (DreamWorks)

March 26, 2010|By Betsy Sharkey FILM CRITIC >>>

"How to Train Your Dragon" has taken the age-old story of a teenage boy sorting through his
fundamental life issues -- fit in, figure out self, get the girl, don't disappoint Dad -- set it in
ancient Viking times and still managed to give it a thoroughly modern spin. A millennium later
and this kid would head an Internet start-up or have a reality show on cable. For now, he's just
a misfit in Ugg boots. Ingenious.

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Now, just why a Viking leader named Stoick the Vast ever agreed to name his son Hiccup
remains a mystery. But even without the name, our hero (voiced by Jay Baruchel) was never
going to be your typical teen. He's slight of build in a clan of hearty folk; an out-of-the-box
thinker before boxes were invented; and he stumbles into the fine art of dragon whispering in
a village where everyone shouts and no one has heard of Cesar Millan.
"Train Your Dragon" is also a study in how nuance can actually complement the spectacle
we've come to demand of 3-D animation. It's a surprisingly nice fit in an opposites attract sort
of way with much of the credit going to the directing team of Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders,
who shaped "Lilo & Stitch" and "Mulan" so nicely.
The film does this particularly well with its distinctive visual style that allows for lots of space
and shadows. But it is an especially nice touch in the dragon tale itself, which is both
heartwarming and heartfelt, a significant departure from the pop culture saturated sarcasm
that had become something of a DreamWorks Animation staple la "Shrek."
The story got its footing in Cressida Cowell's popular children's fantasy novel that gives the
film its name. But instead of a world of mostly peaceful coexistence between man and beast

that Cowell imagined, "Dragon" takes off in a slightly earlier time when the Viking clan of the
Island of Berk is still locked in a battle to the death with the flying terrors.
The dragons, not surprisingly, are the main visual attraction and come in various shapes and
sizes with clever names like the two-headed Hideous Zippleback, or the Monstrous Nightmare
(which I heard turned up recently at Fannie Mae, but that could be just a rumor). The most
fearsome and illusive of all is the Night Fury -- basically, a fire-breathing stealth bomber in
black scales.
Though this is a time of all-out war, the real tone is set by the boy and is very Baruchel in
style. The Canadian comic, who also starred in the recent "She's Out of My League," is staking
a serious claim to the self-deprecating, smart, sensitive boy-next-door type that, for a time,
"Juno's" Michael Cera owned outright.
That quality serves the film well. By making Hiccup sincere as well as clever rather than the
overused and vastly overrated irritatingly precocious, it's easier to care about his journey as
he struggles to meet the high expectations of Stoick (Gerard Butler), learns how to slay a
dragon from Gobber (Craig Ferguson) and tries to catch the eye of that arm-punching tomboy
Astrid (America Ferrera).
As tough as growing up will prove, the dragons are tougher. In their opening salvo, and one of
the film's spectacular moments, they swoop down throwing flames and attitude on the Viking
village, with all the spine-tingling derring-do of a vintage WWII bombing raid. Dive-bombing
dragons will ultimately be the thing to launch those famous Viking ships (who knew?), and
serve as the key device keeping the animation spinning, the adrenaline pumping and the kids
squealing (though not so scary that you can't take most little ones).

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Although Hiccup has yet to prove that he's armed and dangerous, as "Survivor" has taught us,
life is all about making good alliances and in this Hiccup's a natural. If there were a hidden
immunity idol on the Island of Berk, he would find it. Instead, he finds a wounded dragon,
which really works just as well in power struggles with peers, that is if you use your head,
which he always does.
Through Hiccup, the film becomes a celebration of brain over brawn, where thinking things
through is always what saves the day. There are messages and role models slipped in
everywhere, with a lot of very healthy male bonding going on too. Gobber is that mentor who
takes the time to listen to the lad and encourage his special qualities even if he doesn't
understand them. And while Stoick doesn't understand his son, he loves him through the
frustration. It's pretty much a well-cast cast, though Baruchel, Ferguson, Butler and Ferrera
are the standouts.
But since it is an animated film, everything comes round to that. In another clever move, the
filmmakers brought in eclectic live action cinematography veteran Roger Deakins ("Doubt"
and "No Country for Old Men"), to take a look. That influence is easy to feel. Although there is
a tendency in animation to fill up the frame with images, "Dragon" lets in a lot of blue sky,

which goes a long way to giving the film a loose and effortless feel. This is a more organic
brand of 3-D, not always in your face though there might be a spear or two to duck.
Like Hiccup's growing pains, "How to Train Your Dragon" has its rough spots too. There are
times the action lags, and when the dialogue falls back on pop cultural references it feels
contrived and forced but, mostly, like the mythical creatures at the heart of this tale, the
movie soars.