Comments on Ken Armstrong Writing Stuff: Bats, Bots and Kung Fu Pandas

I have seen the movies, but the most changes is fo...

2008-09-14T17:43:00.000+01:00

I have seen the movies, but the most changes is for bats, seem closer to the real life

Hi Ken, she is talented, I can say that, and I can...

2008-09-13T18:45:00.000+01:00

Hi Ken, she is talented, I can say that, and I can't talk much about Kung Fu Pandas because I haven't watched it yet... but I would just like to express how I feel about the accompanying pictures/drawings/ They're marvelous.

Thanks for sharing.

Nothing 'proper' about this blog... 'cheek! :)
2008-09-11T12:28:00.000+01:00
Nothing 'proper' about this blog... 'cheek! :)

I was 'helped', 'entertained' and 'chuffed'.

Thanks mate!! :)

...this is sooo weird seeing my writing and pictur...

2008-09-10T23:46:00.000+01:00

...this is sooo weird seeing my writing and pictures like this. On a *proper* blog and all. Wow.
Thanks for all the comments. I hope I was at least mildly entertaining, if not helpful.

Jim, I really prefer to see them on DVD now. DVD ...

2008-09-10T17:29:00.000+01:00

Jim, I really prefer to see them on DVD now. DVD is my dream-come-true because the correct aspect-ratio is maintained (Don't ever get me started on aspect-ratio).

Our local cinema screens cannot actually receive the full widescreen image so a few yards of the picture are lost in the curtains on either side. Nobody ever seems to notice except me.

So, yeah, DVD (first night) bag of Malteasers and a coke, dim the lights and that'll do me! :)

Yes, Ken, that was exactly the problem I had with ...

2008-09-10T15:30:00.000+01:00

Yes, Ken, that was exactly the problem I had with Tim Burton's Batman. I had read every scrap of information about for years - and I mean literally years before it was released and there was no way any film could live up to what I hoped it would be like. I don't do that these days.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure that this film would suffer nearly as much as you might imagine when making the transition to the small screen (unless you have a very small screen). It some respects it might actually enhance it.

Nice guest post! I agree with you on Wall-E and T...

2008-09-09T20:19:00.000+01:00

Nice guest post! I agree with you on Wall-E and The Dark Knight...I've been Resisting Kung Fu Panda, but I guess now I have to see it. I'll wait for cable though...Great reviews!

Thanks Fiendish and Jim.

I haven't seen 'Th...

2008-09-09T16:46:00.000+01:00

Thanks Fiendish and Jim.

I haven't seen 'The Dark knight' and it's shaping up to be DVD time before I do get there. I keep trying to force my twelve year old to being me ("I know it's a 15A but you'll be fine..."). I am worried though that I now expect quite a bit from it and that often leads to disappointment.

Wall-E for me was an exercise in survival - we fell into the cinema on a highly-humid evening in Orlando and nearly perished when the full force of the air-conditioning kicked in. The movie, for me, was so good in the first half that the second half couldn't match it. Wall-E himself owed some little debt to Number 5 from Short Circuit but we can forgive that.

Kung Fu Panda is *so* much better than I expected it to be. I expected another, Madagascar or Shark Tale but this is way above those. And the drawing quality in it - wow!.

I haven't seen the first two films so I'll comment...

2008-09-09T08:56:00.000+01:00

I haven't seen the first two films so I'll comment on the third. If I was to supply a single word to summarise The Dark Knight then it would be 'unrelenting' and, as you've already commented on the length of the film, 'unrelenting' over that period of time can be a bit wearing. I was cautious with this film not to read too much about it beforehand – a mistake I made with Tim Burton's Batman and which spoiled my viewing pleasure because nothing could live up to what I had going on in my head – and this time it paid off because I was genuinely delighted by their approach but, and for a film of that length, it all somehow felt a little rushed; there were no real oases of calm in this piece, the odd mucky puddle perhaps where you could catch your breath.

As for Joker, like the best of comedians, he didn't try and milk his gags. You mentioned "the pencil" and really it's a throwaway, blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment – wham! bang! onto the next order of business. Very unlike Nicholson's – or even Cesar Romero's – take on the character.

It is a dark film, yes, but I also found it a cold film (and not simply because the cinema we were in could have been warmer), emotionally cold and I didn't leave the film thrusting my fist in the air: Yes! The Batman won! Because it didn't feel like he did. Oh, he beat the bad guys, did the right thing and ran off into the night but it was a pyrrhic victory and to say any more would constitute a spoiler and I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the film.

My gut feeling is that this may well be a film that will improve with multiple viewings. The soundtrack by the way is excellent. I listened to it several times before I ever saw the film and it definitely benefits from repeated plays. If I was to describe the film in orchestral terms it is definitely more like Shostakovich's brooding Symphony No. 10 than Beethoven's dynamic No. 5.

A lovely guest spot - and the accompanying art was...

2008-09-08T22:17:00.000+01:00

A lovely guest spot - and the accompanying art was (dare I say it?) pretty awesome. Awesome as in, I'm in awe.

*Awe-struck pause*

Anyway, this might have inspired me to go off and write my own Dark Knight review... perhaps...