As Ratatouille is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray disc in the late fall/early winter, and as it is one of the best movies of 2007, I thought I'd revisit my review of this, PIXAR's greatest achievement! Here it it is: Anyone Can Cook, but It Takes PIXAR to Make Ratatouille with Great Taste Ratatouille: A+ Some had a first impression of Ratatouille (after seeing its advertisements) that didn’t give it the credit it deserves. Some thought the idea of a cuisine-loving rat helping a less-than-talented aspiring chef was too outlandish; still others thought it would come out the animation oven overcooked. Well I’m here to break those misconceptions. Ratatouille is Pixar at its best. I know it’s been said many a time before, but it’s the truth. Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) took an underdog idea and raised it to reality, and it even surpasses the quality of other memorable animated features. It really, truly beats them all. Ratatouille is the story of Remy, a teenage rat who does anything to cook like the humans. So much so that when he comes uninvited to a countryside chateau only wanting to take some spices and herbs, he finds himself suddenly separated from his family, whose only food-related job for him was as head rat poison-checker. He then travels underground and finds himself in Paris, where he has hallucinations of the late Auguste Gusteau, a great chef and Remy’s idol. He suddenly finds himself helping a young boy in Gusteau’s formerly five-star restaurant make a soup. When the kitchen crew believes the boy (his name is Linguini, by the way) created the now winning soup, he and Remy strike a deal to make Linguini into a ‘chef’ whilst Remy is safe in his hat. Soon, the delightful duo becomes involved in the ex-head chef’s plot to make millions with microwaveable meals using Gusteau’s likeness. And the story takes several surprising twists and turns, so don’t worry, you’ll be on the edge of your seat. Patton Oswalt is a comedian who throws his hand into the mix of Ratatouille’s stunning voice cast. His performance makes Remy a fun-loving character and the delight in his excited voice when he is around food makes him seem a lot more believable. Lou Romano is an artist at Pixar, but I can see why they chose him to speak for Linguini instead of some big-name star. His voice matches his character so well, you could swear he had voice training. Nope! That’s his normal voice! Skinner, the first head chef at Gusteau’s when the film starts and the bad guy is voiced by Ian Holm, and his funny French accent really pays off for the rudeness of his character. To continue, Brad Bird does an excellent job directing this movie! His obvious know-how with effects and animation shines, as evident it his first scene with water (the rats escape the chateau in makeshift boats). In frantic scenes, his placement of the camera is genius. His talent for story is obvious. The big decision to have Remy communicate to humans in movement was a good one, as any lines they would have written for him might risk being too cheesy. The soundtrack (score written by Michael Giachinno) was good, but I don’t think it was as memorable as what he did with The Incredibles. It might just be that it wasn’t given enough leisure time. The score (when I could hear it) was authentically Parisian, however, so I prefer the latter theory. All in all, it’s a farfetched idea that turned into Pixar’s most artful piece. It’s a grand adventure filled with love, laughs, and a good plot. Oh, and I forgot to mention Peter O’ Toole! He’s the malnourished restaurant critic Anton Ego a review of Gusteau’s that turns into an inspiring speech that benefits the movie so much. And the rest of the movie is just that inspiring. Great filmmaking+great characters+fun idea+good story=instant classic! Ratatouille’s message: follow your dreams, but don’t forget your family and friends. Ratatouille is Rated G And has a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes Ain’t the animation great?

The newest sports spoof has a little too much “fury”. “Balls of Fury”: C+ Former ping-pong legend Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) trains to rise to fame again with the help of Maggie Wong (Maggie Q), the daughter of a great, but now blind instructor in “Balls of Fury” “Balls of Fury” is a great way to laugh away the last traces of summer, but if you’re looking for a film with a normal storyline, don’t expect to be pleased. The film has sparkling jokes and great nonsensical wit when it begins with Randy Daytona, a child ping-pong star. Later on, after his father is taken because of a bet he made with players who take the game a little too seriously, he is shown playing for entertainment at a second-rate diner show. When Agent Ernie Rodriquez (George Lopez) of the FBI appears there and wants him to help in the capture of the unorthodox ping-pong fans, at first he angrily declines, but later agrees to help. They seek out Master Wong, who was once a great instructor, but is now blind. With the help of Wong’s daughter Maggie, Randy receives an invitation to Feng’s mansion, where the most unethical and weird ping-pong is played. It is here that the movie gets off track. The main reason for this is that while Feng is the most insane and self-centered ping-pong player in the world, Christopher Walken’s performance doesn’t add anything to that except for complacency and boring line delivery. As the jokes are continually hysterical, they are muted by an attempt at funny by Feng’s ever-growing levels of weird. I won’t say anything about the ending except that it continues in the second half’s traditions of weirdness. While Dan Fogler is quite funny in his role, he has a hard time fitting in with the other comedy styles of the film. But, the film is quite better and more original than others of its kind, so it more than makes up for its eclectic tastes. As I said before, it is only Feng who brought “Balls of Fury” down to a C+. The sets, while dark and dingy most of the time, are a huge plus to the film and actually add to the funny, whereas in other comedies, they just add to the weird. They are also authentic (thanks to director Ben Garant), which is something you don’t see a lot in these kinds of movies. James Hong as Master Wong, even though the blindness jokes do get a bit repetitive, is the funniest actor in the film (along with Mr. Lopez), and he and Mr. Fogler have perfect on-screen chemistry (as friends). And I don’t want to give too much away but the Lucky Cricket appears more than once and is hilarious both times! All in all, “Balls of Fury” is wildly hilarious, so if you’re wondering why I gave it a C+, just look at Mr. Walken in this movie. Otherwise, if you like these kinds of films, I’d highly recommend it! (Not recommended for ‘chick flick’ lovers!) -Stellar Kart and PIXAR fan! “Balls of Fury” is rated PG-13 for sex-related humor and language… running time: 90 minutes

“The Champ” resurrects great filmmaking and acting. “Resurrecting the Champ”: A+ Based on the true story of sports writer and struggling father Erik Kernan, “Resurrecting the Champ” is a poignant and powerful masterpiece from the fabulous director Rod Lurie. The story’s morals are a mix of integrity in journalism, fighting for what’s right, and being a better parent. As Kernan struggles to write great sports stories for the Denver Times, his son Teddy (Dakota Goyo) still thinks he’s the greatest dad. He imagines that his dad is friends with every sports star there ever was, but that’s not really the case. Kernan’s luck changes when he becomes involved with boxing legend Battlin’ Bob Satterfield and his story, which has now taken to the streets of Denver, Colorado. Samuel L. Jackson’s performance is drop-dead powerful and charges the happy-and sad-parts of the story. His story is one of a young boxer training and learning the tricks of the trade, and ultimately becoming the number 3 boxer in the world. One brutal fight and one bad radio review spoken by Kernan’s deceased father changed all that. He was washed up in months. Although his records say he’s dead, Satterfield continues to empower the sports side of the film with intense flashbacks to previous fights. Kernan starts to wonder whether the fighter’s records are correct. When Jackson’s character is revealed to be Tommy Kinkade, one of the boxers he fought, Teddy is heartbroken because kids at his school accuse his father of “making up” the article he wrote on Satterfield, now revealed to be Kinkade. Kernan and his newspaper are almost sued by Satterfield’s real son, which forms a mutual dislike between Kernan and Kinkade. But the pair eventually apologizes for lying to each other and moves on. Before the story starts, Kinkade had been saying he was Satterfield for years. But Satterfield really was dead. Kernan writes an apologetic article that pulls it all together in the end. He also makes amends with his son, which is one of the greatest scenes in the film. All in all, the story is about Kernan learning to be a great writer and a great father, but it is also about “The Champ” realizing who he really is. Hartnett and Jackson both have fantastic acting skills. They will cry, which will tug at your heartstrings, they will fight, which will twist their friendship and suddenly shock you, and they will disappear into their roles of two completely different people who both want to know that they have the integrity to do what’s right, even if it removes their stardom. Like everyone’s saying, the duo gives a ‘knockout performance’. Rod Lurie has had great success in films before with fantastic movies like “The Contender” and “The Last Castle”, but this is by far his best work. The shaky cinematography (by Adam Kane,) while you think it would hurt, actually helps because it adds to the state of confusion the characters are in at some points. The screenplay, penned by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, treats the story with style and adds careful attention to the story’s finer details. It leaves no issue untouched, and I think it is the main reason I enjoyed the movie so much. Because it was all-inclusive of every aspect and left no page unturned, the movie felt much more complete. The dark but sometimes uplifting score composed by Larry Groupe is touching and adds warmth and subtle joy to the film and its powerful message. That message is: Whatever you do in life, have the integrity to do it for the right reasons. “Resurrecting the Champ” is rated PG-13 for some violence and brief language. Running time: 1 hr. 53 min. In this reviewer’s humble opinion, Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson should both be nominated for Oscars for their work in “Resurrecting the Champ” -Stellar Kart and PIXAR fan!

“Bean” Is–as always–Fall-down funny! “Mr. Bean’s Holiday”: A+ For quite some time now, Rowan Atkinson has been making people laugh long after the end credits roll through his Charlie Chaplin-like portrayal of the character he co-created: Mr. Bean. And his newest (and by far, best) creation with Bean is not to be missed among gross-out and weird end-summer comedies like “Daddy Day Camp” and the ridiculously overrated “Superbad”. There isn’t much speaking in the film, which leaves much of the film’s humor to be solved through Bean’s disastrous humor and klutziness. It’s purely funny, and without any cursing and almost no crude humor, it’s a gem compared to other films appearing this time of year. It doesn’t try to be British or American, it just tries-and succeeds-to be comic genius. It’s a brilliant gem. Anyway, you’re probably wondering who the kid in all the previews is. He’s Stepan, a boy who’s separated from his father when he gets on the wrong train. Bean’s train. Of course, with Bean as his only companion, he doesn’t see his father as soon as he thought he would. But when a train speeds past the duo, his father is on it and displays a sign with his phone number on it. Unfortunately, his fingers are over some of the digits, so Bean attempts to call every possible number. Each person he calls has their own little story, and it makes for great comedy. After a while, the pair is separated after shopping in a market with money they were given for dancing and lip-syncing in the street. Eventually, Bean meets Sabine, an independent actress going to the Cannes film festival. Once they find Stepan, they are thought to be kidnappers, and thus, through hilarity and peril, attempt to get to Cannes, where the boy’s father is a film judge. Bean interrupts a boring film with his hysterical traveling videos and gains a whole beach full of friends. Of course, through Bean’s absent-mindedness, disaster occurs every step of the way. As expected, it’s hilarious in every sense of the word. The French comedy acting adds a whole new level of funny to Bean’s world. It was a good call by director Steve Bendelack to add subtitles and a slightly more artful style of cinematography. And the way the story plays out is great! The soundtrack’s got everything, from English rock to a partly classical score, to reggae and opera when Bean is performing in the street. It adds so much bounce to Bean, and fun to the film. He always creates disaster. He always creates comedy. He’s always clueless. He’s the man, the myth, the legend. Long live the BEAN! (Rent his old videos. They’re comic genius!) “Mr. Bean’s Holiday” is rated G Running time: Approximately 1 hr. and 30 minutes -Stellar Kart and PIXAR fan!