Wall-E is about the titular little anthropomorphic trash compactor who lives on post-apocalyptic Earth. The apocalypse in this case was caused by so much garbage that all the humans were forced to flee. Wall-E spends his days making cubes out of the trash, looking at things that interest him, and bringing some of them to his lair to play with later. These include a videotape of Hello Dolly (1969), which opens the movie. Then he falls in love with an egg-shaped droid named Eve and follows her back to the mothership.
Yeah, it's charming, but Best Picture of the Year? I'm getting a real attitude about this one. I liked very much the Apple computer jokes, e.g. when he reboots himself, he plays the musical chord that a Mac makes (FYI: that sound is called Sosumi, because when Apple Computer asked Apple Records years ago if they could use the same name, the latter said OK, as long as the former didn't get into the music business, and that's why they named that sound So Sue Me. Now, however, although Paul MacCartney is on board with Apple's iTunes, Ringo and John's and George's heirs, not so much).
Wall-E's eyes do resemble the robot's from Short Circuit (1986), but the movie owes more to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), including a dangerous computer, long sequences with no dialogue, and a zero-gravity space ballet. I didn't hate it, and if I had a kid who would like this sort of thing (and would not be scared of the perils which our hero must endure), I wouldn't mind taking such kid to see it. Jeff Garlin and Fred Willard were fun. It could also start some educational discussions about trash, sedentary lifestyles, and deceptive appearances. But Best Picture? Really?
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