Movie Review: Ratatouille (2007)

Good February day to you, readers!

Today is February 2nd, a day commonly thought of with an animal mascot. Iʼm going to review a movie about that very same animal, the rat!

Just joking, thatʼs my little sense of humor kicking in. Today is Groundhog Day, not Rat day, yet I am still choosing the rat. Iʼm sorry, one year I will actually focus on the groundhog! For now, there is a method to my madness. We are coming to the end of a year. I know that youʼre thinking Iʼm a little late to the game (youʼre not wrong), but the year that Iʼm referring to is the Lunar New Year! This was the Year of the Rat, and on February 12th we will enter the Year of the Ox. I am by no means an expert, but I thought that reviewing a movie with a rat would be a fun thing to do and I could connect it back in!

Did I mention that one of these rats cook? If that sounds odd to you, then keep reading.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is 100% spoiler-free! Reading this wonʼt give away the ending or any of the twists!

Ratatouille (2007):

“Whatʼs my problem? First off, Iʼm a rat.”

Remy is different from the other rats because he values what he eats. Food calls to him in a special way that no one else understands, not even his big brother Emile, though Remy tells all of this to him anyway. When their colony is found out Remy gets separated from the other rats and is alone in Paris. He pretends that he is talking to his favorite chef who gives him advice. After an encounter with a human, Linguini, they are both in a tough position. Together they realize which one of them can cook and which one canʼt. They come up with plan, a crazy one, but will it work? The sous-chef Skinner is suspicious of them, but can they avoid detection while Linguini keeps his job and Remy gets to fill his dream?

“Anyone can cook!”

Genre: Animated, Family.

Length: approx. 111 minutes.

Script: 9, I wrote down that there is one bad word, but itʼs not notable.

Crew: Directed by: Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava. Written by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Emily Cook, Kathy Greenberg, & Bob Peterson.

Starring the voices of:

“We are artists, pirates!”

Patton Oswalt as Remy. “A cook makes, a thief takes.”

Lou Romano as Alfredo Linguini.

Ian Holm as Skinner.

Peter O'Toole as Anton Ego.

Janeane Garofalo as Colette.

Peter Sohn as Emile.

Brian Dennehy as Django.

Brad Garrett as Gusteau.

Will Arnett as Horst.

Julius Callahan as Lalo & Francois.

James Remar as Larousse.

John Ratzenberger as Mustafa.

Teddy Newton as Lawyer.

Tony Fucile as Pompidou & Health Inspector.

Brad Bird as Ambrister Minion.

Stéphane Roux as TV Narrator.

Costumes: N/A, itʼs animated and everyone is wearing standard clothing or cooking uniforms, so it doesnʼt count. If I was being picky (which I usually am but am not feeling like it today), I would say that there is one scene where someone isnʼt wearing a shirt. 

Animation: 10! Pixar almost without a doubt always receives a 10 for this category. They specialize in creating these masterpieces which have outstanding stories, but are carried so well through stunning animation. The rats arenʼt gross, but the way they are drawn gives them character! Also, all of the people are really unique. But, my favorite aspect goes beyond this. Have you ever wondered what "taste" looks like? This movie gave the feeling of tasting food a visual!

Animation by: Pixar animation studios.

Music: 10, again, absolutely marvelous. This story all happens in France and that is woven in the music really, really well!

Music by: Michael Giacchino (heʼs a genius!).

Quotability: 10! I wrote down really random things as my notes, but that goes to show you that this whole movie is chockfull off good lines. One that my sister says to me all the time (with the perfect accent!) is:

“Should I be concerned about this? About you?”

Notes: Chef Thomas Keller was consulted during the making of this film and came up with the recipe for the famous ratatouille dish. My family has made it and it is delicious. This movie also has bonus features of a Pixar short (Lifted) , and another short called My Friend the Rat, so stick around for those.

Oscars won: 1: Best Animated Feature Film.

Content: 8, there are dead rats, stealing, death, a suggestive line, kissing, and a scene where someone is intoxicated (one of the funniest scenes, but I digress). I won't reveal all of the scene, but one of my favorite lines is, "If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious.", and everything that comes before and after.

Originality: 10! This is one of the most unique plots that Iʼve ever seen, yet it works. Itʼs incredible. A rat who wants to cook? I love it so much. It shows you what itʼs like to have a passion for creating and to go after your dream! It is beautiful.

ʻ“Yeah, it was as bad as we remembered.  It just went out."

“Did you taste it?”

"Yeah, of course. Before he changed it."'

Good For: Anyone who is alone, anyone who loves food, families, anyone with big dreams.

Age Range: This is perfectly acceptable for all ages. As a bonus, from young to old anyone will probably love this! It is relatable to all ages and has good messages, not just for kids.

Overall Score: 9.5!

Worth watching?: I have never regretted watching this movie in all the times that Iʼve seen it. It never gets old and I always get something new out of it, whether itʼs understanding the story more, appreciating the animation or score, or finding new lines to quote on a daily basis.

Will I watch again?: This is one of my sisterʼs favorite movies, so definitely. I canʼt tell you how many times Iʼve already seen it, and I canʼt tell you how many times I will see it again!

Bonus thoughts:

“If you focus on what youʼve left behind you will never be able to go ahead.” 

Pixar creates wonderful and magical films. Something that I love about this movie is how it takes place in the real world. We see everything from Remyʼs perspective as heʼs our narrator and we see him talking to other rats, but he canʼt talk to humans. Every once in a while it switches for one second to a humanʼs point of view and all we hear from the rats are squeaks. Something about that communication barrier adds to it and makes you almost believe that something like this could happen. Could animals have dreams of greatness like we do?

I love all of the characters! Colette is amazing. If you ever wondered it there is a fictional character who I am like, it's Linguini, with a dash of Emile. Probably more than a dash. Remy is the perfect character to root for! Anton Ego is iconic. The whole time when I last watched it I kept really hearing Peter O'Toole's voice distinctly and kept telling that to my sisters. They would then tell me that they knew that. The characters are all so well rounded, not a single one is lacking in any way!

Like all Pixar movies, the messages are what hit home. Watching this you know that everyone has a job that is important, and no one is "just a garbage boy".

Fin

Thank you for reading! Have any of you seen this movie? What about any other movies involving rats? Favorite cooking film? Enjoy six more weeks of winter!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Hello, everyone.

Before I get into my review I want to say how deeply saddened I was yesterday when I heard that the world had lost Alex Trebek. His battle with cancer was so hard. Jeopardy! is one of my favorite game shows, and his reassuring presence will be missed more than I can say.


Last winter my dad, older sister and I got onto a kick of watching Best Picture Oscar winning war films. It was all my idea because I am trying to watch movies off of my 1001 Movies To See Before You Die list. We watched three movies: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) in October, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) in January, and Patton (1970) in February. After that we were really burned out because they were all multi-hour spectaculars, but we are thinking about starting another round as there are still many that we havenʼt seen. Iʼve reviewed the other two, so now itʼs time for the final one!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free! Which was hard to do, but I succeeded.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962):

Based on: The life of T. E. Lawrence, from Seven Pillars of Wisdom - by T. E. Lawrence. 

During World War I, T. E. Lawrence is given a new task from the British army. He is sent to talk with Prince Faisel about helping them with his army of native people against to Turks. To do that, Lawrence must journey through the desert. It is hard, but he bravely goes forward into the desert, befriending all whom he can and trying to collect various tribes into an agreement. He is known for his insolence and daring, and continues that as he ignores his orders and suggests new, daring, and reckless plans of attack. Is it possible for all of these people to follow him, and how will he accept the respect and admiration that he is receiving?

“Big things have small beginnings.” 

Genres: Biography, Drama, War.

Length: approx. 228 minutes. You read that correctly, this movie is so long itʼs crazy. We actually watched it in four parts over four nights because of that, with about an hour each time.

Script: 8, only one bad word and one time a name is taken in vain.

“It seems to me that you are free to choose your own name.”

Crew: Directed by: David Lean. Written by: T.E. Lawrence, Robert Bolt, & Michael Wilson.

Starring:

Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence.

“Time to be great again.”

Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. 

Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali.

Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi.  

Jack Hawkins as General Allenby.

. 

Claude Rains as Mr. Dryden

Anthony Quayle as Colonel Brighton. 

Arthur Kennedy as Jackson Bentley.

José Ferrer as Turkish Bey.

Donald Wolfit as General Murray.

Michel Ray as Farraj.

John Dimech as Daud.

I.S. Johar as Gasim.

Gamil Ratib as Majid.

Zia Mohyeddin as Tafas.

Howard Marion-Crawford as Medical Officer.

Jack Gwillim as Club Secretary.

Hugh Miller as R.A.M.C. Colonel.

Notes: If you read anything about this movie, you know the craziness that they went through with casting. Almost every character was cast multiple times. They say that they tried so hard to make Alec Guinness look like Prince Faisel that while they were shooting the film in Jordan some people who knew the late Prince Faisel actually thought it was him. José Ferrerʼs role is so small that I barely remember it, but he had a salary of $25,000, which was more than Omar Sharif and Peter OʼToole put together had.

Costumes: 9, there are times when people arenʼt wearing shirts, but it didnʼt really bother me. In fact, one of my favorite parts was all about clothing (am I being vague? Yes, yes I am).

Not this part. But, first thing into the movie my dad said, "He looks like Maz Kanata."

Costumes by: Phyllis Dalton.

Cinematography: 10, guys, guys. GUYS. My sister and I were talking and wondering how much time they spent just filming this stuff because it is pretty incredible. These sweeping desert scenes are jaw dropping. There is a scene that is like, 10 minutes long, where we are doing nothing but staring at the desert. Iʼm not kidding (okay, maybe it isnʼt that much time, but itʼs a lot). Another scene where my sister and I just couldnʼt believe our eyes is kind of a spoiler to mention, so I wonʼt, but it was like nothing Iʼve ever seen. You have to see it to believe it.

This image doesn't do it justice.

Cinematography by: F.A. Young.

Music: 9, after watching it I had the score stuck in my head for days and would do nothing but hum it. I donʼt usually have that happen. Something about it is so gripping! You can tell that since then it has inspired lots of things. I especially noticed parts that reminded me of Aladdin (1992). Iʼm listening to it right now, and Iʼm sure Iʼll have it stuck in my head for another couple of days now.

Music by: Maurice Jarre.

Quotability: 5, I havenʼt quoted this at all since then, but thatʼs not to say that there arenʼt good lines. I sadly canʼt put too many because I canʼt read my handwriting when I took notes. Ooops.

“Yes general, you have lied most bravely.”

Oscars won: 7: Best Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Music Score -- Substantially Original, Best Sound, Best Art Direction -- Color, Best Cinematography -- Color, and Best Film Editing.

Peter OʼToole was nominated for Best Actor, and while he did a great job, Iʼm very happy that Gregory Peck won it for his role of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). Whenever I talk about the Oscars Iʼm bound to mention the 1962 ceremony because so many good movies were made that year!

Content: 6, this movie is intense, and a lot of that comes from the content. There is a lot of death, killing, blood and fighting, as this is a war movie. Something that was talked about was enjoying killing people. I think that what they had to say was important, but it couldʼve been handled a slight bit better just to make one or two things more obvious. All the same, it is made to show how bad war is.

Originality: 9, I always feel obliged to give stories based on real people a high score here because their lives are all so different. In addition to that, it really ripped me apart more than most stories do. Points for originality there! About halfway through I felt where it was going. I didnʼt know the exact details, but I just had this feeling that I knew was what I was supposed to feel at the end.

Good For: History fans, fans of the actors, fans of amazing cinematography and music. Honestly, I think that this is one of those movies that everyone should see sometime in their life, if they are willing to spare that many hours. It is by no means a cheerful movie, but it is important.

Age Range: It is rated PG but I should note that this was before there was a PG-13 rating, so it would probably get that nowadays. It is grueling to watch this because it is so long. I have a hard time paying attention for that long and Iʼm sure most little kids are the same way. Just because of that I would say it is best for 15 and older, but there is a possibility that it could be a good history lesson to someone a little younger, too.

Overall Score: 8.

These two were my favorites.

Worth watching?: Yes, Iʼm very glad that I watched it. The way that the orphan boys Daud and Farraj treated Lawrence (and said his name) was so cute. As I said, this movie will really tear you apart because of how intense it is. Iʼm feeling all destroyed just thinking about it. This was the middle film that my dad, sister, and I watched, and I liked it in the middle. I didnʼt love it as much as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), but I didnʼt dislike it and find it as boring as Patton (1970).

Will I watch again?: My younger sister has never seen it, so I think that Iʼll show it to her some day, but maybe years from now.

For the blogathon:

This is my entry in The Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon hosted by Pure Entertainment Preservation Society!

I havenʼt been able to join in the last two years, so I made sure of it this time. When looking through the list of films that Claude Rains made I saw this and decided that it was perfect timing.

The amazing thing about this movie is that most of the characters are based on real people! There are some fictional characters in here for the sake of the story, but they all feel like they couldʼve been real as well and some were based on a few different real life characters and just combined into one.

The “real life” characters are:

E. T. Lawrence, Prince Faisal, Auda Abu Tayi, General Allenby, General Murray, Daud and Farraj, and Talal. (I know this thanks to Wikipedia).

The “fictional” characters are:

Sherif Ali, Mr. Dryden, Colonel Brighton, and Jackson Bentley. (Check out Wikipedia HERE for more details on who they are based on)

As you see, Claude Rainsʼs character is fictional, but all the same he is important to the movie. We donʼt get a lot of screen time with him, but you could say that he initiates Lawrenceʼs inciting incident. (Can you tell that Iʼm in the craziness of NaNoWriMo and am very focused on all those technical phrases?). Mr. Dryden is from the Arab Bureau and he is the one who suggests that Lawrence is the one to do the job concerning Prince Faisal, even though others werenʼt sure that he was the right person. After that he appears a few times throughout the film. He is the person who sends other people to do the work and just pulls the strings.

His character wasnʼt particularly likable to me, but the portrayal was so well done by Claude Rains! This was close to the end of his career. Every time that I watch a new movie with him I am astounded by the depth to his acting abilities. It is great to watch!

In fact, so many of the actors in here were so great! I do get that it is historical and that it is war and because of that there arenʼt many, er...ANY female roles, which I didnʼt notice until right now. Anyway, the actors who stood out to me were:

Alec Guinness: He is flat out amazing in everything, and this is no exception. Iʼm sorry, but he was my favorite part.

Omar Sherif: As soon as I saw him I thought, “Oh no! Itʼs Doctor Zhivago!” I actively loathe that movie, so thank you for reminding me. “While youʼre at it, why donʼt you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?” (Sorry, I couldnʼt help myself...). But, I was really shocked by how strong his acting was. From the beginning I disliked him, but he just continued to grow on me and ended up being my second favorite from Alec Guinness. Did you know that Omar Sherif spoke six languages? That is incredible! Here I am struggling with two...

Peter OʼToole: Yes, I will admit that the way he played Lawrence was really moving. Sometimes it moved me in weird directions that I had no idea was coming. This was one of his first roles and I was glad to see it because I like some of his later ones. 

Arthur Kennedy: This was the most different role that Iʼve ever seen from him. Iʼm so used to seeing him as the “baddie” in westerns, that I wasnʼt prepared to have him play a newspaper reporter. He did a great job!

Whew, with that Iʼm going to start wrapping this up! I guess that the longer the film the longer my post about it. Thanks to the Brannans for hosting! Check out the other blogathon entries HERE.

Now tell me, what is the longest movie that youʼve ever watched? Do you ever get burned out on a certain genre? Thank you so much for reading!

MovieCritic