Show #112: A Christmas Carol (2009)

We ain't afraid of no ghost, and to prove it we're gonna forge on with our annual holiday tradition with Disney's A Christmas Carol!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

An admirable effort from seasoned director Robert Zemeckis this year, who for whatever reason persists in his odyssey to create the most terrifying human simulacrums committed to film, suitable in this instance however as the more ghastly elements of Charles Dickens' classic book are pushed to the fore. Bolstered even further by some entertaining voice performances, more's the pity when the film regularly skids off the tracks and mars the atmosphere for some not-as-exhilarating-as-they-think-they-are action set-pieces.

THE SHORT VERSION

Horrifying apparitions

Lack of restraint

Immersive 3D!

Show #110: "9"

Anthony Askew of Dynamite In The Brain salvages the wreckage of the post-robocalypse and presents us the patchwork creation of Shane Acker's 9!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Quite awkwardly named this one, as it came out the same year as another film called "Nine"! You won't find Daniel Day Lewis in this though, rather a bleak industrial fantasy that struggles to fill its feature length. 9 retains the imaginative design work of the original short that inspired it, but like the wasteland it depicts there are slim pickings to be found in the plotting and characterisation departments, with whatever exists cobbled together into a not-unpleasant but unsatisfying whole.

THE SHORT VERSION

Forlorn ragdoll people

Terror beasts

Soul Stealin'

Show #98: BAWKSTRAALS

After many months we've finally established a link with another world! Those strange folk Anthony Askew from Dynamite In The Brain along with Martin Schneider and Joseph Wade from Front Row Central arrive in our dimension with the good news about Coraline.

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name and wonderfully animated by the stop-motion faithful at Studio Laika comes Coraline, a be-careful-what-you-wish-for-tale that is at once charming and unnerving. While it's dark fairytale aesthetic and the involvement of Henry Selick may draw comparisons Coraline adheres to no such template and proves a cut above the rest. All this plus silly accents and Martin's fantastic journey through Studio Laika!

Anthony's Twitter

Joseph's Twitter

Martin's Twitter

Christmas Creeps - a podcast about Christmas movies all year round!

Movies Silently's review of The Cameraman's Revenge, a stop-motion pioneer

THE SHORT VERSION

Spooky dolls

Spooky parents

CAT David

Show #94: Moses Must Defeat These Two Enemy Stand Users

Happy Easter! Or Happy Passover! Whatever your denomination it's the right time of year for The Prince of Egypt!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

The first traditionally animated feature from Dreamworks sought to challenge the might of Disney with a biblical epic full of fantastic scenery, musical interludes and a classic tale of brother against brother. Being an Old Testament adaptation the film is compelled to hit on all the familiar points from the original story with varying degrees of success, but the more personal struggle of two siblings on opposite sides of a divide enhances it and provides a much greater level of emotional investment.

THE SHORT VERSION

Sweeping scale

Best of bros, best of enemies

Baby murder

Show #93: I Was Having A Lovely Time Until My Mind Exploded

We travel to a world light years away in a galaxy of terror to seek new life and new civilisations on a Fantastic Planet, aka La Planete Sauvage!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Based on the novel "Oms en serie" by Stefan Wul and brought to unsettling life by Rene Laloux and Roland Topor, Fantastic Planet is posited as an allegorical tale but succeeds better as a journey through a realm and a civilisation so incredibly far removed from our own. The brilliant production design and haunting visuals convey this alien nature beautifully, the brutal environment with its bizarre customs only thrown into starker relief by the similarities we can see to our own society.

THE SHORT VERSION

Education

Recreation

Local wildlife

Show #91: You Can Kill GOD With A Big Enough Mousetrap

Brian Smith descends from the surface world to regale us with the heart-warming tale of Ernest and Celestine!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

A film from 2012 that was so good they put it in last year's Oscars, Ernest and Celestine spins a wonderful of a bear and a mouse forming an unlikely partnership and hiding out from the law, two kindred spirits crossing a social divide enforced by THE MAN. The simple narrative provides ample space for touching character moments, comic interludes and time to appreciate the lavish watercolour-style visuals.

THE SHORT VERSION

Partners in crime

Dental scams

Social divides

Show #85: The Fatue of Liberty

It's a flurry of freaky French film fun with director Sylvain Chomet's acclaimed feature The Triplets of Belleville!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Monsieur Chomet is a man after our own hearts, a real old style director who does things his way or the highway even if it can get him into a spot of bother occasionally. When he does get a film out it's something to savour, as is the case with the Triplets of Belleville. Where else can one find a story of a bunch of old ladies and a dog embarking on a rescue mission to save a professional cyclist from the wine mafia, not to mention to have it be so visually bizarre and with barely a word of dialogue, and have a finished piece so engaging and full of love for the medium of animation. They don't make 'em like they used to but some folks still remember.

THE SHORT VERSION

Determined women

Corporate goons

Sweet jams

Show #83: Put A Hockey Jersey On That Dracula

Our bags are packed for our annual Halloween break, and we have some reservations with Hotel Transylvania!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Genndy Tartakovsky's directorial debut! Four words that should excite any animation aficionado, however there are a couple of strings attached to that statement. Brought in to revitalise an already lengthy production Tartakovsky brings his distinct visual style and penchant for physical comedy to the CG feature realm, easily the best thing about this film. For what it's worth Adam Sandler and his cohorts aren't nearly as exasperating as they could have been but with such a wealth of characters and setting it's a shame something more fulfilling didn't emerge.

THE SHORT VERSION

Daffy Dracula

Daddy Dracula

DANCIN' DRACULA

Show #80: Mahwty! Mahwty Wake Up!

Martin Schneider comes by to pack us into his beat-up station wagon for a long emotional road trip through A Goofy Movie!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

One of the lesser appreciated works of Disney's filmography and all the more impressive for the depth and heart on display for a film spun off from a TV sitcom. A Goofy Movie shows an unforeseen complexity to the character of Goofy and his relationship with his son Max. Over the course of their cross country journey they learn how to truly communicate, whether it be with each other or with other significant figures in their life, and gain a better understanding of each other and themselves, all through the intervention of Bigfoot and the music of pop star from the future Powerline.

THE SHORT VERSION

Goofy the nuanced character

Family bonding time

Be excellent to each other

Show #77: Madagascar Is In The Heart

We're back from our impromptu summer holidays, and we want to share tales of our travels to a remote island in the North Sea where we learned How To Train Your Dragon!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

A rare gem of a film from the often dubious Dreamworks Animation, livening up the oft-spun yarn of a boy and his dog with the inclusion of Vikings, dragons and explosions. In the midst of this spectacle however is a ton of heart and a surprising maturity with themes of empathy, staying true to oneself and learning to overcome disability. Now why couldn't that be the thing that Tumblr latched onto?

THE SHORT VERSION

Ferocious dragons

Father/Son relationships

Dumb Tumblr stuff

Show #64: Why Couldn't You Jus' Mend Yo' Ways?

It's a cold Christmas night in the offices of SOTSM and Co. whereupon we are visited by the grim spectre of Christmas Carol: The Movie!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Our first Christmas episode ever! And out of all the cartoons with a festive theme we could have chosen we begin with this one, a made-for-TV movie masquerading as a theatrical feature that feels flatter than the last dregs of Xmas party champagne. Visually average bar the odd artistic flourish with some pretty okay voice performances but commits the cardinal sin of wasting the tremendous power of Nicolas Cage, a fact we attempt to alleviate in our own special way.

If you're in need of more podcast shaped Christmas cheer we also made an appearance on the festive special of Dynamite In The Brain, jamming to a righteous party mix of twenty or so versions of Jingle Bells.

THE SHORT VERSION

 The Ghost Of Nicolas Cage

The Ghost Of A Better Movie

The Ghost Of Scrooge's Lovelife

Show #62: The Parfait After Tomorrow

Martin Schneider returns to deliver a forecast of film fun in Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs!

Click Here To Download (Right Click, Save As)

Wringing an enormous amount of potential from an old children's picture book Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs spins a bright, humourous and touching story along with a loving homage to blockbuster disaster movies.That it does all this while subverting numerous cinematic tropes makes it stand out as a unique and wonderful feature and a refreshing alternative to other comparatively cynical animated movies.

Martin's Twitter

Current Releases Movie Reviews

THE SHORT VERSION

Mad scientists

(Un)seasonable weather

Positive representations