Thursday Movie Picks: Animated Films Geared Towards Adults

Welcome to another Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves that consists of picking three films to fit the week's theme. 

Who said animated flicks are for kids only? And we, the other bloggers and I, are going to prove it this week. Here are my fantastic animated films geared towards adults

Anomalisa (2015)

Michael Stone is a self-help author trapped in his mundane life. But things are about to change when he meets Lisa. A creation of the brilliant Charlie Kaufman, this film is an equally brilliant and thought-provoking dramedy that explores loneliness and depression. It's quite extraordinary. If you want to know more, you can read my full review here. 

Chico & Rita (2010)

The now old and retired Cuban pianist Chico remembers his youth, his rise and fall as a musician and his turbulent love story with jazz singer Rita. This one is a very fascinating movie about love, music and hope. But it also has a dark side as it deals with racism, prostitution and murder as well. What I love the most about this one is the hand-drawn and highly-detailed animation.

Waking Life (2001)

A man meets various people and discusses the meanings and purposes of the universe without knowing whether it's just a dream or reality. If you love Linklater, you're going to love this one. It's a pretty weird and pretty much plotless film, but it's easily one of the most philosophical I've seen. And I just can't get it out of my head because of the question it poses: are we sleep-walking through our waking state or are we wake-walking through our dreams?

Desierto (2015)

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Director

Jonás Cuarón

Countries

Mexico, France

Cast

Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Alondra Hidalgo, Diego Cataño, Marco Pérez, Oscar Flores, David Lorenzo, Butch McCain

Storyline

The hopeful journey to seek a better life in the US becomes a fight for survival when a deranged vigilante (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) chases a group of men and women trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border.

Opinion

I was really looking forward to Desierto for a couple of reasons, Gael Garcia Bernal and its thematic, and given the director, Alfonso Cuarón's son, I was expecting a well-done film. Unfortunately, this film was a major let down as it ended up being a pretty shallow film.

The story is very thin. It barely spends any time setting up the premise before turning into an overlong and way too slow paced cat-and-mouse dynamic that never seems to end. Surprisingly, in spite of that, the film still manages to have plenty of thrills and keep you on the edge of your seat as the Mexicans try to avoid getting killed by the American psycho.

But if you take the thrills away, you're left with nothing. The film suffers a lot because of the poor script, the characters in particular. They are very weak, they lack development, and they are so flat it's almost impossible to care for them. We get to know a little more about Moises and Adela, both improved by good performances from Gael Garcia Bernal and Alondra Hidalgo, but it still isn't enough to make us care.

Desierto also fails to be an effective film and completely wastes its potential. The very important issues it deals with, that of immigration, isn't developed as it should have and it's nothing more than a plot device. What a shame.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Genres

Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Wes Anderson

Country

USA

Cast

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, Bob Balaban

Storyline

On an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, a young boy (Jared Gilman) and girl (Kara Hayward) fall in love and run away together, and most of the people of the town mobilize to search for them. 

Opinion

I haven't seen many Wes Anderson's films but I loved those I've seen and I'm getting addicted to his quirky style which is why I finally watched Moonrise Kingdom, easily my favourite from Anderson as it is a wonderful, charming, quirky, sweet and fun film.

Although it sounds quite cheesy, the story is original and very imaginative. It still is pretty basic and yet it's a delight. It has a slow pacing, but the unexpected and very enjoyable subplots and plot turns will definitely keep you interested.

And it features one of the most beautiful love stories ever. It is sweet, pure and innocent. It's a tender love story that will make your heart melt, and Anderson does a wonderful job capturing that kind of love with some memorable scenes, from the young lovers' first kiss to the dance on the beach to the purely symbolic wedding. And you know the best part? It's not sappy at all!

Just like all of Anderson's movies I've seen, Moonrise Kingdom is filled with quirky, colourful and charming characters, especially the two leading kids beautifully portrayed by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. The two young actors have a great chemistry both in terms of romance and comedy. In fact, the scenes featuring them are some of the most humourous. The supporting characters are a little less charming, but the great acting from the supporting cast, mostly from Bruce Willis, but also Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Francis McDormand, makes the characters more interesting.

At last but not least, the film is also a visual splendour. The colours are vivid and warm, the shots are incredibly symmetric and they all are pretty much perfect. This film is gorgeous simply from start to finish.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Nora Ephron

Country

USA

Cast

Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rob Reiner, Rosie O'Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, Barbara Garrick, Carey Lowell, David Hyde Pierce, Dana Ivey, Kevin O'Morrison, Caroline Aaron

Storyline

An 8-year-old kid (Ross Malinger) calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his recently widowed father (Tom Hanks) a new partner. Hundreds of women write to him, but one of them (Meg Ryan) is really committed to meet him. 

Opinion

Do you know what You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle have in common? Four things, the genre, Nora Ephron, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. And they both happen to be above average romantic flicks.

The plot is pretty predictable and a little contrived, not to mention how absurd it is, still it manages to be enjoyable and entertaining. The love story, however, isn't as touching as I was hoping. The kid calling the radio to find a new girlfriend to his lonely father, that was touching, but the love story itself was pretty meh.

How does this manage to be above average? Thanks to its characters. They are nicely developed and very likeable (you can't go wrong with Tom Hanks), so, even if the romance isn't that good, I still found myself rooting for them which by the way was pointless given the predictability of the story. Unfortunately, that treatment is reserved for the main characters only. The supporting ones are pretty thin. 

Anyway, the dialogue is nice too, but some parts of the writing are a bit cringing like a woman crying when recounting the story of An Affair to Remember. I haven't seen the movie, but that's not crying-material.

The soundtrack isn't bad either, and there are some humorous moments, especially those with Bill Pullman who seems to have taken the role of Meg Ryan's hypochondriac fiancé a little bit too seriously, but nevertheless does a good job.