The Healing Power Of Movies - It EXISTS!

[patentdragon]

In Today's Episode... "A Spread Of Jacks And Queens" begins with an introduction of some of our players in this particular drama - and we see just how some journeys start, and how one journey takes an unexpected turn...

Release notes... The rest of the story is coming soon, after the conclusion of 510 "Knight To King, Checkmate"...

Development News... ...which commences once "...Jacks And Queens" is "in the can". The story is progressing well, but it still has quite a way to go.

Meanwhile... I needed to treat myself after a tough week. So yes, it's movie review time again...

At The Movies... WALL-E Pixar now their stuff. Okay, Cars just didn't appeal to me, but everything else Pixar that I've seen has been brilliant - The Toy Storys, The Incredibles - and nobody, I mean nobody seems to have a strike-rate as good as Pixar. WALL-E continues the trend, and probably hits a new peak in the process - animated feature Oscar, anyone...?

The short version - last trash-collector robot on an abandoned Earth meets probe droid sent by *SPOILER* what's left of humanity *END SPOILER*. Probe finds life, reports back, is retrieved - is followed into space by trash-droid...

You might, at this point, think that the movie is a) over-sentimental and/or b) over-preachy about the environment, but you'd be wrong. At its heart, it's quite simply A Nice Story, that's possibly got something serious to say along the way. The characters might not have much to say, but they don't need heaps of dialogue to touch the audience - and damn it, Pixar even managed to make a cute cockroach. That, in itself, pretty much says it all.

Quite harmless for audiences of all ages - and that's no bad thing. The only shortcoming in this production that I can find is the humans that aren't live-action advertising footage, and they detract from the general aura of reality that surrounds the whole idea of the film, especially during the scenes of Earth. Guys, you so very nearly beat Iron Man, but those humans just stopped you.

Oh, and I liked the Miyazaki-style "tapestry" over the end titles. Nice!

The Verdict A must-see. Trust me. SEE THIS. 9/10

*checks another off the list* Okay, next is The Dark Knight, and then Hellboy II. Bumper year, by the look of it...