Good old Rotoscoping. Don Bluth loved that stuff, and Take on Me is classic Rotoscope. Heavy Metal too. It may be a little jittery but it almost feels more lifelike. There's a whole lot more violence and death in this animated flick than most others I've seen, and that's interesting.
Surprisingly, I had never heard of this film before. I must have missed it on my travels and studies. I'm glad the SMC is enlightening me. I love the soundtrack, and I'm one of those people that believes the soundtrack can really make or break a film.
It's really strange, I don't actually have a lot to say about this one compared to my previous novel length reviews, despite how I enjoyed it other than one major element. The animation for me reminds me of Akira, in that I can't look at the faces of people without it irritating me for some reason. There was something unnatural about them, exaggerated to the point of frustration for me. The faces, they just bother me. It actually really takes away from the experience, and that's unfortunate because this film had a whole lot to say about being jewish (it comes and goes depending on the generation) and more on the relationship of father to son. I echo sentiments from above, that they should have made this live action.
When a film is made in animation instead of live action (when it can be made in live action), to me there has to be a reason to do it. Maybe it's easier to film scenes, or some unnatural occurrences or action sequences or events. I didn't see many of those here. One such occasion that animation helped the effect was the drug scene, but I've seen some terrific live action drug scenes before (I'm looking at you 21 Jump Street). Someone already said it before, that this animation style really recognizes the fluidity of movement and the body, and there are so many subtle movements like simple hand gestures, clothing bending, or other natural things. The problem is, the depth of expression on faces feel to me cartoony and unrealistic which clashes with the natural movement of the rest of the body. To me, it's a dealbreaker. Also, it's a small thing, but for how detailed the whole body is, the mouths don't always match up. I know it's animation, but it is jarring for someone like me.
What did everyone think of the live action photos and short videos they place intermittently throughout the film? Were the off-putting for you or were they beneficial? For me, they further reinforced the "why the hell is this animated" thought I had running through my head the whole time I watched this.
I enjoyed the film go through the changes of music styles and art (like the beatnik performing Howl in that speakeasy club) as time went on, it reminds me of a project I did in 10th grade writing about the evolution of rock music. American Pop was almost a love letter to the best of art throughout the century (and a few years in the 1800s). Each era that passed, we were surrounded by terrific music. The Mamas & The Papas, Dave Brubeck, Elvis, Benny Goodman, Jimi, The Doors, Pat Benatar, Skynyrd,
so so much wonderful music. It was definitely more "Pop" than "American" to me, because this film gave us a very dark version of the "American Dream" of going into show business and becoming a star.
The soundtrack to me was the best character, and I'm not sure if we had any character quite as developed as Tony. We didn't get a full picture on Zalmie, as he was shot through the throat to cancel his music career and fell in love with a stripper and had Benny. Benny was a damaged character right from the beginning, thanks to his dad, and playing a piano in an active warzone isn't the best use of his abilities, even if it granted him a last happy moment before getting nazi-ed.
Tony was fairly fleshed out. Raised with no dad, rebellious and ready to go elsewhere, fell in love with rock and roll, and was a horrrrrrrrrible dad. Danger zone. The drugs, sex, and all that rock and roll. He had Hendrix to play with, sort of, which was awesome. I think the Hendrix scene was my favorite in the film. It only bothered me slightly that his guitar had no strings. Tony was in love with a woman he couldn't have, and then when he could have her, it was only for a few minutes before she self destructed. Lots of self-destructive relationships in this film, that's for sure. It's actually quite bleak if you think about it. This story was plagued with death and dying and loss and pain. Very few happy moments really happened, and those that happened like the wedding were fleeting. It's unfortunate that they made us hate Tony in the end. I did not pity him, and even though I knew his family history, the choices he made were enough to damn him for me.
The last kid, Pete, someone else earlier summed it up beautifully. He wasn't a character, he was a characterization. First of all, how did the kid manage to first get backstage and run into his real dad? That seems rather convenient. I doubt the kid has a lot of mobility, but maybe his mother wanted to see her baby's daddy again? We didn't get to see more of her than a few flashbacky blurry pictures of her. Pete was a victim of circumstances far beyond his control, and was barely even a plot device. He was doomed from the beginning even more than Tony was. If you look at it, the life of the family disintegrated from the originally spiritual and ambitious into something plagued by drugs and misery.
The scene of Pete and the Rabbi was a shocking contrast to the beginning of the family, to show how far they've fallen. I've seen that gif a few times in the first page of this thread so I won't go further into it since pretty much what I wanted to say has been discussed. There's a crazy amount of symbolism in scenes that one, as well as the one immediately after where Pete opens up the piano to put the drugs in before he goes into what sounds like the opening of Night Moves. Yep, a few minutes later, it was Night Moves. To close with Elvis, Devil with a Blue Dress, Crazy on You, and wrapping with Freebird is about the best way they could have gone out with a film like this. The hits kept coming. His family playing in the background with him was surprisingly an emotional moment, and it made me wonder if he finally was the one of his family to make it. I can't resist saying that essentially he was the frontman of the most popular cover band I've ever seen (judging by that packed arena). I know they said in the credits that it was portrayed those songs were written by a fictional character, but my mind says "he's a cover artist in a country that somehow has never heard these hits".
The soundtrack is what really made this movie enjoyable for me. It was deep, dark, and depressing otherwise. It's why I'm so conflicted on reviewing this film overall. It did not need to be animated, and didn't add to the film that it was animated. Some part in my core was irritated by it the whole time, which is why my score may not properly reflect what I've written above. I actually want to give this film two scores to try to supplement my arguments. Yeah, I think I'll do that.
Soundtrack: 10/10, one of the best uses of popular music as the years go by to frame how a film should be followed
Film itself: 6/10, the animation style ruined it for me, but as a film it was a great study on generational relationships and trying to live up to what you think your parents want you to do (read: dads, except for Zelfie or whatever because his dad died off screen). Also reflected a society's transition from religion towards personal successes and goals. If this were live action, I'd have given it an 8.
You remember when I said this would be a short review?
