Movie Reviews: Two For One Again

This weekend I saw Ratatouille and Sicko, both were very good and I recommend them highly.

Ratatouille basically proves that Brad Bird can do no wrong. Everything that man touches turns into a hit. I could sit here and gush about the film, the humor is spot on, I especially loved the little touches, if you payed attention there were small cuts on the chef's hands as there would be for people who work in a kitchen all day. Even the new chef, Linguini, gets a cut on his hands after a few days of working in the restaurant, and it's never mentioned you just catch it yourself. There's a scene where Remy the rat is caught and taken out in a jar to be killed, as Linguini stares down and talks to Remy, Remy is cowering against the glass and you can see his heart pounding, much like you would see with a rodent or a rabbit. I was just impressed with the minute details the animators paid attention to, when they really didn't have to.
The animation is top notch, even down to the movement of the rat's fur and people's hair. I will admit I was kinda shocked by the violence that's in the film. Early on the rats are chased around a house and attacked with a shotgun, later as Remy is escaping through the sewers he runs past an apartment building where a woman is holding a gun on her cheating boyfriend. Even later still is a moment where the female chef Linguini likes slaps him and then threatens to slap him again when she finds out what's been going on. Though I will admit that was a great moment, she doesn't actually slap him but she raises her arm to do it and then thinks it over and you can see the conflict in her eyes. She really really wants to pop him one but she can't bring herself to because by this time she likes him.

The violence isn't really anything to be concerned about, it was just something I was surprised with, probably because I'd never expected the movie to be as mature as it was in presenting character feelings and reactions.

It's also realistic in other ways, especially the ending, but I won't give that away.

Sicko is a whole other matter, and left me kinda pissed for the majority of the film. I realize Michael Moore is a controversial topic and he's not as honest as he likes to present himself, but for the most part he's bringing up topics that the average American would rather not discuss. They'd much rather watch Paris Hilton on Larry King.

Sicko goes over the American Health Care system, or lack thereof. It's basically about how insurance companies and drug companies screw over their customers all the while taking their money as well. It made me ashamed that I even have to pay for health insurance, and worried about ever getting sick.

The one complaint that I have about the film is that Moore does present foreign countries as the land of OZ: perfect. He goes to upper middle class houses in England and France to discuss the extra taxes they have to pay in order to afford free health care, however I know there are slums and ghettos in England and France and wondered how the taxes affected them. It was never even brought up. Though I will admit the thought of moving my family to London or France crossed my mind several times. Perhaps mom and dad wouldn't mind Canada (shhh, don't tell them I said that).

I'd still recommend Sicko, if only so you can know just how much the health care industry hates you.