Category Archives: Film

Comedy, Film

Robin Williams, a Great Entertainer!

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Robin Williams. Born July 21, 1951 in Chicago. Career highlights: Stand-up comedy (Audio, TV, HBO, & Film), Mork and Mindy (TV Series 1978-82), & Films: Moscow on the Hudson (’84), Good Morning, Vietnam (’87), Dead Poets Society (’89), Awakenings (’90), The Fisher King (’91), Mrs. Doubtfire (’93), Good Will Hunting (’97), Patch Adams (’98), and many other great movies. Awards: 1 Oscar, 2 Emmys, 4 Golden Globe including the 2005 Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, and more.

He is at his best doing stand-up, where he is known for telling irreverently dirty crazy jokes about drugs, sex, politics and the ironies of life. In films Robin usually plays an odd eccentric character; an alien, a elderly British nanny, a semi-human robot, the King of the Moon, a deluded homeless man, a Genie, a gay dragclub owner, a penguin. These diverse roles have allowed him to demonstrate his wide range of comedic talents.

What makes Robin such a great charismatic entertainer is that he is not only outrageously hilarious, but also a very heartfelt, warm and compassionate actor. A good example of this is his role as a therapist in Good Will Hunting, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. I will always remember his scene with Matt Damon (Will Hunting), where he repeatedly tells Will “It’s not your fault” (about his being abused as a child). That is one of the most powerful film scenes i have ever seen. Most of his roles (even the very comedic wacky ones), have shown some of this loving warmth. I have seen him in interviews talking about a serious social political issue, being very convincing and concerned. Then he says something really funny about the issue, and you realize that while it’s important to care about things and get involved, it’s also meaningful to put things in perspective, and be able to momentarily laugh at their absurdities.

Personal: 3 children, has lived mostly in Northern California, likes sci-fi & playing video games.

Quotes:
“God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time.”
“Cocaine is God’s way of telling you you are making too much money.”
“Catholic Lite; same rituals, half the guilt.” about his Episcopal faith.

Thanks Robin for everything!

Film

Rio, a cool computer animated film

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Rio, a computer animated film by Blue Sky Studio (released in March, 2011), is another excellent and fun experience. It follows the adventures of the ‘Blu’, the last male blue macaw parrot, as he is brought back to Brazil from Minnesota by a scientist hoping to save the species. The film has fantastic visuals in an exotic setting, great voice acting, good story and direction.

The story brings Blu and his owner to Rio de Janeiro, where he meets intended mate Jewel. Blu was raised in captivity and is comfortably domestic, and never learned to fly. Jewel is a wild hearted, free spirit, trying to escape captivity. A smuggler breaks into the lab and steals them, then they get chained together. For most of the movie, they are trying to evade capture, and get the chains removed. It’s funny because Blu can’t fly, so they run alot through the winding streets, yet sometimes Jewel manages to fly and pull him along. The bad guy is a carnivore Cockatoo named Nigel, the smuggler’s main accomplice. Other characters include a toucan, cardinal, canary, bulldog, and some crazy marmosets.

There are some cool scenes, like hang gliding through the mountains overlooking the city. Of course, there is a scene in Carnival, a big event in Brazil. Being a musical, the film makes good use of both romantic and funny songs. The story is good, and the interactions and relationships are interesting, especially the contrasts between the two main characters. This is a really fun film.