9 woes

By Mr. Blunderson

If you haven't seen 9, the brilliant 2005 short film by Shane Acker, then you should get to it before the full length theatrical version comes out. Why? Because the studio version is going to su-huck. Of course, here I am bitching about a movie I haven't even seen yet, but judging from the trailers and clips it looks like the typical soulless CGI that we have all come to expect from most non Pixar (and sometimes Dreamworks) animated films.. The textures are too crisp and the surfaces too smooth... but that's not the real problem for me.

What makes the original short so amazing is that 9 is a testament to the power of story telling in a medium with images and limited sound. The short features absolutely no dialogue and doesn't need it.

Of course the studio version features an all-star cast. It appears to be yet another instance of Hollywood understanding that they have acquired an amazing property but not actually understanding what made it that way. Or perhaps they are simply not trusting an audience to get it. Either way it's bad for us, because the result is a crappy movie.

Studio films like this are not a victimless crime. They destroy the vision and voice of creativity, originality, and contribute to the dumbing down of the film audiences. Why are words like "intelligent" "different" and "coherent plot" a bad thing? How did we get to this point?

Of course I could be wrong. 9 might end up being the best film ever made. The good news there is that even if that is the case, it won't make me look like a bigger jackass. Only because at this point it may not be possible.