The Iron Giant

     From the director of The Incredibles, comes one of the greatest animated film of the 90s. From Warner Brothers Animation, The Iron Giant, directed by Brad Bird. Starring Eli Marienthal as nine year old Hogarth Hughes, our main hero. Also starring Jennifer Aniston from the show Friends as Hogarth's mom, singer Harry Connick Jr. as short tempered beatnik artist Dean McCoppin, Christopher McDonald from Thelma and Louise as Kent Mansley the crazed federal government agent, Frasier's John Mahoney as the General, and of course, Vin Diesel as our main focus, The Giant.
    Our story takes place in Rockwell, Maine in 1957 during The Cold War. One night, Hogarth Hughes was watching a late night movie on television when suddenly the TV antenna was mysteriously damaged. Thinking it was done by invaders from Mars, Hogarth goes out to investigate in the forest. There, he befriends a giant robot that had crashed into Earth from outer space. Meanwhile, the  government agent, Kent Mansley, is destined to find the giant and do what it takes to destroy it. With Hogarth's bond with the robot, he had to act fast to protect it. So, he hides the giant in a scrapyard owned by an artist named Dean. Will the friendship between the boy and the giant robot last forever? Find out while you watch this.
    So awesome! I freaking love this movie. It's one of my all time favorites. I love the fact that WB not only used traditional animation, but also computer animation to emphasize the movie. The animation, in one word, is breathtaking. What I love most about The Iron Giant is the story, because it makes you laugh, it gets you on the edge of your seat, and it'll also make you cry a little. I have pin badges based on the movie, and one of them has the quote: "You are who you choose to be". That's the message in the movie. Remember that.

             

                  PARENTS GUIDE: This movie is rated PG for language and some violence. There is a scene where the boy and the giant witness a shooting of a deer. And there's a scene where Mansley threatens to take Hogarth away from his mom by grabbing his face. There is a few uses of the word "damn" and the phrase "Oh my God!". The climax of the movie is really emotional, so get your tissues ready. 

      DID YOU KNOW?: The last name of Hogarth is named after the author of the original children's book, Ted Hughes. Sean Connery (the original 007) and James Earl Jones (Mufassa from The Lion King) were considered for the role of The Giant. Alec Baldwin and the late Burt Reynolds were considered for the role of Kent Mansley. Brad Bird and producer Alisson Abbate did not get along during production. 

"You are who you choose to be." 

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

      They say that money is the root to all evil. They say that money doesn't grow on trees. And they say that money can't buy happiness. But money can give you one heck of a comedy. This epic comedy, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, will make you laugh your socks off. This movie features an all-star cast. I'll only name a few. We got Spencer Tracy (Father of the Bride), Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, and Jonathan Winters.
      So here's the story: after hearing about a buried treasure with $350,000 from a dying man (played by Jimmy Durante) who literally kicks the bucket, a group of motorists decide to race for it. We follow these crazy people such as two dimwits played by Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett, a furniture mover (Jonathan Winters), an entrepreneur for a seaweed company (Milton Berle) with his wife and stubborn mother-in-law (Ethel Merman), a dentist and his wife (Sid Caesar and Edie Adams), a greedy motorist (Phil Silvers), an English man (Terry-Thomas), a surfer dude momma's boy (Dick Shawn), and a police chief (Spencer Tracey) who watches the race for the treasure. These people race by land, by car, by sea, by plane, and by bicycle. It gets more exciting by the minute watching these hysterical characters doing the most crazy things for a fortune that might not even be there. You'll be on the edge of your seat, laughing all the way, wondering who will get the money first. Watch it and find out.
     Phenomenal, epic, exciting, hilarious! This movie is everything. I like the old time humor used in the movie such as Jimmy Durante literally kicking the bucket before dying. The part that stands out to me the most was the climatic ladder scene, where all the men try to hang on but fail and comically get hurt, which goes to show that greed can get you into trouble, in this case: you get hurt in the end. The letterbox format, Cinerama, is so big that it's almost like you can see everything on screen. I for one love letterbox formats because it's like you're watching a movie screen in a theater.

$$KA-CHING!$$

         Parents Guide: This movie is rated G, although there are a few uses of the word hell. There is a scene where a man and woman do exotic dances in bathing suits. The people falling off of the ladder can be somewhat violent such as Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney bouncing on the power lines and getting electrocuted. You be the judge of that.
       Did You Know?: Don Rickles really wanted to be in the movie but was never approached. The airplane hangar scenes were shot at what is now called The Charles M. Schultz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa California. The role of the husband and wife (Edie Adams and Sid Caesar) were originally written for Mickey Rooney and his former partner Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz). Due to the cancelation of The Judy Garland Show, Garland declined to be in the picture. Mickey Rooney ended up playing the character Ding Bell. One of the animators who worked on the title sequence was Peanuts animator Bill Melendez. The fire chief was played by Disney Legend Sterling Holloway (the original voice for Winnie the Pooh).

Iconic!