Coraline

First off, let me just say what a great movie. Thanks to my friend Elisa, I learned of a lot of the 'making of' details to this film that made me appreciate it even more so than I would have without the extra info. So what jumps out at me first? A movie in 3-D?! I mean really, when was the last time you saw a legit movie in 3-D? Not since the days of the blue and red paper glasses and the early 90s. This 3-D was totally legit. No silly, over done throwing something at you so you go 'Ahhh!', but realistic 3-D view of the whole movie. Only a couple times throughout the film do you see any objects hurl in your direction, which just made you appreciate it more.

What was really nice, was the fact that some of the previews were also in 3-D. I remember seeing the preview for Pixar's 'Up' a few times and being very confused by the film. Apparently, however, the film is also going to be shown in this 3-D and man oh man, I must admit it looked damn good. I am extremely happy that the movie industry is finally taking on the idea of implementing 3-D films at a mass level. I remember reading an article once upon a time about how 3-D is the new big technology (sounds funny right?) that the movie industry wants to explore, but the cost of legit 3-D theaters is so high and the cost of real legit 3-D glasses is too large with the flight risk. The glasses I had were cheap, and the film still looked incredible.

So back to the movie itself, the story was extremely well done. For avid movie watchers, it will obviously remind you of the Nightmare before Xmas, but more recently, Pan's Labyrinth. The film's story is brought along at a good pace, not moving too quickly into the main plot and allowing for a little story building and characterization. I think with movies like these, its easy to get swept away with the special effects and unique fashion the movie is done in. I will admit, I remember seeing previews for this film, thinking man, this thing is kind of creepy. I know I'm a little kid when it comes to these things, but boy was I right. The film was able to get me eeried out with no problem at all, especially as the film progressed through its plot.

I was captivated from start to finish, even after an incredibly long day at work and a 1030 showtime. I give the movie 4 Manatees for its uniqueness, innovative story, 3-D effect and hand-sewn tiny clothing.