Bee Movie [Archive]

number8

11-02-2007, 09:15 AM

Haven't seen the full film yet, but here (http://www.justpressplay.net/viewarticle/bee-movie-interview-jerry-seinfeld.html)'s my interview with Jerry Seinfeld for those who want some convincing.

I might see this this weekend. I think it could be fun. Anyone planning on seeing it?

Dukefrukem

11-02-2007, 01:16 PM

D_Davis

11-02-2007, 01:27 PM

That's cool that you got to interview the man himself. I am mildly interested in this just because of Seinfeld, but I will probably wait for DVD.

MadMan

11-02-2007, 02:54 PM

It looks mildly funny, but I doubt I'll see it in theaters.

Spinal

11-02-2007, 03:13 PM

As a non-painful looking kids movie, I will almost certainly see it in the theater with my boy at some point.

Kurosawa Fan

11-02-2007, 03:26 PM

I'll be taking my son. I thought it looked great from the first animated trailer.

monolith94

11-02-2007, 04:04 PM

The thing that they did with Ray Liotta was really funny.

Watashi

11-02-2007, 05:09 PM

Seeing it tonight.

megladon8

11-02-2007, 05:54 PM

Eh...can't stand Seinfeld, and it doesn't look too great.

I won't go out of my way.

Henry Gale

11-02-2007, 07:14 PM

Rowland

11-02-2007, 07:24 PM

Yeah, this just looks like your typical Dreamworks nonsense. The animation doesn't even look attractive.

Henry Gale

11-02-2007, 08:57 PM

Yeah, this just looks like your typical Dreamworks nonsense. The animation doesn't even look attractive.

The animation (especially with the humans) somehow looks worse than something like Madagascar or Over The Hedge from past years.

Gizmo

11-02-2007, 09:39 PM

Eh...can't stand Seinfeld, and it doesn't look too great.

I won't go out of my way.

Same with me.

Even if Seinfeld is trying to make the anti-lovable animated animal movie, nothing I've seen from it so far has really let be believe it's really any different.

yep. Can't stand Seinfeld, and the story looks pretty bland as well. Actually looks worse than Ants, based on the preview.

Sycophant

11-02-2007, 09:49 PM

Part of me really, desperately wants this movie to be good.

Part of me is highly suspect.

Another part of me is suddenly irritated with the complete inundation of Seinfeld in the media after almost ten years of his practical hermit status.

Watashi

11-02-2007, 11:15 PM

If this movie is anything like Antz, I'll be ecstatic.

Spinal

11-02-2007, 11:17 PM

The trailer had a lot of frantic yelling. That always concerns me.

number8

11-03-2007, 12:04 AM

The thing that they did with Ray Liotta was really funny.

His cameo or the honey brand?

Spinal

11-03-2007, 04:29 PM

The reviews for this are not encouraging.

DSNT

11-04-2007, 07:42 PM

I might have gone to see this despite the reviews, but the publicity has been so overwhelming that I'm already sick of the film before I've seen it.

Watashi

11-04-2007, 07:56 PM

I haven't seen one ad for this film anywhere.

Weird.

Kurosawa Fan

11-04-2007, 11:43 PM

I might have gone to see this despite the reviews, but the publicity has been so overwhelming that I'm already sick of the film before I've seen it.

Yeah, it has been nauseating. I'm sick of it already and we haven't seen it either. Still, my son wants to see it, so I'll take him at some point.

Rowland

11-05-2007, 12:28 AM

I haven't seen any publicity for this either, but then I don't really watch much television.

Watashi

11-05-2007, 02:09 AM

Oh man, if you thought the last act of Happy Feet was preachy, you haven't seen nothing yet.

To my surprise, the pop culture jokes were the mainhighlight of Bee Movie (the Ray Liotta, Larry King, and Sting cameos were great), yet the main stories and gags were pretty lame. Renee sounded drunk during her voice recording.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 02:33 AM

Michael Richards' racist comedy club rant is no longer the most embarrassing performance by a former cast member of Seinfeld. This was abysmal. Worse than I thought it possibly could be.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 03:13 AM

Renee sounded drunk during her voice recording.

Heh. I thought the same thing.

Kurosawa Fan

11-09-2007, 03:14 AM

Silencio

11-09-2007, 03:16 AM

Michael Richards' racist comedy club rant is no longer the most embarrassing performance by a former cast member of Seinfeld. This was abysmal. Worse than I thought it possibly could be.Seinfeld's voice has absolutely no emotional range. The film is just awful all around. Tries way too hard to be funny and biting, but is neither, ever. It's also really strange and and no amount of disbelief (even a child's) can support the ridiculousness of the climax.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 03:16 AM

Yikes. I'm really glad I didn't take Dylan to see this. Will you be posting any expanded thoughts?

Probably not. I haven't been doing much film writing lately and this is not the sort of thing that is likely to inspire me to put out the effort.

Rowland

11-09-2007, 03:19 AM

I've read that the movie is politically odious too.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 03:23 AM

Seinfeld's voice has absolutely no emotional range. The film is just awful all around. Tries way too hard to be funny and biting, but is neither, ever. It's also really strange and and no amount of disbelief (even a child's) can support the ridiculousness of the climax.

The performance doesn't surprise me. The writing does. It's godawful.

I mean seriously, bees can communicate with humans in English but haven't done so ever before because it's a bee law? Idiocy. A third of the film takes places in a courtroom? Eh? Oh, and nice job making a potential plane crash the focus of the last act of your 'comic' kids movie. That's not at all awkward or uncomfortable.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 03:24 AM

I've read that the movie is politically odious too.

Politically scattershot is more like it. I don't think it has a consistent point of view. Just echoes of ideas from other films sprinkled in to make it seem like there is some sort of overriding message.

Silencio

11-09-2007, 03:33 AM

The performance doesn't surprise me. The writing does. It's godawful.

I mean seriously, bees can communicate with humans in English but haven't done so ever before because it's a bee law? Idiocy. A third of the film takes places in a courtroom? Eh? Oh, and nice job making a potential plane crash the focus of the last act of your 'comic' kids movie. That's not at all awkward or uncomfortable.The communication thing bugged me the most. I mean, only Zellweger's character reacts even remotely surprised to it, but even then, she's cozying it up with the bee in the next scene. It's beyond ludicrous and only further justifies the fact that this film was completely phoned-in.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 03:35 AM

The communication thing bugged me the most. I mean, only Zellweger's character reacts even remotely surprised to it, but even then, she's cozying it up with the bee in the next scene. It's beyond ludicrous and only further justifies the fact that this film was completely phoned-in.

Yeah, totally lazy. I mean, I'm not the biggest Pixar honk in the world, but it really does make me appreciate Ratatouille a little more. At least they have a universe that feels logical and detailed.

Silencio

11-09-2007, 03:45 AM

Yeah, totally lazy. I mean, I'm not the biggest Pixar honk in the world, but it really does make me appreciate Ratatouille a little more. At least they have a universe that feels logical and detailed.Yeah, the whole bug's POV concept is just tired and overused anyway.

Rowland

11-09-2007, 03:58 AM

Yeah, the whole bug's POV concept is just tired and overused anyway.Animal anthropomorphism in general, I'd say.

Mysterious Dude

11-09-2007, 04:01 AM

Yeah, totally lazy. I mean, I'm not the biggest Pixar honk in the world, but it really does make me appreciate Ratatouille a little more. At least they have a universe that feels logical and detailed.
I don't think Remy's ability to manipulate the kid's hands by pulling his hair makes that much more sense, frankly.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 04:17 AM

I don't think Remy's ability to manipulate the kid's hands by pulling his hair makes that much more sense, frankly.

It's not realistic, but there is an internal logic that works within the film. They set it up based on clearly established rules of what the rat can and cannot do, go through a thorough demonstration that is tense and comedic and then ask you to go with it. I'm OK with that.

That's a lot different than ...

"How are we going to have the bee talk to the human? Bees don't talk."
"I've got it!"
"What?"
"What if ... they do talk?"

Silencio

11-09-2007, 04:28 AM

Animal anthropomorphism in general, I'd say.Indeed. There's nothing to get out of the concept anyway. They're not like us, stop spreading the lies to the kids, you profit-driven movie studios!

Watashi

11-09-2007, 05:24 AM

Matt Zoller Seitz's positive review for Bee Movie. (http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/2007/11/no-sting-bee-movie.html)

I don't necessarily agree with it, but it's a good review nonetheless.

Spinal

11-09-2007, 07:49 AM

Matt Zoller Seitz's positive review for Bee Movie. (http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/2007/11/no-sting-bee-movie.html)

I don't necessarily agree with it, but it's a good review nonetheless.

That is a very generous reading of the film.

Kurosawa Fan

11-10-2007, 07:45 PM

Easily the worst movie I've seen this year. In fact, I preferred Shark Tale to this. Ridiculous, annoying, and completely unfunny.

Spinal

11-10-2007, 09:24 PM

Easily the worst movie I've seen this year. In fact, I preferred Shark Tale to this. Ridiculous, annoying, and completely unfunny.

Two words: in. deed.

soitgoes...

11-10-2007, 09:30 PM

I feel awful for myself that my girlfriend will eventually want to see this. Damn her for being a sucker for all things animated. I just need to hold out long enough for it to leave theaters. I have plenty of distractions at home if she rents it.

Rowland

11-10-2007, 09:51 PM

Yo dads, did you your kids like it?

Watashi

11-10-2007, 10:02 PM

Easily the worst movie I've seen this year. In fact, I preferred Shark Tale to this. Ridiculous, annoying, and completely unfunny.

I almost want to negative rep this post.

Bee Movie is Pixar-material compared to Shark Tale.

Do not ever state that again.

Kurosawa Fan

11-10-2007, 10:09 PM

I almost want to negative rep this post.

Bee Movie is Pixar-material compared to Shark Tale.

Do not ever state that again.

What did you like about Bee Movie? They're pretty much identical. Both lack humor, charm, good voice work (boy Seinfeld was terrible), etc. Shark Tale had Scorsese and Angelina Jolie. Bee Movie had Renee Zellwegger. Shark Tale wins.

Kurosawa Fan

11-10-2007, 10:13 PM

Two words: in. deed.

Before we left I told my son, "Spinal said this movie was awful. Are you sure you still want to see it?" His respose: "Who's Spinal?"

And his comment after the movie was over: "It was good. They yelled a lot though. Why were they always yelling?".

It's hard to tell whether a 6 year-old likes a movie, because he basically says he likes everything he watches. He didn't seem very interested though. He was leaning over to talk to me a lot, which is usually a sign that he didn't care one way or the other.

Watashi

11-10-2007, 10:17 PM

What did you like about Bee Movie? They're pretty much identical. Both lack humor, charm, good voice work (boy Seinfeld was terrible), etc. Shark Tale had Scorsese and Angelina Jolie. Bee Movie had Renee Zellwegger. Shark Tale wins.

Um, Shark Tale also had Renee Zellwegger.

I liked it because I like Seinfeld's shtick. Sure the story was non-sensical and trite, but I found Seinfeld's constant poking fun of pop culture reference in anthropomorphizing kingdom funny. But then again, I did give the film a negative rating, because it was rather ugly looking and all of the supporting cast sucked (especially Patrick Warburton, who is usually a voice-over God). I posted the link MZS's review which is a rather different take on the film that any of us got out of it.

Kurosawa Fan

11-10-2007, 10:38 PM

Yes Zellwegger was in Shark Tale, but so were the others I listed. And yeah, how do you screw up a Warburton voice character? I thought that was impossible. This movie was terrible, and it just gets worse the more I think about it.

Spinal

11-11-2007, 12:28 AM

Before we left I told my son, "Spinal said this movie was awful. Are you sure you still want to see it?" His respose: "Who's Spinal?"

:lol:

It's hard to tell whether a 6 year-old likes a movie, because he basically says he likes everything he watches. He didn't seem very interested though. He was leaning over to talk to me a lot, which is usually a sign that he didn't care one way or the other.

Yes, this was my experience as well. He said he wanted to buy the DVD, but he didn't laugh at all, he couldn't think of a favorite part and he didn't seem very engaged by the film.

KK2.0

12-10-2007, 04:33 PM

Maybe it was because i'm a huge fan of the Seinfeld show but i thought Bee Movie was very enjoyable.

This is for Seinfled what Antz is to Woody, and the films start basically with the same plot but Bee Movie takes a more absurd turn. I guess kids will enjoy it better because their imagination runs wild easier than ours, and some of the situations and set pieces here put a smile on my face just for the sheer lunacy of them.

Not knowing the difference between Shark Tale and this worries me. :|

Spinal

12-10-2007, 04:46 PM

This is for Seinfled what Antz is to Woody...

Well, I would agree with this, although personally I don't think that's a good thing.