Current mood:	thoughtful
Entry tags:	art, kung fu panda, review

Art School and Kung Fu Panda
Lately I've been have the recurring desire to go to art school, or at least take a few art classes to rein in my wayward perspectives and composition. It seems easy and many would argue, "Why don't you just go ahead and take the stupid courses?" Well, it isn't that easy...

Given the rising costs of everything, my job tightening restrictions on who gets paid for what, and a limited amount of funding, I'm currently prevented from taking classes. I would produce artwork for money, but I honestly can't see someone paying for less than the best that can be given, can you? It almost feels like I'd be cheating. D:

And it's been a while since I had a movie review (darn rising prices <<; ), so I've got another one coming:

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Admittedly, I'm a sucker for a good CGI movie, but Kung Fu Panda isn't only CG as displayed on the television. It's one of those rare instances where CG, hand animation and concept artwork are used hand and hand -- a combination that forms something truly unique and adds to the story.

The premise is pretty common: villain seeking vengeance escapes from prison to reclaim that which he believes is rightfully his. The characters could be considered common if not for 'anthro' construction, though a couple probably could have been more anthropomorphic and remained acceptable. Still, it was a kids' movie, so the characters were acceptable and the fur/feather rendering was wonderfully realistic.

If this movie were converted to a live-action deal with humans, I'd feel sorry for the wire teams because there was a considerable amount of action sequencing. The heroes (Master Shifu, Po, Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane) each have interesting fighting styles adapted to their body type, but the real spectacle -- in my opinion -- was Tai Lung. I don't know whether it's the good girls liking bad boys stereotype, or the fact that I completely empathize with the character, but I can tell you I loved Tai Lung.

Believe me, anyone who can make a prison break like that deserves respect (and perhaps a bit of therapy), but like any character he's flawed despite being a major bad-ass. The relationship between Tai Lung and Master Shifu, love and hate, was surprising and believable -- something I believe was more for the parents in the audience than the kids. The final battle? An interesting combination of martial arts mastery and comedy...I was personally proud of the butt drop and stomach block by Po -- slow-motion moves were never so comical.

I rate this movie as having four stars out of five. It would have been higher if not for the abrupt ending and the lack of explanation for what happened to Tai Lung. And no, not even staying until the very end of the credits -- where there was a little extra -- explained Tai Lung's fate. Still, it was nice to see the production art in a combination of Western and guó huà (traditional Chinese painting) styles...so hey, eye candy for all.

P.S. Yes, I got Tai Lung in the personality training test on the Kung Fu Panda website without trying to cheat and by answering honestly.

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All in all, I believe Mondays will be my movie day from now on, not only because I have that day off but because those are the cheapest movie showings I can gain access to ($7 a trip before refreshments).