planktonrules

(2012-04-27 07:41:34)

Excellent

In a way, I feel bad about this film because the staff at AardmanProductions really tried hard but it's natural for there to becomparisons to Aardman's biggest stars, Wallace & Gromit. However,Steve Box, who directed this short, is the same person who has alsopaired up with Nick Park for some of Aardman's best works--includingCHICKEN RUN and several of the Wallace & Gromit films. So, suchcomparisons really aren't fair at all and not every Aardman film can beWallace & Gromit.However, if you were to think that perhaps the quality of STAGE FRIGHTis a bit below that of the Wallace & Gromit films, then this would becorrect--it is very good, just not quite as good. Nor does it lookquite as good as the Shaun the Sheep films, though these are newer andrepresent the studio at its best--having learned and perfected theircraft with many films--including STAGE FRIGHT.The film is about a man and woman who have a trained dog act. Tinyjuggles his chihuahuas and has them do lovely tricks, but the audienceis bored, as movies are now the rage. So, his lady friend, who lovesTiny, agrees to do some films with a boorish jerk who hates the dogsbut knows he can make money by using them in his films. Eventually,though, his abusiveness and thoughtfulness is too much--leading to arather grim and gruesome ending.This is a lovely stop-motion animated film and I can see why it won theBAFTA--even if it isn't the best thing that ever came from Aardman.Heck, that's because EVERYTHING that comes from Aardman is fantastic!

Robert Reynolds

(2012-04-26 20:33:51)

A charming little stop-motion short-darkly comic with a bit of a bite.

This is a short produced by Aardman Animations, with a bit more pathosthan the other shorts the studio is known for, though there is a darkhumor interspersed throughout the short, particularly one bit towardsthe end, one that will induce a chuckle that's more like a gasp with asmall bubble of blood at the end.The short has the feel of the old melodramas to it, which isunderstandable, given that the setting is a theater and the plotrevolves around an old-time vaudeville act, a dog juggling act whichhas seen better days (an aside-in vaudeville, the "dog act" wastypically placed at the end of the show, in order to clear out theaudience in preparation for the next performance). What follows nextmay be a mild spoiler: There's a charm to this short that I can'treally explain. It's an old story-the shy, timid fellow, his girl andthe bully who wants the girl and hates the timid fellow. But it alsoshows that you never know what you're capable of until your back is upagainst the wall and even the most beaten-down of us has some spark ifpushed far enough, as happens here.This short is included on the recent DVD release of Wallace and Gromit:The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, as a DVD extra and is well worthwatching. Recommended.