Coraline

Henry Selick

In Henry Selick's Coraline, a young girl and her stressed out parents move to a strange new place. Coraline (Dakota Fanning) is a unique yet awkward eleven year-old who wants nothing more than to have her old friends back and caring, family-oriented parents. Things were dark, muggy, dull and nothing Coraline was, until te moment she followed two little mice into a tiny door. What she discovered was a vibrant, happy, Coraline-welcoming world. But as Coraline watches her Other Mother (Teri Hatcher), she begins to see things aren't right in this "perfect" world. Maybe everything was being controlled by the too-good-to-be-true Other Mother in order for her to collect the eyes of yet another child. "My father doesn't play the piano." "No need to. This piano plays me...” (Coraline speaking to Other Father, John Hodgman).

Neil Gaiman

Based off the best selling children's book by Neil Gaiman, the film gives you a creepy, crawling fear on the back of your spine. Coraline sees in the alternate world that there's everything she's ever wanted: delicious food, unique clothing, and magical toys. Unfortunately, it's all a trap, an illusion, conducted by the Other Mother so that she can take Coraline’s eyes and replace them with buttons.

"She spied on our lives through the little doll's eyes". (Quote from Ghost Child, enlightening as to how the Other Mother knows everything in Coraline's life).

In the beginning of the film, Coraline is exploring outside in which Selick makes as a darker, grey, eerie feeling to set the tone of Coraline's reality world. Selick and his design team do this by using dull grey colors, plus they creatively used dry ice to make fog in some scenes. Coraline then meets this weird kid named Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr.) and his stray cat (Keith David) who, as the story inclines, gets her out of tough spots. The next day after meeting, Wybie gives Coraline a doll that, oddly, looks just like her. The only difference was that this doll has buttons for eyes.

As the movie progresses, Wybie reveals that the doll was his Grandma's whose twin sister disappeared randomly one day when they were little girls, never to be seen again.

Coraline with Other Parents

Coraline, after going to the other world many times now, sits down to have an amazing dinner with her Other Parents. Her Other Mother brings up a proposition: if Coraline loved the better, new world, she could have it under one condition. Coraline had to trade her eyes in for buttons. Coraline now realizes that everything was being dictated by the Other Mother, and that things in the other world looked pretty on the outside, but not so much on the inside.

Cat with mouse

"I don't like rats at the best of times, but this one was sounding an alarm". (The stray cat referring to the cute little mouse he caught, who turned quickly into a fat, ugly rat once dead).

After a series of daring events Coraline must endure, she comes to a realization that she doesn't want anything other than the life she already had.

So is Selick's film disturbing and inappropriate to be a children's movie? Ask any parent and they will say yes, but ask any child and they'll say no. Coraline is brave, courageous, witty, and strong, never wilting in the eyes of danger. In a way it teaches kids not to be afraid and also to appreciate what they have. As the quote goes, "be careful what you wish for".

In my opinion, Coraline was slightly disturbing, but you have to look past that. From the details put into making the stop-motion film like the characters, character’s clothes, body language, facial expressions, and the music. Coraline is a mix of old, traditional animation and new, advanced technology. The inner message imbedded into the story is what won me over. Coraline, in my eyes, was wonderfully put together.

Paperwork: The Begining of the Final Season of The Office

Based off the original British series, director Greg Daniels launched his final season of The Office Thursday night. Although some are saddened by the news of it being the last of the paper company documentary, others are relieved. Season 8 was not the greatest, to say the least; the majority of the fans saying that Daniels should’ve ended the show there. But, as you see, it’s back and, so far, on a good foot.

The premier of season 9 kicked off with the employees telling about their summer, during which Toby (Paul Lieberstein) informs us that Kelly (MindyKaling) quits work to go off to Miami University, which is located in Ohio, not Miami. And then, coincidently, obsessed Ryan (B.J. Novak) leaves for Ohio. Oh well. Toby then does the honors of introducing the two “new guys”, Pete (Jake Lacy), nicknamed Plop and/or the New Jim, and Clark (Clark Duke), nicknamed Dwight Jr.

Now in order for you to understand my next comment, you need to know this: Angela’s baby is NOT Dwight’s. Angela (Angela Kinsey)? Relieved. Dwight (RainnWilson)? Well, he has mixed feelings I believe. With that said, tensions start between Dwight and new guy, Dwight Jr., but not at first.

Dwight and new guy, Clark

At first, Dwight seamed pleased with the thought of having someone in the office named after him. He started treating the new guy like his own son, probably because he found out Angela’s baby was, in fact, her husband Richard’s. Everything with Dwight Jr. was going great until Dwight Jr. made a comment to Dwight about helping him with his sales clients. Dwight, believing that the new guy was out to steal his job, immediately pinned Dwight Jr. as “enemy”.

Andy Bernard

As that pot boils, another pot is cooking with new boss, Andy (Ed Helms), and shortly-lived former boss, Nellie (Catherine Tate). Andy, having just got back from a camping trip brought up to help Andy with assertiveness as the new boss, sets up a foot-high tight rope teambuilding activity for the Dunder Mifflin employees. He calls Nellie to try it out first, but only so that he could just push her off. Is Andy going to be the jerk of the show? That’s questionable. Anyways, after Nellie’s “poor” attempt, Andy calls Dwight Jr. to give it a try. Turns out, Dwight Jr. was a pro at it, having no problem whatsoever walking back and forth on the rope. Dwight, in a jealous rage because of how much attention Dwight Jr. was getting, tried the rope out… over and over again, each time failing miserably. When the sad attempts ended, Dwight stormed off back into the building. What could be brewing in Dwight’s mind right now? Will he redeem himself to his co-workers?

Creed Bratton

Meanwhile, Angela is giving her cat up to any potential owner, and after stating that it was her husbands favorite cat (their new baby is allergic), Oscar (Oscar Nunez) pipes up and says he’ll take him. Now why would Oscar, being a gay man, suddenly want the cat after hearing it was Richard’s favorite? I guess you’ll have to see. And as for the cute couple Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer), are they going to give into working at the paper company in small town Scranton, Pennsylvania for the rest of their lives? Better question: will Jim? “In the parking lot today there was a circus! The copier did tricks on the high-wire... a lady tried to give away a baby that looked like a cat... there was a Dwight impersonator and a Jim impersonator... a strongman crushed a turtle... I laughed and I cried. Not bad for a day in the life of a dog food company”. Couldn’t have said it any better, Creed (CreedBratton).

This is my first post!!!