The neighbourhood of Blog.

Every couple of days my mind wanders and I like to explore the neighbourhood of blog.

So here I am blog hunting again. I click on the Next Blog button and see where it takes me. Unfortunately for me, it invariably takes me to a blog on making doilies or of an oversharing parent (No, actually I don’t want to scroll down to see what surprise little bobby has left in the bathtub!). And so I click Next Blog again in the hopes I might stumble across some cool/funny/awesomely-awesome blogs.

Every couple of days my mind wanders and I like to explore the neighbourhood of blog.

Here is a small transcript of today’s adventure;

Starting point – Aarghzombies – I’ve read everything here so… > Next Blog
Err… it appears to be some corporate blogosphere – whatever THAT is. No thanks > Next Blog
Bright flashing Yellow background, reminiscent of a bad 90's techno film clip – Aargh! my eyes! > Next Blog!
The Adventures of the [Insert family name here] > Next Blog
This one’s not too bad – I just learnt that the English translation for Broccoli is ‘Flower Grandpa‘ (hua ye cai). > Next blog
A blog about babies. So many babies! > Next blog
Hmmm….apparently the blog I was looking for was not found…> Next blog
Another oversharing parent – this time with photos! > Next blog!!
Ooo! Cupcakes! AND an Alice in Wonderland reference! ....




                                                                                                              > Next Blog

Fantastic Mr Fox

Fantastic Mr Fox is a great animated adventure based on the book by Roald Dahl. The film is a strike back to the old days of animation by its style and colour, whilst still maintaining the richness and character of some of the best new animated films.

Having read the book several times as a kid (I just loved it), I was surprised and excited when I first heard it was being made. I felt this adaption kept very true to the feeling of the book and, more than once, remembered what it was like to be a kid following the adventures of Fantastic Mr Fox.

The film opens and is chaptered by bold yellow headings, beginning with the opening lines ‘Boggis and Bunce and Bean, One Fat, One Short, One Lean, These horrible crooks, So different in looks, Were none the less equally mean.’

And so the story kicks off with Mr and Mrs Fox stealing Squabs (“You know what a squab is, its like a pigeon I suppose”) from a nearby farm and getting caught in a fox trap together. When Mrs Fox, stirred by the danger of their situation, confesses she is pregnant. Mr Fox responds with clenched teeth – “That’s great news”. And on their escape, Mr Fox promises it’s the end of his chicken stealing ways and vows to settle down.

Years later, Mr Fox moves to a new home overlooking the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, and, with temptation seemingly too great, plans one last big job on the sly of his wife.

The films style is character throughout – classic rock and country music, earthy hues of yellow, orange and red. Quirky humour and subtle movements portray their character (Mrs Fox with her paw on her hip, Mr Fox with a smooth dip of the head in the opening scenes).

And then there is plenty of 70s style innuendo – Responding to the call of Mrs Fox being the ‘town tart’, Mr Fox says “certainly she lived, we all did. It was a different time”.

The film has a rich depth of character throughout. Little details like the replacement of swear words with the word ‘cuss’ – “The Cuss you are!”, “Are you Cussing with me?!” and “a total Cluster-cuss” pepper the quality dialog, seamlessly delivered by George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray among others. Other details, like the relationships between Mr & Mrs Fox, their son and visiting cousin, their neighbours and friends help build a rich tapestry of life in the tree on the hill.

I loved every minute of Fantastic Mr Fox – so much so, that I’m not even going to use a horrible pun such as; it was ‘fantastic’.