With age comes the inevitable, death.  Not for me, I’m actually feeling rather good at the moment.  However, I was informed by the Internet gods that we have lost three entertainers and they are Patrick Swayze, Mary Travers and Henry Gibson. 

I’m sure you all know Patrick Swayze passed and his movies.  Mary Travers you’re probably saying “Who’s that?”  Mary Travers is the Mary from Peter, Paul and Mary, Folk music gods in the 1960’s.  The had hits with “Where have all the Flowers Gone”,  “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “If I had a Hammer” and the unforgettable “Puff the Magic Dragon.”  Henry Gibson was, in my opinion, a comic genius.  On Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In (yet again from the 60’s) he would read quirkey poetry while holding a sunflower and start everyone with “A poem, by Henry Gibson.”  He was on several television shows from “Love American Style” to “Boston Legal”.   I will always remember him as the inept Illinois Nazi leader in “The Blues Brothers.”

I guess it does happen in threes.  So to these three and all the other threes that are out there my condolences.

Since I am an artguy, I usually try to go see animated movies.  I have always enjoyed them since I was young so why stop now?   So with that said, I went to the movies today and watched 9.  The previews looked rather interesting so I was really looking forward to seeing this one.

First off, this movie is darkly beautiful and wonderfully animated.  The story begins with the creation and activation of 9 into a world that looks something like our own.  We learn about this world along with 9 as he meets others like him.  First he runs into 2, an inventor of sorts,  then 5 an assistant, helper and student of 2.  He then meets the the leader of the group 1 and his bodyguard 8. Other characters show up along the way that assist 9 in the quest laid before him.

This movie borrows themes quite a bit from other movies/stories which normally pisses me off, but the story is unique and they don’t blatantly rip-off any movie. (unlike Beauty and the Beast, but that is another post altogether)  Since I have opened Pandora’s Box with that last sentence let me explain.   The first movie theme that was used was from The Terminator.  In this film, as in The Terminator, man has created a machine that is to assist man to have a simpler easier life but ends up turning on it’s master.   The second movie, er, story is Harry Potter.  SPOILER ALERT! A scientist divides his soul nine times and places them in the nine separate creatures that are our heroes.  The big difference is that in Harry Potter, Voldermort splits his soul seven times in order to make himself immortal.  In 9, the scientist sacrifices his soul to save the world.  The third film that is used is Saving Private Ryan.  This is more of a personal feeling,  but I think that you may agree.  Just before the final attack in Saving Private Ryan all of the soldiers as sitting back relaxing listening to a record on an old Gramophone before the battle fore the bridge is about to begin.  SPOILER ALERT! In 9, the group of characters destroy the building that the evil machine lives.  With the treat of the machine destroyed, our group finds a Gramophone with a record on it and begin playing the record.  This is one of the most beautiful and intense scene in the film.   With that said, there is one more thing that I have to say about 9,  this film has is heart and soul (even if it has been split).

All in all I enjoyed this movie and will more than likely see it again.  With that said, I give 9 a 10!  Well, okay, five out of five.

9

Actors: Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover
Director: Shane Acker
1 hr. 19 min. - PG13 – Genres: Drama