I went to see The Incredibles last night and it's a totally great
movie. I highly recommend seeing it for yourself. Below I've pasted the
review of the movie that prompted me to go and check it out...


The Incredibles

If you haven't yet seen the film The Incredibles, run to the nearest
theatre and thank me later. If you like QCFA art, odds are very high
that you're going to greatly enjoy this movie. I loved it.

Having seen previews for the film, I was chagrined to be anticipating
yet another undercutting of the concept of Heroism, likely a mediocre
tale of overweight has-been superheroes trying to get back into the
swing of things, providing the public the opportunity to laugh at the
previously exalted who turn out to be "no better than the rest of us"
-- yet another "cutting down of the tall poppies," as the Aussie saying
goes. Yes, I was going to skip this one. But having seen the movie in
the theater twice now (the first time in fourteen years, since Strictly
Ballroom, that I've returned to a theatre to see a movie a second time)
I'm very pleased to report that the only person in this project who is
proven worthy of being chopped down is the bonehead in marketing who
misrepresented the essence of this sparkling, brilliant story, perhaps
fearing that the modern American public wouldn't show up to witness
"na=EFve" hero worship, devoid of the standard cynicism and the snide
undertones of self mocking all too pervasive these days. Curiously, the
theme of the movie confronts, directly, this very notion, the
modern-day attack of egalitarianism on the exceptional, the
undercutting of any individual who dares stand out above the crowd.

I haven't felt more thrilled and exalted in a movie theatre since
experiencing the very first Star Wars -- and yes, that was a quarter of
a century ago, folks. The universe of Star Wars was one in which good
was good, and evil was evil, unapologetically, in which everything
mattered again; virtue counted and was rewarded, and one could face
with pride the life and death struggles while still laughing at the
funny things, while passionately loving and protecting one's family and
friends, while carrying in one's soul the expectation of eventually
succeeding in one's quest, of achieving peace and happiness in the end.
The world-view of The Incredibles, or I should say the human-view,
matches and perhaps even surpasses that of Star Wars.

This achievement is all the more impressive in that The Incredibles
takes on, as part of the context of its theme, indirectly but
unmistakably, our culture's post-9/11 mood of uncertainty and fear,
America's wounded optimism and self-confidence, and the extraordinarily
base and evil nature of our enemies, who target, attack and kill the
innocent, including children when possible, as a matter of strategy.

The Incredibles explicitly identifies Evil as very serious, the mother
in the story explaining to her children that the bad guys they're up
against are "not like the bad guys you see on Saturday morning
cartoons," that these bad guys will kill children and must be fought
and fought to the best of one's ability. This is the first cinematic
presentation I believe we've seen, particularly since 9/11, which
concretizes a complete confidence that not only is Evil impotent in the
end and that the Good is capable of beating Evil, but that the Good is
bound to win when those who can, who should, who find the pride,
self-confidence and courage to do so, face Evil head on and obliterate
it -- and then go about living their lives happily and freely.

Furthermore, the movie is exquisitely executed, richly styled, the
animation technically ground breaking. The story is expertly told, the
characterizations are nuanced, rounded, spot on, endearing and funny!
The comedic timing is perfect. Almost as thrilling as the movie itself
has been the public's overwhelmingly positive response to it. Even the
critics, normally the cynical lot, seem to be wholly won over, almost
in spite of themselves. http://www.rottentomatoes.com indicates
96-percent positive reviews, and I've never seen a positive consensus
of reviews so high. My conclusion: the spirit of this country we live
in, our treasured freedoms, our determination to identify evil and
defend ourselves against it is still alive and well, and that America,
in the end, is going to be just fine, thank you very much.

So, go see the The Incredibles on the big screen. Don't wait for it to
come out on video. Then come back to QCFA and buy some gorgeous,
uplifting, inspiring art for your wall, so that you can feel --
everyday -- like you felt when you exited the movie theatre. That's
what art is for.

-- by Quent Cordair
http://www.cordair.com/index.htm