The Polar Express -- Rhinotainment

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Date Posted: 06:37:28 11/13/04 Sat
Author: Hugh Jazz
Subject: The Polar Express

A good Christmas-time family movie adapted from the award-winning picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. People that are familiar with the book that was released almost 20 years ago are probably wondering how a 30-page picture book can be turned into a feature-length motion picture. Easy, they fiddle with the plot and add characters.

Tom Hanks goes crazy by providing the voices for six of the characters, including that of the main protagonist, affectionately credited as "Hero Boy". Hanks does his worst work as the voice of Santa Claus himself as he sounded, to me at least, like a subdued Hulk Hogan. The first time he spoke, I said outloud "THAT'S RIGHT BROTHER!" I was waiting for him to hop in the sleigh and tell us to take our vitamins and say our prayers. Also lending their voice talents are former Hanks' television running mate, Peter Scolari, and the ever cloying Eddie Deezen. Deezen you might recall as the braying nasal-voiced ventriloquist teen obsessed with motion theories stuck on the ferris wheel in the Spielberg-directed "1941".

The movie made in the new "motion capture" process is visually stunning. Many of the adventure sequences feel like a roller coaster ride and it is easy to get lost trying to see everything that has been put on screen. Still, the motion capture technology misses the mark when it comes to the humans' eyes. They look unnatural and as some other wonks have described it, creepy. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was. Some might have been too far apart and others looked like glass. It also appeared as if the eyes didn't move together. Have you ever met a person whose eyes don't move at the same time? It can be quite unsettling. My mom lost eyesight in one of her eyes 40 years ago and that's how her eyes work. All of my friends that have met her have pointed out how one eye moves and the other just sits there. Strange.

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Replies:

Re: The Polar Express -- The Rhino, 11:39:36 11/13/04 Sat
- Re: The Polar Express - don't blame me -- Hugh Jazz, 14:03:21 11/15/04 Mon
  - Re: The Polar Express - don't blame me -- Silk, 16:39:54 11/15/04 Mon
    - Peter Falk -- The Rhino, 16:43:34 11/16/04 Tue
      - question of the week: Would You Nail Sandy Duncan? -- Hugh Jazz, 14:55:45 11/17/04 Wed
        I'd make her eyes pop out! -- Silk, 22:34:13 11/17/04 Wed
        Re: I'd make her eyes pop out! -- The Rhino, 19:54:16 11/18/04 Thu
        Re: I'd make her eyes pop out! -- Silk, 19:18:17 11/21/04 Sun