Change Your Image
timaree_leigh
Reviews
Lipstick (2002)
good educational ice-breaker but wholly unrealistic
for anyone outside of the OC or Dawson's Creek this film will have difficulty find resonance and applicability, despite the universality of the theme. everyone can understand the concept of being afraid of sharing your whole reality with the people around you and everyone can gain insight about acceptance and respect for differences but the plot and setting are prohibitively specific and inordinately rare, making them inaccessible to the average teen viewer.
while i would definitely say that it could be used in an educational context with any audience in order to broach the subject of homosexuality, it would be necessary to ask students, "how does this differ from your life? how is this similar to your life?" in order to get at its value.
Shark Tale (2004)
fantastic animation but unimpressive otherwise
it'd be impossible for me to say anything negative about the film visually, as the animation is stunning. however, the experience seems like watching one thing and simultaneously listening to the actors in the studio. somehow, the vocal performances of a lot of the cast (except jack black, angelina jolie and renee zelwegger) didn't fit with the images consistently. further, the script is horrendously cliché. while there are plenty of funny moments, most of the story line has been done (and often done better) in previous kids' movies. i would, however, still suggest a viewing to anyone who wants to see some spectacular animation or who just enjoys lighthearted children's fare.