Those Who Do Not . . .

In September 2020 Blogger forced a complete dashboard overhaul upon all users of its service. As a desktop PC user, the push toward a phone + tablet style interface has greatly soured the joy I'd typically feel at creating posts.

In response, I'm lessening my Blogger activities. Presently, that means no more In a Nutshell for the foreseeable future. (I'm shutting the door, but keeping a light on.) I'm extremely proud of how it's evolved over the years and have really enjoyed the time spent on it, initially with companions and the final few years as a solo reviewer. Often, it helped me achieve peace.

Before I confront the Nutshell-shaped void that will no doubt be felt in my life, I want to sincerely thank everyone who made me laugh and/or took the time to read my ramblings. It was just a blog, but it was more than that, too.

- CLOSE -

The Iron Giant (1999)

Based on Ted Hughes' 1968 novel The Iron Man: A Children's Story in Five Nights, it tells of a friendship between a spirited nine-year-old youth named Hogarth and a fifty-foot iron giant from space who eats metal, which is an activity that doesn't go unnoticed by the townspeople. When a busybody federal agent begins snooping around, believing the visitor to be a foreign threat, he causes more problems than he had intended to solve.

The 1957 setting has a wonderfully rich aesthetic, populated with well-fleshed out secondary characters, purposeful cold-war caricatures that personify governmental paranoia and coercion, and many loving nods to 'atomic age' science-fiction movies. Crucially, beneath its era-specific strengths is an inspiring emotional layer that's uplifting and unquestionably timeless.

5 duck + cover sirens out of 5

The Water Babies (1978)

A loose adaptation of Charles Kingsley's 1863 book of the same name, the film is notable for its blending of live action and animation, which likely doesn't seem as special now as it did back in the late 70s. Set in 1850 in England, it's the story of twelve-year-old Tom (Tommy Pender), apprentice to a cruel chimney sweep (James Mason). When Tom is blamed for something he didn't do, he escapes to an animated fantasy world, which gives the film its name.
The animation side of things is colourful and the primary moral lesson is straightforward and easily understood, but there's some broad cultural stereotyping that may seem crude by today's standards. Billie Whitelaw plays multiple roles, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but she brings a welcome level of real-world wonder to what at times is a pretty grim way of life.

3 transformations out of 5