Movie Review: Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells was a bit different than most movies I watch, with the exception of Triplets of Belleville (what? You still haven't seen that?!) First, some history....
About 6 years ago I went on a backpacking trip through Ireland with one of my best friends. We were so excited to see the Book of Kells, held in Trinity College, in Dublin Ireland. You've heard of this mastery of art, right? It is the Gospels, illuminated by monks who lived in the 9th century (though some debate). The process of inks, sheets of vellum (yes, cow flesh scraped thin), even the tools they used are a fascinating read. It was never finished. Of course, when my friend and I went over to Ireland expecting to see it, we were out of luck, as Trinity College was closed for holiday.
Recently, a friend gave me the link to the Secret of Kells and I couldn't wait to watch it on Netflix instant play. I was not disappointed! The artistry is really magical, unlike anything I'd seen in animation. The story was good, and the film was short. This movie has quite a bit of mature subject matter, so I don't recommend it for children under 13. My only beef was that the people in the movie were drawn similar to Power Puff Girls. I thought they could have designed them better, since the rest of the movie, including a lot of nature scenes, were imbeded with beautiful layered, cascading animation along with subtle hints of celtic symbols mixed into the background. The design of the film really was it's best feature and won many awards because of it (This movie has been nominated for a 2010 Academy Award.). If you've got a free hour to tool around making something while being able to watch this movie, I say go for it. It explains the history of the Book of Kells a bit while inserting it's own Irish folklore to the tale. I give it 3 out of 5 stars for artistry alone!

Comments

How To: DIY Sand/Water Table

How To: Build A Sand/Water Table for Under $30 ! Sorry this took me so long to blog, but I had to have a tool list and full instructions before I could do so. A little history on my love for the sand/water table . I love the idea behind tools for tiny hands, i.e. the Montessori Method , and like to have Lukka 'figure things out for himself', even when he is playing. I try to have the most simple and basic toys available for 3 reasons: a) simple toys generally have less parts, which means less of a hassle for me b) simple toys inspire way more creativity and imagination than do 'exact replica' toys c) they are much more aesthetically pleasing to look at, therefore, not making every nook and cranny of our house an eyesore! I know the last reason is just for me, but it's true. Plastic things don't generally last 1/2 as long as wooden or fabric toys, and they are unattractive. For this reason, I started to look for a wooden sand/water table as opposed to a pl...

We've Gone and Done It

We are in the midst of packing up, and moving. Not just any move, but The Move we've been trying to accomplish for years now. We're heading up to (Washington) Canada. In the last couple of months Stefan had been talking to a potential employer up in Richmond, British Columbia , and after a very swift interview process they offered him the job. Small and large details aside, he accepted and plans to start on February 25th. We leave one week earlier, on the 18th. That's literally just over 2 weeks from when you will read this. We told family and close friends first, and while we haven't been keeping it a huge secret, our church, as a whole, did not know until last night because it was then we could tell everyone at our seasonal congregational meeting what our plans were in person, and with many of them all at once. I didn't want to say anything online until that happened. We've been steadily spending heaps of time with friends and family, all while slowly p...

{This Moment}

Join as we savor moments to remember from the week.

Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Search This Blog