One blog. Two opinions. One zillion films.

Tam, K and I ducked into the 2 p.m.-only showing of Coraline. It’s a real marvel to watch, and probably quite creepy for a lot of kids. I’m not familiar with the work of Neil Gaiman but he’s becoming the storyteller of the moment, which is fine by me. He’s witty and sharp, one of the few guests on The Colbert Report to give Stephen Colbert a run for his money.

As film art, Coraline is one of a kind. It simply creates a vivid, brand new world for us to occupy, which for me is the number one reason to go to movies. From the first sequence — the disassembly of an old-fashioned doll by spindly metal fingers — you know you’re not in for a Disneyesque confection. There’s a real-world problem of a bossy, lonely girl, Coraline, with inattentive and possibly troubled parents. Then Coraline enters a fantasy world of ideal-seeming parents. There is a price to pay if she wishes to swap worlds.

What I liked best are that the standard devices (secret doors and mirrors) which shift Coraline from layer to dream layer become unreliable. This mimics that woozy panic you get when you’re convinced a dream state is real life. Take your kid to see this movie. Discuss. Fascinating observations may come out of the kid’s mouth. Or maybe it will take 20 years and a therapist’s couch.