life with more cowbell

I have gotten woefully behind in my movie-going lately, so I was very happy when I was finally able to remedy that and go see Brave yesterday afternoon.

Funny, insightful and touching, Brave is a great animated film for all ages. Its main character is an unconventional princess – a lovely, smart, rowdy tom boy of a young woman – I wish Brave had been around when I was a kid. Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald, who was in Gosford Park, The Girl in the Café and Nanny McPhee, among other films, and most recently in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) is faced with the unwelcome news that her parents are holding a tournament for prospective suitors from the other three clans. She decides she’s having none of it – and her mother the Queen (Emma Thompson) is having none of that. When Merida tries to remedy her situation with the help of a spell from a witch she meets in the woods, the unexpected results put her entire family to the test.

A great, great film – and worth seeing in 3D as well, though not totally necessary. I laughed a lot and even shed a tear or two – always a good gauge for me. Other stand-out voices include Billy Connolly, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson, Kevin McKidd and Julie Walters.