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Sat 08 Aug 2008The silent movie makes a comeback
CULTURE SHOCKFrom 'Wall-E' to 'There Will Be Blood', it seems that at the leading edge of American cinema, dialogue is becoming dispensable, writes Fintan O'Toole
THE FILM Wall-E is over-rated. After the first 20 minutes or so, the Pixar animation is essentially a standard Disney cartoon. It is technically brilliant, slick and witty, but it follows the well-worn formula of cute anthropomorphic creatures (albeit robots instead of animals) struggling against overwhelming odds, finding love, winning through and delivering the anticipated charge of sentimental uplift.
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