AH - WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO SAY? I LIKE A NEW HOPE & EMPIRE STRIKES BACK BUT I DON'T REGARD THE 1ST STAR WARS MOVIES AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN DECENT ENTERTAINMENT (RETURN OF THE JEDI DIDN'T ENTERTAIN ME AT ALL).
SO, I THINK I CAN GIVE AN UNBIASED ACCOUNT OF THIS AND THE OTHER TWO PREQUELS (SW:TPM > LAME BUT FUN IN (TINY) PLACES; SW:AOTC > BETTER BUT CRINGEWORTHY IN PLACES).
LET'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT THEN - THE IS THE BEST OF THE 3 PREQUELS BY SOME DISTANCE AND IN MANY WAYS MAKES YOU RESENT THE FACT YOU HAD TO WAIT SO LONG AND SIT THROUGH SO MUCH JUST TO GET TO THIS POINT.
WE WANTED DARKER AND WE GOT IT ALTHOUGH OFTEN IN A DILUTED FORM, HEY I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I WANT TO SEE LITTLE JEDIS GETTING TRASHED BY EVIL!!
THE BEST THING IN THE FILM HAS TO BE THE EMPEROR WHO CONTROLS EVERYONE LIKE HIS OWN CHESS PIECES, BUT ALWAYS ONLY ONE STEP AWAY FROM PANTOMIME BADDIE (BUT A VERY GOOD ONE AT THAT).
THE OTHER ACTORS SEEM TO PHONE IT IN, I DON'T WANT TO BASH ACTORS BUT YOU CAN TELL THAT THEY EITHER HAVEN'T GOT IT (CHRISTENSEN), HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN IT (PORTMAN) OR JUST DON'T WANT IT (MCGREGOR).
THE BLAME HERE HAS TO FALL UPON THE SHOULDERS OF LUCAS WHO REALLY NEEDS TO STEP BACK AND LET SOMEONE ELSE WRITE THE DIALOGUE.
THE SET PIECES ARE IMMENSE, THE WOOKIES ARE TOO FLEETING, THE PLOT HOLES ARE GAPING AND THE LIGHTSABRE FIGHTS ARE KICK-A$$ (COOL).
HOWEVER (AND I KNOW EVERYBODY ELSE MENTIONS IT) THE CREATION OF VADER IS LET DOWN TOTALLY BY THE AWFUL 'STEPPING OFF THE TABLE' SCENE WHICH ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY IN THE CINEMA LAUGHED AT (AND QUITE RIGHTLY TOO!!)
GOOD POPCORN FODDER, JUST DISENGAGE BRAIN BEFORE WATCHING (BUT ISN'T THAT WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT ANYWAY??).
I WANT TO GIVE THIS FILM 4 OUT OF 4 (MY HEART DOES, MY HEAD DOESN'T), BUT I'LL SETTLE ON VERY GOOD AND, IF YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT MOOD, IT'S ONE OF THE FUNNIEST FILMS OF THE YEAR.
JON HEDER GETS THE HEADLINES AS AN 80'S BOY STUCK IN AN 80'S TOWN ALTHOUGH THE CLUES ARE THERE THAT IT IS ACTUALLY CLOSER TO PRESENT DAY EVERYWHERE ELSE.
HEDER'S PERFORMANCE IS BRILLIANT - HE IS UNLIKEABLE IN MANY WAYS BUT IT SOON SHINES THROUGH THAT THIS IS AS A RESULT OF HIS OWN AWKWARDNESS AND THE TREATMENT HE RECEIVES FROM OTHERS.
I DEFY ANYONE TO NOT CONNECT WITH THE THINGS NAPOLEON DOES. WHETHER IT'S PRACTICING DANCING IN HIS OWN ROOM, THROWING PAINFUL COMPLIMENTS AT GIRLS OR AIMING A PRETEND KICK AT THE BULLY BEHIND HIS BACK - WE'VE BEEN THERE AND SO WE CONNECT AND BEGIN TO WARM TO THE CHARACTER.
THE FILM IS PERHAPS A LITTLE TOO INSULAR FOR MANY ANS THAT STOPS ME GIVING IT TOP MARKS. FOR ME THOUGH, I FOUND IT TO BE GREAT FUN AND WATCH IT WHENEVER I GET THE OPPORTUNITY.
IF YOU'VE EVER FELT LIKE YOU DON'T 'FIT IN', THEN FEED YOUR PET LLAMA, KICK YOUR PIMPIN' BRO'S A$$, CRIPPLE A RELATIVE, VOTE FOR A HISPANIC AND GRAB YOUR DANCING SHOES - THIS FILM IS FOR YOU!!!
This has got to be one of the best films I have ever had the privledge of watching. This is so well written, witty and really unpredictable. The storyline is very clever, giving subtle hints throughout which only make real sense once the end is unmasked. The 'jigsaw' killer throughout Saw gives victims he's chosen, a chance to either live or die. They have to endure gruelling torture in order to live whilst he watches. Utter brilliance!!Saw 2 is even better, dare you play the game again?
This film was well done. The children loved it, one of the high points for me was Dylan's guitar rendition of Mr Blue Sky. A must see for all ELO fans.
Wonderful to see a classic film re-made and not comparable with the original! Fabulous effects, Jonny Depp is outstanding as the child-like and very strange Willy Wonka. The children are well presented in their roles. I couldn't leave my seat until the film was over.........
Herbie is back - and how!! My seven year old was moved to tears at one point in the film. Herbie is more feisty, courageous and foolhardy than ever. Its like he has never been away. The film provided laughs as well as nreve wracking and tear jerking moments. Thoroughly enjoyable family film!
Classic Christmas film for all the family to enjoy. An all time favourite in our house!
Its brings tears and laughter - and reminds us all of the spirit of Christmas.
I must admit that I had been waiting in anticipation for Spielbergs new slant on the War of the Worlds....aliens planning the attack for millions of years...hiding tripods in the earth etc, but I felt overall a little let down. Ok the main characters have changed to a single father with problem kids and a wife with "new husband", but we see this sort of family every day in a number of films and it ruined the film. It took away the main theme of "humanity" trying to survive. Other than that there were very few surprises. There is no doubting the special effects are superb and the audio is awesome, but it doesn't make up for the predictability of the film, which I am afraid is not as good as the the 1950's version.
What can I say? This series introduces us to three Welsh valley boys, who delight in inflicting more and more pain on each other and one slightly perculiar Englishman who spends his time laughing at the other three and egging them on to do more stupid things.
Like Bottom, it's something you can watch without thinking about and it is utterly compeling.
This is SOOOOOO much better than Jackass ever was!!!!
My first thoughts are that it's not as good as the original, the ooooh and aaah bits in the film are basically the same ones from the first. I found the title a bit misleading too 'Death or Love', I think Azumi Chapter 2 would have been more fitting, as I didn't grasp any serious choice between death and love being made.
The film carries pretty much straight on after the second with the final hit of there mission being sought. He's well protected by some suitably weird bodyguards (that I thought looked like they came straight from Monkey) and even a bit of magic (that closely resembled the weirding way from Dune).
The fight scenes are very well choreographed, and it looks like the director has found out about blood spurts for special effects, though I thought they only worked in some scenes and looked like a comedy B movie in others, but you take it all in your stride with this type of genre.
Overall I'm glad I bought it, there's no way I could have left it after seeing the first.
If your interested in this film make sure you get the right version, as there are 2. I went for the uncut version that clocks in at 142mins, the other version is 120mins.
Also, I must mention the sound. This is one of those rare films that actually makes use of a 5.1 soundtrack, and it even has an excellent Dolby Digital trailer at the start with droplets of water coming from all around you....to be replaced with arrows and sword weilding warriors once the film is underway.
The story without giving too much away is this:
Gessai, a highly skilled warrior and the only survivor of a huge battle between warring clans is comissioned by a priest to do what he can to prevent another war like the one he has just survived, they talk over the body of Gessai's dead son.
The priest's idea is simple. Gessai is to take and train assasins to kill off all those who would oppose the victorious warlords reign.
Gessai walks the land picking up 10 waifs and strays, of which the young Azumi is one. He then trains them up in the mountains to the point where there skills surpass those of normal warriors.
They are then comissioned as assasins to complete the mission of killing 3 rival warlords.
That's all I'm telling you, though some of the DVD sites will give you more information that I think could easily spoil some of the more shocking moments of this film.
Clocking in at 2 and a half hours, this is one of those films that you could have watched for another hour or so. I enjoyed the pace so much. There are moments of laughter and friendship, but these never detract from the mission that the young warriors have to complete.
As for the fight scenes, this is no "Dances With Samurai", sorry, I mean "The Last Samurai" :), this is more in keeping with films like Zatoichi and to me Fist Of The North Star and Ninja Scroll, mainly due to some of the baddies that they have to deal with, 1 in particular who has a real Anime look to him, dressed in white holding a red rose.
There are bucketfulls of blood thrown everywhere, but it's more in the style of John Woo than a realistic view.
There is never any doubt as to the outcome of the film, but with Ninja's a plenty and battle scenes where 1 or 2 take on a whole town the ride is nothing but spectacular.
A superb film that is worthy of top marks.
First, if you remember nothing else, remember this: GO AND BUY THIS FILM!
Appleseed continues the adventures of Deunen Knute and Briareos started in Manga, then made into an Anime film back in 1988, now revisualised in 2004 as the first 3D CG Live Anime film.
Before getting into the film, I must mention the box. It's one of the best I've seen. It's quite simple, but as with the Akira tin, the rounded corners and matt varnished artwork is stunning.
So, the film.
When you first see the menu, you would be forgiven for being a bit sceptical, as some anime films have a very plush CG menu screen followed by lesser quality animation. Well, fear not, the menu has taken visuals from the first chapter, and if you think that quality is good just wait for the rest! I've seen one comment giving the CG 11 out of 10, and that's no understatement.
The director decided to use a toon shader for the cg people, rather than the realistic look of Spirits Within, which was a very hit and miss affair with viewers. Once you see this style in action, it's breathtaking. This could very well be the best Anime film ever made. For me it gives you everything you need from such a film. I always think if your going to use cgi then why not make it viewable, something that GITS:Innocence should have done, but in Appleseed there are lots of beautiful, bright scenes filled with very, very crisp images of people and machines. They've also got the darker scenes right, with no difficulty seeing the action.
Did I just mention action? There is more action in the first scene of Appleseed than in the whole of Innocence, and it's extremely well done. Apparently motion capture has moved a long way as now whole team's of actors can be tracked making for a much more realistic scene.
So, what's the story? This is the trickiest part, as I dont want to give too much away, so let me just set the scene:
The date is 2131, most nations have crumbled in a war that has seen no obvious winner. There is a city called Olympus though that has withstood the war, and is a utopia, where peace reigns and technology has bloomed. This city is populated by a 50/50 mix of humans and Bioroids, Bioroids being genetically manufactured humans, lacking the ability to reproduce and also lacking the stronger of emotions. These Bioroids act as a calming influence on the human population so that there war like tendencies dont dominate them. However, there are some who do not like the presence of the Bio's, as there own Prime Minister is one, and will seek to stop there existence. That's all I'm telling you, but that's not half of what goes on as you wonder just who is playing who.
The story does have it's moments of lengthy dialogue, needed to bring you up to speed, but these never detract to much or for too long from what is essentially a very fast paced sci-fi adventure.
The audio is excellent, with a good enlish dub, some will be dissapointed that we did'nt get a DTS track like the Japanese, but aside from that this is a film that all movie lovers should get. It's not only a fantastic story but is also a slice of film history as the first, of what will probably be many, such looking films.
Secretary is a film that will have a degree of resonance with anyone who has been remotely connected with the law, or government, or even the civil service. It is an intelligent farce that fully exploits the typical obsessive compulsive nature of lawyers, or perhaps all those who operate within a sphere where rules are supposed to be applied to human behaviour. That way lies the inevitable psychological contortion of denial. Budding typist, Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal), is the eponymous self-harming heroine of the piece. She is often summoned as "Miss Holloway" by her twisted freak of an attorney boss, E Edward Grey (James Spader). Grey is the ultimate grey man - hesitant, obsessed, neurotic, repressed, narcissistic, and puerile in equal measure, so as to give the character some kind of delicate equilibrium. He is the perfect study of comically arrested development, and a perceptive, insightful parody of the personality type commonly attracted to grand illusion like the law or politics. The stage is set by these two flawed characters, for an exploration of their (counter-factually successful) sexually dysfunctional relationship. It is the source of considerable black humour in the film, and a portrayal of a kind of dominant-submissive relationship redolent of the winning versus losing paradigm of the adversarial system. The simple premise of the film is a reversal of the common facts of sexual harassment; the employer (master) sublimates sexual frustration in overt physical discipline over employee (servant), only to find a receptive victim, who in due course turns the tables and harasses the harasser. There is a sub-theme (no pun intended) of "woman gets her man". Grey is a "catch" - an ostensibly wealthy lawyer with boyish good looks, whose sexual maladjustment would make infidelity a remote prospect. Neither character is mere eye candy however, nor is this a rom-com, or eroti-com. Given that is the way the film is touted, it creates potential for disappointment. Spader and Gyllenhaal play their roles with admirable credibility, and hence the essential partners to eroticism are missing: The film is devoid of glamour, romance, frisson, or any other customary accompaniment to a love story. Instead it is a faithfully cold and clinical arrangement between actors who exude nothing more than desperation, and calculated opportunism. For that reason the film leaves little for viewers (of my generation at least) to relate to in respect of affective relationships, apart from the devotion of the protagonist"s mother. This is not LA Law. It more closely resembles the chaotic world of the sole practitioner exemplified by The Verdict (Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling). Although not a courtroom drama by any description, it does not mythologise lawyers (qua A Few Good Men, True Believer), but instead penetrates the façade to reveal inner turmoil more akin to that of Brad Dourif"s character in The Colour of Night. Occasionally, one suspects, that turmoil comes with the territory.
The plot to Crash is both basic and complex, you can watch it as a saturday afternoon melodrama where women lose their children and husbands lose there wives and it will satisfy you, but it also works on another level where every story constantly challenges your pre-conceptions unlike most modern cinema. Characters will shock you, because having pigeonholed them as liberal goodies or racist baddies you realise, they're neither of those things, just human. This is something we don't normally expect of Hollywood.
It is an emotional viewing experience, the like of which I've never experienced before. It takes you from tears of sorrow to tears of joy in a heartbeat. Performances are outstanding and the melodramatic leanings mentioned above left no sour taste for me.
Great stuff!! You always want more from this kind of film, but when your fingers have been burnt by Batman Forever and put through the mincing machine by Batman & Robin, then you are just happy to be smiling when all said and done.
In a summer of 'dark' summer blockbusters, this film stands above it's counterparts even through it is obviously just a primer as all comic adaptations must be initially (forget the previous 4, this is a new vision).
Three things - characters, acting & story. Three little words but so vitally important to any film and especially one trying to shrug off the memory of past glories (and atrocities).
The story is great: stuff the MTV generation & their 5 second attention span! I think it is great that you are made to wait for your hero to arrive and the back story is a fine set up to the 2nd half of the film which is much more full-on.
Most of us are already familiar with the characters but it is still interesting to see them in their younger incarnations - I wasn't looking forward to Caine mugging it as Alfred, but he is one of the best points in the film and has very good chemistry with Bale.
The acting (with a couple of exceptions) is very good and at last you want to know more about Bruce Wayne and to a certain extent Batman takes a backseat.
Why have Katie Holmes in there though? She has nothing to do other than be villain fodder - a waste of her time and ours.
I'm never comfotable with Liam Neeson either - he seems to either be a little bit tired or a little bit disinterested all the time - I'm here but I'm not going to try very hard!!
All in all, I think this is a great start to a new franchise and I hope Bale returns (please sort out the 'scary' batvoice though) and would love to see more of Cillian Murphy who make a genuinely creepy & unnerving villain.
Almost good enough to banish the memory of Joel forever. Almost (damn you Arnie...)
Disappointing to say the least. I wanted to be wowed & dumbstruck by the spectacle of this film but instead was left with an empty feeling and the antisceptic blues.
There is no doubt that the set-pieces are great and Spielberg's bravado shines through here. But what part of America is this? How can an angry throng of Yanks go weak at the knees at the sight of a gun, let alone nobody else have one?!? Unintentionally funny.
We all had an idea of the general plot, but Cruise's rentakit family (good looking but underachieving & selfish dad, precocious daughter & sulky son - sigh) simply stumble from one set-up to the next and you end up ticking them off rather than being able to get involved with the story.
And why show the aliens half way through? And for comic effect at that? Where are the scares and creepiness that should surround the story? Nowhere I'm afraid - it's almost as though this film needed to be aimed at a younger audience to drag as much money in as possible.... hmmmmm ... surely not, he wouldn't compromise his vision like that would he....
My apologies if I am painting this all in a bad light, but when a film is such a let down, so soulless and devoid of anything interesting then what more can you do?
And dont even get me started on the 9/11 references that are painted all across the film with a VERY big brush....sigh.
Being a big fan of historical films, I would put El Cid up there alongside Ben Hur and Cleopatra. Charlton Heston is a truly great actor. He plays the leading role with dignity and depth. You can feel his pains throughout the film and the finale is outstanding. Sophia Loren similar to Liz Taylor is Cleopatra is spellbinding in her role. Truly great film.
It was always going to be difficult recreating the Roald Dahl novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", especially when there is a much loved film starring Gene Wilder.
However Tim Burton manages to bring a fresh and colourful adaptation that children and adults alike can appreciate.
The film explores Wonka's past and creates a 3D character that arouses some emotion towards the factory owner. Johnny Depp is superb as the slightly crazy man with a sweet tooth providing the character with a strange innocence.
Burton provides a magical and zany world in the factory that makes the eye appreciate every scene.
The oompa Loompas provide much humour and songs througout the film which will have you in hysterics.
This is not just a remake of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". It is a fresh and exiting adaptation that will have children and adults alike wanting more.
outstanding film - Rex Harrison plays the role of Julius Cesar with perfection and at the end of the film, you can imagine what life must have been like for Cesar. Elizabeth Taylor is the perfect co-star, with her beauty which stands out. The director could not have found a better person to play the role of Cleopatra. I would strongly recommend this film to anyone, who is interested in roman history.
not overly impressed by the last star wars film. I thought the film was very average and not up to the normal Lucas standard. The sub-plots were very easy to guess.
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