Posts Tagged ‘fantasy movie’
Monday, July 26th, 2010
Review:
Gene Kelly and Van Johnson, two American hunters, come to Brigadoon, a magical town in Scotland that seems stuck in the 17th century. Kelly promptly falls in love with Cyd Charisse, a local girl, everybody sings and dances a bit, before the villain of the story, the only clear thinker in the town, threatens everything, there is some heartache and a happy ending. The story is filled with plot holes, horribly sappy and clichéd. Do not watch!
Random Observations:
Brigadoon at the IMDb
In our ongoing series of comparing two idols of American Cinema of the 1950s, Gene Kelly and Alfred Hitchcock, we have the first really bad film courtesy of Kelly.
Director Vincente Minnelli (yes, he is the father of Liza Minnelli) and Kelly both wanted to film in Scotland, but the studio objected. This is the reason why the town and Scotland look so unnatural - it was filmed entirely on stage.
Tags: 1954, Alan Jay Lerner, Albert Sharpe, American Film, Barry Jones, based on stage musical, Brigadoon, Cyd Charisse, Dee Turnell, Dodie Heath, Eddie Quillan, Elaine Stewart, english, fantasy movie, Gene Kelly, Hugh Laing, Jimmy Thompson, Liza Minnelli, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, musical, Owen McGiveney, romance, Tudor Owen, Van Johnson, Vincente Minnelli, Virginia Bosler
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Review:
Out-of-work puppeteer John Cusack is forced by wife Cameron Diaz to get a regular job, so he starts working in filing on floor 7½, where he discovers a portal that leads right into the head of John Malkovich. Together with love interest Catherine Keener he decides to exploit it for financial gain, but before long things get really strange. Perennial mind-fuck favourites Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman first teamed up for this film, creating a very amusing comedy about human identity that’s not nearly as profound as it thinks it is.
Random Observations:
Being John Malkovich at the IMDb
Best thing about the film? Catherine Keener, who is pretty much great in everything she does, but very rarely recognized for it. In this case, though, she at least got an Oscar nod out of it.
John Cusack with long hair, scruffy beard and glasses is barely recognisable.
The whole film suffered a lot towards the end, when it had to somehow resolve all plot lines while attempting to tell a coherent and sensible story.
Tags: 1999, American Film, Being John Malkovich, Cameron Diaz, Carlos Jacott, Catherine Keener, Charlie Kaufman, Charlie Sheen, Comedy, David Fincher, Drama, english, fantasy movie, John Cusack, Mary Kay Place, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Orson Bean, Oscar, Sean Penn, Spike Jonze
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Review:
The Science of Sleep tells the story of a young man who mostly lives in his dreams, substituting them for a reality he can’t deal with. It magically blends the boundaries between reality, fiction and dreams, creating a visually arresting yet ultimately empty experience that leaves everything open to interpretation. It’s redeemed somewhat by a good cast and some amusing scenes, but it’s deep insights are ultimately superficial.
Random Observations:
La science des rêves at the IMDb
Director Michel Gondry is mostly known for making the also vastly overrated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. His best film by far, however, is the endearing little comedy Be Kind Rewind. It’s also his most atypical work.
The thing I enjoyed most about the film were the dream worlds created, especially the paper tube city and the television studio. They had a nice surreal touch.
Feel free to discuss the meaning of the ending in the comments. Personally, I dislike the happy ending apologists, but sadly finding little evidence to the contrary.
Tags: 2006, Alain Chabat, Aurélia Petit, Be Kind Rewind, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Comedy, Drama, Emma de Caunes, english, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, fantasy movie, French film, Gael García Bernal, La science des rêves, Michel Gondry, minute movie review, Miou-Miou, movie review, Movies, Pierre Vaneck, romance, Sacha Bourdo, Stéphane Metzger, The Science of Sleep
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Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Review:
Ten years after the events of The Mummy, the two heroes, now married and with a son, are at it again. Once more, the destruction of the world is threatened and once more they save the day. And that is basically all the film is: more of the same. There is nothing original here, which means that aside from the typical sequel offerings (i.e. sillier villains, stupid mythology, unaccounted changes, sillier set-pieces) the film is still just entertaining enough to be passable. The CGI here is horrible, but if you can see beyond that and the other shortcomings, you will be able to watch the film without expressing either anger or sadly much joy.
Random Observations:
The Mummy Returns at the IMDb
The main characters are supposed to have matured significantly since the last film, which in the case of female lead Rachel Weisz mostly means opting for much more revealing outfits.
Films like these always border on being completely campy and silly. But despite the fact that the film crossed the border repeatedly, I was still able to enjoy a good portion of it. I guess the viewer’s mood really decides the matter here.
Tags: 2001, action movie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, adventure movie, Aharon Ipalé, Alun Armstrong, American Film, Arnold Vosloo, Brendan Fraser, Bruce Byron, Donna Air, Dwayne Johnson, english, fantasy movie, franchise film, Freddie Boath, horror movie, Joe Dixon, John Hannah, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velasquez, Rachel Weisz, sequel, Shaun Parkes, Stephen Sommers, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Rock, Tom Fisher, Trevor Lovell
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Review:
In 2047, a rescue ship is send to discover the fate of the Event Horizon, a research ship that vanished seven years before but has now returned near Neptune. The ship’s creator is on board, revealing to the other crew that the ship was to test a new engine, that allowed instantaneous travel throughout the universe - but something has gone horribly wrong and now they are stuck on a ship from hell that tries to kill them. The first half of the film is very good in its setup of an outer space thriller, including some ruminations on the loneliness of it. The second part, however, is standard fare action horror movie, with gore for gore’s sake and a plot development and (lack of) solution that is unoriginal and predictable. The film obviously tries to combine Alien with Solyaris, but ultimately fails to understand what made either film work.
Random Observations:
Event Horizon at the IMDb
The ending is not just stupid, but also completely predictable. In fact, there isn’t a plot twist in the the second half that you couldn’t see coming a mile off.
Apparently, the first cut of the film ran 30 minutes longer and contained many additional horror/gore scenes. I doubt they would have improved the film the least bit.
The “ship from hell” remark in the review was not glibly made. The ship actually went to another dimension repeatedly described as hell.
Considering that the rescue team is supposed to consist of elite astronauts and scientists, they are surprisingly superstitious. Of course, they need to be for the story to work, but still, those people are supposed to be rational.
It can’t be denied that Sunshine, the Danny Boyle film, is very similar. It also can’t be denied that it is much better.
Tags: 1997, Alien, American Film, Barclay Wright, British Film, Danny Boyle, english, Event Horizon, fantasy movie, Holley Chant, horror movie, Jack Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan, Laurence Fishburne, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Noah Huntley, Paul W.S. Anderson, Peter Marinker, Philip Eisner, Richard T. Jones, Robert Jezek, Sam Neill, sci-fi movie, Sean Pertwee, Solyaris, Sunshine, Thriller
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | 2 Comments »
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Review:
When looking for the fabled Egyptian City of the Dead, 1920s adventures/explorers threaten to unleash a horrible curse upon the world. So naturally, they will have to stop it. This film, a loose remake of the original Universal Monster Feature from 1922, the film is preposterous, silly, and ultimately funny. It’s one of those rare popcorn flicks were everything comes together - a just barely plausible story, some cool characters, snappy dialogue, decent special effects to keep you entertained for two hours. It’s not great art, but it’s definitely good enough for a rainy afternoon.
Random Observations:
The Mummy at the IMDb
I haven’t seen many films with Brendan Fraser, but I always considered him a wimp. So it was a bit odd to see him play the action hero character here. He does so convincingly enough, though, so I got used to it after a while.
There is plenty of comic relief in this film. In fact, there are very few scenes that don’t have any.
Tags: 1999, action movie, adventure movie, Aharon Ipalé, American Film, Arnold Vosloo, Bernard Fox, Brendan Fraser, Comedy, Corey Johnson, english, Erick Avari, fantasy movie, horror movie, John Hannah, Jonathan Hyde, Kevin J. O'Connor, Kevin Jarre, Lloyd Fonvielle, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Oded Fehr, Omid Djalili, Patricia Velasquez, Rachel Weisz, remake, Stephen Dunham, Stephen Sommers, The Mummy, Tuc Watkins
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Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Review:
In 1985, two teenage outsiders with no friends and especially no girlfriends decide to create the perfect girl from scratch with the help of a computer. Since this is a comedy, this works perfectly and the new girl makes sure that they develop from helpless dorks into socially accepted, self-confident young men. The film, written (supposedly in two days) and directed by the master of teen comedies John Hughes, is supremely silly, yet still often quite funny and oddly sweet - in other words, it’s a typical John Hughes film. It’s not his best and there are some stretches that are painfully bad, but for simple entertainment, this is pretty good.
Random Observations:
Weird Science at the IMDb
Robert Downey Jr. is in this and while I was aware that he had a career back in the 80s, it still is decidedly odd.
Did anyone else see the John Hughes tribute at this year’s Oscars? I like his films and I’m sure he was a great guy, but wouldn’t have a place in the “In Memoriam” segment been enough? This was just painful - and much too long.
Anthony Michael Hall in his mid-twenties was the perfect teen geek.
Tags: 1985, American Film, Ann Coyle, Anthony Michael Hall, Barbara Lang, Bill Paxton, Britt Leach, Comedy, english, fantasy movie, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Ivor Barry, John Hughes, John Kapelos, Judie Aronson, Kelly LeBrock, Michael Berryman, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Rusler, Suzanne Snyder, Vernon Wells, Weird Science
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Review:
A bad story poorly told - and yet not a completely worthless film. Based on the novel by Alice Sebold (which people assure me has a much better story than the film), the film unsuccessfully tries to tell both the story of the murdered girl Suzie Salmon in between heaven and earth and how her family tries to cope with her death. Now, the art direction and the cinematography of the film are great and the actors really try, but the film never finds its footing and has no emotional resonance whatsoever. It’s (rightfully) in love with the perfect visuals, but since those add nothing to the story, they are pointless and ultimately just a distraction. There might have been a good film in there somewhere, but it’s almost impossible to find.
Random Observations:
The Lovely Bones at the IMDb
Stanley Tucci is nominated for an Oscar for his performance as the creepy murderer.
Saoirse Ronan plays the lead role, but never reaches the greatness of her Atonement performance. Mostly, she is simply not given enough to work with.
The plot is riddled with holes and the intent of the story - to show how a family deals with the loss of a child - is completely lost.
The film features extensive voice-over narration that rivals Harrison Ford’s original Blade Runner narration for worst ever. Only not because of the delivery, but because of the content.
If I understand it correctly, most of the scenes with Rachel Weisz as the mother were cut from the finished film, which certainly would explain the disjointed nature of her storyline.
The comedic intermission with grandmother Susan Sarandon doing housework was the most horribly awkward and painfully misplaced scene I have seen in a long time.
Tags: 2009, Alice Sebold, Amanda Michalka, American Film, Atonement, Blade Runner, book adaptation, Carolyn Dando, Drama, english, fantasy movie, Fran Walsh, Harrison Ford, Jake Abel, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Imperioli, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, New Zealand Film, Nikki SooHoo, Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Rachel Weisz, Reece Ritchie, Rose McIver, Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, The Lovely Bones, Thriller
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Review:
After the owner and president of Hudsucker Industries jumps out of a window, the board decides to install an imbecile in the job to devalue the stock so they can buy the majority chair. But the man comes up with a brilliant idea (if you have seen the poster, you can guess what it is) and saves the company - at least for a while. But things never work out the way one expects. The film is a hilariously funny comedy that is somewhat diminished by the need to have a halfway coherent plot with a happy ending, resorting to fantasy to manage to get out of the many holes it dug. Nevertheless, the film is absolutely brilliant and should have firmly established the Coen Brothers as the leading comedy filmmakers of their time.
Random Observations:
The Hudsucker Proxy at the IMDb
John Goodman has a small cameo here and is credited as Karl Mundt, the name of his character in Barton Fink.
Also with a small cameo: the always awesome Steve Buscemi.
The dialogue in this film may be some of the funniest in the history of the medium.
I love how Tim Robbins, playing the lead guy, goes around showing people his circle, claiming that it is a great idea.
Sam Raimi, acclaimed horror (and Spider-Man) director, co-wrote the script with the Coen Brothers, almost ten years before the film was made.
I’m fairly certain that this film will prove to be even better on repeat viewings. It seems like one of the things it has in common with The Big Lebowski, which it precedes in many ways.
Tags: 1994, American Film, Barton Fink, Bill Cobbs, Bruce Campbell, Charles Durning, Christopher Darga, Coen Brothers, Comedy, David Byrd, english, Ethan Coen, fantasy movie, Gary Allen, Harry Bugin, I.M. Hobson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jerome Dempsey, Jim True, Joe Grifasi, Joel Coen, John Goodman, John Mahoney, John Scanlan, John Seitz, John Wylie, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Patrick Cranshaw, Paul Newman, Peter McPherson, Richard Woods, Roy Brocksmith, Sam Raimi, Spider-Man, Steve Buscemi, The Big Lebowski, The Hudsucker Proxy, Tim Robbins
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Review:
How do you judge a movie like Avatar? The answer to that question says probably more about you than about the film. After finally having seen it, there is no doubt in my mind that anyone will (seriously) debate that it is a technological breakthrough. The CGI, the motion capture, the 3D - it’s all very impressive. In the right theatre (i.e. a big screen with digital 3D technology), the film is a joy to watch. But is that really what a film should be judged for? What about story, originality, acting or just a unique world filled with awesome ideas? If those things matter, then Avatar is a horrible film. The story is about as new as a love story between two members of feuding families. The acting in this film would embarrass amateurs. The film is filled with many pretty pictures, but none of them is new, there is nothing that hasn’t been seen before. And that is why I hate myself for actually enjoying the film. Because I care about story and about ideas - and the film had none of that. But it was just so gorram pretty, so much fun to look at. So in a way, this film is a spectacular success. Just don’t ask me to join in with the idiots who call it a great film. Visually, it’s breathtaking, but film is a storytelling medium and there the film, as per usual with Cameron, fails.
Random Observations:
Avatar at the IMDb
James Cameron is a great technical director. He would be great as the SFX director on almost every film. But he is horrible at directing people. Just look at Titanic - there he managed to extract horrible performances from two of the greatest thespians working today - Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Here, he works with far less talented people - and the results are disastrous to behold.
The film may be unique in the history of cinema in that it manages to include every single cliché possible. In fact, the whole film is one big cliché.
I just realized that I haven’t mentioned anything about the plot of the film in my “review”. But seriously, people, you aren’t going to watch it for the plot. Nevertheless, here a one word summary: Pocahontas.
I know, my slights about the film are about as original as the film itself. I’m influenced by my betters, what can I say.
Tags: 2009, 3D motion capturing, action movie, adventure movie, American Film, Avatar, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, english, fantasy movie, Giovanni Ribisi, James Cameron, Joel Moore, Kate Winslet, Laz Alonso, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Rodriguez, minute movie review, movie review, Movies, Sam Worthington, sci-fi movie, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Titanic, Wes Studi, Zoë Saldana
Posted in Minute Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies | No Comments »
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