Reviews

I am writing this comment after watching _all_ 14 episodes of Spaced that are currently available in what was basically one sitting. Living in Germany I had been totally unaware of this rare gem among all the mediocrity and outright rubbish that is usually aired on TV until the owner of my favourite video shop (which specializes in US and UK imports) pointed out the Series 1 and Series 2 DVDs to me.

Right after I had seen about 10 minutes of the very first episode I was hooked. I am about the same age as the main characters in the series and many of their traits and interests seemed uncannily familiar. Maybe I should be a bit worried about being able to easily identify with Tim's motivations and obsessions or about actually knowing people like Mike myself... Uhm, I'll better not delve into all this, but let me say that watching all those familiar situations, topics of discussion and reactions of people being acted out so convincingly by the cast was pure enjoyment for me - unlike anything else I had ever seen on the telly!

And then there are the pop culture references. Most of them are to films or TV series. If you are a film buff or comicbook/scifi geek and have always got some fun out of the film refs in Simpsons episodes _please_ by all means watch Spaced! Not only are these scenes all very well done and intelligently embedded into the narrative - it's also the whole context of the series and its characters that makes all the references so, uhm, fitting and, well, funny. (It's a bit hard to describe really, and I'm not going to spoil anything by giving examples... just watch it!)

Taking in everything in one go I also found it nice that there's a consistent story arc that stretches across all 14 episodes, and I also liked the references to earlier episodes that were sometimes made, especially in the 2nd series.

Well. I must say I feel a little bad now about having blown all this on one single day. I mean, you're supposed to save good and precious things and use them sparingly over time. But sometimes things are so f***ing good that you just have to have it all, at once, until nothing's left.

So what do I do now with no more unseen Spaced for me to watch? Bloody 'ell, I'll just watch all 14 episodes again, tomorrow!!

(Might contain minor spoilers.)

Like many people I saw Reservoir Dogs shortly after I had seen Pulp Fiction ("wow, that was great, what else is there by this guy?"). I remember I found it comparatively weak, but I guess after Pulp Fiction I was just wasn't prepared for Reservoir Dogs' grittiness and simpler plot and didn't realize how great it actually was.

Now, after a second viewing I think I can fully appreciate this film. I still like Pulp Fiction better (and also Jackie Brown, incidentally), but Reservoir Dogs is a totally amazing first film by a genius director.

One of its most interesting aspects is, I think, the dense atmosphere Tarantino creates here. When Pink and White were evaluating their situation shortly after the heist I found the sense of uncertainty and threat so tangible and their decision to actually _stay_ in that warehouse so unbearable that _I_ almost wanted to leave the room so that at least _someone_ would be getting away from that place...

This atmosphere for the largest part is created by the excellent acting and the well-written dialog. Tarantino can write at least as good as he can direct and his films always have the cast to deliver his lines perfectly.

With these ingredients you would probably have a decent movie already but then Tarantino's clever narrative comes into play. The way it switches from right before the heist to immediately after (interrupted by the opening credits) is just the perfect start for this film. The blanks (the heist itself) are filled in gradually throughout the film by flashback sequences, and there is another level of flashbacks that introduce the main characters to us and give us some insight into the planning of the job. This works so wonderfully that you can only marvel at the screen in awe.

Bottom line: Doesn't quite reach the perfection that Pulp Fiction is and doesn't have the style and class of Jackie Brown - but still a 9/10.

This comment contains major SPOILERS.

I have read and heard the most diverse comments on this movie, including "trash with bad acting and script", "good popcorn movie", and "tries to be smart but fails".

What these comments had in common is that in my opinion they all missed the point completely.

First of all, the casting of soap stars, the at times wooden acting, the lurid presentation... all this is totally intentional and it requires considerable skill from cast and crew to pull off in this way. Maybe they weren't skilled enough though because some viewers apparently still thought that they were watching substandard quality?

While Starship Troopers can certainly be enjoyed only for the effects (cool CGI spaceships and trademark Verhoeven OTT gore) I think that maybe it shouldn't because that would mean ignoring its important message.

As for those who were able to acknowledge that the film has in fact message and meaning but complained about it trying to constantly hammer home a point - yes, this is partly true, but I found it most intriguing how the picture works on much more subtle levels as well.

An example:

Basically the viewer realizes during the first few minutes of the movie that it is set in a weird kind of fascist utopia. It is not made hard for the viewer to disagree with this world order. Just think of all the blatantly jingoistic propaganda in the "TV ads" the story is interspersed with.

So you watch for almost 2 hours, constantly thinking "why are they fighting this pointless war"....... and then the bugs kill Diz.

OK, this is highly subjective, but at that point I kind of started to hate those bugs myself. Why Diz?? You just don't want her to die at this time in the movie.

Anyway, _very_ shortly afterwards the militaristic organization that because of my emotional involvement I was now half-willing to accept as a necessary means to an end shows itself from its worst side: Colonel "Doogie Howser" Jenkins enters the room dressed like a Gestapo officer and talks about "mere numbers", not interested in the loss of his friends. Seeing what this initially likable character has developed into was just spooky! And finally, the end sequence with the capturing of the "brain bug". I just felt sorry for the poor thing and was disgusted by the cheering humans.

But after Diz's death 10 minutes earlier I had been manipulated into wanting to cheer _with them_! Despite everything I had seen up to then!

So watching in disgust as the brain bug was subjected to various bizarre methods of "examination" AND knowing that I had almost crossed the line of allying with its sick torturers I just felt.... weak and guilty.

ST's odd mixture between SFX-rich space flick and cynical satire on 1940's war propaganda movies might be awkward in places. But it demonstrates how people can be manipulated to align themselves with ideas they don't originally agree with - by doing exactly that with the viewer! This I find quite remarkable and the strong anti-fascist message that is the result kind of makes this a serious film.

For me this is one of Verhoeven's best, second only to Total Recall, and a solid 8/10.

(No, I haven't seen his Dutch films.)

I'm a Pixar fan and I really like Toy Story and A Bug's Life, probably more for the animation than anything else these films offer (although they do offer more than just that).

That alone got me interested in Shrek which is also a computer animated movie albeit not from Pixar but from PDI. I haven't seen Antz, the last CGI offering from PDI, so I can't comment on any progress they might have made compared to that but let me compare the animation in Shrek to TS and ABL:

First of all, the animation in Shrek is excellent, especially that of the main characters. I think that the Donkey is probably the overall highlight here but the lifelike rendition of the human(oid) characters deserves special mention as well.

The overall _impression_ the animation in this movie makes, however, falls short of Pixar's efforts. It is hard to make out exactly what is lacking but let me just say that there seems to be not quite as much detail especially in the background and also a generally less "fluid" feel to the whole affair.

I remember being both painfully (for betrayed desire for technical savviness) and fondly (for nostalgia) reminded of Commodore C64 games by a background character in the ending. He was looping through the same 60 frames of hand-clapping and head-nodding mechanically for what seemed like an unbearably long time. I can't help but think that in a Pixar movie the same character, although barely seen in the background, would have been a merrily applauding individual with a personality and whole story to tell from his own point of view.

But of course this is not a graphics demo but above all a wickedly funny and at times rather clever movie. Maybe I found it funnier than some of you because I was so totally unprepared for the cynical humor this movie keeps lashing out at you with. I mean, I've seen mainstream animated films with witty gags but some of the stuff in here really caught me off guard. Remember the scene when Princess Fiona sings to the blue bird?

<SPOILERS>The explosion of the bird followed by the nest and the deadpan shot of the fried eggs is almost Pythonesquely hilarious in its unexpectedness.</SPOILERS>

I kept rewinding to it and it totally left me in tears from laughing so hard at a scene like this being casually thrown into a movie that seems so innocent from the outside.

Yes, the ending is predictable, and yes there seems to be an odd prevalence of toilet humor but this is still an entertaining movie with a number of insanely funny lines and gags.

And adding to my comments about the animation: While Shrek doesn't quite reach Pixar's level this is some serious eye candy for any CGI/rendering enthusiast and has some of the best _individual character_ computer animations ever converted from bits to celluloid.

7/10

(Might contain minor spoilers.)

Watched this on DVD last night and really enjoyed it. Don't expect this to become a classic or in fact be anything more than a rather unoriginal yet entertaining and rather well made sci-fi horror experience.

This film does have many weaknesses. You can tell right from the start who's cannon fodder and who's not, some of the effects are a bit cheesy (the creatures POV was irritating to say the least), and there's heavy borrowing from films like Alien, so no points for originality.

Pacing is quite off at times, but the film always manages to get back on track before this becomes annoying. Unfortunately this makes some of the scenes meant to be suspenseful fail embarrassingly.

I liked the performances. Yes, the characters are stereotypes, but this is how it works in these kinds of films (see Alien), and the actors deliver these stereotypes convincingly (if this isn't a contradiction in itself).

Vin Diesel plays the see-in-the-dark tough guy in a wonderfully over the top fashion. In fact, this is one of the most enjoyable tough guy impersonisations I have seen in quite a while.

Dialogue is what you would expect from a film like this - it mainly propels the story. There are a few memorable lines, mostly for "coolness", and always delivered by Riddick (Vin Diesel).

Expect to see a nice amount of eye candy, both in terms of CGI effects and photography.

All in all, if you're into Sci-Fi I would say that you should see this film. If it's not your preferred genre, stick to the classics instead.

I rated this at 6. But strictly within the realm of Sci-Fi I would probably give a 7.