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scullystwin42
Reviews
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Expected better of Ridley...
I expected better of Ridley, and Orlando, in Kingdom of Heaven. Orlando's character, Balian, goes from a blacksmith serf to a nobleman with no signs of confusion or consternation. Orlando does well with the pain of a lost wife and child, but he can't seem to bring off the serf side. Too noble already. Little things, like knowing how to stand when being dressed in chain mail and armor, or riding a horse with no time spent learning at all... Either they cut too much out of the first half, when Balian learns to be a nobleman, or Orlando didn't try hard enough to be a serf. I enjoyed how this was filmed, but that was about it. It was very pretty. the I think the backstory of Balian was unnecessary to the film, and the whole politics was not set up well - i was confused on the roles of King of Jerusalem. Perhaps that's my ignorance of the details of the crusades, but I am no expert in Roman politics, but was able to figure out Gladiator. I'm not sure where this went wrong, editing, screenplay, or directing, but it's one of those movies that could have been good, but ended up just being a shade shy of mediocre. Too much wasted talent!
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Surprisingly good, well-acted, and engrossing
Too bad this died at the box office! If it had done well, maybe Ashton Kucher would have avoided the crappy romantic comedies he's made of late. He shows real range and emotion here, proving himself to be an excellent actor, and good enough to carry a film through his emotional journey. The actors around him carry off the different sides of their characters very well - you can recognize each of them through the makeup and hair alterations.
The story is a familiar one to sci-fi fans, but done extremely well. Formula works when it's done right, darnit. The consequences of each time he changes his past, while in the previews seemed overblown, were realistic and believable in the film. I totally enjoyed this film, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a thoughtful scifi film - this is not for fans of junk like "the day after tomorrow".
Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
Low-key, somewhat amusing diversion
I'm a fan of Sam Rockwell since Galaxy Quest, and he didn't disappoint here - and neither did anyone else. The bumbling crooks take on a big heist has been rather played out in the past few years, and this followed mostly the same formula. However, the excellent character actors elevate this above said formula and make it entertaining. The best scene, in my opinion, is near the end, as the characters discuss what they will do with their take of the heist. It was sweet, and the acting was top-notch. Clooney's cameo was amusing, and showed once again that he is an actor as well as a movie star. I'd recommend catching it on cable, but the entertaining-ness isn't really worth a rental.
In Good Company (2004)
Amusing, less formulaic romantic comedy
Amusing, less formulaic romantic comedy. Actually, it's not so much of a romantic comedy as it is a "dram-edy". The central story isn't focused on the romance between the two supporting characters - Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansen; instead, it uses that relationship as a nice, subtle contrast to Dennis Quaid's floundering career and marital stresses. I was pleased to see that it didn't fall into the "true love" ending that most rom-coms do. The only thing i was disappointed with was Topher Grace - it was a good performance, but it's pretty much his character from That 70's show. He was so good in Traffic, but this wasn't much of a stretch for him. I would have liked to seen less of the goof persona.
Touch of Pink (2004)
Entertaining but uneven movie.
Entertaining but uneven movie. It's a cute concept, and Kyle Maclanahan is wonderful as the spirit of Cary Grant. I found the lead actor to be a bit uneven, but buoyed by excellent performances by the supporting actors and actresses. I was glad it didn't fall into the "gay guy forces straight friend to play fiancée" cliché - it hit it, went on, and we weren't forced to listen to tired jokes. Worth a rental, emotional but light-hearted. The only jarring part was the "relationship" between the lead character and his cousin - I found it hard to believe that an intimate relationship between first cousins, especially male, would be permitted.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Good fun, decent direction, will definitely see again
I've read the books, so it's hard not to compare the movie to them. However, I will say that I thought it did an excellent job at capturing the mood and the look of the books. The casting was dead-on, and the performances, even by actors with only one or two scenes, were outstanding.
I did find a few unsettling bits... The character development needed to be worked on a bit more. Columbus followed a bit too closely with the book, and didn't visualize enough of the character's inner feelings in the beginning. Also, the editing at the beginning was jerky and odd. too many hops, and for someone unfamiliar with the books, they'd be confusing.
But starting with the Quidditch match, the movie hit its stride and started being awesome. The match was what the Phantom Menace pod race should have been. I knew the outcome, but it was dazzling to watch and I wasn't really sure if Gryffindor would win. The next best scene was the chess match at the end, where Ron Weasley shines - excellent emotion from such a young actor.
Daniel Radcliffe was excellent as Harry, with his scenes getting better towards the end. His turning point from an okay performance to a great performance was the Mirror scene where he sees his parents.
Alan Rickman as Snape was perfectly sinister. His words hissed out his mouth and worked their way under your skin. However, more could have been done with Prof. McGonagall - the scene where she scolds Harry and Ron was too short and we don't even find out what she teaches - we just see her morph from a cat. I was disappointed there. More Flitwick would have been nice, as well.
Oliver Wood was a nice addition, as was Percy Weasley. Draco showed the best acting of the young characters, in my opinion, but it's always easier and more fun to be bad. However, he did inject a bit of human-ness into his character.
Loved Voldemort at the end, and the winking Harry in the mirror was an excellent touch - I hope in the next movies they let Harry be a little more like his mirror reflection.
However, even at 2.5 hours, I felt it was too short! I wanted more! More might have been accomplished with better ending - less quick scenes. The longer scenes worked out much better. Here's hoping the DVD shows the whole 4-hour original rough cut.
I give it 3.5 stars out of 4. The jumpy editing and jerky character development at the beginning are almost made up for by the strong ending hour, but not quite.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Unbelievable story, dancing, music, acting
Being a big fan of Baz Luhrmann, I was expecting a lot from Moulin Rouge. And it delivered! Everything about it was amazing. A review I read said it takes cliches and pulls real emotion out of them. And I agree. Everything felt new, even though it's been done a million times before. The acting was superb - Ewan Macgregor was so heart-wrenching. My friend and I were falling in love with him as he sang to Kidman's Satine. He was perfect.
And Nicole Kidman has the only person who could play this part. Her expressive eyes and perfect turn-of-the-century looks matched the background superbly. She evoked memories of Jean Harlow's silliness, Marilyn Monroe's sexiness, and created in Satine a gloriously contradiction - the naive prostitute. More than a hooker with a heart of gold, Kidman's Satine is childlike, even in her seduction of Christian. Her painful coming of age, brought about by the duke, was wrenching and amazing.
Baz's direction and vision are extraordinary. I fell in love with his vision the moment I saw Strictly Ballroom, and Moulin Rouge keeps it going.