Tag: review

When I saw the first Underworld, I was slightly impressed. I don’t go for vampires. No fascination with them whatsoever. Yet, this war with werewolves was intriguing. If I had blogged the movie back then, my review would’ve been a solid 3 of 5 stars. Mediocre but watchable.

Well the sequel to Underworld had opened up last week and I had to watch it. I confess that I was anticipating it for the last month. Not only for Kate Beckinsale in tight leather, but to finish up the story. I was sorely disappointed. In fact, I think I was played for the fool.

This sequel starts off perhaps minutes after the last, but it is light years from the first. I can’t believe that this was the same setting as the last. It seems as if the writer and the director wanted to throw out everything good about the previous film and start anew. And where they started was at the core of Blood Rayne (I have not seen it, but I am sure it is just as crappy). It then flows into a mire of crap. The trilogy seemed condensed into a two-parter. Perhaps they knew with this stinker of a movie that they could not tell it all because they’ll all be fired by then. There was more chases, more Kate Beckinsale skin (a plus!!), and more vampires. After the defeat of the werewolves there was no more enemy except themselves. Vampire v. Vampire. As Butthead would’ve said, “This sucks, Beavis.” What happened?

Don’t make the third installment. I won’t watch it after being robbed.

2 of 5 stars. For the naked side of Kate Beckinsale.

Capote was a movie that demonstrated to us that there are still actors in this world. Truman Capote was played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and his sidekick, Harper Lee byCatherine Keener. That is a powerful 1-2 punch of acting if you ever saw one. While it was an actors movie neither of the two disappeard completely into their roles. I think the fey voice that Hoffman used for Capote distracted me.

4 of 5 stars.

Although too late to appear on my year end: list of the best of 2005, I caught some movies over the holidays. I therefore owe you some reviews. I wish I could write these but they will be short.

While some had seen this early in the season, we watched The Family Stone on New Year’s day. While Luke Wilson always is a pleasure to see in a film, this movie does not rest on his shoulders. It rests on Sarah Jessica Parker’s, and her skinny ass could not bring this one home. I lost interest when I could not believe that anyone could fall for her let alone someone her complete opposite. It was only a film.

3 of 5 stars.

To brighten up the holidays, I caught Munich the day after. I think the controversy over this one is uncalled for. Most likely the people complaining about the sympathy it evokes for the Palistinean cause never saw a frame of the film. Yes it does cast Israel in somewhat of a bad light, but only if you think that they should not have retaliated.

In fact, I thought Spielberg gave voice to the anger and made sure that revenge is something that is tolerable. I completely did not read the “war is bad” vibe into this. Maybe Eric Banna did not convey what needed to be conveyed about revenge very well. He was to transform into person who did not know where his morals went. I did not see it.

4 of 5 stars.

I also saw Harry Potter 4 again. I give it 4 of 5 stars on second go round.

Looks as if my niche of movie reviewer has just been invaded by my buddy at the seed who has posted his own take on King Kong. From the title, I guess he don’t like it.

Well we saw it on the opening night, and we left the theatre with the same impression. The movie could’ve been better. I must agree with the seed that the movie should have been tightened up more. It was 3 hours that didn’t feel like 3 hours yet was feeling fully like 3 hours was passing by. The length of the film is a problem. I thought Jackson should’ve trimmed 5 minutes from each scene. I think he’s got auteur fever running through his veins. Feel the time.

Nami Watts was a pleasure to watch. She’s beautiful and I could certainly understand how Kong could fall for such a beauty. Yet, I found some of the interaction between her and the monkey kind of rediculous. I can’t believe that that monkey could’ve stayed up on that ice. I couldn’t believe the vaudeville act would work.

I regret that Jackson had to add the Jimmy character. I thought he was going to shoot the monkey in the end. What with all the build up around him. I thought he was going to be a major character, yet he turned out to be just a minor character.

Overall, it was good. Watch it for the holiday season as it is the movie to watch. Just don’t think it will be the knockout that the professional reviewers are saying it is.

3 of 5 stars.

“I don’t like the police, but I do like Kong. And what they did to Kong was wrong. It was wrong. What they did to Kong was wrong. It was a big wrong. A big W.”

The Chronuicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opens this week right before the 8000 lb gorilla, King Kong. Will the christian allegory beat out the gentle giant? With the current reviews of Narnia, it seems to have the edge. Lots of good reviews and hardly any naysayers.

I have watched Narnia. It’s good. Yet, I don’t know if it is a PG movie. This will be a bore to any kid under the age of 8. Lots of talking. The action doesn’t happen until the end, and some of it is downright scary.

Tilda Swinton was perfectly cast in the role of the White Witch Queen. As a youngster, I read the books. Narnia was the best fantasy world for me as a little kid up until I read Tolkien. While Narnia has its charm, Middle Earth has depth and history beyond compare. Anyway, the White Witch Queen of Narnia scared me as a young child. I think she was one of the more creepier villians in the books I read while growing up. Just her iciness was chilling. I can still remember. If you had not read the books, she was introduced in what was basically the prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Magician’s Nephew. In that book, she was much younger, and the description of the world in which she was from was terrifying and desolate. She was much a part of that dark world and shows it in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Tilda Swinton is also creepy. Look at her in Hellraiser as Gabriel. Look at her in Elizabeth. Icy. She brings that to the role, and she scared me.

Overall, the movie was good. Don’t bring your young children to it because it would bore them. The battle was cool. And it was overtly a christian tale.

4 of 5 stars

Derailed. The main character is portrayed by Clive Owen. I have seen a lot of his movies and upon further viewing I realized that I can’t stand this guy. He makes me not like him. Every character he plays is a schmuck including King Arthur.

If you have seen plenty of movies, this film will not surprise you. It basically writes itself. The twist wasn’t even a twist and you could’ve guessed it 30 minutes in. Maybe they should’ve gotten an even less familiar face to be the villain. Or maybe they should’ve offered the roles to Eric Roberts and Shannon Tweed, because this felt like a direct to Skin-a-max movie. Now that I would’ve not minded to see.

2 of 5 stars.