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Reviews
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
deus ex Macconais
Excellent! I was worried that some of the spirit of Wallace and Gromit would be lost or overstretched in the full length movie, but it has survived! It wasn't quite as joyful as A Close Shave, but it certainly kept me happy. The plot isn't particularly deep, but you're not watching it for that: the short films also had eminently guessable "twists" to them. There is a slightly disappointing reference to Monterey Jack to please some US investors, no doubt, even though a connoisseur of curdled milk such as Wallace would probably find it quite dull. Punsters will not be disappointed, especially during the climactic scenes, but watch out: the film does conclude with a deus ex Macconais
Titanic (1997)
A truly great film: the box-office is the proof
Go and look at the worldwide gross top movies of all time. There is a reason why Titanic has nearly double the takings of the other movies. It isn't SFX, it isn't Leo: there are other movies with Leo and other movies with SFX. For years until 1997, any movie taking the box office all-time crown pushed out a little bit. Titanic blasted the other movies apart. The reason Titanic is no 1 is because it is a great film. Of course it has flaws, like any other movie, but when you take $1.8 billion you must have got almost everything right.
Everyone thought that Harry Potter would knock Titanic off no 1. It didn't even get close. HP had a huge established following and great special effects... but the film was rubbish. It will take a truly great film with mass appeal and visually beautiful to ever dethrone Titanic: either that, or wait until inflation does the job.
So go and put your Leo-jealousy away (after all, his career has hardly been that good since Titanic: only Catch me if you Can has had been any good)and watch this film again. You will enjoy it and realise that it is a great movie.
Spider-Man (2002)
Spidey versus a Power Rangers villan
This movie has some good visual effects, but the story isn't anything new and the Green Goblin is pathetic. I think Mr Raimi must have got a Power Rangers cast-off for that mask. The Batman Joker was so much better as a villan... the green goblin just looked like a tacky merchandising effort... I bet the toys look just like the movie! It could have been worse, but it does not deserve to beat Attack of the Clones...
A Knight's Tale (2001)
An excellent cross between Gladiator and Titanic
Some people think that this is a girly movie, but my wife and I both appreciated this movie. It is the kind of enjoyable action movie that we see far too little of these days: the first Mummy, James Bond, Robin Hood Prince of Theives and so on. It has the right mix of action, romance and humour. Guys will enjoy Jocelyn's dresses as much as the girls enjoy drooling over Heath Ledger.
Good old fashioned entertainment.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Recipie for a blockbuster
Take 2 actors from Armageddon, 1 relatively unknown British actress female lead (just like Titanic) and lots of sinking boats. Add aeroplane fights (with the heroes nearly wiped out) from Independence Day. Mix in an utterly predictable love story and simmer for three hours. Tack on a story about a black hero as an afterthought.
On the other hand, the special effects and the performance of Jon Voight are great. For non-americans, probably the last hour is most interesting as I didn't know that bit of the story before.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
Beautiful to see, but lacking direction
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (the movie) is a beautiful movie and the acting, especially by John Hurt, is quality. However, it is presented purely as a romantic story, while the books speaks so much more about the brutality of war.
Take, for example, Mandras. In the book he starts off nice but mildly sexist and then is transformed by the brutality of his war experience in Albania and the Partisans to a cold-blooded murderer. Now in the film he turns into just the loser of a love triangle. But not completely... he still hangs the woman who likes the German. Why? It goes against his film character (although fits with the book character).
And the film ending. Well, its how a love story should end. But CCM is really about how war tears people's lives apart and how we can make the best of it. The book's ending wasn't perfect either, but it was better.
The Postman (1997)
Don't see this if you like horses
Well, after they kill his mule at the beginning I thought there had been enough animal deaths, but then they shoot the horse later. My wife was very upset by this. Maybe they should indicate if there are any cruelty to animal scenes in a movie: I know that the animals were not harmed in the making, but I want to enjoy a movie with my wife without her having to panic any time an animal comes on screen.
Voyage of Terror (1998)
A cross between "Outbreak" and "Executive Decision"
Cruise ship gets some deadly disease and scientists work to find a cure before everyone on board dies. Meanwhile, the boat is not allowed to dock and the passengers are getting scared and restless.
It has a low score, but it is not too bad for a TV movie. Entertaining for a Saturday afternoon, but nothing special. The acting is not too bad. The script is fast enough so that its predictable moments are not too bad. The special effects are pretty rubbish, though: all the external shots of the boat and surroundings are computer-generated and look like Toy Story rejects.
If you ignore them, though you can pass the time away happily enough.
Notting Hill (1999)
A British comedy that is NOT depressing!
I don't like Hugh Grant much, as he always plays the same character, but I liked this movie. It's refreshing to have a British comedy that doesn't leave you feeling depressed, like Full Monty did. And like any Richard Curtis script, it gets funnier the more you see it. I often see a trailer and feel that the movie didn't add anything to the trailer: in fact comedies often put all the good jokes in the trailer. Now, Notting Hill puts good jokes in the trailer but you laugh at them again in the movie and you laugh the second time you see it. This is Blackadder quality stuff.