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Damien-8
Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Breathtakingly amazing doesn't cover it...
Now it's true, this movie is not an exact word for word adaptation from the novel but nevertheless Lord of the Rings is a gem. A shining star, a precious stone, a diamond admit a bunch of cubic zirconia. Use what ever analogy you wish but the end result remains the same. The Fellowship of the Ring was a book for the ages and has been translated with the same feeling and care into a movie for the ages.
The Good points, the musical score is fantastic, perfectly capturing the feeling of an epic movie. The visual shots of both the landscape, the creatures of middle-earth and the set pieces are created with stunning precision. The overall feeling of being transported to another world, the feeling of watching in awe, of being held captive on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This is all prevalent from the very start of the movie.
The Bad points, the understandable but still sad fact that some parts had to be cut out from the novel due to length. Also some of the back history which was part of the historical development was sadly missing. The camera work doing the fight scenes was a little shaky making some parts hard to view. But scenes like this always look better on the small screen of your dvd than on the big screen.
One undeniable fact though is that the cast of LOTR did an incredible job acting. The standouts are Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Viggo Mortensen. All three should get an Oscar nominations, the first two for Best Actor with Viggo for Best supporting. The rest of the cast though is not a let done, not even in the same realm. Liv Tyler portrays Arwen with a sense of majestic quality and a calm patience.
Christopher Lee of course, is the ultimate evil character, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan round out the talented list above with a solid performance by each. One in which each steals a moment and entraps their characters in your heart.
So for those who want to see a masterpiece come to life on screen, go see the Fellowship.
The Matrix (1999)
An amazing movie
This is one of the best Sci-fi movies as well as one of the best overall movies to come along in a long time. It actually made you think and had a plot as well as great special effects and chemistry between the actor. In a time when creativity has hit a low point in favor of a sure money maker it was very enjoyable to see this movie unfold.
We can only hope that if there is a sequel as some people have hinted that it will only be done if all the actors come back. The last thing we need is another Speed 2 on our hands.
Highlander: The Raven (1998)
Not even close to Original
First I must say that I love Elizabeth Gracen acting in general and the way she portrays Amanda is great. But after watching this series I must say she should get an Oscar for holding this show afloat. First the writing is not even close to the standard of the original and I think that she just had more on screen chemistry with Adrian Paul. One of the things people loved to see the sparks fly between Amanda and Duncan. Not Amanda and Nick.
Paul Johansson plays a cop turned sort of renegade after his female partner is killed trying to save Amanda. Then in such he loses his job and now works with Amanda tracking down bad guys.
While Elizabeth Gracen still performs well with what limited talent around her this show is not that good. In all truth it borders on being simply bad. Nick (Paul) is not a eye drawing character and you spend most of your time trying to wait until he leaves. The story lines don't make a lot of sense and the only thing that is semi decent is the flashbacks dealing with Amanda (Elizabeth)
What the producers of the show should have done is when the new series of movies are made Elizabeth should be written into those. Hopefully Paul will be taken out of the show and the writers can try and take this show in a new direction. Concentrating more on the character Amanda.
Gunshy (1998)
Pretty good movie
First is this movie worth renting or taking the time to see it? The answer is yes. Michael Wincott is very good in this role and as an actor in general and his presence between his character and that of his woman and his "friend" gives this movie a believability that other movies lack. Of course the plot has a minor dip when William Peterson betrays Michael and sleeps with Diane Lane. But overall the story line is solid... the major upside to this movie though is that Michael finally plays a character who has some morals and who doesn't die at the end. So if you love Michael Wincott go see this movie.
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Great book Great movie
Just as the summary above it says this was a great movie. The actors all did a great job but Kristin did a fantastic one. She probably should have been nominated. Imagine how hard it is to still be in your teens but playing a role of that of an maturing vampire stuck in a child's body. Once again she did a fantastic job. Tom and Brad also did a great job also but that was to be expected. One thing I have to disagree with the other critics is the Antonio factor.
I thought he did a good job in a limited part. And for people who haven't read the book Antonio gave a great adaptation of Armand. If they do make a sequel to this great movie I just hope they get the same actors. Unless they are planning for the sequel to flop as soon as it's released.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Good, but not good enough
Alien: Resurrection while better than its predecessor it does not live up to the first or second installment of the movie. The new partnership between Weaver and Ryder just didn't hold up as well as Ripley and Newt's relationship or Ripley and Hicks for that matter. The third movie was by far the worse but the fourth one was not that much better. The special effects were good through out the movie up to the last "human" alien which just looked like a guy in a rubber suit.
Hopefully if they make a fifth one they will either bring back Hicks or write a script that brings back the old Ripley we all know and love.
Aliens (1986)
This is by far the best
What can I say, this is by far the best Sci-Fi / horror movie and one of the best sequels of all time. Ripley interaction with Hicks and Newt was both refreshing and believable. You know when you have a winner when you care what happens to the characters. Another testament to its greatness is the end of the movie that started with a cliff hanger and left you wanting more. Too bad the third movie was such a disappointment.