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Animal1701
Reviews
Open Range (2003)
Badly paced film rescued by excellent Gunfight....
Open Range is a film badly in need of some good editing.
The long empty sequences, when nothing of note occurred, seem to mirror the open range of the title. In terms of casting, Kevin Costner adds nothing to the film, apart from turning it into a pretentious work that tries too hard to be something that it isn't.
The only thing that saves the film from being a complete yawn fest is the gunfight near the end which is excellent. Even this is nearly ruined half way through by some unnecessary moralistic dialogue.
Summing up...
Gunfight 8/10, the rest of the movie 3/10.
Escape Into Night (1972)
Marianne Dreams.
This was a superb series and scared the hell out of me when I watched it 31 years ago. Based on the novel Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr it was far superior to the film Paperhouse which was also based on it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Mother Of All Epics
Peter Jackson has done probably as good a job as anyone could of fully realising Tolkiens middle Earth.
Casting couldn't have been any better with Elijah Wood forever defining himself as Frodo much as Mar Hamill did as a certain Skywalker 24 years earlier. In fact the parallels between Star Wars and LotR are many, Obi-Wan & Gandalf, Han Solo &b Aragorn and the comic relief being provided by messrs Took and Brandybuck instead of a pair of droids.
CGI work on the film again raises the bar on what is achievable in motion pictures. Fully realised fight scenes involving 1000's of Orc's, elves and men spring vividly to life. You can almost smell the Orc blood as limbs are hacked and warriors slain (echoes back to the good old days of Jackson's wonderfull Braindead).
All in all a defining moment in the Fantasy film genre. LotR will do for fantasy movies what 2001 and Star Wars did for Science Fiction.
Roll on 2002 and the Two Towers !!!!
Zero Effect (1998)
A splendid film !!!
A fine Sherlock Holme'sesque yarn for the 90's. Steve Arlo makes a fine Watson type to Pullmans master detective character. A film as enjoyable for its fine one liners and well crafted characters as its plot. The whole mix being finished off with a twist of the surreal.
If David Lynch had ever tried to do a detective movie it would probably have turned out like the Zero Effect.
Deep Rising (1998)
Cracking good entertainment.
Stick your brain into neutral, sit back and enjoy the ride. Deep Rising is far better than Sommers recent hit "The Mummy", with Treat Williams pulling off a passable impression of a young Rod Taylor.
If you enjoy the tongue in cheek humor of films like Tremors you'll love this.
Braindead (1992)
"It kicks arse for the Lord !"
One of my favourite films of all time. If Jacksons "Lord of the Rings" scales the dizzy heights that his earlier film Braindead achieved, it'll be one hell of a movie.
Stand out scenes :
* The arse kicking vicar (Jackie Chan eat your heart out). * The baby in the park (once seen never forgotten) * The Garden Gnome * The ultimate guide to flymower maintenance
For the complete cinematic experience indulge in a portion of custard (preferably with jam added) at a strategic point in this film (you'll know when). Then after the films finished get yourself home and get that mower out !!!