allfunandgames Reviews

Duma (2005)

An Excellent Family Film

[9/10 · 8 December 2005]

It is a real shame that DUMA failed to receive any sort of theatrical release here in New Zealand, as the film offers many enchanting moments for adults and children alike. The story mainly concerns the strong bond between Xan, a young white South African boy, and Duma, his orphaned Cheetah, and the adventures they have as they cross the country to return Duma his homeland to attempt to induct him back into the wild.

DUMA is directed by Carroll Ballard with an unparalleled eye for the visual beauty of the scenery and countless creatures found in this natural habitat; so much so that you could be mistaken for thinking that you were watching the Discovery Channel at times. Alexander Michaletos (Xan) has the majority of the screen time and gives a solid performance in conveying a broad range of emotions and feelings and seems right at home with his feral co-stars. Eamonn Walker, as Ripkuna, and Campbell Scott and Hope Davis, in limited roles as Xan's parents, are all also outstanding, and the work with the Cheetah(s) is remarkable with little, if any, cheating using CGI.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of this film, however, is to fully develop Duma, yes - the Cheetah, into a genuine three dimensional character. The way camera lingers on this magnificent creature, highlighting his stripes and fur, reactions and mannerisms, helps us, the audience, fall in love with the real star of the film. The adventures and encounters that Duma and Xan have along the way to their eventual destination contain more heart, more subtle nuances and a greater sense of discovery than any family film released so far this year. If you can get through the opening few scenes without your heart melting then you are truly made of stone. Recommended.

Going the Distance: Remembering 'Marathon Man' (2001 Video)

Above Average Making Of

[8/10 · 13 June 2005]

Going the Distance: Remembering Marathon Man is your standard, run-of-the-mill retrospective making of documentary with all the key players present, but with a couple of notable exceptions. What makes this worth your precious time, is hearing William Goldman's very candid thoughts on the altering of his novel and subsequent screenplay and Dustin Hoffman stating that if he hadn't been married at the time he and his leading lady would have gotten on "very well" (with raised eyebrows and added emphasis). An above average making of that I would definitely recommended to fans of the film and to the Robert Evans junkies out there.

Oliver Stone's America (2001 Video)

Oliver Stone's America

[5/10 · 28 September 2004]

A lengthy interview with director/writer/producer/some-time actor Oliver Stone which is undone by an interviewer who is too busy worshiping the interviewee, rather than asking 'real' questions, and a hyperactive camera that is more of a distraction than an asset. Oliver Stone, however, is candid, honest and at times brilliant when discussing his career and the criticism leveled at him and the state of American society today. Film buffs will find precious few anecdotes about the production of his films or the actors he has worked with as instead the conversation is directed towards the meaning and motives behind his films. Recommended to Oliver Stone fans and critics of his work.

Road to Perdition (2002)

Fantastic

[9/10 · 1 June 2003]

Sam Mendes has done it again. In his follow up to the incredibly successful 'American Beauty', Mendes has crafted a true masterpiece. A father-son film unlike no other, the relationships between Hanks, his son and his surrogate father Newman are brought to life via vivid performances by all involved. Filled with memorable scenes and images, 'The Road to Perdition' will have you fighting back tears on numerous occasions. A rewarding experience.

Best bit: The piano scene. 9/10

One, Two, Three (1961)

One, Two, Three

[9/10 · 5 May 2003]

'One, Two, Three' is surely one of the finest comedies ever produced. James Cagney in the lead is dynamite, with his mouth going like a rocket through inspired one liners and barking out orders to his underlings. At times you swear that he is about to pop!

Full of subtle and not so subtle digs at both communism and capitalism, Billy Wilder has created a comedy classic. Seen with a packed audience last night, the audience would have averaged about 3 laughs per minute. So at 101 minutes long, this would mean that I must have laughed in excess of 303 times.

Highly recommended - 10.

Best Bits: The running 'heel' and 'clock' jokes plus the hilarious trip to the airport.

Worst Bit: Can you believe that this was only nominated for ONE Oscar - for Black and White Cinematography?

The Last Days (1998)

Heartbreaking

[9/10 · 30 April 2003]

An absolutely unforgettable documentary and one that should be seen by everyone. The Holocaust images and portrayals that are put forward on screen will remain with you forever and are at times equally emotionally devastating and inspiring. Truly a life-altering film experience. Recommended.

9/10

X2 (2003)

X-Two

[8/10 · 29 April 2003]

X-Men 2, the sequel to the highly successful and solid original comes to the screen with much greater hype, expectations and budget than the first and for the most part, lives up to them and raises the standard for Comic Book Films even higher.

As with the first, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine carries the film. Jackman has the best lines, action scenes and screen presence - mainly due to limited screen time for the always excellent Ian McKellan. The film starts off strongly with a great scene in the White House and carries this momentum to a terrific battle for the Mansion, with Wolverine really cutting loose. However, the finale and slightly hammy ending not being able to keep up with initial pace is somewhat of a letdown. Character-wise, Iceman, Pyro are coming along nicely and Nightcrawler is a welcome addition to the family. But why does Mystique, a supporting villain at best, get far more screen time than Magneto? With so many characters and so little screen time (135 minutes goes by VERY fast)someone has to miss out, with Cyclops once again drawing the short straw.

Still, there are plenty of treats for fans; with 'Dr. Hank McCoy' making a guest appearance and a great cameo by Colossus (steel skin), while 'Jamie Madrox' (Mulitple Man) and 'Remy LeBeau' (Gambit) on the computer screen showing intricate attention to detail.

Overall, a real treat for fans, a top-notch action/sci-fi film for everyone else and more enjoyable than the original.

Best Bit: Wolverine's berserker rage in the mansion made my hair stand on end!

Worst bit: The ending lacked the emotional impact that the filmmakers were aiming for. And the prospect of having to wait another 3 years for part 3 - how can I survive?

Daredevil (2003)

Daredevil - My review

[5/10 · 2 April 2003]

Seeing as Daredevil is the latest in a recent, and growing, string of comic-based movies, it is only fair that it is judged and compared with its peers.

Daredevil certainly features more action than both X-Men and Spiderman, as it moves from setpiece to setpiece, often with shallow story points to link them together. The action is fast and frenetic, but often obscured by the darkness, which also serves to attempt to disguise the constant stream of special effects. Director Mark Steven Johnson has previously helmed the sap 'Simon Birch' and this 'talent' is obvious during the love scenes here. Too often do they seem contrived and rushed, with Murdock being reduced to someone who has sex on the first date (no offence).

But Daredevil is not all bad. The casting of Duncan as head honcho Kingpin is a stroke of genius and Farrell has the time of his life as the wild Bullseye. As for Garner, she is the eye candy, as well as being a real physical talent in the martial arts department. As Murdock, Affleck is only serviceable, while his stuntmen have their work cut out for them throughout. The rest of the supporting cast play their parts well, with Favreau a constant riot and Kevin Smith in a choice cameo.

As a whole, Daredevil occasionally entertains as a pop-corn flick, but fails to reach the lofty heights set by both X-Men and Spiderman.

Worst bit: The cliché 'open fire' love scene (which singlehandedly lowered my grade a whole point).

4/10

Mississippi Burning (1988)

Fantastic!

[9/10 · 27 January 2003]

Mississippi Burning is one of those titles that despite knowing that it is apparently a modern-classic, I have put off seeing because of the average video cover. Finally, I took the plunge and boy was it rewarding. An inspired story, cracking dialogue, witty humor, Oscar winning cinematography and brilliant acting, especially by Hackman, makes Mississippi Burning a must see. Go rent it now.

The Good: The fight between Hackman and Dafoe (shown at 2003 Globes)

The Bad: The KKK

9/10

Oxygen (1999)

For Brody/Tierney fans

[6/10 · 25 January 2003]

A rich housewife has been kidnapped, and Oxygen has all the hallmarks of a straight-to-video release, and has very little else on offer. Regular plot twists (some good, some obvious) keep the viewer from changing channels, but average directing and a formulaic plot prevents Oxygen being as good as it hopes to be. Bonus: Lots of familiar faces in the supporting cast.

Best Bit: Adrien Brody has a ball in a sadistic role

Worst Bit: Story has holes and is less than gripping

6/10 (I'm a big Brody fan)

Pleasantville (1998)

Anti-Communist?

[7/10 · 25 January 2003]

Pleasantville is an unusual movie; one about culture, family, freedom, love and even color! The casting is perfect, special kudos to Macey, who was born for the role. My main problem with the movie is that it goes on too long and thus loses part of the impact of its 'message'. Also, did anyone else spot the anti-communist/Nazi subplot? Extra points for the premise, script and music.

Best bit: When Jeff Daniels is looking through the art book

Worst bit: The over the top trial 7/10

Thunderheart (1992)

Culture

[7/10 · 25 January 2003]

Thunderheart is a standard action/thriller, bolstered somewhat by the fact that it is based on fact. The plotting, acting and directing are all slightly above average, but the real highlight is Graham Greene, who is a constant enigma throughout the film. Also reccomended is the documentary Incident at Oglala, which covers the true events of which this film is based on.

Best Bit: The badger!

Worst Bit: That this thing actually happened! 7/10

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

Better than Beckham!

[7/10 · 23 January 2003]

Bend It Like Beckham is the latest in a strong series of English comedies, in particular About a Boy, Billy Elliot and Bridget Jones, although it may seem like a weak teen comedy at first. Gurinder Chadha effectively hides the typical 'struggle against culture' under layers of charm, wit and an interweaved storyline. A must for all soccer fans and teenage girls, Bend It Like Beckham manages to be at times hilarious and obtains the rare feat of incorporating Indian culture into an entertaining movie. Even better, it has very little actual footage of David Beckham!

Best bit: Juliet Stevenson (Jules' mum) steals every scene she is in!

Worst bit: Falls into the standard 'parents walking in on you' scene a few times too often. 7/10

Dragonfly (2002)

Dull

[5/10 · 23 January 2003]

Its easy to see why films such as this and the similar in tone Mothman Prophecies get made; The Sixth Sense is one of the top grossing films of all time and came out about 4ish years ago. This means that any script that is slightly supernatural in tone is now recognised as a bankable product. So thus we have Dragonfly, which concerns one mans (Costner) quest to find out what happened to his missing, presumed dead wife, aided by her attempts to guide him from the grave.

A film about faith, courage and belief, Dragonfly ambles through the pedestrian story and credibility goes straight out the window once Costner returns to the jungle.

Best bit: The spooky scenes within the house and Jeffrey waking up.

Worst bit: The tired 'one man who is right, but everyone thinks is crazy storyline'. 5/10

Reign of Fire (2002)

Wasted

[6/10 · 19 January 2003]

Reign of Fire is a movie that has so much potential, showed so much promise, but fails to deliver leaving the audience unsatisfied. Even more worrying is hearing the director talk about it being a "scary movie", whereas it is firmly rooted in the action/sci-fi genre. And it also loses one point for the worst closing line ever.

Serendipity (2001)

Average!

[5/10 · 3 October 2002]

The average romantic comedy suffers from one undeniable problem; the ending is a forgone conclusion. What is meant to makes them fun, however, are the characters and the way that the plot takes them to this predetermined finale.

The main fault with Serendipity is that while Cusack and Beckinsale do a decent job in their characterizations, after the initial setup, the movie just meanders and the script can't keep up with the talented lead and supporting cast. The ending is great, its just the journey getting there that lets this movie down.

Major Payne (1995)

'PG' Wayans!

[7/10 · 3 September 2002]

MAJOR PAYNE comes a refreshing surprise to anyone who sits down expecting to see a standard 'kids vs adults' story, mainly due to Wayans playing against type and some wicked black humor. Note, there are 3 uses of the 'S' word (for anyone watching with kids).

7/10

Girl Fever (2002)

Tongue firmly in cheek

[4/10 · 25 August 2002]

100 Women (as it is called here in New Zealand) is touted as "the sexy follow up to 100 Girls". Well, while both movies have no relation directly to each other, 100 Women is practically the same story... but with 'Women' that are only a couple of years older than the 'Girls'! 100 Girls is the better of the two movies, and is not essential prior viewing , but it does give you an indication of what to expect from 100 Women.

The story basically resolves around a loser (Donella) who meets the perfect girl (Bartlet, who is very easy on the eyes), but then loses her number, so does everything he can to find her. An interesting premise, but very similar to that in 100 Girls.

The main character is very unlikeable and there are some terrible gross out gags (pulling out nose-hairs anyone?) and it even has Clint Howard in a cameo. But the dialogue seems forced and coming straight from the screen-writers pen, rather than from a real life character.

Overall, an average 'teen comedy', but to enjoy do not take it seriously, or else you will feel as though your life has been wasted.

4/10

100 Girls (2000)

Script problems

[6/10 · 25 August 2002]

Certainly an average 'teen comedy', 100 Girls does offer something new if you have seen all the others. Some definate moments of cheese and the main character seems to be quoting 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus' at least half the time. Otherwise, a few laughs, sweet moments and unnecessary nudity make this worth your while.

6.5/10

Followed by a quasi-sequel '100 Women'

Unforgiven (1992)

Modern Classic

[9/10 · 25 August 2002]

Unforgiven tells the story of a retired gun-slinger who has hung up his guns and been domesticated by his now dead wife. An offer to avenge a cut-up prostitute and receive a bounty lures him (Eastwood) and his old partner (Freeman) out of retirement and into partnership with a youngster...who is blind as a bat!

Everything is right about this movie; the acting is top-shelf, especially by Hackman, and Eastwood puts in perhaps his career best performance. The music is stirring, but seldom used, cinematography stunning and the story is gripping, with a wide ensemble of characters all fleshed out beautifully by Peoples screenplay.

Not just a reviving of a classic genre, Unforgiven defines it and deserves its space with the classics.

Unfaithful (2002)

Superior

[9/10 · 24 August 2002]

Happily married housewife (Lane) engages in an affair with a mysterious Frenchman (Martinez), while husband (Gere) becomes more and more suspicious.

Director Adrian Lyne (9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction) has chosen to concentrate on the effects of the affair upon the relationships within the film, rather than the standard 'husband seeks vengence' plotline and does so successfully. This is due to the terrific performances given by Gere, whom has never been better, and Lane, who is outstanding in conveying her characters dilemma.

For a plot that could have been taken from any cable TV erotica, Unfaithful is a very deliberate, well crafted drama/thriller and makes for gripping viewing.

Windtalkers (2002)

Misfire!

[6/10 · 18 August 2002]

What with all the war movies lately? A big drought of several year either side of Saving Private Ryan, then within the space of a year we have; Behind Enemy Lines, Black Hawk Down, Harts War, Pearl Harbor, Tigerland, We Were Soldiers and finally now Windtalkers - Director John Woo's latest.

Sadly, despite my high expectations, Windtalkers falls well down on the aforementioned list in terms of both quality and enjoyment.

Problems: Is anyone else sick of the "cop/soldier haunted by nightmares/guilt of not being able to save partner/girlfriend/comrade" cliche? And thats just the beggining. The enemy is facelss and only exists to fall out of bushes whenever Cage shoots, acting is uniformally bad (why not poach half the cast of Last of the Mohicans for the Navaho parts? Their acting was far superior), the typical racist cliches, pistols with the stopping-power of shotguns, with only ONE shot required to knock over and kill any number of adversaries and contains the worst developed love story this side of Pearl Harbor.

Windtalkers is not without merit, the butterfly interupted by a floating body still remains with me and the set-piece with Slater in the Japanese village is typical Woo.

Other than that, there are few redeeming features and I also agree with several other reviewers on the bizzare use of stock footage for the battleship scenes. Why a 100 million dollar film need to use stock footage is beyond me. Perhaps an attempt to give a feeling of authenticity?

A huge disappointment for Woo

7/10 (thank to my Woo bias, otherwise 5/10)

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Brilliant, beautiful, poetic - but not for everyone!

[9/10 · 20 March 2001]

The Thin Red Line is such a hard film to review:

On one hand; its gorgeous filming, powerful acting and poetic scripting combine to create one of the most powerful and brilliant war films of all time.

But on the other hand; the fragmented nature of the story, sometimes hard to follow battle scenes and lack of a clear outcome count against it. These factors are even more telling against the casual viewer who may find it long and boring (see previous reviews).

But I was held transfixed by the beauty of both the pictures on the screen as well as the poetry in the various voice-overs, perfectly accompanied by the Hans Zimmer score. An image that will stay with me forever is of the injured bird struggling to move....

Not a movie for everyone, but classic all the same. 9/10

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Awesome, but limited!

[7/10 · 6 July 2000]

By now you will know from the trailers and other user comments that this movie has some of the best special effects, water or otherwise, to ever grace the big screen. This really helps add to the realism and makes it all seem much more believable. Character development wasn't too bad, either and some genuine moments of tension are created as several crew members lives are threatened and as the storm closes in. Main problem, though, was that the emotional impact at the end was fairly weak and it finished all too quickly. All in all, a special effects treat limited in emotional impact. 7/10

Three Kings (1999)

Perfect Combination!

[8/10 · 11 June 2000]

No need to explain the plot as it can easily be found above or bellow my comments. But I would like to add that in my opinion, Three Kings is a brilliant example of a multi-genre movie, brilliantly acted and a real eye opener for anyone who had even the faintest of interests in the Gulf War (i.e: Everyone!). Be warned, though, it contains the violence and foul language that would be expected of a modern-day war movie. 9/10