How-Now-Brown-Cow Reviews

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

An outstanding and spellbinding piece of cinema

[10/10 · 20 October 2007]

I went to see this with a friend, and when I went I wasn't expecting much. From the trailer it looked like the usual Harry Potter, Narnia book adaptation that seems to dominate the film industry these days. But I was very wrong indeed. I came out of the cinema feeling deeply touched.

Firstly there is the fact that I can relate to this film so much. I am like Jess in that I love drawing, especially animals and faeries, and that I like running and I'm quite fast. I am also like Leslie in that I have an active imagination and am really good at English and story writing. When I was at primary school I did get bullied a bit by the older kids about the fact I wear glasses. I would often get very upset and hurt. So to see most of my personality portrayed on screen really got to me. I am 14 years old and, even though many say it's a kid's film, the film has become my favourite and has taken up a special place in my heart. And, thanks to that film, I'll never look at my rope swing in quite the same way again.

Then there's the film itself. The acting is sheer quality, and I thought both the young stars did a fantastic job. The imagination behind the film is ingenious: turning Scott Hoager, one of the school bullies, into a creature called a squogre (part troll, part Scott Hoager), is to me a brilliant idea. The way they use the sound of jangling keys with the Dark Master to represent Jesse's dad is also a nice touch.

So you can probably see why I rated this film 10/10. This film will remain with me forever and I will always remember it.

Alice in Wonderland (1966 TV Movie)

The best version of the book I've seen.

[10/10 · 6 June 2007]

Most versions of Alice in Wonderland involve bratty little girls running round a brightly coloured world inhabited by clichéd characters that sing irritating songs, and the film usually has a moral of some sort. The book has been very Americanised. But not this version.

What attracted me most was the way the film was shot. It was filmed on a wide angle lens, which beautifully distorts characters' faces. The scenes in which Alice drinks the 'Drink Me' bottle are cleverly done, with the wide angle lens allowing barely any need to change furniture size.

Also as good is the fact the characters (The White Rabbit, The Dodo, The March Hare) do not wear any face masks or prosthetics. Instead, they are simply dressed in Victorian clothing, which allows the actors to make full use of their acting abilities.

The film consists of long sequences of silence, reflecting that of an endless boring summers day. As well as this, the actors always stare off into space whenever not doing anything which gives a feeling of an old photograph.

The actors are quality. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party and the Court scene are simply wonderful, with Peter Cook as the absurd Hatter and Peter Sellers as an excellent King of Hearts.

Overall, this is the best version of Wonderland that's been made, in my opinion. I highly recommend it to all fans of the book.

Roman Mysteries (2007–2008)

A very realistic and convincing Roman series.

[9/10 · 8 May 2007]

The most impressive thing about this program is how realistic it looks. The costumes and the sets all look like something worn at the time. The program has obviously been given a modest budget. The acting is very good, with Simon Callow as Pliny, captain of a Roman fleet of ships. Flavia, the heroine, is convincing and can obviously act. The effects are tiny bit on the dodgy side, but it doesn't spoil the program. I have not read the books on which this series is based, but I am very tempted to now that this is on. No doubt the books will become a lot more popular than they already are.Overall this is an excellent series and I can't wait for the next program.

Clockmaker (1998 TV Movie)

This is so crap it makes me want to throw up.

[1/10 · 11 April 2007]

I was flicking through the channels when I found this. Not knowing what to expect I decided to watch a little bit of it. It was half way through and I didn't know what the hell was going on.

It's one of those typical things where the children wear bad 90's clothes and one of them's fat and stupid and is always hungry. The plot is unoriginal and has been used countless times before. What really annoyed me, for some reason, was the music. I don't know why but it really got on my nerves. And what was the point of that weird place where the women wore blue nun head thingies, and one of the women sounded like she was constipated?

This film is so crap it's worse than someone who'd had very bad diarrhoea. No one watch this filth.

Doctor Who: Fear Her (2006) Season 2, Episode 11

I don't see what's wrong with it

[9/10 · 29 August 2006]

Is it just me or are people a tad too fussy these days? OK, so Fear Her isn't on such a big scale as the rest of the series, but that still doesn't make it a bad episode.

The Doctor and Rose land in 2012, at the time of the London Olympics, but children are vanishing from an ordinary street and a mother is trying to hide her daughter Chloe's powers.

The plot is good, the acting is good, and it also has a rather sinister part - a half-living drawing of Chloe's dead father is lurking in her wardrobe and says "I'm coming to hurt you". Overall I think it's a pretty good Doctor Who episode, and I don't know what the fuss is about.

The Dark Crystal (1982)

A really good fantasy movie

[10/10 · 31 May 2006]

I brought this movie on DVD and I didn't know what to expect. But as soon as I started watching I became engrossed in it, and I watched it over and over again.

The story is of Jen, a Gelfling, who learns from his dying master urSu that he is the Chosen One, he must embark on a great quest to save his world from the evil Skeksis. He needs to find the Shard of the Dark Crystal and restore it before the Great Conjunction, or else the Skeksis will rule forever.

The puppetry is amazing, and looks so real. For long shots real people are used, but that adds to the effect. The creatures like the urRu (they're called the Mystics in the film), the Skeksis and the Pod-People are very well thought up, thanks to Brian Froud.

This film got me into fantasy films like MirrorMask and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so I have a lot to thank it for.

Mirrormask (2005)

One of the best films I've seen in ages

[10/10 · 31 May 2006]

I first saw MirrorMask a few weeks ago. I'd been dying to see it for ages. When I did see it it was just as I'd imagined. The CGI was simply fantastic. The acting was great. The different creatures like the Monkeybirds and the sphinxes looked so real, and the orbiting giants were amazing.

Sophie Leonidas was perfect as Helena, and I loved the wall of drawings she had in her bedroom. Valentine is my favourite character because he's funny and cheers Helena up whenever things go wrong. Gina McKee managed to play Joanne, the White Queen and the Dark Queen perfectly. Although the White Queen didn't have a very big part she still managed it. The part where the Shadows come out of the Dark Queen's mouth was really weird. And Rob Brydon was really good as the Prime Minister, and was good at explaining the story of the Dark Princess.

If you liked The Dark Crystal or Labyrinth as I did, then I really really recommend this to you.