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JamesABarcomb
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An error has ocurred. Please try again*Films first released in the U.S. in 1989 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 1996 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 1985 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 1999 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 2003 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 1971 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 2011 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 1961 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 1986 (not including festival dates)
*Films first released in the U.S. in 2017 (not including festival dates)
Reviews
The Golden Compass (2007)
Great visual effects and cast, but suffers from poor script and confusing plot
The Golden Compass is a decent fantasy film starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, and Dakota Blue Richards in her film debut. All three are terrific in this film, most notably Kidman as the deliciously evil Mrs. Coulter (one could almost say that her villainy rivals that of Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix). The special effects are also brilliant, especially in the climactic battle scene (eye candy seems to be in this year!). Unfortunately, the film's strengths barely make up for its weaknesses. The screenplay is almost laughably bad (Iorek's speech about war feels clichéd) and the storyline starts to make sense, then goes careening off into different directions. Overall, The Golden Compass features great performances and visual treats, but also feels like a mashed-up version of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. Best for those who didn't like the book or never read it.
Saludos Amigos (1942)
Fun, but overlong, even at 40 minutes
"Saludos Amigos", is a short (but, at the same time, long) Disney film featuring four animated shorts set in South America. Surprisingly, I found myself LAUGHING throughout the film (I'm a Looney Tunes guy, not a Mickey Mouse guy. What gives?!). The Donald and Goofy segments in particular provide good insight into the customs of these Spanish-speaking people. The cartoon about the plane had good animation, yet it was a little too "cutesy" for me. By the last segment, however, I had grown tired of this film. Donald and Joe Carioca (who both appeared in "The Three Caballeros", one of my childhood favorites) appear in a dull and tacked-on short that can't seem to decide if it's supposed to be a pretty cartoon about the scenery of Brazil or a comedic cartoon full of Donald-style gags. Then, without warning, the film abruptly ends, leaving me even more disappointed. To wrap it up, this film is a nice time-waster, but see it for the first and third cartoons, and the live-action segments.