JackBauerPowerHour Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Why Movies Are Great.

[10/10 · 6 May 2004]

The anticipation for this was huge. Alot of people, including me were expecting this to be a classic just like the first two were. So does this deliver. Well duh, of course it does.

Epic films come and go. Since the dawn of moviemaking, man has tryed to create the perfect filmgoing experience, usually through a big budget and a huge premise. Some films have succeed like the Star Wars which all amazing, But other films basically, you realize that they lack the main ingredient of a film: heart.

"The Lords of The Rings: The Return of the King" is the third and final chapter of JRR Tolkien's masterpiece about hobbits, men, dwarves, and elves fighting for the future of their home, Middle-Earth.

There are two ways to rate "LOTR:ROTK". One is rating the film. other is rating the trilogy as a whole.

THE FILM:

Peter Jackson continues to amaze. The former horror director is now a certified genius. He presents the tale in a bold, exciting way, and we watch, with our jaws at our feet. While some fans may be dissapointed because some important things were lefted out from the books.

As the previous two, the camera work is just wonderful, cinematography is breathtaking and Howard Shore's musical score is superb.

PJ makes the wise choice of using visual effects to help tell the story. The effects are probably the best I have ever seen. Using a combination of real location(shot in New Zealand) and computer effects, Jackson creates a world so lifelike and fantastic, that we believe we are seeing another world, not just our world changed.

On those effects: Gollum, quite possibly the most remarkabled special effect ever, not because of how realistic it is(he is very realistic), but how emotional he is. Andy Serkis was on set as Gollum every day. He spoke Gollum's lines, he did his movement, he made his facial expressions, basically everything. visual effects are make-up. The real movie magic is in the performance, which is just awesome.

The acting is also very good. Everyone delivers, especially Sean Astin(who I still can't believe wasn't even nominated for an oscar). He transformed Sam from a shy hobbit to a loyal, courageous warrior. He truly takes center stage in this movie. He was truly robbed.

THE TRILOGY:

In one word: Brilliant.

Overall:LOTR truly lived up to the massive hype and it deserved all the awards it got. The second greatest film of all-time, Flawless, Absorbing, Spectacular, Masterpiece, A Classic, an achivement beyond words. EVERYTHING IS JUST PERFECT. JRR Tolkien would be proud. Can't wait for the DVD.

10/10 and A++

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

So Many Thrills From Start To Finish

[8/10 · 19 April 2004]

Some SPOILERS AHEAD. So watch out.

It's rare to find a film that is thrilling, hilarious, disturbing, dramatic, emotionally moving, and powerful. It's even more rare to find a film that has all these qualities often on the screen at the same time. "KILL BILL Vol. 2" is the second half of one the best films of last year. Originally meant to be a four hour epic, KILL BILL was split in two volumes. Vol. 1 amazed so many people and this film does even more than that.

KILL BILL is a homage to martial arts and samurai films that writer/director watched as a child. Both volumes constanly change genres which makes them even more amazing to watch. Vol.1 started as a 1970's revenge flick, became a samuria film, and then a japanese anime, where gore erupted in which limbs and heads flew. Vol.2, in the other hand, is more about story, character development, acting, it has a western feel to it, is a fun kung fu film which makes it even better than Vol. 1.

Many critics and moviegoers were turned off by the lack of depth and often cartoonish nature of Vol One. This is one of the reasons why KB should of remained one film. The thin but exciting characters of V1 become more human in V2. What starts off as a stylish and exciting action film becomes more of a dramatic film for the ages. As we learn more about the backgrounds for each character, we start to understand them, like them, hate them, and finally, connect with them. Volume 2 has less violence than V1, but does it mean is less exciting. It's a richer, deeper and overall, an amazing story-line. The final themes are not revenge, or justice, as were those in V1, but love, courage, suffering, and what the future holds.

With these themes aside, KILL BILL is downright fun to watch. Uma Thurmans "The Bride", who was a killing machine in the first one, has some layers revealed here, and she becomes a warrior with purpose. Uma definiteley alot of notice, come oscar time. Not many actresses can potray this angry and violent character but shes does a great job at it. She becomes a memorable and heart breaking character here.

The rest of the cast deserve alot of notice to. Micheal Madsen, here becomes a great villain in a film with other great villains. Darrly Hannah is even better as Elle Driver, who was the brides main rival when they were both assasins. Her and the bride face off in a exciting fight which had the audience laughing, screaming, and covering their eyes. Then there's BILL. In V1 we never saw his face which made him mysterious. He's played by David Carradine, BILL is one of the most complex and involving villains since Darth Vader. As much as we despise him at first, we get to know him through flashbacks, we kind of start to like him a bit. What the bride and BILL both prove, is that within every killer, there is a nice person hidden. Carradine is excellent. Another fun character is Pai Mei, who in flashbacks trains the bride through some amusing scenes.

What more is there to say about this film, well edited, shot, acted, written, and directed. KILL BILL Vol 2 is a masterpiece. This movie definitely deserves some big oscar buzz because this is not only a masterpiece but one the greatest films of all-time. (A+)

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

So Many Thrills From Start To Finish

[8/10 · 19 April 2004]

Some SPOILERS AHEAD. So watch out.

It's rare to find a film that is thrilling, hilarious, disturbing, dramatic, emotionally moving, and powerful. It's even more rare to find a film that has all these qualities often on the screen at the same time. "KILL BILL Vol. 2" is the second half of one the best films of last year. Originally meant to be a four hour epic, KILL BILL was split in two volumes. Vol. 1 amazed so many people and this film does even more than that.

KILL BILL is a homage to martial arts and samurai films that writer/director watched as a child. Both volumes constanly change genres which makes them even more amazing to watch. Vol.1 started as a 1970's revenge flick, then becomes a samuria film, and a japanese anime, where gore erupted in which limbs and heads flew. Vol.2, in the other hand, is more about story, character development, acting, it has a western feel to it, is a fun kung fu film which makes it even better than Vol. 1.

Many critics and moviegoers were turned off by the lack of depth and often cartoonish nature of Vol One. This is one of the reasons why KB should of remained one film, thats what people say but I think splitting it into two volumes was the right thing. The thin but exciting characters of V1 become more human in V2. What starts off as a stylish and exciting action film becomes more of a dramatic film for the ages. As we learn more about the backgrounds for each character, we start to understand them, like them, hate them, and finally, connect with them. Volume 2 has less violence than V1, but does it mean is less exciting. It's a richer, deeper and overall, an amazing story-line. The final themes are not revenge, or justice, as were those in V1, but love, courage, suffering, and what the future holds.

With these themes aside, KILL BILL is downright fun to watch. Uma Thurmans "The Bride", who was a killing machine in the first one, has some layers revealed here, and she becomes a warrior with purpose. Uma definiteley deserves alot of notice, come oscar time I hope she gets a nom. Not many actresses can potray this angry and violent character but shes does a great job at it. She becomes a memorable and heart breaking character here.

The rest of the cast deserve alot of notice to. Micheal Madsen, here becomes a great villain in a film with other great villains in it. Darrly Hannah is even better as Elle Driver, who was the brides main rival when they were both assasins. Her and the bride face off in a exciting fight which had the audience laughing, screaming, and covering their eyes. Then there's BILL. In V1 we never saw his face which made him mysterious. He's played by David Carradine, BILL is one of the most complex and involving villains since Darth Vader. As much as we despise him at first, we get to know him through flashbacks, we kind of start to like him a bit. What the bride and BILL both prove, is that within every killer, there is a nice person hidden. Carradine is excellent. Another fun character is Pai Mei, who in flashbacks trains the bride through some amusing scenes.

What more is there to say about this film, well edited, shot, acted, written, and directed. KILL BILL Vol 2 is a masterpiece. This movie definitely deserves some big oscar buzz because this is not only a masterpiece but one the greatest films of all-time. (A+)

Final Fantasy IX (2000 Video Game)

An Epic Masterpiece.

[10/10 · 19 March 2004]

When this first came out I didn't think about buying it but seeing it was a Final Fantasy game. I had to. Let me describe how incredible this game is.

The Gameplay: Like all the FF games the control scheme is not hard to learn. Is just awesome, One of the finest RPG gameplay I have ever had the chance to experience. 10/10

Story: Amazing. The plot starts out good in the beginning but the more you progress through the game the better story gets with wonderful characters that you get attach to deeply, nice character development, a lot of humor, drama and self discovery elements thrown in there too. 10/10

Graphics: Beautiful and Outstanding. Clearly the greatest to ever grace the PSX. It truly captures your attention and imagination. Is just Breathtaking to look at. 10/10

Music: Squaresoft truly knows how to put magnificent music in there games. This soundtrack gives this game more of a epic feel to it. Thats why FFIX is a work of art. 10/10

Replay Value: (Depends on what you like to do) If you love RPG games you will definiteley like to go through that experience all over again especially with everything I mention above. 8/10

Overall: What more can I say. This was the game that made love RPG's all over again, not since Chrono Trigger was I blown away by a RPG game. This game clearly is better than FFVII and FFVIII, also the second greatest PSX game ever made. If you haven't had the chance to experience this wonderful gem, go out right now to your nearest videogame store and buy this because this is definiteley a keeper for any true gamer. (10/10 and A+)

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001 Video Game)

Brilliant in every way.

[9/10 · 14 March 2004]

How to describe the greatness of this game. Here I go. When I went to buy this on the day it came out. I was so excited, I couldn't wait to get home and start playing this right away. When I got home and put the game inside the PS2. The intro started and my jaw fell to the ground because it was so f***ing breathtaking. I knew this was gonna be one hell of a thrill ride.

The Graphics: Simply spectacular, probably the best I have seen on any console. Snake looks even more like a badass than ever. All the other characters look completley realistic.10/10

The Controls: Awesome, is easy to control snake,raiden and the weapons you get to use.10/10

The Story: Mind-Blowing. The plot is very dark and complex with so many plot twists from beginning to end. This will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat just waiting to see what happens next and I thought 24 had a lot of surprises but nothing comes close to this. This is the type of story videogames should have.10/10

The Sound: Excellent musical score by Harry Gregson Williams, very cool attention details and also great voice acting especially from David Hayter. Also with one of the greatest videogame soundtracks ever made. 10/10

Lasting Ability: Collecting all the dog tags is very fun but other people would probably stop playing it for awhile, mainly to free there minds of what they just witness.9/10

Overall: This is the greatest game ever made, simple as that. Took a lot of years to make this magnificent piece of art work. My hat goes off to Hideo Kojima and his entire MGS2 crew for creating this true Masterpiece/Classic. Too bad we have to wait for MGS3 to come out in November but trust me is worth the wait.(A++)

Boomtown (2002–2003)

One of the greatest shows ever.

[10/10 · 31 December 2003]

So many words to describe how great BOOMTOWN is. The 1st Season was truly Brilliant with great writting on every episode, amazing directing, wonderful characters, a beautiful theme song and top notch acting by all the actors. Seeing this show for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was watching. Neal McDonough performance as the Deputy DA David McNorris is nothing but Astonishing . Episode by Episode this show got more smarter and more addictive. This was the best show on TV in 2001-2002 and also the best I have seen in years, this also should of been nominated for every EMMY nomination there is but it wasn't. The 2nd Season of Boomtown was not better than season one but it was just as great. Nina Garbiras was not in the show any more, she was replace with Vanessa Williams who played the sometimes tough Katherine Pierce. The writting was just intelligent as ever, you still cared about the characters deeply, in the second episode you see David McNorris fighting his inner demons. When NBC put this show on hiatus because poor ratings(even tough NBC didn't promote at all). In November NBC cancelled the show, me and every other fan were very p**sed about this but in mid december I heard that they were gonna air the four remaining episodes of the series. I was very happy, I loved the little marathon they had on saturday and was very sad to see the final Boomtown episode. This was the type of show you could use the word "Great", even tough is not on no more this will never be forgotten by real TV viewers.(1st Season=A+)(2nd Season=A-).

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

The Great Disney Company is Back.

[10/10 · 22 November 2003]

Seeing this wonderful film, I was amazed with everything. The story is fresh and delightful, the animation is very beautiful and the characters are all entertaining especially Stitch. The relationship between Lilo and Nani is very powerful because there trying to become a family and also trying to take care of each other. Chris Sanders came up with the idea for this, I hope we see more of his writting and directing in the future of this company. Disney hits a big home run with this animated classic which they haven't done since The Lion King. No wonder this was acclaim and a Box-Office hit. There's nothing more I could say about this wonderful film. Kids and Parents should see this together. Is hard to say if this is gonna be remember like other great animated movies because I'm never gonna forget it.(A-).

The Matrix (1999)

A Sci-Fi Classic.

[10/10 · 28 October 2003]

The First time I saw the Matrix, I didn't know what I was getting. When the movie was over I was completely amazed especially by the great story. This was great from beggining to end. The Wachowski Brothers did a Brilliant job with the writting and directing. Every actor does a really good job as there characters especially Keanu Reeves as Neo. I have seen this movie so many times that I never get tired of it. This is a Definiton of Sci-Fi classic. This was clearly the best movie of 99. If you haven't seen this movie, then your missing out on a great movie. The Fight at the end is nothing but amazing. The sequel of this is really amazing but is never gonna be the Classic this was. This is truly a Classic. A Must See movie for anybody that wants to be Completely blown away. (10/10 and A-).

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Bang,Bang

[8/10 · 19 October 2003]

I was Truly blown away by this movie. Quentin Tarantino does a great job the writing and directing, blending so much things together like Comedy, Animation,Catchy music,Cool action scenes and alot of gore and violence. When I went to see this movie I didn't know what to expect but this movie truly lived up to the hype. Uma you kicked so much ass in this movie that Neo is jealous, you deserved an Oscar nomination. Quentin I have to admit you are a f*****g genius and you deserved a Oscar nomination. This is probably the movie with the most gore and violence in movie history. This movie deserves mega attention in the Oscars for every Big Category including Best Picture. Quentin you did the right thing splitting this into two Volumes. Can't wait for February to see Volume 2. What else there is to say about this, this is Truly a Must See for any movie lover. My Grade for the movie:(10/10 rate and A-).

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

A Great Second Chapter.

[10/10 · 10 October 2003]

LOTR:TTT is a wonderfully crafted movie with amazing writing, great directing, fantastic special effects(especially Gollum) and Top notch acting all around. A great sequel and movie. No wonder this and LOTR:FOTR are Classics. This movie a lot more money than part one, in my mind this isn't better than FOTR but is still a Spectacular movie to see everytime. What I really liked about this movie, is more complex and way darker than the last chapter. I still don't know how Peter Jackson wasn't even nominated for this amazing movie and also this not winning a BEST PICTURE award, which deserve to win instead of that overrated movie Chicago. I regret seeing this only once in the theater but now I can see this anytime I want on DVD. T give PJ and his crew all the credit in the world for these two Classic films and possibly third. Can't wait for the last chapter in December. I hope Pj finally wins a Oscar for his great directing and also this Brilliant Trilogy winning a BEST PICTURE award. A True Masterpiece.(10/10 rate and A).

Smallville (2001–2017)

Best show on the WB.

[11 September 2003]

Smallville is slick and cool,mainly because it has good storylines in episodes.Season One I really enjoyed,it had good plots,nice Character development and Cool Special Effects.The Season Finale I really liked.Season 2 in my mind was way better than Season 1 mainly because everything was more improved like the plots,Characters and Acting.The show was way darker,critics and viewers thought too.The Actor that surprise me this season was Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor he really was the man this season.The Season Finale for Season 2 really kicked ass.Kristin Kreuk and Allison Mack are really hot.I can't wait for Season 3.Overall for Both Seasons:/Season 1:(B+) and Season 2:(A-).I Can't wait for Season One to come out on DVD.

The Lion King (1994)

So many words:Fantastic,Wonderful and Terrific.

[10/10 · 27 July 2003]

This movie is truly a classic and it's going to stay like that forever.The first time I say this movie I was completly amazed how great something can be.Every character is great in this movie.I have seen this movie so many times,that I love it more every time I see it.This movie is in my Top 10 favorite movies of all-time.This and Aladdin are the two greatest animation movies ever.Can't wait for the DVD.This movie is going to be remember forever by People around the world.A Masterpiece.A perfect 10/10 and (A+).

Aladdin (1992)

One Word:Amazing.

[10/10 · 10 July 2003]

What can I say about this great movie,simply amazing in every category there is in movies.This is just classic movie and it's great like other animation movies like The Lion King,Iron Giant,Beauty And The Beast and Toy Story 1&2.Every actor in this movie does a great job as their characters especially Robin Williams as Aladdin's funny Genie.I have seen this movie a 100 times and I never get tired of it.There's so many words to describe this:Terrific,Wonderful and Fantastic,greatest animation movie ever.Definately in my Top 10 favorite movies of all time.A great movie that's going to be remember forever with kids and adults all around the world.A Classic always.10/10 and (A+).

Chrono Trigger (1995 Video Game)

A Great RPG Game.

[10/10 · 3 July 2003]

This game has everything you possibly want in game like great Characters,amazing story and beautiful graphics.This is in my Top 5 favorite games of all time.When I first played this game I was very amazed how great a game can be that a lot of people didn't even know about.The more I play Chrono Trigger the more I love it.This is the most underrated game I ever played in my whole life.One thing I really like about this game is that is really long.This game is good in every category there is in games.I hope sooner or later SQUARESOFT does a true sequel for this great game.A Classic forever.I give it a:(A+)

Unbreakable (2000)

Very Unbreakable

[10/10 · 30 June 2003]

This is a great movie in every category there is in movies.This movie is better than some people give it credit,very underated.Awesome Story,Amazing cast,and a really great ending probaly one of the best in years.M.Night Shyamalan does a real great job with the writting and directing.In my opinion this is M.Night Shyamalan best movie of his life,better than Sixth Sense and Signs.There's been rumors about a trilogy in the works for awhile now.I hope M.Night Shyamalan changes his mind to do it because it has a pretty good chance to become a great franchise.If you haven't seen this movie,your missing a good triller.I give it a:A-

The Color of Friendship (2000 TV Movie)

A Touching Movie

[8/10 · 28 June 2003]

The first time I say The Color of Friendship,I didn't know what I was getting at first but then I really liked this movie a lot.This movie was very good in a lot of ways.Now I know why this movie won a Emmy and a couple of awards.Good acting,Good Writting and Good Cast.A Touching movie.10/10.

Batman (1989)

The true Dark Knight.

[8/10 · 26 June 2003]

The first time I say this movie I was 5 years old.I fell in love with the movie,after that I became a huge Batman fan.Then I started buying the toys,seeing all the cartoons and movies even Batman & Robin,also reading his comic books.Tim Burton does a great job in capturing the true darkness of Batman unlike Joel Schumacher did in Batman Forever,especially in Batman & Robin.Michael Keaton does his best performance of his life as Batman/Bruce Wayne.Jack Nicholson also does a great performance as Joker/Jack Napier.I hope Chris Nolan does a good job in directing a Batman movie like Tim Burton did.I give it 10/10.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Simply Amazing.

[10/10 · 25 June 2003]

What is there to say about this movie.Fantastic,Amazing,and Breathtaking.This is truly a classic in every category there is in movies.Pater Jackson is a genius,I'm surprised he didn't win a Oscar for best director.Everybody does a Brilliant job as there Characters especially Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins and Ian McKellen as Gandalf.This movie has everything you want in a movie like Great acting,Great Special Effects,Great Story and Great Directing.This is the Second Greatest movie behind Shawshank Redemption.A perfect 10/10.Truly a Classic.

X2 (2003)

A Great Comic Book movie

[7/10 · 24 June 2003]

This was a good movie probaly better than I thought.A big improvement over part one.better story,amazing special effects and good acting.Bryan Singer does a real good job with this movie showing how mutants are really suppose to be seen.Everybody does a great as there Characters especially Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Allan Cumming as Knightcrawler.this and Batman are the best superhero movies ever.I hope X3 is just as good as this movie.In my opinion X3 should have more characters like Gambit,Jaggernaut and Beast.Other Chracters in X2 should have bigger parts in X3 like Colossus and Shadowcat.A perfect 10/10.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The Prophecy is real.

[7/10 · 24 June 2003]

The most anticipated movie of the year,also the best movie of the year.There is only two movies that can top this:Matrix Revolutions and Return of the King.The greatest special effects and greatest fight scenes ever.The story is a little hard to get at first but the more you see it the more you get it.Keanu Reeves is the frickin man in this movie.This is the second greatest sequel behind of course Empire Strikes Back.I can't wait for Matrix Revolutions this year.People out there don't know what they talking about,this movie is great.The Wachowski Brothers are genius in every category there is.Carrie-Anne Moss is so hot.This movie is a perfect 10/10.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995)

Greatest Superhero cartoon ever.

[10/10 · 21 June 2003]

This cartoon is great in every category there is.Paul Dini did a great job in creating this cartoon.There's been a lot of great superhero cartoons like Spider-Man(FOX),X-MEN(FOX),Superman(WB),and Batman Beyond(WB) But this cartoon is something else.Every episode in this cartoon is good.Season by Season this cartoon got darker and Darker especially BATMAN.Second Greatest cartoon behind DBZ.If you haven't seen this great cartoon,Buy the episodes on DVD or see the reruns on CARTOON NETWORK ON MONDAY thru FRIDAYs.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The greatest movie to ever be made period.

[10/10 · 18 June 2003]

What can I say about Shawshank Redemption this movie has everything you possibly can in a movie like great writting,great acting,and great directing.Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins give thier best performance of thier life in this great movie.Frank Darabont does a great job with the writting and Directing.I'm surprised this movie didn't win any oscars.Who cares this movie is still the greatest thing to ever hit the theater.This movie is going to be remember forever.This is truly a great movie in every category.A classic to always remember.

Boomtown (2002–2003)

One Crime.Seen from every point of view.

[10/10 · 15 June 2003]

The first time I saw a commercial for Boomtown I was like this show is gonna be real good.When I saw the first episode on NBC I was very amazed how great the show was.I'm not really into crime dramas like Law and Order and CSI but Boomtown is something else.To me Graham Yost is a genius he's written a lot good stuff like Speed,Band of Brothers and Broken Arrow.The cast in this show are great as there characters like Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Joel Stevens,Mykelti Williamson as Detective Bobby Smith and Neal McDonough as David McNorris.I was mad when I heard that NBC might not bring back this show back but they renewed it and was very happy.In my opinion Boomtown,ED and Scrubs are the best shows on NBC right now.I hope NBC puts this on DVD.

24 (2001–2010)

What can't Kiefer not do

[7/10 · 15 June 2003]

The first time I heard about 24 I thought it was a stupid idea,basing a whole a show in one day.Then months and months later the first season of 24 came out on DVD.Then my older brother bought it,I was mad.Then 4 months later I started watching the show,I gotta admit I was hook completly on the show.After I finish watching the whole first season,I sarted watching the second season because my brother was recording the whole season.Now I know why critics love this a lot.Kiefer Sutherland does a great job as the badass jack bauer.His daughter in the show is sometimes annoying but she makes up for being hot and sarah winter does a good job as Kate Warner,she's also hot.Dennis Haysbert does a great job as President Palmer.If you haven't seen this show,Buy season one on DVD and Buy season two when it comes out on DVD this fall.Also don't forget to see season three this fall on FOX.