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Reviews
Big Fish (2003)
A delightful treat from the mind of Tim Burtan
I've always been a fan of Tim Burton, he's one of the few directors who is able to put himself into his films without jeopardizing the story, that said, I have never thought of him as a great drama director, his movies are fun to watch, but you rarely have much emotion for the characters.
Well after watching Big Fish, i take that back, Tim Burtan can make an emotional drama, you care for the characters of this film, and you want to learn more about them as the films goes on. The story is great and its still got that lovable Burtan quality and feel to it.
The performances are also great, most notable Ewan MacGregor, if he doesn't get an Oscar nomination then i will finally be convinced that the academy are just a bunch of fools. He proves in Big Fish that he is one of the best actors of his generations (and he should also shut up those who were hard on him for his performance in the star wars films)
This is one of the best films of the year, and a real treat to movie goers, go see this, its a film for everyone to enjoy
Die Another Day (2002)
Brosnan's Second best outing
Die another day was pretty much bashed by most critics, and several movie goers claimed it to be one of the worst bonds, but thats because since the series took its 6 year break after licence to kill it has become cool to hate the new Bond films (don't ask me why?), for example look at how Goldenye was received when it first came out, people hated it, but 8 years after its release, it is considered by many fans as one of the top 5 Bonds
Die another day is the same way, in 8-10 years it will be looked back upon as one great Bond film. Yes its a little over the top, but not more then Moonraker or You Only Live Twice was, and what really makes this a good film is Pierce Brosnan, he seems tailor made for Bond, and as with the previous actors he is finding his Groove near the end of his 007 career (this is his fourth film, and probably second last outing). As I said, Brosnan, makes this movie for me, his performance makes you overlook the sub par performance of Halle Berry (the films only real weakness)
So if your looking for a real good action adventure film then buy or rent Die Another Day, its not the best Bond film ever, but on an enjoyment level it ranks only behind Goldeneye, as Brosnan's Best.
Hercules (1997)
Disney's Worst Animated Film of the 90's
Hercules, sounds like it would make a great idea for an animated adventure, its got everything, from adventure for the guys, to a love story for the girls, to monsters and magical gods for children, and adults , so how is it that Disney messed this one up?
I don't have the answer, and I've never ran into anybody that does, part of the problem may lie in that Disney decided to mix up the Hercules' story we remember from high school, and instead give us a family friendly version (but hey this is Disney what did you expect)? This new version almost works, but it's still not effective because rather then give us something new it mainly rips off aspects from the Superman films, as well as Empire strikes back.
On the plus side, the animation is wonderful, and the voice talent is good. Tate Donovan is sub-par as Hercules, but Danny Devito and James Woods are excellent as Philoctetes and Hades, and Rip Torn is pretty funny as Zues.
Now don't get me wrong, Hercules is not Disney's worst movie of all time, it just that with the studio's huge resurgence in the 1990's, with the likes of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, the Lion King, hunchback of Notre Dame etc... Hercules just doesn't measure up the their quality
6 out of 10
Mostly True Stories (2002)
This show is great
I love this show
Basically there's no difficult plot or wacky characters to get used to. Rather, the show is simply just a TV show that shows us famous and not so famous urban legends, and then examines them to see if they are true stories or if they are just ones that were made up long ago and have been passed down through camp fire tellings or more recently through e-mail and the Internet.
The show really doesn't have a schedule, it just seems to pop up every 2 or 3 weeks on TLC (usually on Sunday nights or Tuesday nights and 9 pm EST). I Hope that TLC will give it an actual schedule, because this show is just really fun to watch.
It's hosted by Natasha Henstridge. She sets up each segment (each show solves 5 urban legends) and then we see a mock up of the legend as portrayed by actors as a narrator comments on the legend. The production values are nicely done as each "mini movie" of the legend doesn't look fake and the acting is actually better then you'd expect from people that are not big name actors (I've never seen a familiar face in any segment, they must just use local actors to make the show seem more "everyman").
This is one TV show that you have to check out, its fun to watch, but at the same time you walk away from it learning a few thing about our culture and the tales we tell our friends and families.
10 stars
Goldfinger (1964)
Connery's Best
Goldfinger is what a James Bond movie should be. Its got the action, the perfect bad guy, the beautiful girl, the perfect menacing sidekick and Connery's Bond performance is dead on.
Sean Connery was always good in the role, but now the writers and direction had caught up to him and all the elements had fallen into place and what were let with is the perfect James Bond film.
The plot has never been topped in any James Bond film since, it involves Auric Goldfinger's attempt to turn all of the gold in Fort Knox radioactive so that his Gold Prices will skyrocket and make him a billionaire. The film set the standard formula that every Bond after would follow.
If your a James Bond fan, there's no doubt you've already seen this movie a million times, but if you are new to 007 or if you tire of the new over the top Bond adventures, then I suggest you rent Goldfinger on DVD
10 stars
Dr. No (1962)
A strong first outing for 007
Dr. No is a beautiful film, that serves its purpose in the History of James Bond.
Its not over the top and it relies more on dialog and exotic locations to continue the plot rather then the big explosions and stunts we see in the modern 007 adventures(although it does have its share).
Sean Connery is right on in this one, unlike other actors who have become Bond, Connery didn't need 2 or 3 films to settle into the role, you believe he is James Bond right from the first moment we see him. This is partly due to the fact that we had not seen another actor in the role on the big screen, but it can mostly be attributed to Connery's brilliant performance.
So all in all Dr. No is not the greatest 007 film, but its also not the worst, the story is a little sub-par compared to the Moore, Dalton and Brosnan films, but its got enough to hold your attention for 2 hours.
8 stars
Daredevil (2003)
The Best comic book movie yet
Daredevil (DD from here on in) in my opinion is the best comic book movie yet. Mark Steven Johnson (the director)was the best man for the job, he's a die hard DD fan and he brought a very dedicated version to the big screen.
Ben Affleck, who at first is not your first choice to play a superhero does an excellent job in the movie, and i hope he comes back for the sequels. Jennifer Garner is also great as Elektra and i look forward to the Elektra solo film. The rest of the cast is just as great, from Colin Ferell as the menacing Bullseye, to Joe Pantalliano as the snooping reporter and Micheal Clark Duncan as the crime lord Kingpin.
Daredevil is not only tops in performances, but both the story, and CGI are much better than they were in Spider-man, had DD been a more popular superhero like Spider-man, Superman or Batman, it could have made the money those films did, but because DD is more of a cult favorite in the comic book world, the film didn't do as well as it should have (although at $107 million it still did good ).
But i do recommend you buy the DVD, you'll for sure watch the film over and over again (also i should point out that FOX knew this film had its fans and treated them to a very good DVD, not only in sound and picture quality but in the extras as well)
So to sum it up, Daredevil is all what a comic book movie should be, fast, fun and true to the nature of the original source
10 stars