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redlief
Reviews
The Polar Express (2004)
Come on people! This is a great movie!
First off, I give this movie a 10 for production values. Innovative, exciting, stunning visuals. Buy the DVD, but if you get the chance to see a re-release on a big screen, do it.
This movie is a ten for acting...yes, I say, acting. These figures on the screen are computer generated using a live action process with real actors. Sometimes the tone or volume of an actor's delivery is over the top in such quasi-animation movies. Actors tend to want to make their mark vocally when they believe their image isn't on screen. However, Zemeckis must have had the complete trust and cooperation of his cast. A beautiful job of maximizing the fantasy while keeping the characters human.
This movie deserves a 10 for pace, continuity, and music placement. A story is told, action delivered, characters developed, a climax is reached,and an ending brings all the elements together. The writer and director execute the necessary elements that captures the viewer's imagination,makes us care about the characters, and keeps us watching for the conclusion.
This movie deserves a 10 for entertainment value. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of R rated movies, but I do yearn sometimes for intellectual entertainment as a change of pace to loud action or a few bare breasts. The fantasy does include scenes of suspense and "action" but the story line and the visuals are what entertains in this movie, not the visceral stimulation of organs south of the belly button.
I give this movie a 9 because the limitations of a Christmas theme makes things just a little familiar. On December 23, with a few inches of new snow on the ground, a fire going in the wood stove, and a spouse, grandma,and the kinds gathered around the TV and a bowl of popcorn, this movie would get an 11+. But when you slap it in your SUV DVD player as brain candy for the 4 year old in the back seat as you drive to the family 4th of July picnic, it's thematic specificity is the only downside to this movie.
Buy it, watch it, enjoy it, and for those of you giving this movie ones and twos, stick to watching the Blair Witch Project.
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
Actually a good movie
and worth the time to watch. I only write this comment, because this movie has the worst, absolutely WORST, theme song. Perry Como does the Italian ballad thing, but his song is just awful. So much so, that while you watch the opening credits, you are very tempted to turn this movie off because any movie with such poor music may very well make other production decisions just as bad. Luckily, if you fight the urge, you will see a very good movie and hear no more music until the end credits.
Newman does the lost soul redeemed through woman role very well and all is believable.
Pier Angeli is a sad Hollywood story, and this movie is one of her best performances. She has that delicate fragile presence on screen that contrasts so well with the Newman boxing thug image. Beauty and the Beast themes always have the element that there is a threat of danger to beauty, but clearly in this movie,Pier's character is the leveling agent for this relationship, and she excels in this role.
Rocky Graziano is the American dream, work hard, channel your talents, trust on those who love you, and all that America has to offer is yours. Of course it helps if you're white and male, but what the heck, this isn't brain surgery or social comment, it's a movie, and not a bad one at that.
Die Another Day (2002)
Where's the Suspense?
Bond movies have always shown the world to teeter on the verge of global annihilation, driven by a crazed villain who belongs to a private organization (CHAOS). The destruction of silicon valley, destruction of America's gold supply, or the ransoming of a nuclear bomb have always been the impetus for Bond jumping in and saving the world. Now we deal with the destruction of the minefields in the Korean DMZ? Please action scene after action scene need to drive to a climax that sustains the suspense. How will Bond save the world, foil the bad guy, and wind up in bed with the girl? In this film, the bad guy isn't that bad, the world is not worried about a minefield, and the girl is a better action figure than sex object. This is not a bad movie or even a bad Bond movie, it's just another step away from the Albert Broccolli vision of the international sophisticate that saves the world. Maybe we are seeing Barabara Broccolli's vision.
Minority Report (2002)
Decent but not Top Notch
Pre-cogs? Computer interactive light tipped gloves? Two legged spiders? The writing is wanting in this film. We are constantly asking why.....Why does Cruise's character live apart from his love......Why does the security for the pre-crime unit still allow Cruise admittance to high security areas? Why did they devote a great deal of time in the beginning to the sprinkler on the lawn, yet Cruise needs to delay for effect by asking about a door being ajar? The story needed the twist of the crime for the Von Sydow's character, but why was murder the only option? Why is the female pre-cog able to visualize and relate to Cruise in real time all the potentials during a mall jaunt, but needs hi-tech brain wave contacts to get information she's been echoing all movie? Did anyone think that Cruise was going to shoot the guy? I am a sci-fi fan and am able to suspend disbelief for excellent movies like Blade Runner or Forbidden Planet, but I'm sorry, this misses the mark. Good acting, great action, beautiful direction and pictures, but a movie starts with a story, and not just a concept that's cool, but a fleshed out tightly written story that transfers into a screenplay that leaves very little for the audience to ask, "Why?"
Paul the Redlief
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Best part from the first book.
The flying dinosaur and the elaborate cages Hammond created for them, was one of the best parts of the original book. I missed it in the first movie, but thought this was a great presentation of the dire circumstances in which Grant finds himself. Top notch acting in this one with a great cast. Yes it was on the short side, but the story was set well, progressed within reason, and then took us for a ride. Good product and much more enjoyable than Mummy or Tomb Raider. Now, for JP 4, they've got to incorporate the "invisible" dinasaurs from the second book! Joe Johnson is not Speilberg, but this has that "music as character" bent that Speilberg always uses.