Reviews

I do not like the stage version of this musical, I know, I know I don't care that it is ALW's most famous musical it just was not all that for me. AND I saw it with the marvelous Michael Crawford. He had a wonderful voice then but by the time they finally got this film going he was far too old to play the Phantom and honestly Christine on the stage is far too old. No woman of her age in the late 19th century and growing up in the theater would be so innocent, not possible! Emmy Rossum however was FAR more believable as was Patrick Wilson(I ALWAYS hated Raoul in the stage version)and Gerard Butler. Less vocal talent than Crawford but a much stronger emotional performance.

The film looked, sounded and felt stronger than the stage version I saw way back when and I'm glad I went to see the film despite not being much of fan of the original stage version.

This film is about the presumption that because Dodgeson cared so greatly for Alice there must be something wrong with him because he was a bachelor and not supposed to care for children or little girls. It has to do with Victorian society and their ridiculous notions that a bachelor couldn't love children the way a father would and that he must be ill. Mrs. Hargreaves nightmares were from the implications and assumptions made by her mother most noteably and only her sister seemed to really understand Dodgeson just cared for Alice as a doting uncle or second father figure.

Dodgeson was suspected of unnatural love for children for ages but there has never been any evidience that he was such a man and that he just had a great love for children. And in Victorian England for a confirmed bachelor that just didn't seem natural to people. How sad that even today people still believe it even with no evidence to support it... pshaw!

Had he gotten married and had children of his own no one would have even thought such thoughts but because he was a confirmed bachelor...silly silly silly... This is a stunning film I don't care much for Peter Gallagher but the "what if" story of the real Alice's reactions to the assumptions of Dodgesons character by the adults of her childhood is splendid and beautifully told.

We all went to see this expecting a simple enjoyable chick flick. What we got was a very well done film with some very talented young actresses and some unpredictable plot twists! The previews and ads do not do this film justice and while it may not be a masterpiece it is certainly a step above your standard chick flick and well worth seeing!

B+ from me!

For about 30 years now I've been a fan of Pirate films, from Captain Blood and The Black Swan to even the Muppets Treasure Island I've pretty much enjoyed most pirate films I've seen, even Polanski's Pirates was worth watching to me. POTC is so far and away one of the best Pirate films I've seen, it has all the elements of the classic Swashbucklers made in the 1930's that so many folks have had a hard time emulating. Depp and Bloom reminded me of 21st century versions of Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power. They had charm, humor and a sense of fun and pure enjoyment for what they were making. Not so serious that it felt heavy like Cutthroat island, which was decent but still lacking in the pure escapist fun that the original films had. I think that is why this film is so good, Mr. Verbanski was able to give us a true sense of the world of Hollywood Pirates. I mean who'd want to see real Pirates? They were dirty, nasty, brutal murderers and had very little sense of adventure that you see in these films. Remember folks, this isn't history..it is fantasy! Hurrah for Disney, they've produced a film that sounded ridculous at first but became a true reminder of the Swashbuckling adventure films of old!

I'm sorry but I don't care how many people want to say Peter Jackson's stole scenes from this film? What! Umm no the scenes people refer to are so well described in the BOOK, you know that thing Tolkien wrote, that of course they look alike. Get a grip here folks this film is awful! I saw it when I was a kid when it first opened in San Francisco and the first thing I thought was how can anybody SEE anything in this film? It is only when you have Gandalf or Legolas that there is any light on the film to see by. I do have to say I enjoyed Gollum, but that is IT. This film was horrible and there comes a time when a director if he is forced to cut corners and deliver an inferior product, like this film certainly is, that he should just BAIL. I just laughed so hard when I saw Boromir and he looked like a silly cartoon Viking with loin cloth and horned helm, what a joke! Sorry folks but you could never change my mind, until Jackson made his films the only way to really enjoy Tolkien was to READ the books.

I do say that the Rankin & Bass Hobbit and Return of the King though are better than Bakshi's film, not much, but definitly better!

It surprises me that some people think this is a horrible film. I was 3 when this film was released and for as long as I can remember I've loved it! The songs are fun, especially Hushabye Mountian, Chu-chi Face and Me Ole Bamboo. This movie is both light, cheery as well as dark and creepy, the Child Catcher to this day is one of the scariest villians I know! And know it is a fabulous musical in London! Hopefully someday it will come to Broadway, I'd love to see it on stage!.

This is a lovely, funny and well done romantic comedy. I have to admit I am impressed by the folks who continue to say they felt JG was too pretty to be Abby and that it just didn't ring true to them because of that fact. Well I'm here to tell you folks that this movie is closer to the truth than you realize. One of the things that DOES make this film soo good is that Abby is truly a lovely woman but is surrounded by main stream media and what it says beauty is, namely, Noelle, played admirably by Uma Thurman. Yes Abby is a beautiful woman, but as a woman who looks nothing like all the adds on TV or magazines like JG it is easy to see why she would think she isn't. And honestly I know way too many men who would pass her by in favor of the Noelles of this world. I have a beautiful friend who is very similar to JG and she has had the same problems Abby has in this movie because of perceived images of beauty. THAT is the message this film is trying to make that Abby is beautiful and the media has put too much emphasis on stereotypes. No I don't think they should have hired an UGLIER actress that is simply ridiculous, the film was not about an ugly woman but a beautiful woman who has fallen into the trap of "THINKING" she is unattractive! Watch the movie again folks, you'll see what I mean.

This is a stunning film, there have been all kinds of rumors and stories about the Rev. Charles Dodgeson and just who he was. This film lovingly and sadly portrays a what-if tale about Alice Liddell, the real Alice, of his famous books and what Victorian society did to her memories of this delightful man. I am not a member of the camp that thinks Dodgeson had a unnatural love for little children I find it preposterous and slanderous to say the least. This movie portrays him brilliantly and Ian Holm is such a superb actor you really feel sad for the lonely man with no wife and children of his own who writes these wonderful tales only to be suspected of unacceptable feelings for the little girl. This movie gives us all that with some wonderfully creepy Wonderland sequences by Hensen's creature shop. Simply marvelous!

Unfortunately sometimes fate has a way of messing things up. Both this film and the horrid Costner film had been made and were to be released the same year. Because Costner was a bigger name they decided to only release this film in Europe in the theaters and this one only showed on TV. HOW SAD! This film is far and away a superior film to the other in everyway. 1. You can tell this Robin cares about what is happening, in the other it looked and felt like Robin was bored and had nothing better to do(or worse he didn't care one bit!)

2. The story made sense and didn't jump and change or have characters who were stong in the begining(Marion)become meek little screamers at the end. 3. So realistically done, history wasn't stomped on for this film you could see they really did their research into what people would have dressed and looked like. Not so the other film who tooted their own horn in numerous interviews about their accuracy and then delivered an Ewok Tree village, a Muslim following around Robin because he had nothing better to do, and the ridiculous costumes!!!! Please don't waste your time with that other film if you want camp that is aware it is camp then watch the much Better Errol Flynn RH if you want history and fantasy combined brilliantly with a superb cast and well thought out version of the mythos then see this version or the BBC Lionheart TV series. :-)

If you can find this film it is fun to watch. One of the few Disney Live actions worth owning in my opinion. Not brilliant mind you but it is a lot of fun and there is certainly much much worse out there. This is one of my non-toon Disney favorites!

Wonderful piece and the best role Phoebe Cates has ever had. A sweet and sad tale based on true events, although how close this film is to the truth I do not know. But it is still one of my favorites, I even bought the DVD even though it wasn't in widescreen and had no extras, I just could resist owning this wonderful movie!

I'm sorry but this film is so badly done I not sure how anyone could like it. That is however my opinion and not meant to insult those who saw something in this film that I never did. IMO: Bakshi's animation is sloppy and badly done. Boromir looks like some tacky sterotype opera singing Viking. They get names wrong and just make some scenes so slopily that it is unwatchable! I was only 12 when I saw this in the theaters and I was very easy to please and yet even I wanted to walk out in disgust! I'm NOT a huge Tolkien fan so it wasn't the story changes that mattered to me so much as just the general confusion, lack of key plot points and just ridiculously bad animation! Bakshi can do better..look at Cool World or Wizards for example but this film is just sooo cheap and horrible in all aspects! Blech....thank god we now have the marvelous Peter Jackson film to make this film completely disapear forever.

One of my all time favorites. I saw this movie at least 3 times in the theater and watch it regularly on video/dvd. Beautifully directed and acted. I wish Robert Downey Jr. had gotten the oscar for his perfomance for this film, he was perfect. Even Chaplin's own daughter, Geraldine who starred as her own grandmother was shocked when she first saw Robert and said in interviews it was like seeing her father come walking towards her! I will never tire of this film, it is truly one of the greatest films made.