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Reviews
The Prophecy II (1998)
Shouldn't have been made.
I liked the first movie, but this is a textbook example of a sequel that would have been better of left on the drawing board. The general idea in the first movie was, if not great, then at least very interesting. This sequel tries to build upon the idea and the characters from the first movie, and though Christopher Walken is still good as Gabriel, the whole idea suddenly gets a bit ridiculous. If you haven't seen any of these movies, then get the first movie and forget about the sequels, they can take away all of the joy from the original.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
Hilarious absurdity.
This movie has (as far as I know) never been released in Denmark, so I had a friend bring it from the states, and it was worth it!! This is not a great movie in any way, but it is one of the funniest ever. I always thought that I would never find anything that would have me laughing harder than Monty Pythons "Life of Brian", but this movie succeded where so many others have failed. It is cheesy, obscure, the plot is bad and the acting is worse, but by god it is funny!! I have shown it to most of my fiends by now, and the only one who wasn't half-dead from laughing was a girl who couldn't really understand english well enough to get the jokes. If you haven't seen it, do everything to get a hold of it!! There are only two things that keep me from giving it a full 10: 1: It is still "just" a comedy, it hasn't really got a captivating story to tell. (Not that a comedy can't have that, watch "The Truman Show") 2: The health risk. You might just die laughing, or at least wet yourself!
The Prophecy (1995)
Interesting concept, good acting.
This is one of those movies that want to scare you by playing on what you don't know. At times it works, and at other times it is not as successful. I won't go into the story, as it could very well destroy some of the surprises that this movie is filled with. These are my reasons as to why you should see this movie: 1: The plotline is interesting. It might not be perfect, but good enough. 2: Cristopher Walken has always been one of my favorites, and in this movie he is simply excellent. Viggo Mortensen is certainly also worth mentioning (just wait for the scene where he is talking to the main character Thomas Dagget while picking the petals off a rose). 3: There are scenes that really managed to send a chill down my spine with the excellent cinematography combined with "divine cruelty". 4: My dark sense of humor was really satisfied in certain scenes, especially in the first scene between Gabriel (Christopher Walken) and Jerry (Adam Goldberg). All in all I would call this a movie well worth seeing, though not exactly a masterpiece 7/10.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Interesting way of storytelling.
I must say I liked this movie for two things. 1: Most movies will sum up the story in one or two plotlines, but this movie has several plotlines going at once, and it works pretty well. I am fascinated by the way you can see the movie from different characters point of view, and it's like seeing a different movie. 2: In this movie you can see Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins deliver some of the best acting they have ever done. They are really good as a team. (Watch "Meet Joe Black")
The downside is also the diversity in the plotlines. The movie attempts to tell as different stories as possible, and at times it all becomes a bit sought and unrealistic. Also some of the scenes about the relationship between Brad Pitt and the storyteller, his indian mentor, gets a bit too much. Still I gave this movie 8/10, very recommendable.
The Matrix (1999)
Brilliant or terrible?
I would be inclined to agree with the people that claim that The Matrix is unique, but probably not for the same reasons. In the beginning of the movie, I was on the edge of my seat, even Keanu Reeves' terrible acting couldn't upset me. I thought that the emerging storyline was one of the best I had seen. That feeling lasted untill the now legendary fight scene in the imaginary dojo. After this point the movie takes a huge step away from the style and course they laid out in the beginning. It got worse and worse as the movie wore on, and I seriously considered stopping the movie. I hadn't been as disappointed since Jurassic Park. If the moviemakers had just remembered to keep up the the innovative and awesome plotline, and not let it degenerate into one special effect after another, it could have been one of the greatest movies of our time. If you like to see a movie with excellent special effects, camera and lighting and action, this is clearly the movie for you. If you on the other hand demand that a movie has a complete and thorough plotline and story, just see the first half hour (or 45 minutes, I can't remember). My personal evaluation: 2/10
Shrek (2001)
Old themes well done.
Shrek is a classic fairytale. It includes just about all of the typical features of such: An evil king, a misunderstood individual, a merry and simple companion that proves to be an emotional savior, a dangerous journey, saving the princess and love triumphant. This has been done so many times resulting in so many cliches, and Shrek includes just about all of them. Even with this classic joy-killer it is still an extremely good movie, but why? I think the answer is: Because it's really well done. They managed to take all of the classic traits and jam it in a movie that still seems new and innovative. The soundtrack is a strike of genius, making the movie seem modern against all odds. The dialogue is brilliant and the lead animated characters personality is brilliant and complete in all of its simplicity. Several scenes had me doubled over laughing, and even in the more serious scenes I still sat there with a headshake and a disbelieving smile because of the sheer brilliance of the new wrapping. My rating: 8/10
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)
What movies were made for.
This movie doesn't have action, not much suspense, certainly no fearsome monsters or truly malicious crooks. There is no sex (much to Richard Harris' characters frustration), no violence and no special effects. So what does this movie have? The answer is one of the best stories ever told on screen, a couple of the best actors ever seen (the rest of the cast do pretty well too) and a kind of laid back attitude that works really well compared to the general theme of the movie. I could name a thousand good reasons to see this movie, but the major reasons would be these: Brilliant acting. A truly captivating story. The opportunity to really get under the skin of two really well developed characters. The constant playing on your emotions and personal experiences.
All in all this movie represents the whole point in making movies. A good movie cannot consist of action and effects alone, but it certainly can thrive just on telling a brilliant story. My rating: 10/10