Change Your Image
BernMaya
Reviews
Broken Lullaby (1994)
Interesting story and zero chemistry!
The plot was quite interesting, with the Russian revolution background. I also enjoyed seeing Budapest as the movie was partly filmed there. Sadly, there was zero chemistry between the 2 main characters so it was hard to believe the love story between them. The love scenes were forced and mechanical. Jordan kirckland was really stiff, almost icy. Rob Stewart was quite charming and boyish, so she looked like his older sister rather than his girlfriend. The ending, when we finally figure out who was actually after them, was quite weak and made no sense whatsoever. I think I would have enjoyed this movie a lot better if the relationship between the 2 actors was slightly more credible.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Best movie adaptation of a Potter book
In my opinion, this is the best movie adaptation of the Potter books. I enjoyed seeing the visuals that I could only picture in my head while reading the book. The battle at the department of mysteries was choreographed really well and I really enjoyed seeing the DA in training as well as the old picture of the members of the Order. The portrayal of the dementors attack at the beginning of the story was so much darker than I imagined. I'm so glad we had a brief glimpse of Kreature. I just wished Jim Dale did the voice over. He is amazing in the audiobook. I never expected the movie to be able to retain all the details in the book, but I wish we had more of the Weasly twin pranks and were able to see more details about James Potter's torment of Snape. The movie also failed to explain the reason why Harry was lured into the department of mysteries ***warning spoilers*** as only the subject of a prophecy can retrieve the record. Noteworthy was Daniel Radcliff's acting. He really matured as an actor in this movie. The actress playing Luna was outstanding, she really brought her to life, with so much softness and so much humanity. Gary Oldman did a real moving portrayal of Sirius Black and dominated every scene he was in. This actor has an amazing ability to express so many emotions without saying a word. When he got hit with the Ava Kedavra curse, I made a loud gasp, even though I knew it was coming. The look on his face was a mixture of surprise, sadness, fear and love for Harry. He is just an outstanding actor. Helena Bonham Carter was born to play Bellatrix Lestrange with her evil laughter and her piercing eyes. Snape appeared much nicer than he is portrayed in the book and we do not see Lilly Evans defending him like in the book. Finally, the lady who played Umbridge was phenomenal. I know she got an Oscar for Vera Drake, but she certainly deserves one for this movie. She delivered an unbelievable performance as the sadistic, manipulative and cunning bureaucrat that sucks the joy out of life. We also never learn that she sent the dementors against Harry in the summer. My only disappointment is that the fountain statues did not come to life like in the book.
I cannot wait for book 6 to be made into a movie. I wonder who will play Slughorn. Can't wait.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Another great novel, butchered by Hollywood. When will they get it right?
Where do I begin???? Did Mr Ludlum loose his mind before he passed away? How could he allow Hollywood to destroy the beauty of his finest novel, my favorite spy novel of all time? "Based on a novel by Robert Ludlum" is an understatement. There is nothing from the novel except the name of the main character Jason Bourne -who is not even the true identity of the main character, but his CIA cover - and the fact that he had amnesia and had a microchip planted in his hip, that's it. Oh, no wait, he also worked for a CIA cell called Treadstone 71. Where is the true assassin, Carlos the Jackal, the reason why Treadstone created the Bourne identity altogether? The script writers obviously have a very naive and distorted understanding of how the CIA works. My dad was a CIA officer and I can assure you that they do not go around killing people all over the world, innocent as well as guilty, just because someone at headquarters ordered them to do that. They also don't sentence one of their field officers to death simply because they lost contact with him. In the novel, David Webb was a washed out CIA officer who underwent plastic surgery to take over the identity of well known assassin called Jason Bourne. He spoke many languages, European and oriental, and was sent to draw out Carlos from his hideout. The beauty of the story is his relationship with the Canadian economist Marie St-Jacques and his quest to find out who he was. In the movie, Jason Bourne had to run away from other CIA assassins, while in the novel, it was Carlos and his men who were after him. the CIA was trying to figure out what happened to him, not kill him. And whose idea was it to cast Matt Damon in the lead role? Jason Bourne is supposed to be in his 40s and not a young looking kid. In the Bourne Supermacy, he actually is a college professor and Marie gets kidnapped (I'm sure the Hollywood version is completely different, have not seen it yet). When Hollywood turned Mission Impossible into a movie, they had the entire team killed, turned the team leader into a traitor, and left Ethan Hunt to be the solo hero. Now they butchered the Bourne identity altogether. Please read the story, or at least watch the TV movie with Richard Chamberlain. It is more faithful to the novel. What a disappointment this was. If a story is good enough to be a bestseller, why change it? Oh and the scene where Matt Damon rides a corpse down 7 floors and then walk away without a scratch... I mean come on. Are you kidding me?
United 93 (2006)
Raw, honest and superbly presented! A must see!
The story of flight 93 is an inspiring and heart wrenching story that needed to be told. All those of us who witnessed the events of 9/11 unfold on this fateful September morning remember clearly what we were doing and where we were. I was personally on my way to work when I heard that AA 11 hit Tower 1. 90 minutes later, I watched the Pentagon on fire from my office window. From that moment, my view of the world had changed for ever. I was quite relieved to see that this movie did not try to politicize the issue and just narrated the events faithfully, without any agenda. The footage was raw and poignant. Greengrass did not try to tone down the barbarism of the highjackers who cheered when they learned that "their brothers had hit their targets". We also get a glimpse of the terror that the passengers had to live through and overcome. The movie gives due credit to Thom Burnett's composure, heroism and leadership. A bunch of every day Americans who have been put together on this doomed flight and decided they would not go down without a fight. The movie was very well done, with very little background music and some real footage of the events. I was so shaken when it ended that I sat throughout the end credits, unable to move. I was very surprised to see a number of people from NORAAD and the FAA play themselves. How more realistic can it get? The bottom line is that this is a great movie and tribute to the first front line casualties of the war on terror and must be seen with the respect these heroes deserve.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
A movie of rising stars - wonderful and mesmerizing!
I am a big musical fan and phantom of the opera is my second favorite Broadway musical after Les Miserables. I had seen the Phantom of The Opera several times on stage and hesitated to see the movie until I realized that Andrew Lloyd Webber was heavily involved in it (Some of you may remember the horrible movie adaptation of Les Miserables starring Liam Neesam and Uma Thurman!!).
The movie was mesmerizing, the music and singing sublime. I actually thought Gerard Butler was the best Phantom I had ever seen (and yes, I did see Michael Crawford on stage, so don't shoot me). He played the phantom with such an intensity, it took my breath away and drove me to tears. While you never get to see much of his face, he dominates the screen with his charisma. The chemistry between him and Chritine (Emmy Rossum) vibrates through the screen. Emmy Rossum was fabulous, just fabulous, as Christine. She managed to convey innocence, beauty, courage and fear so exquisitely. And boy what a voice! I was dumb founded when I realized she was only 16 while making the movie. She's definitely established herself as Hollywood's most promising new star. Patrick Wilson made Raoul more memorable, more solid and more alive than I can ever recall him to be. The theatrical performance has always left Raoul more on the sidelines. In the movie, he has a larger role and he portrays Christine's lover and protector with fervor. It does not hurt that he is also a very handsome man. Thumbs up to Minnie Driver and Miranda Richardson. I'm glad to see directors beginning to tap into Minnie Driver's comic ability after her guest role on Will and Grace. And while she did not sing in the movie, she also has a beautiful voice that can be heard in the song "Learn to Be Lonely" at the end of the credits. While I loved everything about this movie which I have seen 3 times so far, I think it was inexcusable that the lip synching was so badly coordinated, especially since all the songs were performed by the proper characters (except for La Carlotta). I would have expected more perfectionism out of Joel Schumacher and Webber. Apart from that, it is an A+++ all the way.
Please go see this movie. If you liked the stage performance, you'll love the movie.
Fanfan la Tulipe (2003)
Boring!!!!!
I lived in France, speak French fluently and have a great appreciation for French humour. This movie sucked big time and was a great disappointment for me. My sister and I watched 45 minutes of it and walked out because we were both extremely bored. We managed to stay that long because we kept waiting for each other to say something first. The script is very poorly written and Fanfan is really annoying. I could not take another minute of Le Marquis screaming "Oh la nuque!". This is the first time I have ever walked out of the theater in the middle of a movie. This is how bad this movie was. Cruz must have been going through financial trouble for accepting the role. If you though that Le fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain deserved an A+ (which I did), this one deserved an F-.