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Romeo + Juliet (1996)
It's not really too linked to the original. It's a fun version of the original
A lot of people are slating it for inaccuracies and the off the wall theming. But for me if you want to see the original story from Shakespeare see a more sober version. I feel both films can exist independant of one another. This is not the play as Shakespeare intended but it is fun and the actors exagerated style and movement means it transcends the old English language barrier. Such that a younger audience can get a better idea of what is going on. I am English and did English at college so I can understand a fair bit of olde English. But so many cannot. Not one for the purists, but certainly entertaining and fascinating.
Braveheart (1995)
Brilliant Film (but a lot of artistic license)
I saw this for the first time recently and wow.. I was very impressed! It's not perfect and the good (Scots) against the evil (English) is a bit too black and white. What I mean by that is that the English and King Longshanks are historically portrayed as completely cruel and evil. I know some of the history and in spite of being English myself I think the Scots had every right to defend their land and fight for independance. The film just makes out all the English characters to be comic bad guys and the Scots, of course, the good. I am not saying there were no bad English, I just think the real history would have been more conveluted. But I am not one of these anoraks, that pick out the helmets being the wrong diameter. It's entertainment and it serves that at a premium throughout. There are few boring parts in this great film.
Patrick McGoohan, in what must have been one of his last roles (RIP), is brilliant as the dry humored nemesis to Mel Gibson's William Wallace. I think the sets and the filming was all done superbly. You can really feel that wet Scottish landscape & the art director deserves praise. The action scenes are also excellant and very gritty. They use a lot of close ups of faces and nasty pointy weapons. This really makes you feel among the battles. None of the Alan Ladd-esque pantomime violence. There is plenty of blood and guts and soldiers (as in reality) not simply keeling over and being whisked to heaven. But lying in agony, painfully waiting for the reaper. This gritty style has been copied since. But this, along with Kenneth Brannaghs Henry V were among the first wave.
Charecter development is second to none. You really feel for the characters, I liked big hamish. A slightly simple, but good natured Scottish giant. When his father is cut down in battle and he weeps, it really resonated with myself.
As I said before the action and film direction is top notch. Yes the history is not as black and white. Yes Longshanks is a bit of a pantomime villain. But you can still take in most of the timeline of important events. Including the fact that Wallace was tortured horribly once caught. His severed body being sent to the four corners of England.
Well worth a look if you haven't seen it and like me, an old fashioned bloke that loves action and beautiful women (love interests).
Texas Rangers (2001)
Not as bad as a lot of reviewers have said it is
If you compare Texas Rangers to older westerns or one of my favorite modern Westerns (Open Range), this is a level or two below. However it is an exciting action film. The skirmishes and battles are well choreographed. Some people question Van Der Beek's casting. But I think he did pretty well. Kutcher I feel wasn't really right for the part. He is too self-confident for the role of a nervous young Texan man. Lonesome Dove has a few good examples of young bucks using actors that are more natural on screen.
The third big name (Usher) seems to show that this film was designed to appeal to older and younger audiences both. There is the sterner old school characters mixed with actors teenage girls have on their bedrrom walls. As for Usher I though the did well. But he didn't have many lines.
So the story and character development are where this falls down. It is very run of the mill in a genre full of similar stories. It misses character development that worked so well in Lonesome Dove. As with many Hollywood action films the pace is fast and most characters are introduced in a hurry. However there are films that are terrible in this area. I feel it's not so bad, the battle scenes are cleverly put together and if you listen closely there are some clever vocal scenes. If it had been 3 hours long it would have probably got a 7. But for an hour and a half if you are a fan of Westerns, beautiful landscapes shot with brilliant film cameras and lots of rivalry and fighting then there are worse ways to spend time.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Enjoyable Film
Fills a couple of hours well. The characters are all intriguing and there is some first class Hollywood a-listers on the bill. Such as Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger (RIP), Colin Farrell and Jude Law. As they all play the same character and as I did not know who was in the film. It was a good way to understand why they are big cheeses and great on screen visually. My favorite character was that of Andrew Garfield's. At the beginning dressed as some form of Pan. Complete with silver paint. Such brilliant kitsch charisma. Also the scene where he plays magic tricks with Tony's precious pipe. Plummer also plays a slightly less zany but no less interesting Doctor Parnassus. Lily Cole is also good, the main actors are all brilliant and very charismatic. So the story perhaps is the weak point of the film. A sort of variety of Faustian fiction. The old bargain with the devil and when he comes to collect. I feel the early parts of the film were better than the ending. As there were many twists and turns and as an average punter, you will be left scratching your head as to what it all means at times. The film is very good visually. From the stage and the cursed mirror. As well as the world beyond that. For me it just falls down at the ending. Which was not as gripping as it could have been. If things were explained a bit better. For conspiracy theorists, there is much to see here. I do understand some of the signs and symbols myself, but I won't comment too much. But there are clearly a lot of hidden meanings throughout. So if you wish to don your Deer Stalker there is some fun stuff to research. Also let's say RIP to Verne Troyer and Heath Ledger. Two brilliant actors who have since passed. Personally it is a good film, a little short of great. But it depends how much patience you have trying to untangle the detailed sub-plot symbolism.
Action Point (2018)
Dissapointing
I am very much a fan of Jackass and Johnny Knoxville. I think he has a good comedic brain and when on form can be funny naturally. So when I saw a trailer for this and the idea of a backwards theme park I thought it would be a good laugh.
Sadly the film didn't add much from the trailer and the story lacked structure, severely at times. There are some funny moments. But it is mostly slapstick. With political correctness so agonisingly crammed into everything these days I did wonder that the sensors may have killed the dialogue. I would say the chances of cutting crude jokes is pretty high, based on the neurosis of the current establishment.
Either way, the verbal comedy was pretty weak. There are some funny stunts and most of them are real and painful looking. This never fails to make me laugh. But the story is where it went south. The ending where the bad guy gets his comeupance is very formulaic and boring.
Interestingly one of the (fairly out in the open) themes in the film is corporate greed = bad. This is a silly film about a silly park owner, politics are not necessary and neither are watered down jokes. The premise is great, execution sucked. If you like Knoxville and Jackass you should enjoy it. But it really isn't all that great. One final point, the park the film is based on was pretty bad, but nothing like in the film. But hey I suppose it's comedy. Slightly above average.
Human Traffic (1999)
I am not interested in the subject matter personally, but I was entertained throughout
It's a very watchable film and even though I am not into that scene (which probably doesn't exist in this form anymore). I found it easy to watch and enjoy. Lot's of good direction throughout. A good insight to the cool kids/disenfranchised 'yoof'. Of the 90s.