Bruce Almighty-Fun, smart, and original; everything it ever was. Decent performances, good scripting, and good humor. Much of which extends to the deleted scenes.
What Movie Did You Just Watch? ... And Robin
-
ajmrowland
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 8177
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 pm
- Location: Appleton, WI
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
What a magnificent snooze-fest! Great cinematography, as always with Welles, but other than that, this movie's got nothing to offer. Wooden performances, cardboard cut-outs that have to pass for actual characters, and... nothing ever happens. Ever. It starts with a scène of people talking... and then there's a scène of people talking... and a scène of people talking... and a scène... you get the point. Doesn't have to be bad. 12 Angry Men was all about people in a room talking. Great movie. But the dialogue was believable and the content was interesting. None of that in this dreck of a film.
What a magnificent snooze-fest! Great cinematography, as always with Welles, but other than that, this movie's got nothing to offer. Wooden performances, cardboard cut-outs that have to pass for actual characters, and... nothing ever happens. Ever. It starts with a scène of people talking... and then there's a scène of people talking... and a scène of people talking... and a scène... you get the point. Doesn't have to be bad. 12 Angry Men was all about people in a room talking. Great movie. But the dialogue was believable and the content was interesting. None of that in this dreck of a film.
-
dvdjunkie
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5613
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 10:05 am
- Location: Wichita, Kansas
Monty Python's Not The Messiah (He's a very naighty boy)
(2010) Blu-ray
Celebrating 40 years of Monty Python, the boys got together for a live on-stage presentation of "Life of Brian" and this Blu-ray is the result of that one-night performance in the Royal Albert Hall.
Starring Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and a cast of hundreds in the chorus, this is brilliantly well done as it puts the whole movie to music. The show-stopper of the night is Eric Idle's impersonation of Bob Dylan, and, of course, what would a Monty Python show be without the "Lumberjack Song"?
This is a blu-ray that belongs in every collection of fans of Monty Python and loves their humor. Thumbs up, way up for this - 5 out 5 stars, for sure!
(2010) Blu-ray
Celebrating 40 years of Monty Python, the boys got together for a live on-stage presentation of "Life of Brian" and this Blu-ray is the result of that one-night performance in the Royal Albert Hall.
Starring Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and a cast of hundreds in the chorus, this is brilliantly well done as it puts the whole movie to music. The show-stopper of the night is Eric Idle's impersonation of Bob Dylan, and, of course, what would a Monty Python show be without the "Lumberjack Song"?
This is a blu-ray that belongs in every collection of fans of Monty Python and loves their humor. Thumbs up, way up for this - 5 out 5 stars, for sure!
Last edited by dvdjunkie on Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
.-
jpanimation
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1841
- Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:00 am
X-Men: First Class (2011) 7/10 - It was alright and I'm probably giving it a higher rating then I should but I'm assuming I'm missing something. What I saw was a generic action driven comic book movie with too many underdeveloped characters to care. I'm assuming those well versed in the comics know all the characters and backstories and are getting much more out of it then me; so I can only go by what I see on film. Kevin Bacon's villain is generic crap. Nazi as bad guy. Check. Wants to cause world wide chaos. Check. No real motivation. Check. He just wasn't interesting to me at all and his two lackeys were even worst. They don't talk or show any kind of personality at all and don't even get me started on January Jones as Emma Frost (she's even more wooden then in Mad Men). The X-kids are pretty much sidelined for Xavier and Magneto to take center stage. Unfortunately I don't think their relationship is developed enough and could've used a little more time for their bond to resonate. I also feel Xavier is sort of a one-dimensional character, with no real back story shown and just the all around do-gooder. It's Magneto who is the real focus of this movie and I almost feel as though they could've called it X-Men Origins: Magneto. He is definitely the most interesting character and one of the main reasons for even seeing this. Excellent casting, acting and character development on his part. Too bad the rest of the movie feels like an after thought. I had high expectations, being a huge fan of Vaughn's Kick-Ass and hearing all the positive buzz surrounding it (IGN even questioning whether it's the best comic book movie ever made). I maintain that X2 is still the best in the series by a long shot.
-
ajmrowland
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 8177
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 pm
- Location: Appleton, WI
^Interesting you bring uo X-men Origins: Magneto, because I recall when I first read in an EW six years ago that both Wolverine and Magneto prequels were set to become movies. And Peter Jackson was gonna produce a HALO movie.
Micheal Jackson's This Is It-8/10
Wow. The second time watching this, and I still feel I would've gone to the show if Micheal were alive to do it and they still made the doc and released it in summer. So much creativity, passion, and great music on display, and I was never even a fan until seeing this. It's fascinating how they did the vignettes, and the 3-D would've made a unique concert.
Micheal Jackson's This Is It-8/10
Wow. The second time watching this, and I still feel I would've gone to the show if Micheal were alive to do it and they still made the doc and released it in summer. So much creativity, passion, and great music on display, and I was never even a fan until seeing this. It's fascinating how they did the vignettes, and the 3-D would've made a unique concert.
Angels & Demons (2008)
What a stupid film. I really liked The Da Vinci Code, in spite of the bad reviews it has gotten. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I've never read the novel and only have seen the extended director's cut to that movie. Bottom line: that was a good movie, but its sequel is one disappointing waste of time. Much too action-oriented (as opposed to the mystery of the original); no chemistry between the leading characters; cardboard cut-out villain; and a plot that makes no sense at all --not even in Dan Brown's universe. I would list all the ridiculous elements of this inconsistent film, but that would me even more time wasted on it, so I'll pass.
What a stupid film. I really liked The Da Vinci Code, in spite of the bad reviews it has gotten. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I've never read the novel and only have seen the extended director's cut to that movie. Bottom line: that was a good movie, but its sequel is one disappointing waste of time. Much too action-oriented (as opposed to the mystery of the original); no chemistry between the leading characters; cardboard cut-out villain; and a plot that makes no sense at all --not even in Dan Brown's universe. I would list all the ridiculous elements of this inconsistent film, but that would me even more time wasted on it, so I'll pass.
-
disneyboy20022
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 6868
- Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:17 pm
My dad and I ordered a movie off of Dish...Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black...I was expecting it to be so stupid...and not very good at all....turns out it's better than I thought...sure there are a few plot holes but it was a really decent good movie....maybe not oscar worthy but I enjoyed it and so did my dad....It's much much better than Brendan Fraser in Journey to the Center of the Earth...
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
-
TheSequelOfDisney
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5263
- Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 3:30 pm
- Location: Ohio, United States of America
Recently, I've watched:
Donnie Darko
Up in the Air
Love and Other Drugs
Donnie Darko
Up in the Air
Love and Other Drugs
The Divulgations of One Desmond Leica: http://desmondleica.wordpress.com/
-
TheValentineBros
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1119
- Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:26 am
- Contact:
-
ajmrowland
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 8177
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 pm
- Location: Appleton, WI
Black Swan-hooo, it's chilly in here. That film kept a very consistent string of suspense escalating from the third act start up to the very end
The Green Hornet-fun, intelligent, off-beat. It'a a nice time at the cinema. There was one time when I just wanted the character to say "I'm the Green Hornet, Bitch!" but that never game.
The Green Hornet-fun, intelligent, off-beat. It'a a nice time at the cinema. There was one time when I just wanted the character to say "I'm the Green Hornet, Bitch!" but that never game.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Third viewing. A big favorite of mine.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
*HERE BE SPOILERS!!!*
Okay, how does a movie that has been hailed by both serious film critics and the popular press alike, and which has won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, *still* be such a mess? It takes a full hour until it finally starts picking up the pace and unravel the political conspiracy we've been promised, but haven't seen a glimpse of for the first half of the film. But okay, now that the conspiracy is under way... it makes no sense at all.
So even if prime-minister Lang had been in contact with the CIA from his early years in Cambridge on and, when in office, he enacted an America-friendly foreign policy, what does that mean? Great-Britain has always been a firm supporter of the US, so what difference would it make if Lang had been 'infiltrated' by the CIA? Even without that influence, the UK would still have stood firm beside the US. And what's the reasoning anyway? That the CIA infiltrated Lang and his wife (or got to him through his wife) in the 1970's, just gambling on the chance that he might become prime-minister 30 years later? Does the CIA really take that kind of bets?
Then the ending, which was ridiculous and lazy at the same time. If the ghost writer's predecessor was indeed murdered by Lang or his associates, why would he reveal he's onto Lang's secrets, putting his own life in danger? Makes no sense. Then, at arrival at the airport, Lang gets conveniently killed by an ex-military protestor who lost his son in Lang's war. And of course, he conveniently gets shot, too. This way, the scriptwriter and director don't have to deal with the consequences Lang would have to face if the writer's revelations got public. Just have him shot and be done with the movie in the next 10 minutes. In the last minutes, the writer discovers Lang's wife was the key to the 'conspiracy'. Instead of revealing it, he just writes her a note, walks out, gets hit by a car. The end. Again: how convenient. Was it an accident? Was it done on purpose? We'll never know. I guess Polanski thought this would pass for a 'thought-provoking open ending'. Instead, it's just lazy and messy.
Third viewing. A big favorite of mine.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
*HERE BE SPOILERS!!!*
Okay, how does a movie that has been hailed by both serious film critics and the popular press alike, and which has won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, *still* be such a mess? It takes a full hour until it finally starts picking up the pace and unravel the political conspiracy we've been promised, but haven't seen a glimpse of for the first half of the film. But okay, now that the conspiracy is under way... it makes no sense at all.
So even if prime-minister Lang had been in contact with the CIA from his early years in Cambridge on and, when in office, he enacted an America-friendly foreign policy, what does that mean? Great-Britain has always been a firm supporter of the US, so what difference would it make if Lang had been 'infiltrated' by the CIA? Even without that influence, the UK would still have stood firm beside the US. And what's the reasoning anyway? That the CIA infiltrated Lang and his wife (or got to him through his wife) in the 1970's, just gambling on the chance that he might become prime-minister 30 years later? Does the CIA really take that kind of bets?
Then the ending, which was ridiculous and lazy at the same time. If the ghost writer's predecessor was indeed murdered by Lang or his associates, why would he reveal he's onto Lang's secrets, putting his own life in danger? Makes no sense. Then, at arrival at the airport, Lang gets conveniently killed by an ex-military protestor who lost his son in Lang's war. And of course, he conveniently gets shot, too. This way, the scriptwriter and director don't have to deal with the consequences Lang would have to face if the writer's revelations got public. Just have him shot and be done with the movie in the next 10 minutes. In the last minutes, the writer discovers Lang's wife was the key to the 'conspiracy'. Instead of revealing it, he just writes her a note, walks out, gets hit by a car. The end. Again: how convenient. Was it an accident? Was it done on purpose? We'll never know. I guess Polanski thought this would pass for a 'thought-provoking open ending'. Instead, it's just lazy and messy.
Got another set here.
The Woman in the Window
Fritz Lang's 1944 film noir classic involving a psychology professor who inexplicably falls for the typical femme fatale.
Sounds somewhat basic, and it is a little dry in comparison to other noirs from the era in my opinion, but really picks up by the ending. Still, this one didn't leave as much of an impression on me as I'd have liked it to. Caught it on Netflix.
A Face in the Crowd
Recorded via TCM, this features Andy Griffith as a no-name musician who rises to stardom and breaks down in the process of his fame.
A big change of pace from the character on his show, Griffith has a great performance here as the anti-hero. Some of his Sheriff Andy southern charm and likability is present, but the character's dark side is palpable as he handles that well. Granted, I think he goes a little too far in the very end, but I think my problem there is with the script rather than Griffith. Still, it's a good movie.
Village of the Damned/Children of the Damned
Classic 60's horror films, these are about a group of children who have the ability to bend the minds of people with their eyes. The former is considered to be a landmark of sorts in the genre, while the latter is responsible for one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs, which is named after the movie.
I enjoyed both, but one thing that didn't really sit right with me was how the children were able to survive their destruction at the end of Village for Children. I don't recall it being explained, but maybe the kids were mentally strong enough to survive a giant explosion, I dunno. But both films have an effective atmosphere that works towards their advantage.
The Woman in the Window
Fritz Lang's 1944 film noir classic involving a psychology professor who inexplicably falls for the typical femme fatale.
Sounds somewhat basic, and it is a little dry in comparison to other noirs from the era in my opinion, but really picks up by the ending. Still, this one didn't leave as much of an impression on me as I'd have liked it to. Caught it on Netflix.
A Face in the Crowd
Recorded via TCM, this features Andy Griffith as a no-name musician who rises to stardom and breaks down in the process of his fame.
A big change of pace from the character on his show, Griffith has a great performance here as the anti-hero. Some of his Sheriff Andy southern charm and likability is present, but the character's dark side is palpable as he handles that well. Granted, I think he goes a little too far in the very end, but I think my problem there is with the script rather than Griffith. Still, it's a good movie.
Village of the Damned/Children of the Damned
Classic 60's horror films, these are about a group of children who have the ability to bend the minds of people with their eyes. The former is considered to be a landmark of sorts in the genre, while the latter is responsible for one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs, which is named after the movie.
I enjoyed both, but one thing that didn't really sit right with me was how the children were able to survive their destruction at the end of Village for Children. I don't recall it being explained, but maybe the kids were mentally strong enough to survive a giant explosion, I dunno. But both films have an effective atmosphere that works towards their advantage.
-
dvdjunkie
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5613
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 10:05 am
- Location: Wichita, Kansas
Snakes on a Plane (2006) Blu-ray
Was looking for some cheap thrills and entertainment so I pulled this out of my Blu-ray collection. Directed by David Ellis, who brought us, among others, Disneyl's Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco and Cellular, this thriller is not for those looking for an Academy Award movie, but just want 100 minutes of fun and terror at 20,000 feet on a flight from Honolulu to San Francisco, this movie is just for you.
Nathan Phillips plays a young man who was out on his dirt bike in the back roads of Honolulu, when, while stopped getting a breath of fresh air, he witnesses a brutal murder of a big-time Los Angeles prosecutor by a drug lord who lives in Los Angeles and gets away with all sorts of evil crimes. Samuel L. Jackson plays a F.B.I. agent who takes Phillips under his wing and tells him, "Do as I say and you will live"!!!
The drug kingpin finds out what plane they are taking back to the mainland and loads 200 poisonous snakes in the cargo bay with a timer set to turn them loose about 2 hours into the flight. Then it is man against snake as Jackson tries to lead those innocent people who can be helped to a safe landing in Los Angeles. Loaded with some very scary moments, and some very laughable ones, this is not a movie that challenges your brain at any time. Just sit back and scream and laugh along with this film. The Junkie Meter gives this film a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
Was looking for some cheap thrills and entertainment so I pulled this out of my Blu-ray collection. Directed by David Ellis, who brought us, among others, Disneyl's Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco and Cellular, this thriller is not for those looking for an Academy Award movie, but just want 100 minutes of fun and terror at 20,000 feet on a flight from Honolulu to San Francisco, this movie is just for you.
Nathan Phillips plays a young man who was out on his dirt bike in the back roads of Honolulu, when, while stopped getting a breath of fresh air, he witnesses a brutal murder of a big-time Los Angeles prosecutor by a drug lord who lives in Los Angeles and gets away with all sorts of evil crimes. Samuel L. Jackson plays a F.B.I. agent who takes Phillips under his wing and tells him, "Do as I say and you will live"!!!
The drug kingpin finds out what plane they are taking back to the mainland and loads 200 poisonous snakes in the cargo bay with a timer set to turn them loose about 2 hours into the flight. Then it is man against snake as Jackson tries to lead those innocent people who can be helped to a safe landing in Los Angeles. Loaded with some very scary moments, and some very laughable ones, this is not a movie that challenges your brain at any time. Just sit back and scream and laugh along with this film. The Junkie Meter gives this film a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
-
disneyboy20022
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 6868
- Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2005 2:17 pm
Green Lantern (2011)
I just got out and Saw this today and it's a terrific movie....some hints I think at the rumored Justice League movie possibilities
Amanda Waller is in it working with the government and and contact Hammond to examine the body of Abin Sur, which Hector Hammond is examining abin sur, a piece of yellow dna from Kanjar Ro crawls up his finger and he becomes in a few scenes later corrupts him... When Hector was about to kill Waller Hal saves her....I think more than once so if there is going to be a Justice League Movie I have no doubt Amanda Waller will be involved in the movie.
I just got out and Saw this today and it's a terrific movie....some hints I think at the rumored Justice League movie possibilities
Amanda Waller is in it working with the government and and contact Hammond to examine the body of Abin Sur, which Hector Hammond is examining abin sur, a piece of yellow dna from Kanjar Ro crawls up his finger and he becomes in a few scenes later corrupts him... When Hector was about to kill Waller Hal saves her....I think more than once so if there is going to be a Justice League Movie I have no doubt Amanda Waller will be involved in the movie.
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
-
dvdjunkie
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5613
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 10:05 am
- Location: Wichita, Kansas
Titan A.E. (2000) Standard DVD
My six-year-old grandson picked this out as his movie to watch with grandpa today and never have I been so happy to do so.
This film is from the studios of Don Bluth Animation and features the voice talents of Matt Damon, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, Ron Perlman, Drew Barrymore and many, many more. It's the story of a young boy, in the year 3028 when the Earth was being attacked by the Drej, an evil force that is pure energy. The boy is possessor of a ring, given to him by his father, and it is the power of Titan, which the boy grows to protect. Fifteen years have passed and now Cale joins the crew of the Valkyrie to go in search of Titan.
The animation in this film is terrific, and the story moves briskly and comes to a final conclusion less than 80 minutes later. While reading the credits I found something I didn't know, that was Joss Whedon who was one of the writers and producers. Of course, we all know that Whedon went on to produce and direct "Firefly" for Fox television.
This was a great time with Zach and he really enjoyed the movie a lot. I have a feeling we will be watching this one again soon.
My six-year-old grandson picked this out as his movie to watch with grandpa today and never have I been so happy to do so.
This film is from the studios of Don Bluth Animation and features the voice talents of Matt Damon, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, Ron Perlman, Drew Barrymore and many, many more. It's the story of a young boy, in the year 3028 when the Earth was being attacked by the Drej, an evil force that is pure energy. The boy is possessor of a ring, given to him by his father, and it is the power of Titan, which the boy grows to protect. Fifteen years have passed and now Cale joins the crew of the Valkyrie to go in search of Titan.
The animation in this film is terrific, and the story moves briskly and comes to a final conclusion less than 80 minutes later. While reading the credits I found something I didn't know, that was Joss Whedon who was one of the writers and producers. Of course, we all know that Whedon went on to produce and direct "Firefly" for Fox television.
This was a great time with Zach and he really enjoyed the movie a lot. I have a feeling we will be watching this one again soon.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
-
TheSequelOfDisney
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5263
- Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2005 3:30 pm
- Location: Ohio, United States of America
I've most recently watched:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
There Will Be Blood
First time seeing both, and I really liked them.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
There Will Be Blood
First time seeing both, and I really liked them.
The Divulgations of One Desmond Leica: http://desmondleica.wordpress.com/
-
ajmrowland
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 8177
- Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 pm
- Location: Appleton, WI
Frankly, I think I'll have to give that one a second viewing. It didnt really catch me first time around...dvdjunkie wrote:Titan A.E. (2000) Standard DVD
My six-year-old grandson picked this out as his movie to watch with grandpa today and never have I been so happy to do so.
This film is from the studios of Don Bluth Animation and features the voice talents of Matt Damon, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, Ron Perlman, Drew Barrymore and many, many more. It's the story of a young boy, in the year 3028 when the Earth was being attacked by the Drej, an evil force that is pure energy. The boy is possessor of a ring, given to him by his father, and it is the power of Titan, which the boy grows to protect. Fifteen years have passed and now Cale joins the crew of the Valkyrie to go in search of Titan.
The animation in this film is terrific, and the story moves briskly and comes to a final conclusion less than 80 minutes later. While reading the credits I found something I didn't know, that was Joss Whedon who was one of the writers and producers. Of course, we all know that Whedon went on to produce and direct "Firefly" for Fox television.
This was a great time with Zach and he really enjoyed the movie a lot. I have a feeling we will be watching this one again soon.
and you forgot Nathan Lane and, I think, Whoopi Goldberg.
-
dvdjunkie
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 5613
- Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 10:05 am
- Location: Wichita, Kansas
Sorry, but Whoopi Goldberg was not a member of the voice cast of "Titan A.E.". And Nathan Lane was an oversight on my part.
This movie is slow starting, so give it a chance. I didn't like it at all when I saw it in the theater, and bought it just because I wanted everything and anything having to do with Don Bluth.
This movie is slow starting, so give it a chance. I didn't like it at all when I saw it in the theater, and bought it just because I wanted everything and anything having to do with Don Bluth.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
-
Dr Frankenollie
- In The Vaults
- Posts: 2704
- Joined: Mon May 02, 2011 4:19 am
Animal Farm (1954)
This 1954 adaptation of George Orwell’s classic satirical novel presents the story of the abused animals of Manor Farm rebelling against the farmer Mr Jones and his farmhands. Their most important rule is that all animals are equal, an ideology imposed upon them by the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major (who dies early on), and they uphold this for a while. The pigs, being the most intelligent animals on the farm, take control, with Napoleon and Snowball taking the main leader positions. However, the pigs begin to take advantage of their superior intelligence and power over the other animals, in particular Napoleon, who soon gets rid of Snowball grimly.
Napoleon makes the animals work hard to build a windmill, whilst sleeping in their former master’s old house, and he begins to break the Seven Commandments designed by Snowball and Old Major one by one, using his charismatic aide Squealer to trick the animals. Soon the pigs begin to resemble their former masters, in more ways than one.
The story is of course an ingenious metaphor for the Russian Revolution of the 1910’s and the transformation of the Soviet Union from a fair and innovative state to a fascist country ruled by an evil man. Old Major represents Karl Marx, Snowball represents Trotsky (and arguably Lenin also), Napoleon represents Stalin, Squealer represents propaganda and the hard-working but unintelligent animals like Boxer the Horse (whose fate in this movie is not a happy one) represent the proletariat.
First of all, the animation is brilliant. It is best described as Disney gone serious, and I love the various close-ups and different angling and animated cinematography. The shadows and shading (particularly in the animals’ revolt against Jones) are wonderful and expertly designed and animated.
The look and atmosphere are enhanced by all the darkness clashing with light, and the opposing palettes of the different characters and backgrounds are animated gold. The characters’ facial expressions are realistic and, somehow, the anthropomorphism is all very believable.
It is skilfully narrated by Gordon Heath in one of the best narrations for an animated film ever, second only to Bing Crosby’s narration of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in a Disney package film in 1949. Animal Farm is definitely not a children’s film, as it has some quite dark aspects to it like violence and several character deaths.
Animal Farm seems quite ahead of its time, even for today, and was so refreshingly different from the cutesy aspects of Disney and the comedy of Warner Bros’ Looney Tunes at the time. Animal Farm is really a fine piece of work; the tiny production team behind it obviously toiled hard when making this.
However, as much as I like this film, its pacing is a little poor and the ending is different to Orwell’s novel; I don’t find that too much of a problem, as it was emotionally satisfying and after all the depressing sequences it was a sort of pay-off for the audience that the latter had earned; however, the epilogue feels very rushed and the biggest Orwell fans and literature scholars will dislike it.
Animal Farm (1999)
I think it was Einstein who once said that a headless man cannot be considered headless without being compared to a man with a head; however, I’m probably wrong, but it doesn’t matter who exactly said it. The point is that I can’t review this 1999 adaptation of Animal Farm without comparing it to the book and the original 1954 adaptation.
It’s a Babe-esque film, featuring live-action human characters and a mixture of trained animals, animatronics and digital animation for the animal characters. It is a loose retelling of George Orwell’s classic, anti-Communist satirical novel, keeping the main heart of the story intact: Old Major (Peter Ustinov), based on Karl Marx, tells the rest of the animals on Manor Farm about a dream he had, envisioning a revolution where animals will control their own lives and their own destiny. After his death due to the drunken farmer Jones (Pete Postlethwaite), Old Major is remembered by the animals, who (led by the most intelligent animals on the farm, the pigs) revolt against Jones and his farmhands and drive them away successfully.
However, a rivalry is struck up between the pigs Stalin-like Napoleon (Patrick Stewart) and the Trotsky-like Snowball (Kelsey Grammer), and the former is assisted by the charismatic Squealer (Ian Holm) and a group of vicious dogs in usurping Snowball’s influence over ‘Animal Farm’, brandishing Snowball a traitor. Soon, however, Napoleon and the other pigs grow to resemble their former masters, and even start trading with the likes of Pilkington (Alan Stanford).
This movie is quite poorly made, but one of the few good aspects of it is the cast. Patrick Stewart and Kelsey Grammer fit the roles of Napoleon and Snowball and Ian Holm is as always a delight; unfortunately, the rest of the cast is disappointing. Julia Ormond is particularly irritating as the horribly bland catalyst for the audience and the main narrator, Jessie the dog, a character who is pointlessly focused on in place of Benjamin the Donkey (Postlethwaite again), who is reduced to a minor role. The worst performance in the movie is from Postlethwaite as Jones. Now, Postlethwaite was a great and hugely underrated actor, but he simply doesn’t fit the role of Jones. You feel sorry for Jones in the early scenes; yes, he is an alcoholic and he neglects the animals, but he’s shown to be in great debt, in an unhappy marriage and is also shown to be bullied. The movie inexplicably humanises him, and there’s even a scene where he has sex with Pilkington’s wife. It’s rudimentary script-writing and obvious filler.
On a more positive note, the animatronics for the pigs work well (although the CGI, particularly in the case of the minor rat character is quite poor and shoddy), and the cinematography is good, especially in the dark prologue and Old Major’s entrance.
But unfortunately the movie has a big problem that drags it down from ‘average’ territory to ‘mediocre’-the happy ending. Orwell’s original book did not have a happy ending; the 1954 adaptation had a slightly happy ending, which worked because it was a pay-off after all the dark and depressing scenes, although it was a little rushed. But the ending in this movie is not only also rushed, but badly-written and being obvious pandering for children. It left me cold and irritated.
If the movie had to have a happy ending, it should’ve earned it. I sometimes love cheesy clichés of happy endings if they’re good pay-offs; Dumbo, for example, has the innocent titular character being humiliated, bullied, taken away from his mother and traumatised. But in the end he is triumphant and successful, and it’s uplifting. But a movie’s ending can only be truly uplifting if other parts are sad or depressing. This version of Animal Farm dispenses all the original and the book’s grittiness and boldness for humour and blandness.
Arguably the ending represents the fall of the Berlin Wall, but Animal Farm isn’t about the Berlin Wall, it’s about the birth fo Communism and how Stalin was able to manipulate and brainwash his people.
Overall, Animal Farm is badly-made and is rubbish when compared to the book or the original; it’s pandering, kid-friendly, and unfaithful. It carries the main messages of Orwell’s book, yes, but that’s not enough.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump, the award-winning ‘dramedy’ of 1994, is the third hugely successful movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, following of course 1985’s Back to the Future (and, arguably, its sequels) and 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It retains the whimsical style of its predecessors, but it’s hard to pinpoint how exactly it keeps it’s whimsical element; in Back to the Future, the whimsy came from the farfetched but thrilling time travel scenes, whilst Roger Rabbit featured an almost fantasy-like reality where cartoon characters and human beings cohabitated. Forrest Gump has both the sci-fi and fantastical feel of these previous works by Zemeckis, but besides a few ‘miracles’ in the story the movie is mostly based in realism. The whimsy comes from quaint little touches like the feather flying in the wind in the opening and at the very end.
Forrest Gump also has innovative special effects, as usual for Zemeckis-he perfected ‘match-moving’ in Back to the Future Part II, made the combination of live-action and animation footage more seamless than ever before with Roger Rabbit and for Forrest Gump used some of the best editing I’ve ever seen. The editing puts the titular character, Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) into historical events and situations, and he appears beside the likes of JFK and John Lennon.
It is mostly told in flashback, being partly-bookended with Forrest waiting on a bench for his number nine bus and telling others who come and go his life story, opening with the nonsensical maxim ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get’ (unless you read the card with descriptions of each and every chocolate).
As a child, Forrest is nearly stopped from entering a regular public school due to his low IQ, but his loving mother (Sally Field) helps get him a proper education. Forrest is mostly friendless, but he becomes a close companion to the sweet Jenny (Robin Wright/Hanna R Hall), who helps him escape from the restrictions of his leg braces; the young Forrest in turn helps Jenny to escape from her sexually abusive father. Despite his lack of intelligence, Forrest receives a college degree due to his incredible speed and skill on a football pitch. As an adult, Forrest fights in the Vietnam war, receives the Congressional Medal of Honour, becomes a shrimp-boat captain, inadvertently exposes Richard Nixon’s corruption and becomes a millionaire after investing in Apple (what he perceives to be a fruit company). But throughout all of his adventures, his true love Jenny forever eludes him.
Tom Hanks is excellent as Forrest, believably portraying the mentally retarded unlikely hero perfectly; he nails the character’s thick Southern, Alabaman accent, and due to his childlike innocence and immature, simple view on the world, Forrest is very lovable. The adult Jenny is played by Robin Wright, whose performance is good and emotionally-driven. The character’s development is reflective of America between the simplistic 1950’s and the then-present day of the 1990’s (the time period which the movie takes place in): as a child, she is the embodiment of pure innocence, and is kind, sweet and unconditionally loving towards Forrest. As she gets older, she becomes a stripper, then a hippie activist, then a drug-addict, before returning to Forrest. Wright manages to make these different stages in Jenny’s tragic life believable.
Gary Sinise stars in a supporting role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor, the latest in a line of soldiers who have (according to Forrest, at least) fought in every American war; the Lieutenant is saved from his ‘destiny’ in the deadly jungles of Vietnam by Forrest but without his legs, and becomes a bitter, cynical and vicious cripple, but like Jenny reforms and saves himself with Forrest’s inadvertent assistance.
The music by Alan Silvestri (who regularly composes the music for Zemeckis’ movies) is simplistic and at times charming but ultimately forgettable and not a patch on his earlier work and the cinematography is unspectacular. However, the aforementioned editing by Arthur Schmidt (another regular assistant to Zemeckis) is quite spectacular. The writing by Eric Roth is very good at times, especially when it comes to Forrest’s dialogue; the marriage of Roth’s script and the experienced Zemeckis’ direction makes for many hilarious moments, and also many great tear-jerking, touching moments.
The movie’s best sequence is the scene where Forrest runs through every state in America for three years with an inspired and loyal group of followers, which despite its bizarreness is marvellously uplifting and heart-warming.
Overall, Forrest Gump is the kind of movie which everyone loves, and is mostly unchallenging, would-be philosophical entertainment. It amused a lot and is extremely well-made, but it’s nonetheless rather overlong, over-sentimental and often predictable. It didn’t deserve 1994’s Best Picture, but there’s no question about its status as a damn good movie.
This 1954 adaptation of George Orwell’s classic satirical novel presents the story of the abused animals of Manor Farm rebelling against the farmer Mr Jones and his farmhands. Their most important rule is that all animals are equal, an ideology imposed upon them by the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major (who dies early on), and they uphold this for a while. The pigs, being the most intelligent animals on the farm, take control, with Napoleon and Snowball taking the main leader positions. However, the pigs begin to take advantage of their superior intelligence and power over the other animals, in particular Napoleon, who soon gets rid of Snowball grimly.
Napoleon makes the animals work hard to build a windmill, whilst sleeping in their former master’s old house, and he begins to break the Seven Commandments designed by Snowball and Old Major one by one, using his charismatic aide Squealer to trick the animals. Soon the pigs begin to resemble their former masters, in more ways than one.
The story is of course an ingenious metaphor for the Russian Revolution of the 1910’s and the transformation of the Soviet Union from a fair and innovative state to a fascist country ruled by an evil man. Old Major represents Karl Marx, Snowball represents Trotsky (and arguably Lenin also), Napoleon represents Stalin, Squealer represents propaganda and the hard-working but unintelligent animals like Boxer the Horse (whose fate in this movie is not a happy one) represent the proletariat.
First of all, the animation is brilliant. It is best described as Disney gone serious, and I love the various close-ups and different angling and animated cinematography. The shadows and shading (particularly in the animals’ revolt against Jones) are wonderful and expertly designed and animated.
The look and atmosphere are enhanced by all the darkness clashing with light, and the opposing palettes of the different characters and backgrounds are animated gold. The characters’ facial expressions are realistic and, somehow, the anthropomorphism is all very believable.
It is skilfully narrated by Gordon Heath in one of the best narrations for an animated film ever, second only to Bing Crosby’s narration of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in a Disney package film in 1949. Animal Farm is definitely not a children’s film, as it has some quite dark aspects to it like violence and several character deaths.
Animal Farm seems quite ahead of its time, even for today, and was so refreshingly different from the cutesy aspects of Disney and the comedy of Warner Bros’ Looney Tunes at the time. Animal Farm is really a fine piece of work; the tiny production team behind it obviously toiled hard when making this.
However, as much as I like this film, its pacing is a little poor and the ending is different to Orwell’s novel; I don’t find that too much of a problem, as it was emotionally satisfying and after all the depressing sequences it was a sort of pay-off for the audience that the latter had earned; however, the epilogue feels very rushed and the biggest Orwell fans and literature scholars will dislike it.
Animal Farm (1999)
I think it was Einstein who once said that a headless man cannot be considered headless without being compared to a man with a head; however, I’m probably wrong, but it doesn’t matter who exactly said it. The point is that I can’t review this 1999 adaptation of Animal Farm without comparing it to the book and the original 1954 adaptation.
It’s a Babe-esque film, featuring live-action human characters and a mixture of trained animals, animatronics and digital animation for the animal characters. It is a loose retelling of George Orwell’s classic, anti-Communist satirical novel, keeping the main heart of the story intact: Old Major (Peter Ustinov), based on Karl Marx, tells the rest of the animals on Manor Farm about a dream he had, envisioning a revolution where animals will control their own lives and their own destiny. After his death due to the drunken farmer Jones (Pete Postlethwaite), Old Major is remembered by the animals, who (led by the most intelligent animals on the farm, the pigs) revolt against Jones and his farmhands and drive them away successfully.
However, a rivalry is struck up between the pigs Stalin-like Napoleon (Patrick Stewart) and the Trotsky-like Snowball (Kelsey Grammer), and the former is assisted by the charismatic Squealer (Ian Holm) and a group of vicious dogs in usurping Snowball’s influence over ‘Animal Farm’, brandishing Snowball a traitor. Soon, however, Napoleon and the other pigs grow to resemble their former masters, and even start trading with the likes of Pilkington (Alan Stanford).
This movie is quite poorly made, but one of the few good aspects of it is the cast. Patrick Stewart and Kelsey Grammer fit the roles of Napoleon and Snowball and Ian Holm is as always a delight; unfortunately, the rest of the cast is disappointing. Julia Ormond is particularly irritating as the horribly bland catalyst for the audience and the main narrator, Jessie the dog, a character who is pointlessly focused on in place of Benjamin the Donkey (Postlethwaite again), who is reduced to a minor role. The worst performance in the movie is from Postlethwaite as Jones. Now, Postlethwaite was a great and hugely underrated actor, but he simply doesn’t fit the role of Jones. You feel sorry for Jones in the early scenes; yes, he is an alcoholic and he neglects the animals, but he’s shown to be in great debt, in an unhappy marriage and is also shown to be bullied. The movie inexplicably humanises him, and there’s even a scene where he has sex with Pilkington’s wife. It’s rudimentary script-writing and obvious filler.
On a more positive note, the animatronics for the pigs work well (although the CGI, particularly in the case of the minor rat character is quite poor and shoddy), and the cinematography is good, especially in the dark prologue and Old Major’s entrance.
But unfortunately the movie has a big problem that drags it down from ‘average’ territory to ‘mediocre’-the happy ending. Orwell’s original book did not have a happy ending; the 1954 adaptation had a slightly happy ending, which worked because it was a pay-off after all the dark and depressing scenes, although it was a little rushed. But the ending in this movie is not only also rushed, but badly-written and being obvious pandering for children. It left me cold and irritated.
If the movie had to have a happy ending, it should’ve earned it. I sometimes love cheesy clichés of happy endings if they’re good pay-offs; Dumbo, for example, has the innocent titular character being humiliated, bullied, taken away from his mother and traumatised. But in the end he is triumphant and successful, and it’s uplifting. But a movie’s ending can only be truly uplifting if other parts are sad or depressing. This version of Animal Farm dispenses all the original and the book’s grittiness and boldness for humour and blandness.
Arguably the ending represents the fall of the Berlin Wall, but Animal Farm isn’t about the Berlin Wall, it’s about the birth fo Communism and how Stalin was able to manipulate and brainwash his people.
Overall, Animal Farm is badly-made and is rubbish when compared to the book or the original; it’s pandering, kid-friendly, and unfaithful. It carries the main messages of Orwell’s book, yes, but that’s not enough.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump, the award-winning ‘dramedy’ of 1994, is the third hugely successful movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, following of course 1985’s Back to the Future (and, arguably, its sequels) and 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It retains the whimsical style of its predecessors, but it’s hard to pinpoint how exactly it keeps it’s whimsical element; in Back to the Future, the whimsy came from the farfetched but thrilling time travel scenes, whilst Roger Rabbit featured an almost fantasy-like reality where cartoon characters and human beings cohabitated. Forrest Gump has both the sci-fi and fantastical feel of these previous works by Zemeckis, but besides a few ‘miracles’ in the story the movie is mostly based in realism. The whimsy comes from quaint little touches like the feather flying in the wind in the opening and at the very end.
Forrest Gump also has innovative special effects, as usual for Zemeckis-he perfected ‘match-moving’ in Back to the Future Part II, made the combination of live-action and animation footage more seamless than ever before with Roger Rabbit and for Forrest Gump used some of the best editing I’ve ever seen. The editing puts the titular character, Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) into historical events and situations, and he appears beside the likes of JFK and John Lennon.
It is mostly told in flashback, being partly-bookended with Forrest waiting on a bench for his number nine bus and telling others who come and go his life story, opening with the nonsensical maxim ‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get’ (unless you read the card with descriptions of each and every chocolate).
As a child, Forrest is nearly stopped from entering a regular public school due to his low IQ, but his loving mother (Sally Field) helps get him a proper education. Forrest is mostly friendless, but he becomes a close companion to the sweet Jenny (Robin Wright/Hanna R Hall), who helps him escape from the restrictions of his leg braces; the young Forrest in turn helps Jenny to escape from her sexually abusive father. Despite his lack of intelligence, Forrest receives a college degree due to his incredible speed and skill on a football pitch. As an adult, Forrest fights in the Vietnam war, receives the Congressional Medal of Honour, becomes a shrimp-boat captain, inadvertently exposes Richard Nixon’s corruption and becomes a millionaire after investing in Apple (what he perceives to be a fruit company). But throughout all of his adventures, his true love Jenny forever eludes him.
Tom Hanks is excellent as Forrest, believably portraying the mentally retarded unlikely hero perfectly; he nails the character’s thick Southern, Alabaman accent, and due to his childlike innocence and immature, simple view on the world, Forrest is very lovable. The adult Jenny is played by Robin Wright, whose performance is good and emotionally-driven. The character’s development is reflective of America between the simplistic 1950’s and the then-present day of the 1990’s (the time period which the movie takes place in): as a child, she is the embodiment of pure innocence, and is kind, sweet and unconditionally loving towards Forrest. As she gets older, she becomes a stripper, then a hippie activist, then a drug-addict, before returning to Forrest. Wright manages to make these different stages in Jenny’s tragic life believable.
Gary Sinise stars in a supporting role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor, the latest in a line of soldiers who have (according to Forrest, at least) fought in every American war; the Lieutenant is saved from his ‘destiny’ in the deadly jungles of Vietnam by Forrest but without his legs, and becomes a bitter, cynical and vicious cripple, but like Jenny reforms and saves himself with Forrest’s inadvertent assistance.
The music by Alan Silvestri (who regularly composes the music for Zemeckis’ movies) is simplistic and at times charming but ultimately forgettable and not a patch on his earlier work and the cinematography is unspectacular. However, the aforementioned editing by Arthur Schmidt (another regular assistant to Zemeckis) is quite spectacular. The writing by Eric Roth is very good at times, especially when it comes to Forrest’s dialogue; the marriage of Roth’s script and the experienced Zemeckis’ direction makes for many hilarious moments, and also many great tear-jerking, touching moments.
The movie’s best sequence is the scene where Forrest runs through every state in America for three years with an inspired and loyal group of followers, which despite its bizarreness is marvellously uplifting and heart-warming.
Overall, Forrest Gump is the kind of movie which everyone loves, and is mostly unchallenging, would-be philosophical entertainment. It amused a lot and is extremely well-made, but it’s nonetheless rather overlong, over-sentimental and often predictable. It didn’t deserve 1994’s Best Picture, but there’s no question about its status as a damn good movie.