This movie rocked! I laughed my ass off a million and one times during this movie. I was only unsatisfied with the lack of Dragon in the film which was explained away at the beginning when Donkey said she was moody. I just didn’t buy that. But beyond that, the film was wonderful and full of all sorts of amusing references, from fairy tales to pop culture. Aside from the main characters who returned from the original film, new characters included: the King and Queen of Far Far Away (John Cleese and Julie Andrews), Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), and The Ugly Stepsister (Larry King). The movie begins right after Shrek 4-D (the new attraction at Universal Studios) and after the honeymoon of Shrek and Fiona. They arrive home to find Donkey and an invitation to a Royal Ball in the … Continue reading →

“I hope you’re not afraid of the dark…” This movie, by far, is one of the most fun times I’ve had at the theatre in a long time. I can’t recall the last time I had that much fun at a movie. Sure I loved Around the World and the Terminal (see yesterday’s review), but this movie was really enjoyable. I didn’t look at my watch the whole time I was so immersed. It was a good thing I watched Pitch Black before seeing it because it is a very effective and fun introduction to Riddick and the dark future he inhabits.* The movie begins approximately five years after the events of Pitch Black with a voice-over by Dame Judi Dench explaining the Necromongers quest for the underverse and their leader Lord Marshall (portrayed by baddie and great actor Colm Feore) as they annihilate another planet. We then move to … Continue reading →

As if being fortunate enough to receive free movie tickets wasn’t enough, I have to go and waste my time on a second film. See, when you arrive three and a half hours before the free movie starts you have two options: 1) go have a pleasant meal, read a book, then attend the free movie OR 2) grab a snack, rush into one movie then hurry out and into line for the next while scarfing down a theatre hot dog. Guess which one I chose. In truth, the only problem I had with these movies was that I really had to pee. But enough about me… time for some facts. This movie was absolutely wonderful. My major complaint from the trailer was the shift in Fogg’s character from sensible banker to flighty inventor and that damned flying machine. But watching the movie and Steve Coogan’s performance, I thought the … Continue reading →

  I really enjoyed the movie (I laughed my butt off and felt for the characters), but there were some moments I didn’t quite approve of for which I blame only the screenwriter, whose responsibility it is to adapt the book. Actually, he did a really good job and got all the really important elements, but there were some moments that I was hoping for that were either lackluster at best or completely absent. There was an appalling lack of history concerning Masters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. This leads to a movie full of inconsistencies. When Lupin confiscates the Marauder’s Map Harry does not volunteer directions to his favorite teacher on how to use the map. Then when Lupin shows up in the Shrieking Shack, the scene is too brief for me. That is the crucial moment where everything becomes clear. There is no explanation about the boyhood gang … Continue reading →

  (Editor’s Note (09/01/04) – I finally found her. She was in a Disney Channel movie where this kid is a genius and he tries to recreate himself as a cool kid and chaos ensues. She plays the girl that he loves.   Finally, another great disaster flick. Although not one that makes you feel particularly good if you really think about it, but that’s not what you’re supposed to do. You’re just supposed to enjoy the fiction without the consequences. Yeah for Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm)! He’s a Scottish climatologist who (supposedly) freezes to death (death not shown). Assistant #1: Well, we’re almost out of petrol. Assistant #2: Do you think it (the heater) will run on this? <pulls out bottle of alcohol> Bilbo: What are you talking about? That’s a twelve year old bottle of scotch! <pulls out three glasses>. Jake Gyllenhaal was very funny. His character was … Continue reading →

  06-25-04: Finally saw the movie again, and I kind of enjoyed it more. Every time I see it, I will always mourn the absence of the gods (despite their constant mention), but I was able to kind of neglect it and focus on plot errors. Plot errors you say? How can their be plot errors? Well for starters, they showed a lot of sunset shots where soldiers “looked like” they were preparing for battle. But then again it might have been patrols during one of the many 12 day funeral games. The other big thing that just pissed me off was the honor contradiction. It’s ancient Greece which was an ancient warrior culture where honor is THE most important thing about war. However, Peterson’s apparent need to show off Eric Bana as much as possible created some deadly inconsistencies. First, Hector led that charge into the Temple of Apollo … Continue reading →

Unfortunately, this movie is bombing in theatres, which is why I have put off saying anything. But it’s not like I could influence box office sales from here. In fact, I know that my input has no effect on the movies overall value. So I’ll just talk about what I liked and what I didn’t: free from care and worry. The movie was … awkwardly paced at best. The trailer seemed to run more efficiently than the movie itself. I’m not saying the trailer had the best laughs. The movie was full of situational humor that was bust a gut funny. But the moments I had seemed to enjoy in the trailer weren’t as funny in context. Tom Hanks’ character was way over the top and I don’t know if I liked that or not. A lot of the performance hinged on Irma P. Hall who was the … oh … Continue reading →

I mentioned this movie only briefly when I reviewed Twisted, but when I decided to catch a movie on a Saturday night, I decided to opt for the movie that’s been out for three weeks, rather than Kill Bill Vol. 2. Not that I don’t want to see Vol. 2, I just didn’t feel like battling the crowds of S.N.I.’s (Saturday Night Idiots). The movie was better than Twisted because you couldn’t really tell who was who until really late in the movie. It has … <mutters to self> two significant moments of terror which made me jerk in my seat (I really don’t like scary movies) and enough twists to make any flashback vitally significant. The basic outline of the movie is that Illeana (Angelina Jolie) is a peculiar type of FBI profiler (“She’s not a cop. She doesn’t need evidence, doesn’t need facts. All she needs is a … Continue reading →