This is an exceptional movie, absolutely true to the spirit of Saint-Exupery's book; the actors are perfect - Richard Kiley, Bob Fosse and Gene Wilder are superb - and the songs fit beautifully into the film.
Reviews
13 Reviews
Hugely disappointing
20 January 2004
After the superb Two Towers, this is such a let-down - all the changes from the book lessen its depth and emotional impact and even at times totally betray Tolkien's intentions: the portrayal of Denethor, Frodo's turning against Sam, the return to an unchanged Shire are desperately disappointing, and the treatment of the Paths of the Dead sequence is like something from a cheap horror movie. What was Peter Jackson thinking of - did he understand the book at all?
Love Actually
(2003)
Actually very good(in parts)
21 November 2003
The good parts -all the bits with Bill Nighy; Hugh Grant dancing in Number 10; Kris Marshall, Martin Freeman and (especially) Emma Thompson. The bad - and incredible - part: Martine McCutcheon as Grant's love interest. This mostly feel-good movie mostly makes you feel good, while Emma Thompson's superb performance provides the one glimpse of real pain that love can bring.
Absorbing three hours
12 March 2003
Much better than the first in the trilogy, this makes three hours pass in a flash, with excellent performances and superb effects. Andy Serkis as (the voice of) Gollum is terrific, and the new characters - Grima Wormtongue, Eowyn, Theoden, Faramir - emphasise the darkening tone.
Impostor
(2001)
How do you know you're you?
20 June 2002
Like most of Philip K. Dick's fiction, Impostor asks questions about identity and the nature of reality - how do you know you're you, how do you know what's real - and this is what makes the film interesting and pack the punch it does; even though the closing sequences seem almost perfunctory (apparently the film was cut to win a PG13 rating), this is a movie well worth seeking out, with strong performances from Gary Sinise and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Ocean's Eleven
(2001)
Sheer enjoyment
21 February 2002
Forget about movies that move you to tears, or prick your conscience, or want to change how you see the world - what Oeean's Eleven gives you is a Good Time, and who could ask for anything more? Clooney and Pitt make a great double act, and it's wonderful to see different acting generations together on screen. Carl Reiner is particularly good, and Don Cheadle's Cockney is hilarious. Only one slight quibble - couldn't they have paid Julia Roberts enough so she could get a decent meal? - she looks half-starved.
Better than expected
18 January 2002
I've read and re-read the book several times, and love it more with each reading, so was apprehensive about what might have been done to it, but on the whole I thought Peter Jackson had done a really good job in adapting it as a film. Some of the performances were excellent - Sean Bean, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving and Elijah Wood were all superb; I also liked Sean Astin's Sam (whom Tolkien saw as the real hero of the story) - but the film really diminished the roles of Merry and Pippin, cast as the village idiots. I also thought Viggo Mortensen had too little gravitas as Aragorn - I hope he improves in the next installment (Hugo Weaving would have been a more interesting actor in the part).
All in all, the film is worthy of its origins, and I hope it inspires more people to read the book itself, which is so much greater. I would also recommend that anyone who liked the film search out the BBC radio dramatisation of "The Lord of the Rings", which is available on cassette tape and is being reissued on CD - it is faithful to the book and has wonderful actors (including Ian Holm as Frodo), and uses a lot of the book's poetry (something sadly missing from the film) set to superb music by Stephen Oliver.
All in all, the film is worthy of its origins, and I hope it inspires more people to read the book itself, which is so much greater. I would also recommend that anyone who liked the film search out the BBC radio dramatisation of "The Lord of the Rings", which is available on cassette tape and is being reissued on CD - it is faithful to the book and has wonderful actors (including Ian Holm as Frodo), and uses a lot of the book's poetry (something sadly missing from the film) set to superb music by Stephen Oliver.
American Beauty
(1999)
Over-rated!
5 September 2001
This film did not deserve its awards and favourable reviews: if ever there was a case of the emperor having no clothes, this is it. It was middle-aged male fantasy - no doubt that's why all the (male) critics loved it. There was the germ of a good movie in it; if they'd cut all the pretentious stuff and instead followed Lester's new career in fast-food catering they could have produced a pretty funny film. Unfortunately, what they did produce was a college boy's idea of what's "deep" - misunderstood drug-dealer, closet homosexuality, the beauty of plastic bags - and the plastic bag wasn't the sole piece of rubbish. I really don't like this movie: the director and scriptwriter should be forced to watch the complete oeuvre of Benny Hill as punishment for inflicting on us that "rolling a joint being mistaken for oral sex" scene. Their Oscars and Golden Globes should be taken away and given to people with better taste - the Farrelly brothers, perhaps.
Return to Me
(2000)
The kind of film they don't make anymore
23 August 2001
"Return to me" is a wonderful throwback - it's funny, it has great songs, appealing leads,a cast of magnificent supporting actors and an excellent script. Bonnie Hunt should have been Oscar-nominated for her performances in writing, directing and acting; James Belushi was actually funny! and altogether the film was life-enhancing. Ten out of ten.
Two Weeks with Love
(1950)
A musical with depth
23 August 2001
I love this movie not just because of Jane Powell's charming performance or Ricardo Montalban's romantic looks, but for its wonderful recreation of the period and most of all for its heartfelt appreciation of the angst of growing up and moving from girl to woman. And it's so funny!- the scene where her (surgical) corset locks during her longed-for dance with Ricardo is hilarious. What more could you ask - even Debbie Reynolds is (comparatively) restrained.
The Voice of the Turtle
(1947)
Great comedy
23 August 2001
Why are some of the best movies so totally ignored? This is one of those rare films where the studio system produced one of its gems among the dross - it is charming, and gives the great Eve Arden some wickedly funny lines.
Song of Scheherazade
(1947)
Rimsky Korsakov goes Hollywood
23 August 2001
This is great fun - Hollywood history at its tongue-in-cheek best, with Jean-Pierre Aumont's Rimsky-Korsakov writing Scheherazade for Yvonne deCarlo's dancer. Added attractions include the wonderful Eve Arden and Brian Donlevy.
Midnight
(1939)
The perfect comedy
23 August 2001
"Midnight" is superb in every way - cast, direction, script are all perfection. It's like Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" in the way its plot adds complication upon complication and just as "Figaro" is a perfect opera, so this is a perfect comedy - witty, sophisticated, warm and laugh-out-loud funny. Don Ameche and Claudette Colbert are ideally cast. This should have featured in the AFI's top 100 comedies and its top 100 films - its the epitome of the golden age of Hollywood comedy.
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