donguthrie Reviews

Reign of Fire (2002)

Fun, Rocking Horror Flick

[9/10 · 9 July 2004]

I love a good monster movie. That's tough in the age of Freddie and Jason and the serial killer next door. Reign of Fire delivers a fun, rocking horror flick in the great monster movie tradition. Godzilla wishes it had been this movie.

Matthew McConaughey is over the top. Christian Bale is at his brooding best. The monster is monstrously scary and amazingly delivered with superb special effects. Unlike all the other end of the world disaster/monster movies, this film wastes little time telling us how the world is going to end when the dragons take over. Instead, we skip most of that and go right to the after effects. So the story moves at a steady clip without sacrificing too much character development.

The movie really didn't get its due in the theaters. But that only means that you can pick the DVD up at a very reasonable price almost anywhere. It is perfectly safe for teenagers to watch along with their parents ... and a nice bucket of popcorn, of course.

Go for it ... you won't be sorry.

Repli-Kate (2002)

Not as bad as it could have been ...

[6/10 · 1 July 2004]

And actually pretty funny. The science is silly, the acting questionable, the plot predictable. But I dare you not to laugh, often and out loud. Ali is drop-dead sexy. And you have to give her credit for pulling off the dual role as well as she does. Eugen Levy has some funny moments, though he is mostly wasted in this film. The male leads are nobody anybody knows, but they do okay and get the funniest lines. The conclusion is trite and rushed; you can almost pinpoint the exact moment the budget ran out on this one.

The DVD has more features than you normally would expect from a straight to video release, including some pretty goofy outtakes. All in all, if you can pick it up at a discount (my copy was less than $6), Repli-Kate is worth the price of admission.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Entertaining and Funny ... A Great Summer Movie

[10/10 · 18 July 2003]

Like many, I'm sure, I was put off by the very concept when I first heard about this movie. Modeling a movie after a ride at a theme park? Did we learn nothing at all from The Country Bears movie? But the more trailers I saw, the more snipets of Depp's performance ... I began to look forward to the film's opening. By the time it arrived at theaters, I could not wait to see it.

I was not disappointed, not in the least. This move is entertaining and funny, start to finish. Jack Sparrow's entrance is a classic and Depp never lets up from there. He is amazing, bringing something so unique to this role that it is literally unforgetable.

Some have remarked that the horror aspect may be a little strong for the younger kids, but don't let that put you off. If your children could handle either of the Harry Potter movies, the scare content of this film is no worse than giant snakes or disembodied evil sorcerers.

By last count, there are over 400 reviews of this movie after it had been out for only a week ... that says quite a bit about it already. There is really no point in rehashing all the comments already being made. I would only reiterate this singular point: Don't miss this movie!

Titan A.E. (2000)

Much better than you may have heard

[9/10 · 8 November 2000]

This animated film from Don Bluth and co. is much better than anything we've seen from Disney in years (outside of the Pixar films, of course). Placed within the context of traditional animated films, Titan A.E. ranks second only to The Iron Giant (another underrated classic) in the last 10 or more years, easily overshadowing more successful Disney releases of late. It really is cutting edge in so many ways.

Be warned that we are not talking about the usual touchy-feely fair you see in 'cartoon' genre films. Everything from the rocking soundtrack to the Earth destroying aliens makes this film a little harsh on the common kiddie crowd. This explains in part why Titan A.E. did not do so well in the theaters ... it really struggled to find an audience. However, I should say that my 6 year old daughter absolutely loved the movie (and the soundtrack). She is bugging me already to go out and pick up the DVD ... which I am leaving to do right now.

You should too.