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paristehrani
Reviews
A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)
It seems some things don't get better with age....................
As a fan of the original three 'Wallace and Gromit' short films I was pleased to hear that there would be a fourth outing for the duo. Sadly though, 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' doesn't live up to the standards set by Nick Park's earlier works. There were several reasons for this: Firstly, the pacing of the film was far too rushed, thus preventing the viewer from ever really getting involved with the story on screen. Much of the film seems to jump from one scenario to the next, never giving the story time to build up, as so wonderfully demonstrated in 'The Wrong Trousers'.
Secondly, there seemed to be far greater use of music this time round, but rather than setting the mood, it seemed too 'obvious' in places, and merely felt forced, and comic in nature. In fact I can barely recall a moment of silence within the film at all. Conversely, take the scene in 'The Wrong Trousers' with Gromit hiding in a box and the Penguin slowly advancing towards him. The use of music (and restraint)is so effective, chilling and suspenseful, and really creates atmosphere.
Thirdly, the humour has changed somewhat over the years. In the earlier films, there were more subtle visual gags that weren't so overtly put forth, whereas in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' there seems to be a greater if not equal emphasis on verbal dialogue, which doesn't seem to have quite the same appeal. Plus, much of the humour seems to be 'spoof-like' in nature resulting in contrived humour.
Forthly, 'Piella Bakewell' is simply not that interesting of a character, and ends up more being more annoying than menacing. Also, the whole end sequence falls flat, not only on its own terms, but in comparison to both 'TWT' and 'ACS'.
In summary, it seems that in an attempt to cram in as much as possible in 30 minutes of airtime, and the desire to throw all restraint out of the window, much of the charm, build-up and true brilliance of the original shorts has been lost. Nevertheless, any adventure with Wallace and Gromit is a welcome one, and much requested by fans. Perhaps Nick Park might study his earlier films, picking up on the techniques that made them so good in the first place. Who knows, maybe next time 'Wallace and Gromit' will go on an adventure in another country...................
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Oh dear...........
I myself am a huge fan of the original Jurassic Park. Its sense of awe and wonder, and of course the velociraptors are what mad me love the first film. Obviously I was excited at the prospect of there being a third film, but when I saw it in the cinema I couldn't be more disappointed. Firstly, the whole feel of the film was different from the first two, simply because the direction duties went to Joe Johnston, an amateur compared with Steven Spielberg.
Secondly, despite what many critics have said, I felt that the dinosaurs in this movie were no where near as realistic as those used in the original two films. In fact, the person I was with leaned over and said to me quite plainly, 'They look fake'! The dinosaurs didn't look frightening and lacked any real menace/danger that was so evident in the first film.
Thirdly, the film's emphasis on humour, such as the mobile phone scene, just pulled the whole movie franchise down a level. In my opinion, the Jurassic Park films worked much better with less lame, stupid humour, and with more subtle, witty comments, which were provided by Jeff Goldblum in the first two films.
I have to admit, the plot in this film is weak, and the ending is completely bizarre, and just ends up making the film one complete huge joke. As one critic said, it makes the first two films look like examples of 'epic and classic filmaking'. Quite right so. For anyone interested in seeing this film, I warn you to STAY AWAY, and watch only the other two in the trilogy, as, quite frankly, this is an example of how a sequel should not be made.