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rory_penland
Reviews
Bewitched (2005)
Bewitched is not Beguiling or Bewitching. Magic Spoilers herein!
Nora Ephron has written some very funny romantic comedies in her time (When Harry met Sally/Sleepless In Seattle/You've Got Mail), but one has to wonder why she chose to put her magical spin on a rehash of the old TV show "Betwitched". She wisely decides to update the story, by making a movie about a remake of the old TV show, turning some of the laughs on Hollywood stereotypes, BUT... it still doesn't quite work.
I will say that Nicole Kidman deserves major kudos for coming off cute and adorable amidst this mishmesh of homage to the old show and quips at modern Hollywood. Her performance is stellar considering what she is given to work with and she balances "over the top" Will Ferrell's (less is more Will. Less is more!) pound for pound with her turn as Ephron's new Meg Ryan. Also noteworthy is Michael Caine strutting through it all, as her warlock father and the delightful Shirley McClain who as a grand Hollywood madam, is playing... well... a grand Hollywood madam who is making her comeback playing Endora on the new Bewitched TV show. Michael Baldalucci also gives a funny cameo as a frustrated animal/props guy who wonders why none of his sure-fire stuff doesn't work (The magic interferes with it).
Ferrels' improvisational dialogue is funny at times and grating at others. He has always been hit or miss in my book since his early SNL days, and frankly, someone needs to stop telling him that everything out of his mouth is hysterical... It's not. As a romantic lead, uh... No. Folks, you get Dick Sargent Darren in this and not Dick York.
One wonders what kind of film this would have been if Jim Carrey had followed through with the original deal. We certainly would have had some broader physical and sight-gag comedy. Something that I was hoping for in this and in my opinion, it wasn't delivered. As Darren, I feel he would have been a better romantic interest and a funnier Darren. Dick York, not Dick Sargent.
Lastly, I had a huge problem with dropping in characters from the original TV show. OK, if Nicole Kidman's character just happens to have an aunt who is also named Clara, fine. I'll buy that. She's also a bungling witch. Fine, I'm still with you. Throwing in Uncle Arthur at the end was a big MISTAKE. Showing clips of the delightful Paul Lynd playing the real Uncle Arthur was a BIGGER MISTAKE. Two coincidences is TOO MUCH. If you were going to do that, then at least throw in a side story that this new witch is the reason the old show was written. All of the characters were based on her family back in the fifties. But you did not do that. You changed our new witches name as well as her father's, then decided to throw in real characters named for the old show's characters. CONFUSING! Steve Carrel is usually very funny. I loved him on the ill fated Dana Carvey show, I love him on the Daily show, But he does a terrible impression of Uncle Arthur, ugh. and that phony nose. Ugh!
Zhong Nan Hai bao biao (1994)
A solid gung-fu action thriller : WARNING! one minor spoiler.
If you liked "Black Mask" for it's kung-fu (pronounced gung-fu in Asia) action, you will love the final gung-fu battle of this movie. Trying to fight a battle with a more than worthy opponent AND the house is filling up with gas fumes. Very clever.
The girl is annoying in the first half of the film, but that is usually the case in Hong Kong films of this nature. The ladies are written to be comic relief.
I can not comment on the dubbing as I have seen the original Chinese version on TV here in China, but usually the dubbing in these older Chinese action films is hilariously bad. You may have fun with that as well. This is not the type of film you want to take seriously. It is a escapist gung-fu police thriller.
My only beef is that I would have liked to have seen more gung-fu action and a little less gun play. It is a nice action rental to kick back and watch with friends.
Mysterious Island (1961)
Mysterious Island is a GREAT film.
Charles Shneer's 1961 production of Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island" is by far, my favorite childhood action film. It has everything. Escaped civil war prisoners, a riveting balloon ride, giant animals, an erupting volcano, pirates, Captain Nemo & his Nautilus, and that mysterious island that plays backdrop to it all.
Ray Harryhausen fans love this film because his special effects of the giant crab, bees, prehistoric bird, and underwater snail (the Cephalopod) are some of his most dynamic works. There is a skeleton in the film, but alas Harryhausen does not make it come to life. You will have to see Schneer's "Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad", and "Jason and the Argonauts" for more on that.
The cast including Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood, and a very acrobatic Michael Callan does a wonderful job of keeping their characters interesting and keeping the story flowing. Then, in the last quarter of the film, we get Captain Nemo played to perfection by Herbert Lom. Lom's cold and concise delivery is amazing. You can feel his inner tension as he explains the present situation to the other castaways. The volcano on the island is erupting and they must race against nature to get off the island in time.
If you have a young son from ten to teens, this is a great flick to show them along with the other two that I mentioned. The team of Schneer and Harryhausen new how to show a story and the action sequences of all three films are stunning.
Rory Penland Shenzhen, China