davidhicks-1 Reviews

Balto (1995)

A beautifully crafted heartwarming film

[10/10 · 30 March 2010]

I have to say when it comes to these based on these sort of 2D animations, I don't usually rate them that high, I've been more of a fan of 3D animation, until Balto.

The film is based on a true story in Alaska, of a cross-breed wolf/husky named Balto (Kevin Bacon), though the town of Nome see him as a threat, because of his wolf characteristics, and lives his life as a stray. He and his good friend Boris get through life day by day, but Balto feels out of place in his life. He's part wolf, but at the same time, he'd love to be part of a sled dog team, always watching with excitement as the sled dog husky teams would shoot by to and from the town, but he knows the town would never accept him.

It is one day when Balto stumbles across a female husky, Jenna (Bridget Fonda), who he really takes a shine to, when his life begins to change. He is confronted by the lead member of the sled dog pack, they very dangerous and aggressive Steele, who doesn't like seeing Balto getting on so well with Jenna (who he secretly fancies himself), and threatens Balto, and getting his pack to do them same (though they have their own views, but would never question Steele, because he is such a brutal looking character). Of course, Jenna hates Steele's ego and finds him too direct and aggressive, and would much rather be with Balto, despite her owners trying to keep her away, as they think Balto might attack her because of his wolf qualities.

The town of Nome becomes victim to a spread of a terrible disease, Diptheria, which takes its toll on many children, including Jenna's best human friend, Rosie. With the medicine beyond reach by most transport modes because of the harsh Alakan climate, the only way to retrieve it is the use of a sled dog team. Upon selecting the team, no doubt about it, Steele is chosen as the pack leader, the town expecting him to make mincemeat of the challenge! However, his ego gets the better of him, and he leads the pack into trouble, with no sight of retuning with the medicine, and lives hanging in the balance. Bato knows how much Rosie means to Jenna, losing her would be devastating, and he knows someone has to do something. Whilst no dog could go after the pack and retrieve the medicine, a dog/wolf just might. It is up to Balto to find the lost sled dog team, and retrieve the medicine that could potentially save a generation.

The animation was fantastic, I loved the way they gave each character a personality, one of my favourites was the smaller dog in the sled pack with the high pitched voice, where another dog kept hitting him on the head whenever he said something he didn't like. That dog was really cute, and turns out to be a real hero in the pack team, despite how the others treat him. They captured Steele's personality brilliantly, that, so so evil look. And the beautiful Jenna, Bridget Fonda and Kevin Bacon do great voiceovers for Balto and Jenna, really bring out the best in them, showing both of these characters as quiet and rather shy, but inside them, they are really powerful spirits.

For me, alongside the fantastic animation and voicerovers, there is one thing as well that makes this such a great film. There is a really strong message that comes through that we can all learn from. You don't have to be the best of your kind to achieve something spectacular in life. Steele was a very strong and muscly dog, with huge teeth and this evil, yet sexy look (that some of the female dogs really liked). The town expected him to complete the task with ease. They were wrong, and it was the underdog that has to achieve what the original 'town's hero' couldn't. Balto is not a pedigree dog, but he proves that you don't have to be one to be the leader of a sled dog team. Just because you don't have the 'full packadge', or you are not as gifted with certain characteristics compared to others, it doesn't mean you can never hope to achieve anything in life. Just because you might be different to everyone else, doesn't mean you have less capabilities than them. Balto shows that it is his difference that makes him so gifted, and something that he should be proud of, not ashamed of like how the town's people made him feel, and of course, Steele.

This truly is a classic film and definitely the best animated film from the 20th century. It truly does do the best at telling this true story, and making us believe in ourselves. I absolutely loved this film.

Bolt (2008)

Exceptional!

[10/10 · 15 February 2009]

I think the title of this review, in my opinion, sums up Bolt in one word. The adorable characters and the action-packed sequences left your emotions going all over the place in this one of a kind animated adventure.

The outline story is about a dog, but this dog is slightly different from the rest, he is a legend of the small screen as the star of his own TV show, Bolt; a super-dog that will do all it takes to protect his owner and best friend, Penny. There is just one big problem, Penny is Bolt's actual real owner, who never gets any time with Bolt outside filming for the TV show, and Bolt believes that the show that he stars in is actually for real. He believes he has superpowers and is always on the looking out stop the 'green-eyed' villain from getting hold of Penny.

One day in film production, a scene featuring Penny being kidnapped by the bad guys sends Bolt running out of the studio and going to look for Penny believing that she really has been kidnapped.

The film sees Bolt in the real world (where he has no super powers) and discovers who he really is. Along the way he 'captures' a cat (who he sees as a villain) called Mittens, and bumps into a rather hyper-active hamster (Rhino).

The films has a mix of genres, and Rhino provides a lot of funny dialogue, which works really well.

Another treat in this film is that you can see it in 3D, and it really makes it so much more realistic, I loved how the 3D made the action sequences so realistic. at you from the screen, one bit that really sticks in my mind was the syringe coming at you! I would definitely recommend seeing it in 3D.

However, there is one thing that, for me personally, made this fantastic. From what I've heard and read many people have said that it was 'hilarious' and a great animated comedy. For me, I don't think the comedy was the best bit. What I really liked about this film was that it had heart. I loved watching Bolt making discoveries about himself that he never knew about (e.g. the window on the trailer scene) which was full of warmth, music in these scenes in particular worked very well indeed. It left you feeling really emotional. But then it was a scene near the end that really did it for me, after all the action, the heart and determination of Bolt really did bring a tear to my eye, something I don't think any other animated film has ever done. Was it the 3D that made it so realistic (you could almost feel Bolt's fur) or the great work done on the animation, a combination of both? Never have I come out of an animated film feeling so emotional. Before seeing this film I read a quote from the chief creative officer of Disney animated studios who said that he believed in the words of Walt Disney himself "for every laugh, there should be a tear". They got it spot on in 'Bolt'.

Overall, I can't express enough how awesome 'Bolt' is. By far I would recommend you see this one of a kind film.

Skunk Fu! (2007–2023)

The Art of Entertainment

[10/10 · 25 September 2007]

Skunk Fu! This show is basically about the adventures of a western Skunk, currently a kid, he learns the art of kung fu from a wise Panda. Skunk lives in a valley along with other animals. However, Panda used to be friends with Dragon, however, Dragon became trapped in a cave to the present day, and blames the animals in the valley for his arrogance. He now threatens to destroy the valley, by using a large group of 'Ninga Monkeys' and his own powers. It is up to the animals in the valley to stop Dragons attempts at destroying their habitat. At the moment Dragon appears to be the most powerful creature, and the only thing keeping him at bay from destroying the valley is the cave he is trapped in. However, Skunk is likely to be the animal that can out do Dragon, as he has a secret weapon no other animal possesses, the ability to create a noxious smell which can knock out all the animals in the valley and a good weapon against Dragon. Skunk however needs to learn how to control this.

When I first saw this advertised there was something about it that looked good. However I didn't take much notice of this until after the first two weeks of it being shown, since it looked cool on the ads I decided to watch one. I was not disappointed, in fact it was better than I thought it would have been. First you get the background story in flat-screen, then it opens to full with this really cool rap music in the opening titles. Then you get to the episodes themselves which are fantastic.

The animation style of this is beyond any other, I love the fact that they use a bright range of colours and you even get gradients being used (like on Skunk and Rabbitt) which works really well. The story lines are easy to follow which makes it more entertaining and the episodes have been kept relatively short which is good as it leaves you wanting more. I love the action sequences where the animals fight (usually against ninja monkeys).

Another great thing about this show is the humour. There is so much of it in this. Whether it is play on words or just humour through the animation there is humour to suit all audiences. Though this show may be designed for a child audience I think there is adult humour it this. I really like the character 'Rabbitt', who provides a lot of humour though his language, such as in one 'The Art of Revenge', he and Skunk have battled against monkeys and won, he then says, "pretty darn good", Skunk replies, "not bad yourself", then Rabbitt replies, "I was talking about myself". I think there is also humour in the way that the animals names are basically the names of the animals they are (e.g. Skunk is a skunk). In my opinion this has humour that not only suits kids but also adults and I think this show suits all audiences.

So this show has good animation and great comedy, but what I think makes it very unique from any other cartoon is the fact that the creators (Cartoon Saloon) have managed to make the star of the show Skunk, before Skunk Fu skunks were not the most liked animal and basically known as animals that 'smell'. Now after this we will think of skunks differently. Cartoon Saloon have managed to take an animal rarely used and create a star character in a fantastic show. That is what makes this show so unique. The voices used in this show are brilliant, I especially like the voice used for Baboon (leader of the ninja monkeys).

In my opinion I would give this a definite 10/10 and encourage everyone to see this. Skunk Fu is a whole new look on animated comedies. Well done to those that created this.

Jekyll (2007)

A Thrilling Drama

[7/10 · 30 July 2007]

When I first heared that James Nesbitt was going to be starring in this adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde, I was looking forward to seeing what he would be like in this role, not like anything he has previously done. When I saw the first episode I was really impressed, Nesbitt played a great role as both Dr Jackman and Mr Hyde, and I found the first episode thrilling.

However, for me the genre changed to its intended genre fro the second episode onwards. The drama became much darker and so began the horror it was about to give us. I thought the 'countdown' in episode two with Mr Hyde was the start of the horror, and from here the darkness continued throghout the rest of the series, though it became more of a horror I still thought it was great and kept you gripped to your seat.

What I really liked about it was the way it had been structured. The producers had done it so that it was full of twists. One minute you thought one person had been victim to the horror of Hyde, then later you find out you were completely wrong and it was someone else. This is done as the drama is not done in chronological order, so even though this can make it confusing it all eventually pieces together.

What I found was overdone however were some of the scenes. I felt some of this was really dragged out. In one of the episodes when Jackman was out into a 'box' we were tuning into the next episode to find out what happened to him. However we waited until the end and just as we thought we would find out we were left in a cliffhanger, as most of the following episode was based on Jackmans past.

Overall I feel that 'Jekyll' was a really good modernised version of the original Jekyll and Hyde story and as this is a really hard task to pull of successfully, I think they did a really good job and found this great to watch.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

What a Stunning Finale

[8/10 · 28 May 2007]

With the second film leaving us on a climax, and with loads of unique characters, and after seeing the trailer for this, I had high expectations for this film and wasn't disappointed. "At World's End" is an awesome finale to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy.

The film fulfils all of the genre criteria just like the other two films, it has much action that keeps you glued to the screen and much adventure an mystery, as well as being able to bring in comedy through all of this action. I really liked the way the film could bring in comedy in such fast moving action sequences.

Another great feature about this film is the special effects. In many violent scenes the film links to the idea of mystery with its pathetic fallacy of using harsh weather conditions. The special effects of the weather in one of the main action sequences is amazing. The way it links to the sea and the violence makes you want more and more. A great job has been done with the effects for this film. In my opinion, it wouldn't have surprised me if anyone who had plenty of food whilst watching ended up being 'sea sick', the effects were that good.

One of the other great features of the film are the range of unique characters. In the last film we had a set up of really great powerful characters but in my opinion 3 stood out the most: Jack Sparrow, Barbosa and Davy Jones, each have their own characteristics including accents and when ever they appear on the screen you know your in for something great.

What I would recommend to any people going to see this is make sure you have done your homework. This film tries to put many stories into it, making it such a long running time. This film requires much concentration, if you lose focus for any part of the film it can become confusing there is so much put into it. However, if you keep focused on the events happening in the film you are in for one exciting finale.

Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

Bean Back on the Big Screen!

[7/10 · 9 April 2007]

If there had been a rumour going around saying that Mr Bean was coming back with a new feature film, I would have found it quite hard to believe, but I am really pleased he is back in this feature film. Mr Bean is one of the funniest characters there is and this film really shows it.

Mr Beans Holiday keeps the original Bean classic idea, where everything goes from bad to worse for Bean, making for a hilarious film, you don't know whats coming next. One of my favourite scenes is when Bean orders a huge unwanted dish of sea food in a fancy French restaurant, well, lets just say he gets rid of that in classic Bean style.

One of the questions I had before seeing this was what the role of Willem Dafoe was going to be, as he seems a strange choice of actor for a Mr Bean movie, this however is answered by playing a character I did not expect him to play in this film. Bringing with him a new context into the film, creating more adventure for Mr Bean.

This is definitely a film not to be missed, I have read that Rowan Atkinson has decided on this being the final Mr Bean story, well if he does change his mind, I would definitely like to see him in another Mr Bean film. Mr Bean's Holiday is a great surprise for all Mr Bean fans and is definitely worth wathching.

Benidorm (2007–2018)

A more unique comedy

[7/10 · 18 February 2007]

I am really pleased that this programme has been created. The comedy is based on a bunch of holiday makers in the same hotel in Benidorm, the show follows them with their goings on during their holiday, which in some cases leads to trouble. What I like about the show is that it is not completely based on a few main characters, there are quite a few characters that star in the show, and I really like the casting of Jonny Vegas 'the oracle' who provides much laughter along with the other characters. This is a comedy which in my opinion suit those audiences who enjoy seeing characters making fools of themselves as you might find on a real holiday. I however think that the show could be improved in the fact that it spreads only as far as the hotel area for the entire show. I would like to see the characters wonder into the town and get into trouble as well as the hotel. However I would definitely recommend this programme as it is a real good laugh.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Action from start to finish

[7/10 · 3 June 2006]

This movie does not disappoint where action is concerned, also it has themes of tragedy, love and comedy. The film is basically about a discovery of a cure for mutants, with some mutants wanting this cure and others not, it starts a war between mutants and non-mutants. It's up to the X Men to stop this war. About half way through this film when the war begins it is non-stop action. I think even though it is exciting and dramatic it doesn't resemble a classic X Men film in my opinion. A lot of the classics you would expect such as many of the classic characters do not have much of a parts in this film, leaving many newer characters with bigger parts. The film is very much based on the idea of war and I'm my opinion has a good and unexpected story line. With action left right and centre, this film is definitely one to watch and will have you on your seat all the way. In my opinion this film is not a classic X Men film but still a really great film.

Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)

This is Fantastic!

[8/10 · 22 April 2006]

Any fans of the first Ice Age film will not be disappointed. In fact this film is better than the original. It is hilarious from start to finish. The film includes the main 3 characters from the first movie, these being Sid, Manny and Diego, and we get some new great characters who are funny, including Ellie and her 'brother' possums. All of the characters in this film are funny, my favourite being Sid. The film is basically about the threat of the animals being in danger over the ice meltdown. So they have to find away to survive the meltdown. The other focus in the film is on Manny, as he believes to be the last of his species. Another great feature about this film is that one of the funniest characters in the first Ice Age, Scrat, gets given a bigger role and we see him more often in this film. Ice Age 2 is a great film which I would definitely recommend. It is fantastic!

007: Nightfire (2002 Video Game)

One of the best bond games

[5 July 2005]

This game has everything, and is well worth buying, there are so many missions, all different, from shooting enemies to driving in a cool Aston Martin, the first mission well represents this, you have to protect a French intelligence agent in a helicopter with a sniper rifle, taking out the enemies as they come, and later you are driving a car around the city. Then the other missions later on are more "spy" missions where you are snaking around. The multi-player option is great too, on this option you can play as characters from the game and basically choose your enemies and have a shoot out, or play a special option e.g. industrial espionage where you have to collect disks for your team. Also by winning a lot of points on the one player game, you have the chance to win celebrity characters for the multi player mode, these including the legendary Goldfinger, Electra King and Renard. Or alternatively you can just find the cheat codes. This game is brilliant and definitely worth buying.

Corneil and Bernie (2003– )

Lively, colourful and comical

[10/10 · 22 June 2005]

Hi-tech colourful animation , at first I thought this would just be another usual animation that becomes boring after a while, but I was wrong, you watch the first few episodes and they seem alright, but then they become really good when you get to episodes like "jungle panic" and "close encounter of the alien kind". They are so funny. This animation is definitely worth watching. I have seen every episode in series 1 and 2 and I hope series 3 (if there is one) will be as just as good as the first 2. I would give it a well deserved 10/10. One of the best episodes is "close encounter of the alien kind", in this episode Berney (dogsitter and reject at school) gets made fun of for believing that aliens exist, to get his own back on Romeo (popular kid at school) who makes fun of him, he makes Corniel (talking dog) to pretend hes and alien and because Corniel is so smart he comes up with this hilarious disguise, at the end of the show Moulder and Scully come on at the end. It's so funny!