PHQ-Nickname:
muddasheep
Halfquake:
Senseless Existence
Level:
43
Total kills:
1,232,096
Birthday:
May 01st 1984
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| Mood: | tired |
| Type: | Article |
| Added: | December 05th 2006, 23:39:19 |
| Visits: | 1983 |
| Series: | [ Quick Movie Reviews ] |
| Rating: | 5/5 (Votes: 2) |
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Description:
Again, movies I've seen, reviewed with strong personal opinions. |
 The Frighteners (1996)
Two reasons I've bought this movie: First, Michael J. Fox is in it. Second, it's Peter Jackson's last movie before Lord of the Rings. I heard that The Frighteners used so many computers (about 30) to render all the special effects that after the movie was done they didn't know what to do with those computers, so they used them for LOTR. One ghost figure actually looks like one of the Nazgul in LOTR. Plus, the movie is very funny (black humor mostly) and just a bit spooky and sarcastic. I guess if you liked LOTR and of course, if you like Michael J. Fox, this is a must-see for you.
5/5
Hidalgo (2004)
I mainly bought this movie because of Arago- err, Viggo Mortensen. I thought this would be a funny movie where I would always see Viggo pull a sword and call for help from the undead. No such luck. I was surprised by how Viggo's acting actually convinced me that he's not the returning King of Gondor. Instead, he's a cowboy in a race through the desert. The best scene of the movie is probably when he's in the middle of the desert, shoots into the air and listens to the neighing of his opponent's horses - to hear how far they're away. Good movie.
4/5
Brothers Grimm (2005)
After you've watched this movie you forget what you've seen. It just passes by without getting stuck in your head. Matt Damon doesn't help much either. I think it had some nice effects.
1/5
Zatōichi (2003)
This movie tells the story of a blind masseur/swordsman. There's lots of humor and blood. Sometimes it's a bit strange too, but overall I'd say it's one of the better movies I've seen. If you liked Kill Bill, you might enjoy this one too.
4/5
Chihiro (Spirited Away) (2001)
I've seen most of the Studio Ghibli movies, and most of them have excellent animation. This movie is not an exception. If you want to see one of the best animated movies, you can go right ahead and get it. It's basically a tale of a little girl who wanders into a rather abstract world. As a whole you could say it's a huge piece of chaotic art. I don't really know what to say about the story (or lack thereof), but it's definitely worth watching.
4/5
Tuck Everlasting (2002)
At first I hesitated with this movie. But after the first few minutes I grew attached to it and I couldn't stop watching. The story basically raises the question what you would do if you were invincible. Definitely worth a try. You have to know that this is more targeted at a younger audience. And Ben Kingsley plays absolutely fabulous. The ending is maybe a bit too realistic (watch it and you'll know what I mean - they're not kidding around, I tell you, no Hollywood endings are welcome here).
5/5
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
By reading the description you might think it's just another one of those love stories. I tell you, it's way more than that. Sure, at the beginning it might be a bit cheesy, but at least when Donald Sutherland steps in as the father you'll get hooked. The characters are well described and believable, the actors are all great and the language throughout the movie is very deep. But I guess if you're into action movies, this one will make you fall asleep. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much.
4/5
Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust (2000)
If you're into vampires and action you have to buy this. The drawing style might seem a bit weird in the beginning but you'll get used to it. The animation is nearly perfect and I can't see why you wouldn't want to give this one a try.
5/5
Ice Age II - The Meltdown (2006)
Uhm, okay. I heard some people say Ice Age II is better than its predecessor, mainly because there's more scenes of that nut-hunting squirrel. So, I bought and watched it. I remember I laughed a few times, maybe four times in total. I remember the ending was kind of thrilling, but most of the time I wondered how mammoths can swim. I also remember that the scenes with Scrat were a bit annoying as I wanted the movie to finally continue with the main plot. I kept swearing that they should make a separate movie with that squirrel if people like it so much and leave the movie as it is. But then again, that's probably just me. I talked to other people and told them that I didn't find the story deep enough (eh, what story anyway?) and they told me that they don't care cause there are a lot more Scrat scenes. So, if you like the Scrat scenes, go ahead and watch it. If you like Ice Age and its characters, watch the predecessor. The animation is awesome though, so it still gets a 3.
3/5
Corpse Bride (2005)
I absolutely love Nightmare Before Christmas and I know the whole soundtrack by heart. I was so excited to see Tim Burton creating yet another stop-motion musical. Yet, after watching it I felt a bit unsatisfied because most of the songs felt too "NightmareBeforeChristmas"-ish. The story was alright, but left me wanting a bit more. Nevertheless, the animation was superb, the dark humor remained top-notch and even if some scenes were predictable it was by far not the worst movie. If you liked Nightmare Before Christmas too you should give Corpse Bride a try, but don't expect all too much.
3/5
Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
In my attempt to watch all Disney movies in English I also had to watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame (I haven't seen it before). I love nearly all Disney movies, and this one is no exception. The picturesque scenes in this movie will stay in your head for quite a while. What I really liked was the "musical"-touch of it. All of the earlier Disney movies featured quite a lot of music, but Hunchback of Notre Dame took it a tiny step further, in my opinion. The musical scenes are a lot more theatrical and dramatic. Like, Pocahontas is just running around through the woods in her movie, while in Hunchback of Notre Dame the Minister of Justice sings before his open fire about how he will make the gypsy girl be his or he will kill her and several figures in red cloaks appear that stare down at him for his sins. Also, Hunchback of Notre Dame has a general dark feeling and might not exactly be for the youngest ones to watch. It's also based on true happenings, but Disney changed the ending to a more family-friendly one (you can read up on Wikipedia what really happened). The music in general is awesome and epic, the mix of hand-drawn animation and computer graphics is simply breathtaking and sometimes it's really funny as well, especially the dialogues with the soldier Phoebus. I will recommend this to you and even if you're not into Disney movies or musicals, you should at least watch this one. Maybe you'll like it as well.
5/5
Troy (2004)
Critics say it's one of the worst movies out there. I wouldn't say it's that bad, I actually quite enjoyed it. The best scene is definitely where Achilles motivates his men before battle with words like: "Over there lies immortality. Take it. It's yours." The weakest role was Hector's, played by Eric "Hulk" Bana. And Legolas appeared too, I guess since this was quite a few years ago his ears weren't as much developed as nowadays.
4/5
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Okay, Stitch is probably the best character ever shown in a Disney movie. I mean, can you take your feet into your mouth and roll all over the place? I've seen this movie in cinemas and now I've bought it on DVD - and it's still one of the most enjoyable movies. It gets my full recommendation.
5/5
Robots (2005)
I - again - didn't expect much when seeing this movie. Although I knew it was done by the IceAge guys, so it couldn't be that bad. And yeah, it's really not that bad. In fact, it's easily one of the funniest movies. There's so many details in the robot models and in the surroundings, and the jokes are 80% fit-of-laughter-guarantees. It takes Toy Story and puts it on a whole new level. I really like Toy Story (the second part even more), but Robots is close to kicking Toy Story's ass. You have to see this one.
5/5
Amelie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) (2001)
When I first saw this film I was enchanted. It puts such a heavy spell on you that once the credits start rolling you can almost see the glow around you. Life is beautiful, after all. This film proves it. I've seen it maybe eight times now, and before two weeks ago I hadn't seen it for a few years. I'm enchanted again. If you haven't seen this piece of art yet, go and do it. It will change your life. Be sure to watch it in French with subtitles, it's got a lot more charm then.
5/5 |
TheNameless
December 06th 2006, 00:30:18
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Hehe, wow someone knows Zatôichi  Kewl.
I really enjoyed the story of this one and it was pretty kewl too. I might have rated
it better  . I have never watched Vampire Hunter D, but my brother did and always
told me to watch it aswell, because it was the best film he'd ever seen till then.
I shall do that now . (thanks for reminding me)
And to Ice Age II : I watched it with a friend, and we really just watched it because
of scrat. Sad but true. If you don't really care about the rest of the story, the interrupting scrat scenes don't hurt very much . The story disturbed the scrat scenes less than in the first part  (I know --> shame on me ).
I didn't know you're so much in disney movies. Didn't expect that from the creator of halfquake. Well anyways, I'll give some of them a chance.
And Amelie really enchants you, that is true. I have seen another movie of the
director of Amelie, I forgot the name, it was some kind of fairy tale in a different world. It had even more atmosphere than Amelie, and till then I didn't think that was really possible. Really awesome. I must find out the name again (gotta ask the friend, who has the DVD).
Well anyway, great reviews, like always.
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muddasheep
December 06th 2006, 19:01:47
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I enjoy Disney movies for the following reasons: Basically they're all tales and mostly they have some strong message behind them. Take "The Emperor's New Groove" for example. It's definitely one of my favorite movies and probably one of the most hilarious films ever made, but behind the "mask" lies a deeper meaning: When you're rich you're losing your personality and the thing that makes you human. That's nothing new, of course, but it's great to have this movie right there to support the fact. Or Lilo & Stitch: If you have a functioning family everything's so much easier. Pocahontas: You have to learn to tolerate different people because they're human just like you. Hunchback of Notre Dame: Being ugly doesn't mean the end of the world. Mulan and Arielle: You can do anything you want, but you have to fight for it. Also what I really like about Disney movies is that mostly they have a good ending, high quality animations, impressive soundtracks and they actually manage to cheer you up. And mostly they have a few jokes that really make you laugh hard (at LEAST one per movie, Hercules for example is a humor cannon). Disney movies are the purest entertainment you can get with a lot of genres combined (comedy, drama, action, lovestory, etc) mostly into one movie. My recommendations if you're not that much into Disney movies (yet): Start with Emperor's New Groove, Hercules and Lilo & Stitch.
Thanks for the comment. |
LordAsriel
December 10th 2006, 21:39:27
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Though I was much into Disney movies when I was a child, later I started feeling they were too stereotypical and optimistic. The humor is good, yes, but deep characters are hard to find, and the story grows more and more predictable with each movie you see. One should always take into account that they are movies made for kids, but still I have the feeling that WD movies from my time are better than the newest ones.
Having said so, I agree that the message is clear, and perhaps if everyone was shown all Disney movies in their childhood the world would be a better place. I also agree with all your WD recommendations, besides Lilo & Stitch, which I haven't seen yet.
I agree with or understand all of your reviews about movies I've seen. Perhaps I'll pay some of the others a look.
As a final note, I for one enjoyed Chihiro a lot.  |
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TheNameless
LordAsriel
