Reviews

If you are old enough to remember the original Mel Brooks version with Don Adams, Barbara Feldon and Edward Platt, you will notice many differences, some more obvious than others. However, this is not to say that the 2008 version is not entertaining or funny. The phone in the shoe joke, was probably a lot funnier way back when there were no cell phones, but some of the younger audiences may not have even been born then! Max was a bit "dumber" in TV series and his relationship with Chief and 99 was somewhat different. There a few other such examples, but altogether the movies does a good job of connecting the old to new and trying to appease both the fans of the original series and the new comers. I, personally, am partial to the original, but this movie got a number good laughs out of me!

I'd not heard about this movie until I accidentally read about it online and decided to give it a try. Ten minutes into the movie I was already curious despite the fact that I had a hard time with understanding all the words especially when the characters were cursing each other in high speeds! But, it is a movie with colorful characters. It is funny, mysterious, scary, sweet violent and even romantic at times. The ending .... well, you've got to see it, but let me just say that it is somewhat unpredictable.

If you want to spend a couple of hours on a harmless, enjoyable, funny, and at times violent flick that is a combination of James Bond, Enter the Dragon, Matrix, and NCIS, this is the movie for you!

(I am not sure why NCIS, but there it is!)

Colin Firth and Mark Strong do great as Galahad and Merlin. Jonno Davies plays Lee, the unlikely hero and holds his own along the strong cast. But it is Samuel L. Jackson's nerdy villain with a lisp, Valentine, that makes me chuckle every single time.

The action scenes are fun and easy to follow, although at times a bit to graphic for the lighthearted. The jokes are pretty good too. Listen to the dialogues carefully, you will find a whole bunch of tongue in cheek references and jokes.

There a very few movies made based on a book that hold true to the story line. This is mostly because it is very challenging to fit a couple of hundred pages into two hours. The written words have the luxury of time. The authors can take their time to dig deep into the characters of the story, the movies have less time, a lot less.

In this case we do not get to learn a lot about the characters either, but we do get to have a glance. The casting is done right, the acting is very good, and the director, David Fincher, has done a great job of fitting various pieces into his silver screen version of the book and still evoke the same feelings in his audience. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara are excellent, and the supporting cast is not far behind. This is a complex plot, so make sure to watch and follow it very carefully. You will be greatly entertained.

When you see Sam Elliot's name attached to a western movie, you think there must be something good about it. Well that is correct in this case too, except the only thing worth watching in the movie is Sam Elliot!

This is a movie that can't figure out what it wants to be! A comedy, a serious western, a shoot them up, kill them all western, etc.

Sam Elliot aside, the acting is not good. and the directing and editing is not good either! Just watching the opening sequence should have given it away for me. During the stagecoach robber scene at the start, you see the stagecoach going at full speed, and then camera cuts to another angle and it is going slow! It returns to the original camera and it is going fast, and then back to slow again, and ... well you get the picture.

I have nothing about B movies, especially westerns, but this one is not worth your time.

OK, let me just say that Sean Connery nails it as the voice of Draco! A dragon with a Scottish accent?! Just great! :-)

The movie has its share of laughs and excitement, but what I liked about it most was that the jokes are kind of clever and Dennis Quaid does a hell of a good job pulling it off as an old washed out knight whose time has passed. David Thewlis does an equally good job as the evil King Einon, so good that at times you wish you could get up and smack him around a bit yourself! Same goes for Dina Meyer who plays the single minded Kara who seeks revenge and will do anything it takes to make Einon pay his dues.

It is a fun movie, and it will bring a few smiles to your face.

So much was made of this movie being this or that when it was released. the main theme of the criticisms was that it glorified war and dehumanized people of the region. I did not see any that; however, I can see how certain aspects may be interpreted that way.

Clint Eastwood has done a great job of showing the gradual toll that four tours of duty took on the hero. He also shows us how cruel and unforgiving war can be on all fronts. Based on that, I reject the notion that the movie is a glorifying war or violence. Yes, if you are watching a movie like this and it is so well made that you side with the hero, of course you cheer when he gets the bad guys, but is it really any different than Rocky Balboa knocking teeth out of his opponents' mouth?

I have not the autobiography that this movie was based on, but I hear that the script followed the book closely.

Put another check in the win column for Clint!

In making this movie Kevin Costner stuck to the formula, the one that most feel good sports movies use, and made it work beautifully. There are no unexpected fancy twists in this one. The acting is straight up and solid. The ethnic background of the movie adds to the movie in good way. I enjoy a few of the scenes that involve the interactions between the coach or his family and the locals. They demonstrate how cultural interaction and familiarity can eliminate fear and breakdown the walls that divide us. Don't get me wrong, the movie is not trying to give you a social/cultural lecture, this stuff comes naturally mixed with the main story line.

If you like the genre, you'll enjoy this movie.

If you ever want to get lost for a while and forget about your immediate surroundings, John Wick may be the solution for you! The movie is 101 minutes of non-stop action through which the bad guys get it in all sorts of captivating ways! There are no twists, no mind benders, no smart was of taking someone out, just one straight shoot them dead sequence after another! The action scene choreography is really well done. Camera work is great so despite all the rapid action you will not miss any details.

If you do not have the stomach for blood or violence, then skip it. Otherwise, get cozy and watch the Boogeyman do his thing!

The black and white shots of the landscape and the dialogues are what stood out most for me the first time I saw the movie many years ago. Over the years I have caught it on cable whenever I could and every time my appreciation of the movie has only grown. Listen to Lin McAdam when he is trying to educate the less experienced Sgt. Wilkes on the way of the Indians without offending the older man, and pay attention to the egoless way the Sgt. Welcomes the information.

Dan Duryea's Waco Johnnie Dean is a colorful character whom you wish you got a lot more of in the movie.

The acting is not exactly Oscar winning material, but it is not all that bad.

Will Geer as Wyatt Earp is a choice which Mann should've reconsidered. He is a bit too old and overweight for the part.

Finally, keep an eye open for the silver screen day view of two Hollywood legends. See if you can recognize them.