Change Your Image
Linnium
Reviews
Rowan Atkinson Live (1992)
If only they would release this on DVD!
This is one of the funniest collections of skits I've ever seen. Atkinson's bits are original and well delivered on this tape. He plays everything from the devil, to masochistic school director, to a jealous actor. There is even a little Bean in this one! I only wish someone would distribute in on DVD. Tape looses its quality after a while, and I won't be able to replace it once it goes bad. We really need to get a petition going to get this on DVD in the states. It could have been a suggested sale item on the Johnny English DVD, but oh well.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Good Story, Bad Animated Acting!
I just got done watching this movie an hour ago. I've been anticipating this movie for over a year, and I'm afraid that it was not worth the wait. I wanted to see this movie because of the new technology Square Pictures used to animate this film, but I think an excellent story was wasted.
The movie starts out a bit vague and the animation is distracting for the first 10 minutes of this film. It's amazing how well this film was animated. The details in human hair, facial movement, body movement, and clothing were outstanding. However, no matter how good technology becomes, it will never master the craft of acting. Because of this fact, I think it was a lot harder for me to connect with the characters. For instance, Steve Buscemi is the comic relief of this film. He has always been good comic relief, but I think this film points out the he is good partly because of what he does physically. This film failed to capture any of the actors talents, for the afore mentioned reason. The end of the film was anti-climactic. You never want to leave your seat thinking, 'That was it?' I'm afraid that happened to me. The story is a bit hard to follow and the ending can be confusing if you don't pay very close attention. This is a great story, but I don't feel it was told very well.
This film was budgeted for $70 million, and they spent $140 million of it. In my opinion, this film could have been a blockbuster success, if they had filmed live action instead of pioneering a new genre of films with this technology. With this cast, it would have attracted many people, and there would have been a much better connection to the characters. If these were real actors, they would have been among the worst. The over use of hand gestures were distractingly bad. I feel bad for the hundreds of animators who slaved to make this film. You can tell that this is the result of years of hard work. If you've been to the official web site of Final Fantasy and visited the 'Behind the Scenes' portion of it, you will know what I mean. Everything about this movie could have been wonderful, if it was not for the fact that it was animated. I think that this movie will be panned by the critics, and I don't think that it will be saved by the younger audience, as did Godzilla. It is my understanding that Square Pictures has promised its investors that it will not produce another film. If they can write as good a script as this films, I think they should try again, but with live actors.
As fantastic as the animation is, I don't think I will see it again, nor will I purchase the DVD when it is out.
The Patriot (2000)
William Wallace, my eye!!!
I had the pleasure of viewing this film at a private screening in Hollywood, 06/27/2000. To those of you who say that, "The Patriot is Braveheart: 1776", I say, "Welcome to conformity!" The only people that have actually said that to me have a.) not seen the film and b.) said it because someone else said it. Also, to those who said "Civil War films usually do not do well, dude!", I say, "The movie is about the American Revolution, dude!"
Anyhow, getting back on track here, I was very impressed with this film. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have out done themselves. They've opened the playing field for Centropolis Entertainment by doing something outside the realm of Sci-Fi. The cinematography was just beautiful, the cast was "right on", and altogether, the film makes you loose track of time. "That was 3 hours? No way!" I heard some people of my generation outside the theater say that the movie was too long. The people of my generation have a short attention span, folks. I think we've passed "Generation X" and went strait to the "A.D.D. Generation." This film was not too long, nor was Green Mile for that matter! You can't get the overall point of the film in an Mtv "Buzz Clip" format.
Mel Gibson does a fantastic job (of course), and Heath Ledger is well on his way to becoming a huge success in the States, as well as world wide. Watch for him. Seriously! Lisa Brenner was a nice addition to the silver screen as well. Aside from the fact that she is just CUTE, she can win your heart with a smile and her big eyes! She didn't get too much film time in The Patriot, but she will, and it will be worth it!
Brief description: As I'm sure you all know by now, Mel Gibson plays Ben: a widower and a father of 6 or 7 children living in South Carolina in 1776. He used to be a "Red Coat", but has since then retired due to a dark secret plaguing him. Despite Ben's vocalized opposition to war, his oldest son Gabriel, played by Heath Ledger, defies his father's demands and joins the war against England. After many tragedies suffered by Ben's family in this time of war, he joins his son in the war to protect him. Although I wish to stop here and not give you the entire film, I will tell film is more than just about Ben and Gabriel. The movie runs much deeper than that. I will leave you to find your own truths.
To sum up: Good script, good acting, and good time! Any one who even remotely enjoys films, should see this one. Don't wait for video. You will be sorry you missed it on the silver screen!