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kneazles
Reviews
Sleepy Hollow (2013)
WOW - worth a second look. And maybe a third...
I didn't initially want to watch this show, mainly because the trailer looked terrible. Disregard it. Completely - the trailers tell you NOTHING of what is happening in this show. (Some general spoilers below)
"Sleepy Hallow" is about Abbie Mills, who is about to transfer into the FBI's training facility in order to move away from her secretive past and small town Sleepy Hallow, where nothing exciting other than a few spooked horses from a coyote ever happens. Until Ichabod Crane, a British turncoat during the War of Independence, is mysteriously awakened.
Poor Ichabod quickly learns that he is no longer in 1776, but rather 2013 and the twenty-first century, as Abbie and the rest of the Sleepy Hallow police department think he's the Headless Horseman who is going around, chopping the heads off of the inhabitants of their small town, including magically cauterizing the wounds - until Abbie, whose own past later reveals a connection between her and Crane, takes a chance on him and together, they learn that the Headless Horseman is more than just a strange killer with a headless fetish.
The show sets up a rather exciting premise that mixes CSI with Supernatural, Grimm, and Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. Sure, there aren't werewolves, or vampires, or fairies, or any other supernatural creature like that, but the show does set up a good versus evil coven of witches and warlocks, the Four Horsemen in the Book of Revelations, and oh yeah, the Apocalypse and the end of the world as we know it. (The last minute of the show, or about the last 30 seconds, is what will truly sell you; sit through it all, and watch the last bit... if you can manage and enjoy, I think you'll watch the rest of the show come Monday night)
The characters are interesting and Crane's wry humour during his incarceration at the Department, as well as Abbie's recently-departed Sheriff August Corbin's strange and interesting collection of unsolved murders and disappearances sets up a tangled web of murder, intrigue, magic, and death in a rather interesting cocktail of TV drama. The interactions between Abbie and Crane are smooth, suspicious, as well as tentative as the two begin to formulate a friendship that has otherworldly ties. Orlando Jones as the Sleepy Hallow Captain offers odd glances and confusing stares that may or may not add up to supernatural connections (if anything, his frustrated comments are worth a listen to); John Cho as Brook, Abbie's friend and fellow police officer, is a great add for fans of Star Trek and Sulu. Katrina, Crane's wife, will provide an interesting twist on the Abbie/Ichabod pairing that is floating about fandom at the moment, especially as for someone who is dead, she really wants her body found to "free" her...
I watched the episode twice, and saw things I missed the first time around which I am sure will make an appearance later on in episodes (The All-Seeing Eye!!). Yes, it may seem strange to have a TV drama of that kind mixed with supernatural elements, but don't dismiss it as another "Supernatural", "Grimm," or even along the lines of "True Blood" or "The Vampire Diaries." Sleepy Hallow has a unique taste of its own, and with proper viewing and ratings, and a network chance, the first season may be quite an exciting ride for the audience, with lots of room for the writers to go.
((And given the writers and creators of this series include those who wrote 'Transformers,' 'Star Trek,' and 'Fringe', I think it's safe to say we'll be in for some fantastic twists and turns!))
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
Wonderful film!
I suppose I need to start by saying I'm in my mid-twenties. I watched this film with my boyfriend (same age), and my parents who are both retired.
The result? We all adored this film -- I think more so my father than any of us. As a traveller and "black sheep" of his family, he loved the idea of a bunch of retirees going on a one-way trip (all expenses paid by the hotel) to India to live out their retirement days in sunny weather, exotic locales and new foods.
The film doesn't try to mince what its characters feel -- they are snobbish, racist and fed up with the way things went with them.
Individually, there are several stories that the film briefly starts in on to give the audience an idea of what each main character is like before India; once they meet at the airport, though, they start to form cliques and groups and enjoy each other's company.
This film ranks with "the Bucket List" and "Secondhand Lions," telling its viewers to enjoy life as it comes; we can slave away at a job for countless, thankless years, but it's what we make of our life -- before, during and after -- that really make us who we are. This film highlights that with its characters (and not just the elderly!). Even Dev Patel's wonderful work demonstrates his character's issues, determination and worries that young adults everywhere face.
Give it a chance -- you'll laugh, you'll cringe... but at the end, maybe you'll understand.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Was this "Snow White" or a mash-up of other films?
I really, really wanted to like this. I *really* did. The trailer looked good, I was even okay with KStew as the lead choice for Snow, but right off from the start I was unhappy with the film, and I lay the entire blame on the writers.
Yes, I'm biased; I admit that. I went with my boyfriend and friend; my bf and I were ready to walk, she loved it. This film is definitely a genre-based film that some will love and others will hate. My suggestion is to wait until it's on PayPerView or Netflix and watch it then instead. It's not worth seeing in the theatres.
**BEWARE: BELOW ARE SPOILERS**
Visuals: Probably the best part of the film. The costume design was absolutely gorgeous for the most part (gripe: Snow had grey coloured trousers on underneath her dress. Really?). Theron's costumes as Queen Ravena were beautiful, as were the differences in costume between her army and the 'good' guys.
The set locations were nicely done as well, the interiors and exteriors of both castles were rustic and not overly opulent. The on-location locale was nice too.
Story: This is where the film lagged. Seriously lagged. The beginning 10 minutes was a mishmash of incoherent prologue, with voice over narration of the original Grimm's fairy tale. But because the scenes were shot quickly and jittered between takes, it was difficult to really get a sense of what the film was trying to say at the beginning other than setting up who Snow White was supposed to be. Instead of a VO, we should have begun our story with Ravena as a child, then Snow White's origin. That would have removed all of the VO.
From there, I counted no less than 5 other films where there were direct scene rip-offs. Okay, so it's hard to come up with an original idea in film and TV and books -- I understand that too, but when you're writing a REMAKE of a FAIRY TALE you've got everything pretty much handed to you on a silver platter! Let's add in William (who's NOT a Prince, he's a Duke's son, if we're getting pedantic), the archer a la Robin Hood; the Huntsman, whose background we don't really know and without knowing much are expected to truly connect with him as the possible tri-love interest for Snow; the Queen who wants to be immortal and eats hearts and blood; the giant stag who represents the forest and nature, like in Princess Mononoke...
It was really hard to get into the story of this movie, just for the sake that I had very little interest in what happened next, especially when they changed the love interest angle, completely deviating from 'Snow White'. They might as well have called this movie, "Susan and the Huntsman" because there was very little Snow White references other than the 'blood/hair/skin' part at the beginning and continuous motif.
Characters: Snow White: much cuter as a child. Grew up. Became religious, apparently as she said the Lord's Prayer. Said she can't kill anyone. Then became enraged, had a personality transplant, and screamed for the murder of the Queen. Yeah, it confused me too.
Huntsman: I adore Hemsworth, but the writing here really sucked for him. He was reduced to drunken talented axe-swinger who had to have his character development explained. Ouch.
William: Why were you even in this movie if they weren't really going to use you?
The Dwarfs: See above. But even more so.
Ravena: Probably the best role, although her whispering of "evil intentions" got really annoying after awhile. And at one point she looked like Voldemort.
The rest of the cast: negligible. You weren't needed.
Overall, I only give this film a 5/10 because of the visuals. I can't believe there's going to be a sequel -- what could they possibly write and have her conquer next? Unless she's the immortal one now... ooooo...
Camelot (2011)
Not that bad; but not that good either
I'm rather ambivalent about "Camelot." Just for a frame of reference - I've seen "Mists of Avalon," "Merlin" (several seasons' worth), have a collection of the stories and just recently saw the Stratford (ON) version of "Camelot".
And overall, the only thing going for this series is the scenery and costumes, as mentioned previously.
The acting isn't bad, although it's Joseph Fiennes who leads the way alongside Eva Green, although there isn't much to say about the rest of the cast. Some of the strongest acting comes from the most minute characters, found particularly in Kay (Arthur's brother), and Ygraine, Arthur's blood mother. The rest is fluff.
The story itself takes a turn from the original tale, so don't expect to see your Lancelot or other Knights of the Round Table - there's isn't much in Camelot at the moment and other than uttering the name "Pendragon" once or twice it's lost in the annals of history.
The perks to the series? Keeping fairly open to the time. The setting is rustic and barbaric, so at least there are mentions of "great Roman strongholds" and Latin which keep the historical buffs salivating.
But that's it. The story is disjointed; you wonder why a scene was put in and for what purpose - Gawain and Arthur's meeting for example. There are dialogues with characters that are half-spoken, meant I'm sure to be cryptic and for viewers to want to know what comes next, but that "next" never comes. The past of the story is never truly revealed, and Morgan's trip into paganism and witchcraft is a bit startling - in the first episode she reveals she was in a nunnery for years. What kind of nunnery was she in!?
Again, Fiennes' version of Merlin - a manipulative bastard - is one of the only high-points of the series. I can completely understand why it was cancelled and left to dry (but I'm wondering why the CBC picked it up) and it certainly won't get a second wind unless the shooting is redone and the writing tightened. For me, I can stand historical inaccuracies but let me tell you... a story can make or break a series and the story here is all over the place.
Want to watch some King Arthur? Check out the BBC's "Merlin," and sit back and enjoy juvenile tricks and fancies. It's a lot more satisfying than watching some 'Game of Throne' meets 'True Blood' wannabe.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
Not a bad adaptation
I'll start off by stating that I'm not being generous with the review. I mean that 7/10 stars quite honestly! I am currently reading the last Percy Jackson book in the series ("Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief", "Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters", "Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse", "Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth" and the final, "Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian") and having read a lot of Riordan's world, I am happy with the film.
I'll admit it doesn't happen often, and while the characters are different than the film, it was still nicely put together -- not magnificent like other adaptations I've come across, but happily enough I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 2 hour film.
As for changes? The biggest is the ages of the heroes - Percy and Annabeth are barely 11 in the first of the series and they continue to age per book by a year until the final book, set a week before Percy's 16th birthday.
Another change? Annabeth is blond and curly - not dark-headed and buff with a sword. Annabeth has a magical baseball cap that makes her invisible and rarely uses a sword. The movie version of her is more like Thalia, a later character (and apparently in the second Percy Jackson film).
And a last change? The villain. If you haven't read the books, it's hard to pin-point the villain of the Lightning Thief and the movie portrays someone else as the "bad guy"; there might be an overarching villain in the entire series but you tend to see more minions in the first few novels. Based on that, the film did a fairly good job in portraying one of the baddies.
Sure, things were left out of the film that were important to the book, but you give and take with adaptations. If you don't go in expecting much, you might just be pleasantly surprised. If you're a fan of the series, you might even remain pleasantly surprised by the story. Give it a try :)
The Last Airbender (2010)
Ouch, if you're a fan!
I'm being polite with my rating of 5/10. OUCH - if you're a fan of the TV show. I'll admit that for the first 10 minutes any fan would be quite pleased and excited to watch Avatar: the Last Airbender, mainly because it is just jaw-droppingly WOW.
But from there on in, it's downhill. Names are pronounced wrong, crucial characters and details for the future Earth and Fire books are missing, and some of the direction is shoddy and jerky - worse than most steady-cams. Explanations are changed to narrative voice-overs by Katara, and some aspects of the storytelling are changed to suit the 1:43 min runtime instead of building character development and letting the story naturally develop over the original 3-seasons.
Some positive pointers? Lucas Films does the graphics, which are quite nice. But if you're looking for some amazing bending, keep to Nick. Some explanations about the characters' pasts are quickly explained and changed as well, but these surprisingly help add to the characters backgrounds and to the story and feel of the film.
Yet, despite all this, you know you're watching a film and unfortunately unlike the TV series, you don't get captivated or engrossed into the large and exciting world of Avatar.
M. Night Shyamalan does have some fairly good films to his name: the Village, Sixth Sense - but that says little for his career and he can add this film to another long list of failures. My opinion? Quit while you're ahead. As for a fan tidbit - his daughter was the one who got him interested in Avatar in the first place. I highly doubt she's going to be pleased by his adaptation of the popular TV show; in fact, her words might just echo mine: "Wow. That just plain SUCKED."
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
Brilliant Sequel!
In true movie history, it is absolutely a near impossibility to find an engaging and brilliant sequel to a blockbuster (or cult!) first - with some notable exceptions in the past few years, such as "Dark Knight," and the current Marvel remakes.
However, Boondock Saints 2: All Saint's Day certainly lives up to the hype and "cultness" of the first film.
Yes, it's cheesy; yes, it's over the top - but so what? We're talking about a film that has two brothers who get a message from God to assassinate the Mafioso's and pimps in Boston. Can you get any weirder? Some of the most notable (and clever) additions Duffy made to the sequel was the carrying over of memorable lines from the first film; the brothers revisit the use of rope, they take on a sidekick with a similar role to Rocco, but who has his own flavour; FBI Agent Smecker has retired and passed on but his successor, Eunice, is just as brilliant - or better - than he was.
You see old friends - Detectives Greenly, Duffy and Dolly, the latter who asks (finally!), correctly, about the "symbolism" instead of the "symbology," of the crime scene. Even the music, the memorable and catchy Gregorian chant-like electronic beat playing in the elevator from the first film has a reprise.
Duffy looks back on the things that made Boondock Saints 1 a cult classic and builds on it. I will admit, things were over the top at times and some of the lines were unnecessary - but the plot twists and surprises more than made up for any failings the film could have had.
I eagerly await Duffy's decision in making Boondock Saints 3 - if his directorial genius continues along the same vein as Boondock Saints 1 and 2, I can see this cult classic becoming a cult hit, a memorable series of controversial and ethically debate-worthy films for our generation and generations to come!
New Waterford Girl (1999)
May be quirky, but welcome to Hicksville, Canada
I missed the first 30 minutes of this film when it was shown on Showcase Extra this afternoon. I ended up renting it at Blockbuster five hours later.
Yeah, so the characters might seem "over the top," but guess what? It's Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Canada's Hicksville where there really is nothing to do.
I loved this movie. There was something about it by just throwing the characters in from the side -- and Sweeney? He was just there and the audience is just put right in the middle of Mooney's chaotic life, wondering if she's ever going to get the heck out of there and fulfill her ambitions and dreams.
Okay, so it's no Spielberg. There's no Kiera Knightly or Brad Pitt in it. It's a bunch of no-name actors and a no-name director. But guess what? That's where its charm comes from. It's special and quirky and you sympathize with Mooney and Lou and everyone else. A lot is explained if you listen to what is being said, and the quips are pretty cute -- not great like "Snatch" or "Lock, Stock..." great, but cute. Memorable.
I'd suggest people see this. This is a great piece of Canadian film that I wish more knew about. It's a real hidden gem. And if you don't like it, you'll at least appreciate the life you live.
Viktor Vogel - Commercial Man (2001)
Awesome!
As a girl from a German-Swiss background with absolutely no grasp of the German language, I just happen to ADORE this movie. I saw it on Deustchwella (I believe) a good couple of years ago, but decided to rent it from Blockbuster again. I am so glad I did -- this movie has a message and shows how people can become greedy in an ever-changing, up-to-date advertising world where being cutting edge is "in" and old fashioned is "out."
Viktor Vogel is a beautifully complex character that isn't two dimensional; he actually has substance which I find that North American films are lacking in spades. You can relate to him and his quest for the perfect career as a Creative Designer in Brainstorm, and you watch his transition from good guy to executive bad guy -- only which will he choose at the end?
Eddie is a great character representing old world traditions and a love for the cutting edge that was "cool" way back when. Longing for that spark to come back into advertising, he loathes Viktor's laid back approach as any elder employee who was a big shot would to a threatening younger employee.
However, this movie just plain ROCKS. I love the way that the director Kraume goes from tripod to hand-held is reminiscent of Tarantino and Cuaron's styles. Overall, a 5/5 stars, even with English subtitles. After all, where else am I to learn my German better than in movies?
Ruby Cairo (1992)
Pretty good!
I saw this movie a couple years ago, after Viggo Mortensen became famous with LotR. Only now have I found it again, and although I missed the beginning of the film, I really liked it!
Viggo plays a scheming husband who leaves only baseball cards as a clue; his wife, played by Andie MacDowell, travels the world to find out what just happened to her husband (is he dead or not?), and along the way meets up with a friendly acquaintance (Liam Neeson), together they unravel Viggo's deception.
Okay, so it kind of dragged on, but the storyline wasn't too shabby, and the locations were great! Seeing Viggo play a bad-guy is always fun too! From a late teenager's POV, this was a pretty good movie. Not the best out there, but good enough to hold my interest!