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mossy1
Reviews
Superman Returns (2006)
Pale imitation of the original Superman movie
Having seen the original Superman movie in the seventies and thinking it was one of the greatest movies I had seen. I took my kids along to see if they could reproduce the magic with a new cast and the biggest movie budget ever. Sadly they failed. It was hard to see where the gigantic budget went...the special effects looked like well..special effects. It made me realize how good the original cast were, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty and the others supporting cast. The cast of Superman Returns are pale imitations compared to the originals, even Kevin Spacey who had the juicyest role didn't deliver. The plot was so-so and I can only lay the blame with the director who seemed unable to get the best out of the actors he cast. I think the best thing now is they forget about any sequels, I think the box-office will see to that, and let the Superman story lay dormant for 10-20 years and bring it back fresher for a different generation.
Wolf Creek (2005)
Interesting, at times gory...but not a classic
I found this movie wasn't as scary as I was led to believe. There are gory scenes of course but true terror was in short supply. I think the film lost me a little when the girls had Mick unconscious on the ground in his camp and didn't finish him off...this was after he had done nasty things to one of the girls. The film didn't spend enough time to exploit the possibilities for terror at Mick's camp. John Jarrett's Mick was also a little too hammy to be really scary, even after he dropped the Uncle Mick routine and started the hurting he was still a little likable. I'd advise any young backpackers to see this movie if they are considering going into the Australian outback. The chances of meeting someone like Mick Taylor is as likely as getting eaten by a great white shark when you go for a swim in the ocean but it can happen and we've had a couple of high profile cases in Australia of serial killers preying on backpackers. Mick's character is also a metaphor for the danger that the outback can have. If you take it lightly it can kill you. There are still tourists and even some locals that have made that mistake and broken down out there without enough water and weeks or months later their bodies are found.
The Tracker (2002)
Looks and sounds good but ultimately very simplistic
This is a powerful film by the way the terrible beauty of the Australian outback is captured. Also by the haunting soundtrack. The story is very basic, the evil white man is chasing an Aboriginal charged with murdering a white woman. The tracker is helping the policeman to track the fugitive through the outback. The policeman also has a young gullible constable with him and also an older man. The trouble is that the plot is far too simplistic. The aboriginals are painted as noble intelligent savages while the whites are evil or at best stupid and naive. The tracker (David Gulpilil) is portrayed as far smarter and cunning than his white boss. The really strange plot is why the tracker, who knows exactly where the fugitive is but won't tell his boss and keeps leading them further and further into the bush, why the tracker keeps leading the boss to groups of "innocent" aboriginals who the boss massacres. After another massacre the tracker decides to hang the boss and leads the follower to a group of Aboriginal elders who punish the fugitive for raping a black woman by spearing him through the leg(Aboriginal law). Again the noble savage myth because in Australia, aboriginal women are subject to domestic violence and are not protected by aboriginal law. In summary, go and see it for the incredible scenery and soundtrack but don't believe the plot in any way.
Whale Rider (2002)
A good family movie
I wanted to like this movie but felt a little let down afterwards because it could have been so much better. There are lots of inconsistencies that ultimately cheapen the impact of the story. Eg....the old chief who obviously loves his grand-daughter yet treats her so badly at times, this is a stupid plot device to show what a hard and tough man he is, I've never met a grandfather, no matter how tough he pretends to be, who doesn't turn into a marshmellow when it comes to a granddaughter.
All the adults who live in this small Maori village seem to have no gainful employment and sit around drinking beer. Yet they seem to have no social problems...no drunkeness or violence. yes i know that it's supposed to be a kids movie but there a lots of great kids movies that don't sugar-coat everything.
What was a revelation was Keisha Castle-Hughes. She lights up the screen and you cannot take your eyes off her. If she continues in the movies she has unlimited potential.
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
Great movie
I've just seen this movie on TV and was surprised at how good it was as my memory of it had faded. It has a knock out cast including Jimmy Stewart, Peter Finch, Richard Attenborough, Ernest Borgnine and Hardy Kruger who all give great performances. The only weak part of the movie is when the suspense and tension built up are wasted in a mostly forgettable ending. I was interested to see the original before seeing the remake and now I don't think I'll bother with the remake unless it gets shown on TV because you couldn't beat this cast. It does continue a spate of remakes that don't come anywhere close to the originals eg Planet of the Apes.