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BurtFan
Reviews
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
visually impressive but let down by bad language
Although 'Transformers 2' has some impressive set-pieces and the sheer scale of the specially shot IMAX scenes is pretty amazing (although it takes ages before the first one) I have a real issue with the 'bad' language in the movie. Although it's a '12' in the UK and a 'PG-13' in the US, it's still being marketed as a 'family' film but the swearing is completely inappropriate in a film that is going to be seen by young kids. I have a young son and we enjoy going to the cinema to see 'blockbusters' together: when I took him to see a film based on a children's toy line I didn't expect to hear characters using 'curse words' such as 'bitch', 'asshole', 'pussy', or the choice 'pubicfrohead'(?) (I think that's what was said). I also didn't appreciate the humping dogs, the humping robot, or the scene where the 'mom' eats the hash infused brownie and starts telling everyone how her son only lost his 'cherry' recently(especially when my son immediately asked me 'what did she say he lost recently?' and I had to pretend I hadn't heard!). I think the movie's creators should have paid more attention to creating a film that was suitable for it's potential audience rather than it's potential rating.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Fantastic!
The bottom line is that this movie is aimed at a young audience: I have just returned from seeing it with my son and his friend, and they both really enjoyed it, as did the rest of the kids in the cinema (judging by the lack of fidgeting). It's big and brash, filled with action and drama, but luckily-and possibly to the annoyance of some fans- doesn't take itself too seriously (I particularly enjoyed the banter between the soldier droids). Visually, the movie looks great: the action scenes are particularly well done and I actually found myself becoming more drawn into (no pun intended) this movie than the recent live-action prequels. So, a great film for kids, but one that parents will enjoy too.
The Accidental Husband (2008)
disappointing
The main problem 'The Accidental Husband' has is that the two main characters are so unlikeable. Rather than falling in love with them, I ended up really disliking them. Patrick's boorishness and Emma's constant prevarication really grated on me. When they ride off in Patrick's fire engine at the end of the movie, my overwhelming emotion was sympathy for Emma's nice guy fiancé Richard (Colin Firth) rather than happiness for Patrick and Emma. The characterization of Richard-the only obstacle in the way of Patrick and Emma getting together-is unusual for a rom-com in that he has no hidden dark side (no 'bit on the side', no secret agenda for marrying Emma for her to discover)-he is a genuinely decent man-but it means that you aren't rooting for Emma to leave him for Patrick. After the way Richard is treated by Patrick and Emma, I left the cinema feeling not so much that Patrick and Emma were made for each other, but rather that such a selfish couple really deserved each other.
TMNT (2007)
solid but not spectacular
I've just come back from a preview of TMNT with my son, and although I thought the movie dragged occasionally, he enjoyed it, and it seemed to entertain the other kids in the audience (evidenced by the lack of fidgeting or chatter). I found the story a little odd as the Turtles are sidelined for a lot of the movie: monsters are rampaging around New York, the Foot Clan are back on the scene, four ancient generals have been revived as living statues by an immortal with plans of his own...yet for a lot of the film the Turtles are stuck in their sewer home dealing with their issues (they are actually ordered not to fight until they have learnt to be a team) and their paths and the paths of the other protagonists only cross occasionally (until the climax of the film). I was also surprised by the lack of a clear-cut villain for the Turtles to face off against: at first you assume it's Max Winter...but it's not. Then you assume it's Karai and the Foot Clan...but it's not. When the generals turn on Winter at the end of the movie, it's as if the writers panicked and realised that well, yes, the Turtles have to kick SOMEONE'S butt at the end of the film, and the film's (assumed) young audience need to see a 'villain' being defeated. On the plus side, The animation is good, the standout scene being the confrontation between Leonardo/Nightwatcher on the rooftop in the rain, which technically must rank as some of the best CGI animation I've seen. And Turtle fans will be pleased by the hint that an old nemesis may be due to return in the (box-office permitting) possible sequel (no...not Bebop!).
The Fog (2005)
Stinks like a rotting fish!
This updating of the John Carpenter movie really is awful. Although it roughly follows the plot of the original, it doesn't work as a horror film at all. First and foremost...IT'S NOT SCARY! NOT ONCE! It doesn't even build up tension effectively. The only time I covered my eyes with my hands was whilst I was weeping over the money I'd wasted renting this stinker. The ghosts themselves aren't spooky in the least. I was constantly distracted by the ghost in the jaunty hat who appeared in the background in several scenes, mainly as something about it made me think of Jack White from the White Stripes, and, since Selma Blair's song selection (in her role in the film as a radio DJ) seemed tailor made for a teen-friendly soundtrack album, I kept hoping we might be treated to a musical interlude (perhaps during the flashback) in which it broke into a performance of Seven Nation Army. I could go on, but in order to write about this movie, I have to think back to watching it, and I really, really want to erase it from my memory. So to sum up: AVOID!
The Ant Bully (2006)
A great film for children AND adults.
Excellent movie from the director of Jimmy Neutron (another of my favourites), with a decent plot which will keep parents entertained, even if the lack of slapstick in the movie might leave their kids fidgeting occasionally. Initially the animation seems quite flat (no pun intended), but the film really takes off when Lucas is shrunk and taken back to the colony. The interior of the colony is like some incredible martian landscape, and there are some amazing scenes of ant life (I was particularly struck by Lucas's 'trial' scene). For me, the standout scene (in terms of animation)in Jimmy Neutron was the one in which the kids blast off into space on the fairground rides Jimmy has adapted for spaceflight. There are two similarly awesome scenes in Ant Bully: the scene in which the wasps attack the ants nest (which reminded me of the final battle in Attack of the Clones), and the one in which the ants fly into battle against the Exterminator on the wasps backs, are two of the most thrilling scenes I have seen in an animated movie. All in all, The Ant Bully is a great film for parents to take their kids to if they want them to see a film with a decent story, rather than just a series of gags and pop culture references strung together. It also has a great musical score. The only negative thing I can think to say about the movie is that I don't think Nicolas Cage's voice 'suits' animation.
Superman Returns (2006)
Good...but not Super
Whilst I enjoyed this movie, I did find myself checking my watch from time to time. Although the set-pieces are certainly thrilling, there's simply not enough action. Bryan Singer almost wilfully denies the viewer the spectacle one would expect in a mega-budget summer blockbuster: for instance, scenes of Superman assisting people around the world are only shown via news reports on TV screens, and, after Superman has been beaten up by Lex Luthor's goons, just when we're expecting some super-powered payback, instead, they get squashed by falling rocks. Superman doesn't even get a return match with Luthor. Even the exciting climax of the movie, in which Superman saves Metropolis, is followed by a drawn-out ending which completely saps the movie of the momentum it has built up in the previous scenes, so that one leaves the cinema having been entertained, but without feeling the 'buzz' the best action movies leave you with.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Another pointless Tim Burton remake.
This version adds nothing to the 1971 version, except for a superfluous back-story about Wonka's 'issues' with his dad...Wonka is an enigma, so why did the scriptwriters feel we had to 'understand' him (or is it due to some American fixation with psychoanalysis?)? The original had at least one song which has become a 'standard'('The Candy Man'), yet I was hard-pressed to remember any of the songs in the new version, five minutes after they'd finished. Being able to turn one man into a whole tribe of Oompa Loompas shows how far technology has advanced, but robbed them-literally-of any individuality. On a personal note, coming from the UK, hearing English characters in a film set in England talking about 'candy', 'summer vacation', and brushing mud off their 'pants', really made my teeth grate (and when did the British currency become the dollar!). ...and on a petty note, most people living below the breadline don't speak like members of the upper-classes (I'm talking to you Helena Bonham Carter!).