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Around the World in 80 movies

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Ben Affleck, Antonio Banderas, John Barrowman, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Broderick, Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Henry Cavill, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Tim Curry, Jaye Davidson, Judy Dench, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kirsten Dunst, Cary Elwes, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Laurence Fishburne, Errol Flynn, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Michael J. Fox, Brendan Fraser, Teri Garr, Whoopi Goldberg, Cary Grant, Alyson Hannigan, Gale Harold, Audrey Hepburn, Boyd Holbrook, Holly Hunter, James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Madeline Kahn, Gene Kelly, Nicole Kidman, Val Kilmer, Ben Kingsley, Kevin Kline, Keira Knightley, Angela Lansbury, Jude Law, James McAvoy, Roddy McDowall, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Bette Midler, Penelope Ann Miller, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Peter O'Toole, Ryan Phillippe, River Phoenix, Oliver Platt, Christopher Plummer, Bill Pullman, Duncan Regehr, Christina Ricci, Alan Rickman, Tim Robbins, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Charlie Sheen, James Stewart, Patrick Stewart, Kiefer Sutherland, David Tennant, Stuart Townsend, Denzel Washington, Rachel Weisz, Bruce Willis, Lesley Ann Warren, Natasha Richardson

Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, Rob Reiner, Hayao Miyazaki, Kevin Smith, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, Frank Oz, Garry Marshall, Ang Lee, Mel Brooks

Sharon Green, Melanie Rawn, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Guy Gavriel Kay, Raymond E Feist, F. M. Busby, Phyllis Eisenstein, Anne McCaffrey, Jk Rowling, Jude Deveraux, Robin Hobb

The Beatles, John Lennon, Queen, Suede, Rufus Wainwright, The Doors, Adam & The Ants, Simon & Garfunkel, Annie Lennox, Steeleye Span, Billy Joel, Paul Williams

All reviews - Movies (28) - TV Shows (2) - Books (8) - Games (11)

Legend updated

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 22 February 2009 04:27 (A review of "Merlin")

I have been watching the series for the first time this weekend, and I have to say...I love it. I'm very much an Arthur nerd. Meaning I know more about Arthurian legend and characters than most laymen. Though I'm far from fluent enough to be considered an Arthurian scholar.

I was avoiding this show because someone described it to me as "Hercules-style Camelot." It's not. It so much better. I avoided watching Hercules because someone's ego quickly took it over, and yes, the show was about him, so there was no way to divorce him from the plots without killing the show. I could never stomach how different the show was from the myths the few times I tried to watch. It just wasn't something I could handle. So I didn't watch. And I avoided this show for the same reason, fearing that it would annoy me in the same way.

It doesn't. There is one thing about Arthurian mythos that is different from Hercules. There are so many contradictory tales and rewritings of the stories that a new version of them only adds to the mythos. Now, granted, it could be done badly, but having watched ten episodes, I think I can now safely say that they've got people who know what they're doing plotting the story out.

Though they have aged down Merlin, it fits almost better than the older sage giving Arthur decrees and undecipherable prophesies from on high. He still has secrets from his prince, but the fact that they are learning from each other and growing closer is excellently done.

I think all the characters have been carefully studied before writing out the series. While Arthur still has his father, the basis of what makes him Arthur is there. And through their friendship, Arthur and Merlin grow together. (with some absolutely wonderful subtext.)

There are some major changes of character roles (Gwenivere as a servant rather than a princess & Lancelot as a commoner as well), but the way things are laid out, it's easy to see how the threads will weave to make the stories we're all familiar with. I look forward to seeing how it all plays out.

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A resimplification of a classic

Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago on 15 December 2008 03:28 (A review of Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution)

I've been playing Civilization since the original version, and it has always been one of my favorite games. However, as time has gone on, and the game has been upgraded, it has become somewhat unmanigable. Too many things to keep track of, too much to do, too hard (or in some cases, too easy) to win. Four has kind of lost its glamour for me.

So I debated with myself about whether or not to get this version. I have to say, I'm glad I did. It's rather like playing Civ 4 crossed with the original game--the amount of things you have to keep track of has been very trimmed down, and it makes for easier gameplay.

My only issue with this new version, and it might be a DS issue, is that it doesn't last very long at all, because the continents are so tiny. I'm now curious what the differences between the DS and Computer or platform versions of the game are.

I do think, if you've become rather disenfranchised by the series, this is a good way to get back into it once more.

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Making your luck

Posted : 8 months, 1 week ago on 27 October 2008 12:06 (A review of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day)

I remember seeing the preview for this movie this past winter, and thinking it looked interesting. But what I saw was nothing like what I'd expected. Francis and Amy did an incredible job of pulling my interest throughout the story, and the setting was one that I find quite fascinating--England in the late thirties.

Francis's character is easy to empathise with, even if Amy's is not. She's the common woman just trying to make her way in a hard world (not unlike the world of today). Amy's is a flitting gadabout that is fun to watch, even as you want to pin her to a chair and tell her to grown up.

Most of all, I enjoy the idea of the story--one day that changes both womens' lives. Francis finds her place in life, and Amy makes the choice for her future.

The cast of characters around them is interesting. Crooks and socialites, rich and working class, not to mention the glitz of show business, and the undertone of the coming war and the echo of the one that came before. It's all there, and each bit lends more to the surreality of the story.

It's a movie I highly recommend, and one I will be buying at my earliest opportunity.

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With talent comes improvement

Posted : 9 months, 3 weeks ago on 15 September 2008 02:41 (A review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

While this is not my favorite of the series, after Goblet of Fire, it was by far a vast improvement. The kids felt like they were having fun again, they got in (almost) enough of the story to make up for the lack in the previous two movies, and they didn't cut out anything vital this time around.

Umbridge was perfect, and we saw just enough without having to suffer too much. The twins exit was stupendous. And the Order was nice.

I would have liked to have seen the Quidditch match--any of them. For me, you can't have Harry without Quidditch being in there somewhere, and this one had a decided lack of it. I could definitely have done without Cho, though. But that's more a matter of personal taste.

It was lovely to see how much Daniel has grown up, especially after his experiences with Equus in London. Of course, at the time of filming, they hadn't actually started showing yet, but you can see that he'd already been working out--he just looks wonderful. Whatever else the creators of this team have done, they did one thing right in hiring him.

I look forward to seeing where the next film will land.

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Harry Potter and the Movie of Fail

Posted : 9 months, 3 weeks ago on 15 September 2008 02:23 (A review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Anyone who's read any of my previous Harry Potter reviews likely knows that I'm a Harry Potter fanatic. I've seen all the moveis, I've read all the books, and I have very specific opinions when it comes to them.

That said, I have to say, this is the worst of the movies so far.

Granted, I'm not that fond of the book, but I'm even less so of the movie. There was simply no heart in this movie. It was torn out by a screenwriter who is so caught up in his crush over a girl a third his age that he forgets the movies are about Harry, and not Hermione.

I'm not even going to go into all the minor issues here. But there is one major one--Barty Crouch. Now, I wondered how they would do this storyline. It's really rather vital to the underpinnings of this specific story, but also to the world at large. And I knew they'd have to do it right to make it work. They failed.

Barty Crouch and his son are the central part of this plot, and without that story there to flesh out what is otherwise a very rediculous year (I'm not even going to go into *why* Dumbledore felt Harry had to compete--that's a book issue.), the story feels rushed and rudderless. Without the knowledge that Barty spent time in Azkaban along with the other Death Eaters, or that Barty was one of the ones who attacked Neville's parents, why does he need to even be insane at all? And why would he have not gone straight to Voldemort's side as soon as he could? Not to mention the fact that he apparently only does his crazy-tongue thing when he's looking at his father?

Removing that one fact took about 75% of the punch of this storyline, and left me wondering why they were still bothering at all.

And then there is what that takes from the overall story of fathers and sons in this series. Barty and his son had such a bad relationship that it makes you see the flaws in the Wizarding World so much sharper than any of the father/son relationships we have seen before. And also shows that not everyone who is fanatical is just bad, and that not everyone who is "good" is perfect. A much more important story than focusing on the rediculous tasks Harry and the others had to compete in.

The only time the movie truly came close to redeeming itself was Voldemort's rise at the end. From the moment the boys appeared in the graveyard, we suddenly had a real plot again, and Harry had a true purpose once more. Magnificent.

Too bad the rest of the movie couldn't have just been excised so that we could have enjoyed it more.

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Another Fairy Tale for the Modern World

Posted : 9 months, 3 weeks ago on 15 September 2008 12:12 (A review of Penelope)

I went into watching this movie with low expectations. I'd read a little about it, and people had generally said that it didn't live up to its potential. Saddened me, but I had to see it at least once.

I'm glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Christina and James did an excellent job in this story, and the only bit I felt was lacking was more of James after Penelope escaped into the real world. I'd have liked to see them interacting more there.

The story itself is pretty much as expected. Family curse, girl's happier with it than her parents, suitors can't get over her looks (that seemed far overplayed, actually), girl wants someone who can accept her, and knows no one will. Enter boy. Boy needs money, doesn't care--at first--what she looks like, the two hit it off better than both expected, but he can't break the curse (no reason given at first), boy runs off, girl runs away from home.

I love that James's character is as rich as he is. And I can see that he probably wasn't given much to play with, because he feels a bit paper-thin on the surface, but James makes him work. Christina's Penelope is absolutely wonderful, and so strong. A great role-model for little girls. And the solution to the curse is absolutely perfect.

Definitely a movie to watch if you like fairy tales, though if you're expecting a traditional romance, it might fall a bit flat for you.

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Sid Meyer does it again

Posted : 9 months, 3 weeks ago on 11 September 2008 09:59 (A review of Spore)

I'm not sure that Spore will be as addictive as Sim city or the Sims, but Spore is definitely a worthy addition to his catalogue of games. I do have to admit that at this time, I haven't managed to play a game all the way through to the end, but I have enjoyed the first few stages. I'll probably edit this review once I have.

I am a bit disappointed that the evolution inherent in the game isn't based on outside (in-game) influences, but rather on the way you decide to build the creature with the parts you find. I think I would have preferred a root-based system, where the parts you choose lead to other parts, but you can drop parts if you want to go a different evolutionary route.

Still...extremely playable right out of the box. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy Sid Meyer's other games.

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Redefining Bad

Posted : 9 months, 3 weeks ago on 10 September 2008 06:39 (A review of Ghost Rider)

We all have those camp films that we like to watch. Movies that somehow redeem themselves simply because we enjoy them, but usually there is a favorite actor, or theme, or character, or something, that redeems them in some way.

This film doesn't. Granted, I'm not a fan of the comics (though if I was, I think I'd be even more pissed off by this movie), and while I like Nick Cage, he's not one of my all-time favorites either. Still, I know that there's a good story in the comics, and I know Cage can act. So how did they end up with this crap?

The film doesn't even feel like an homage. It feels like a bad computer game. You know, the sort that end up in the bargain bin a week after they come out, because no one likes it? The effects are poor, the script terrible, and the acting is horrendous--and that even from Cage, who I have seen do a million times better than this.

Overall? This is simply not worthy. Don't waste your time.

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Where the story gets lost

Posted : 10 months ago on 3 September 2008 03:34 (A review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

This is actually my favorite of the movie series so far. Though that is likely because it is also my favorite of the books. But even saying that, I have to admit--this is where the series began to fail.

Sorcerer's Stone is Harry discovering the world of magic. He's still a boy, and most of the world is Hogwarts. He knows no better.
Chamber of Secrets is Harry learning a bit about the magical world at large. That not everything is good and descent there any more than in the Muggle world.
Prisoner of Azkaban is where he truly begins to learn about his own past. And because of that, there are vital pieces to what is to come in the rest of the series. This movie fails, in several fundimental way, to show some of those pieces. And without those pieces, later pieces get lost, and fall to the wayside. A dangerous thing when you're telling a story as complex as Harry's.

Quick, anyone who has not read the books, but has seen the movie. Cold you tell me where the Map came from? Or why Harry's patronus is a Stag? Or how about what the prank on Snape was?

I loved the difference in tone in this one, but overall, it is slowly but surely leading to the downfall of the series. And that makes me very unhappy.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets review

Posted : 10 months ago on 3 September 2008 03:28 (A review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

This was the first of the movies I watched after reading what there was of the series at the time. All in all, a good translation from the book, though a few things stuck out at me. There was absolutely no need, for instance, to take out the introduction of Lucius away from conflict.

Overall, I quite liked this movie. We still have our Quidditch match, we get the basilisk and the phoenix, we meet Lucius Malfoy and Guilderoy Lockhart...

They kept enough of the story, and the important bits of the story--like the identity of Tom Riddle.

Again, worthy of watching.

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