Lists
Reviews
Images
Movies
TV Shows
DVDs
Music
Books
Games
Profile
Reviews by Elfflame
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets review
Posted : 1 year, 2 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.  0 comments, Reply to this entry
A good start
Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 3 September 2008 03:23
(A review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone))In many ways, Sorcerer's Stone is the best of the series. Aside from the books (which were fairly well taken into consideration at the time), they had a blank slate to play with. The cast they chose was fantastic, and they did a good job of translating the story from the book. I watched this well before reading the series, and so I could see it with fresh eyes that are a great deal more jaded these days. There are additions and changes, but any movie of a book will have that, and the magic and wonder that are needed are there. I just wish the same could be said of some of the later movies. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
If this is Atonement, where's the apology?
Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 2 September 2008 03:24
(A review of Atonement)I need to start this off by saying I'm a fan of both Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. If anyone else had been given those roles, I likely wouldn't have even watched. And to be honest, I'm glad I did, but I don't think it's any great masterwork, either. Overall, it has two serious flaws, and that makes it a less than memorable story. The setting has been done many times, though the story is something slightly different from the norm. Especially the fact that it's an English telling of World War II, rather than an American one. The flaws are simple, basic storytelling flaws, unfortunately. The first is that the flow is erratic and choppy. Sometimes jumping forward in huge jumps, other times falling back in time to see a scene from another angle. I understand why it was done, but I don't think the overall effect was done well, and it left the story hard to follow. The other is that we have two characters we are supposed to feel empathy for, but neither stands out as horribly empathetic. Not that they don't deserve our empathy, but that we have nothing to make us care about in the first place. I think this can be attributed to the choice of storyteller. The little girl chosen to tell the story is completely and totally unsympathetic, and impossible to empathize with as a character. And because she does not seem to care about her characters, and about those around her, neither can we. James McAvoy did a good job with what he was given, and is the most sympathetic character in the story, but it almost feels a relief when his part of the story ends, because you can see it coming a mile away. Keira Knightley's character is completely lackluster in most ways, and her reasoning for doing anything is never fully explained. A waste of a great actress on a bad role. As I have said before, the "main" character of the piece--the young sister Briony seems to have no empathy in her, and the story piece about her having a crush on James's character seems tacked on and entirely unnecessary. I would have liked to either see that bit played up, or excised entirely. The best bit of this film? The sound of typing that begins the story. It tells you from the get go: "This is all just a story you are about to see." Because it is. The finale seems to negate what little the story has done, and leaves you staring at the screen wondering why you bothered to watch at all. An interesting period piece, but it will never be a classic. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Worth the wait for weather
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 22 August 2008 07:57
(A review of The Sims 2: Seasons (Expansion))As of writing this review, I haven't used any expansion packs past this one, though I just got Free Time, so expect a review on that one in a couple of days. That said, I think this is my second favorite pack after Nightlife. The actual changing of the seasons is fun, and the new things the sims can do depending on the weather are quite fun, though I haven't yet tried everything. It wouldn't seem like an expansion pack revolving purely around weather could be that exciting, but it is. There are a few flaws, of course--the sims want to run to the windows every five minutes when there's new weather, just to check it out. But overall, the weather makes the world feel more cohesive. The winter interactions in particular are great fun. Overall, one of the best expansion packs. I highly recommend it. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Only for those who *must* have animals
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 22 August 2008 04:58
(A review of The Sims 2: Pets (Expansion))Pets was one of those mythical additions for Sims. It was one of the last expansions of the previous version of the game, and while it was fun, you also ended up with random critters running around and peeing on your lot. The Sims 2 version isn't a whole lot better. Unless you're a real pet person who wants to spend a lot of time micro-managing your sim's animals, I'd say this probably isn't the expansion for you. The pets you're allowed in this expansion are not too dissimilar from the original--cats and dogs, with birds like there in the original, and the addition of a rodent-creature to replace the viral hampster. There's also one other addition to the animals you will see wandering around--a large black dog with glowing eyes. If your sim gets bit by this dog, they become a werewolf, and sprout fur every night when the moon rises. Fun for a little bit, but otherwise... Overall? Definitely only for a limited audience. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Something new from the Sims
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 22 August 2008 04:51
(A review of The Sims 2: Open for Business (Expansion))Before OFB, most of the things in the expansion packs led back to something in the original Sims game. But OFB was the first pack to break almost entirely free of the original. And they did well with the idea. It's one of the better expansion packs. The major new interaction is building a business. You can arrange flowers, build toys or robots, or cut hair. And you can sell anything your little sim's heart could desire. Some of the bits of this expansion work better than others, but overall, it's a fun addition, especially the makeup chair. The errors your sim makes before they improve are always fun to see, and it's a great way to make the sims in your neighborhood look the way *you* want them to, even if you can't change their clothes. Still, it's kind of a one-trick pony, though it works better than University. Overall, if you like the idea, you'd probably find it fun. Otherwise--you can probably pass it up. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Sims 1 Hot Date gone wild
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 22 August 2008 03:01
(A review of The Sims 2: Nightlife (Expansion))This is my favorite of the expansion packs, though I just got Free Time, so that might change. On the surface, this expansion pack seems like a combination of House Party and Hot Date from the original Sims, but there is so much more included. You've still got to deal with Mrs. Crumplebottom and getting downtown to go to the lots there, but now you can meet people who could turn out to be the date of your dreams (there are two guys and two girls who actually have a lot of money and belongings that they would bring to your sim's home if they marry into the family), or even befriend (and be bitten by) a vampire. And while you can still call a taxi to take you downtown, you now have a new option--cars! For most people, cars alone are reason enough to keep this expansion pack. And they're well worth it. Some of the user-created content even expanded cars into other types of transport including motorcycles, horse-drawn carriages, and even flying brooms. But then you get the new dating features, and the new aspiration (Pleasure, which is like Romance, but without the need to sleep with everyone), and this expansion expands the Sims 2 world tenfold. I highly recommend using a Pleasure Sim as your first vampire. They seem to be the best suited for the role, as they tend to prefer jobs that keep odd hours. Definitely highly recommended. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Sims go to school
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 22 August 2008 02:53
(A review of The Sims 2: University (Expansion))As the first expansion pack to the Sims 2 game, this was a mix of both good and bad. Overall, there were some nice things added to the game, but not as much as some would have liked, and then only if you were actually playing with a student character. Most important changes - New jobs, though only if your sim has a degree. New age-group, but again, only if your sim is a student. New interactions - school cheers and pranks. Lifetime want - a reward-building want that can actually put your sim into platinum for the rest of their life. Extra wants for sims who have finished their degree, and the ability to lock down two wants. Overall, it's a good expansion, but very focused in what it affects, and hardly affects the game overall, and one gets bored with running the student to their classes and making sure they do all their homework. The biggest change is the lifetime want, which is also included in the later expansions, so if you're not interested in school, this one is mostly skippable. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
The greatest time-waster of all time
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 22 August 2008 12:14
(A review of The Sims 2)I started playing the original Sims round about the time the second expansion pack came out. It's one of those games that can pull you in so much that you forget to take care of your own needs. In fact, it's a running joke in the Sims fan community. This sequel is everything the first was, and so much more. Now we've got genetics, and aging, which means your sims can be related as more than just child or married. You actually get grandparents, aunts, uncles...all that great stuff. Your sim can be abducted, so be careful when watching the skies through your fancy telescope. And if your sim dies, there is a chance they might haunt the family who lives on the lot they died on (so long as their tombstone is on that lot). It's graphics intensive, but the new behaviors and genetics make it more than worthwhile if your computer can handle it. I highly recommend it. 1 comments, Reply to this entry
Not quite perfect
Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 19 August 2008 12:16
(A review of Becoming Jane)I watched this hot on the heels of watching the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. I have to say, it rather paled in comparison to that, and to Shakespeare in Love, from which it stole the story's basic premise. It is a premise I wouldn't mind seeing more, so long as it was done well. And this one is fairly well done. Just not quite as good as Shakespeare. My major issue with the movie was that it didn't dare enough. It was too obviously based on Pride and Sense. I would have preferred to see them making a larger leap than they did. The one bit I was especially appreciative of was the young man who is courting her as she falls in love with Tom. He seems obviously to be the one based on (or who was the inspiration for? I'm not sure if he's based on a real character.) Colonel Brandon, with his understanding of what exactly passed between Jane and Tom when they nearly eloped. James McAvoy was lovely, and I think he did a lovely job with what he was given, though it felt a bit frustrating his character was so boxed in. I would have liked to have seen him dare more. I'm not a huge Anne Hathaway fan. I don't dislike her, I just don't search out her movies. To be honest? I would have preferred to see an English actress in this. There are plenty, after all, and I think it would have lended a touch more creedence to this story. Overall, a good movie. I might even buy it. But I don't think it will ever be in my top favorites. 1 comments, Reply to this entry
|
