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Review #21: Paul.

What was a largely anticipated movie from creative wizards Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, comes a relatively disappointing turn of events.

Paul, an Alien who crash lands on earth decides that he wants to go home and with the (initially) unwilling help of Pegg and Frost he heads off across America on a buddy road trip.
Cue lots of situation-nostalgia-placement and too-many-to-count ‘nods’ toward the major sci-fi movies and TV series’ of the last 50 years.

Ok, some of the comedy in the film works. A lot of it is well realised and well written, occasionally it borders being laugh out loud but it’s just too much when scene after scene after scene after scene after scene (and so on) are very large and very painful slaps across the face with tributes to other movies.

The movie as a whole works to an extent. It successfully encapsulates the feel that it wants to. I just don’t think everyone else wanted it to.


Paul as a CGI character is by far the best thing in the film, he's fantastically rendered and very realised in the way he looks and moves. He's certainly the best CG character I've seen since Golum.
Seth Rogen as the voice of the character works, but could have been better. He feels a little wooden at times.


By far the worst thing about the film is Nick Frost. His character on screen is extremely bland and very wooden.
Obviously, while filming, the CG Paul wasn’t there, so the actors had to pretend, but Nick’s acting lets you know that Paul wasn’t there. He just recites his lines like a kid in a school nativity play.
He’s extremely disappointing to the point that all the work that went into making Paul’s character work, is shot down by a fat guy who can’t act.

There are people who will defend the film. I’m just not one of them.

All in all, if you want a Frost and Pegg film, watch Hot Fuzz or Shaun Of The Dead.


My rating 34%




Review #22: Full Metal Jacket.

Based during the Vietnam War, the movie starts with a bunch of new recruits in the Marine Corps. Initially following their adventures in the basic training programme then following some of them when they’re shipped off to fight the war.

The beginning of the movie, though brutal and realistic, is incredibly funny and extremely engaging. The young school leavers are thrown into a world they’ve never seen before and the humour comes from their uneasy relationship with their Drill Sergeant.
The relationship between Private Leonard Lawrence (aka Private Pyle) and the rest of the group, in particular with the Sergeant is extremely laugh out loud and at times even cringe worthy, right up until the end.

After the initial hit of humour, the movie takes a serious turn when the setting moves to Vietnam. The brutal and harsh conditions faced by the soldiers is brilliantly portrayed and very real. The movie tends to delve into how the soldiers feel about the war but still has the occasional hit of humour mixed in too.


The main fault with the movie, is that even though the second half of the film is just as well made as the first, it doesn’t quite have the same appeal. It’s much more raw, which can put a lot of people off.


The acting from all parties is absolutely brilliant, Matthew Modine as the main character the film follows is at his absolute best as the naïve recruit who physically changes over the film into a well trained U.S Marine.
R Lee Ermey as the tough Drill Sergeant is absolutely brilliant, a role so infamous that has often been parodied in many a film, even by Ermey himself. He absolutely steals the first half of the movie.

Even if Vietnam War movies aren’t your thing, it’s worth watching for the basic training.

All in all a very well made Vietnam War flick, though the second half is a little more of a Marmite question, it’s well worth your time.
My rating 85%




Review #23: Demolition Man.

Set in the future, this highly implausible action movie still seems to push all the right buttons.

In present day, cop John Spartan (Sly Stallone) is charged with the deaths of hostages in a botched rescue, he is frozen in suspended animation as a ‘jail’ sentence. At the same time, an ultraviolent Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is also frozen as he was the one who initially kidnapped the people.

In the future, Phoenix is released to find that the place is a giant utopia of peace and tranquillity. He immediately sets about showing the softy residents and police officers how it’s done ‘old skool’ and goes about trying to make the city his own.
So Spartan is released also. They need an old fashioned cop to catch an old fashioned criminal.

As you can imagine, with Sly and Snipes in the lead roles, from then on it’s all smash and crash and cheesy one-liners for 90 minutes.

It’s a fun no-brainer, primarily aimed at mid-teenaged boys and the acting is about standard for the type of smash-em-up movie it is.

One thing that doesn’t make sense, is that this utopian future is based solely in one city after the event of a massive earthquake. What about the rest of the world outside? Surely this is the movie’s biggest plot hole.

Snipes in particular is fun, doing all the things most of the mid-teens watching would like to do.
Stallone is at his usual.
The supporting cast works well, Sandra Bullock is wonderfully out of place amongst the action and Nigel Hawthorne is, as always, very natural in his surroundings.

All in all a loud, brash no-brainer that shouldn’t make sense, yet in a way, does.
My rating 73%




Review 24: Dumb and Dumber.

One of the finest comedies ever made. Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunn (Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels) are two hopelessly dippy individuals looking for a better life, yet do nothing to actually make it happen.

When Lloyd comes into possession of a briefcase belonging to what he thinks is his one true love, Mary Swanson (a beautiful looking Lauren Holly before she went skinny). The pair head off on a road trip to return the case to Mary and hope she "plucks them into the social pipeline".
Unknown to them, the case actually contains a ransom for Mary’s husband and they’re being followed by a hitman who wants the case for his boss.

After that, the movie goes from funny, to laugh out loud, to hysterical, to pant wettingly hilarious. It’s incredibly well written in terms of humour.
Every line spoken in the movie is either a double entendre or is something that one of the duo has misunderstood.

Be warned though, the movie contains a lot of rude and crude humour too, including Lloyd’s reactions to an attempted male rape and Harry’s poopy-toilet scene after Lloyd spikes his drink for a vengeful-laugh.

It also has it’s fair share of buddy moments, Carrey and Daniels have brilliant chemistry throughout the entire movie, they bounce off one another perfectly and when the occasional hit of tragedy strikes, you really feel for them.

The acting, overall, from all parties is spot on.

The only fault with the film as that it’s just not long enough. You want more and more and more.

All in all, the best comedy I have seen to date outside of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.


My rating 95%





Review #25: Ridley Scott's Robin Hood.

For something that is based on a series of 1000 year old, incomplete ballads, Robin Hood is something that is never seems to leave the mind of the populous.
The movie is set before Robin Hood’s legend of ‘robbing from the rich and giving to the poor’.
It’s more of a lead up to the legend. How Robin came to be the outlaw we all know and love.

Sadly, it’s a very confused story, it takes elements of the legend, elements that are seen during the robbing and giving, mixed with some new stuff and crosses them over.

Some elements are completely ignored from the original ballads, for instance how Robin and Little John become friends.

The problem is also the seriousness of the movie. Robin Hood is a campy legend. Always has been. I’m not just on about the movies of the past, I’m on about the original ballads too.
Any self-respecting Englishman will know that Scott’s take on Robin is a pile.

As far as the story goes, sadly, what Ridley Scott and his team of ‘writers’ decided to do, is steal all of the most inaccurate ideas from all of the other Robin Hood films of the past 100 years.
Then they decided to confusingly modge them all into a giant cake full of disappointment.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the original legend.

I understand that Scott wanted to update the legend but I’m afraid it just didn’t work.
 
The movie as it is though, is actually quite entertaining, the action is pretty well choreographed and exciting, but that’s about it.
The acting is about standard for the type of movie, it’s not bad, but nothing that should win awards.
Think Gladiator but without the charisma.


The only thing that’s really going for the film is that it’s fairly close to being historically accurate with it’s look and feel.
Now, I’m not an expert, but I am a student of history and I know that Scott’s movie is relatively close with setting, props, character attitudes, costume and even the accents.
Russell Crowe was hammered by film buffs for his accent when the film came out. I will defend him though, he’s not far off the truth.
I guess these critics know little of English history.

The sequence of events is a load of tosh though, which lets down the only thing the film has going for it: Accuracy.
 
All in all an entertaining movie if you know nothing of Robin Hood, for me, it’s worse than Costner’s accent.


My rating 17%, mainly for the historical feel





Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
Somehow I had completely glossed over this thread until now. Some very nice reviews. Even if I don't agree with all of them - I'd give Leon and Jurassic Park a hgher rating, and the Pirates... sequels a lot lower. But other than that very close in my views with you.

Oh and Tremors is a cracking little film. Forgot about it on my previous top 100 list, will be under consideration for any update.



Thankyou for the feedback guys. It means a lot. It's nice to know I'm being read.

Currently working on the Superman franchise. The review will be with you very shortly.



Review #26: Christopher Reeve Superman Franchise (Superman: The Movie, Superman 2, Superman 3 and Superman 4: The Quest For Peace) and Superman Returns.

Based on the comic book super-hero and a movie franchise that has shaped the franchise since.

Superman: The Movie.

The premise of the first movie is around Kal-El being sent to earth by his father and mother, as the planet Krypton is due to be destroyed by a natural disaster.
Upon his arrival on earth, he is a small child and is discovered by a friendly, homely couple called Martha and Jonathan Kent. They raise him as their own on their farm and name him ‘Clark’.
Eventually the day comes for Clark has to leave home to discover his heritage after finding a green crystal in the barn amongst the wreckage of the comet/ship that he came to earth in.

After 12 years of study in the hidden Fortress Of Solitude, he returns to the world as an all-powerful "Super Man" and moves into the city of Metropolis and, as Clark, he gets a job as a reporter with The Daily Planet Newspaper.
After only a day or so, he shows himself to the world and is dubbed Superman by his Daily Planet Newspaper work colleague, Lois Lane.
What awaits him though is arch criminal Lex Luthor. A brilliant mind yet is, as always, slightly inept at taking on the Supe.


It’s a beautifully shot movie, the action scenes are extremely well choreographed and the writing of the characters is absolutely spot on.
The story contains many aspects of great cinema, tragedy, seriousness and tongue in cheek humour. Mix to that a great cast who can carry all of these aspects, you’ve got something very, very special.

The acting too is fantastic.

Hiring the unknown Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent was a mark of genius by the filmmakers. He doesn’t just change his acting style, his physical appearance changes too. As the Supe he’s tall, powerful, confident and very charming. You genuinely believe he is indestructible. As Clark, he slouches, becomes uncomfortable and bumbling, incompetent in most situations and he carries the role in a way that nobody else could have even imagined. Reeve has the perfect split personality for a super-hero.
Margot Kidder as Lois Lane too is a mark of genius. Ok Kidder’s other films are almost unheard of and her acting has never been great, but as Lois she really shines. She was born to play the role.
Gene Hackman is another great choice as Lex Luthor. Hackman is as always, fun to watch, engaging, theatrical and campy as the villain.
Ned Beattie as Luthor’s dummy sidekick Otis is an absolute marvel to watch. He’s incredibly funny and Valerie Perrine adds some sexy-class as the gangster’s Moll.

The movie’s effects are a little primitive by today’s standards, though at the time the effects were absolutely cutting edge. Though today, they do still work.
You genuinely believe a man can fly (ahem).

The only thing that lets the movie down, is that you can tell some of the scenes are experimental. A movie like this had never been made before and though the makers did a fantastic job, their naivety occasionally shows.


All in all, one the finest super-hero movies ever made. Often copied, never bettered. A definite must see.
My rating 90%




Superman 2.

Set not long after the first movie, Clark has settled into his duel role of Clark/Superman.
He’s found feelings for Lois and she too has found feelings for the Supe, let’s face it, all the girls in the city love him. She treats Clark quite ignorantly though, he is after all just a nerdy work colleague.

The main story revolves around three other people however.
Superman has unwittingly released kryptonian villains General Zod, Ursa and Non from their prison.
Kal-El’s father Jor-El had imprisoned the three villains in the ‘Phantom Zone’ at the beginning of the first movie before Krypton was destroyed.
Supe’s destruction of a nuclear weapon in space has cracked the ‘zone’ and freed them. They’re now heading for earth, endowed with all the same powers as Superman.
Upon realising Superman is the son of their jailer (Jor-El), they make their prime objective: To enslave and crush him and then rule the rest of the world.
Aiding them, is a returning Lex Luthor.

Cue lots of destruction and plenty of fistfights between Superman and the three super-villains.

There is a twist in the story for Superman himself too before he is able to fight the villains.

The film, like the first, is a masterclass in how to stage a super-hero movie. The writing and storyline are again near perfect. It starts off small and then rapidly grows in scale to something more thrilling.

Again the acting is bang on.
This time round the cast involves Terrence Stamp as Zod, Sarah Douglas as Ursa and Jack O’Halloran as the mute powerhouse Non.
Stamp made it into my top 40 movie villains at #15. He’s very camp, inhinged and is the epitome of the super-villain.
Sarah Douglas adds more sexy-class as a villain-ess and O’Halloran is perfect as a giant brute with absolutely no intelligence.
The special effects are utilised with more pizzazz than in the first. The money was very well spent, in particular on the four-way Metropolis fight.


To be honest, in terms of faults, I’m finding it hard to find any. Maybe one thing would be the use of the miniatures in the special effects. Ok CGI was unheard of at the time, but every now and then the miniature work is too obvious.


All in all, believe it or not, it’s actually an improvement on the first, better in every way. Another definite must see.
My rating 94%




Superman 3.

Sadly, this is where the Superman series started dropping off the scale.
The movie revolves around Gus Gorman (played by Richard Pryor). He’s an unwitting and unwilling computer genius, hired by his corrupt boss to control satellites in a bid to destroy his rivals’ businesses.
Superman of course throws a spanner in the works and becomes the target of the villains’ custom-built super-computer.


The movie itself is a product of its time. Super computer paranoia and weather changing satellites.
It goes heavily toward comedy too and steers clear of the elements that made the first two so special: Tragedy, tongue in cheek humour, campness and action.
It’s very slapstick and cliché. Turning Superman into a bad guy could have been worth while, but with the simplistic way he gets out of his predicament, it just didn’t work.


The defining feature is Pryor. He adds his own personal touch to the comedy and plays his role brilliantly, but he’s out of place in the franchise.
No show from Hackman.
Margot Kidder is written out of this one too, she appears briefly but isn’t seen throughout the rest of the movie.
Reeve is as always spot on.


All in all a hit and miss affair, mainly miss. Worth watching if you’re under 10 years old.


My rating 70%




Superman 4: The Quest For Peace.

This was the final nail in the coffin for the Supe. Written on an idea by Reeve himself but slashed budgets and infighting within the studios the movie suffers terribly.
The movie is another product of its time. This time based on Nuclear War. Superman decides to destroy all the nukes in the world by throwing them at the Sun.
Luthor returns and attaches some of Superman’s DNA and a computer chip to a nuke. Somehow it creates a super-villain with all of Superman’s powers. Luthor then pits his creation against the Supe.


It’s an extremely bad piece of movie making. The story could have worked but the way the movie was made just feels incredibly cheap.
The special effects were obviously cut from the budget. They look cheap and make the poorly shot action scenes even more lacking.

Many of Superman’s ‘solves’ to Nuclearman’s attacks are simply rewound footage of the catastrophe he created. Yes, really!


Supe and Lois are put together in a kind of love story and Reeve and Kidder are able to carry the roles ok, but they seem fed up with it all. Kidder is also starting to look too old for the part.

Mariel Hemingway is incredibly wooden as Clark’s new squeeze.
Mark Pillow as the super-villain just isn’t very threatening. He just shows his teeth and frowns a bit.

Jon Cryer as Luthor’s nephew is just annoying as a kind of ‘yo dude’ character.
Hackman is probably the best part of it all. He hits his role professionally as always and never misses a beat.

All in all, miss this one. It’s the worst movie I’ve ever seen.
My rating 0%




Superman Returns.

A nostalgic turn from the filmmakers brings the audience some of the magic from the first two movies.
The storyline evades Superman 3 & 4 and carries on after the events of Superman 2 as if 3 & 4 didn’t exist.

It revolves around Clark doing some searching. Scientists believe that they have found Krypton using powerful telescopes and he has just returned from a journey to see if it really is there.
Upon his return to earth he discovers that Luthor has been released from prison and has stolen Supe’s crystals from the Fortress Of Solitude and plans on using them as a weapon.

The simplistic story works, but it’s just not enough. Brandon Routh as the Reeve-looking Superman works to an extent, but he has none of the charisma of Reeve and he barely changes character when playing Clark.
I can’t help but feel that the movie needed more than just the gimmick of nostalgia. It needed expanding, I’m not sure how, but it needed it.
Ok, Supe’s twist at the end is something I didn’t see, but it still needed something braver.


The best part of the movie by far is Kevin Spacey as Luthor. He doesn’t try to emulate Hackman. He turns the role into his own and makes it better in the process.
Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth do an apt job at pretending to be Reeve and Kidder, but they just aren’t.

The movie as a whole is entertaining. It’s just a very nostalgic miss on all fronts.
There’s not much else I can say about Superman Returns, though I really wish there was…

All in all, worth a watch, but it’ll leave you just as quick as it makes its impression.
My rating is a mid 50%





Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
I adore Demolition Man. It's one of those 20-30 films that could have, on another day, made my top 100.
Oh yeah I missed that one. Would have that a bit higher as well. It's also one that I considered for the tail end of my top 100 list. Might make it next time round



Review #27: Batman Begins.

At first, I was extremely dubious about a reboot of the Batman franchise. After the debacle of Schumacher’s attempts I really thought the franchise in the movie world was dead and buried.

Christopher Nolan really has proved me wrong.

Batman Begins is literally that, how he becomes the Bat. Borrowing from the source material (the comics) and some of Burton’s Batman too, mixing in a few new things and an updated selection of Bat-Gadgets on the Utility-Belt, Batman Begins really hits the nail on the head on how to make a super-hero movie.

It revolves around Bruce Wayne’s parents being murdered and the subsequent slump of self-pity and depression he falls into over the following years.
After a soul-searching trek-of-the-world and studying various martial arts forms and getting into trouble with the law in various countries, he comes across an Illuminati who call themselves The League Of Shadows.
He’s trained in their forms of fighting and secrecy and eventually returns to Gotham City with the full intent of using his new found mentality and skills to strike fear into those who prey on the fearful.
Awaiting him though, are forces he cannot comprehend.

The movie is very well shot.
The Gothic feel of past Batman movies has been dropped slightly, it’s more brooding and moody than being Gothic.

The action feels a little held back but when it gets going, it really goes well. The filmmakers had the sense to make the action ‘just enough’ rather than going into the first movie with all guns blazing. It’s very cleverly put together.

The acting also is fantastic.
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is a brilliant choice. Some people say he’s a little too gruff when speaking his lines as Batman but I think he does the job well. He plays his naivety well at the beginning too. Bale took the physically demanding role so seriously, he bulked up his muscle mass too much and ended up having to actually lose some weight before they could fit the Bat-Suit.
Michael Caine as Wayne’s Butler, Alfred, is a perfect choice. He’s warm, funny, engaging and down to earth and is tough when needed. Alfred’s character this time round is more human too. He doesn’t beat around the bush when telling Bruce the truth. Caine is fantastic.
Gary Oldman as Detective Gordon is a marvel. He looks and acts like he’s jumped directly from the page of the comic book. Absolutely brilliant.

The only thing that lets the movie down is Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes (Bruce’s long time friend). She’s only on screen for a short time but you feel she’s just an add on, even when the character is placed in jeopardy. Holmes gives an apt performance, but Holmes herself just feels out of place.
As too is Cillian Murphy. Like Holmes, he plays the character well, you just feel as though another actor could have done it better.

The little cliff-hanger at the end between Batpants and Gordon really makes you yearn to watch the sequel.

All in all a near perfect starter for a super-hero franchise.
My rating 90%




Review #28: The Dark Knight.

This movie is the defining point of the franchise so far.

It’s based around The Joker and his unbending need for destruction. He’s been hired by the various mob bosses of Gotham to take out Batman. The Bat has basically destroyed their businesses and had most of their employees locked away.

The mob didn’t count on how incredibly dangerous and unhinged The Joker turns out to be. In the words of Alfred: "Some men just want to watch the world burn."

Again, the movie is shot perfectly, this time round they used IMAX cameras to give the screen a depth to it. It looks beautiful and detailed.

The broody feel of the first movie is still there, though it’s toned down slightly. The movie feels more open to the visual aspect of a real city.

The expansion of certain characters is worked on, especially Gordon. You see how he goes from being a standard cop to the 'Commissioner Gordon' we all know and love.
As too is Alfred, though it’s brief, there is a small insight to his background.
The writing is fantastically put together.

The Joker’s evil twist on literally pitting everyone against everyone is an absolute masterclass in how to write a real villain.

The way The Joker destroys Harvey Dent at a personal level is very well conceived.

As for the acting…
Star turns again from Bale, Oldman and Caine. Katie Holmes is replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, a wise move.
There’s a wonderful turn from Aaron Eckhart too, who acts both of his roles absolutely perfectly as ‘Gotham’s White Knight’ Harvey Dent.



Now, The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger is something I was dubious about before I saw the movie.
Everyone was raving about his part in the movie and I couldn’t help but think, "It’s only because he died not long after making it". I was never a fan of Ledger or his movies, to be honest, I thought he was a mediocre actor at best.

After seeing the film, I hold my hands up now.

I was wrong.

Heath Ledger, who made it to #2 in my top 40 Villains, is by far the best thing in the movie.

Ledger spent a month in isolation in a hotel room with the script, just acting out the role before shooting even began.

You can tell too. He’s seriously uneasy to watch though at times he’s funny too.
The humour is more of a dark, black humour than the comic-book-Cesar Romero-Nicholson humour that we’re all used to.

Ledger’s portrayal of a hyperactive, giggling psychopath is almost primordial and is very disturbing. Especially his eyes and the little ‘ticks’ he occasionally shows.

As ledger, he’s completely unrecognisable. He is The Joker.



All in all, better than the first and even if Batman isn’t your thing, it’s worth watching for Ledger’s performance.
My rating 95%




Review #29: Ghostbusters.

The movie initially wasn’t made as a kids movie, it was intended to be an adult tongue in cheek comedy based on a premise of ‘firemen who catch ghosts rather than fight fires’.
It just proved popular with 80s kids, including myself and eventually a dumbed-down-for-kids sequel and entire franchise of cartoons and toys were spawned off the back of the movie.

This review is about the original film.

The movie starts with Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler (Dan Ayckroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, respectively) slacking off and taking a relatively lax approach to paranormal study at their university. Ray being the most upbeat and normal member of the brainy trio, Egon the brainier scientist and Peter being a brilliant mind also but very down to earth and extremely lazy when it takes his fancy.

Shortly after making what they perceive as a breakthrough in their ‘work’ on the paranormal, they’re kicked out of university for basically being slackers.

They take their research and some money they make from selling (an unwilling) Ray’s house, using their combined intelligence and their companionship, they start up a business in Paranormal Investigations and Eliminations as the Ghostbusters.
Unbeknownst to them, they’re being watched by outside authorities and their research has shown a massive spike in paranormal activity around the city of New York that stems from a particular building near Central Park.

After a woman who lives in the building comes to them and explains some of the strange things she’s witnessed there, it’s up to them to investigate and stop whatever lurks in the building.


The movie takes itself seriously at times, when it does, it works very well, the jumpy scary moments are fantastically put together.
Most of the time it utilises humour and extremely subtle timing as a catalyst for the comedy.
The dialogue is also extremely funny and very well delivered by the cast.
The whole movie is, in the words of the makers, "One long, very well written joke".

The action, though quite short and sweet, is well choreographed and uses the limited special effects brilliantly. Ivan Reitman’s direction is superb. It’s exciting and staged wonderfully.

The actors too are extremely comfortable in their roles.
Murray in particular is at his absolute best, he plays the role with an ease not seen outside of Groundhog Day or even Scrooged.
Ayckroyd is as usual, he’s funny, upbeat, offbeat and very engaging as the ‘heart of the Ghostbusters’.
Ramis does a fantastic job as the fungus loving brainbox, Egon. You really believe this guy is the Einstein of the 80s.
Ernie Hudson is introduced halfway through the film as the ‘everyman’ of the story. His character is used initially as the guy who gets the scientific stuff explained for the audience. He plays the role with a coolness and down to earth. He’s very likeable.
Sigourney Weaver, who at the time was mostly famous for her tough role in Alien is perfectly cast as a relatively homely and very scared Dana Barrett, (now Venkman’s love interest), she has a real connection to the audience and has wonderful chemistry with Murray. Her role becomes a key point of the paranormal plot too.

A special mention should go out to Rick Moranis. His character, Louis Tulley, is very, very funny. Though not seen a massive amount in the film, he too is an important role in the plot. Moranis actually ad-libbed most of his dialogue and movement too, which makes the character even funnier.


The one fault with the movie, if you can call it a fault:
The effects of the movie are a Marmite question for a lot of people.
When the effects are first seen in the hotel during the Ghostbusters first job, they hit the audience with a delightful shock.
After that, some of the effects can let some people down, they’re very cartoony. The filmmakers have said in the past it was due to a limited budget rather than a style choice.
I say, if the effects were any different, it wouldn’t have worked as well as it did. It adds to the movie’s feel of not taking itself too seriously. They're bright and colourful, lots of fun and make the movie stand out a mile.

Add to all that, fantastic sound-effects (particularly the Proton-Packs) and a stomping theme tune you've got a very special movie.

All in all, an absolute classic 80s film. Funny, engaging, occasionally frightening and brilliantly cast.


My rating 98%





I bloody love Ghostbusters. Another of the films that came close to making my top 100 list. Even Sigorney Weaver can't ruin this film for me. In fact, I kind of like her in this.



Cheers matey, you'll like my 30th review, I've got something special planned for it but you'll have to wait a day or two.

It's going to take me that long just to write it up. It's masseeeve.



Review #30: Star Wars Franchise, Episodes 4-6 and Episodes 1-3.

For my 30th review, I thought I’d ping up something special. A favourite of most, a nightmare for others.
All 6 Star Wars movies in one big review, in the order they were made, starting with A New Hope and ending with Revenge Of The Sith.


Episode IV: A New Hope.

What was initially set as a stand-alone movie under the title of Star Wars, it has become something that has shaped the movie world forever. It’s hard to imagine how big the movie was at the time of release but it broke the mould in many unbreakable places.

Set in and around an ongoing war between the evil Galactic Empire and a group of Rebels, a young farm boy called Luke Skywalker dreams of leaving his hum-drum life and heading out among the stars to fight the evil Empire.
Holding him back is his uncle, Owen. All Owen wants is for Luke not to end up like his father, Anakin.

Upon buying androids (C3PO and R3D2) from some Jawa (alien) traders, Luke is plunged into a world of mystery when R2D2 suddenly plays back a recording of a woman in distress and is asking for the help of somebody called Obi Wan Kenobi. Luke makes an assumption that Obi Wan may be related to Old Ben, a kind of old hermit who lives not far away.

The following morning, R2D2 has vanished and Luke and C3PO go looking for him, in the process they stumble across Old Ben. Ben watches R2D2’s recording and asks Luke and his droids to help him in fighting the Empire. Luke turns down the offer, but forces outside of Luke’s control push him into following Ben out into the stars and off to grand adventure.
Along the way, Ben has told Luke about the truth of who his father was and that he will teach him about an almost extinct way of life, the life of a Jedi and how to harness and use the powers of a mystical force known simply as The Force.
By the end, Luke joins the Rebels and pits himself against the Empire’s greatest weapon, the Death Star.

The movie is a benchmark for not just sci-fi, but any and all adventure and action films.
The story and the characters, the setting and settings, in fact the entire universe that George Lucas created when making the movie is incredibly realised. It’s dirty, grimy, well used, old and feels very real.

Almost every detail has been thought about, from the sounds to the creatures to the vehicles. It’s incredibly original.
It’s as the movie’s start sequence says, "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away".

It’s small at the start and grows into something far grander, then grows some more.

The movie contains hits of humour too. Mainly between Han Solo and Chewbacca as a soul-mate duo and between the droids C3PO and R2D2 as another soul-mate buddy couple. The droids in particular are laugh out loud at times, especially when they argue.

The special effects in the movie add another depth to the story, they’re extremely well developed. Even today, they hold up against most CG films.
The acting in the movie is exceptionally well directed. Lucas had the gumption to hire unknowns in the lead roles, with the exception of Sir Alec Guinness as Old Ben and Harrison Ford as the space pirate/smuggler Han Solo.
Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were moments of genius. Hamill’s naivety as an actor makes the character’s naivety work even better and Fisher is absolutely perfect as the young but educated Princess in distress.
Alec Guinness as the old, wise wizard is a marvel. He encapsulates the character and lifts it from the page wonderfully.

Initially, Harrison Ford was only hired to help the casting director with reading lines for the other applicants, thankfully, they saw something in him and took him on as Han Solo. He does a tremendous job as the dashing, cocky, self-assured yet occasionally bumbling, loveable space pirate.

Ford and Fisher’s on screen chemistry is wonderful too. They start out hating each other, but you know deep down they fancy each other. They bounce off each other brilliantly.
As for characters, Darth Vader, who made it to #4 in my Top 40 Villains is an absolute icon of the well made and realised movie character. He is the epitome of theatrical evilness. With James Earl Jones voicing Vader, he has the screen presence that rivals anyone else.

A fault with the movie? Hmm. Not a lot really.
There are times you can tell that the film is the first of it’s kind. The odd show of naivety from the filmmaker/s shows through in the writing and direction, but it’s so easily missed, it barely makes a difference.

What makes the movie really hit home though, is when it’s tied in with John Williams’ brilliant, unforgettable and iconic soundtrack.

All in all, one of the finest sci-fi/space movies made. Everything about it shaped the genre and is still held in many respects as the God of modern film.
My rating 100%



Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Being that Star Wars was said to originally be a stand-alone movie, the fact that it was such a huge hit, Lucas decided to expand his idea into a full on franchise and redub Star Wars as Episode IV A New Hope.
We, the audience were then treated to Episode V.
The story revolves around Luke doing some more in-depth study into the Jedi ways that Ben showed him in the first movie. He’s been drawn toward a distant planet to find a man called ‘Yoda’. Upon arriving, he discovers Yoda is actually a little green goblin looking thing that speaks in a strange way. Though Yoda is more than meets the eye.

In a separate storyline, Leia and Solo have been fighting their feelings for one another, or that’s what Solo thinks anyway.
Solo has another mission too. He has to face the brutal gangster Jabba The Hutt, who has put a bounty on his head.

Introduced to the story is an old acquaintance of Solo’s, a man called Lando Calrissian.
After an attack from the Empire, Solo, Chewbacca and Leia have fled to Lando’s city for refuge, unwittingly though, they’re heading into even more danger, especially for Solo.

It’s up to Luke though, after seeing their predicament in a ‘vision’ he heads off to save them, leaving his new mentor, Yoda, to brood.

Cue one of the biggest plot twists in movie history and something that nobody could have seen coming.

As a sequel, it’s another masterclass in it’s own right. It far outweighs the original.

The universe is expanded extensively and there are more highly original characters and settings, planets and societies seen in the film.
It’s a much grander look at the new universe that Lucas created.

The story too is far more extensive. It’s easy to follow but has many, many subtle levels and sub-stories. The introduction of new characters is another easy to follow point but allows the movie to broaden its horizons vastly.

What hits the movie hard though, is that it isn’t the average ‘hero wins at the end’ kind of film. The ending is a rather sombre cliff-hanger. Relatively downbeat and leaves the audience wanting more.

The cast are all still on top form. This time round Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian is an added element of coolness and charm. He’s like Solo, but with more money and political power.

The special effects are another far bigger and better element of the movie. Obviously the success of the first movie allowed Lucas to pile more money into them and it really shows. The sets too are far grander.

Again, like with the first film, I’m finding it very hard to find any faults with the movie. This time round Lucas’ naivety has vanished and the change in director has ironed out all the creases of Episode IV.

All in all a vast improvement on Episode IV’s already perfect lead up.
My rating is another 100%



Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.

Revolving around Luke living with the aftermath of the plot twist in Episode V and a rescue attempt of Solo at the beginning.
Luke eventually then takes up his training again with Yoda and has many of his questions answered about that plot twist.

Yoda then gives Luke a new mission. He must face and defeat Vader and become a fully-fledged Jedi Knight. One thing that stands in Luke’s way though, is that Vader’s Master, The Emperor, has decided to show his ugly mug and will be there when Luke and Vader clash their lightsabres together one last time.

Leia, Solo, Chewbacca, the droids and Lando take their own separate line again too, a Rebel attack is forming against a new, more powerful Death Star. It’s up to them to lead the attack on various fronts and stop the Empire’s new super weapon.

The third of the original trilogy is a darker looking take on the franchise. Its brooding, moody atmosphere can put people off but it’s an element that really makes the subject matter work.
The subject matter in question is Luke, Vader and The Emperor in a three-way battle to turn Luke and his new found Jedi powers to the Dark Side Of The Force. It’s a brave move but it hits the nail on the head.

It’s a very low tone movie and takes a more serious turn of events too. The comedy and humour seen between the main characters in the first two movies is dropped and replaced with a more depressed feel.

There is still some comic relief in the form of a tribe of primitive space-bears called Ewoks. The tribe becomes an important plot device in helping Solo, Chewbacca and Leia in their fight against the Empire. So it’s not a total loss on the humour front.

There isn’t much of an expansion in the universe either, but the film certainly utilises what the first two built so well. It’s more of a ‘wrap-up’ for the franchise rather than another ‘build-on’ movie.

As for the effects, they seem the same as in Episode V. There’s no real improvement as such but they’re certainly not lacking. I think that the technology of the time was at its peak and basically, they couldn’t improve any more than they already had.

The acting from all parties is again, spot on. By now the actors knew their roles and have aged well with the franchise, both mentally and physically and it shows through their performances.

Sadly, the bad point is the lack of swashbuckling charm that was seen in the first two films. It’s a more linear movie in terms of writing and there’s little in the way of expanding the world that Lucas built.

All in all it’s a slight step backward from the first two, definitely a step back from Episode V though it’s still a romping space adventure and is a wonderfully brooding end to a fantastic build up.
My rating 98%



Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

After years of waiting, the fans of the Star Wars franchise got what they wanted, but sadly, not what they wanted.
Set 30 years or so before Episode IV, the movie revolves around the Trade Federation placing a blockade of their battleships around the planet of Naboo.
This of course brings the Galactic Senate into play. They send two Jedi Knights, Master Qui Gon Jin and his apprentice Obi Wan Kenobi, to bring an end to the trade dispute (the Jedi in this movie are as Old Ben said in Episode IV, "Guardians of Peace and Justice").
In turn, this causes the Trade Federation to act irrationally under the orders of a Master Sith Lord called Darth Sidious and they land a ground invasion of the planet.

Queen Amidala of The Naboo, under the protection of the Jedi and must do everything in her power to either politically stop the invaders, or resort to more violent measures to save her planet and her people.

In the midst of this is a young boy called Anakin Skywalker who has been spotted by Jedi Master Qui Gon as being very powerful with The Force. Qui Gon takes Anakin under his wing and introduces him into the world of the Jedi, without the consent of the Jedi Council.

It’s a very simplistic story that feels very simplistic. The original pull of Episode IV was that the simple story was utilised and expanded with decent writing, touches of tragedy and subtle humour. Lucas seems to have just gone for a simple story laced with amusing characters called Jar-Jar Binks and slapstick frog looking CG creatures. Then smeared the whole thing with brightly coloured CGI and high-speed chases.

It’s very cashed in. You feel great when the movie starts, but after around 25 minutes, you start getting fed up with it all.

The CGI isn’t great looking either, with the massive amounts of cash and talent thrown at the movie, it should have been a hell of a lot better than just an expensive cartoon.

The acting, well, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor as the Jedi Knights are spot on. They’re fit, athletic and have studied hard at the sabre fights. They carry their roles perfectly too. McGregor in particular is fantastic as the young Alec Guinness. A very good choice of actors.
Natalie Portman is apt as Queen Amidala but nothing that will win awards.

Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker is one massive mistake from the filmmakers. Ok he’s only a young lad, but surely there are other kids out there that can actually act.
For such an important role, Lucas really missed the mark. If a young enough actor couldn’t be found, why didn’t Lucas just age Anakin’s character a year or two to make sure the role was acted properly?

The story involves an almost love story between Anakin and Amidala. They make friends when they meet and the actors try their best at working with Lucas’ lacklustre writing, but it’s just not believable.


One of the biggest let downs of the film is Lucas’ new take on the Jedi way of life in regard to The Force.

Apparently this all-powerful force that surrounds us and binds the galaxy together is actually a bunch of microscopic creatures that live inside all living things.
I’m sorry, but where the hell did that come from, George?
It would appear you’ve completely smashed a major plot point for the entire franchise. Bell*nd.
 
Before I carry on with this review, I’m just popping out into the garden for a minute. I’ve got some battery acid that needs pouring on my award-winning Rose Garden…
 
… aaah, much better. Now, on with the review.


The action though, I will say, is very well choreographed. Visually it’s exciting and fast paced and the lightsabre battles are the highlight of the movie. But sadly, that’s about it.

Episode I, was the most anticipated movie in history. The question being asked by fans was, "Where did the story begin?"
Sadly, it started in a thrown together excuse for a prequel hidden under a blanket of CGI.

Add to that, Qui Gon Jinn’s use of a tarted-up Ladies’ Sensor Excel Leg-Razor as a communications device and you’ve got a sure-fire stinker.

All in all a disappointing start to the new trilogy.
My rating 22%



Episode II: Attack Of The Clones.

With the debacle that was Episode I, you’d have thought Lucas would have learned his lesson and improved the new trilogy. Sadly again, he didn’t.

The movie revolves around Obi wan Kenobi’s and Anakin Skywalker’s adventures around the galaxy.
A bounty hunter named Django Fett has been hired as a mould for a Clone Army, ordered in secret by a (now dead) Jedi Knight.
Obi Wan is sent to the planet Kamino to investigate this disturbing event and let the council know what the truth of the matter is.
Anakin has been reassigned to protect Amidala (now a Senator) as an unknown party and an unknown assassin have targeted her for termination.

Anakin and Amidala’s love story is expanded on as they spend more time together alone in hiding. Eventually finding a common ground and falling in love.

Anakin’s feelings of jealousy toward other Jedi and his delusions of grandeur show a hotter side to his temperament. Eventually a murderous side surfaces when he returns to his home planet of Tatooine and is met with family tragedy.
Obi Wan in the interim has discovered more about the Clone Army and has discovered that the Trade Federation are still up to no good and are working alongside another Sith Lord called Count Dooku and an alien race called the Geonosians to build a super weapon.
Eventually Obi Wan is captured while snooping and Anakin and Amidala decide to rescue him.
In the meantime, the Jedi Council have gathered all the nearby Jedi and are also heading to Obi Wan’s aide. The Jedi have utilised the Clone soldiers too, to aide them in fighting Dooku, the Trade Federation and the Geonosians.
At the end, Anakin and Amidala marry in secret.

The movie is far more action orientated. It’s full of chases and sabre fights and relies extremely heavily on CGI.
The movie as a whole feels as though Lucas wanted to stick the characters in as many different (and unentertaining) CG cartoon situations as possible.

Yoda, C3PO, the Jedi, the Clones and even Django Fett are all, at some point, turned into a CG character.
R2D2 can apparently fly now too.


It’s incredibly gimmicky and cliché. It’s almost an experiment in what they can do with CGI.


You can tell also that Lucas didn’t have a single set built for the film. It’s all green-screen. All of it.
The writing too is substandard.

Lucas’ take on romance between two beautiful young people is incredibly cringe-worthy.
A child could have written it in crayon and still given it more passion and chemistry.

McGregor is again spot on though as Obi Wan, but you can see he’s starting to wonder what he’s doing in such a pile.
Portman is more wooden this time around. Though she tries her best with the poor script, she seems fed up too.
Count Dooku is a mild highlight. A star turn from Christopher Lee brings a touch of campness to the movie. Eventually though, he too is turned into a CG character.

Anakin Skywalker is again, played by a complete muppet.
Hayden Christensen has absolutely no charisma and recites his lines as though he’s forgetting them as he does so.
He also has no chemistry with love-interest Portman. He’s apt with a lightsabre though but sadly it’s just not enough. Two great big thumbs down from me. He’s actually worse than Jake Lloyd.

To be honest, I’m finding it hard to find a good point on this one. Even the huge Jedi/Clone fight on Geonosia is a bit of a miss affair. It looks thrilling and flashy, it’s just got no substance.

I’m thinking the storyline is better suited to Star Wars than Episode I was. Anakin’s darker side is expanded to an extent, but it doesn’t save the movie.

All in all the worst of the Star Wars franchise, a better story than Episode I but still not anything worthy of the Star Wars title.
My rating 17%



Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith.

Almost back to basics for the franchise.

Revolving around Anakin’s fall into the Dark Side Of The Force.
He has been sent with Obi Wan to rescue Chancellor Palpatine from the clutches of another bad guy called General Grievous. Grievous is the commander of a droid army and is working along side Dooku. Both however are under the command of Darth Sidious.
After the rescue of Palpatine, they all return to the planet of Coruscant (home of the Jedi Council and the Galactic Senate) and Anakin meets up with Amidala.
She drops the news on him that she is pregnant with his child. This tears Anakin’s feelings inside. Does he stay with her and admit everything to the Council and risk his future with the Jedi, or keep everything secret with her and risk being caught out?

In the meantime, Obi Wan has been sent on a mission to recapture General Grievous without Anakin by his side, which upsets him even further.
To make things worse, Anakin’s having visions of Amidala dying in childbirth.
Finding solace with Chancellor Palpatine, Anakin has his ego blown up by Palpatine’s praises and seeds of doubts are also sown when Palpatine says the Jedi don’t trust Anakin. Palpatine starts sowing seeds of temptation when he mentions that the Dark Side is much more powerful than the Jedi’s power.

With seeds sown, Palpatine reveals his true purpose in the story and Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side is completed when he kills a Jedi Master. Upon meeting the newly appointed Emperor, Anakin is redubbed as Darth Vader.

It’s now up to Obi Wan and Yoda to bring an end to this startling turn of events before Vader’s murderous rampage wipes out all of the Jedi in the galaxy.

Episode III is by far the best written of the prequels in terms of story.
Lucas’ dialogue is still childlike but the story is far superior to the first two.
It’s complex and yet is still easy to follow.

There isn’t a massive expansion in the universe per-say, but the expansion of the Anakin/Emperor/Amidala/Kenobi circle is very well pieced together.
Anakin’s fall, (though loosely told in this review) is a very realised sequence of events. It’s very real in the fact that Anakin doesn’t realise he’s actually now a bad guy.

The effects of the movie, though heavily CGI, are much better placed than in the first two prequels. They’re less cartoony and edge more toward real looking. They’re also utilised in a more viewer friendly way rather than just smashed into your face with colourful abandonment.

The action in the movie, particularly between Obi Wan and Vader is an absolute joy to watch. They really went all out for the sabre fight.
It does go a little awry when they throw some CG fire and explosions in there though. All the audience needed was Kenobi Vs Vader.

As for the acting, Hayden Christensen is quite a shock as Anakin. He must have had acting lessons between the two movies. He’s still not perfect, but he’s certainly improved.
McGregor and Portman do apt jobs as usual and Portman and Christensen have more of a chemistry on screen this time round too.

The movie as a whole is similar to Return Of The Jedi. It’s darker and more brooding than its predecessors. It’s much more violent too, it’s the only Star Wars movie to be rated higher than a PG. In Britain it carries a 12 certificate.

All in all not a perfect movie, still nowhere near to the original trilogy, but far superior to Episodes I & II.
My rating 55%





Wow,you really put some effort and thought into it...good work, although I did like alien 3 a lot..



Miss Vicky's Loyal and Willing Slave
I too love Ghostbusters. Would have made my top 100 list a few years back but I think I've watched it too often now and the impact has lessened a touch. Will need to leave it a while and return to it fresh.

Love Batman Begins as well and massively preferred it to The Dark Knight, which I just found too dark and depressing. I felt Begins got the mix between gritty action film and fun superheroics just right.



Cheers guys. Once again I'm glad my reviews are working.

I've got some special movies lined up for the next week or so:

Review #31: Critters.
Review #32: The Matrix Trilogy.
Review #33: Arachnophobia.
Review #34: Gremlins and Gremlins 2.
Review #35: The Shawshank Redemption.
Review #36: Walking Tall.
Review #37: Ransom.
Review #38: John Carpenter’s The Fog.
Review #39: Dog Soldiers.
Review #40: The Shining.