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Reviews
Hidalgo (2004)
Better than we expected
My husband and I went to see it tonight and both felt that it was better than expected. Great action sequences that didn't get in the way of telling an interesting story, some wonderful cinematography, outstanding horsemanship, gorgeous horses, and generally very entertaining.
The acting was uneven, but Viggo Mortensen turned in a very moving, solid performance, as did several of the supporting actors, including Omar Sharif as the Sheikh and the Louise Lombard as Lady Davenport.
The good guys/bad guys divisions were drawn broadly enough to give the film a little bit of a cartoonish feel, though the acting (and the horses!) tended to redeem it from that.
On the whole, highly recommended for people who like adventure, romance (of a kind), and entertainment.
The Little Vampire (2000)
Charming, slightly silly, slightly serious, good fun
The Little Vampire is a delightful film about a little boy from America, Tony, who is teased and picked on at his new school in Scotland by the local laird's obnoxiously arrogant grandsons. He meets and befriends Rudolph, the youngest son of a family of charming vampires, who are trying to save themselves from Rookery, a vicious and unscrupulous vampire killer. It is rated PG for some mild peril, to which I would add that very young children would need to have some of the life and death issues explained. Both my sons, ages 11 and 6, just loved the movie -- enough that my six year old wanted to see it again, and I didn't mind taking him. The lessons my kids learned were mostly about friends coming in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the value of loyalty and dedication to a cause. There are enough plot twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat (at least the first viewing!), and although some of the dialogue is banal and predictable, some of it is deliciously witty. Last but not least, the costuming and special effects are wonderfully well done, and go a long way to making even some of the silly scenes very impressive. All in all, I would recommend it highly (to anyone who doesn't have trouble with the notion that vampires are not minions of Satan) as good, clean, amusing fun.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Wonderful! Go see it!
The acting, the costuming, the overall art direction, pacing, editing, and all the rest are fabulous. My only quibble was that in Joseph Fiennes' tragic moments, his face contorted as if he were on a stage and playing to the farthermost back row in the balcony (instead of in a movie), grimacing instead of _expressing_ pain, despair, and frustration. Everything else, however, was about as perfect as one could wish. The dialogue captured Shakespeare wonderfully, full of double, even triple or quadruple entendres, and of course Shakespeare's own lines were delivered so well that we left the theater feeling that we had just seen performances that set the standard for all time. Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Imelda Staunton, and all the cast were about as perfect as they could be. Incredible. The costuming and sets were perfectly accurate historically as well as being -- when they were supposed to be -- as gorgeously beautiful as they could have been. Go see it!