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Reviews
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
good potter movie
the prisoner of azkaban is the only potter movie i've seen so far (i always tend to avoid hyped movie series until the biggest hype is gone), and i have to say it was surprisingly well put together. the director obviously knew what he was doing, and the cast is doing a good job too, not to mention everyone at the special effects crew all the way to the end titles...nicely done! always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see alan rickman act, too.
just wondering how a child would react to a movie like this, the special effects weren't quite as frightening back when i was a kid...it's great for adults who aren't too deep in their own adulthood, though.
The Endless Summer (1966)
the way of life - not the sport
in this wonderfully mellow surf film by bruce brown surfers mike and bob travel around the world chasing summer, and the perfect wave. they visit exotic locations and meet surfers all around the world, and of course terence...of Africa.
though the boys aren't finding any big waves (which makes this only an average surf film if you came to see the giants) bruce's great, laid back and humorous narration along with the beautiful camera work by bruce and the rest of the team give the viewer a piece of the feeling these boys must have had on this trip of a lifetime.
an inspiring film that makes you want to leave the wheel behind and embrace what earth has to offer. weather you're a surfer or not you will probably enjoy this film a great deal. all you need to start watching is the feeling that something's missing from your life...
The Theory of Flight (1998)
award brown-nosing tearjerker...or is it?
i just happened to stumble on this film channel surfing. my first reaction was, 'oh god not again!'. it's so hip to play a retard these days it has become pretentious and frankly despicable. for some reason, though, i stayed and watched it 'til the end. maybe it was my faith in the actors, hoping they'd give me something to cheer about.
and surely, ken and helena can act. also, the movie progresses into something better towards the end and actually does make a point.
helena bonham carter also surprised me with her character. jane has a mean side that she uses to keep distance and repel pity. then again she has a soft side that's just looking for love. the only thing that surprised me even more was branagh's character...this was a triumph of acting, the movie itself is nothing unique.
see if you are an acting student...if you're looking for pure entertainment you can skip this one. it's sean penn serious! oh my, that was a bit harsh it does feature a couple jokes...not for escapists though.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
wincott and rickman steal the show
take a minute to think...no, actually, just take a few seconds and you'll realize how empty this movie would be if rickman wouldn't be there displaying his wild acting skills, with THE VOICE, Michael wincott as his right hand.
yes that's right it would be just another dreadful event of Hollywood superstars playing folk legends looking like a million bucks. Kevin costner, no matter what people (or critics for that matter) say, is a good actor. the truth is this, though; he's too old and too American to play robin hood, and he never should have done it. he shouldn't have done a couple of other movies either, but that's a whole different story. Morgan freeman is Morgan freeman as always, i can't believe an actor without any kind of range can be this respected. he has the parts that fit him, like shawshank, but this wasn't one of them. Christian slater, even though he does try, is just utterly useless in this type of an adventure. Mary mastrantonio actually survives the prince of thieves despite a couple of embarrassing scenes.
guy of gisborne and sheriff of Nottingham make this an entertaining movie for guys, and the ladies seem to like them as well. watch once from the beginning to the end, on further viewings just skip to the good parts and watch rickman and wincott take the rest of the cast, crush them into pieces and display their remains in the marketplace. i just wish they would collaborate again.
Bloodsport (1988)
ho-ho-horrible acting, weird editing and stupid dialogue. oh, and really entertaining.
there aren't too many films out there dealing with mma fighting, though the genre is making progress right now as the fighters are getting older. it's been about 17 years since i last saw the kumite film...bloodsport was highly entertaining when i was a kid, and it's surprisingly entertaining still.
it didn't come as a very big surprise, though, when i read van damme had something to do with the editing. bloodsport is a typically awful 80's b-action film, where strange editing, loud music over stupid dialogue combined with horrible acting can be forgiven. why?
action, baby. the best fighters in the world gather in hong kong to fight in the brutal kumite tournament. what else do you need heh? no-one gives a crap about the love affair or the cops/agents/whatever, the fights are the salt of the this film, simple as that. when i was watching the fights, i was thinking 'well that wasn't even near' a couple of times, but i was kind of impressed by van damme's abilities, despite a couple of near homoerotic scenes...khrm, anyway, a good rent for friends of action and mma...and a lot of fun for kids, no matter what the Christian fundamentalists say :) have a nice day!