Good films (above average)

Ah, Dragonheart. I still like this film... I could talk about the top-notch special effects of the time and the inclusion of Sean Connery and Dennis Quaid, who performed their roles of noble dragon and despairing knight incredibly well...I guess I just did...but I think there's something else about this film that needs mentioning.

Dragonheart is an incredibly uplifting film. In a day when a lot of movies are chilling visions of the world around us, we need something to show us hope. Dragonheart, with its tale of a knight who lost his faith and a dragon who was trying to restore his honor, paints a beautiful picture of kindness, friendship, love, and sacrifice that never fails to inspire me. I am not a man given to displays of emotion, really...but the film makes me laugh and cry throughout everything.

And the soundtrack certainly helps. It is a textbook example of the proper use of a soundtrack to emphasize the plot and emotion. The beautiful "To the Stars" remains one of my absolute favorite songs. I can never listen to the soundtrack without seeing the movie happening again before my eyes.

Get the movie. And get the soundtrack. You'll love them both.

Chris Tucker is one of the best comedic actors on screen right now and Jackie Chan is the best action star ever. You mix them up and what do you get? Quite a rush.

There are not as many or as long Kung Fu fighting scenes like in Jackie's good old Hong Kong classics like Drunken Master II or Project A. But on the other hand, those movies don't make you laugh like Rush Hour.

The movie does never have a dull moment, it's action and laughs, action and laughs throughout the whole thing.

This isn't a movie for everyone but anyone who likes Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker will probably love it. I know I did.

Pop quiz, hot-shot - what's the most exciting movie you've ever seen with a bus in it?

Right, the answer is "Speed" and if you've seen it then you'll have to agree that there is more action in this one movie than any ten generic action flicks that have been released in the last ten years.

A trend-setter the likes of "Die Hard", "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Lethal Weapon", "Speed"'s premise is simple - a bus is wired by a madman (Dennis Hopper) to blow up if it drops below 50 MPH. This is to give the cop (Keanu Reeves) who ruined his last effort a run for his money in trying to save the day. In the ensuing efforts, a woman (Sandra Bullock) is recruited to drive the bus and keep it over 50 MPH at all times.

And for as deceivingly simple as it is, "Speed" pulls out all the stops by making every scene a nail-biter (the bomb discovery, Keanu getting aboard the bus, Sandra driving over an incomplete gap in a highway, etc. - the list is endless) and all the main characters (and a few of the supporting ones) are about as smart as your average movie-goer and have enough of these kinds of movies to figure out what the other guy's move will be and act on it. I LOOOOVE movies like that.

Keanu is far more heroic in this movie than he has been before (and since); Jeff Daniels is born to play best pal and does so with good-nature; Sandra is a delight to watch as well as hear - she has a voice you literally can wrap yourself up in; Hopper adds to his nutso roles with some droll lines that sound all the spicier delivered Hopper-style. Everyone is great and gives their all.

The movie is all one long action set-piece, which is what the action fan expects when they plunk down their money then sit down with their popcorn. They get their money's worth here and then some. "Speed" was obviously written by someone who loves action films as much as the action film fans that watch them. Good match-up.

Nine stars for "Speed", and let's hear it for the magic of surveillance cameras.

This movie is an absolutely wonderful fantasy. I totally loved it when I was a little boy. I pretty much like it now, though, I don't love it as I used to.

The dialog is brilliant. The humor is both bold, and subtle. The characters are archetypal.

Matilda perfectly captures what it is like to be an intelligent person, trapped in the body of a child, and surrounded by idiots who control far too much of your life.

The notion that bad people (even adults) deserve to be punished for their evil ways (even by children) is truly subversive. Any child who suffered through the countless typical abuses of unthinking, uncaring, and ignorant parents will truly love this movie. Those same unthinking, uncaring, and ignorant parents will probably hate this movie, unless they are wise enough to see the truth behind the fantasy.

Despite the difficulties Matilda faces, like all good fantasies this movie has a wonderfully happy ending. I wish the same for all.

A great experience for sure. The film kept me in suspense. The music (by Harold Kloser) was intense and ominous. Sometimes the dialog was a little cheesy, and the ending seemed predictable.

The visual effects were mindblowing (dunno why it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar).

Jake Gyllenhaal's, Dennis Quaid's and Emmy Rossum's acting was decent, almost great.

I've seen three of Emmerich's films and this one is his ONLY good one.

Firstly, if I can set the record straight, this film is not about Jesus Christ as many people seem to believe, it is about Mary, his mother. Her sense of spirit and duty and of her strong belief in the spirit of God, a spirit which was so strong it led her to her being God's chosen vessel for Christ's entry into the world. This should put straight the reviewers who have stated that there are many chapters in Christ's life which seem to be overlooked. This is why.
Mary is played wonderfully by Pernilla August (Anakin's mum, Shmi, from Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace), an under rated and largely unknown actress, but none the less an actress who seems to understand her part and delivers what I believe to be the most powerful performance in the film. She is one of the most talented and beautiful woman I have seen on the screen in recent years. That also includes the actress that played the young Mary.

It charts her struggles through Roman occupation, the scorn and ridicule given my her kinsman after the immaculate conception, the Birth in Bethlehem and the part she played in Jesus' upbringing and his later teachings and death. In essence it is primarily a touching Mother/Son drama using the Bible as a base subject.

The nativity, the crucifixion and many other chapters of The New Testament are recreated here, in a truly inspiring story which never ceases to fill my heart with the strong messages it gives to us.

Christian Bale plays Jesus well, and I think he stands out as one of the better screen Christ's.

Strong support and for once well researched authenticity, makes this a must for fans of all things biblical.

The Nutty Professor takes an old idea and fills it with great energy. The comedy is all over the map. This film is very funny. On top of this, is a great performance by Eddie Murphy who is able to create 7 characters.

The pace of the film felt right. Murphy's professor begins as somewhat dull and a little depressed. This bit of seriousness and the university setting in a few minutes builds a solid story. Because of this, the script can bring in pretty wild comedy without seeming too overdone.

The special effects and dream sequences help make the Jekyll and Hyde story more believable and interesting. But even better is the terrific makeup which is so good that we forget that half of the cast is being played by Eddie Murphy. What I liked the most was that I really began to care about the professor, especially when he is cruelly insulted by a nightclub comic.

The Nutty Professor is not a masterpiece, but it is a great film. Sometimes Murphy's Buddy Love gets too obnoxious and the gross humor gets a little stale. But the film had a tough hurdle to get over, trying to improve on a mediocre Jerry Lewis film. Considering this, I am amazed at how good this movie is.

"The Color Purple" has so many messages, moral and otherwise, that they blur together into what can only be described as wisdom. As an Australian I can't claim to know a lot about the black experience in the south, in the early 20th century. Despite that, I get a strong sense of realism from this film, in the same way we are forced to believe someone when they admit a degrading fact about themselves.

The heart of this movie is a woman named Celie. Woopie Goldberg was cast in the role and it represents her first cinematic outing. She was nominated for an Academy Award and, in my opinion, should have won it. Celie doesn't get to talk much, is subservient to many of the larger powers in her life and yet still manages to communicate depths of emotion few of us ever see in our own lives.

Our sympathies go out to Celie from the start, when we see her as a child playing in a meadow with her sister, Nettie. Hidden at first, her pregnancy is soon revealed, as the result of an incestuous rape. Celie, still a child, is soon separated from her own offspring, for the second time and then torn apart from her sister, as Celie is consigned to her new husband. Married life becomes another form of servitude, including the same chores, sexual abuse and mental anguish but without her sister's love. Nettie somehow gets shipped of to Africa, as a nanny to some missionaries. We only see enough of her life to know that it is a rich and fulfilling one, in stark contrast to Celie's.

Celie has a strange and extended family. Her husband, Albert, called only "Mister" by Celie, is a petty and deliberately cruel man. He seems to sense that there is more value in Celie than he will ever possess and thus never stints in holding his power over her. Albert's mistress, Shug Avery, is a degraded yet stylish club singer who eventually loves Celie more than Albert. He was never more than a passing convenience to Shug. Albert has a son from a previous marriage, Harpo. For some reason, the strongest character in the film, Sofia, played very convincingly by Oprah Winfrey, decides she is going to marry Harpo and does just that. In many ways, Sofia's rude awakening to the realities of her world, at the hands of the local mayor, his wife and the police, is sadder than Celie's plight. After all, Celie never had hopes or expectations to lose.

As the story progresses, Celie starts to emerge from her cocoon. Helped in part by her husband's mistress. She becomes aware of her own inner beauty and her own power. This transformation is so gradual that we almost believe nothing is changing but by the end of the film, Celie is a woman in control of her own destiny and a force for good in her community. We are not asked to believe that patience is all that is required to overcome evil. Celie has her fair share of confrontations and setbacks. Instead we learn that even the palest plant, deprived of sunlight all its life, may eventually blossom into something special. All it may need is a little encouragement.

I don't watch The Color Purple as regularly as some of the other films in my collection. It is hard going in spots. But, if you ever start feeling a little sorry for yourself, I recommend this movie. Not only will it put your troubles into proper perspective but it will also lift up your heart as few films can.

I would've given it a higher rating, but the reason why I couldn't 'cause films like this aren't my type (like, period drama films).

"Self-defense isn't murder" That was the tag line of "Enough", a film that didn't know the difference between self-defense and pre-meditated murder. It would have been a better tag line for "Sleeping With the Enemy", a movie that does know the difference. Whereas Slim plotted and planned her husband's violent death, "Enemy"'s protagonist, Laura, acts in the heat of a moment and, most importantly, her actions are justified.

Laura and Martin have been married for four years, and seem perfectly happy. Unfortunately, Martin's severe Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder and self-confidence issues have put a strain on the marriage. Laura simply can not live up to the standards he needs to keep his OCD under control. If the towels aren't hung correctly on the towel bar, or if the pantry isn't organized just right, he has a fit of uncontrollable anger. When Martin's fits elevate to physical attacks against Laura, she leaves him.

Laura fakes her own death and then begins life anew in a small town with a new identity, and she has a romance with a man named Ben.

Thankfully the movie doesn't try to justify Laura's running away or her adultery, or make her seem perfect; it simply shows the choices she makes. Whether she makes the right choices is all up to your own moral radar, and I like that. If this were "Enough", the case would likely be much different. But this isn't "Enough". This is much, much better.

"Sleeping With the Enemy" is a smart film that actually let's the audience see why Laura feels she has the right to leave Martin. Mostly it has to do with her own inability to deal with Martin's mental infirmities, and that's an understandable problem. OCD can ruin lives, and it can seem overwhelming when you try to help someone who suffers from it. I'm not saying it's right to run away, but her fear is legitimately justifiable. And it's obviously her fear that causes her to overlook the possibility of getting Martin some help.

Her killing Martin is also justifiable. When he bursts into her house with a gun, that provides a reason to kill him. And, what do you know, it makes sense. Do I even have to say the E word again? We all know that movie provides no good reasons for anything that it's characters do. Even though the end of Sleeping With the Enemy is predictable, it's really the only ending the movie can logically come to by that point so I really can't complain, and I'll stay off my soapbox. Besides, I need to save it for when I review "Irreversible."

"Sleeping With the Enemy" has other merits besides the smart script. For one, the cinematography is beautiful, especially in the early scenes at Laura and Martin's beach-front home. I was left saying "Wow." Another selling point is the acting. Julia Roberts, who usually bugs me, does a fine job as Laura. She never takes it into the territory of melodrama or schlock, thankfully. Patrick Bergen, as Martin, does a good job of portraying a sufferer of OCD and, when Laura's ruse is revealed, an enraged husband. He has reason to be angry with Laura for leaving him (or so he believes thanks to his mental issues), plus he has those self-confidence issues that fuel his instability. To some he may seem over-the-top, but to me he seemed very real. Like I said, OCD wrecks those who suffer from it.

My only real problems with the movie were the silly way Martin died (Three bullets, and he's still standing? Please!) and an unnecessary dance number with Laura and Ben. Why is it that some filmmakers deem it necessary to use pointless dance routines to show that two people are in love? And what place do songs like "Runaround Sue" and "Brown-Eyed Girl" have in a movie like this? However distracting those errors may be, "Sleeping with the Enemy" is a fine movie that actually makes the effort to realistically portray real issues. And for that, I recommend it.

There is probably no greater literary classic than the Bible, and as such it is an obvious choice for Hollywood. But why then are there so few attempts to bring the stories we grew up on to the Big Screen? A very simple reason. In filming a Bible story, producers tread a very thin line. They know they have to make the story interesting, the graphics new and innovative or the movie will flop. But they cannot tamper too much with the original for fear of upsetting those who hold the story dear to their hearts. Unbelievably, Hollywood has finally managed to tread that thin line in 'The Prince of Egypt'.

At the very beginning of the movie, a beautiful worded statement appears on the screen, and as I cannot possibly say it better, I will reproduce it here. "The motion picture you are about to see is an adaptation of the Exodus story. While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. The biblical story of Moses can be found in the book of Exodus." Now that was just a classy thing to do. Yes, they did tamper with the story ever so slightly, but they never did anything to mess up the main storyline. They took some liberties with the character of Zipporah, Miriam, etc., but they never messed with the core elements of the story. Some of their changes are debatable, but not to the point of destroying the main point of the story. As a strong Christian, even I found nothing whatsoever to complain about in their telling of it.

Technically, the film is a triumph of computerized animation. The chariot race scene is revolutionary in that the "camera" is able to move around within a moving frame. It is one of the many subtle ways that this animated movie hardly seems animated at all. The parting of the Red Sea was enough to take my breath away, and the Plagues of Egypt sequence was also very, very good.

There was obviously a lot of research that went into the making of 'The Prince of Egypt'. Many of the monuments, frescoes, pieces of furniture, statues, etc. are genuine and can be found in the real life Egypt. Somebody did a lot of studying on Hieroglyphics and Egyptian paintings, as several specific scenes in the movie can attest.

I'd also like to say a few things about the meshing of music with the story. In general, when somebody starts to sing a song, the action stops. Not so in 'The Prince of Egypt'. Indeed, almost the opposite usually occurs. Time compresses within the song, with the action happening at almost double the speed of non-song time. For example, one song covers a span of approximately 40 years, from the time Moses first arrives in Midian to his burning bush experience. In this way, the guys at Dreamworks got the nuts and bolts of the story compressed down in order to give themselves more time to develop characters and other things necessary to make a good movie. I was very impressed at the subtlety of this approach. And the songs themselves are very well done. The soundtrack is a great mix of reverence, ethnic flavor and adventure. Various themes associated with certain events and people wind their way through the music in a better-than-Wagnerian fashion. Moses' mother's lullaby is especially poignant - bravo to the composer. It actually made me cry.

The entire movie is a masterpiece. I'm so glad it made money and did so well. I hope that its great success will allow the people at Dreamworks to make another Biblically based movie, hopefully as good as its predecessor. 'The Prince of Egypt' is not only a great story, it has the advantage of being "true". The tone is very religious, while not being preachy. The burning bush scene is absolutely beautiful. Watch the movie just for that, and enjoy the rest of it as well. The Death of the Firstborn is very dramatic, but not creepy like in 'The Ten Commandments'. I was thoroughly impressed. But above all, the story is interesting, fast-paced and engrossing. The characters are real and their problems are very relatable. There are marvelous moments of comedic relief and moments of terrible mental anguish. This is no dry story from some dusty old book. This is a living, breathing, story. 'The Prince of Egypt' has become one of my very favorite movies and one of the few "cartoons" that continues to be frequently reached for.

Red Eye is one hell of a surprising film, taut, intense and smartly plotted. It does have it flaws, but it's still fine.

That plot alone is simple and the movie flies through at a very fast pace (with some pretty decent development of the characters at the beginning), but the way everything is strung together is crafty, she is afraid of flying, she is at 30,000 feet with nowhere to run and the logical thing to do is co-operate, but can you set up an assassination plot on someone to save someone you love?

Now all this has major potential to be a very tight and intense thriller, as long as it is in the right hands, and thankfully those hands are of Wes Craven. He keeps everything brilliantly paced, very intense and very controlled, proving once again he knows this genre very well.

Another major surprise is two very solid performances. Rachel McAdams, who was only ever great in The Notebook, proves that she is an actress to beat and delivers a very controlled performance.

Cillian Murphy delivers a perfect performance, he is a brilliant actor but also has the intensity in his eyes that brings another level of fear to his character.

It may appear like a Saturday night film at first glance and maybe it can be, but it most certainly is many steps above any average thriller. Highly recommended.

Johnny English is a good comedy that makes fun of virtually every aspect of super spy thrillers, from the car to the female secret agent who eventually falls in love with the protagonist. The movie concocts a ludicrous plot as a vehicle for the gags that will ensue, and it integrates these gags into the plot quite well. They got the right man for the job, too. Rowan Atkinson is excellent at portraying the completely incompetent Johnny English, who's sidekick, Boff is actually a better agent than he is. Yes I know, the whole sidekick-better-than-hero thing has been used before, but without Boff, the plot probably would have never advanced because English fumbles literally EVERYTHING he does on assignment. So Boff is to just move the film along while English's job in this film is to provide the laughter.

One of the things that makes Johnny English such a great spy spoof is because the character himself, at first glance, looks and acts like he's a real secret agent, unlike Austin Powers who looks and behaves like an idiot. English is serious about doing his job, and very confident that he's the best, which is why when he screws up everything its hilarious to see how he reacts and tries to correct his mistakes. One great part is (Spoilers) how he never, ever fires his gun because everytime he does, it breaks! The mood of one of those scenes is great. English is being fired at by a thug, and this fast, action packed music plays. The whole thing plays out like your standard hollywood gunfight, then when English leans out to fire, the top slide of his gun falls off, yet the action music keeps playing.(End of spoiler)

Another excellent aspect of Johnny English is how many of the gags carry over in several scenes. This means that a lot of the gags in the movie don't just come and go; they will have some significance later in the movie that will add to the hilarity. Finally, Johnny English is also an excellent comedy because it never has to rely on sex jokes, which in many films these days, are not so subtle because they're so effortlessly made, yet they make the general audience roar with laughter. Johnny English uses some clever, original jokes that are extremely funny. Many will not like this film because it lacks sex jokes, and will simply dismiss it as being corny (which is ridiculous), but if you like a great spy spoof starring Mr. Bean himself, this is truly excellent.

While watching `Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,' you may well find yourself laughing out loud from time to time - and hating yourself for it afterwards. For this lame brained comedy, beyond being incredibly juvenile and silly in its comedic temperament, also manages to be as politically incorrect as possible, using as its targets the obese, the handicapped and an assortment of social outcasts and misfits. And, although the ribbing is generally quite good-natured and even affectionate at times, one can't help but feel a little guilty about laughing.

The formula for the film adheres very closely to the one employed by virtually all "Saturday Night Live" or "Second City" alumni in their initial forays into big screen comedies. Once again we have the usual bumbling nerd trying to win acceptance as a `cool dude,' making a shambles of everything he touches, yet ultimately managing to garner the respect of his peers and the love of a beautiful woman. Rob Schneider plays the title role, a professional fish tank cleaner who, through a complicated series of circumstances, finds himself delving into the realm of `man whore' in order to earn some much needed money. The stupidity of the premise and the situations cannot be underestimated as Schneider is put through a series of pratfalls, misunderstandings and verbal slugfests that are often quite amusing almost in spite of themselves. It takes either a certain amount of daring or a shocking degree of insensitivity (or perhaps a little of both) to line up a series of jokes and sight gags aimed at people who suffer from obesity, Tourettes Syndrome, Narcolepsy, blindness and limb amputation - but this film does it. Somehow, though, the film manages to treat its characters with such a genial fondness that it never seems particularly harsh or mean spirited. Whether or not that mitigates the feeling of guilt resulting from one's laughter must, finally, be a matter of personal conscience I suppose.

Schneider plays the lead in a nicely relaxed fashion, not succumbing to the hyperbolic mugging that so many comics are prone to indulge in when faced with similar roles. And what a pleasant surprise to encounter Marlo Thomas of all people in an uncredited cameo appearance - and still looking like a knockout in her sexy lingerie.

`Deuce Bigalow' may not sit well with the easily offended or with those who prefer their comedy to be of a bit more - um, shall we say - cerebral nature. Still, unabashed silliness makes for a fun time every now and then and, in that spirit, this film deserves to be seen.

This film is an excellent entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed it and well put-together explaining individual mind-frame and it works.

I am sure we easily judge into other people's positive and negative attitudes, but unless we put ourselves into their shoes, we will never know. Hence this film takes us into the journey of a daughter and mother who have complete different personalities. After a while, the daughter and mother switch "only" bodies (via some weird Chinese magic), by which they realize each others "actual life".

This film could have been made in various forms, but the writer and the director chose a way by which they can convey their message to the society while entertaining at the same time, which I personally think is a better option. The film is very light-hearted, well scripted, well directed, excellent costumes, brilliant acting skills, and finally very easy to follow the storyline.

Please do yourself a favor and rent this DVD (and order a pizza) and watch it at home with your family - maybe it will do you some good.

Average. Though, the ending was the best.

The plot was the "meh" thing in this film. It wasn't that close to the poem. The characters were all dysfunctional and some were hateful. And they all liked talking about sex (except Wealthow).

Above all, this is an average film. The director's cut was the best. The animation saved it.

One of the great love stories from the medieval courtly romances, "Tristan and Isolde" has received many different treatments from medieval poets such as Gottfried of Strasbourg to the haunting opera by the nineteenth-century German composer Ricard Wagner. In each of the versions of the story, there are new and different plot details in this tragic love story.

In Kevin Reynolds' film adaptation, the most intriguing new twist from the traditional story is the way in which Tristan and Isolde meet. In this version, Tristan is given up for dead following a battle in Cornwall and washes ashore in Ireland in a boat only to be discovered by Isolde. She then uses her magical herbs to cure him. In Gottfried's medieval tale, the two young people drink a love potion from a goblet of wine. In this film, the young people fall instantly in love without any need of an elixir.

In two touching performances, the young lovers are played by James Franco and Sophia Myles. Their on-screen chemistry is electric, and their scenes together are filmed effectively by Reynolds in beautiful location settings. The film also explores themes of medieval chivalry and honor. Rufus Sewell delivers an excellent performance as King Mark caught in the love triangle that recalls the famous story of King Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere.

There are also great action sequences in "Tristan and Isolde," including battles, tournaments, and medieval siege warfare. But the most memorable scenes are the intimate moments with Tristan and Isolde. Their fateful meeting and the unfolding of their relationship make this film worthwhile for audiences both familiar with the legend and for those being introduced to this timeless love story for the first time.

This magnificent thriller represents director John Woo's triumphant return to the kind of hyper-kinetic, emotionally charged film-making which made him such a hot property in the first place. Following the artistic bankruptcy of his first two Hollywood projects, this one is a marriage of high-octane movie-making and mind-twisting narrative complexities. It's also one of the few American action movies which manages to strike a balance between crowd-pleasing set-pieces and domestic interludes, and renders them equally important. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage are perfectly matched as hero/villain (and vice versa!), whilst heavyweight theatre actress Joan Allen provides the narrative with much of its dramatic backbone in the role of Travolta's wife.

Technically, the film is a blast, and Woo stages the action highlights with a visual grace and dexterity that is often breathtaking to behold. The climactic speedboat battle is probably the finest set-piece of Woo's career to date, and the script is overflowing with visual and thematic ironies that underscore the action highlights. In fact, the production has arguably more dramatic resonance than any other Hollywood blockbuster of the 1990s, but the dictates of American commercialism mean that Woo is only able to skate over the emotional surface of his characters and their moral dilemmas. The two main protagonists are much too cold and heartless to fully engage the audience's sympathies. But for all that, FACE/OFF dares to go deeper than your average Hollywood action picture. It's clever, witty and thrilling, and it manages to accomplish the difficult task of feeding the brain whilst entertaining the eye.

Just too violent and all. I loved the dramatic content, though.

A good film. Though the battle scene at the ending was too long.

For me, Star Wars is goodbye. :( But, hey, they're still average.

Good film. Though it didn't have a beginning and an ending.

Meh, I'm just loosing interest in the Star Wars films. :(

A good, and a sad, one.