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Reviews
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Good - if you've seen the show
A lot of reviews I've read bash the movie, saying that it's really just a remake of a bad Broadway show. But people are harsh. The movie was pretty good, but better if you've seen the show.
Basically, the movie is just the Broadway play in, er, movie form. The music has been expanded and some lines have been rewritten, but it holds true to the play. More importantly, it explains things that were unexplained before - how the Phantom came to the opera house, for example. Considering how the show's plot was a bit weak, the movie makes it considerably stronger.
The music is the most memorable part of the show, and that holds true here as well. The songs are all on par, and everyone sounds good singing. Minnie Driver didn't sing her parts, but that's okay, because she's not in many songs. One thing that irked me is that Webber didn't remove some aspects of the original score that are outdated. In "Phantom of the Opera," there's a power chord in the beginning, and there are the handclap sounds that come up here and there. They should have been removed, but they weren't.
That aside, the movie is pretty. Everything is elaborate and vibrant: the sets, the costumes. Camera-work is good, with quick cuts and pans put in the right places. This is Schumacher, people. He knows what he's doing.
The reason I keep mentioning the Broadway play is because that's what all the other critics are doing. They didn't like the original show, and they don't like the movie either. And that makes sense, since they're pretty much the same thing.
Unfortunately, it doesn't stand much as a movie. The only reason I enjoyed the movie is because I've seen the show, so I knew what was coming. If you've not seen the play, you'll think the movie is decent, if a bit contrived. And if you have seen it, you'll enjoy the movie. It cleans up and expands the play, and brings it to a much higher level.
Tokyo Breakfast (2001)
Awesome.
The first time I watched Tokyo Breakfast, I was on the ground laughing. There's something so lovable about a family of Japanese people using the N word at each other. After that, I showed it to everyone I knew, and they all loved it. To fully get the joy out of this, you need to be able to overlook the expletives and the how wrong it really is. The ending, of course, is the punchline. No point in spoiling it, 'cause there's not much substance there to spoil. Aside from being so politically incorrect, it's awesome. Google for it if you want to see it. It's well worth your six minutes.
And yes, the Japanese on the bottom is correct. :]
Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters (2004)
Good, but not the original
FoodTV, after seeing the popularity of Ryouri no Tetsujin, got the rights to make its own Iron Chef show. New Kitchen Stadium, new Chairman (Mark Dacascos) and new Iron Chefs. Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Wolfgang Puck are the new three to take on two of the original Japanese Iron Chefs: Masaharu Morimoto and Hiroyuki Sakai.
In this mini-series, we saw four battles: Sakai v. Flay, Morimoto v. Batali, Morimoto v. Puck, and then a special twist battle (which I won't divulge.)
The show was well done. Alton Brown has jumped in as the commentator, taking the spot of Kenji Fukui, and he did a great job. His commentary was just as interesting as his show. The battles were almost as good as the original, as was the judging. (They even had the standard giggly chick saying stupid things.) And the new Kitchen Stadium is very pretty.
But overall, it just didn't have the same feeling to it that the originals did. "Ryouri no Tetsujin" just had a style to it - slightly ridiculous, fast-paced, fun, and a good time overall. These shows had some of that, but there was something missing. Even still, it's worth a watching if you're an Iron Chef fan.
Club Dread (2004)
Pretty freakin' good.
Steve, Kevin, and Paul came up to Colgate tonight to screen the movie at their alma mater, so a few of us got together and went down to see the movie. And let me tell you, it was pretty funny.
The first thing is that you cannot go into it expecting Supertroopers again. This movie, although it is a comedy, is also a horror film. A new batch of tourists come to Paradise Island for a week of fun and non-sobriety. However, someone has started killing off the workers at the club, and the other workers have to catch him and stop other people from knowing about it.
Without giving away any spoilers, I can tell you this: it was great. Broken Lizard has somehow made a movie that's insanely funny, and also a bit of a horror flick. The girls across the row from us kept freaking out between laughs, so I guess that was the intended effect. Bill Paxton was great, and was a damn believable island hippie. (Think Sammy Hagar right now, and his fun in Cabo San Lucas.) Steve Lemme seems to have a place in the Broken Lizard movies, and he was awesome this time. Kevin Heffernan is the centerpoint of this film, and he held the role really well. Of course, Paul, Erik and Jay had did a good job, too.
Anyway, it's probably worth your cash. If you're a Broken Lizard fan, go see the movie. If you want to laugh but with a little horror, go see it. And keep an eye on these guys - they're gonna be big.
Iron Chef USA: Showdown in Las Vegas (2001)
positively horrendous.
This show is so incredibly bad that it boggles the mind. I'm a really big Iron Chef fan (of the original Japanese show) and this was just so bad to watch. Most of the people that watch the original consider this to be an insult to the original.
- Takeshi Kaga is the chairman of the original show. He's wacky, he wears strange outfits, and he's got a voice that they didn't dub because they couldn't find anyone to replace him. This show has.. *cough* William Shatner. He can't even begin to compare. He's fake and just not good. Pricewatch is more up his alley.
- The general feeling of the show is just bad. Kitchen Stadium is where the original show takes place. It is a place of reverence for food (sounds corny, I know); this show takes place in Kitchen Arena and is just pitiful. If you've ever watched the Japanese ones, you know how quiet the stands are because everyone is intrigued; in this, it's just people standing up and cheering for no reason.
- What kind of judges did they pick? Bruce Vilanch is just a really, really sad "Hollywood Squares" dropout, and what kind of food critic is that Playboy chick? Pitiful. The Japanese critics might be really lame (like the fortune teller, heh) but they're much better than anything you'll see here.
In general, this show is just a disgrace to watch. It doesn't have the feeling and respect that the first show has. FujiTV should be shamed for having granted UPN the rights to this show. Hopefully, it won't make it past the second show.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
this movie is worth seeing.
to be completely honest with you, i prefer jerry bruckheimer over john woo. i think that bruckheimer's movies are a lot easier to follow, and that the camerawork he does is of a higher quality than woo. however, i think that john woo did a very good job directing this movie. the camerawork fits seamlessly in with the action sequences, and it was quite a change from other action movies.
now, then. mi:2 is better than the first one, in my opinion. it's a lot easier to follow than the first, and it's got a whole lot more action. however, the problem here is this: there's just too much tom cruise. yes, the audience likes him, but just how far does one take it?
the movie has a fairly decent plot about biological weapons. it's nice to watch, easy to follow, and is full of plot-twists. but the minor characters - which is everyone except cruise - are too underdeveloped. when something happens to the girl in the movie, we don't feel the sympathy that we should. so that's a big flaw.
now, im a big fan of movie music. i own a fairly decent collection of movie soundtracks, and this one holds up incredibly well. during the fight scene (towards the end,) we hear an incredibly cool piece with chanting and the like. and then it turns to guitar, which is incredible. hans zimmer did a great job on this soundtrack (you might also remember him from doing *the rock* soundtrack.) so the music is a plus.
all in all, this is a great movie. it's more tactical and spy-oriented than, say, a james bond flick. but go see it, it's well worth your $8.25.
The Rock (1996)
one of the coolest movies, ever.
putting aside all other opinions that i may have, this is one of the best action movies, ever. an awesome movie directed by an awesome... uhh... director is, well, awesome. :)
the plot: here we see a rather unique, but predictable, story. in short, hummell (played by ed harris,) who is an ex-army general (or something high-ranked,) has decided to steal a whole bunch of rockets with some nasty stuff in them because his men were not reimbursed for the stuff they suffered. he puts all of the rockets on the rock - alcatraz island - and maintains base there. enter the government. they decide to use (cheesy) the only man who's ever escaped: john mason, who is played by sean connery. with mason is goodspeed, who is played by nicholas cage. together, and with other guys, they have to disarm all these bombs before hummell fires them off.
character development: the three main characters - hummell, goodspeed, and mason - are rather well developed. from the beginning of the movie, we see hummell's reason for doing this, and we feel some form of compassion, as if it's something he has to do. and we see goodspeed's relationship with his girlfriend and how he puts work above all, and yet he has a fear of needles. finally, we see mason's struggle because he's been in jail for the longest time because he stole a microfilm. everything in the movie has a purpose, and in time, we see the purpose.
the action: what's a bruckheimer movie without action? one of the greatest action sequences in this movie is the shower-room scene. hummell's men have the advantage of height, looking down on a now-infiltrated shower room. we see the bloodshed and the loss of men, and then we see hummell's reaction - he is ashamed and angry because of what has transpired. without giving away more of the movie, we see some very cool deaths for the characters we grow to hate.
the music: i love a good movie score. in fact, i hold the soundtrack in my hand right now. hans zimmer did an incredible job when he wrote this - the recurring notes we hear throughout the movie are reverberated and pounded into our heads. the music is action-packed and keeps the audience into the movie.
all in all, this is one of bruckheimer's greatest movies. he has put together a masterpiece, and i am incredibly glad for having seen this movie. and if you see it, you'll feel the same way.
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
an awesome movie. period.
this has got to be one of the finest movies in the late '90s. as a Jew, i really enjoyed this movie. and here's why:
- the plot. this is a great example of poetic license. the movie is very accurate to that which actually happened during the exodus from egypt. at the beginning of the movie, we see the close bond between the two brothers, only to be contradicted by the end of the movie when the two brothers face off. an excellent plot, especially since it is from the bible.
- the music. i love a good orchestrated cd, and this movie is a shining example of this. just about every song in the movie is wonderful. "deliver us," the seven-minute piece that plays in the beginning of the movie, is a phenomenal piece to open the movie with. its theme leads us through the entire movie until the ending theme, which is a spectacular piece.
- the animation. using the latest high-tech animation techniques, we see many camera shifts and special effects. one of the greatest special effects is the splitting of the red sea towards the end of the movies. additionally, there is a very cool scene that we see that involves animated hieroglyphics. excellent uses.
- the actors. this movie has just about the greatest cast. the main voice - moses - is played by the very talented val kilmer, who has an excellent song titled "the plagues" with ralph fiennes, who plays ramses. sandra bullock and michelle pfeiffer also give us their voice-overs, among many other people.
in my opinion, this is an excellent movie. don't overlook this movie the next time you go to blockbuster or somewhere to rent a movie. it's well worth it.