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spydermann_2099
Reviews
King Kong (2005)
King Kong?
I saw King Kong last night and I have to say I was disappointed. The good: The film was beautiful to look at. The CGI in most places great and the story was sound and paid homage to the original in multiple areas. The Ape looked real and his mannerisms were flawless.
the bad: The movie was too freaking long! As said by another reviewer, we were on a boat for over an hour. The running time actually takes away the film viewing experience. The action sequences were boring. When Kong was fighting the many monsters, he was constantly switching the girl from hand to hand. It was quite ridiculous. The action was also shot in high speed flash moments that irritated the eyes. Other shots were filmed in a haze slow motion. I prefer directors that stick to one style, but that's just me.
Kong had to battle 3 T-Rex dinosaurs and they did give him hell, but not as much as the giant vampire bats. I could not believe that he could defeat the dinosaurs with such ease compared to the bats. I was dumbfounded. Then girl and her would-be-hero catch a ride with th aid of a bat to escape.
The hairy: Okay, I found myself not caring about any character but Kong. I understand that this may be the point, but I didn't even want the bad people who captured Kong to die. I honestly could not wait for the movie to end.Even the last line of the movie was wasted because it lacked conviction.
Epilogue: My biggest complaint is that this movie was truly not needed. There was nothing spectacular enough to prove that the '30s and '70s versions of King Kong needed an upgrade. Disney's Mighty Joe Young did the job and is even the third installment of the Kong series. In the words of Randal from the clerks cartoon," I want my eight bucks back!"
Anatomie de l'enfer (2004)
Strikingly familiar
I was fortunate enough to attend the world premiere of this film at the 2004 Rotterdam film festival in The Netherlands. Of all the films shown, this was the one most sought after for viewing.
The Director and two stars of the film answered questions after the movie and I got to meet Rocco in person. He is taller than I would expect. Many people brought porn for him to sign.
Anyway, film was very interesting. I liked the conflict between the woman and the gay man. Both had strong convictions about life and held to their guns. Rocco did a great job showing his emotions and the sex scenes were memorable, even crude at times. It is frightening how we as an audience could relate to them though.
Amira Casar was stunning. I could not keep my eyes of her during the whole movie. And yes, she is just as beautiful in person. Overall the movie was provocative and interesting staying true to form in regards to French Cinema.
Many people asked Catherine Breillat why she would cast Rocco Sifreddi (The number one male porn star in the world) for the male lead. Her answer,"Directors look for the most beautiful women to star in their films. I cast the most attractive men!"
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Tim Burton Is The Candy Man!
Living in Germany, I had to wait a couple weeks to see the movie . I had to know if it lived up to the hype. The answer... Yes!
I was blown away at how good this film was. I am a huge fan of the original musical with Gene Wilder and I never thought a better movie could be made. I was wrong. Wonka was far more eccentric and mysterious, Charlie was a far better character, and the songs were freaking hilarious. The Oompa Loompas stole the movie.
The flashbacks were cleverly done through he eyes of Wonka. The audience really got to see how Willie Wonka saw the world. I saw no Michael Jackson comparisons. More like Captain Kangaro, as Johnny Depp said he based the character from as stated in interviews. He was funny, over the top, and cruel in all the right ways.
The two places where the movie wained was with the character Veruca Salt. She wasn't as good as the girl in the original. Hr father, however, was spot on. Veruca did get hers in the end when she messed with the wrong squirrel.
The other oddity in the film was Grandpa Joe. I like the guy all through the movie until he started dancing for no reason. This happened twice and it was very awkward. It did not take away from the movie too much.
A few cool additions was seeing the naughty children leave the factory after they had violated the Wonka's wishes and the trek of Wonka in Loompa Land. Abosolutly phenomenal.
I recommend this movie to everyone. The humor is spot on. I especially enjoyed the story of Wonka in India building a chocolate palace for a Prince, only to discover it would soon melt in the hot sun. Awesome!
Hats off to Tim Burton for making a beautiful movie with a beautiful story. He has got to be one of the best directors ever!
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Anakin turns to the dark side!
I had the chance to see the movie early in Mannheim Germany on May 18th 2005. My dad and I drove 3 hours just to see this movie. i told my dad that this would be the last movie I would ever really want to see. Boy was I in for a surprise...
The sound was outstanding, the effects truly masterful. Ewan did a great job, as always, as Obi-wan. Anakin did very well, played the part with conviction and poise. The love story worked, the dialogue was good, and Jar-Jar said one word.
Though there were a few scenes that could have been done a bit better.(Mace v. Palpatine v. Anakin) The transformation looked cheesy at times as well as the dialogue turning Anakin to the darkside. I wish the duels could have been longer and that the final duel would have been a bit more one-set oriented. There were some impossible feats (riding the droid on the lava was a bit much), but hey, its starwars! Over-all, it did not take away from the movie. Hopefully these things can be corrected upon the DVD release November 1st!