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david_nys
Reviews
Smiling Friends (2020)
The most overrated cartoon I have ever seen
Really? This is being heralded as some kind of new benchmark in animation? The animation looks like crap and not even in an interesting way. If you think this style of absurdist humor s anything new, Monty Python did this 50 years ago. The show isn't well written or some kind of master piece. If I had watched this on Youtube and it was made by some amateur creator I would have given it an ok rating, but as an actual project for tv with a 8.5 on IMDB? Gar-bage. 2/10 because the voice acting is pretty good.
28 Weeks Later (2007)
A film containing that much flaws and still so much fun? Awesome...
!!!!!!This review contains a small amount of spoilers!!!!!!!
I have to admit that I might be a little prejudged. I am a huge fan of zombie movies. You name a zombie movie, I've seen it and probably enjoyed it. Furthermore this film's predecessor, "28 days later", is one of my favorite movies.
Does that mean this movie is without its flaws? Most certainly not. It doesn't resemble its predecessor at all. They could perfectly be seen separately. Still, I recommend you watch them both and in the correct order.
A short summary: 28 weeks after patient Z, Britain has been declared free of infection and the NAVO has installed a military force in London and secured a safe zone. They let in civilians to repopulate the country. But of course (otherwise it wouldn't be much of a movie), something goes wrong. The infection spreads again, the military loses control and the survivors try to stay alive.
I should probably start with mentioning the opening scene, which is one of the best scenes in any movie I have ever seen. It starts out slow and quiet, but then... The pacing, the action, that feeling you get. The song that accompanies the last part of this scene is awesome. You can hear it once again, around the middle part of the movie, in what is according to me the second best scene from the movie. The opening on its own is probably better than the rest of the movie, and captures the feel of the first movie. Something which the rest of the movie doesn't do quite well, since the focus has moved from just surviving to big-budget action.
No character really stands out. You have a nice looking scientist, the standard "bad-ass" soldier, the commander that is willing to do all to be in control, some bland people that die very quickly. None of them are too smart, but this seems to be a trait which all but a few rare people in horror movies possess. The effects are fine, the zombies are fine, the ending decent enough. The action is done quite well, great when accompanied by the sublime music, mentioned above. Nothing really stands out, there's nothing really wrong either. Except...
There is just one major thing (and it's major) I don't like about this movie. It has some totally illogical plot holes and errors. All movies have some, and I can live with that. Making mistakes is human, but in this movie some things are just inexplicably stupid. For the sake of not giving too much spoilers. I'll discuss one. John (a key role in the movie), who is the father of the 2 children that can be considered the main characters, is one of the few survivors who is already on the island when the civilians arrive. And he has been granted full access to all compounds, civilian and military alike, in the entire city. Don't you think this a very unlikely? Furthermore, he becomes some sort of a super-zombie, capable of teleportation and surviving a huge fireball. This is just one of the many mistakes in the movie. Some are just so obvious it hurts the brain to think about it. On the other hand, if you're one that doesn't mind these things or can get over it easily, there is nothing really wrong with the movie.
This movie is a must for every horror fan, and zombie-lovers in general. It's generally good and really great in some parts, and those moments outweigh some of the more mind-boggling moments in the movie. Just know that you should probably not try to compare it to its predecessor.
The Pebble and the Penguin (1995)
It ain't no Disney, but it's pure nostalgia
I might only be 19, which isn't considered an age when one knows a lot of things about life. But young as I am, I already know what nostalgia is. And that might just be the word to describe this movie.
I saw this movie more than 10 years ago, in my original language (which is dutch). After years of forgetting this movie, I saw it again, in English this time, but all memories of it came back nonetheless.
First I should explain this story in short. It's about Hubie, a penguin who is in love with Marina, a beautiful female penguin. Problem is, he's very shy and he thinks the only way he even has a chance is to find her a nice pebble. Luckely for him, divine intervention delivers him one. But he has another problem in the form of the gigantic (buffed up with steroids probably) penguin named Drake, voiced by Tim Curry(!!). He wants Marina as well and he gets rid of Hubie. Now it's up to Hubie to get back home and rescue his girl. On the way, he gets to know Rocko, a rock hopper who is tough as nails but a real nice guy when you get to know him (just don't mention anything about flying).
The movie is well animated, the backgrounds are nice and the colors are pretty. Alright, you can't compare it to the Disney classics, but then, what can be compared with those? The story is simple but it is interesting enough and the pacing is just right. Some songs are catchy, some are just OK, only Drake's song is awesome! The voice acting is great as well. Rocko sounds exactly as he should, marina's voice is lovely and Drake... well you can't go wrong with Tim Curry doing the voice acting can you? God I love that guy. Only problem is, Hubie sounds terrible. His voice in dutch was annoying but bearable. The English one is just terrible. Hubie is a adorable character though, even if so many don't like him. So is Rocko, just cause he is bad ass. And I wish we had seen more of Drake cause we just get to see him as he is bugging Marina, either through threats or singing. There are some awesome scenes, like on a ship called the "misery". Some call it disgusting, I call it brilliant. Or the scene in which Rocko discovers he has been lied to. Violent but very enjoyable to watch.
There wasn't much that bothered me about this film that I haven't covered already, except for the ending. It is kind of sweet, but there are some things that are illogical and just annoying. You'll have to see for yourself.
Overall, a great movie for little kids and adults alike, with solid animation and some great voice acting and songs but unfortunately some major setbacks. Still this is an hugely underestimated movie by an underestimated director, Don Bluth.