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Reviews
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2000)
Branagh is brilliant
Kenneth Branagh is excellent in this film. He plays a character a bit like Mike Church in Dead Again, a bit of a jerk who believing becomes a good guy. I found the comedy amazing, and the relationship with the little girl was heart wrenching. The scene where she falls when dancing and embarrasses her mother... The other "Peter" could easily be a two dimensional character, but through his conversations with Pete we see into his psyche. Even I was shocked by his behavior in the end. David Krumholz who is known for playing math genius Charlie in Numbers is hilarious as a flaming gay stage director. Robin Wright Penn is also good, although I think the hair color choice lacking. A fantastic movie.
Love's Labour's Lost (2000)
Shakespeare gone sour
I love Shakespeare. I really do. I also am also a huge fan of Kenneth Branagh. His Henry V, Hamlet, Much Ado About You, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night are all excellent. I feel the problem here is that he tried far too hard to make Shakespeare marketable. I love musicals, especially old ones, as well, but I find something lacking in the combination. And, as much as I adore Kenneth, he cannot dance. This is not Shakespeare's best comedy in the first place, but even Branagh's ambition couldn't save this disaster. The ending is happier than the play's cliffhanger-like promises, which I like. That is about all I like.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Interesting story, but a disappointing portrayal of Shakespeare
I love Joseph Fiennes and he was excellent in this movie. Dame Judi Dench and Gwyneth Paltrow also turn in top-notch performances. However, the main problem I have with this movie is the script by Tom Stoppard. Stoppard is excellent: I love his Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and Arcadia,and I know he knows Shakespeare and his time.That is why I find the frequent historical inaccuracies (references to American colonies,incorrect order of the plays, etc) so glaring. Stoppard wrote them, not some hotshot scriptwriter without a clue. He knew and he still messed it up. I like this movie, but as a Shakespeare devotee, I find it sorely lacking. Sadly,this is how most people see Shakespeare. Shame on you, Stoppard.
Brazil (1985)
Amazing conundrum of a movie
This movie is a twisting, turning, bleak view of modern life and bureaucracy portrayed in the Britain of the future. Sam Lowry (Price)seems content to be no one and ambition less until the girl of his dreams literally appears and seems to be in danger. Here Lowry reaches his potential, but is caught breaking the law and punished, while Jill, his love, is killed. His only escape from this world is to go insane.
Pryce is amazing in this role. As the man now known for being Governor Swann in the POTC franchise, his talent is often overlooked. This movie is his best; he is able to show the naivety of Lowry and his belief in love. Amazing script as well. This movie has many subtle messages (notice the very Cold Waresque posters and murals on the walls)that take you several views to completely grasp. 10/10 in my book, for it makes me think, something many current movies fail to do.
Dead Again (1991)
An Excellent Movie for those Avoiding the Norm
This movie has a lot of animosity directed at it, much of it undeserved in my opinion. Yes, the plot is a bit hard to follow at times. However, that is most of the thrill of the end of the movie. I don't feel that I should give anything that pertains to the ending away; the very confusion and its resolution are what kept me enraptured for the length of the film. This lesser-known Branagh work, like The Midwinter's Tale, deserves more acclaim. It is certainly better than Love's Labours Lost. Give this movie a chance, but go into watching it realizing that, as Branagh himself said, "there were fingerprints of other directors all over the script." This was a difficult script to film, but I felt it was done very well. I can only imagine that this amazing script would have been trashed if Branagh hadn't taken it on. Oh, for any other bard lovers (especially Henry V) fans, notice the number on the sleeve of Branagh's prison uniform in the first scene. It's the date of the battle of Agincourt!
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
10/10
This is a great movie. It's the third version of Jane Austen's timeless classic I've seen (I've also seen the 1995 Colin Firth one and the 1940 Laurence Olivier one) and is by far the best. It is truer to the book in its two and a half hours than the 1995 in its four hour spectacle. The Darcy--Matthew McFayden--in this movie isn't as easy on the eyes as Colin Firth, but he grows on you. By the first proposal scene, I thought he was smoking hot! In the rain...wow, talk about ubber sexy.
Keira Knightly so deserved the Oscar nomination. I wish she had won, but we can't have our way all of the time. She captured Elizabeth's spunk to a t. Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet was wonderful, especially when he talks to Elizabeth after Darcy has asked for her hand. The tears..."I never thought anyone would be good enough for you." Aww... And Jane and Bingley together were excellent. Bingley was so cute...I just want to give him a hug.
Overall, a wonderful movie of a wonderful book.
Up Close & Personal (1996)
Why such a low rating?
This movie is one of the best romantic movies I've ever seen. The plot is not only endearing, but it is actually believable. Not only does Sally/Tally have to struggle to become accepted and successful, but she has to deal with having feelings for the very man who gives her a hard time. Michelle Phiffer is excellent in this movie, as is Robert Redford, as always. The supporting performances are also well executed. Of course, the song "Because You Loved Me" adds so much poignancy.
With the death of her husband, Tally has to face a personal and professional struggle. She has to speak at his memorial. My two favorite scenes are the one in which she realizes Warren was in fact the one who died ("His shoes!") and where she ignores the TelePrompter speech and speaks from her heart.
Truly a great movie.
Hamlet (1990)
Shakespeare in a Blender
This is by far the worst version of William Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece I have ever seen. It seems the filmmakers didn't actually read Shakespeare's text. No, they just took what they wanted from the Lawerence Olivier movie. The plot is out of order and slimmed down to its bare necessity, yet there is time for the non-canon Olivier created incest hint between Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. Could we have had the "Something rotten in the state of Denmark" bit instead? Casting is another issue. I understand that the far superior Branagh movie had its weak bits (Robin Williams and Charlton Heston come to mind), but this one has very few good moments. I do like Laertes and Polonius, but the rest of the cast is stale. Mel Gibson's creepy stubble is irritating, and one often wonders if he has any idea what he is saying. Many of the actors seem to have just memorized the part--they know less about what is being said than sophomores in high school.
If you want a version of Hamlet, check out Kenneth Branagh's or even Lawerence Olivier. To be frank, even Disney's Hamlet is better.
Jude (1996)
Book Accuracy
Overall, the movie was very close to the Thomas Hardy novel from which it takes it plot. However, one thing got to me: Jude doesn't die in the end. I found the ending unsatisfying. I understand why the filmmakers didn't include the stillborn baby, for there was already so much tragedy, but Jude needed to die. I mean, Tess died, Michael Henchard (Mayor of Casterbridge) died, and Jude died. It brings completion to the novel/story--Jude finally escaped the horrors of his life.
All in all, the movie was well executed. The actors (especially the actor who portrayed Jude, who I've only seen in one other movie--the modern Othello done by BBC/PBS) were well cast. I just wish they hadn't made that one change.
In the Bleak Midwinter (1995)
A Shakespearean Feat
One of my all-time favorite movies. Anything Kenneth Branagh directs is magic, and this is one of his finest. Clearly based on his own experience as an avid Shakespearean actor and director (He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company before forming Renaissance Films.), he too has often said "I saw Hamlet when I was fifteen, and it changed my life." As a group of misfit actors (including a male homosexual Gertrude)struggle to get their play, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, ready to perform for the children of a small town, they encounter many problems, but in the end find love and the true essence of Shakespeare. Magnificent!
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
A Great Historical Film.
This is truly a great movie. Errol Flynn and Bette Davis have real chemistry. I can't believe Davis didn't get an Oscar nod for this role; I've never seen someone portray Queen Elizabeth I so accurately and poignantly.
Don't discount this movie as just another old, stale historical film. It stands alone and on its own feet. IT mixes the historical with great characters played by great actors, a sweeping landscape and superb costumes, and a tolerable length. It made me long for more movies like this one.
Though when most people think of Errol Flynn, they think of Robin Hood, I think of Essex.
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
the best
I am an avid reader and love this book by Jane Austen. It's by far her best. This movie captures the joy of the book. You may think four hours lengthy, but it flies by when you watch this movie. Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy and Jennifer Ehle is exquisite as Elizabeth Bennet. The actor who plays Mr. Collins and the actress who plays Mrs. Bennet are both veterans and turn out fabulous performances. The script has only a few modifications, but you will find them tasteful and seamless. If you love this story as much as I do, you won't mind the slightly changed ending. What's better than a double wedding? The best movie version of one of the greatest novels in the English language.