thx777b's Daily Geek-Dyslexic Blog!
``The best explanation of this film is that,
from the standpoint of pure reason, there is no explanation.''
Thx77b's Unofficial Official Dyslexic Diary
A dyslexic film-geek writes (mispells) his Film Reviews and thoughts!
Monday, August 13, 2007 Film Review
Title: STARDUST Director: Matthew Vaughn Starring: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Comedy Released in Cyprus: 21/09/07
Synopsis: In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
In Detail: We haven’t seen this kind of film for a long time now, not since “THE PRINCESS BRIDE” which goes all the way back to 1987 and it sure is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. Fantasy films of the last five years or so have all tried to walk the path of THE LORD OF THE RINGS movies but it’s starting to get tiring. “STARDUST” is based on acclaimed writers, Neil Gaiman, book of the same name and it is in its heart a story about love and chasing your dreams beyond any obstacles.
The director, Matthew Vaughn, comes fresh out of his magnificent debut, LAYER CAKE (a British crime film), and throws himself in a completely different genre that many were afraid wouldn’t match his sensibilities. The director proves that he can be stellar at anything he comes across. The film is pure entertainment and promises two hours of wild imagination.
To tell you anything about the plot will spoil half of the fun as it follows the novels story, which is based on, very strictly. Neil Gaiman is considered to be one of the genius writers of our times and the filmmakers give him full respect.
Starring as the films heroes are Charlie Cox (the young man madly in love) and Claire Danes (the love interest) who give their fairytale characters a third dimension much needed in fantasy films of the kind. The rest of the cast is made up from some sweet surprises, which include Robert De Niro, Peter O’Toole, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ian McKellen as the stories narrator.
Fantasy films and comic book adaptations are the blockbusters of our times and I am happy to see some films that fall in the category bringing something new and well made in the mix. “STARDUST” is this summer’s best feel good film and don’t let it wait to come out on DVD.
Highly recommended for a great night out at the cinema; full of pure fantasy entertainment, high brow comedy and exciting adventure thrills. thx777b rating: ****1/2 out of ***** dyslexic stars! Monday, August 06, 2007 Film Review
Title: THE HITCHER Director: Dave Meyers Starring: Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, Zachary Knighton, Neal McDonough Released in Cyprus: 27/7/2007
Synopsis: A road trip takes a deadly turn when a young couple is tormented by a psychotic hitchhiker who forces them to face their fears head-on.
In Detail: Another movie in a series of classic thriller/horror film remakes which seem to be the fashion these days. This one based on the 1986 cult classic THE HITCHER directed by Robert Harmon and starring as the extremely dangerous Hitcher, Rutger Hauer of BLADE RUNNER fame. In the 2007 remake the part of manic serial killer goes to Sean Bean who has put his own stamp in the character and manages to mostly succeed. As for the rest of the cast they have a hard time keeping up to Bean’s amazing acting abilities and are just a few of the negatives in the whole of the movie. Director, Dave Meyers, who is doing a full feature film for the first time comes from the music videos part of the industry but thankfully keeps most of the movies style straightforward with as less flashy/quick-paste editing as possible.
Never the less all the things that were original in the first film, the mixture of the psychological and metaphysical elements, seem to have disappeared and now in its place stands a very stripped down version of the story which makes the film nothing more than a simple slasher in the likes of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. In the end it isn’t as bad as it sounds; People who are new to the story will find it interesting but for everyone else who has seen the original film there is nothing new here or merely worthy of your time other than Sean Beans performance. Recommended only for people unfamiliar with the original movie! thx777b rating: **1/2 out of ***** dyslexic stars! Wednesday, August 01, 2007 Film Review
Title: THE SIMPSONS MOVIE Director: David Silverman Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria
Synopsis: Homer accidentally causes a radioactive leak from the Nuclear Power Plant into the river, is Springfield condemned forever? Can the inhabitants of the quirky town ever return? Springfield's usual characters all turn up in the first ever movie length version of the hit TV show, THE SIMPSONS.
In Detail: The longest running cartoon sitcom in television history makes its debut in movie theatres worldwide. And of course everybody is expecting a masterpiece. The creators behind the series have been waiting long for the right time to bring the most famous cartoon of the last two generations to the big screen and early word says it doesn’t disappoint. Bringing THE SIMPSONS to multiplexes around the world doesn’t mean that the usual style of the series for the past 15 years or so will be sacrificed for a big budget make over with computer generated enhancements all over. Instead the makers wisely decided to keep the original artwork and 2-D animation intact with only a few additions to justify the transformation to the big screen.
In the movie guest starring, with their voices of course, is a huge list of television and movie stars like Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and Hank Azaria (Mystery Men). Returning to the film is also all the usual voice cast through out the history of THE SIMPSONS. Directing the film is a long time SIMSPONS contributor David Silverman who also co-directed the Pixar/Disney mega-hit Monsters, Inc. Script is by series creators and comedic masterminds Matt Groening and James L. Brooks (As Good As it Gets).
The great think about THE SIMPSONS is how it manages to appeal to both children and adults without sacrificing the intelligence of either one. It will probably be one of the few movies this year which you could take your little ones to the cinema and hesitate at doing frequent visits to the toilet or kiosk. If you are a huge SIMPSONS fan you will be standing in line before anyone else, as for all the other people this may be your chance to join THE SIMPSONS mania. Highly recommended for fans of good comedy. thx777b rating: ****1/2 out of ***** dyslexic stars! Monday, March 5, 2007 Best films of 2006 list. Now that the OSCARS are done and Moriarty's (from aintitcool.com) top films of 2006 list are finished, I feel free to post my 10 most favorite films of the passing year in no particular order: PAN'S LABYRINTH: for mixing fantasy and realism in such a brilliant way BRICK: for reviving noir filmmaking in an original unexplored territory THE DEPARTED: for proving that remakes can be as good as the original, if not better, IF done right! TOTSI: ( I saw it in 2006): for showing the world that great films about africa can be made by africans! KISS KISS BANG BANG: for being the most entertaining film in the particular genre in ages... CHILDREN OF MEN: for sending a message to us that war on terrorism is more grey than black and that sci-fi can be as "realistic" as any award winning "drama" UNITED 93: for the best "based in real life events" film that you can get in a million years... and for giving you the closest feeling of flying in plane without actually flying in one! V FOR VENDETTA: for becoming a lesson to people on how to make "comic book" films... and for just being a hell of a good movie in general! APOCALYPTO: for having the biggest balls in town... making a horror movie about the last days of Jesus is one one thing BUT making an action film set in Mayan times with CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST inspirations is much more!!! THE PRESTIGE: for making the 10 year old inside of me believe in magic again... in reality i am about 8. AND THE AWARD FOR BEST FILM OF 2006 I HAVEN'T YET SEEN GOES TO: THE FOUNTAIN.,,, |
The production house I work for as an editor and an assistand director! Probably the best in the feild in the whole Mediteranean... Join the revolution @ SINAXIS.org! A small non-profit organization which promotes alternative art-speech in my desert island, Cyprus. The first true film-geek website featuring everyones favorite red-head Headgeek Mr. Harry Knowles. The only "otjer" geek website that can stand beside AICN without shame! I love these guys!:)
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