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Reviews
CyberWorld (2000)
Technology and art combine to create an emmersive experience
Add two parts computer animation technology, one part dazzling 3-D special effects, and a touch of zany cartoon humor and you have the recipe for a terrific animated experience. Brought to you in beautiful IMAX quality 3-D Cyberworld is a movie that isn't just watched but experienced.
Cyberworld takes you into the Galleria, a beta test version of a new simulated art gallery for computer animated short films. Guiding you through your animated experience is Phig, the quirky and humorous host of the Galleria. Phig is brought to life by the voice of the talented actress Jenna Elfman ( Dharma & Greg, Keeping the Faith). She does a masterful job at portraying her character as an independent, and quirky animated guide. Not only does she play a major part in the overlaying plot of the film, but also helps bring a touch of humanism to a completely digital world as she guides you through the Galleria's exhibits.
The short films displayed in this feature are truly incredible. The feature not only hosts a couple classic computer animated films like The Simpsons: Homer3 (20th Century Fox Television), and the bar sequence from Antz (PDI/Dreamworks); but also displays new works from leading edge computer animation companies around the world. The innovative new films featured in this film are Monkey Brain Sushi (Sony Pictures Imageworks), KraKKen: Adventure of Future Ocean (ExMACHINA), Flipbook/Waterfall City (Satoshi Kitahara/Inertia Pictures Inc.), The Pet Shop Boy's Liberation (Eye-Animation/Pet Shop Boys), Tonight's Performance (REZN8), and Joe Fly & Sanchez-Mostly Sports (Sans and Partner). All of these film are brought beautifully to life and completely integrated by the plot that flows continuously in the Galleria. In the Galleria, Phig discovers that there are computer bugs eating away at the code which makes up the entire Galleria. It becomes a race to destroy the bugs and save the Galleria before everything gets erased out of existence.
With a humorous story line, wild and zany characters, and impressive technological breakthroughs Cyberworld is truly an incredible experience for all audiences. The film is worth seeing for the amazing IMAX 3-D alone, and the rest is just a wonderful bonus.
Highlander: Endgame (2000)
Inaccuracies make this film unbearable
Warning spoiler ahead. The Highlander, are a group of immortals that battle through eternity until there is only one, then they gain ultimate knowledge as a prize for this game. This prize was one in the first film. As they say, `There can be only one'. This phrase should be amended. It should now read, `There can be only one
except for the villain of the next film, his gang of thugs, a never before mentioned brother, and his wife.' The film is entirely hypocritical about its rules, breaking them every other moment, yet that all doesn't seem to matter to any of the characters. The plot was rather mundane and drawn out. The characters were shallow. And the only real selling feature the film had going was it's nifty big budget effect seen in the commercials (you know, the one where Bruce Payne get cut into two characters) but unfortunately not in the film. And the whole, two must face him together ad campaign was another lure to get you into the theater, but not delivered. I won't go into the details for those who haven't seen the film, but to those that have I ask you this. Why do the advertisements say two will face him together, when that isn't what happens in the movie? Some might say that they are joined, but if that was what happens to the immortals when they are absorbed, why have we never seen this strange occurrence before? And what is it that makes this new enemy so powerful that he must be faced by two immortals teamed up anyhow. Since his magical powers seen in the commercials were left on the editing room floor, he is just a little more experienced than the others. That doesn't make him as special as they make you believe. Over all this film was a disappointment to me. I would highly advise you to wait and rent it. Or better yet, wait for a network broadcast.