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Reviews
Puss in Boots (1988)
So bad it's kinda good...
OK, so the musical pieces were poorly written and generally poorly sung (though Walken and Marner, particularly Walken, sounded pretty good). And so they shattered the fourth wall at the end by having the king and his nobles sing about the "battle" with the ogre, and praise the efforts of Puss in Boots when they by rights shouldn't have even known about it.
Who cares? It's Christopher Freakin' Walken, doing a movie based on a fairy tale, and he sings and dances. His acting style fits the role very well as the devious, mischievous Puss who seems to get his master into deeper and deeper trouble but in fact has a plan he's thought about seven or eight moves in advance. And if you've ever seen Walken in any of his villainous roles, you *know* the ogre bit the dust HARD at the end when Walken got him into his trap.
A fun film, and a must-see for anyone who enjoys the unique style of Christopher Walken.
The Snowman (1982)
Wonderful holiday treat!
This is a wonderful family Christmas treat, with music that stays with you long after the show has ended. I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants good, funny Christmas entertainment.
The Three Caballeros (1944)
Cool, but strange sometimes...
This was my favorite movie when I was four. Now that I'm older, I still watch it every once in awhile, even though there are movies I like better. The Three Caballeros is full of cute humor early in the movie, and the rapport between Donald Duck and Joe Carioca is wonderful. The animated short `The Cold-Blooded Penguin' is *very* cute, and the song `Baia' is one of my favorite Disney songs of all time. Then Panchito arrives, and after the wonderful `Three Caballeros' song, things start to go a little bit crazy. The plot, such as it was, completely evaporates as Donald seems to descend into a girl-crazy madness. I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, however; the final part of the movie is very entertaining, even though it's odd at the same time. I gave this movie an 8 out of 10.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Heartwarming film...
Disney's sequel to the popular movie The Little Mermaid is very well-done, introducing a fair balance of new characters while keeping the magic of some of the originals.
Melody, Ariel's 12-year-old daughter, dreams of being a mermaid more than anything else in the world. She often swims under the city's walls so that she can be in the ocean, where she feels she belongs. Of course, Ariel has forbidden Melody to be in the ocean, and with good reason-- Morgana, Ursula's sister, has sworn vengeance for her sister's death. Morgana wants to do the one thing Ursula could never do-- attain complete rule of the ocean. And she arranges for Melody to meet her in her lair, where she makes her into a mermaid, under one condition-- she has to get Triton's trident for Morgana.
The Little Mermaid II is a great story about just how far parents will go to protect their children, even if it means concealing the truth to them. The choice that Melody makes at the end of the movie is a wonderful decision, easily applauded. I highly recommend this movie-- Disney has produced another winner.
Cats (1998)
Not worth seeing more than once or twice.
To me, `Cats' fell into a major trap: It emphasized music and dancing, but it had no plot to speak of. Mind you, the music and dancing was very good, but once you've seen it a couple of times, it becomes nothing special. The lack of a solid plot disturbed me, and is why I gave it a 3 out of 10. I'd like to see it in person on Broadway some day just for the experience, but there are many other movies I'd much rather watch.
The Truman Show (1998)
A true American classic...
Wow... this is not what I expected from a Jim Carrey movie. As Truman Burbank, Carrey displays an emotional depth in this movie like I've never seen him portray before. As a man who's begun to realize that his entire world is not what it seems, Truman's reactions to these breakdowns in his reality are priceless. The car trip in which he tries to escape the `city' is absolutely hilarious. Carrey's typical brand of slapstick and low-class humor is thankfully absent from this movie. In its place is a movie that you feel good laughing at. And Truman's scene with his `father' is a true work of art. Don't miss this movie.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Wonderful movie!
Hmmm, where do I start. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo did a fantastic acting job in this movie. Brosnan's Thomas Crown character is both innovative and cunning, and Russo's character, Catherine Banning, turns out to be his match in both departments. Even though Banning is assigned to discover whether or not Crown truly stole the painting from the museum, Banning gets rather `caught up in her work', so to speak; she and Crown end up in a complex love affair.
The scenes between Brosnan and Russo are *very* classy, and the climax was very nicely done (that's all I can say without spoiling it). The music is also *very* well composed, and is not something to be overlooked. If you like a good movie, check this out, you will not be disappointed.
The Last Starfighter (1984)
A wonderful film...
Disclaimer: I tried not to spoil too much, and I didn't give away the ending. This is my first post though, so I *may* have been a little too forward. So... you've been warned. :)
I love this movie; it's one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time, as a matter of fact. It's about a teenage boy named Alex Rogan, a trailer-park kid who spends many days and nights trying to master a video-game called Starfighter. When he finally does, an alien named Centauri appears in a Star Car and takes him to a starbase, where he learns to become a *real-life* Starfighter, trying to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Co-Dan Armada. Soon, the starbase and all but one Gunstar battleship are destroyed, and it's up to Alex, along with Star Navigator Grig, to save the day.
This is a very touching story, as Alex has to put his nervous feelings aside to help defeat the Co-Dan Armada and bring peace to the galaxy. The secondary plot, in which Alex has an android doppelganger that tries (unsuccessfully) to assimilate into Alex's life, is priceless. Don't pass up this movie. :)