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Reviews
Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Bloody great movie!
I'm writing this as someone who did not see the original movie or series.
I thought it was absolutely MARVELLOUS. All you naysayers should just go and keep watching your old re-runs, it's all you deserve.
As I'm writing this in February 2005 (it's just screened here, the series starts on 23/02/2005) I don't think there are any SPOILERS, but just in case I'll be mentioning plot lines.
The plot line was great. The characters are well portrayed.
On the Cylons looking like humans - how the hell else would they infiltrate? Those big chrome guys shown at the start and end would be a tad obvious walking around a city full of humans.
I did feel the sexiness of #6 was a trifle overdone (and for the naysayer who said he doubted such a beautiful woman would be a scientist and not a model - don't be such a misogynist. Beautiful women can have good brains, you know!). Her interaction with Gaius seemed a bit forced - he's a bit TOO gormless.
The storyline is fast paced and the action sequences wonderful. I found the special effects great, much better than 1970s & 80s series which used models and far from seamless pasting. The space battle scenes were believable and 'realistic' looking to me.
The characters generally are well portrayed, although I found Starbuck a bit too gung-ho, but it will be interesting to see how she develops in the series. The gigantic twist in the tail showing Boomer is a Cylon left me and my partner literally gasping. The absolutely last 'person' we would have picked as a Cylon. Can't wait to see this plot line development.
All in all, a super effort. Can't wait for the series. We'll be glued every Wednesday night, I can tell you.
The Last Castle (2001)
Great acting and lively action
We watched this movie simply because it was on and we like James Gandolfini.
We were pleasantly surprised by the fine acting and action sequences.
The movie is about morality, leadership and righting wrongs, in this case in a military prison harshly administered by an insecure Colonel, unblooded on the battlefield. It's not a great movie, the plot is a little too predictable for that. But you can identify with the characters, even the unpleasant ones, and it is an enjoyable two hours.
I would have liked a different ending, and I thought the bit where Wheeler is dragged out by the prison guards was unconvincing, but overall we enjoyed it and would recommend it.
A different type of military movie.
The Lost Battalion (2001)
Superb Great War re-creation, well worth watching.
We watched this last night - I only hired it because it was about WWI's Western Front, one of my abiding interests.
This faithful re-creation of the brutal slaughter of two thirds of Whittlesey's battalion in the Argonne Forest in WWI is one of the finest war movies I've seen (and I include Saving Private Ryan in that list).
The director uses the same sort of hand-held camera footage to re-create how the on-going massacres must have looked through the eyes of the men on the ground. The scene where a man takes a direct hit from a bomb and is vaporised, with just his rolling helmet remaining, is mesmerizing. My partner and I were open mouthed in awe.
As happened so often in WWI, the stupidity and stubbornness of the commanders, often 20-30 miles behind the front line, seems incredible. And the bravery and dedication of the Battalion, made up of a motley crew supposed misfits, mostly from the 'seamy' suburbs of New York, is amazing and beautifully portrayed.
Even the Germans are well rounded characters, not just stupid Huns. they become human too, even if you don't much like them.
And over it all is the poignant underlying knowledge that this is October 1918, just 5 weeks before Armistice Day. It all seems so futile.
But the Battalion held and was credited with being the spearhead for the Allied breaking of the German lines in the area.
I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to all aficionados of war movies.