anna-101-422772 Reviews

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

ha ha ha.....nice one

[11 July 2011]

Dracula introduces himself to his new neighbors: Doctor Seward, owner of the asylum where Renfield is being held, and a believer in enemas as a sovereign remedy for mental illness; Seward's assistant, Jonathan Harker; Seward's beautiful daughter Mina; and Seward's ward, the equally pretty Lucy. Dracula flirts with Lucy and, later that night, he feeds on her blood. The next day, Mina discovers Lucy still in bed late in the morning, looking strangely pale. Seward, puzzled by the odd puncture marks on her throat, calls in an expert on obscure diseases, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing is convinced that Dracula is a vampire and that they must destroy him before he gets to Mina next.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It may be a bit silly at times, but seriously, you can't help but laugh. It's certainly a lot better then most spoof movies today. How could you not love Leslie Nielson as Dracula? He was so hilarious, but who truly stole the show? Peter MacNicol as Reinfield, I can't tell you how hard he made me laugh, if one laugh supposedly makes you loose 3 calories, I think I lost 15,000 calories with just his scenes. Reinfield being seduced by Dracula's brides, him trying to save Dracula's coffin on the ship from hitting the walls back and forth, him sneaking under Lucy's bed sheets to peak at her, to the ending, actually every scene with him is non stop laughs. I don't care what people think, I'm not comparing, I think this is a very funny movie and is just a blast to watch, if you don't laugh while watching this movie, you're not invited to my parties, you party pooper!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

A world that remains frightening and weird ...........

[11 July 2011]

I have been a Tim Burton fan for more than a decade now; I grew up with his films. But what I have been through yesterday his really unique. I actually never thought he would offer us such a film one day. Fans of his first period, with all the lonely and desperate characters won't like it for sure. Since Mars Attacks !, and more specifically since Big Fish, Burton decided to tell things differently. His vision of the world slightly changed in every of his films : now, the rejected freak comes down to the world and stays. A world that remains frightening and weird even thought we call it "reality" but a world worth living in. And that's what Charlie & The Chocolate Factory is all about… It all begins with a main title sequence that may be one of the main weaknesses of the film. The sequence is very entertaining and visually ambitious but they decided to go with CGI and it looks like it was a decision they made in last minute. Since the film was proudly made with "real" sets, "real" Oompas Loompas, "real" squirrels, the main title looks inappropriate. It's not that important but it's a Tim Burton film and we know how much he usually works on his main title. Hopefully, Danny Elfman is there with a crazy mix of the Edward Scissorhands and Spider-Man (the music when the title of the film appears gave me shivers), a true musical roller-coaster that gives a hint on what his score will sound like through the film.

The Love Guru (2008)

what made Meyers think it would be funny the tenth or fifteenth?

[4/10 · 11 July 2011]

Even if you can put aside the annoyingness of the Guru Pitka, the movie still fails to deliver anything remotely funny. The most common joke is to have a characters name resemble something vulgar, such as "Dick Pants" or some other Grade 3 level joke. The next most common is the Guru's constant repeating of "TM" after one of his catchphrases. It wasn't funny the first time, what made Meyers think it would be funny the tenth or fifteenth? There's also the repetition of jokes from Austin Powers, ranging from the plane to even the casting of Verne Troyer, the midget who made one of his only popular appearances in the Powers films as Mini-Me. Finally, there are the gags that are just plain lame. These involve elephants humping each other, the Guru wearing a chastity belt, the Guru having a battle using mops soaked in urine, the Guru sticking his head up his own ass (which is actually far less funny than it sounds), the Guru getting punched in the groin, the Guru doing battle with a rooster and the Guru engaging in two very long song and dance numbers on the Sitar, one a rendition of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5", the other a ear-splitting variation on "Space Cowboy" by Steve Miller Band. Both are in there for no particular reason whatsoever (and I really do hope it wasn't for laughs).

The other actors are fairly bad, although they really don't have much to work with. Jessica Alba continues her tradition of playing practically the same exact character, giggling and acting ditsy. Justin Timberlake is atrocious as Jacque Grande, although to be fair, his character was a one-note joke about Quebecois people. I'm bemused that Meyers would think Americans would find a joke about a people they likely know little about funny, especially when I didn't find it funny and I'm a Canadian. Verne Troyer just proves that the only reason he has even a semblance of a career is because of the novelty that he's a midget.

Knight and Day (2010)

I liked that this movie established character development.

[7/10 · 11 July 2011]

"Knight and Day" revolves around Cameron Diaz, who is boarding a plane to see her sister April get married. At first, she is forbidden to board the plane, but then the flight attendant finds a seat for her. And guess who Diaz sits next to? The inevitable Tom Cruise. After having a little "talk" with the pilot, the passengers, and the flight attendant, him and Diaz seek out to hunt down the antagonists, one which is played by Peter Sarsgaard. Although, Cruise warns Diaz that the bad guys will say that they are the "FBI" and will pretend she's in a safe place. However, through further investigation, Diaz may think that Cruise is unto something. In the meantime, the bad guys are looking for the battery and are not too thrilled about who holds its possession.

First, let's get to the positives. First off, I liked that this movie established character development. Most action/comedy films fail to fully flesh out are leads and then we aren't registered with them. 3:10 to Yuma director makes us care about these characters, and when put in a tough situation, we just hope the best. Second of all, I thought the script was great. I thought this movie had some really funny one-liners and the film had great comic timing. It couldn't have been better. Thirdly, I thought that the performances were great. All the characters did their job and even stood out, especially Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. Diaz and Cruise also had wonderful chemistry and their relationship never felt forced or phony. It came out as very authentic rather than artificial and syrupy. Moreover, I thought the film's pacing was excellent. The film is shy of two hours, yet feels like half of that. After the film was over, I thought there would be at least another hour added. Furthermore, I thought the action was awesome. It definitely delivered and this is the best action I've seen in a long time. And lastly, the cinematography was just amazing. I loved the scenery and great production values I must add.

There are very minimal flaws with this movie. However, there are some. First of all, I know this film is intentionally nonsensical, but some scenes went so over-the-top, that when it occasionally was meant to be serious, it came off as cheesy or laugh worthy, fortunately, like I said, occasionally. Second of all, I enjoyed this movie so much that I just wish it were longer.

Overall, "Knight and Day" is a great film because of its fresh script, great performances, amazing action, great comic timing, breathtaking cinematography, and a fascinating direction. And for the first time, it's actually not mindless! If you keep your brain on, you'll still thoroughly enjoy it. If you were disappointed by "Killers", don't worry, so was I, because you will still like this movie. Shoot, I enjoyed it so much I think it's even better than "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" which I liked. "Knight and Day" is one of those rare movies that just works on every level and is one of those rare movies that is worth full admission. See it at night with a large crowd, with a big bucket of popcorn, and a drink, and you'll have a blast. I enjoyed the movie so much that I wanted it to last from "Knight" to "Day". It comes highly recommended.

Zombie Beach (2010)

A new style of Zombie Film.....

[8/10 · 8 July 2011]

The small multicultural cast was obviously having a great time when they made it, and all four characters did a very good job of fitting with the style of the movie.As you might expect for this genre, it's quite gory, so don't go expecting a light 'R' rating. But if you can handle some bloodshed, no, make that a substantial amount of bloodshed - but perhaps I should add in a comic environment - there's some pretty funny stuff here. The best part of the film was the violence. Seriously, if you aren't watching a brutal, slow motion kill.I recommend this to anybody who has a remote interest in comedies, zombie/end of the world flicks, or just having a good time at the theater, and look forward to seeing it again when it comes out.I got a chance to see this entertaining flick in Washington and was impressed with the interview of the director.I watched the other film of the same director on DVD as well.

The Taste of Relation (2009)

Brilliant .....Family Drama

[8/10 · 8 July 2011]

I watched this movie recently and it really touched my heart.Music and Cinematography are the highlights for me, although everything looks and feels like south Indian.For those who have this misconception that all Hindi movies are loud, boisterous and full of dance energy, perhaps this movie will change your mind.I mostly enjoyed this movie. It's hard to find films of this calibre (or ones that are not arty or bollywood escapism) coming out of India.All in all a recommended film and one I hope is seen by many people worldwide.Very good chemistry can be seen in the acting of Raj and his father.And it is this relationship that the film brings out a lot of its themes and antagonism all in one.Its worth watching it on DVD.