I'm fascinated by the few negative reviews I've looked at. I do understand that most of the 'reviews' on IMDb are written by extraordinarily ignorant Americans with a mental age of about 12 and virtually no experience of films or the world going back more than two or three years but how completely incompetent are these people? (and isn't it interesting that they can neither spell nor apply the simplest rules of grammar in their writing?!?) Into the Woods is a brilliant musical by the most intelligent librettist of the C20th. The very idea of plaiting the stories of Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel into a single scenario involving a small community is a stroke of genius. The music is entirely appropriate to the situations: you can't have a little girl skipping into the woods to grandmother's house to a Beethovenian symphony. The critics of Johnny Depp's portrayal of the wolf seem to have completely missed the fact that he is playing the wolf as a very creepy paedophile. I could go on with numerous encomia but why bother, given that 95% of readers of this wouldn't be capable of looking up the singular form of encomia to find out what it means?!?!?
Reviews
6 Reviews
Into the Woods
(2014)
A fine production of a masterpiece by the most intelligent creator of musicals
22 February 2015
Frozen
(I) (2013)
Mindless rubbish
1 March 2014
Many are calling this the best Disney film in years, or decades. That doesn't make it good. In terms of intellectual nutrition, even for very young children, this is the equivalent of a slushy.
Aimed at an audience with a mental age of about 8 and an IQ around 90, it was seemingly written, except for maybe four or five momentarily amusing gags, by a team barely beyond that range.
If you think starting kids on Little Golden Books and moving on to Enid Blyton is OK, then don't hold back on this film, you, and they, will be in your element.
For me, there goes another two hours I might have been enjoying Jane Austen!
Aimed at an audience with a mental age of about 8 and an IQ around 90, it was seemingly written, except for maybe four or five momentarily amusing gags, by a team barely beyond that range.
If you think starting kids on Little Golden Books and moving on to Enid Blyton is OK, then don't hold back on this film, you, and they, will be in your element.
For me, there goes another two hours I might have been enjoying Jane Austen!
Paris-Manhattan
(2012)
A delightful French romance for anyone with a mental age above 15
6 April 2013
I had no expectations about this film, all I knew was it was French about a woman who had a penchant for Woody Allen. When you have no expectations and you see a really good film, you come out thinking: "That was an excellent film." It was so light, delicate, feminine I guess is one of the right words.
People who find this film boring should definitely stick to Bond films, cops and robbers, anything described as an "Action Flick". Don't ever look at any of the films of any of the directors who feature in books about great films. Skip Almodovar, Bunuel, Godard, Fellini, Bertolucci, Bergman, Eisenstein, probably best not to bother with Woody Allen either, they'll just bore your socks off. Come back to them after you grow up!
People who find this film boring should definitely stick to Bond films, cops and robbers, anything described as an "Action Flick". Don't ever look at any of the films of any of the directors who feature in books about great films. Skip Almodovar, Bunuel, Godard, Fellini, Bertolucci, Bergman, Eisenstein, probably best not to bother with Woody Allen either, they'll just bore your socks off. Come back to them after you grow up!
The Dilemma
(2011)
Hollywooden soap
19 March 2011
One of my fellow reviewers (there are so many of us, why are we wasting our time on such a fifth rate piece of junk?!?) said: "This is a pretty dark, weighty relationship movie". No! This wanted to be something like that but unfortunately no-one associated with the script, direction or acting had remotely enough talent to bring it into being.
Hollywooden soap would be my short version. If only there were one character that was remotely interesting, about whom one could begin to care.
I often find the most valuable thing about an uninspired work of art is that it helps me appreciate the talent, skill, intelligence, craftsmanship, etc that goes into making a great work or performance. With this, many of us seem to be floundering to explain even to ourselves why this is such a nothing film. I'm not going to take it any further, someone who cares more can try.
Hollywooden soap would be my short version. If only there were one character that was remotely interesting, about whom one could begin to care.
I often find the most valuable thing about an uninspired work of art is that it helps me appreciate the talent, skill, intelligence, craftsmanship, etc that goes into making a great work or performance. With this, many of us seem to be floundering to explain even to ourselves why this is such a nothing film. I'm not going to take it any further, someone who cares more can try.
Derivative rubbish
15 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I've got a great idea for a movie, let's do Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings in feathers!
Was there a single original idea in this storyline? Yeah maybe using regurgitated owl pellets as a power-source. How the hell did they get such a talented cast to commit themselves to this second-hand, second-rate drivel?
Yes, the graphics were very good. And at one point there was a nice choral piece that suited the images at that point. Mostly the music was an irrelevant distraction poorly suited to what was supposed to be happening on screen.
Why am I wasting my time here? The above is more than the entire production was worth.
Was there a single original idea in this storyline? Yeah maybe using regurgitated owl pellets as a power-source. How the hell did they get such a talented cast to commit themselves to this second-hand, second-rate drivel?
Yes, the graphics were very good. And at one point there was a nice choral piece that suited the images at that point. Mostly the music was an irrelevant distraction poorly suited to what was supposed to be happening on screen.
Why am I wasting my time here? The above is more than the entire production was worth.
Australia
(2008)
Unadulterated rubbish
27 March 2009
Shame Mr Luhrmann, shame! And shame on anyone who ever contributes a cent toward further "work" by this 5th rate charlatan.
What a mish-mash of cinematic cliché and stereotypical caricatures combined with what has to be close to the worst sound-track in the history of film. Marlboro music mixed with endless variations on snippets of Waltzing Matilda with a moment of Bach and too long a 'moment' of Elgar. Is there no originality left in either direction or music? So many fine Aussie actors wasted. And as to Richard Flanagan lending his name to the writing credits: what happened Richard? You didn't see the film as a whole until it was too late to remove the evidence of your participation? I guess a lot of the dialogue is true to the idioms of the place and time, maybe that was your contribution? Ah well, if you never receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, at least you will live in eternal infamy for being linked to this rubbish.
What a mish-mash of cinematic cliché and stereotypical caricatures combined with what has to be close to the worst sound-track in the history of film. Marlboro music mixed with endless variations on snippets of Waltzing Matilda with a moment of Bach and too long a 'moment' of Elgar. Is there no originality left in either direction or music? So many fine Aussie actors wasted. And as to Richard Flanagan lending his name to the writing credits: what happened Richard? You didn't see the film as a whole until it was too late to remove the evidence of your participation? I guess a lot of the dialogue is true to the idioms of the place and time, maybe that was your contribution? Ah well, if you never receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, at least you will live in eternal infamy for being linked to this rubbish.
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