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Reviews
Enchanted (2007)
An excellent Disney parody of Disney, and heartwarming, too!
As soon as I saw the trailer for this movie, I was excited: a Disney movie where they parodied Disney fairy tales? Genius! I saw the movie today, and it did not disappoint. From the traditional animation-style beginning to the live action (the majority of the movie), the story was excellent. Without spoiling any plot details, I will say that both Amy Adams and James Marsden have excellent singing voices, and play their fairy tale characters in the real world with the perfect mixture of magic and ridiculousness. Patrick Dempsey is also surprisingly good as the man Giselle (Amy Adams) meets and whose life she turns upside down.
If you're a fan of the old Disney princess movies, and also can appreciate laughing at them (in a way that is also a loving tribute to them), this movie is for you.
The Legend of Zorro (2005)
A good sequel, even if a bit formulaic
When I heard all the lukewarm reviews for "The Legend of Zorro", I was disappointed, having enjoyed "Mask of Zorro" a great deal. But I decided to go see it anyway - I've learned that I frequently don't agree with movie reviewers' opinions, after all. And I left the theatre fairly well satisfied with the movie - it was good entertainment, definitely worth the price of admission.
Antonio Banderas does excellently reprising the role of Don Alejandro/Zorro, sword-fighting, swinging, and punching his way through the cool action scenes. The actor who plays his son is very cute and talented, as well. And though the story line is formulaic, with a few Western-movie clichés, this kind of movie is supposed to follow the formula, in my opinion. The only scene that I felt was a bit corny was the very last scene.
If you liked "Mask of Zorro" and were excited when you saw the trailers for "Legend", go see it. You will most likely find it very enjoyable.
Serenity (2005)
A fantastic film, even for those unfamiliar with the series!
I went to see "Serenity" today slightly unsure if I would be able to enjoy it fully, since I have not seen "Firefly", the TV series it was based on. The trailers had intrigued me, though, as well as enthusiastic word of mouth from "Firefly" fans. Also, I've always been a fan of sci-fi. After seeing the movie, I have to say it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Even though I wasn't familiar with the series, the movie explains enough of the background that I was not at all confused at any point. "Serenity" stood on its own fantastically.
The crew of the ship Serenity are a somewhat rag-tag bunch captained by Mal, a man who fought against the galactic Alliance and lost. Serenity usually does jobs under the radar of the Alliance, but when they offer transport to a young doctor and his sister, Simon and River Tam, they find they've got more than they bargained for - River has a secret, and the Alliance has a strong interest in her. There is an excellent mixture of action, clever dialog, and character development. At no point was I distracted by my lack of knowledge about the series. If you enjoy sci-fi of any kind, or really, if you enjoy a very well-written and carried-out movie, go see "Serenity"! You won't regret it.
Numb3rs (2005)
An intelligent yet easy-to-follow show!
"Numb3rs" is an excellent show, even for those (like me) who aren't big fans of advanced math. It's also a uniquely-paced crime show, as it's not a Bruckheimer production. This makes it a refreshing change.
Two brothers who are very different but care about each other a great deal work together in a surprising way: Don is an FBI agent, and Charlie (David Krumholtz) is a genius mathematician. They combine their talents to solve FBI cases, with Don receiving aid from formulas that Charlie comes up with to help predict a criminal's next move, or calculate the area in danger from an attack, etc. Many times the math terms Charlie uses are completely unfamiliar to non-math people, but that doesn't end up mattering too much, as he always explains his formulas and ideas to those who aren't as smart as him (such as his brother and the other FBI agents!). All the main cast are excellent actors, and the stories are interesting and varied every week. Not just another crime drama!
House M.D. (2004)
Easily one of the best shows on television!
This show took me by surprise in its excellence. The first time I caught an episode, after its being recommended to me by a Hugh Laurie fan, I was hooked. Not only is each medical mystery intriguing in its complexity, but the casting of the show is excellent, especially Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. James Wilson, and Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Lisa Cuddy.
If you have been avoiding "House" because you figure it's "just another medical drama," please check it out! It's so much more than that. The characters are developed each week, the dialog is often hilarious, and most of all, Dr. House himself is intriguing enough for just about anyone to enjoy his show.
Sky High (2005)
A fun, better-than-you-might-think superhero film!
I greatly enjoy superhero movies, so when I saw the trailers for "Sky High", I was immediately intrigued. A movie about children of superheroes going to a special high school? What could be better for showcasing all sorts of different powers? Of course, I also realized that this movie was not aimed for quite the same audiences as the Spider-man or X-Men movies - it was more of a family film. Therefore, it could be somewhat too 'young' for me.
However, after watching it, I was very pleasantly surprised. Thought it was obviously aimed at younger audiences than Spider-man, "Sky High" was also much better than teen movies can be. The main character Will Stronghold, son of two of the most famous superheroes in the world, is actually much less relationship-incompetent as teens in other movies I've seen. Also, all of the teen actors (and the adult actors) do a fabulous job. Two special treats are Lynda Carter as Principal Powers and Bruce Campbell as Coach Boomer.
All in all, "Sky High" is pretty much all you can hope for from a very good superhero movie. If you are bothered by the comic book style of obvious foreshadowing, this movie may annoy you too much. But if you can accept that it's supposed to remind you of a comic book, you will likely enjoy it as much as I did.
UHF (1989)
This is an absolute must-see for all Weird Al fans, and anyone!
"UHF" is, to me, one of the greatest comedies ever. So many great scenes, so many awesome quotes, and best of all, a chance for Weird Al Yankovic to show off his talents, both as an actor and as a singer. Also, it's so much fun to see if you can pinpoint all the references to famous movies that Al puts into this film, such as the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" parody at the beginning, and many others.
The film is the story of George Newman, a young man who has trouble holding a job (and frequently gets his best friend Bob in trouble too) due to his overactive imagination. When he is given ownership of a local TV station, UHF, his imagination can finally be put to good use, in inventing the most bizarre show lineup you can imagine. When a network owner gets jealous of UHF's success, George and his friends and fans must unite to stop him and keep UHF on the air. Michael Richards is also quite excellent as the optimistic, not-too-bright Stanley.
Though it can be somewhat difficult to find, it's definitely worth the time and effort to buy "UHF" on DVD, so you can enjoy Weird Al's movie again and again and again...
Cold Comfort Farm (1995)
A zany, random and hilarious movie
"Cold Comfort Farm" is one of those movies that, as others have said, grows on you each time you watch it, and after it has done so, you want to pass it around to all your friends. It's great fun to see how Flora Poste's (Kate Beckinsale) arrival at Cold Comfort Farm brightens this dreary, incredibly odd family's life and how she sets about making everybody's life there better. Ian McKellan is excellent (as usual) in his role as the head of the Starkadder household, and the fiery preacher at the local church. If you let it, this movie will be one that you take out and watch over again with great enjoyment, and whose quotable lines become part of your family's lingo for all time.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Tim Burton is a magician and a movie whiz!
This version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" intrigued me the first time I heard about it, with Tim Burton at the helm and Johnny Depp as Wonka. It also made me go back and reread the beloved book by Roald Dahl, and then, as I thought about Depp as Wonka, I was a slight bit worried about it. I didn't want Depp's Wonka to be *too* weird.
However, the movie is excellent, and though Johnny Depp does of course portray Wonka as quite weird, it's perfect, and has hilarious results. Freddie Highmore as Charlie is also just right: caring, loyal, imaginative, and unselfish to a high degree. There was hardly a moment when I found myself comparing this film to the Gene Wilder version, and when I did compare the two, it was never unfavorably, just remarking on how different the two versions are. Danny Elfman's score is also perfect, with the Oompa-Loompas' songs and the main title theme.
I think Tim Burton was absolutely correct in stating that his version of "Chocolate Factory" is a whole different take than Gene Wilder's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory": it's not a remake, it's actually truer to the book. (Not saying that either version is better than the other.) I think kids will love the wondrous scenery of the factory and the brattiness of the other four kids. But if you're not a kid, you can still wholeheartedly enjoy this funny, fantastic, and totally entertaining movie.
Fantastic Four (2005)
If not utterly fantastic, at least quite good and entertaining
You've probably heard lots of movie critics say that "Fantastic Four" isn't all that great, but I saw it, and I disagree. Sure, it's not up to the near-perfection in plot, character development, etc. of "Spider-man" and "Spider-man 2", but from what little I know about the comic books, "The Fantastic Four" is supposed to be quite different. I hear that the comic books (never read them, but heard from reliable sources) were supposed to have an air of humor that is not present in most other Marvel comics. The movie fits that description quite well.
In a nutshell, the movie tells the story of Reed Richards, a brilliant scientist who's not doing well financially, Sue Storm, Reed's former love interest, Ben Grimm, Reed's faithful friend and bodyguard-type, and Johnny Storm, Sue's younger brother who loves adventure and getting girls, who persuade millionaire Victor Von Doom to finance an experiment in space. The cosmic storm whose effects they go up to study causes them all to undergo changes in DNA, transforming them into stretchy Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the rock-like Thing, and the Human Torch, respectively. The storm also gives Von Doom powers, and it soon becomes evident that he means to use them with villainous intent. It is up to the Fantastic Four to stop him, while they work out their relationships with each other.
Now, critics have said that the acting isn't stellar, and the plot isn't realistic enough. I won't say the acting IS wonderful, but most of the actors do a fine job, especially Chris Evans as Johnny/Human Torch. However, saying an action/sci-fi/comic book movie isn't realistic enough is foolish - it isn't meant to be realistic. I came away from "Fantastic Four" entertained and pleased with a very good superhero movie. There are lots of laughs to be had, and many very cool scenes. My only complaint is that I wish we could have seen the Four use their powers more in the movie... but if there is a sequel, which seems quite possible, there will be plenty of time for that.