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Reviews
The Devil's Violinist (2013)
If Syfy Channel Tried To Make a Drama
This is what it would be like.
It wasn't entirely unwatchable, but it was not a good movie by any means. CGI was distracting, although if you look at it as art, they did a good job, just not realistic enough to be passable.
I was surprised Bernard Rose was the writer and Director, who also did the same for Immortal Beloved. Perhaps this movie was just missing Gary Oldman? The movie seems to be confused whether Paganini is the main character or not. It is filled with sub-par, some acceptable, and some over-acted performances. I thought Andrea Deck was good. David Garrett as Paganini, well, maybe his performance was more related to the script. I did enjoy all his performance scenes (performing on the violin, you dirty minded people you).
Am I the only one that noticed St. Patrick's Cross flag flying over London? You'd think Bernard Rose, an Englishman, would catch that. It was clearly in the hands of the Syfy special effects gurus at this point, so maybe the he had no hand in post-production. Or maybe there was a time England was flying the British version of the Irish flag that I don't know about? I doubt it.
Overall, this movie was not great enough to be good, and not bad enough to be great. It falls right in the middle, as most forgettable movies do.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Great for kids, but not for a serious film buff.
First of all, I was amazed at the number of reviews that praise this film as one of the greatest of the year, and even though I am highly outnumbered, and my opinions may not be popular, I feel they must be stated as a contrary to what everyone else is saying.
This movie is not a literal interpretation of the beloved C.S. Lewis book, and while he was a devout Christian, C.S. Lewis denied that the similarities to the story of Jesus in the Chronicles were intentional. Douglas Gresham, artistic and creative director of the C.S. Lewis Co, and C.S. Lewis' stepson has said "If you want to, you can find Christian symbolism in a McDonald's hamburger," (http://www.azcentral.com/ent/movies/articles/1105narnia1105.html).
This movie takes advantage of the subtle Christian symbolism the book offered, and has brought it to the forefront, often adding in its own twists, such as the visual of the "Footprints in the Sand" poem at the end of the film. There is no problem with this, and Walden Media can do as they wish, as they have the rights to the film adaption, but I felt this is something that is often ignored in peoples reviews of this film.
Here are some quotes from other reviewers.
"The acting was excellent and the special effects set a new standard for Hollywood" The acting is decent, but in no way excellent. It appeared to me to have been over direction of the children on the part of the director. Perhaps, he is not comfortable working with children. They did a decent job mind you, but every action, and emotion they conveyed seemed forced. It just seemed obvious to me that they were being walked through each scene by the director. I was also disturbed by the lack of worry for their brother "Edmund the Afterthought" throughout the movie, but especially when they are told of his, and their potential fate.
With the advancements in CGI over the past couple of years, this movie was a huge letdown. The glaringly obvious moments were during the standoff with the wolves. Watch as they jump down the hill. They seem to have forgotten to shade the characters all together. Azlan was the exception to this for obvious reasons, he was very well done. It also would have been nice if they added some cold air effects coming from the mouths of the children when they're in the snowy winter of Narnia. Due to the acting inconsistencies, I just never believed that it was actually cold outside.
"The musical score is appropriately stirring and moody." I am a fan of Harry Gregson-Williams, but felt the music was inappropriate, and out of place. If I listened to this on its own, I think I would really like it, but I felt it just didn't fit. The song at the beginning of the movie was WAY out of place, and almost laughable. You can always count on Disney to try and add a pop-culture touch to the film.
Overall, this is a great movie for families and for kids. Children, who typically could care less about special effects flaws, and bad direction, will be in awe of this film. It is worthwhile to check out this movie, but it would probably be more enjoyable if you brought some kids along.
Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights (1998)
One great beautiful blunder of a movie!
I agree that this is one of the worst movies of all time, but if you get a chance to see it, I wouldn't pass it up. This is one of those movies that is sooo bad, it's good! There is no real plot to this film, and Sinbad (Richard Grieco) seems to have quit halfway through the movie because his character disappears. Not to say I blame him though. Do not fret, because there is plenty of Mickey Rooney to make up for the lack of Sinbad. My favorite part of the film is the freeze-frame-o-rama on the kids face at the end. It left me in a state of bewilderment for a couple of minutes, and then I busted up laughing.
It seems like no one in the production of this film had ever made one before, and have probably not made one since. Which is why it reminds me of something a 5th grader would make in his backyard.
Bottom line - if you have some time to waste, and want to see one of the worst films of all time, then watch Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights!