Change Your Image
moriarty1993
Reviews
Batman Begins (2005)
My long,rambling review of Batman's return to the screen...
It seems that newcomers to the Batman series thought this movie rocks and fans of the comics thought it sucked.I'm sorta in between.Batman Begins is definitely not the worst Batman movie(''Batman and Robin'' is,of course!)but it certainly isn't the best.Here is Batman movies in order of greatness: 1:Batman(naturally)2:Batman Forever3:Batman Begins5:Batman Returns6:Batman and Robin(ughhhhh).This is not the best of them all,by far.It was alright but....well for one thing the Liam Neeson character was rather,well....stupid.I remember how it was all hyped upabout it having Ras al Ghul but he's only in it for like,10 minutes.Iremember a story book version where the Ducard character became Ras al Ghul....and where's Talia?Screw Katie Holmes,it should have had Talia as the love interest(anyone else here remember the Denny O'Neil/Neil Adams Ras Al Ghul stories?But I do have to congratulate Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow.Not since Jeffery Combs has the Scarecrow been so delightfully scary...Crhristian Bale was ALRIGHT but that's about the end of the film's goods.The Batmobile flat out sucked and the changes to the comic book stories(I really don't see very much Batman:Year One in this....)were almost intolerable to some one who's devoted the better part of his life to reading them.The Scarecrow's defeat was awful,needed The Joker REAL bad.An introduction to the character of Batman needs The Joker,considering he is the earliest of Batman villains still in syndication(besides Hugo Strange,to a certain extent)and all in all nice try.A big waste of money considering the quality(Tim Burton had little,if any,CGI and his Gotham City and Batcave and all that fancy stuff looked much more realistic).I do prefer the 89 verion.5/10
Batman (1989)
The greatest Batman film EVER.
Awwww,heck the greatest comic book movie EVER.Batman is the single greatest Action/Adventure film.Tim Burton has always been a favorite of mine(also directing my favorite comedy Beetlejuice)and this is a film that has put him on the list of greatest directors of all time!!!!The plot revolves around the comics pretty well and the parts that don't are thoughtful and not Hollywood crap.The idea of the Joker being the murderer of Wayne's parents is so provocative an makes the final clash atop the cathedral all the better.And Gotham City is as it should be...HELL INCARNATE.Micheal Keaton is certainly quite the actor.How he could morph from his character on the dream team or beetlejuice into the dark night is in short amazing.Jack Nicholson would not have been my first choice for the Joker but he is also extremely superior in the role and this is the only film besides Returns to use a love interest actually from the comics.Maybe the next film will have Julie Madison?Danny Elfman's score is as always terrific and In my opinion is the greatest music writer of our generation(I am a Oingo Boingo fan)and the supporting cast(especially Alfred and Gordon who surpass Micheal Caine and Gary Oldman in almost every way) is terrific.A bonified classic.DO NOT MISS IT.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Ridiculous
Really.I do not see how this film is a hit.The whole thing was really quite pathetic.From the very beginning with the acurssed Keanu Reeves as Johnathan Harker and an elderly Dracula with a hairstyle like my grandma's,it really is sorry trash.Gary Oldman was not a very good actor and was not built for the part.But one thing bothers me:WHY DOES Dracula HAVE SUNGLASSES?I meean really,the whole grey suit and top hat and the angry green face was just to much.I hope to see an authentic adaptation of Stoker's novel sometime in the near future,not some sappy romance like this one and it is WAY to long.All in All,the film was very bad and I pray to god I won't have to see it again.
The Phantom of the Opera (1989)
It doesn't deserve the title......
This is a prime example when you try to take a story of one genre and turn it into another.In this case,it is The Phantom of the Opera and the original genre is DRAMA(although there are some horrorific scenes,not enough to turn it into a horror movie)and the new one is horror.First of all,I DO NOT LIKE Robert Enguld.I do not like the whole slasher,blood and gore fest movies.So I was,needless to say,very much ashamed of this film.For one thing,the backstory(the whole New York thing)was alright until we find out ****SPOLIER ALERT!!!!!******* that the producer is the Phantom,which is absolutely stupid.And for another,Erik is a tortured soul crying out for acceptance,not a satanic,murdering maniac.The stitches and the skin seemed more Texas Chainsaw Massacre than Gaston Leroux.In fact,just about everything in this movie seems more of Nightmare on Elm Street than Phantom.And ****SPOILER ALERT****** how can you kill someone with a towel unless it's Frank Drebin from The Naked Gun movies?A god awful film.I can see why Phantom of New York was never filmed....
Beetlejuice (1988)
The best comedy EVER.
Micheal Keaton is certainly a terrific actor with films like Night Shift,Batman,and The Dream Team and Tim Burton is a terrific director with films like Batman,Corpse Bride,and Sleepy Hollow.And so we have another awesome film from this terrific team.This is the greatest comedy ever caught on film and to this day has not received nearly the reconition it deserves.It is today almost impossible for me to imagine this as more of a morbid film or without Tim Burton but that was originally how it was planned to be.Even now the finished version gave me some "interesting" dreams when I was a kid but nothing to horrotific.Everything about this film was great.It was fun watching it again and again looking for the little things like the cut on Juno's throat.The Best Comedy and A Great Film.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
This is a CARTOON?!
And I thought Mask of the Phantasm was over the edge!WOW!!!!Even the cut version is pretty bad,but in a good way!This is the animated film!A master stroke of pure Batman!An I always hayed Batman Beyond....But this is great!!!Mark Hamill perfomes the greatest performance of his ntire career!!!Paul Dini is in fact a creative genius!!His previous works on Batman like House and Garden and Heart of Ice were incredible!The best part about this movie is probably the Joker.He is so freakin' creepy and has so much weirdo dialouge!He is now truly the homicidal maniac he was intended to be!BRAVO!!!!!!Bruc Wayne was bitter but not broken and the new Batman was very flashy and hip which is good for a new era.10/10
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
"Bravo!" or" Boo!":it depends.
There are only two ways of watching "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes",the second and last Rathbone/Holmes film of the 1930's:It's either one of the greatest films ever or it's absolutely stupid.One thing most pepole can agree on is Basil Rathbone and the rest of the cast and crew were in fine form and the production was very good but the story is lacking some key pieces of it's puzzle.What was ultimately left out makes the story truly make since.Another thing about it is the fact that this bears nothing besides the characters of Sherlock Holmes,Dr.Watson,Billy the pageboy,Professor Moriarty,and Bassick(although in a deleted scene there is another of Moriarty's henchmen from the play)to William Gillete's stage play Sherlock Holmes.But the fim is,in my opinion,very good and convincing and chances you may like it,you may not.9/10
Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes (1962)
an excellent script,but rather badly acted
I really loved the screenplay and the plot of the story but the acting,especially on the part of Moriarty,wasn't very convincing.True,Christofer Lee as Holmes was very good(except for the deerstalker hat and cloak on the country side looked like the costume from the ballet "The Great Detective)and this is the film that truly captures the image of Watson:at first reculant to Holmes' theories(like the scene where he wants Watson to attack him with a dagger while he's armed with a new instalment of the Times)but soon realizes the absolute genius of it.Another thing,this story is completely cannon!!! *****SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!********* Moriarty is not captured at the end which means this could be set after The Valley of Fear and before The Final Problem(even though in this,he says he has never heard of Moriarty but is completely aware of him in the Valley of Fear. ********************************** Again the rest of the cast was hammish and Moriarty was truly god awful but still a good film and a good subject for a remake.8/10
Transformers (1984)
A real animation spectacle!
Transformers.What is it if not great?This is a show that makes me think how much time it would take to make one of these,with all the complicated designs and transformation sequences.Hard and time consuming,but they succeeded.This is probably the most complicated TV show ever.But all though it pushes the animation capabilities of the time and pushed it to their limit,but never lost sight of the dramatic element.These plots are very well thought out and has a great deal of character development and action packed fun.Another thing,THE greatest voice cast assemble EVER!!!No voice is lacking.They all have a distinct and powerful performance.
Tales from the Crypt (1989)
My favorite TV show.
More than Sherlock Holmes,Transformers,or Batman.The greatest TV show ever.I have always been a fan of this show since I saw my first episode,And all through the house(one of the few epsiodes that were utterly terrorfying).They couldn't have picked a better Crypt Keeper than John Kassir.His delightful representation was probably the best bit of casting this show ever made.Me,I'm a big fan of those kind of movies that are "confused".Ones that can't work out exactly what they are.Whether they are comedy.horror,romance,etc.That's why enjoy Phantom of the Opera(1943) and Beyond Re-animator(2003) so much.This show fits in to that catagorey perfectly.This is a show you must see.Don't miss it.
Sherlock Holmes (1954)
Very good!
Sherlock Holmes is a very good TV series for two reasons:Ronald Howard and H.Maron Crawford.Ronald Howard is quite far the second best Holmes of the screen(next to Basil Rathbone,of course) but this show's Watson goes un-rivaled.Not a bungler like Nigel Bruce or a completely boring and pointless character like Ian Flemming.Rather,a very interesting character with a lot of personality.Howard's Holmes reminded me more A.Conan Doyle's character of the sixty published cases than anyone else.These scripts provide both suspense and humor,something that uaually doesn't work.My favorite episode of all time was probably "The Pennsilvania gun.It was the perfect Sherlock Holmes episode.Overall,this show is a superb representation Holmes and MUST NOT BE MISSED.
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Great,but still a few flaws
Where to begin?All start with the good.This movie is still,even after 81 years,a terrific and awesome film.The scenes(especially the chandelier crashing)were shot amazingly well for 1925.Lon Chaney's skills as an actor shrine in this film.When he has the mask on he is calm and affectionate.When it's off,he is an insane and unreasonable monster.For a time I was actually convinced that there was a different actor wearing the mask.The production is better than many films of today,especially the sets and make up.Now for the bad.The most notable of this short but irritating list is neither at fault for the cast or crew,but the persons responsiable for advertiesing.The unmasking might have been very horrifying indeed,but since the Phantom unmasked is on every box cover,figurine,advertisement,etc. it has completely lost it's terrorific quality.Because of this a long and scary moment has been reduced to boring since we have seen it all before.Another is the ending.The Phantom is a completely un-sympathetic character from start to finish.Although there are some lines of dialouge and actions that indicate it was not always so.There are still a few flaws,but those are the biggest and the ones that infect a otherwise superb movie.
The New Batman Adventures (1997)
Very good!
Being a long time fan of the Dark Knight,I must admit this(and BTAS) are probably the most superb representation of the dark knight outside of the comics.This has everything.Excellent plots,great casting,and great animation.This is probably the greatest cartoon ever made.I have looked through a great many cartoons and haven't found anything near as great as this!A must see!The plots(especially for ones like Cold Comfort and Mad Love)are particularly excellent!The cast(most especially Micheal Ansara and Mark Hamill) terrific!The animation was very well done with a lot of atmospheric shots rather than just plain position.The storyboard artists really took their time!This is the best that Batman has to offer outside the comics!Highly recommended!
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
A masterpiece!!!
I have seen 13 Godzilla films and none of them(although Godzilla 1985 has it's moments) came close to the feel of the original.This is testament to nuclear bombs and what it can and may do.The only other Godzilla movie using "symbolism" I've seen is "Godzilla vs.The Smog Monster" and that doesn't even come close to this film.Despite what everyone says,I think that the footage with Raymond Burr actually improves the film.It has a scary,dark vibe that's so creepy.I remember watching it for the first time and getting goosebumps.Although everyone says the special effects were cheap and corny but I'm of the opinion that they actually work pretty good considering what they had to work with.There are still a few that I enjoy a great deal besides this one(Godzilla vs.Gigan,Godzilla vs.The Cosmic Monster,Terror of MechaGodzilla)overall,this one is the best.
Phantom of the Opera (1943)
The best of Phantoms!
This is the best of the screen versions of Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leruox.Claude Rains' performance is a landmark as is that of the whole cast.I don't know how to describe it....take the Lon Chaney film for instance.It was an expressionist Gothic horror film,a good horror film it must be said,but quite a few notches down from what I was expecting,Lon Chaney likes the delictae touch,the lightness that Claude Rains.And indeed Lon Chaney's Phanotm is built an absolutle repulsive cold blooded murderer but we get a sympathetic portrayal by Rains that is un-rivaled.This is the best Phantom of the Opera and one of the greatest films ever!
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Breath-taking!!!!
This is one of the most excellent films I have seen made in the past 20 years.It is absolutely awesome!There is no other word to describe it.TheScore is well done,Gerald Butler gives a remarkable performance as ThePhantom.This is,in my opinion,a landmark in film history.I absolutely love the original stage production and true the movie has some changes but those changes were thoughtful not destructive.The production was the greatest of Phantoms since the 1943 version with Claude Rains.This production is the second best version of The Phantom of the Opera(The first to me will always be Universal's 1943 film) and one of the greatest movies of all time!
Re-Animator (1985)
Good,but not quite good enough...
Re-Animator is a good movie but,how can I describe it......there's something missing.It has for one thing,a fairly good plot although barely any character development.The film tends to focus on Daniel Caine(the Bruce Abbot character) than Herbert West.The humor was very dry and seldom and it really was more of a gutsy film rather than a nice in-depth horror movie.This film,and the sequel,for that matter each lacks the lighter touch like that of Beyond Re-Animator.Besides Bruce Abbot and Jeffery Combs,the acting is very corny and un convincing.Actually having read the Lovecroft novel previously,many of the novel's spectacular elements for thee "give-me-the-gore' style of movie making of the 80s.Overall,a nice try but Re-Animator doesn't quite cut it.
Beyond Re-Animator (2003)
Brilliant!!!
Although I usually despise newer movies,I couldn't help but enjoying Jeffery Commbs in another one of his land mark performances,again as Herbert West.This film is basically a blend of genres:A nice,witty plot that reminds me of an Oscar Wilde play;A very good sense of gory humor similar to Abbot and Costello meets Frankenstein;An eerie moment of two;and,of course,great character development that was almost literally non-existent in Re-Animator,especially on Herbert West.The special effects were grat and the music was powerfully moving.Even though the mouse and penis thing was a little to out there this still a great movie and definitely made it to my top 20.
The Invisible Man (1933)
One of the greatest films EVER.
The Invisible Man is one of my favorite movies of all time.Claude Rains,of course,delivers a superb performance.I also like the fact that Gloria Stewart plays Flora unlike other actors play similar roles.She's really a fine actor.Harigian's role was colorless and un-interesting but Rains made up for it with his class A acting.The special effects,considering it is 1933,were flawless.The film followed Wells' novel very closely.James Whale went a little overboard with Unna O'Connor and E.E.Clive should have had a bigger role but those are just minor problems,nothing to freak out over.It's still one of the greatest movies of all time.Overall:10 stars
The Woman in Green (1945)
Finally!
I watched the Basil Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes movies in order.I saw Henry Daniell in "The Voice of Terror" and "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" and it got me thinking about Henry Daniell.I thought,"I bet he would be a great Moriarty".When I watched him in this little movie I finally saw Mr.Daniell as The Napoleon of Crime and my heart sang.He was the absolutely greatest James Moriarty ever!!!!!He had the exact apperiance of Moriarty as descriebed in "The Final Problem"!!!He even had the sunken eyes.Extremely creepy.....Basil Rathbone good as ever,in other words brilliant. I do not see how you can compare Rathbone with Jeremy Brett.He totally blows Brett out of the water. Basil Rathbone is the greatest Sherlock Holmes ever. Though H.Marion Crawford was the best Watson.