From the first monologue to the final firework, a great film. A well-told tale of the awakening of a nation against a totalitarian government prompted by the eponymous V. Top notch graphic novel, too.
Hugo Weaving's V is played with the right amount of theatricality and Natalie Portman's Evey holds your attention when on screen, going from scared and vulnerable to confident and strong. Chief of Police Finch (Stephen Rea) is forced, in the course of his investigations, to change from party man to, if not active participant, then, someone willing to allow the neccessary to happen.
Would have got a slightly higher score if Natalie Portman's accent had held up properly.
4/5
Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot...
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Saturday, 23 July 2011
It's been a while
Well, four movies per week didn't exactly work out then, seemingly. Random and sporadic posts seem to be about my level.
I've been trying to watch the Harry Potter movies as they come on TV. So far I find I might need to rename them to Harry Potter and the '20 minutes in and I'm bored' 1 and 2. Chamber of Boredom is on now. I have a feeling this might be a fruitless venture. Do they get any better?
In other movie news, I'm enjoying the Hobbit production blogs that Peter Jackson is releasing. Long may they continue.
I might even watch another movie tonight and review it tomorrow. Two posts in two days would be a shock to my PC.
sayonara
Namárië
I've been trying to watch the Harry Potter movies as they come on TV. So far I find I might need to rename them to Harry Potter and the '20 minutes in and I'm bored' 1 and 2. Chamber of Boredom is on now. I have a feeling this might be a fruitless venture. Do they get any better?
In other movie news, I'm enjoying the Hobbit production blogs that Peter Jackson is releasing. Long may they continue.
I might even watch another movie tonight and review it tomorrow. Two posts in two days would be a shock to my PC.
sayonara
Namárië
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
My favourite, and the best, of the series so far.
We start in the Amazon rainforest and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is introduced in a soon-to-be-familiar situation in the series. That is going after an ancient artifact. Poison darts, spears, native tribesmen and Indy's nemesis, Belloq (Paul Freeman), thwart Indy and take his prize from him. We move from the Amazon to Nepal to Egypt in a blur of mystery, intrigue, action and (of course) Nazis.
The Nazis are suitably evil and have a spare-no-expense effort to recover the Ark of the Covenant for der Fuhrer. Indy's good friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and old flame Marion (Karen Allen) get drawn into helping prevent the Germans getting the Ark. The Germans, of course, are digging in the wrong place and Indy has the missing piece of information, in the form of the head of a staff. Having located the correct place to dig, Indy and Sallah try to recover the Ark. They are discovered by Belloq, and Indy is temporarily trapped with Marion (previously captured by the Germans) in the vault where the Ark was.With the Ark now on it's way to Berlin and Indy must chase it across desert, sea and island to prevent it's arrival.
Most memorable among the scenes is a stand-off between Indy and a scimitar-wielding henchman, which Indy solves by just shooting him.
Main characters are introduced with enough time to get to know them a bit before the next comes along and the pacing of the movie is nigh on perfect. The script is tight and the acting is great for the most part. A little over-acting is allowed for the bad guys because, well, they're bad guys. The only issue I have, and it's a very small one, is that the staff Indy uses to find the right place to dig is wrong. We are told that it is 6 kaddams high (72 inches or six feet according to Sallah), less one kaddam. My maths makes this five feet high, and yet it towers about a foot above Indy's head in the map room. Unless he's four feet tall, or squatting, the staff is too tall. As I said, a minor gripe in an otherwise brilliant film.
9/10 (would have been 9.5 but for the staff)
We start in the Amazon rainforest and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is introduced in a soon-to-be-familiar situation in the series. That is going after an ancient artifact. Poison darts, spears, native tribesmen and Indy's nemesis, Belloq (Paul Freeman), thwart Indy and take his prize from him. We move from the Amazon to Nepal to Egypt in a blur of mystery, intrigue, action and (of course) Nazis.
The Nazis are suitably evil and have a spare-no-expense effort to recover the Ark of the Covenant for der Fuhrer. Indy's good friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and old flame Marion (Karen Allen) get drawn into helping prevent the Germans getting the Ark. The Germans, of course, are digging in the wrong place and Indy has the missing piece of information, in the form of the head of a staff. Having located the correct place to dig, Indy and Sallah try to recover the Ark. They are discovered by Belloq, and Indy is temporarily trapped with Marion (previously captured by the Germans) in the vault where the Ark was.With the Ark now on it's way to Berlin and Indy must chase it across desert, sea and island to prevent it's arrival.
Most memorable among the scenes is a stand-off between Indy and a scimitar-wielding henchman, which Indy solves by just shooting him.
Main characters are introduced with enough time to get to know them a bit before the next comes along and the pacing of the movie is nigh on perfect. The script is tight and the acting is great for the most part. A little over-acting is allowed for the bad guys because, well, they're bad guys. The only issue I have, and it's a very small one, is that the staff Indy uses to find the right place to dig is wrong. We are told that it is 6 kaddams high (72 inches or six feet according to Sallah), less one kaddam. My maths makes this five feet high, and yet it towers about a foot above Indy's head in the map room. Unless he's four feet tall, or squatting, the staff is too tall. As I said, a minor gripe in an otherwise brilliant film.
9/10 (would have been 9.5 but for the staff)
Saturday, 21 May 2011
The mission begins
So... the mission I have decided to accept is to watch and review each and every movie I own. How long this will take, I have no idea.
Ambitious? Yes.
Lengthy? Absolutely.
How many I'll get through each week might vary, but I'm initially hoping for about 4.
I think we'll start with the Indiana Jones series.
DoGoLo
Ambitious? Yes.
Lengthy? Absolutely.
How many I'll get through each week might vary, but I'm initially hoping for about 4.
I think we'll start with the Indiana Jones series.
DoGoLo
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