Lady-of-Rohan
Joined Dec 2002
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Reviews81
Lady-of-Rohan's rating
In what is personally one of my favorite films of all time, director Tim Burton gives us the true story of the one often named the worst director of all time; Edward D Wood Jr (Johnny Depp). Passionate about film-making but incompetent at the skill, Ed frantically scurries around Hollywood with cap in hand to seek film companies willing to finance his dead-in-the-water productions. With the help of the down-and-out horror movie icon Bela Lugosi (brilliant performance by Martin Landau) and a reluctant team of showbiz misfits, Ed creates the cinematic anti-masterpieces of his own desire. Undaunted by the cutthroat criticism of the film industry, Ed stumbles on with his passion, door knocking for funds, facing rejection, tragedy, and heartbreak, all leading to the creation of his most infamous motion picture...
Compelling, engaging, and frequently hilarious, "Ed Wood" has an all-star cast providing brilliant performances from Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Bill Murray, and others. By being filmed in black and white, the movie is able to accomplish the nostalgic effect that is critical in emphasizing the heart of the B-Movie era of the 1950s. One of the central questions which the film raises is if Ed Wood was truly the worst the directer of all time. Many understandably think so due to his incompetent directing skills, penniless budgets, and "the-first-take-is-perfect" philosophy. However, with this film, it's almost impossible not to have sympathy for the devil of film-making. Ed really was passionate about film-making and really didn't care about the scathing reviews or cardboard sets, because, as he says in the film, "movies are about the big picture".
To understand the hilarity of the film, I would personally recommend watching "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and other Ed Wood films before enjoying this to truly appreciate the inside jokes. "Ed Wood" really is a cinematic treat and is the best movie about the worst that cinema has to offer.
10/10
Compelling, engaging, and frequently hilarious, "Ed Wood" has an all-star cast providing brilliant performances from Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Bill Murray, and others. By being filmed in black and white, the movie is able to accomplish the nostalgic effect that is critical in emphasizing the heart of the B-Movie era of the 1950s. One of the central questions which the film raises is if Ed Wood was truly the worst the directer of all time. Many understandably think so due to his incompetent directing skills, penniless budgets, and "the-first-take-is-perfect" philosophy. However, with this film, it's almost impossible not to have sympathy for the devil of film-making. Ed really was passionate about film-making and really didn't care about the scathing reviews or cardboard sets, because, as he says in the film, "movies are about the big picture".
To understand the hilarity of the film, I would personally recommend watching "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and other Ed Wood films before enjoying this to truly appreciate the inside jokes. "Ed Wood" really is a cinematic treat and is the best movie about the worst that cinema has to offer.
10/10
"Dead Man's Chest" is one of my most anticipated films of the year. Ever since I saw the first one on a hot July day in 03, I was completely blown away. Well, three years later, "POTC: Dead Man's Chest" has finally arrived into the hungry hands of pirate fans worldwide.
To start off, "Dead Man's Chest" stars all of the familiar faces we all know and love from the first installment. Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightly, Jack Davenport, and all the rest are back in their usual roles. Johnny Depp, as the hilarious Captain Jack Sparrow, is once again comic dynamite and captures the audiences imagination brilliantly (by the way, he once again has a great entrance). Some of Johnny's best scenes involve him escaping in some way and because of that, the audience I was with was constantly laughing.
For those who enjoyed the quirkiness of "Curse of the Black Pearl", you'll definitely appreciate the "non-serious" feel of this film. In fact, "Dead Man's Chest" takes itself even less seriously than it predecessor. This is due to the over the top stunts, slap-stick comedy, and a plot which is even more supernatural than before.
One of the problems that "Dead Man's Chest" has is that it recycles a lot of the jokes from the first film. Thus, this installment feels like a bit of a retread, despite the fact that this film features an entirely different plot. The ending is a major cliffhanger and definitely builds immense excitement for the third film. "Dead Man's Chest" purposely answered little questions about the plot (much to the frustration of the audience). Because it didn't answer a lot of questions, I'm not entirely raving this film. I'm well aware there is a third film after this but during a two and a half hour movie, audience's want answers to some of the burning questions in the plot. "Dead Man's Chest" is silent on this issue.
Overall, "Dead Man's Chest" is an enjoyable, and decent romp but is a bit too over-the-top for it's own good. In my opinion, I preferred it's predecessor where the plot was much simpler and the laughs wonderfully original. If your a fan of Johnny Depp or Pirates, this is naturally a must see. I'm just not sure if it's entirely worth a second viewing at the theatre.
7/10
To start off, "Dead Man's Chest" stars all of the familiar faces we all know and love from the first installment. Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightly, Jack Davenport, and all the rest are back in their usual roles. Johnny Depp, as the hilarious Captain Jack Sparrow, is once again comic dynamite and captures the audiences imagination brilliantly (by the way, he once again has a great entrance). Some of Johnny's best scenes involve him escaping in some way and because of that, the audience I was with was constantly laughing.
For those who enjoyed the quirkiness of "Curse of the Black Pearl", you'll definitely appreciate the "non-serious" feel of this film. In fact, "Dead Man's Chest" takes itself even less seriously than it predecessor. This is due to the over the top stunts, slap-stick comedy, and a plot which is even more supernatural than before.
One of the problems that "Dead Man's Chest" has is that it recycles a lot of the jokes from the first film. Thus, this installment feels like a bit of a retread, despite the fact that this film features an entirely different plot. The ending is a major cliffhanger and definitely builds immense excitement for the third film. "Dead Man's Chest" purposely answered little questions about the plot (much to the frustration of the audience). Because it didn't answer a lot of questions, I'm not entirely raving this film. I'm well aware there is a third film after this but during a two and a half hour movie, audience's want answers to some of the burning questions in the plot. "Dead Man's Chest" is silent on this issue.
Overall, "Dead Man's Chest" is an enjoyable, and decent romp but is a bit too over-the-top for it's own good. In my opinion, I preferred it's predecessor where the plot was much simpler and the laughs wonderfully original. If your a fan of Johnny Depp or Pirates, this is naturally a must see. I'm just not sure if it's entirely worth a second viewing at the theatre.
7/10
Oh dear. What happened?
Phenomenally successful book turned into a big budget treasure hunt with absurd conspiracy stories that border on retarded.
No, it really isn't that good, and my audience made that known. People leaving looked underwhelmed and confused. One guy yelled out to his mate on the other side of the hall, "It ain't good, eh mate?". He agreed. It doesn't take Robert Langdon to figure out that it's not a good sign when audience members complain audibly about the film the moment it ends.
Cast wise, Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou make a great team but the absurd plot obviously kept them from reaching their full potential. It didn't help that they were being dictated by a wooden script that didn't even know what to do with itself. As being the blast of fresh air that he always is, Ian McKellen saves the film. His soothing deep voice was definitely comforting and helped to reassure me that the creators of this film wern't completely brain dead. His presence really is wonderful and I was so grateful to see a great actor grace the screen.
On to bad things. The meaningless flashbacks really REALLY got on my nerves, especially how they just pop out of ordinary situations, and had that weird dreamy sense to them. The almost countless conspiracy theories of Opus Dei got so numerous I practically gave up 3/4 into the film. In the end, I gave up on trying to make sense of it and accepted it for being what it is: fiction.
Overall, to put it in short terms, The Da Vinci Code is way too outrageous to be taken seriously. I want to like the film but it's just not going for me.
Save your money this weekend and stay in with a rental and a curry.
6/10
Phenomenally successful book turned into a big budget treasure hunt with absurd conspiracy stories that border on retarded.
No, it really isn't that good, and my audience made that known. People leaving looked underwhelmed and confused. One guy yelled out to his mate on the other side of the hall, "It ain't good, eh mate?". He agreed. It doesn't take Robert Langdon to figure out that it's not a good sign when audience members complain audibly about the film the moment it ends.
Cast wise, Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou make a great team but the absurd plot obviously kept them from reaching their full potential. It didn't help that they were being dictated by a wooden script that didn't even know what to do with itself. As being the blast of fresh air that he always is, Ian McKellen saves the film. His soothing deep voice was definitely comforting and helped to reassure me that the creators of this film wern't completely brain dead. His presence really is wonderful and I was so grateful to see a great actor grace the screen.
On to bad things. The meaningless flashbacks really REALLY got on my nerves, especially how they just pop out of ordinary situations, and had that weird dreamy sense to them. The almost countless conspiracy theories of Opus Dei got so numerous I practically gave up 3/4 into the film. In the end, I gave up on trying to make sense of it and accepted it for being what it is: fiction.
Overall, to put it in short terms, The Da Vinci Code is way too outrageous to be taken seriously. I want to like the film but it's just not going for me.
Save your money this weekend and stay in with a rental and a curry.
6/10