Avatar

Avatar (2009) – Movie Review

Director: James Cameron

Screenwriter: James Cameron

Producers: James Cameron, Jon Landau

Studio/s: 20th Century Fox

Production Companies: Lightstorm Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners

Top Billed Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Wes Studi, Laz Alonso

LOGLINE: Jake Sulley takes on an 'Avatar', an alien body that you project your mind into, to infiltrate the Na'avi to help the mining company persuade them to move off the rescource rich patch they inhabit, but when he falls in love with their princess and the mining company become more and more greedy Jake and his loyal scientist friends must teach the Na'avi how to fight the humans.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At the IMAX Cinemas in 3D (IMAX, Darling Harbour).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Awesome! I had heard a lot of buzz, but hadn't listened closely to any of it so as not to build up an expectation, which was probably best. Shortly after seeing it two of my friends were talking about it and the conversation went something like this: 
A-"Have you seen Avatar?" B-"Are you kidding? How good is it?" A-"I know right?" B-"Ridiculous" A-"Just quietly I think it could be man kinds greatest achievement" B-"Just quietly I think it's the reason man kind exists".
Now, I think that if I had have heard that before I saw it I would've been disappointed. But let's face it, I don't think any movie, probably not even my favourite (Lord of the Rings) could live up to that hype.

STORY: Yes, what you've probably heard is true; the story is the weakest part of an otherwise strong movie. It is unoriginal, on the nose, corny and sometimes plain patronising. Having said that, it's also a ripping tale and mythologically strong. i.e. Even if it isn't original or delicate it's still a fun, meaningful adventure.

PRODUCTION: Breakthrough, brilliant and awesome. On the back of the (also breakthrough) production techniques of Lord of the Rings, Cameron took things to yet another level and single handedly (for better or [more likely] worse) shepherded in a whole new generation of 3D movies. 

PERFORMANCE: Sam Worthington is strong in the lead though I don't think he quite had the American accent down 100% (I'd have preferred if they let him play it straight [Aussie]). I get the feeling that Sigourney's role was maybe a little too easy for her and she might've been erring on the side of boredom. The vocal actors are all strong, led by the best of the lot, Zoe Saldana. Stephen Lang did well with a one dimensional "shapeshifter". Michelle Rodriguez takes my Best in Show award. 

OVERALL: James Cameron can be as subtle as a sledge hammer at times (unobtanium? come one) but the dude can tell a story and as unoriginal as this is it still hit some major mythic chord within me and resonated.

MEETSLINE: Pocahontas/Dances with Wolves (same movie) meets  Independence Day (only humans are the aliens in this one).

FAVOURITE QUOTES: "I see you"
"Run! Definitely run!"
"Sky People cannot learn, you do not see"
"It is hard to fill a cup that is already full."

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Blue centered-grapefruit

LINKS: Deconstruction to come soon: http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/

RATING:

4 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) – Movie Review

Director: George Lucas

Screenwriter: George Lucas

Producers: Gary Kurtz, Rick McCallum

Studio:  20th Century Fox

Production Company: Lucasfilm

Top Billed Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones

LOGLINE: A simple farm boy comes into possession of two important droids and joins a small party together to take them to their rightful owner a galactic princess who's been kidnapped and held prisoner upon the Deathstar, a spaceship the size of a moon.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: I can't remember but it was probably on free-to-air television as a kid before I promptly fell in love with it and had my parents by the VHS.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Before Lord of the Rings came along, this was my all time favourite. To some Star Wars fans this is sacrilege. But why must we fight Kevin Smith? Can't there be two THE Trilogies?

STORY: George Lucas admitted/cited that he was strongly influenced by Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which is a study of mythology (religious 'tales' etc) and the monomyth (the theory that all stories share the same certain stages). This story hits all of those marks and reinvents them for a modern audience, in effect making Star Wars the religion of a generation, which it was for me. Literally, I (along with many others), once put 'Jedi' down as my religion on the Australian Census.


Since this little secret came out The Hero with a Thousand Faces has become a bible for screenwriters.

PRODUCTION: A true breakthrough it what was possible from the medium of film making, George Lucas paved the way for many films and it still stands the test of time over 30 years later!

PERFORMANCE: Great performances all round from who were essentially a bunch of unknowns. It's a pity we haven't seen more of Mark Hamill since in non Sci-Fi/SW related stuff. Same goes for Carrie Fisher actually.

OVERALL: One of the greatest films ever made, it has not only influenced film but wider culture and life.

MEETSLINE: Sci-Fi meets Western and Opera.

FAVOURITE QUOTES:


"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"


"May the Force be with you"


"Boring conversation anyway"


"Stormtrooper: Let me see your identification. 
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his identification.
Stormtrooper: We don't need to see his identification.
Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along. Stormtrooper: Move along... move along. "

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Blue Milkshake.

LINKS: 


Check out my deconstruction of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope here: 

http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/09/star-wars-new-hope.html

RATING:

5 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (2003) – Movie Review

Director: Peter Jackson

Screenwriters: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson

Based on the Book by: J.R.R. Tolkien

Producer: Barrie Osborne

Studio: New Line 

Production Companies: WingNut

Top Billed Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortenson, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Cate Blanchette, Bernard Hill, David Wenham, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, John Rhys-Davis, Orlando Bloom, John Noble, Bret McKenzie, Ian Holm, Martin Csokas, Sean Bean, Christopher Lee

LOGLINE: As Frodo, Sam and there ever more unstable Gollum approach Mount Doom, Gandalf, Aragorn, Theoden and others must fight to save Gondor from an army of Orcs and beasts and Nazgul.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: Originally on opening day with a sold out cinema at 9am with my mum, dad, brother and girlfriend (now wife), after a long line up to ensure god seats. Since then many times on DVD at home and at friends. (I once even watched every single frame of extra footage and commentary for all three of the special edition films, which adds up to well over 100 hours, in just under 2 weeks, whilst I was studying for uni exams)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Epic Climax to the greatest story ever told made into the greatest film series ever made.

STORY: Such scope and such detail. Such a great film! And for those that don't like the multiple endings, tough titties! It is aloud at least three and is it is ending three films.

PRODUCTION: Peter Jackson took his already breakthrough techniques to another leven of quality and quantity with this installment.

PERFORMANCE: All brilliant, business as usual on the LOTR set.

OVERALL: I watch FOTR more than ROTK which I watch more than TTT, but really the best way to watch them is to watch the extended editions back to back or at least on sequential nights.

MEETSLINE: Lord of the Rings meets Awesomeness

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
"My lords, you bow to noone"


"I am no man"


"Share the load"


"My Precious"

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Cherry tomatoes!

LINKS: 

Check out my review of LOTR FOTR here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html

Check out my review of LOTR TTT here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-two-towers.html

Check out my deconstruction of LOTR FOTR here:
http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html

RATING:

5 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002) – Movie Review

Director: Peter Jackson

Screenwriter/s: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair
Based on the Book by: J.R.R. Tolkien

Producers: Barrie M. Osborne 

Studio: New Line Cinema 

Production Companies: WingNut

Top Billed Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Cristopher Lee, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto, Brad Dourif, Jed Brophy, Karl Urban, David Wenham.

LOGLINE: Frodo and Sam continue the perilous journey to Mount Doom to destroy their evil ring along with an unexpected Allie - Gollum. Aragorn and co set out to rescue the kidnapped hobbits before joining forces with the Rohirrim in their war against the Uruk hai.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: Opening Day, Boxing Day 2002, with a sold out cinema. Many times on DVD since.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I made no bones about the fact that the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) films are my favourite. 

STORY: This was no doubt the most difficult of the LOTR films to convert into a compelling, cinematic story.

PRODUCTION: As with the first the production is excellent and pushes the boundries of what is possible. The CGI Gollum really comes into his own here and is a breakthrough for cinema. The miniatures and props/costumes etc continue to excell.

PERFORMANCE: Again all round great performances. Some new cast members join and carry-on the high quality.

OVERALL: In my humble opinion, this is one of the best three films ever made.

MEETSLINE: FOTR meets ROTK

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
"A red sun rises, blood has been spilled this night."


"What's taters, precious? What's taters, eh?"/"Po-tay-toes!* Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew..."


"Boorum horummm, little orcs"


"And then... a tunnel."

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Ale by the pewter stein and bread.

LINKS:



Check out my review of LOTR FOTR here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html


Check out my review of LOTR ROTK here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-return-of-king.html


Check out my deconstruction of LOTR FOTR here:
http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html



RATING:

5 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Braveheart

Braveheart (1995) – Movie Review

Director: Mel Gibson

Screenwriters: Randall Wallace

Producers: Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson

Production Companies: Icon, The Ladd Company

Top Billed Cast: Mel Gibson, Brian Cox, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson, 

LOGLINE: William Wallace leads his people, the quilted Scots, to fight the oppressive English.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Meh. I haven't seen this in ages but from I do remember of it, it was OK.

STORY: Any story about the bad English gets bonus points.

PRODUCTION: Yet another big budget epic with an Australian playing a European (I reviewd Gladiator today too). Not quite as cool production as Gladiator though.

PERFORMANCE: Some of the parts are overplayed.

OVERALL: If it were on TV right now I'd probably watch it... if nothing else was on, otherwise I'm not going to go to the trouble of renting it.

RATING:

3 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Gladiator

Gladiator (2000) – Movie Review

Director: Ridley Scott

Screenwriters: David Frazoni, John Logan, William Nicholson 

Producers: David Frazoni, Branko Lustig, Douglas Wick, Laurie MacDonald (E.P.), Walter F. Parkes (E.P.), Terry Needham (associate)

Studios: Dreamworks SKG, Universal

Production Company: Scott Free Productions

Top Billed Cast: Russel Crowe, Jaoquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, 

LOGLINE: A great Roman General through a series of betrayal and bad luck ends up having to fight deadly battles as a gladiator slave.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Great film, but not one I find myself coming back to even though I own the DVD. I guess the violence and gore is part of that reason, 

STORY: The story works well brings enough originality to what is essentially a modern day Spartacus to make it interesting and even unique.

PRODUCTION: Big Budget Epic produced with style. That is to say it's everything you could want from a modern "tent pole" movie.

PERFORMANCE: Jaoquin steals the show as the snooty baddy. Richard Harris, the guy who would go on to play the first Dumbledore, is a great wizard-style mentor (grey hair, grey beard) and Russel Crowe will probably always be best remembered for this performance even if the role isn't as complex (i.e. good) as some of his others.  

OVERALL: Good movie, if you haven't seen it, it's worth a watch, if you have seen it it's worth a rewatch. Be mindful that the opening is pretty full on. Apparently historians reckon it's inaccurate, but it's not a documentary, it's a piece of entertainment and as far as that goes it's pretty entertaining.

MEETSLINE: Spartacus meets Cleopatra.

RATING:

3 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring

Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Movie Review

Director: Peter Jackson
Screenwriters: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson
Based on the Book by: J.R.R. Tolkien
Producers: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Sanders, Fran Walsh, Michael Lynne (E.P. New Line), Mark Ordesky (E.P. New Line), Bob Weinstein (E.P.), Harvey Weinstein (E.P.) Rick Porras (Wingnut), Jamie Selkirk (Wingnut), Robert Shaye, Ellen Sommers (A.P.).
Studio: New Line Cinema
Production Company: Wingnut Films,
Top Billed Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Sean Bean, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Cristopher Lee, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd.

OK, here we go and where better to start this film review blog that at number one on my all time list.


LOGLINE: A small person sets out on a journey across dangerous lands to destroy a ring of great evil. As he journeys he gathers a party of followers including a great wizard, a ranger, and elf, a dwarf, a knight and... his gardener. Together they face many dangerous and perilous obstacles, none less than the ring in their possession.


VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: The first time I saw this was also my first experience with a premium cinema, Hoyts La Premier in Perth, where I was on Holiday. La Premier has a waiting lounge and unlimited pop corn and soda and tea and coffee. Unfortunately I had too much coffee and coke and could last the epic three hours without a runpee. A good excuse to go back and watch it in the cinema again... and again, even though I made it through the second time by not drinking anything for three hours before!


FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When I first heard that this film was coming out from my brother who saw a teaser trailer, I hadn't read the books. I was into a MUD (Multi User Dimension), an online fantasy text based game (OK, so much for my reputation as a cool movie reviewer, the game is up, I'm a nerd, good now I can relax) so had a slight interest in the fantasy  genre but I was from from a die hard.


So I went and read the book before the film was released. And I loved it! (I didn't read the second book, TTT, until after the film came out to see if this was better. It wasn't so then I read the third, ROTK before the film release). But I couldn't see how any film could do it justice. Especially the director of Brain Dead! Little did I know, Peter Jackson was in the process of taking the medium of film to a new level.


STORY: Tolkien's Epic is a true masterpiece. PJ, Fran and Philippa's adaptation does it justice. They found the true heart (spine) of the story, hit all the essential beats of any good film and somehow managed to stay to the characters and filled it will Tolkien's famous detail. No mean feat.


PRODUCTION: Old school miniatures and forced focus in camera trickery (making the hobbits look small by putting the further from the camera than the" big folk"), mixed with leading edge CGI (computer graphics)  and a  WETA's (the workshop that built all the sets, makeup, costumes, props etc) brilliant attention to detail (they engraved the insides of costume's in elvish that no camera would ever see) made for a breakthrough in quality and scope of production not seen since Star Wars over 20 years prior.


PERFORMANCE: Wonderful performances all round from an experienced, classy cast devoid of 'movie stars', which in my humble opinion was part of what made this such a great film - no distracting faces (i.e. I wasn't watching Brad Pitt, I was watching Aragorn). Speaking of which, Viggo's perfromance was one of the best, any guy who sleeps outside with his sword to get into character is going to put in a great performance though, isn't he?


OVERALL: As I said, this is my favourite film (though I usually count the trilogy as a single).


MEETSLINE: some movies are above meetslines. This is one such movie.


FAVOURITE QUOTE:
"You shall not pass!"


"I will take it. I will take the ring to Mordor... though I do not know the way"


"I don't think he knows about second breakfast Pip." / "What about Elevensies..."


RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Tea with toast and jam or soup with toast and cheese.


LINKS: 


Check out my deconstruction of LOTR FOTR here: http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html


Check out my review of LOTR TTT here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-two-towers.html


Check out my deconstruction of LOTR ROTK here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-return-of-king.html


RATING:

5 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011