senlac Reviews

A Sound of Thunder (2005)

...actually, not that bad.

[7/10 · 10 July 2007]

...After reading the other reviews I approached this film with some trepidation. Now I have to say that whilst not up there with the big ones it is still pretty good. I have concluded that the almost vitriolic condemnation comes from not really understanding the the premise - "changing the past changes the future". This was explained in the film but obviously some people were not listening. Crushing a butterfly 65 million years ago, which therefore did not produce offspring -which did not produce their offspring etc, could conceivably make a change in the evolutionary process. Is anyone arguing with the asteroid hit theory that destroyed the dinosaurs and gave the mammals their big chance? Basically the same thing..... The effects were passable - in fact the idea of the primate-reptile was quite clever

It Came from Outer Space II (1996 TV Movie)

oh my God!

[1/10 · 12 March 2007]

The opening was a steal from "Eight-legged Freaks", a film that is everything this one isn't. Stilted and pedestrian are the words that apply - along with others that can't be repeated..! Drifter type returns to his home(?)town, meets up with old friends etc.... the usual annoying kid, single mother,local loudmouth and so on..Bad special effects, alien ship, atmospheric disturbances, (hey, didn't the Director see "Close Encounters"?). Good acting? Good story? Good camera angles? Good cutting? Not here! Do not rent, unless you are sharing the cost and have a lot of beer handy. Do not watch on TV, go and drink a lot of beer instead - you'll enjoy it more!

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

Bad, bad, bad!

[1/10 · 10 June 2006]

If you did not see Oceans 11 the opening scenes will make no sense at all. In fact the opening 30 minutes made no sense to me at all! The flashbacks were totally confusing - my reaction was "what the ...?" No ingenious robbery, the use of equipment/technology that would have cost more than value of the stolen item (if they had stolen anything) and complete lack of believability. Let's face it, in any super heist film, a good script and acting will make you think "yeah, it could work" - not here it doesn't. What else? Oh yes, boring and often incomprehensible conversations, camera movements that are screamingly annoying and a general absence of any direction. Can a minus 1 be awarded?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 22 January 2005]

Purists will be muttering about the departures from the book (check out some of the other reviews); while no purist myself I am puzzled about one or two of the changes in the setting and direction. What has not been mentioned is the location of Hagrids cottage. It has suddenly jumped from being just outside the main gate of Hogwarts (and adjacent to the Haunted Forest) to a wooded valley and reached by a path down a stony hillside. I believe that the castle was also visible in the background on a hill top. What was the point of that, I wonder? I also found the whole film entirely lacking the feel of the first two. OK, new Director wanting to put his own stamp on the series, I can understand that, but the film has suffered. It compares badly (in my opinion) with the others - sadly, it was mostly dull with definitely a touch of the "ho hum" factor. Michael Gambon is a damn good actor - why was his character so low key? As it was, you are reminded that Richard Harris is dead and this is the replacement, instead of just presenting Dumbledore as a lead part. Sorry, but I can only give this a 5 out of 10

Puckoon (2002)

Spike really hit the nail...

[5 August 2004]

Puckoon, the story of a small Irish town divided by the Partition of Ireland in 1924 - really divided, the border goes through the middle of it! The characters are wonderful - the village idiot, the poacher, the priest and the hero(?)Dan Madigan, who participates reluctantly in hare-brained schemes to smuggle explosives into the North and deceased Catholics from the now Protestant side of the churchyard back into the Catholic part. Spike Milligan really hit the nail on the head with this hilarious story - pointing up the ridiculousness of political partition by 1)making it so farcical and 2) making the authorities who try to enforce it look like idiots. I notice that the Norwegian reviewer thought it a waste of money - but perhaps this film has the sort of message that only the Brits and Irish would understand. 10/10

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

this is an alternate history, people!

[11 June 2004]

Oh, come on! What is all the moaning about? This is a great crash-out and enjoy film. Suspend your disbelief for once and go with the flow. This is a film in the same mould as The Time Machine, Invisible Man, 20,000 Leagues and so on. Fun, fun, fun! Why do people have to be so picky? The premise is simple - all the famous characters of Victorian adventure/scientific romances are real and are brought together to assist the British Empire defeat a super-villain. If you can go along with Vernes' submarines and airships you will have no problem with this. Action, humour - Dorian Gray has a particularly dry wit ("What are you?" gasps a villain after riddling him with bullets to no effect. "Complicated", is the answer...) Watch and enjoy

10/10

Black Knight (2001)

Good idea - bad film. Possible spoilers

[27 March 2004]

This could have been very funny - as it,it sucks!Martin Lawrence is a comedian? Not in this. An embarrassingly bad performance highlighted by the desperate attempts by the other actors to make it good. The idea is ok - take the "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court" theme but use a black actor in the central role. Blacks were not unknown in the 14th Century but rare enough to cause interest; Moors, Saracens, Nubians, whatever. The whole thing falls flat because of the way Lawrence portrays his character - he falls into a moat at a theme park in the US and surfaces in a stonking great lake surrounded by thick woodlands. Surely a quick pause for thought - hey, something strange going on here - no, he thinks he is in the new theme park down the road from where he works. Then we get the large rolling eyes (I thought that went out with Amos and Andy) street talk and buffoon behaviour. I kept thinking Eddie Murphy, where are you? Marks out 10, -1

The Time Machine (2002)

Better than the first one

[14 January 2004]

I saw the George Pal version back in the 60's and was disappointed. Having read the book and being a Science Fiction devotee I expected something closer to Wells' idea. The acting was not all that great, nor were the effects, which I am sure I had seen before in another film. I watched the film again recently with a more mature eye and I am still not impressed. So much for the "timeless classic", as it has been described. This latest version is better - much better, in storyline, acting, effects. The romance between The Traveller and the Eloi girl did not seem out of place. His fiancee (not wife, as stated in another review) had been killed four years before he completed his machine and he seemed to be more interested in the world of the far future than brooding over it. Finally, Pals' Eloi spoke English too, but no one has criticised that!

8 out of 10

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Acting ability

[23 January 2002]

A gorgeous and lavish production - a riot of colour and movement. The only fault? Da Caprio is no Shakespearian actor - too light weight in presentation, no force behind the dialogue. At times his voice seemed weak and he spoke a little too fast; in short, he appeared uncomfortable in the part. Apart from that this version of the classic is one of the best I have seen.