dngilp Reviews

Fantastic Four (I) (2005)

Finally, a human sci-fi movie that delivers on the comic books' tone and feel.

[10/10 · 18 July 2005]

When this movie ended, the full house actually broke into spontaneous applause, which I hadn't witnessed at a movie since E.T. The Fantastic Four is just pure, unadulterated fun, with a simple story, an interesting human conflict, four interesting characters, and delightful actors strutting their fine stuff. There are jokes that make you laugh without straining, underdogs you WANT to root for, and a very well-acted bad guy (Julian Mahon). All the characters are interesting, believable, fun, witty, and not too dark. There is NO embarrassingly trite and out-of-context sub-plot, such as the RIDICULOUS ninja characters in Batman Begins. Fantastic Four is just a simple, witty tale of 4 ordinary people who are trying to deal with the curse or gift of superpowers. It's a true beginning to what I hope is several more episodes.

Director Tim Story really succeeded in delivering a fresh, witty tale of a family that is both ordinary and super-ordinary, that we can all identify with, yet which represents the best in all of us. It's the kind of tale that Steven Spielberg would have produced.

The audience contained viewers of all ages: Kids from 8 to 80. There were comic book freaks wearing Fantastic Four T-shirts and beards, moms with their kids, teen-agers, and a smattering of adults for this afternoon movie on opening day. People loved the movie, and I guess they responded like me: I feel jaded by watching the overblown 'special effects' of computer-generated armies of millions (a la the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, where it's obvious that nothing is real). I'm equally tired of movies like Batman, where the tone and atmosphere is so dark or distorted that you can't tell what is happening or where it takes place.

I think the reason most people are staying away from movies this summer is because they are tired of un-believable characters and of movies that hide their lack of a good plot line with increasingly silly and extravagant special effects, gratuitous violence and sex. What we want is a good story, good acting, and believable people told in a fresh and witty way. Fantastic Four shows what a great movie should be about. It's not a Game Boy extravaganza. It's a diverting, interesting tale with five really interesting actors having a lot of fun. Everyone and their kids can see it and enjoy it.

Deceptions (1985– )

Really great escapist cinema, plus Toby Maguire as a child

[7/10 · 27 May 2005]

One of the most interesting things about this movie is all the major actors who play minor parts, at a time before they were really famous in the U.S. Tobey Maguire, looking like he's about 8 years old (but who can tell, really, since he looks like he's 8 years old today), plays one of Stephanie Powers' children. Also we get Jeremy Brett, the BBC's definitive modern Sherlock Holmes, as assistant bad guy, looking really hot without his deerstalker cap. And the wonderful Judy Parfitt, who is known to American audiences primarily as the wild widower wearing cowboy boots in the BBC long-running series "As Time Goes By" of more recent fame.

Not sure, but I believe that Tobey's sister is played by an equally young Salma Blair, but since neither of them is listed on the official credits, it's hard to tell.

The movie has some kind of stilted moments, but the scenery and ambiance are unbeatable: Live shots of the Grand Canal in Venice, the Via Condotti in Rome, most of the great shopping streets in London, and the magnetic Stephanie Powers. It's a great way to pretend that we're millionaires traveling around Europe in style. And not a bad movie, to boot.

King Arthur (2004)

Great historical film but some significant flaws make the movie a disappointment.

[5/10 · 4 May 2005]

The movie was a valiant effort to portray the history of King Arthur accurately and with much significant historic detail. The battle sequences were appropriately bloodthirsty, as was the setting showing how many of Arthur's knights were 'tribute children' given to the Roman Empire by conquered peoples. Unfortunately, the film was badly edited, so that even with the best actors, you could almost see the point at which the director said 'action.' Also, there must have been a lot of extra footage because relationships between characters were badly developed, choppy and scenes often made no sense, making you feel that a lot of dialog had been edited out to make the movie come in at under 100 minutes. Unfortunate, because it added to the sense of confusion. What was good about the movie were the mix of characters, all of whom were fascinating, drawn as they would have been from a wide mix of cultures. The film did do a great job of showing the conflict between regional knights and the great Roman Empire, which was primarily preoccupied with holding itself together during its final days. There were also many great comic moments that were true to life, such as the camaraderie between the knights, some bawdy humor, details about camp life, and the great performance by the Roman bishop who is saved in the initial battle sequence. Two deplorable elements to the movie: The costumes were bizarre. Clive Owen always looked pregnant in his bulky leather gear, and his Roman headpiece was almost as tall as he was. Also, a lot of effort was made to give Keira Knightley really diaphanous, if not to say see-through gowns at a time when she probably wore felt and animal pelts, and Ioan Gruffudd's doublet looked like it was made by Bottega Veneta. It was also bulky, too well-made, and really bizarre. The costume designer should have been shot, or dismembered, or burned at the stake. Also, I've never seen Clive Owen give such a bad performance. He is a wonderful actor who was truly mis-used. You can see that there must have been some really redeeming features of this movie to make up for these flaws, and that's true. The acting was superb in most cases, the battle scenes very realistic, the historic depiction of the Roman Empire fleeing for its life, and the ruggedness of Arthur's 'court life' were all fascinating. I would say that an amazing group of international actors proved their mettle in surmounting some really terrible flaws.

Much better than Braveheart, that's for sure. But why not just call the Woads the Picts. Didn't understand this, the only non-historic fictionalization of regional tribes' names.

Osama (2003)

This is an authentic, illuminating portrait of how women lived in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

[10/10 · 1 January 2005]

I LOVED this movie for the quiet truthfulness of the characters, the authentic pictures of the countryside and primitive way of life, and the understated humor. Not just women suffered, but any feeling individual was hurt by the Taliban regime. Most will really enjoy the characters, especially the moving mother, who is a female doctor not allowed to practice her craft despite a desperate need for doctors throughout the country. The director avoids all sentimentality, yet the movie has moments of humor, pathos, cynicism, charity and quiet desperation. If you are a woman, you should see this movie. Contains humor, great characters, unbelievable look into the horrors of the Taliban in Afghanistan, all portrayed with a light touch and great insight.