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Reviews
Les Misérables (2012)
Better than expected
Les Miserables is not easily translated to film, as any fan of the novel or the musical knows. There are enough failed movie versions out there to attest to this. I think that this time, thankfully, they got it about as "right" as it's ever going to get.
Don't get me wrong, it certainly has its flaws, but it rises well above all the other musicals-turned-movies I've seen with the possible exception of RENT. However, all things considered, I can only think of three substantial complaints and of those, only one is glaring enough to have a real impact on the movie's quality.
Russel Crowe, who I am admittedly indifferent to in most movies, really managed to make the character of Javert unimaginably dull. He seems to be singing through an eternal yawn and although Javert is certainly not a character of high or fluctuating emotions, there are moments when something as simple as a facial expression would have made a world of difference. On the bright side, though, at least the man can carry a tune most of the time, unlike other stars cast in leading singing roles Gerard Butler...
My other complaints are solely about some of my favorite lines that were omitted, so not even worth going into detail on, but it leads me to a commendable point: as long as the stage show is, this film did an amazing job keeping it intact! Not perfect, but so much better than I ever imagined. Very little was lost to time constraints, I am so impressed.
The singing is appropriately unpolished, the cinematography is stunning, it was the best time I've had seeing a movie since I was a child. In many scenes, it feels like seeing the show for the first time no matter how many times you've seen the stage production. Anne Hathaway is my new favorite actress, she brought me to tears and I've never cried at a movie before. She really touches on a whole new depth to Fantine's despair, it seems almost impossible to see her performance and not leave the theater touched to the core.
Hugh Jackman was an excellent Valjean, in my opinion. His Soliloquy portrayed the conflict of the character in ways I really didn't think could translate to film and the warmth of his character after his personal transformation comes across beautifully. The Thenardiers were laugh-out-loud hilarious, little Cosette was the sweetest child ever, the casting of little Eponine was surprisingly excellent, Gavroche was absolutely charming, this was so well done, I cannot sing it's praises enough. All of the students were excellent in their roles, I was particularly in love with Enjolras, but whether that's because the actor is excellent or because he's my favorite character in the story anyhow, I don't know for sure. He and Grantaire were so wonderfully suited to their roles, it was easy to forget that this wasn't a genuine stage production from time to time. I thought that Marius and Cosette, two characters who are pretty one-dimensional usually, were far more likable in the film than in any of the stage productions I've seen. Not the most outstanding performances of the movie, but the actors did a lot with characters who have so little content, so kudos to them.
I live in a city full of pretty shallow people and not a single person I know around here had ever even heard of Les Mis unless I happened to drag them to the Twin Cities to catch a production when it passes through, musicals are NOT these people's thing, yet when the credits rolled, our theater erupted with applause. I was shocked! That alone speaks volumes to me of the quality of the movie and it's performances.
On a side note now - look, I know how a lot of people feel, those who are longtime Les Mis fans and who have a hard time accepting some of this casting. In a perfect world, this movie would star Patti and Colm and Phillip Quast (all respect to Terrance Mann) and Frances and Michael, but this is one of those cases where we have to remind ourselves not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Or rather, don't let the ideal be the enemy of the excellent. If you want to listen to Les Mis, the 10th anniversary is a great DVD to grab, the casting is nearly perfect. But to watch Les Mis and to experience it, this movie isn't going to disappoint you. Happy viewing!
Mulberry St (2006)
Entertaining
I just bought this movie yesterday and it was decently entertaining. Not the best of the Afterdark Horrorfest movies in my opinion, but definitely worthwhile for anyone needing a good zombie fix.
The acting in this movie was definitely some of the best I've seen in the horrorfest line, the actors are convincing enough to make it an easily believable story. The makeup on the zombies is much better than I've seen in a lot of other movies and is especially disturbing to those of you who, like me, own pet rats. :) The movie seemed to be a social commentary slipped into a horror film as well, which (whether you agree or disagree with the sentiments) just seems to add another level of intelligence to an otherwise normal horror movie. Subtle comments from newscasters along the lines of "why is it taking the government so long to react (to the outbreak)" and that the mayor of New York was going to hold a press conference live from Barbados (or Bermuda...I can't remember which) are an echo of our times in the minds of many and will be enjoyable gems to people who have found themselves disappointed with the government's handling of natural disasters or times of crisis.
The downfalls of the movie, and these are only in my opinion, are that there seems to be no real explanation. We don't know how this virus started, there are a lot of visuals (ie: Blackhawks flying over the city in the beginning) that made me think this was a government experiment gone wrong or something, but nothing is ever elaborated on. Personally, I enjoy my movies with a thick plot and an ending where all the loose ends are tied up and in this case, we don't get that.
Zombie fans, I honestly think you'll enjoy this. Others, you might want to pass.
Nightmare Man (2006)
Entertaining and Amusing
I'm surprised by the low scores this has gotten compared to some of the other (less impressive) titles in the horrorfest line...
This was the first of the 2007 horrorfest movies that I've watched so far and it's definitely the best. There can be no question that this is a B movie, but that's not a bad thing at all! B movies sometimes are the most entertaining (Evil Dead trilogy anyone?).
The dialogue was laugh-out-loud funny at times, the plot is just interesting enough to keep you into the movie from beginning to end, and the deaths range from gross to hilarious.
**SPOILER** Tell me this isn't amusing! The killer murders a man's fiancée.
In his grief, the man stands at an open window and glares out over the dark forest where the killer has gone and he vows that he will kill the person who killed his fiancée. He is grimly serious, using such overdone, cheesy lines as "If it's the last thing I do, I'll kill you," things like that. As he's reciting these generic horror movie lines, three crossbow arrows shoot into his chest and he flops over dead. HILARIOUS!!! Nightmare Man almost spoofs on itself in a way, but despite the amusing deaths and dialogue, it's still just dark and creepy enough to give a decent scare for some.
I definitely recommend this movie to anybody who is a fan of good movies on low budgets, or to those of us who appreciate the B-movie genre. :)
Plane Dead (2007)
Surprisingly entertaining!
I bought this movie on a whim about a week ago, just because I had a few dollars and a craving for a zombie film. I expected nothing worthwhile, but this movie is truly a hidden gem! Low budget, yes. But the acting is pretty well done, a lot of the dialog is amusing, and the action really keeps the re-watch value high. The gore is over the top for sure, so it keeps things true to the genre without having that "gross out" effect on people who care more for substance than show.
This film is definitely not for everyone, but if you don't mind your movies low-budget and if you enjoy zombie films, this is one that will not disappoint!
B.T.K. Killer (2005)
The phrase "worst movie ever" is thrown around a lot...
But in this case, it's genuinely true.
I don't even know where to start! First off, a huge chunk of the movie is nothing but various scenes from a slaughter house scattered in between scenes of the "plot." Those scenes are poorly shot (my three year old could do better, I'm not exaggerating) and have absolutely NOTHING to do with the story. Literally nothing! Also, numerous scenes are simply BTK hunched over some paper, writing. And very...very...sl-ooooo-wly...we hear him think what he's writing. These scenes drag on for MINUTES and are little more than him saying ridiculous, obvious things in ten words or less...very...very...sl-ooooo-wly...
The one fourth of the movie that isn't a senseless slaughterhouse scene or a BTK writing scene is so poorly acted and filmed that I honestly thought my husband was joking when he popped this movie in, I really did believe (until the credits rolled) that this was some lame thing one of his brothers and their friends did together when they'd had too much to drink.
PLEASE, for your own sake, be smart and don't waste the hour (+) of your life or the $1 for video rental on this disaster! I was stupid, I didn't come on here to check out reviews before I watched it, please be smarter than I was!!!