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The_Elfstone
Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
A work of Genius All-round.
This was always my favourite part of the Tolkien Trilogy, and it turned out to be director Peter Jacksons favourite too. Watching all three films together will show the viewer how Peter Jackson (et al) have grown and the techniques they have employed have all gotten so much better, to culminate in this fantasy masterpiece.
I always thought (from reading the books) that Samwise Gamgee was the "real hero" of the quest to destroy the One Ring, and actor Sean Astin turned in a stirling performance to match my expectations.
Whilst some themes from the book are lost, it doesn't (in my humble opinion) mar the film in any way, with the slight reservation over the loss of the "Houses of Healing", as it lessens Éowyn's victory on the fields of the Pelannor. Overall though this is a small gripe.
Don't listen to people who say that this is all about fighting and ancient war craft, it is a sure sign that if someone tells you this, that they didn't understand everything that goes on.
Put simply this is a work of cinematic genius, a modern classic that will set the benchmark for all films that follow. If Peter Jackson does not get Best Director for this film, and the film doesn't get the Best Film Oscar, then I shall never watch the Oscars or see them as a fair judge of what is good in cinema.
My only gripe (and it's directed at IMDB) is that their voting system doesn't allow you to vote 12/10 for this movie, because not only is it worthy of that sort of vote, but it deserves it too.
Signs (2002)
Breath-takingly beautiful film.
I saw this when it first came out at the cinema and was struck by how inteligent a film it was. I saw it again tonight on a pay-per-view channel, and I see it more clearly now. This film goes straight into my personal favourite top three films of all-time.
Basically it's about a family trying to come to terms with grief. They have lost their mother, and Mel Gibsons charactor has lost a wife he obviously loved deeply.
Whilst they are trying to get back to some sort of normality, they discover a huge crop circle in their backyard. Strange occurrances happen, and it turns out to be an alien invasion!
What makes this film unique is that the action revovles around this one family and how things effect them. Will the father figure be able to snap himself out of his grief to be able to look after his family, or will the aliens win?
All the charactors are fully fleshed out. We learn in flashbacks how the wife and mother died, and everyhting is observed in an inteligent manner. There aren't too many films about that say, "stuff it" let the audience work it out for themselves, they are clever enough! This film is a genuine golden nugget of a film.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Over hyped formulaic rubbish.
They used to make B movies once. This is a modern B movie. It is formulaic rubbish. Save your money and go see something decent. If you go to see this movie, you will be reminded of a whole host of better movies that it tries hard to emulate.
I had to endure this movie on a long plane flight. I never went to see it at the cinema. It did not lighten my frustration at not being allowed to smoke, in fact it made me more irritable and glad to get off the plane.
In short, this film stinks. The charactors aren't even 2 dimensional. I have trees in my back garden that are more rounded than the charactors in the film and whats more, it is more entertaining watching my trees grow.