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Reviews
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Uneven Movie with Good Acting and Weak Writing
So, Liam Neeson never acknowledged Orlando Bloom as his son and twenty minutes into the film they have a tight bond? After five minutes of training, Orlando Bloom can defeat other men with years of experience and be incredibly knowledgeable about warfare? Sorry, folks, I ain't buying.
Religion and history aside, this story just doesn't fit. There are several oversights in both the plot and the details in this movie. Some are major and some are small, but they all contribute to making this movie a disappointment.
It's too bad that Orlando Bloom's best acting job comes from a movie such as this. Had the writing and directing been better, this would have been an awesome movie. Bloom carried the lead role well; at least now I know he can handle being a lead.
If you have a desire to see this movie, make it a rental. It's cheaper that way.
Port Charles (1997)
Wonderful Soap Opera *possible spoilers, if you haven't seen the show*
Before I ever saw an episode of this show, I thought it was dumb that they were doing supernatural things, especially having a vampire on the show. But a friend convinced me to watch it and boy was I hooked. Even through all the supernatural things they did, it was the classic elements that made the show so good. Wonderful acting, although they wasted their best talent (which most soaps do actually) in Nolan North as Chris Ramsey; strong ties of human relationships (including a heavy importance of family and friends, which isn't really seen often on soaps but adds so much). If ever a soap did supernatural the right way, it was this show.
The later arcs got a little tired but their "classic" time, being the arcs of Tainted Love, Tempted, and Miracles Happen, kick butt. Kudos to ALL the actors in these three arcs; they made this show what it was.
The last arc was promising though, and rumors had it that the next planned arc would have shown more of the Ramsey brothers together, which I always ached to see more of. I love familial relationships, especially between siblings, and tire of seeing soaps use the dead plot of ruining family relationships over love. That's why I was happy to see Chris and Jack's relationship do just the opposite. It's things like this that made me love the show so much and value so much the tapes I have of this show.
I just want to say one more thing about the acting: what a superb ensemble cast. All the actors had chemistry with each other. No matter who was on; be it Chris and Jack, Kevin and Lucy, Ian and Eve, Frank and Karen... even people who didn't have a whole lot of scenes together (Jack and Eve or Chris and Alison), they still worked together beautifully. That is why Tainted Love and Tempted were so successful: these arcs demanded that of the actors.
What a shame that Port Charles is gone and Passions is still on the air.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Great movie!
I enjoyed this movie much better than the first two Harry Potter movies. I will have to completely disagree with the people who said that if you have read and loved the books, this movie will disappoint you. I am huge fan of the books, and The Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book in the series.
Anyone who goes to a movie based on a book KNOWS that it's going to be different. No one should have been surprised by that. Even the first two movies changed things. The problem with the first two movies was that they tried to do so much (yes, including Quidditch) that didn't have all that much to do with the actual plot of the book that the movie went too fast and felt too condensed. They tried to do too much for their alloted time.
POA was much more focused, and yes they changed a few things around plot-wise that did catch me off-guard but it was done well. The visual effects are amazing in this movie, much better than in the first two. The three main actors are all much improved in this movie, kudos to them. I would have liked to see Maggie Smith in the movie more, but overall this movie is very very enjoyable. It does, however, require more of an open-mind than going in expecting it to be exactly the same as the book.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Excellent!
This movie is excellent. One of the few historical fiction movies that can't be criticized for historical inaccuracy. It shows how sailors of the British navy lived at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany were perfect in their roles as Jack and Stephen; they both had their characters down great, and they excellently captured the friendship between Jack and Stephen from the books. I highly recommend seeing this movie, and then reading the books. Don't watch this movie as an epic, watch it for the characters, or else you'll miss what makes this movie so great! If you haven't seen it make sure you see it when it comes out on DVD!