| FILM REVIEWS 2002... |
| Basically, my reviews of this year's films that I've seen... If there's a film here which you've seen this year that isn't here already, feel free to send me your review :) |
| MONSTERS INC. (U) Fabtastic Disney/ Pixar collaboration sees 'scary', huggable metropolis of fluff, Sulley (John Goodman), and his charming one-eyed sidekick Mike (Billy Crystal) on a struggle to return 'toxic' human kiddie, Boo, back to her room. Amidst the hilarity and wide-eyed innocence, 'Monsters Inc.' holds the moral that the power of laughter is far greater than the power of fear. Visually stunning- just check out Sulley's fur! |
| OCEAN'S 11 (12) As you all myst know by now, a re-make of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin's 1960 classic, 'Rat Pack'. This time directed by Steve Soderberg and starring Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and George Clooney, to name but a few Hollywood darlings, once more tells the tale of a Las Vegas casino heist. Punctuated by amusing dialogue, the constant action and the 'will they, won't they' tension keeps the heart pumping right until the fantastic 'twist' at the end. Cool cast, cool film. Just don't mention Don Cheadle's accent(s)... |
| ICE AGE (U) Freezing cold computer animated cuteness with the vocal talents of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary. Oh, and Goran 'Dr Kovac' Visnjic. A heartwarming story of Manny (the Mammoth) and Sid (the Sloth) being left behind as the Ice Age approaches, uniting them. In their 'wander' they discover baby Roshan and attempt to return him to his family. The added company of Diego the sabre-tooth tiger adds tension and the hilarious consequences of Scrat (squirell/rat thing) complete this beautiful tale of team work, loss and friendship. |
| JUST VISITING (15) A 'kind of re-make' of 'Les Visiteurs' sees the original duo of Jean Reno and Christian Clavier re-enact their jump through time (ie C11th to C21st) - this time in English! The exact reason why they are taken from the C11th is a little different (to go back in time to prevent a death, rather than the plague), as is where they end up, but many of the funny things from the original (attacking the car, the horn down the telephone...) are still there, just modernised or adapted to the new-ish plot. Hugely underrated. |
| BLADE II (18) The Daywalker (Wesley Snipes) is back to kick some scary vampire ass, aided by old buddy Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), and his techy, Scud (Norman Reedus). This time Blade's nemisis is dodgy 80's starlet Luke Goss as Nomak: the leader of the Reapers (a new deadly breed of vampire... check out their feeding mouthes! *Shudder*). Helped (or is he?) by The Bloodpack -vampire ninjas- Blade sets out to put the unrestful world to its rights. Amazing effects entertain those with even the most hard-to-please imaginations. There's a *bit* of gore, mind... |
| QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (15) In all, a dull 'adaptation' of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles novels. To cut a long laborious 'plot' short, vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend) gets bored of being alone and gets out of his coffin to become a rock star. His exploitation of his vampire self breaks the vampire code of silence and therefore awakens Queen Akasha (the late Aaliyah). Completely OTT, long winded, confusing, plot-less, pants and generally nothing much to do with the Queen of the Damned. So unless you're a Stuart Townsend (*drool*) or KoRn fan (watch out for Jonathan Davis' cameo) I really wouldn't recommend this... |
| STAR WARS- EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES (PG) ... semi plot spoiler! So here it is, a review of one of this year's most highly anticipated films. And is it worthy of the hype? It most certainly is. Set 10 years after 'Episode 1- The Phantom Menace' we are re-united with mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Padawan, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who are sent to protect Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) as the Republic threatens to divide. As the inevitable romance between Ani and Padme unfolds (despite taking forever to progress) and the former's descent into villanity begins, Obi-Wan discovers a secret Clone Army. There are a lot of technical mistakes in this film (lighting, shadows...) and sometimes too many jokes milked out of one situation (CP30 and his head...) but 'AOTC' is undeniably a major improvement, plot and action-wise on 'The Phantom Menace'... see Yoda (Frank Oz) tackle Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) with a lightsabre and the Jedi vs. Droids battle, not to mention Obi-Wan and later, Mace Windu (Samuel L Jackson), against Jango Fett (yes, Boba's dad! -Temuera Morrisson). And there's less Jar Jar. But don't just sit there and read this (spoiler!) review, check it out for yourself! |