Tag Archive for 'Movie Review'

“Stardust” Review

Published
by
Todd
on Tuesday, September 4, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 2 Comments

Stardust posterThis weekend, Hayley and I saw “Stardust,” a fantasy that follows Tristan’s journey to become a man by winning the heart of his true love. Here’s my review. (I’m using the “Ramsey Movie Criteria.”)

Content
Stardust provides us with a wonderful, new fairy tale. The protagonist, Tristan, promises the girl he is courting that he will retrieve a fallen star in return for her hand in marriage. But Tristan isn’t the only one after the star. A witch and a wicked prince are also after it for their own nefarious purposes.

The story is engaging and satisfying, if not particularly surprising. Things play out pretty much the way you expect them to, but this is hardly a slander against the film. It is, after all, intended to be a fairy tale and it executes this purpose magnificently.

Speaking of “executing” there was a bit of violence in this film, but most of it was standard fare for movies of this type. Most of the violence was implied, not shown. That said, it might be a little disturbing for younger viewers.

The movie is rated PG-13 due to fantasy violence and some risqué dialog.

Performance
I thought the actors’ performances were spot-on from the sweet, but timid Tristan to the frighteningly powerful and evil Lamia, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, who, of course, did an absolutely stunning job (how do you like the number of commas in that sentence?). Ricky Gervais was almost the highlight of the film for me, bringing his hilarious delivery to an entirely too-short scene. Movie producers, we want more Ricky!

Artistic Value
The film was beautiful with exceptional special effects, perfect costumes and nice camera work. The score was slightly forgettable, but inoffensive.

Outcome
Hayley and I both enjoyed this movie immensely. The ending is satisfying and leaves you feeling uplifted and happy to be in love. This film will likely be purchased by the Ramsey household upon its DVD release.

Rating:

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

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Have you seen this flick? What did you think?
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“Becoming Jane” Review

Published
by
Todd
on Monday, August 13, 2007
in Uncategorized
. 4 Comments

Becoming Jane PosterThis weekend, Hayley and I saw “Becoming Jane,” a fictional story about a suspected romance between Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy - a romance which, it has been suggested, inspired the famous Mr. Darcy. Here’s my review. (I’m using the “Ramsey Movie Criteria.”)

Content
The story was fairly basic - an intelligent Austen meets an equally intelligent and arrogant LeFroy and, after some sparring, a romance blossoms. It is never quite clear exactly why Austen likes LeFroy, as the progression between tension and affection was immediate. If one is aware of Austen’s life story, the movie will play out unsurprisingly - for those that are unaware, there may be an interesting twist.

The movie was fiction, but it was interesting the way they provided glimpses into Austen’s inspiration for her novels. You saw glimpses of her characters’ mothers in her own; the inappropriate behavior of 15-year-old Lucy paralleled perfectly with Kitty from Pride and Prejudice; and, most obviously, the burgeoning relationship between herself and LeFroy as the foundation for Pride and Prejudice’s major romance.

The movie is rated PG. There was (very) brief (male butt) nudity, minor foul language and a little violence (a couple scenes of boxing).

Performance
Anne Hathaway (Austen) didn’t get on my nerves even once - which is saying something. She did a fine job with the accent. James McAvoy (LeFroy) - the main character from Last King of Scotland - shows his acting ability once again - although, he plays a similarly slimy/charming character.

Artistic Value
I don’t really remember being offended or wowed by the visual presentation of the film. The soundtrack was nice - a fairly basic classical affair. No song jumped out at me as a “must download.”

Outcome
Hayley and I arrived at different outcomes from this movie (big shock!). She enjoyed the film, but isn’t anxious to buy it on DVD and watch it again. I, however, didn’t enjoy the movie quite as much as she. There were some small bits of humor that made me chuckle, but I lost interest fairly quickly. I’m not a romance-movie-hater — in fact, I even enjoy Pride and Prejudice — so I believe this was a pretty weak movie. I will say that it made Hayley happy that we went, so I’m not upset that we saw it.

Rating:

I give this movie 2 out of 5 historical fiction novels.

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