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davesgotacat
Reviews
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008)
Excellent show, we want more!
I have always been a big fan of the films and was delighted to hear about the TV adaptation, I thought if it was done well it would be great but I didn't expect (or hope) it would be this good.
I considered that Lena Headey was an odd choice for the role of Sarah Connor although after seeing her other work I had no doubt she could pull it off. As good (and iconic) as Linda Hamilton was in her movie (albeit mostly in Terminator 2) Lena has made this character her own and excels in showing Sarah's strengths and vulnerabilities. The rest of the cast is excellent too, I liked Summer Glau's performance in Firefly were she played a character with all of her emotions on show to now playing a terminator with nothing showing, a nice switch for her and superbly done.
I was surprised by some of the vitriol raised by fans of the films. The three movies always left me wanting more and now we are getting it. The writing is very good, they are doing some intelligent story lines with the terminators.
This is on my must-buy on DVD list, cannot wait for that to come out.
More please!
Orlando (1992)
My desert island film
I was totally mesmerised by Orlando. The cinematography, the script, the performances and the sets are all excellent. This could have been a difficult adaptation to undertake, but Sally Potter has captured the transition of the novel perfectly. Tilda Swinton is very hypnotic in her portrayal of the title character, I adored the moments when she turned to camera and would address me personally (that's how it feels). Orlando is clearly my favourite, my desert island film. Now it's out on dvd in the UK I am watching it endlessly, my vhs version eventually wore out!
Planet of the Apes (2001)
What happened to Tim Burton?
This is a bit of a first for me, the first time I have ever been disappointed in a Tim Burton film. POTA isn't a bad film (great sets, costumes and the odd great performance) but it could have been made by any off-the-shelf hollywood director. The pacing was very odd, the last third was just spent waiting for the film to end, by myself and the cast. Tim Roth was excellent, probably the only pleasure in the film. Come back Tim.
Xchange (2001)
One of the best films I have seen for a while
This was another of those films you catch when channel hopping the movie channels, normally I just catch the start of many films and get very quickly bored and move on, not this time. It created a whole new (scary) world that was very clean and very techno. Our hero was very competently played by Kim Coates with whom I was not very familiar with, as the film moved on (without giving too much away it's about the transfer of conciousness from one body to another) the lead was played by a succession of characters, Kim Coates for the introduction part, Kyle MacLachlan for the 'what's happening to me' bit and finally Stephen Baldwin for the action role. Each one bringing just what was needed to pull off the role. I highly recommend this film. My congrats and thanks to all those involved.
Millennium Man (1999)
Move over Plan 9 from Outer Space!
What an absolute waste of time. Films this bad can only be done on purpose. I can understand a film crew being so close to a project that they can't see if it's a turkey but Millennium Man was so bad it must of been obvious even in pre-production. The wobbly camera, fast editing and silly colour filters make watching this even more of a challenge. Do not plan to see this film, do ANYTHING else instead.
The Disciples (1999)
The biggest turkey of a film in ages
Some films are so badly made they are watchable purely for the cringe factor. Disciples made me cringe so much it was uncomfortable. I watched it all disbelieving what I was watching, wasn't anyone aware how bad this was whilst they were filming? Mix the most hammed performances from the most wooden actors, an abysmal script were every comment from all of the 'actors' sounded like it came from the same character and the most hurried editing that tried (and failed bigtime) to give the film a forced pace. All these combined into a film that will rob you of a few hours of your life and give nothing in return. Avoid at EVERY cost.
U.F.O. Abduction (1989)
Very, very scary.
Now I know where the producers of (IMHO the vastly inferior) Blair Witch Project could have got the idea of a domestic video film from. This was one hell of an intense fly on the wall movie. Many of the scenes comprised of one long take. Spoilt only by the fact I recognised a few of the actors and some had obviously had drama training. Despite these I gave this film a 10. Very few films can hold my attention at the edge of my seat like this one.
Reach the Rock (1998)
One of the best films I have seen for a while
I was channel hoping when I caught the start of this film but it was one of those gems that really had me hooked. Everything was superb, from the performances, script, editing etc. It lets you into the lives of the people concerned in a most enlightening, thought provoking way. I believe the true measure of a film is how it leaves you and how it remains with you. Again this is a gem, catch it if you can.