I went into this movie with a very open mind. I am not a Potter-head, but I am not totally ignorant either, I heard about a horcrux, I know who Dumbledore is ... and I like magical fantasy movies ... but I have not been that non-entertained in a long time. The characters all felt distant to me, could not relate, as if I had missed a prequel or something. Hence I ended up not caring about the convoluted plot that felt like the old Potter problem: too many things in one book trying to squeeze into one movie. I found myself checking for the run time of the movie in the middle to see when I can go. The CGI and set pieces were great eye candy, which is a total waste when the audience lost track or simply does not care anymore. The creature design felt very uninspired.
Reviews
7 Reviews
Prince and the Revolution LIVE!
(1985 Video)
This concert turned me into a Prince fan
22 November 2011
I can understand that some people might be underwhelmed by this watching it later, out of context. But at the time I saw it, it was broadcast live to Europe, which means it was like 4 AM and the whole atmosphere was just crazy. MJ was the first big black pop star to show up on the European scene and then suddenly there was Prince ... I did not like 'when doves cry' when it was played over and over again on the radio ...
But after watching this concert 'live' (on TV) in the wee hours of the morning ... I was turned ... since then I bought pretty much every record / CD / bootleg ... went to see him live 3 times on different continents ...
But ever since his internet experiment of releasing a 3 CD album just there .. it kinda fizzled out ... I like his old stuff ... and I'd love to see a great DVD of this concert (seems there is only VHS)
But after watching this concert 'live' (on TV) in the wee hours of the morning ... I was turned ... since then I bought pretty much every record / CD / bootleg ... went to see him live 3 times on different continents ...
But ever since his internet experiment of releasing a 3 CD album just there .. it kinda fizzled out ... I like his old stuff ... and I'd love to see a great DVD of this concert (seems there is only VHS)
Totally fantastic for the Golf Generation
11 January 2010
Thursday 17:10 .. if your mom made a dentist appointment at that time, you had all the reason to hate her, it was Wickie time !!!
I believe that for those who grew up like Bully in the early 70ies in Germany will be extremely pleased with this movie as I was. I have not watched the animated Wickie since I was a kid and I had no idea that there was a new version in the making until I saw it on the menu of an LH flight back from Tokyo .. talk about the odds as this was (according to wiki) the first cooperation of ZDF - ORF and some Japanese channel ... (and I am still talking about the animated show from 1972 -74)
As to the movie, it just triggered all the .. errr... triggers .. in me .. the production value was fantastic (as Bully had showcased before, good and careful use of FX is not Hollywood alone territory) ... the story is nothing to write home about ... but it works extremely well .. it kept me focused for the whole time and made me wish for more ... The characters were very well cast. The partial musical cues from the old TV show nearly brought me to tears.
Now, there might be a problem ... I have NO idea how today's kids might like this, or even young parents who grew up in the 80ies and for them Wickie was just one of many many offerings on the recently established cable channels ...
As much as I wish for a sequel, unless they shot one secretly back to back .. the kids playing Wickie and his GF will be too old to reprise the roles.
Overall ... A movie very well done, but I think it depends on what your former relation is with this little Vicking .. and how much you love it.
I believe that for those who grew up like Bully in the early 70ies in Germany will be extremely pleased with this movie as I was. I have not watched the animated Wickie since I was a kid and I had no idea that there was a new version in the making until I saw it on the menu of an LH flight back from Tokyo .. talk about the odds as this was (according to wiki) the first cooperation of ZDF - ORF and some Japanese channel ... (and I am still talking about the animated show from 1972 -74)
As to the movie, it just triggered all the .. errr... triggers .. in me .. the production value was fantastic (as Bully had showcased before, good and careful use of FX is not Hollywood alone territory) ... the story is nothing to write home about ... but it works extremely well .. it kept me focused for the whole time and made me wish for more ... The characters were very well cast. The partial musical cues from the old TV show nearly brought me to tears.
Now, there might be a problem ... I have NO idea how today's kids might like this, or even young parents who grew up in the 80ies and for them Wickie was just one of many many offerings on the recently established cable channels ...
As much as I wish for a sequel, unless they shot one secretly back to back .. the kids playing Wickie and his GF will be too old to reprise the roles.
Overall ... A movie very well done, but I think it depends on what your former relation is with this little Vicking .. and how much you love it.
The Touch
(2002)
ambitious, but ultimately a failure .. what a waste
11 June 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Over the last 2 days I managed to waste 103 minutes of my life watching The Touch, Michelle Yeoh's movie after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
While ambitious in many ways, it does not really succeed in any category:
spoilers ahead
-It tries hard to cater to both, western and asian audiences and fails miserably: The bad guy is your stereotypical blonde caucasian with some semi british accent, surrounded by dumb henchmen (mixed crowd) ... his motivations (going after some artifact) are never explained, though "immortality" is mentioned once
-the "love story" (to please the chick audience) is laughable and has no credibility. It is also an utter waste of time.
-the action is wanna-be up to date and totally destroyed in the final fight scene, which is, while setup quite nicely with lots of candles and fire, overshadowed by campy CGI effects, a set that looks just like a big soundstage, a totally wasted "sacrifice" (they let a cute female character we never even started to feel anything for die, last minute, no real reason, just so the audience can say "Awwwwwwww") and again, we just keep wondering WHY the characters are doing what they are doing ...
-Hmm. Nice landscape shots, always a good idea ... especially when you have
something as beautiful as the chinese desert .. looks a bit like a cheap version on Monument Valley :) Those shots are again totally wasted, don't do anything for story or setup .. and scream "it could have been better!
-Why there is this family of acrobats and what is their point is never really used / explained. Or why they take in that western kid, who just stole stuff. (Why is this kid there anyway?)
-The very set-up comedic moments make you squirm. Bad bad writing!
-Acting ... was anybody actually "acting" in this? Felt more like line-reading my martial artists ... then again, I doubt that movie was ever going for any Oscars.
Well .. i could go on .. but I already spent enough time on that chunk of doodoo ... just wanted to safe everybody else some time ...
While ambitious in many ways, it does not really succeed in any category:
spoilers ahead
-It tries hard to cater to both, western and asian audiences and fails miserably: The bad guy is your stereotypical blonde caucasian with some semi british accent, surrounded by dumb henchmen (mixed crowd) ... his motivations (going after some artifact) are never explained, though "immortality" is mentioned once
-the "love story" (to please the chick audience) is laughable and has no credibility. It is also an utter waste of time.
-the action is wanna-be up to date and totally destroyed in the final fight scene, which is, while setup quite nicely with lots of candles and fire, overshadowed by campy CGI effects, a set that looks just like a big soundstage, a totally wasted "sacrifice" (they let a cute female character we never even started to feel anything for die, last minute, no real reason, just so the audience can say "Awwwwwwww") and again, we just keep wondering WHY the characters are doing what they are doing ...
-Hmm. Nice landscape shots, always a good idea ... especially when you have
something as beautiful as the chinese desert .. looks a bit like a cheap version on Monument Valley :) Those shots are again totally wasted, don't do anything for story or setup .. and scream "it could have been better!
-Why there is this family of acrobats and what is their point is never really used / explained. Or why they take in that western kid, who just stole stuff. (Why is this kid there anyway?)
-The very set-up comedic moments make you squirm. Bad bad writing!
-Acting ... was anybody actually "acting" in this? Felt more like line-reading my martial artists ... then again, I doubt that movie was ever going for any Oscars.
Well .. i could go on .. but I already spent enough time on that chunk of doodoo ... just wanted to safe everybody else some time ...
surprisingly entertaining
9 July 2002
I had a chance of getting a pre glimpse of this movie.
I have never watched the show and from what I heard so far I feared that I would waste my time ... but surprise .. I had an entertaining 90 or so minutes ... sure .. nothing really goes on ... but somehow it was more fun to watch that M2B 6 out of 10
I have never watched the show and from what I heard so far I feared that I would waste my time ... but surprise .. I had an entertaining 90 or so minutes ... sure .. nothing really goes on ... but somehow it was more fun to watch that M2B 6 out of 10
Müllers Büro
(1986)
German Language Rocky Horror Show ??
3 April 2002
This thing is SO much fun ! It takes on all film noir clichés and does so very well ... I needed to use my old PAL vhs and burn my own DVD of it ... for american minds in is incredible that this was on prime time TV (public, not cable) in germany .. it has quite an explicit love scene where the main star goes down on the leading lady (while she keeps singing .. this scene is hillarious) One of the few movies that will never see DVD exposure .. but really should .. and yes .. the 3rd act is a bit sucky !
Scary Movie
(2000)
Most entertaining 2000 movie so far ...
9 July 2000
.. i have not seen many movies this year .. Gladiator, Perfect Storm .. all that stuff that I had high hopes for but they could not fulfil it ... so .. no i went to see that spoof of a genre that i actually did not follow to close .. i eventually ended up seeing some of these slasher flicks on HBO, the plane, whatnot ... so .. combine that with mixed reviews ... but after all i can just say .. I laughed the whole time !!! .. i even laughed about fart jokes (something i still hate Mel Brooks about) .. this movie will have a strong "i hate" or "i love" fellowship .. i just know that besides being a spoof .. it has its own story line .. and it is not just hopping from joke to joke .. what some other reviewer said about the repetition about the being gay joke.. well .. that is called a "running gag" .. and it actually leads to a focal plot point later !!! i just got very very well entertained .. and if you liked the ZAZ airplane humor .. and you did cringe when austin powers drank fast bastards poopoo .. then you are at the right movie !!! .. i put it right now on my DVD wishlist for xmas
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