beowulf158 Reviews

Dororo (2007)

This film is awesome.

[10/10 · 2 May 2010]

Dororo has a wonderful story and great acting. Unlike some people, I have the ability to enjoy a well written, well acted story and can easily forgive issues that I am sure budget constraints had a hand in.

I understand that there are some scenes that are beyond the budget, but in my opinion they were handled very well.

The protagonist and his companion were easy to like and understand. The story had some nice twist. The story was so well told that I had my Wife watch it and she hates this genre. Well she does not get it sometimes. She really loved the film! It is not too gory and as far as gravity defying stunts, well it is a fantasy tale and there really were not a lot of them. And they were no where near as physics defying as any of the Transporter films. This is a very good film.

Beyond the Call (2006)

Soldiers of the Light.

[10/10 · 25 January 2007]

I saw this film at Studio 620 via the Ironweedsfilm.com organization. The documentary covers three U.S. Veterans who have taken it upon themselves to help the poor and downtrodden in some of the most out of the way places on Earth. They fly to war torn 3rd World Nations and provide food, medicine, shelter and whatever else they can for people in need. This is a very important film for EVERYONE to see and experience. Three men in their 50's changing the World one village at a time. They seem to be doing more good than half of the governments that you can name.

The film is well put together and the dialog provided by the three men is priceless.

I'm not "religious" but these people are doing God's work. That is why I call them, "Soldiers of the Light." Ironically one of the things that they are against is providing aid with religion attached to it. They provide aid with NO strings attached. Great film, great story, great Men.

The Fountain (2006)

Profoundly moving & visually stunning!

[10/10 · 26 November 2006]

Profound. That would be the word I would use to describe "The Fountain." I believe that only 10% of the population will "get" this movie and that will be a shame. Somebody wrote that this movie was neither Sci-Fi nor a Love story and that is true. I think that the story was about acceptance, acceptance of Man's ultimate destiny or fate.

The film also reminded me of a quote from Chuang Tzu, "To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven." Hugh Jackman's character, Tom, has a real hard time letting go of things.

Hugh Jackman & Rachel Weisz deserve an Oscar for their performances, but Hollywood has a habit of not acknowledging works that are this deep with little box office draw. It is a pity that a lot of critics have a problem with anything not spoon fed to them a la Bruckheimer that is full of explosions and exposition.

"The Fountain" is a great movie, visually stunning and really not that tough to follow. And even though it was "Aronofsky Dark" it was also ultimately transcendent, quite unlike "Pi" or "Requiem for a Dream." After seeing Jackman's performance I was glad that Brad Pitt lost faith and bailed on the project because Hugh nailed it. This is one of those movies that must be possessed upon it's release on DVD, because it is a work of art and a great and meaningful story.

The Monkey's Paw (2003)

Short and to the point.

[8/10 · 5 February 2004]

I saw this short film at the "Saints & sinners" film festival in Saint Petersburg, FL and it stood out quite nicely. Production value was very good for a short film and all of the acting was first rate. It is a classic cautionary tale of, "be careful what you wish for" by W.W. Jacobs and it was well executed. The ending was a little abrupt though and could have used a bit more build up cinematically, but all in all a wonderful treatment of and old story.

Gideon (1998)

Excellent!

[10/10 · 31 December 2003]

I wonder how in this world of mediocrity, such a gem as `Gideon' can be overlooked? To say it had a stellar cast would be superfluous, the screen play was great and developed each of the characters to their utmost potential. It is a heart warming story without shamelessly tugging at your heart strings. If you have any regard for well thought out and well executed story telling, then you owe it to yourself to seek out this lost treasure.

The Quiet Earth (1985)

The Quiet Earth is a quiet gem of a movie.

[10/10 · 3 January 2003]

This is another foreign "sleeper" that should have been viewed by more people. What would you do if you were the last person on Earth? Follow Zac Hobson and find out. The music was incredible as was the storyline. Hopefully more people will head to the local video store and find what happens to the last man on Earth.

Cannery Row (1982)

This movie conveys the spirit of Steinbeck.

[10/10 · 13 August 2002]

This is a great movie! Everything about this movie was good from John Huston's superlative narration to the interaction between Nolte and Winger, the music and all points in between. Everybody loves the frog sequence, but my favorite was the exercise scene with Mack (Played by M. Emmet Walsh) and the boys. Steinbeck always focused on the human element and this film does nothing less. It is actually the combining of two of Steinbeck's books, `Cannery Row' and `Sweet Thursday' and while it does not follow them word for word, it is my opinion that it does convey the spirit of these works exactly. This is an excellent movie.