paul-bissette Reviews

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Harry comes of age

[9/10 · 23 November 2005]

Like many others who have left their comments here, I feel this is the best Harry Potter treatment to date.

Although fantastic to an HP fan, I suspect that anyone NOT familiar with the HP world may find it confusing. It does jump around quite a bit and (I suspect) we are encouraged to fill in the gaps from our knowledge of the books.

OK. With that (very) small gripe out of the way I can only say what I brilliant job all have done with this movie. The methods used to show the beginning of Ron's feelings for Hermione were great (of course we can thank the source material here, JK wrote it that way). Also Hermione looked pretty fab too - Emma Watson really is starting to grow up all at once.

Special effects? Yep they were there but not once did I feel like saying 'wow, what a great effect'. Basically all the effects were in the right place and only served to enhance the movie proper.

Yes, the film was long (2.5 hours) but then consider that the book was 3/4 the length of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and that it took Peter Jackson 3 movies to cover that ground (leaving out a similar amount to that left out of Goblet of Fire in the bargain) and I think you'll see why I rate this the best HP yet.

If you haven't seen it, then do so.

If you haven't seen the others, then where have you been???? If you haven't read the books then do so (although Order of the Phoenix was very long and dragged a bit in places compared to the rest).

Everyone loves HP (it seems) and the reason is obvious - Everything about HP and the HP universe smacks of magic!

Unleashed (2005)

Jet Li demonstrates he's not a one-trick pony

[9/10 · 16 August 2005]

Jet Li shows here just why he is the No 1 action star at the moment. Here he is up against some of the world's finest actors (Bob Hoskins, who plays menace so well for someone of his stature, and Morgan Freeman - possibly the finest living actor on the planet) and holds his own. He shows that not only is he the premier screen martial artist, but that he can also act. He has a very natural style immerses himself in the role he is playing.

Some of the action set-pieces are monumental and having recently watched a documentary about the Shaolin, I managed to 'spot' a number of moves used during their training sessions, no surprise there as Jet came from a Shaolin Temple (well, according to this documentary!) From the pen of Luc Besson, this could be nothing more than a modern masterpiece.

I am really looking forward to Jet's next outing - let's hope it's not a rom-com!

Fist of Legend (1994)

A Great Remake of a Gung-Fu Classic

[16 August 2005]

I just wanted to add my three-pennworth...

This movie appears to be a remake of the classic Bruce Lee movie called 'The Chines Connection' in the USA. Apart from being the 'natural' successor to Bruce, Jet Li has also paid Bruce the respect of lifting the international title of Bruce's movie en-masse. The movie was called 'Fist of Fury' both here in England as well as internationally and I believe the 'Chinese Connection' title was only used for the US release. I think that the movie called 'The Big Boss' - Bruce's first real release, was called 'Fist of Fury' in the USA hence the name change here.

Anyway, no need for me to review the movie in light of all the comments here except to say, that Jet Li truly is a great screen fighter and the choreography here is second to none. Wire work? Probably but then, who cares if the results are as good as they are here.

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)

A new take on an age old tale

[7/10 · 1 August 2005]

I am looking back on this movie with rose-tinted spectacles. I saw it when it first came out at the movies and it was quite risqué at the time. Nowadays, the levels of nudity and prurience would probably be laughable but I do remember feeling a stirring in my loins at the scene where Dr Jekyll realises he is now a woman and the first thing he does is have a good gander. Probably exactly what I'd have done at the time! Plot-wise it's pretty much the straight Jekyll/Hyde story and apart from the twist of changing sex very little is different.

Good performances from Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick who in my opinion didn't get the roles she deserved as she was very much Hammer's leading lady and not a mainstream actress. Very much in the mould of a dark haired version of Ingrid Pitt.

Oh well, I guess a DVD version of this will be available soon if not now and I will watch with relish. However, be warned, I recently bought a DVD of Vampire Lovers and was totally disappointed - obviously my memory of this other movie was tinged with nostalgia for a more innocent time.

At any rate, a movie to be enjoyed when placed into the context of it being made in the early 70's, Hammer were not making a lot of money and were trying to bring a little sex into their horror movies.

Shogun (1980)

A forgotten Epic masterpiece

[10/10 · 22 April 2004]

I read this book so many years ago I dread to think. I watched the series on TV when it first released here in the UK and was completely blown away by it. A few years later I noticed a video in the video library and hired it. I was disappointed in that because it had be condensed into a mere 125 it was almost unwatchable, but for fans there were a few changed sequences, not least a full frontal view of Lady Mariko Buntaro (Yoko Shimada) that didn't go amiss.

I bought this DVD when it was recently released and its as fresh today as it was then. A few things grate, the large TV type titles showing locations (OK it was made for TV), the fact that we cannot hope to learn Japanese in only 10 hours (although the major plot lines are narrated by Orson Welles) and so miss much of the political intrique set out in the book and of course Maurice Jarre's music now seems to be a little out of place in such an oriental setting.

Take it from me, these are small criticisms of a piece of work that has well stood the test of time. If you have 10 hours to spare, or chunks of it at a time, it is very much worth watching. You won't be disappointed. The only way it could have been better in the DVD version would be to combine some of the scenes from the 125min video version and to subtitle the Japanese. Mel Gibson has proven that we are adult enough to sit through a movie of subtitles if we are motivated enough and with this we would be.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)

Rodriguez serves up a mess...

[9 March 2004]

I am a fan of Robert Rodriguez's previous offerings of El Mariachi and the wonderful Desperado. Here he once more returns to the same character as portrayed in the two earlier outings but this time seems to miss the mark by a country mile. Although the first two movies were simple 'revenge' films which served to give the shoot-outs their purpose; this movie tries to embellish this idea with a few sub-plots which frankly just don't work. I was bored throughout and even though he returns with his trademark comic-book violence, this time round it just seemed to be one big yawn-fest.

I had no interest in any of the characters, I am madly in love with Salma Hayek but frankly here I could care less about her character. Banderas does fill the screen when on but sadly, it just isn't enough to lift this movie above more than mere average.

Sorry Robert, if a bigger budget means we have to suffer this, then please go back to the low budget movies that made your name, in those you were brilliant; here, merely less than average.