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Yin-Co
Reviews
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
The most unfairly trashed movie since "Daredevil"
I don't know why critics are being so hard on this movie. While there's nothing extraordinary about it, that didn't stop me from enjoying it. It's a fun, action-adventure movie with solid characterizations. Everything is pretty straightforward about it (except for a few things that actually, caught me by surprise, mostly because of all the fake rumors out there) - the character motivations, the plot, etc. I'm sick of critics bashing something just because they seem to be the only ones that don't "get it." I doubt they've even read the original story it's based on.
As for the comic book fans, despite all the differences, there's actually quite a few things they stayed true to.
Daredevil (2003)
Give this film a chance
"Daredevil" is different from any other superhero movie I've ever seen, and I've seen just about all of them. It's trying to tell a different type of story, it takes a lot of chances by making changes from the source material, and it really does stand out as being different. It's biggest flaw is that it tries to be something different than what people think it should be. The script is strong and very realistic - almost everyone talks like real people - and the acting is very good: the actors are all talking TO each other instead of just AT each other, or merely saying lines.
This is definitely a worthy film that stands out from any other film in this genre, and that should be considered a strength, not a weakness.
Birds of Prey (2002)
Lots of potential, poor execution
This show could have been so much better than it was, but bad scripts, weak dialogue, cardboard characterizations, and stiff acting turned me off very quickly. This show deserved to be cancelled if they weren't gonna put any serious effort into it.
Highlander: Endgame (2000)
A worthy successor to the original
I walked into "Highlander: Endgame" expecting nothing more than an action movie with some neat swordfights and cool special effects. Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed the first movie and I'm a die-hard fan of the TV series. It's just that I wasn't expecting too much from the current film, based on how bad the last two were.
I was wrong.
This is "Highlander" at its best. It gives us great performances (kudos to Bruce Payne for being an actually sinsiter villain, unlike his corny predecesors), excellent sword-fighting and martial arts sequences, a good, solid story, and a genuine, intelligent look at the trials and tribulations that the Immortals of "Highlander" must endure. It can trigger genuine sorrow and character sympathy at times. The plot takes a while to figure out, but that keeps you hooked as the story unravels.
It wasn't flawless, however. The supporting cast wasn't used enough. I would have liked to have seen more of Peter Wingfield, Jim Byrnes, and Donnie Yen (this is my first Donnie Yen movie). The movie got a bit choppy at times, and some scenes could have had more work put into them. And people unfamiliar with the history of "Highlander" may be confused, despite the brief explanations throughout the movie.
Still, it was an excellent movie, and truly worthy to carry the name "Highlander." I give it an A minus. Congratulations, guys, on a job well done!
King of the Rocket Men (1949)
A decent serial, but nothing great
"King of the Rocketmen" (which would become the inspiration for "The Rocketeer") was an average serial, with decent special effects being its only strong point, and a good performance by Tristram Coffin. My biggest problem with it is that it seems to be a remake of the "Captain Marvel" serial (one member of a group of scientists is really the evil mastermind after a certain destructive prize. However, I can't tell one from another, and I don't know who ANY of them are, so I can't be shocked or surprised when I find out who Dr. Vulcan is). The dialogue is REALLY lame (for a serial), the fights are static (Coffin's hat NEVER comes off in a fight scene!), and the Rocketman suit is hilariously lame! The ending is pretty exciting though, and it's one of the very few times the hero gets into a fistfight with the mastermind himself. If you REALLY like serials (or like serials that are so bad they're good), give it a shot.
I give this serial C-.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
One of the best of the Bond series!
I've seen all the Bond movies (except for "View to a Kill", and including "Casino Royale" and "Never Say Never Again"), and I feel that this one is one of the best. Strong performances, a classic Bond formula, a not-so-indestructible Bond actually showing emotion-even YELLING (something I don't think Bond's ever done in any other movie), a villain with a Bondian gimmick (but not a cliche, two-domensional mastermind), plus two of the most beautiful women in the Bond saga (Denise Richards and Sophie Marceau-WOW!)!! This is Bond at it's best, and deserves to stand side-by-side with "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" as classic Bond movies!