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kaiserjohnson
Reviews
Fragile (2009)
Cool
This is really cool. A scary movie starring kids, shot from the perspective of kids, but without being awful, sadistic, and horrendous like Pet Semetary and Omen. I hate scary movies involving kids, but this breaks the mold and is actually, well... enjoyable.
Also, the kids are great. No over-the-top, "I'm a creepy kid" stuff here. Just two, great, honest kids, which makes the scary stuff hit harder. The little girl is especially good.
Like the other Vaughn Juares / Joe Schneider collaborations I've seen, it's beautifully and creatively shot, and hits right where it needs to.
Nice.
Blowing Bubbles (2010)
Funny... heartwarming?
This is what a short film should be. Or at least a short short film. I mean, yes, Six-Shooter is good, but it's a half an hour. With a title that sounds, frankly, pedestrian and uninteresting, one might not expect the launching pad it provides for a truly hilarious film.
The best thing about this is how deadly serious all the actors play into the film. The pathos of the clown, the deep-seated anxiety of the ringmaster, and the sincerity of all the performers as they seek to save the show. The differences that separate this film and "The Butterfly Circus" are small if you think about it... but the payoff is ridiculous (no offense to the Butterfly Circus, it's just a different kind of movie).
Anyway, good performances, great style, all around, a fun film worth anyone's four minutes and three seconds!
Lie (2009)
Wow... history, huh?
So I watched this movie as part of a film festival centered on 1968... wow, shows what I know about history. This really is a fascinating piece of film, and not only because the story is fascinating (and I don't think most people know it), but because of how this is made. I'd love to see a feature about this, because while we get a lot of stuff in flashbacks and voice-over, I'd like to understand Dennis Wilson better... I never knew much about him, except that he drowned.
The acting is solid, the story intriguing, and the film just looks really cool; good stuff. My only criticism would be that it felt like it lent itself to a longer film. If not a feature, at least a half- hour or something... but that's good, right? Left me wanting more!
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Boom Baby!
I was skeptical of this movie for a long time before seeing it. I found it interesting how Disney came out with a movie starring an ancient mesoamerican society at the same time that Dreamworks was scoring big with "The Road to El Dorado" which is about the Aztecs. I also found it interesting how the animation style was not typical Disney, but matched closer the style used by Dreamworks. Very interesting. Full-length animated movie politics aside, however, I loved the movie. It was really nothing like the Road to El Dorado. I can't really think of a reason why Disney used the Incas as the characters in their movie (except that Dreamworks had used Aztecs) other than they needed an almost omnipotent emperor, and they thought they could use an Incan one. I found this movie one of the funniest and most enjoyable I've ever seen. The dialogue was excellent, and the humor so much quicker and better than is par for Disney, that it had me in stitches. The cleverness was amazing and doesn't disappoint. An all around terrific movie.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Great movie, but it's not the book
I saw this movie a week after it opened, and thought that it was quite possibly the best movie I'd ever seen. I felt this way for two reasons, one, I hadn't read the book. Two, I hadn't payed much attention to the hype. When I went to see Harry Potter, I had read all the books, and followed the news of the project's development carefully. After seeing the movie, I thought it didn't keep to the book well enough, and so, even though it was an excellent movie, I was disappointed. When I saw Lord of the Rings, I enjoyed it immensely and I have since started reading the book. The movie is significantly different, but I think it captures well the feeling of the book. It also does a better job at conveying a subtle terror that the book merely hinted at. I went in to the movie without any expectations and came out thinking that it is a crime if it doesn't win Best Picture. The acting was amazing, the casting perfect, and the story well-told. So whether it follows the book exactly isn't important, watch it as a movie unto itself, not as a movie made from the book.
The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
Excellent!
This was a terrific movie. Edward G. Robinson was incredibly convincing as Jones and Mannion. Jean Arthur was excellent as Wilhemina Clark. Incredible cast, great suspense, seamless special effects, an all-around classic movie!