Big Huge Doug Reviews

A Fish Tale (2000)

High Violence Content for G rating

[6/10 · 2 March 2008]

While I thought many aspects of the movie were OK, I was a little disturbed by the large amount of blood and death portrayed throughout the movie. It's fairly unusual as far as I can remember to see a main character suffer so graphically in a G rated film. I won't warn people away from it, but I wouldn't recommend it for younger children or those who are sensitive or scare easily. The songs are generally good, but if you're used to the Pixar trend of no singing, you may find it a little jarring. Alan Rickman does a lovely voice-over, but it was so soft at times I had a bit of a hard time hearing it. Other voices ranged from decent to non-offensive -- there were no other real standouts, although the little girl doing Stella was awfully cute. Overall I only give this a six because compared to many other fine children's animated tales, it really has very little to put it above any of the others.

Match Point (2005)

An OK movie, but derivative and clichéd

[4/10 · 27 January 2006]

Perhaps if this movie hadn't been hyped so greatly I would have enjoyed it more. Or perhaps if it hadn't been made by Woody Allen, one of my favorite directors and director of Crimes and Misdemeanors, I would have enjoyed it more. And perhaps if I hadn't just recently seen an episode of "Monk" in which an almost identical plot is enacted (with slightly different results), I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, with Brian Cox and Scarlett Johannsen, two actors I enjoy immensely, and my favorite director, and tremendous reviews, I had very high hopes. They were dashed.

The movie starts well but all in all it is a rehash of Crimes with younger people, and very derivative of today's crop of mystery and forensic TV shows. In fact, having been primed by the likes of CSI to believe that police are godlike in their ability to detect things like the pregnancy of a cadaver, the ineptitude of the police in this movie is a little jarring.

All in all, not up to my expectations. I think The Talented Mr. Ripley is a far better movie about essentially the same thing. And Crimes and Misdemeanors is a more believable Woody Allen movie about essentially the same thing.

King Kong (2005)

Not a perfect movie, but a movie with some aspects that are perfect.

[8/10 · 28 December 2005]

I don't think this movie is perfect, but in many ways it comes very close. On the down side, I do think it was too long. There were many scenes I could imagine being shorter by 30 or so seconds without losing any effectiveness, and one or two scenes I could have done without. That would have brought the running time down by about 10 minutes. There were a few lines, a few plot issues, and a few bits of acting that were below stellar. Finally, there were a few technical goofs in the CGI--obvious green-screens, or poorly done physics.

That said, the rest of the movie--the other 2 1/2 hours that don't contain any of the nits I am picking above--are a masterwork. For starters, every moment of Kong is pitch perfect. The CGI is masterful and the movement is sublime. Kong's eyes express more than some of the other actors! And to say again, although there were other moments of below-grade animation, every bit that has to do with Kong was absolutely believable and incredible.

And Jackson is without a doubt a masterful director. The score was magnificent, the cinematography was beautiful, the performances were all good and in sync with one another. All in all, a fine example of the craft of movie-making.

I don't give the movie a perfect 10, and not even a 9--I would have liked a tighter plot and a little more pulse-pounding for that. But I do give it an 8.5 and still feel that that is high praise. A movie absolutely worth seeing by practically any kind of moviegoer, and an absolute must for aficionados of special effects.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Disappointing entry after the blazing success of Azkaban

[4/10 · 29 November 2005]

Maybe it was just my high expectations after enjoying Prisoner of Azkaban so greatly, but my wife and I were both disappointed by Goblet. The plot seemed to be something of a rehash of Azkaban, Harry wasn't much of a hero (people did things For him and To him, but he didn't do a whole lot to prove what a great guy he was), lots of plot threads were included that didn't seem to be needed (we haven't read the books, but it's painfully obvious when something was included "just because it was in the book"), and there wasn't enough teen angst, which was by far the best part of the movie. Less of trite snoopy reporters! More wistful puppy love! Also, there seemed to be a LOT of logic flaws--many things happen that don't make sense or don't go anywhere. Maybe they're explained in the book (in fact it seems quite likely). Maybe they'll be explained next movie. It's pretty annoying to have to wait two years, if that's the case.

The special effects were nice, but all in all it was a letdown.

A History of Violence (2005)

Not what the reviewers promised

[4/10 · 27 October 2005]

My wife and I were severely disappointed in this movie. It's workmanlike enough, but not a particularly fine piece of film-making. Mostly, though, our disappointment stems from the fact that the hype was very different from the reality. It's a fine movie until about two thirds of the way through; then things take a slightly unexpected turn and the entire promise of the first part seems to vanish. All the plot threads involving the son, for instance, vanish completely, never to return. In the final third, the movie devolves into something very mundane. It doesn't have anything profound to say, nor does it say tried-and-true things in a particularly entertaining way (though William Hurt is always fun to watch). The reviews had me believing that this movie had some really interesting insights into our culture of heroism and violence, but that's not what the movie is about at all. Save this one for your rental list.

The Big Chill (1983)

Top notch script and some great performances

[7 February 2004]

This is a top notch script by Lawrence Kasdan, director of Empire Strikes Back and many other films. It's very similar to Return of the Secaucus 7, but while I found that film to be dull, the dialogue here is so clever I've watched this movie over and over across the years. It's one of my favorite films. A couple of the performances (Berenger and his gal pal mostly) are rather stiff, but the rest of the cast is lots of fun to watch. Probably most popular with the over-40 crowd these days. My 70 year old dad thought it was offensive.

Peter Pan (2003)

The most faithful adaptation to date

[9/10 · 28 December 2003]

As fans of the written stories and stage musical, my wife and I have waited patiently for *someone* to understand the dark underpinnings of Peter Pan, and bring a truly magical version to stage or screen. This one is it. It is not a perfect 10 for some of the reasons mentioned in previous reviews (dog jokes, imperfect "flying" effects) but it is very close. The incredible magic of youth, the fear and tension of trying to cling to that magic, the redeeming power of love--it's all beautifully rendered in a lovely, reasonably well-acted, exciting and funny script. It really is a beautiful movie.

1776 (1972)

One of the top three movie musicals of all time

[10/10 · 5 September 2003]

Singin in the Rain is another, and I'll leave the debate about the third to others.

The book AND MUSIC are stupendous and emotional here. Lovely lines and fun songs (Sit Down John, You Should Write It, Eagle Being Born, and the unbelievably powerful Molasses to Rum are some of my favorites. Oh, and Mama Look Sharp...) and wonderful performances. Plus it stirs a great sense of national pride when Franklin, Adams and Jefferson express in debate exactly why we wanted independence, and why we deserved it.

The long version is better, but if you've never seen it before, perhaps the original would be a good test as to whether this movie is your cup of tea. If you love it, then you owe it to yourself to get the director's cut (it explains several puzzling plot issues).

The God of Cookery (1996)

Watch it Twice -- Better than Shaolin Soccer?

[3 August 2003]

We saw this first and were a bit confused by some of the plot elements, but liked it. On second viewing, as It All Became Clear, we *loved* it. If you were confused by the movie, give it a second chance. It's now one of our favorite movies in any language or genre.

And we saw Shaolin Soccer after seeing this and found the first half hour a little dull...so dull in fact that we haven't yet watched the rest of the movie. Just for that, I'd have to say that God of Cookery is superior.

God of Cookery gets a 10, and is in our list of top 10 favorite comedies.

The Tall Guy (1989)

I agree it was bad, but...

[18 July 2003]

(POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILER)...as a study of screenwriting, this movie is interesting as a clear prototype for the writer's later successful Four Weddings and a Funeral. Same schlubby hero, same no-nonsense heroine who knows absolutely that This Is The One. Same hero angst messing up the relationship. Same "backdrop of other stuff going on."

This movie is obviously a rough cut. The interactions are unbelievable, the backdrop (London Stage shows) are stupid and boring, and the chemistry between stars is Totally Lacking...but it's kind of interesting to study this side by side with Four Weddings and see how the writer matured.

Drive (1997)

Unexpectedly Fun to Watch

[7 May 2003]

I'll echo many but not all of the sentiments of the previous review: great fight choreography; Dascascos is amazing. I'll take exception to the characterization of Brittany Murphy's performance as bad in any way. It's up to the director to "keep her in the same movie" (and the script) and it wasn't her fault her character either needed more or less to fit in: her performance was wonderful. Malik's was excellent as well. The assassin was trying unsuccessfully to channel Tommy Lee Jones, but was still adequate.

I'm also stunned at how The Matrix and Rush Hour appeared to have borrowed heavily from this film I've never seen before. The choreography was eerily similar to The Matrix, and the "buddy" aspect of course similar to Rush Hour. I scoffed at this "rip off" film until I realized that Drive was made *first*!

Only quibbles: it should have had more for Murphy to do so her character would fit in better, the final fight could have been better (and more justified in the plot as to how our hero triumphs) and the movie should have been titled "Overdrive."