warren-johnstone Reviews

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Finally, a W&G full length film!

[8/10 · 15 October 2005]

Wallace and Gromit operate a humane pest-control outfit, 'Anti-Pesto' and with only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, business is booming. But Wallace & Gromit are finding out that running a 'humane' pest control outfit has its drawbacks as their West Wallaby Street home fills to the brim with captive rabbits. Suddenly, a huge mysterious veg-ravaging 'beast' begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots at night, and the competition hostess, Lady Tottington, commissions Anti-Pesto to catch it and save the day.

It was great to see Wallace & Gromit in a full length movie and as usual, the characters were fantastic, interesting and funny. The plot was simple enough to ensure that children could understand and maintain interest. There were also some cleaver links to previous W&G adventures and some subtle jokes for adults.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

A great adaptation of the book - Depp is outstanding

[7/10 · 10 September 2005]

Charlie (Highmore) is a small boy from a poor background who lives with his parents and 4 grandparents in a ramshackle old house. One day the reclusive Willy Wonka (Depp) announces that he will allow five lucky children to tour his chocolate factory and five golden tickets are hidden within Wonka chocolate bars. Charlie manages to find the last golden ticket and along with his grandfather, they commence the tour of the mysterious chocolate factory.

Thankfully, this movie was true to the original story. Depp's mannerisms and voice were prefect as the eccentric and reclusive Wonka and he was the highlight of the movie. With the help of computers, Deep Roy was excellent playing the part of all of the Oompa Loompa's, and the actors playing the roles of the other ticket winners made their characters very dislikeable.

In My Father's Den (2004)

The plot is not as dull as it sounds.... it is a fantastic movie!

[10/10 · 17 August 2005]

When his father dies, Paul Prior (Matthew Macfadyen), a disillusioned and battle weary war photographer, decides to return home to New Zealand. His brother is caught off-guard by Paul's sudden re appearance after seventeen years away. Reluctantly re-visiting the dilapidated family property, he discovers his fathers old den tucked away in the equipment shed. Paul sets about clearing up and stumbles upon sixteen year-old Celia (Emily Barclay) who has been using the derelict hide-away as a private haven to write her stories and to fuel her dream of living in Europe, far away from the small town she longs to escape.

This seemingly uninteresting story-line masks a superb plot that slowly unfolds as the movie progresses. The characters are fantastic and the performances of Barclay, MacFadyen and the supporting cast is excellent. The subtle twists are very well hidden and the final explanation of the whole scenario is mind-blowing. In my opinion, this is a must see movie!

Chinatown (1974)

A good character for Nicholson but...

[5/10 · 12 July 2005]

Jack Nicholson is JJ Gittes, a private investigator who is hired by the supposed wife of Hollis Mulwray, the chief of the Los Angels water department, who believes that Hollis is having an affair. Gittes begins to investigate the alleged affair and when Mulwray is discovered dead, he begins to uncover a lucrative scam involving the cities water and a lot more about the wife of Mulwray. (Directed by Roman Polanski).

There are a few great moments where Nicholson gets to be a smart arse as Gittes is a character suited to Nicholson's style, and the performances by the other actors are quite good. However the plot was a little complicated and there were a few unanswered questions at the end. And the movie has virtually nothing to do with LA's Chinatown.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

If you enjoyed the book, you'll probably be disappointed...

[4/10 · 5 July 2005]

Denzel Washington is Captain Marco, the leader of a reconnaissance team during the 1991 Gulf War. Marco and his team are conducting a routine patrol when they are surrounded by enemy and in the resulting battle, Sergeant Shaw (Schreiber) saves the patrol and is awarded the Medal Of Honour for his bravery. However, Marco begins to have realistic and frightening dreams that make him question what really happened and question his sanity.

Perhaps my enjoyment of this movie is low because I have read the novel, and the movie is different (and diminished) in several aspects. By changing the storyline and omitting two characters, the ending of the movie is weaker than the novel and the movie looses its 'spy' feel. Both Washington and Schreiber perform well and the supporting cast does a good job also. But it's just not a top movie… take the time to read the book instead.

(I'm now going to look for the 1962 movie staring Frank Sinatra and see how that compares to this Manchurian Candidate)

Seven Samurai (1954)

A classic that is worth the 3+ hours

[9/10 · 5 July 2005]

A small isolated village suffering at the hands of bandits, becomes desperate and goes in search of samurai to protect them. However they have no wealth and can only provide shelter and food as payment. Eventually, a group of seven samurai forms and accepts the task to protect the village from the bandits.

The diverse characters are great and they interact very well. Notable performances by Shimura as Kambei Shimada the samurai leader, and Mifune as the crazy Kikuchiyo. While the movie is long, the time spent on character development is not wasted and it allows you to bond with the samurai and the principle villagers. The climactic battle sequence is realistic, not rushed, and certainly worth the wait. It is easy to see the character traits and storyline extracted for 'The Magnificent Seven', however this original has a different feel and is in many ways superior to the western remake.

Hamlet (1990)

A fantastic rendition.... if you like Shakespeare

[9/10 · 5 July 2005]

Mel Gibson is Hamlet, the son of the recently deceased King of Denmark. Hamlet is mourning the recent death of his father and the marriage of his mother, the Queen (Glenn Close) to Claudius, who therefore inherits the crown and becomes King. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, who tells Hamlet that he has been murdered, murder most foul, and the ghost implores Hamlet to seek revenge.

Awesome. From reading Shakespeare's play, I had a very good understanding of the language, the plot and the underlying subtext of the story, so I was overwhelmed by the movie. The effort of the actors, and the delivery of their lines was exceptional… there were frequent scenes where the actors were required to deliver long monologues of the play with passion and uncompromising dedication, and without the benefit of a change of cameras to allow any editing of mistakes. Mel Gibson was remarkable as Hamlet, and the supporting cast were incredible. However, I think that I appreciated the movie because I had read the play, and have grown an appreciation for the effort required to perform Shakespeare.

Insomnia (2002)

A great performance by Pacino and Williams

[7/10 · 2 May 2005]

Al Pacino plays Detective Dormer, an LA detective who is sent to Alaska with his partner to investigate the murder of a young woman. Accusations of Dormers corrupt past disrupt his investigations and he finds himself almost blackmailed by the principle suspect (Williams). Combined with the 24 hours of daylight in Alaska, Dormer has difficulty differentiating the facts of the case from the lies.

It's always good to see Robin Williams do something other than comedy as he makes a great bad guy. Al Pacino's performance was excellent and his appearance as someone who hadn't slept for several days was very convincing. I enjoyed watching Dormer becoming progressively implicated in the investigation and try to stay one step ahead of Detective Burr (Swank).

The Interpreter (2005)

A good movie but sometimes a bit slow

[6/10 · 2 May 2005]

Silvia Broome (Kidman) is an interpreter working at the UN General Assembly, who overhears what seems to be a assassination plot against an oppressive African President who is due to address the General Assembly within days. Tobin Keller (Penn) is the secret service agent tasked to investigate the alleged plot and protect the President, however he begins to doubt Silvia's honesty as he discovers things from her past.

Setting the story within the confines of UN was great and this lifted the movie above the usual international conspiracy storyline. The performances of Kidman (especially maintaining her accent) and Penn were fantastic, and there was ample action and suspense. But there were times where the movie dragged on and lost the tempo that it needed to maintain.

The Extra (2005)

I like Jimeoin but was very disappointed

[2/10 · 1 May 2005]

Jimeoin is a nameless actor who finds himself as the eternal extra… never to play a principle role in a movie. He finds himself caught up with a group of would-be stars all trying to gain a break but none of them are able to do so.

I was ready for a good comedy, but was bitterly disappointed. Jimeoin is a great comedian but this smacked of 'try hard' and it just failed. There were a few moments where I laughed out aloud and I recognised several moments of clever humour, but it wasn't enough. I enjoyed spotting the good familiar Aussie actors and scenes around Melbourne. I think you should spend your money seeing something else...

In the Cut (2003)

Certainly not your usual Meg Ryan movie!

[6/10 · 2 April 2005]

Frannie (Meg Ryan) is an English teacher who finds herself in a murder investigation when part of a body is discovered in the garden next to her apartment building. Detective Malloy (Mark Ruffalo) is investigating the case and when he takes an interest in Frannie, they develop a sordid relationship focused on sex and without trust. As the murders continue, Frannie finds herself more and more involved in both the murders, and the untrustworthy Malloy.

I enjoyed seeing Meg Ryan play such a different role and she performed well. Mark Ruffalo did an excellent job of ensuring that you never quite trust his character throughout the movie and it makes you wonder whose side he is on. There are some good twists that keep you wondering, but there are a few attempted twists that are obvious. Another potential fault of the movie is that it sometimes seemed unnecessarily sexually explicit and crude. 6/10

Robots (2005)

A good movie, thanks to Williams

[6/10 · 1 April 2005]

Ewan McGregor is the voice of Rodney, a robot who wants to make the world a better place. Rodney travels to Robot City to take his invention to the greatest robot inventor ever, Mr Bigweld (Mel Brooks) but he finds that Mr Bigweld has been replaced by a greedy corporate robot with evil plans. Rodney meets Fender (Robin Williams) and they team up with a group of unlikely heroes to rescue Mr Bigweld.

If it wasn't for Robin Williams and his character, the movie would have been quite ordinary. Williams character steals the show with plenty of typical Williams comedy gems and energy (keep an eye out for the Britney Spears scene in the big battle - you won't see it coming!) The plot was fine as a children's movie but it was often a little slow and perhaps over the heads of some of the younger viewers.

6/10

The Final Cut (2004)

'Phillip K Dick' style story well done by Williams

[7/10 · 1 April 2005]

Set in the future, people have memory implants to record everything they see in their life from the moment they are born until death. Robin Williams is Alan Hackman, a 'cutter' with the job of editing a person's memory down to a few highlights to be played at the funeral. However when he discovers a link to his own life in the memory of a wealthy businessman, Hackman find himself in danger and questioning the ethicalness of recording and then editing a persons memory.

The concept of having your whole life recorded from your own eyes was a great storyline - there's a strong sense of Phillip K Dick. The story touched on a few issues but as soon as the moralistic issues were raised, the movie came to an end. This sudden ending felt as if the movie was slightly incomplete, however it does leave you with something to think about. Williams' performance was good and he suited the role well, but the obviously fake beard on his adversary was a distraction.

7/10

I Heart Huckabees (2004)

The worst movie of 2004 - Just not funny

[1/10 · 4 January 2005]

Albert (Jason Schwartzman from Rushmore) hires two existential detectives (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to investigate the coincidence of seeing the same stranger three times in one day. The detectives investigate every aspect of his life and Albert begins to question his own existence.

In my opinion, this movie was lame. The acting was alright but only because of Mark Whalberg and Dustin Hoffman as the rest of the performances were just normal. The story was bearable because the mumbo jumbo about the reasons for existence didn't become the focus of the movie, but by the end I was pretty sick of that. It was meant to be a comedy but it just wasn't funny - I think I chuckled twice. It was just utterly boring, wasn't cleaver and not entertaining at all. I was pretty close to walking out and I've only ever done that once before.

Bad Santa (2003)

Bloody funny if you like dark humour

[9/10 · 3 December 2004]

Billy Bob Thornton plays Willie, an alcoholic safe cracker who has teamed up with Marcus, 'a little person' (played by Tony Cox) to pose as Santa and his little helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. It is all going well until Willie's drinking begins to hinder his performance and he meets 'The Kid'.

The humour is quite dark but because no-one really gets hurt by Thornton's alcoholic abusiveness, I thought this was bloody funny! Thornton's performance as the drunken, rooting, rude and sometimes shocking Santa is great. But Cox and the other characters create plenty of laughs too. Not a movie for people adverse to coarse language or without a slightly warped sense of humour! Best comedy this year!

Collateral (2004)

Tom Cruise as a bad guy is appealing but Collateral is a dud!

[3/10 · 18 October 2004]

Tom Cruise plays Vince, a hit man who gets into Max's (Jamie Foxx) taxi and intends to use the taxi as transport between the five assassinations he is about to undertake. However once Max's realized what he is involved in he is a reluctant accomplice.

While the idea of Tom Cruise playing a bad guy was appealing, I was completely disappointed by his performance and the movie itself. I've decided that I'm over Tom Cruise and I won't bother to see another of his movies - he doesn't add anything of value. In addition, there were far too many scenes where nothing happened and some of the camera work was shaky and out of focus. And it that wasn't enough, there were several moments where events were too coincidental to be plausible, including Cruise's bullet-proof character. I give 'Collateral' 3/10.

The Life of David Gale (2003)

An extremely thought provoking movie

[8/10 · 18 October 2004]

Kevin Spacey stars as David Gale, a life long campaigner against the death penalty finds himself on death row after being found guilty of the rape and murder of a fellow anti-execution campaigner. Kate Winslet is the reporter who interviews Gale during his last three days and she is convinced of his guilt and need to be executed, but as she interviews Gale she begins to question his guilt.

This was a great story very well told without deteriorating into a 'execution is wrong' lecture. And as usual, Kevin Spacey's performance is fantastic. Because of the twists and the amount of after-thought it provoked, I give 'The Life of David Gale' 8/10.

Zoolander (2001)

A great movie if you like 'stupid' humour

[3/10 · 18 October 2004]

Bin Stiller plays Derek Zoolander, the world's premier male model and Owen Wilson plays Hansel, the up and coming star threatening Zoolanders status. However, when Zoolander is brainwashed into killing the Malaysian Prime Minster, Hansel and a reporter team up to help Zoolander and save the Prime Minister.

There were a couple of very stupid moments that were quite funny, but overall most of the jokes were just stupid. Some of the fashion clothing and background jokes were quite cleaver but the blatant stupidity was too annoying to make the movie worth watching again. (Maybe I just wasn't in the mood?)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Not enthralling but excellent performances by Hoffman & Voight

[4/10 · 18 October 2004]

John Voight plays 'Cowboy', a young man who moves to New York with dreams of being a gigolo to rich older women. However it isn't easy and he soon finds he has nowhere to stay and he looses all his belongings. He becomes friends with 'Ratso' (Dustin Hoffman) and together they earn and acquire enough money to stay alive.

Due to the storyline and some of the other themes, I can see why this was a controversial and ground breaking movie in its time. The flashback and drug scenes add to the movie without confusing or detracting from the story, but I wasn't enthralled despite the excellent performances of John Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

Cold Mountain (2003)

Zellweger great performance

[6/10 · 18 October 2004]

Jude Law is Inman, who falls in love with Ada Monroe (Kidman) prior to being sent to fight for the South in the American Civil War. When he is seriously injured, Inman is determined to leave the frontline and return home to Cold Mountain. Ada Monroe is battling the freezing winter and it's not until Ruby Thews (Zellweger) comes to her aid that she begins to survive and await the return of Inman.

While everyone accepts that war is brutal, it was the portrayal of the cruelty and viciousness inflicted on those left behind that was captivating and thought provoking. Zellweger's performance was the most notable of the movie.

Along Came Polly (2004)

Same story, different actors

[3/10 · 18 October 2004]

Man gets dumped by wife on honeymoon... man meets odd girl... man and girl date... man and girl are awkward together... man and girl fall in love but man stuffs up... man chases girl to get her back before she leaves forever.

There is nothing particularly exciting about this movie because it has all be done before. But there were a couple of funny moments and some moments that make you cringe, that stopped Along Came Polly from being too painful. The highlight of the movie (for me) was a minor role by Hank Azaria as the French scuba instructor from the resort.... "are you for scuba?"

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Better than Zoolander.... but that's not hard to beat!

[6/10 · 18 October 2004]

Vince Vaughn plays Peter Le Fleur, the owner of the struggling 'Average Joes' gymnasium. But across the road is the huge Global Gym, owned by White Goodman (Stiller) who intends to buy Average Joes and demolish it, unless they can come up with the $50,000 required to pay out the mortgage. The misfits from Average Joes enter the national dodgeball competition to win $50,000 however Global Gym enters a team to knock them off.

Like Stiller's other quirky comedy roles, there is some very silly dialog that is humorous, but the majority of the humour involves the games of dodgeball. While the underdog theme is common, it's the twisted stupidity of Stiller's character and the involvement of dodgeball that makes the movie good.