The Film Corner

[Buster's Uncle]

My snap reaction was "They made the evil queen blonde?"  -But she did about all that could be done with the role - and was indeed the fairest in the movie.

[Unorthodox]

What's wrong with an evil blonde? 
Michelle Pfeiffer made a pretty darn good evil witch in Stardust.  A movie that is really underrated.  In the same tone as "Princess Bride". 

Stardust - Michelle Pfeiffer (she's the best)

Kinda interesting to watch the condensed transformation there. 

Charlize was certainly the highlight of the movie, but Sigourney is Sigourney , and thus that version will always be better.  It's also a little more aligned with Grimm, so, has that going for it, too.   

[Mylochka]

I'll put the Sigorney Weaver movie in my queue. She's always interesting to watch.

Snow White and the Huntsman wasn't bad; it just wasn't good. In fact, I think if it would have been really bad, it would have been more fun to watch. As is, it was just sort of ho-hum. 

The special effects were spectacular.  I found several of their choices to be quite creative.  For example, I loved Ravenna's dress of crows.  I thought the decision to have the mirror melt into a draped ghost was creative and interesting.  I even liked the little alien-crossed-with-a-salamander sort of look they came up with for the cameo appearance of some fairies to be original and effective.  However, special effects alone do not a movie make.  I just couldn't get excited about either the hero or the heroine.  Their relationship had no sizzle.  The Dwarves and Prince Charming should have jumped ship and created their own movie...

[Unorthodox]

In fact, I think if it would have been really bad, it would have been more fun to watch.

Another connoisseur of crappy movies, eh? 

[Mylochka]

Oh, yes.  I thought Mystery Science Theater was an attempt at a documentary biopic of my life.

When I see a truly awful movie, I immediately think,  " I must watch this with Buncle! We can have it ripped up and sewn back together four different ways before the credits roll!"

I remember being really excited about showing "The Day After Tomorrow" to him.  "The science errors alone will make him spit blood!" I thought. 

[JarlWolf]

If you want a treasure trove of bad films, search up Godfrey Ho. That man has made more cheesy Ninja movies and unintentionally funny films that utilized copy pasta film editing style it'll make you cry.

[Mylochka]

Cheesy ninja movies!  The best kind! 

I'm a big fan of early Jackie Chan -- Drunken Master and Dragon Lord are my favorites.

[JarlWolf]

An example of one of those glorious Ninja movies.... a clip at least...

HIGH SPEED NINJA ACTION

[Buster's Uncle]

Cheesy ninja movies!  The best kind! 

I'm a big fan of early Jackie Chan -- Drunken Master and Dragon Lord are my favorites.

While we were rewatching Children of Dune the other night, during the scene at the end where a transformed Leto stomps into the throne room, while he was beating up a bunch of guards, I DID say "If only he was whooping them with a bench - or a ladder - or was drunk..."

I really did.

[Mylochka]

 

An example of one of those glorious Ninja movies.... a clip at least...

HIGH SPEED NINJA ACTION

  Pure win! 

"Never mind! We'll kill him later!"

...And this is why I don't drive a Mini Cooper.  They enrage roller-skating Ninjas!

[Arbee]

Recently watched Pan's Labyrinth with the girlfriend.  I was expecting to be turned off by the fact that the film's done in Spanish, but even though I didn't understand a word they were saying (well, I wouldn't have if I hadn't been paying attention to the English subtitles), the Spanish actually served to pull me in deeper, great immersion.

I don't usually watch movies, I don't have the attention span for them and there are very few that I find good enough to grab my attention and hold it, so... the fact that I sat through this one and paid enough attention to understand what was going on has got to say something about it, haha.

[Buster's Uncle]

We watched The Other Boleyn Girl last night.

My review is meh.

Everything about the movie was eye-candy.  Like Anne of a Thousand Days before it, looking at beautiful people sporting fabulous Tudor fashions doesn't get old in a hurry.  -But that was carried to the point of being a fatal flaw here - Henry didn't look anything like Eric Banna by that point in time, and Scarlett Johansen was simply miscast as Natalie Portman's sister, coming off as far less canny than one would have expected.  Portman carries the picture, of course, being not miscast, and for a mercy, actually bright enough to portray the keen intelligence of a very complex and fascinating woman.

The picture also made the opposite mistake of Anne of a Thousand Days, a movie that surprised me by having put right there in the title how long it seems to drag on.  The Other Boleyn Girl shares unfortunate pacing, but in this case, does a very poor job of providing a sense of time passing.  It skips lightly over the foundation of the Church of England as if it happened overnight.  There are numerous examples of the same poor pacing, especially toward the end, and a distinct impression is conveyed that the entire Boleyn family was living in the east wing of the palace -the same palace for the whole picture, incidentally- for most of the movie.  And unlike Anne of a Thousand Days, no real advantage is taken of the architecture and scenery.

I did like everything the actress playing the Boleyn mother did - I don't recall anything about the historical person, but the character clearly learned her lessons well at Bene Gesseret school, something she was able to get Anne to do without passing on her fundamental good sense and decency.  It played well, and I'd have liked to have seen more of her.

So, if you like that sort of historical costume drama, recommended, even if historical accuracy bothers you as much as I; just don't expect the intellectual stimulation to equal the visual.  They were close to getting both, if not for a few poor creative decisions, most obviously in casting - but it looks GREAT.

[Mylochka]

Anne and Mary's mother (Lady Elizabeth Howard, sister to Lord Thomas Howard) was played by Kristen Scott Thomas -- a very fine actress indeed...

[Valka]

We watched The Other Boleyn Girl last night.

My review is meh.

Everything about the movie was eye-candy.  Like Anne of a Thousand Days before it, looking at beautiful people sporting fabulous Tudor fashions doesn't get old in a hurry.  -But that was carried to the point of being a fatal flaw here - Henry didn't look anything like Eric Banna by that point in time, and Scarlett Johansen was simply miscast as Natalie Portman's sister, coming off as far less canny than one would have expected.  Portman carries the picture, of course, being not miscast, and for a mercy, actually bright enough to portray the keen intelligence of a very complex and fascinating woman.

The picture also made the opposite mistake of Anne of a Thousand Days, a movie that surprised me by having put right there in the title how long it seems to drag on.  The Other Boleyn Girl shares unfortunate pacing, but in this case, does a very poor job of providing a sense of time passing.  It skips lightly over the foundation of the Church of England as if it happened overnight.  There are numerous examples of the same poor pacing, especially toward the end, and a distinct impression is conveyed that the entire Boleyn family was living in the east wing of the palace -the same palace for the whole picture, incidentally- for most of the movie.  And unlike Anne of a Thousand Days, no real advantage is taken of the architecture and scenery.

I did like everything the actress playing the Boleyn mother did - I don't recall anything about the historical person, but the character clearly learned her lessons well at Bene Gesseret school, something she was able to get Anne to do without passing on her fundamental good sense and decency.  It played well, and I'd have liked to have seen more of her.

So, if you like that sort of historical costume drama, recommended, even if historical accuracy bothers you as much as I; just don't expect the intellectual stimulation to equal the visual.  They were close to getting both, if not for a few poor creative decisions, most obviously in casting - but it looks GREAT.

I have the DVD of this movie, but haven't watched it yet. I did see another movie based on the book, and I've read the book several times.

Can you imagine how different history would have been if the Bene Gesserit had been in control then?

I read somewhere several years ago, that there was a genetic defect in Henry VIII - that he could father one child on one woman, but she could never again carry another child to term by him. Anne never would have been able to have a healthy son by Henry, given that Elizabeth was born first.

[Buster's Uncle]

That sounds unlikely - how would his sperms keep track?  He had two with her sister, although they left that out of the movie...