The series starts off great. It kicks off with the protagonist wandering the streets covered in blood, then flashes back to events 6 months earlier and gradually comes up to date to fill us in on the story - an intriguing framing premise that only starts to wear out its welcome by episode 4 or so. The characters are fascinating - especially the very human monsters brilliantly played by Glenn Close and Ted Danson. So what went wrong? As we near the end of the season, it's revealed that the most improbable characters are embroiled in an ever-widening conspiracy. Plot hoops and cliffhangers take over from the earlier subtle characterization. There's the sense that, like with Prison Break, the writers are starting to steer the story with a view ... Read More:
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Not many series that started out great can keep the high standard in later seasons. Well, neither does the shield. It just keeps getting BETTER. Unique acting abilities (I'd give ALL the cast OSCARS for their performances) combined with the best story writers in history, this is the BEST SERIES EVER. AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE!
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I must confess that, as of writing this review, I have yet to see the animated Disney feature "101 Dalmatians". I really have to wonder, though, how Disney came to acquire the notion that making a live-action equivalent would be a good idea. But the result is certainly entertaining enough to stand for its own merits.
The story is the same as in the animated movie; that of fur-obsessed fashion guru Cruella DeVil stealing Dalmatian puppies from married couple Anita and Roger (Jolie Richardson and Jeff Daniels, the latter not even attempting to adopt an English accent), in order to make a coat out of them. If the law will not stop Cruella's plans in time, then the dogs will.
This is a lovely Disney film and won't disappoint you. It has left us wanting for me and after having read the reviews we decided to buy Tarzan 2 rather than Tarzan and Jane. It's a lovely and moving story and will entertain young and old over and over again.
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President James Marshall (Ford) is in danger when a group of Russian terrorists take control of Air Force One.
Wolfgang Peterson (In the line of fire) delivers a fast and tense action thriller in which Harrison Ford (Star Wars) gives a good performance as President Marshall alongside a terrific act by Gary Oldman (Dracula) as the lead terrorist Ivan Korshunov.
Ford and Oldman give good performances but the star of the show is Peterson whose action style of direction maintains the tension and delivers excitement and claustrophobia on all the right levels, as does the writing by Andrew Marlowe.
The film gets off to the right start with a group of agents parachuting into General Radek's mansion and kidnapping him, laying down the tone for ... Read More:
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Actually this is an enjoyable enough movie for those who love Glenn Close or Ioan Gruffudd, and there are lots of fun elements to enjoy. The parrot who thinks he is a dog is an absolute scream, and the film itself is well made and well shot in my opinion. There is nothing really wrong with it except for the story itself. I can't even fault the script really...I think they did the best they could under the circumstances, and the actors all came up trumps...but as I say it's the story that lets the whole thing down.
Sometimes an original story based on established characters can work well (and has done), but this is not one of them. The story in my opinion is far-fetched even for a Disney film, and rather daft, but all in all it makes the most of what it has, and will certainly ... Read More:
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'Parked uneasily between sensitive indie and studio chick flick, Lajos Koltai's Evening makes star-studded hash of Susan Minot's beautifully written, if emotionally constricted, novel about a terminally ill woman trying to wrestle meaning out of the shards of her memories. Floating in and out of delirium in her Cambridge, Massachusetts, home, Ann Lord -- a former singer, twice married to men she didn't fully love and vice versa -- is cared for by her two daughters, played in the movie by the world's least likely siblings, Natasha Richardson and Toni Collette." Ella Taylor
Something is missing from this film. We are left searching for a memory that will organize the fragments of Ann Lord's life. Vanessa Redgrave plays a woman dying. Her two daughters, Natasha Redgrave ... Read More:
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This film adaptation is possibly one of the best adaptations I have ever seen committed to film. Featuring a standout cast including John Malkovic, Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman (in one of her first films) and Keanu Reeves, of those mentioned I would say that John Malkovic and Michelle Pfeiffer gave the best performances. Both are mesmerizing in their respective roles and the rest of the cast are also on form with Glenn Close relishing her part.
I also felt the production design and the costumes were top drawer and the direction from Stephen Frears was first class. He managed to get the feel for the period of the time, 18th Century France, to perfection and brought out some dazzling set pieces and excellent performances from his cast. It won 3 Oscars (Best Screenplay ... Read More:
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Even if you don't like all the selections on here, if you like Evita, Phantom or Sunset Boulevard, it's worth it.
Antonio Banderas is amazing in "Phantom of The Opera". His voice, usually warm and rich is here cold and sinister. It makes an interesting contrast to Gerard Butler's portrayal of a passionate man who, but for his disfigurement, would have been a romantic hero. Banderas, although not in costume or make up, vividly conveys the dark side of the character. Sarah Brightman is, of course, splendid in her performance.
In the funeral scene from Evita, Banderas acts the part as well as singing it. This scene is most welcome for anyone who remembers fondly the original staging of Evita, before the messy film and Lloyd-Webber's tarting up of the stage show (If it isn't broken, ... Read More:
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