movies – Page 3 – NaN magazine

Christmas: A lovely bad dream

“It’s Christmas time!”. Many of you will remember Jack Skeleton, the main character in a wondrous tale created by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Sellick, “The nightmare before Christmas”. So, you’ll also remember when Jack found the Xmas town, singing the rhythmic and funny “What’s this”, (composed and sung by Danny Elfman), cheering on the new discovery and shouting out loud “It’s Christmas time!”

I’m going to be a Jack’s “alter ego” for a moment, in order to give you some arguments for loving Xmas, not in a usual way, but based on the film that we are reviewing. Continue reading Christmas: A lovely bad dream

King Kong: Afterthougths

http://www.kingkongmovie.com/home.html

a movie by Peter Jackson

With his newly discovered star and coerced screenwriter reluctantly onboard, Denham (…) heads out of New York Harbor… and toward a destiny that none aboard could possibly foresee.

When I knew that Peter Jackson was working on a remake of King Kong, I remember to have doubted that it were a good idea. After the 1933 classic hit the theaters, several versions have been made with more or less fortune, and I wondered if it was too soon for a new one, if there was anything new to show, besides the awesome special effects that the remake would surely bring.

Now that I have seen the movie I wouldn’t say that I was wrong, though I think that it well deserves to be watched and will probably stand out as the most accomplished version to date, only second to the original. Its greatest value is the cast: all the main actors, and many of the supporting ones, have worked their characters as to make them credible, even memorable. Adrien Brody composes his Driscoll with elegance; Naomi Watts shines (literally, indeed), portraying an Ann Barrow as brave as fragile; Carl Denham (reminds me of Orson Welles), shows us the many facets of Jack Black, who would do anything to achieve glory and wealth, always conscious of the results of his actions, often pursued by guilt, never able to admit his defeat.

Then, of course, there’s Kong, which if not the greatest is surely the Continue reading King Kong: Afterthougths

Harry Potter&the goblet of fire: Afterthoughts

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/gobletoffire/main.html

Harry Potter, “the boy who lived, is in for a dangerous fourth year at Hogwarts when the goblet of fire selects him to compete as one of four champions in the triwizard tournament -despite the fact that he did not submit his name”

I find Harry Potter and… both interesting and enjoyable: even though it goes on for almost three hours, I didn’t feel tired or bored after it finished. However, although the different sequences were all very good, the whole movie suffered most from the editing. Some transitions between scenes were too abrupt; many times, it seemed like chunks of the plot were missing, and at times the story didn’t flow as naturally as it should. In my opinion, the best part of the movie was around the middle, when it showed the relationships between the main characters and bits of their life as teenagers, like in the events surrounding the Yule Ball. After that the movie got pretty intense, but I felt that the whole thing ended too suddenly: I was expecting more action at Hogwarts after the villain had been revived!

Now that I made that last remark, it may be the time to add a caveat: I haven´t read the book yet, so while watching the movie I wasn´t biased by it, nor was I recalling a previously assumed plot. That´s why, after the movie had ended, I talked to several others who had previously read the book and asked them for their opinion. I found out that they thought that the movie had been too short, and also that many things were omitted from the book, from small details to entire characters (Ludo Bagman or the house elves, for instance). They also coincided with me in that the movie felt rushed (I´m quoting my girlfriend: thanks Steph!). However, though being disappointed in some ways, I think that no one could say that the movie hadn´t been a good one. My footnote on the music: I found it accomplished and technically well done, though several times, like at the very beginning, if I closed my eyes I wouldn´t know if it was Harry Potter or Batman. In this sense, and especially for its orchestrations, I prefer the music John Williams made for the previous movies.

Serenity: Afterthoughts

http://www.serenitymovie.com/

Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be (…)

Opposite feelings and a kind of certainty: that´s how I feel about this movie. On the positive side, I have to say that it offers two hours of entertainment, is impressive at times (both in visuals and sound), brings moments of very accomplished music, has some hilarious lines, doesn’t take itself too seriously and introduces a memorable antihero (Mal, the captain). On the negative side, I should say that the plot is kinda fluffy and at times dull, as dull are some of the characters. The villains represent Continue reading Serenity: Afterthoughts

War of the Worlds: afterthoughts

http://www.waroftheworlds.com/

A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells´s seminal classic, the sci-fi adventure thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind(…)

I found the film to have many things in common with Encounters…, and it does very well in creating an atmosphere which I hadn´t seen for ages in these kind of films. In my opinion, it has many great moments, my favorites those where the desperate masses are shown as being as dangerous and scary as the extraterrestrials themselves. The sound is great (I loved the impressive sound the big machines make), and the music fantastic, as it not only supports the action but stands on its own and deserves being heard alone.

However, though the tension rises constantly throughout the movie, I found the end to be Continue reading War of the Worlds: afterthoughts

Batman Begins: afterthoughts

http://www2.warnerbros.com/batmanbegins/index.html

In the wake of his parents’ murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful.

“Disillusioned industrial heir…” I guess there could be many better ways to describe Bruce Wayne, but actually disillusionment is a good word (maybe mild) to describe the feeling of watching so much underutilised talent, not only among the cast, but the composers too: I was very surprised to know that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard were both behind the soundtrack, because I found it very correct, but (with all my respects) just that; I would dare to say that it was Continue reading Batman Begins: afterthoughts