Drama > Bonham-Carter, Helena Drama

Tall tales...

Advantages: Return to form for Tim Burton, magical whimsy with real heart
Disadvantages: Occassional very brief slow patches, but virtually no complaints

...would have you believe that Big Fish marks a huge departure for director Tim Burton. But while visually this may be true, in essence this heartwarmingly surreal tale of loneliness, inability to fit in, and struggling with being misunderstood by the world make this perfect Burton material. And recovering from his shaky Planet of the Apes remake, he delivers his most mature work so far. Edward Bloom [Albert Finney] has always told tall tales about ...
...The driving force of Big Fish is its characters and the casting is simply superb. Finney's scenes were apparently filmed first, allowing McGregor to watch and assimilate some of his mannerisms into his younger portrayal. Crudup is able to amply portray Will's frustration as he finds himself unable to connect with his father. And the resemblance between the wonderful Lange and Lohman as the younger and older versions of Edward's wife is uncanny. McGregor ...

PriyanPhoenix 17.11.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Big Fish (DVD)

He thinks it's all over - and it probably is!

Advantages: Great British film
Disadvantages: none

The film Sixty Six was actually made in 2006 and the title refers to a couple of momentous events forty years previously. The two events are firstly, unsurprisingly, England winning the football World Cup and secondly, a young Jewish boy's Bar Mitzvah which unfortunately is due to take place on the same day as the final. The boy in question is Bernie Rubens (Greg Sulkin) and many months before his big day he starts planning the event. In his eyes, ...
...least match his older brother Alvie's, but preferably to completely outdo it! Unfortunately, he is unaware that his father's small shop is struggling against the competition of the advent of larger supermarkets, and that his parents' plans are on a much lesser scale! It is bound to head for disappointment. At the same time the World Cup finals are gaining momentum although at first no one expects England to do very well. However, Bernie is aware ...

kingfisher111 11.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Sixty Six (DVD)

it was not to be.

Advantages: Ethan Hawke in amusing hat
Disadvantages: it is crap

Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play. I know it fairly well. It lives up to the hype, so to speak. This movie, however, is self- indulgent and badly written, poorly scripted bollocks. It has not one fatal flaw like our hero, but several. The entire movie is a multitude of sins, too voluminous, and some too hideous to cover fully. First of all, the cast. Julia friggin Stiles (Ophelia) is in every modernised Shakespeare thing ever made. She's a ...
...the entire film. Ethan Hawke's Hamlet is weak and unconvincing, often over- acted. Bill Murray provides some comic relief with his scarily accurate portrayal of pottering rambling old Polonius, but one decent performance does not a movie make. In fact, Murray merely serves to highlight by juxtaposition how terrible the other actors truly are. Updating Hamlet to a 20/21st century setting (Manhattan) yet retaining the original names and language doesn't ...

heroinchica 17.01.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Hamlet (DVD)

Watching it is a bit like pulling teeth...

Advantages: good to see Steve Martin acting straight, interesting from the point of view of a dental worker
Disadvantages: not really convincing as either a thriller or a comedy

As a receptionist in a dental surgery, I try to keep abreast of anything related to dentistry. Usually it’s pieces in the newspaper or on the news about grasping dentists changing from the NHS to private services, or something my boss thrusts into my hand on a Monday morning asking me to file in some folder he imagines to exist (when in reality it usually gets binned). It’s not often there’s anything entertainment related which revolves around dentistry ...
...availability of drugs and instruments of torture to be found in most surgeries, coupled with the physical proximity of patient to dentist and the sexual tension this might offer. Of course, in the eighties we had ‘Butterflies’, but Geoffrey Palmer was hardly a sex symbol. Cue ‘Novocaine’, written and directed by David Atkins (with help from Paul Felopulos, possibly the first film to make dental surgery seem interesting. ***Make your appointment*** ...

pesky33 10.06.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Novocaine (DVD)

The Best Adaption of a Shakespearian Play Ever!!

Advantages: Truly awesome with a brilliant story, acting, scenery and pacing
Disadvantages: Maybe a little too much time spent on the subplot

Well firstly I just want to say I absolutely love this film. It’s got to be one of my all time favourites and I've forgotten how many times I've watched it!!! I enjoyed it so much I have since been studying the original play and reading Shakespeare (which I only ever did when I was made to in school!!) So why is it so good? Well I think it has everything a good film should, great storyline (often referred to as Shakespeare's finest comedy), amazing ...
...addicting music (music is a big theme in this Shakespearean comedy), not to mention comedy, drama and romance all rolled into one - and it all comes across flawlessly!!! ------------Ok, so what is it all about? Well I watched the film without a clue about the story and certainly no particular interest in Shakespeare! I wanted a nice entertaining film to pass away a few hours and this had been recommended to me on my internet DVD rental list. And ...

Silverduck2day 26.05.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Twelfth Night (DVD)