João E o Pé de Feijão

I saw Jack and the Beanstalk:The Real Story on the SyFy Channel, and I wasn't expecting much. But it was actually very entertaining, while a tad too long and Jon Voight did have an accent and mannerisms that did fall flat sometimes, it did have a lot of good points. The characters are engaging, with only Siggy being written clumsily more in how he was developed rather than the lines. The production values are colourful and enchanting in their look, there is some quirky writing and the story is as magical as can be. The pace is very brisk mostly with only the last thirty minutes or so feeling as though it was meandering, and the acting is mostly above decent with Jack being a likable hero and Vanessa Redgrave coming off best. Overall, fun and entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a great movie so far! I've just seen the first night. I'm going to see Part 2 tomorrow night! It's so exciting! And...kind of...twisted? Could I put it? It just had so many...BLAH! There's no way to put it into words! It's an excellent fiction meets fantasy mini-series! In a few words...JUST WATCH IT! 10/10

I watched this movie all in one go and I must say I didn't move from my chair. Modine and Mia Sara's performances are excellent as are the rest. Sara plays the girl from another world who comes to Modine to help him find the truth and help her bring welfare back to her people. Modine slowly will discover where the riches of his ancestors came from. Then he will try to right the wrongs and end the curse to his family. The family moves between two worlds. Our world and a fantastic one. The scenery and the landscapes are wonderful and there is also some mistery and twists till the end. The movie addresses the greed of people and how they would go all the way just to satisfy themselves ignoring the needs of others. I highly recommend it.

I never thought twice about the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, but this movie does answer some dangling plot points such as where the beans came from and a closer look into Jack's character. Matthew Modine, Mia Sara, John Voight and all the class give wonderful performances highlighted by a believable story into the realm of beings who probably were the gods of ancient myth. Wonderful and ironic casting choices abound; Mia Sara from the fantasy "Legend" turns up in this fantasy as does Darryl Hannah playing another sort of giant after doing the "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" remake. The movie for me also proves just how much history or legends can be based on lies or the personal perceptions of others. The whole fantasy has a charming and intelligent telling in it as modern day Jack learns the far-fetched truth of his ancestry and his connections to an ancient myth. Someone obviously did their research searching the origins of this tale and linking it to believable characters and events. i only wished i had taped it because I'd love to see it again!

When I saw the listing for this film I imagined that it would be another network fantasy movie crap fest. The casting of Sara and Modine caused me to tape it and give it a look. As expected the fantasy land odd folk are bland, rather it is the "real world" segments that are magical (and literate). Sara (as fantasy land emissary) and Modine are perfect together.