marlex

Ok, first off, I'm 21 and was a big Scooby Doo fan as a youngster. When I first heard that they were making a live action Scooby Doo, the first thing I though was, oh no, they're going to ruin it. Then I heard that Freddie Prinze and Sarah Michelle Gellar were cast... and I knew it was over. But wait... I knew I had to at least give this movie a chance. So I went opening day. There were about 10 other people my age in attendence and scores upon scores of little kids. I can tell you, the kids were definately entertained. Other than the laughter (which there were lots), they were quiet and seemed very enthused. As for me, I laughed my butt off through most of the movie. The movie had a very cartoony feel, which really made it all work. From Scooby, who after a few minutes I fully accepted as Scooby, to the clothing, sound effects and such, it was a live action cartoon. As for the acting. Matthew Lillard was Shaggy Incarnate, it was almost scary how much like Shaggy he was. Linda Cardellini was also very good as Velma, and by the end of the movie, she was perfect. Even Freddie and Sarah pulled off their roles adequately, but were definately overshadowed by Lillard and Cardellini. There were a lot of homage to the original cartoon, from plot devices to catch phrases. In closing, this is one of the best cartoon to live action adaptations I've seen. They managed to make a movie that kids seem to enjoy and one that I could go to and enjoy myself. Oh, I also enjoyed it when I saw it again the next day.

I'll be honest, when I saw the trailer I wasn't too interested in seeing this movie. Then my roommate gots some free passes to the sneak preview. I figured, what the heck. And now I'm glad I went.

Bandits is one of the funnier comedies that has come out this year. Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thorten had great on camera chemistry. When I saw the trailer I thought Kate (the character, not Cate Blanchett) was going to break this movie. I was wrong. The interactions between her and the two bank robbers and Cate's chemistry with Bruce and Billy was just as good.

All the acting in the movie was good, like I said... The directing and camera style was equally as good. It was an interesting style. Everything worked together to make a good movie.

Not an Oscar winner, but I left with no complaints. Great movie!!!

Bless the Child was a good movie. I have to admit that when this movie came to theatres, it was one of the few times that negative reviews kept me from seeing a movie. After watching the DVD last night, I was kicking myself for missing a chance to see this movie a year earlier.

Bless the child is full of new or unknown actors, but reguardless it is well acted... Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits both play their parts well and the script and their acting allows the viewer to see something that may be chemistry building between the two, but doesn't throw it in our faces. The problem with most movies of this type is that the villian is flat and poorly acted... That is not the case in Bless the Child. Rufus Sewell does an excellent job portraying the evil Eric Stark. Although she has a nominal part in the movie, Angela Bettis played the part of Maggies drug-addicted sister so well, I was absolutely hating her. Even with all of this, the movie would not be what it is without the superb acting of Holliston Coleman who plays 6-year-old Cody. At 7, Holliston has more ability than many adult actors. She definately has a future.

The story and directing were both done well. Although it is not the most original story line, it is done a different way. Rarely, if ever, is the force of good allowed to manifest itself in a visible presence. In Bless the Child, however, the good can be seen along with the evil. Although I not by any means a very religious person, this struck a cord with me. There's a sense of hope within this growing evil... The world may just have a chance, not because a big guy with a big gun blew away Satan... no, because there is good out there. The battle between good and evil does have two sides... It's just nice to be able to see the good for a change.

The special effects are also good in this movie. It is by far a special effects movie, but they are used in a smart fashion to provide a glimpse at the battle that goes on all around us, although we don't see it... Only the rat bedroom sequence left me somewhat disappointed, the rest provided a eery mood to the film.

Bless the Child is a great film for what it is and maybe be known as the starting point to the great career of Holliston Coleman. 8/10

Although it may not be a perfect movie,