KvMauB's reviews

What great fun this movie is! It is in this spirit of fun that I base my high esteem for this excellent, entertaining movie and consider it one of my favorites that I will watch over and over. It is funny, exciting, ahem, er.... sexy, and adventurous escapist fun! It is not meant to be authentic or seriously considered (against the likes of Master and Commander). Rather, it is grand art of a different sort. The key element in this film that made it superior to other pirate fantasy films is the casting. I thought both Johnny Depp and Geoffery Rush were magnificent! It is their endlessly entertaining, outstanding performances that made Pirates of the Caribbean into an instant classic that is very repeatedly viewable. Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, Jonathan Pryce and all the rest of the cast were all great also. When I was 8 my father took me to Disneyland for the first time. Although I was apprehensive at first (seeing the talking skull and dropping down through darkness into the caverns in a boat), I ended up loving the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and wanted to ride it again and again! This movie perfectly evoked that same feeling and reaction... creepy apprehension turning into fun adventure and humor... jolly family fun. The various references to the Disneyland ride in the movie just thrilled me. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I loved this charming and comprehensive look at the blood, sweat and tears of the dance world. It was very nostalgic for me, though I never got to that high a level in ballet. The characters and incidents rang very true. The film was obviously made by someone who knew and loved the dance life. Even more memorable than the actual dancing time on stage, I loved the whole drama that goes on backstage, rehearsing, mentoring, partying, preparing, befriending/betraying, romances, cliques, infights, jokes, and politicking leading up to the actual performance that the audience sees. Though understandably compressed for time and what's most interesting to the general public, I thought Centerstage did a great job of covering a lot of ground, and believably at that. The cast was excellent, both for acting and dancing. It had some great camera work for a dance film too, with nice medium shots for the chorus and at other times, great on-stage or in-the-wings perspectives. I loved the music too, a great selection of classic, modern and pop. I often watch just the dance sequences on my DVD.

I really loved The Phantom of the Opera and I'm so glad that there is at last a film version (which means that eventually there will be a DVD version. wooHOO!). Honestly, I still think I prefer the various live on-stage versions that I've seen, but this is a great and worthy film adaptation. The sets were gorgeous and I especially enjoyed the much closer, more intimate distance from the performers that you can get with film. The casting was great, with really good young singers. I liked the new addition of some swashbuckling fights too. Though I personally loved the Phantom of the Opera film and recommend it, I based my IMDb score of 8 on what I thought of it as a stand alone film. The music of course is the best part of Phantom of the Opera. I really enjoy every song, and even cry for some. However I felt there were just a couple of awkward moments that did not translate seamlessly from stage to film. No spoilers here, but I was reminded of something Michael Caine said as the playwrite character, Sidney Brule in Deathtrap regarding how to stage believable action.... "When in doubt, physicalize."

My father took me to see Vertigo and I instantly LOVED this classic. It influenced me to settle in San Francisco, as it is indisputably the ultimate San Francisco movie, with Bullitt a very respectable second. I have personally visited almost every real location depicted in the movie, and I love to give my out of town visitors the Vertigo tour of the places that still exist. Vertigo is a great tour of some of the many beautiful spots in and around SF.

I love Alfred Hitchcock films and though Rear Window is my favorite, I think Vertigo is his best and perhaps most personal. From the opening titles and wonderful Bernard Hermann music soundtrack to the haunting conclusion, Vertigo is a visually lush and grandly entertaining example of masterful storytelling. I cannot articulate enough how great this film is and do it justice in 1000 words. The viewer is drawn in voyeuristically with the Jimmy Stewart character as he feels the tension of escalating obsession and the just-out-of-reach frustration with an unobtainable illusion. The use of music is one of the best ever in film as it reflects the inward emotion perfectly. You can hear what Jimmy Stewart is feeling. First there is curiosity, then rising tension, rising hope, and then release and resolution. Vertigo has one of my favorite film shots in it too (possibly the first time it was ever used), the zoom-in-while-backward- tracking shot, later seen in films like Jaws. Oh! And Vertigo has one of the greatest on-screen kisses of all time too, so very passionate (and I think shot on a turntable). The way Alfred Hitchcock was able to imply such sexuality in Vertigo without showing even nudity, I think, made the situations even more sexually charged, as what one imagines is far better.

This is a film that earns a rare but well deserved 10/10 in my book.

I think I am required to write my review in English language, so...

I know the idea of alternate realities/alternate fates has been explored, sometimes interestingly, in other films, but Lola Rennt I think adds some great new twists, plus an exciting "time limit" factor. When I try to describe Lola Rennt to my friends, it always sounds weird and nonsensical. Basically, it is the same 20 minute story told 3 times in a row, each time with a different outcome because of some small quirk of fate, some butterfly effect, some random chaos in the universe. At the end of the film, it really makes you think, what might have happened if...... Watching it again and again, it totally blows your mind when you start to recognize and remember background characters and action that later factor into other alternate realities. It really is fun and interesting, but to even add to this, Lola Rennt has this amazing and hilarious data-burst effect. For every person Lola comes in contact with, they show, in a rapid series of still fotos, what happens to them later in their life. If you have DVD, some of the still shot stories are very funny or ironic. Franka Potente is just so cool and pretty in this film too.

This is just a well crafted and very different film. Therefore, yet another of my favorite films.

One of my criteria for great art on film is being able to see spectacle that one would normally not be able to see. I love films that carry me away to another time and another place, to see remarkable things. Master and Commander reminded me of classic adventure films from the last century, done with impeccable modern and seamless special effects and authenticity. Like, you could not obviously see CG in use, or notice scaled down models. I think it is a remarkable film on all counts, acting, cinematography and visuals, story, costumes, music, and detailed authenticity. Even the editing is noticeably superior, because action sequences are fast paced, yet easy to follow (unlike other contemporary actioners using the ultra-close, blurred and jumbled mish-mosh that is in vogue). Acknowledging that there were many other great films in Oscar contention this year (2003), I believe Master and Commander was the BEST PICTURE (but unfortunately released the same year as the conclusion of a great trilogy, which had to finally receive a collective Oscar recognition). I especially loved that the naval strategies made some sense. Both the hero and his adversary were wily, smart fighters and strong leaders, and you could understand why the crew wanted to follow them. The characters were all likable and all of them were superbly acted. My favorites were Captain Aubery, the Doctor/Naturalist (played by Paul Bettany), and the young Midshipman, Mr. Blakeney, whose characters were wonderfully developed. It is somewhat violent, but I highly recommend Master and Commander for everyone. I love this film.

Oh, what more can I say about this gem of a movie? Another movie that I just love and watch over and over with many laughs and cries. Muriel's Wedding is so funny, yet poignant and true to life.

Toni Collette was excellent in this film (and this was the first of many great film performances I have seen her in). I can so identify with Muriel and Mariel. Well... my family was not dysfunctional like that at all, but rather her self-image and fantasy life, the mean and shallow clique at school, the love of ABBA music (!), and I even had a friend like the Rachel Griffiths character. Overall a delightful and refreshingly different movie. Highly recommended.

I know it is kind of sappy and hackneyed, but Ice Castles is one of my favorite films of all time. I try to watch it at least once a month, and it still makes me cry. Honestly, Ice Castles might have changed my life, as it inspired me to skate. I wanted to be a part of that beautiful, graceful world. Lynn Holly Johnson skated so wonderfully in this movie. I tried for years to duplicate her arms on that Camel Spin she does in the Fifth of Beethoven program. Oh! and that theme song "Through the Eyes of Love" is great too. It inspired me to play the piano also! I guess I still consider this one of my "guilty pleasures" as I do not widely admit that I am such a fan of this obscure 70s movie.