This movie was a lot of fun to watch, and I hope it gets released on DVD because I would buy it in an instant. Kiefer Sutherland turns in an excellent performance as the very interesting character Banks. My biggest problem in watching movies is that I tend to be easily bored, but I was never bored watching this movie. It was thoroughly engaging and entertaining throughout. The script is a good one, with wonderful dialogue, and I think the direction is excellent as well. Well worth seeing.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Three Musketeers
(1993)
Just a series of cliches
27 March 2002
This movie has two things going for it. For one, it has Kiefer Sutherland in it (though he's stuck with really lame dialogue). And secondly, the horse work in the movie is excellent--I especially like that little Spanish horse that D'Artagnan rides in the beginning. Aside from that, it's just a bunch of Hollywood cliches in sequence. It has a tacked-together feel, as if they had a bunch of scenes they wanted to include, but didn't really know how to integrate them into a seamless whole. In some scenes, the Musketeers are light-heartedly slaughtering people, as if it's just a day's bit of fun, and other scenes are more serious and dramatic, but they don't work because the characters aren't adequately developed and don't seem very realistic. So basically the movie just didn't work for me. 5/10
24
(2001–2010)
Sometimes hit or miss, but a great show overall
22 March 2002
My husband had to talk me into watching this show, but after a few episodes I was totally hooked. We got in on the ground floor, with the first episode, and have not missed a single one. It is highly serial and probably not too easy to jump into if you're starting in the middle--but worth it, if you give it a try. I feel sorry for those who missed the beginning and don't have the patience to be a little lost for a while as they get caught up.
The central plotline--the assassination attempt on Senator Palmer and Jack Bauer's various involvement in such--is compelling and riveting; that's the one I tune in to see. There are also several subplots running simultaneously, which have their moments but are often less interesting than the main one. There are even a few soap opera moments that I don't care for at all.
One thing I especially like about "24" is that we know that there are exactly 24 episodes, and the plot advances in every single episode. This is different from a show like "The X-Files" (one of my previous favorites that I ultimately got frustrated with) where most episodes do not advance the plot line, and they are reluctant to give the viewers answers to anything. "24" is entirely different: questions do get answered, plotlines do get resolved, and I get the impression that we will get a solid ending in the final episode. I feel like the writers are treating the viewers with some respect!
Finally, I have to say that Kiefer Sutherland is one of the major reasons I find this show so compelling. I don't watch a lot of movies and I don't think I've ever seen him on screen before I started watching "24," but he is just amazing. His character, Jack Bauer, is by far the most compelling in the series. He's a flawed hero, absolutely three-dimensional, who's trapped in a terrible situation, and you can't help empathizing with him even as you're getting upset about some of the things he's doing. Whenever Jack is onscreen, I'm riveted, mesmerized--I can't take my eyes off him. It's an incredible performance by Sutherland and I hope I'll be seeing more of him in the future.
Overall, the show can be a little hit or miss, but the good parts are so very good that they make up for the flaws. I highly recommend it.
The central plotline--the assassination attempt on Senator Palmer and Jack Bauer's various involvement in such--is compelling and riveting; that's the one I tune in to see. There are also several subplots running simultaneously, which have their moments but are often less interesting than the main one. There are even a few soap opera moments that I don't care for at all.
One thing I especially like about "24" is that we know that there are exactly 24 episodes, and the plot advances in every single episode. This is different from a show like "The X-Files" (one of my previous favorites that I ultimately got frustrated with) where most episodes do not advance the plot line, and they are reluctant to give the viewers answers to anything. "24" is entirely different: questions do get answered, plotlines do get resolved, and I get the impression that we will get a solid ending in the final episode. I feel like the writers are treating the viewers with some respect!
Finally, I have to say that Kiefer Sutherland is one of the major reasons I find this show so compelling. I don't watch a lot of movies and I don't think I've ever seen him on screen before I started watching "24," but he is just amazing. His character, Jack Bauer, is by far the most compelling in the series. He's a flawed hero, absolutely three-dimensional, who's trapped in a terrible situation, and you can't help empathizing with him even as you're getting upset about some of the things he's doing. Whenever Jack is onscreen, I'm riveted, mesmerized--I can't take my eyes off him. It's an incredible performance by Sutherland and I hope I'll be seeing more of him in the future.
Overall, the show can be a little hit or miss, but the good parts are so very good that they make up for the flaws. I highly recommend it.
An amazing movie!
4 January 2002
Warning: Spoilers
A few months ago someone asked me what my favorite movie was, and I couldn't come up with an answer. There are many that I like, but none that really stands out among them. Now I realize I was waiting for a movie like this one to come along. And if the next two are anything like it, I'd better leave some more room at the top!
I went into this movie expecting to enjoy it, but not expecting to fall in love with it. I read the books some 10 years ago, on my second attempt--the first time, I gave up halfway through the Two Towers because I was so bored. I went into the theater only barely remembering the story (I remembered the black riders and the journey through mordor), so I got the full experience of the movie, having no clear idea of what would happen next. I thought my husband would like the movie better than I would, since I'm usually underwhelmed by action films and I dislike violence.
Boy, was I wrong. I was completely blown away by the movie. I sat spellbound in my seat for three hours and despite considerable discomfort, refused to budge for a bathroom break because I didn't want to miss a single moment.
(SPOILERS)
This movie entertained in every possible way. I fell in love with most of the characters, especially the hobbits, Gandalf and Aragorn. I loved the Shire. I felt the terror of their flight from the Nazgul, all the way from the Shire to Rivendell. I was dazzled by the whole Moria sequence, and while action scenes usually don't do much for me, this time they did because I CARED. My heart was in my throat every time they were in danger (which was most of the time!). And, most acutely, I felt their sadness after Moria and particularly Frodo's sadness for the remainder of the movie.
One thing that really impressed me was the REALISM of the movie. The characters are often dirty, sweating and/or bedraggled. They don't always look attractive. The realism throughout is part of what swept me up and brought me into another world for 3 hours.
I was moved by the heroism of many of the characters: Aragorn, putting his life on the line over and over again to protect Frodo; Gandalf, at the bridge at kazud-dum; Merry and Pippin, drawing off the orcs to let Frodo get to the boats; Sam, for his steadfast loyalty in the face of any and all danger; Boromir, in his final redemption; Legolas, for his sheer prowess in battle (he was a joy to watch). Gimli seemed to get short-changed in this film; perhaps his time will come in the next one. But mostly I was moved by Frodo. So terrified in the first half of the movie and so sad in the second half, he nonetheless carries on with his against-all-odds quest, taking the road he knows to be right when there are many easier (but false) roads that could be taken. His moment comes when he gets in that boat and pushes off.
There were a few scenes I didn't care for, or that I thought should have been done differently, but they are minor quibbles and I won't go into them. This movie works on every level. I have never loved a movie so much as this one.
And as for those books I barely managed to struggle through ten years ago? After the movie, I ripped through them all in less than five days, hanging on every word. I wanted to know exactly what happened, and I couldn't bear to wait two years to find out. The movie made me care about the characters, and that makes all the difference in the world.
10/10, and then some. Bring on Two Towers! How will I ever manage to wait a whole year?
I went into this movie expecting to enjoy it, but not expecting to fall in love with it. I read the books some 10 years ago, on my second attempt--the first time, I gave up halfway through the Two Towers because I was so bored. I went into the theater only barely remembering the story (I remembered the black riders and the journey through mordor), so I got the full experience of the movie, having no clear idea of what would happen next. I thought my husband would like the movie better than I would, since I'm usually underwhelmed by action films and I dislike violence.
Boy, was I wrong. I was completely blown away by the movie. I sat spellbound in my seat for three hours and despite considerable discomfort, refused to budge for a bathroom break because I didn't want to miss a single moment.
(SPOILERS)
This movie entertained in every possible way. I fell in love with most of the characters, especially the hobbits, Gandalf and Aragorn. I loved the Shire. I felt the terror of their flight from the Nazgul, all the way from the Shire to Rivendell. I was dazzled by the whole Moria sequence, and while action scenes usually don't do much for me, this time they did because I CARED. My heart was in my throat every time they were in danger (which was most of the time!). And, most acutely, I felt their sadness after Moria and particularly Frodo's sadness for the remainder of the movie.
One thing that really impressed me was the REALISM of the movie. The characters are often dirty, sweating and/or bedraggled. They don't always look attractive. The realism throughout is part of what swept me up and brought me into another world for 3 hours.
I was moved by the heroism of many of the characters: Aragorn, putting his life on the line over and over again to protect Frodo; Gandalf, at the bridge at kazud-dum; Merry and Pippin, drawing off the orcs to let Frodo get to the boats; Sam, for his steadfast loyalty in the face of any and all danger; Boromir, in his final redemption; Legolas, for his sheer prowess in battle (he was a joy to watch). Gimli seemed to get short-changed in this film; perhaps his time will come in the next one. But mostly I was moved by Frodo. So terrified in the first half of the movie and so sad in the second half, he nonetheless carries on with his against-all-odds quest, taking the road he knows to be right when there are many easier (but false) roads that could be taken. His moment comes when he gets in that boat and pushes off.
There were a few scenes I didn't care for, or that I thought should have been done differently, but they are minor quibbles and I won't go into them. This movie works on every level. I have never loved a movie so much as this one.
And as for those books I barely managed to struggle through ten years ago? After the movie, I ripped through them all in less than five days, hanging on every word. I wanted to know exactly what happened, and I couldn't bear to wait two years to find out. The movie made me care about the characters, and that makes all the difference in the world.
10/10, and then some. Bring on Two Towers! How will I ever manage to wait a whole year?
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