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Black_Man24
Reviews
Shrek the Third (2007)
Decent
I liked the Shrek movies pretty well. They put a whole new spin on fairy tales and teach you to look beneath the surface while poking sly fun at pop culture. All the main characters are good. My favorites would have to be Puss-in-boots and Donkey. Those two along with Shrek have wonderful chemistry. However, that being said, Shrek 3 did not live up to the standards of the first two movies.
It wasn't bad. Very decent in fact, but it lacked the humor and the music and the fun of the first two. The storyline had the potential but it didn't have the polish or as many pop culture references as the other movies which added to the fun. The worst part of the movie though was Arthur. They should never had Justin Timberlake acting as his voice. The character came across as fake and overboard in its "teen nerd slash rebel" stereotype. Without him, the movie would have been fine. Arthur was too much.
I would recommend this movie. It was nice. Maybe not as polished but still a lot better than a lot of movies coming out this year. The old characters still remain as lovable as ever. With the exception of Arthur, this was nice.
Ever After (1998)
I love this movie.
Absolutely perfect. I am a sucker for any fairytale movie; especially Cinderella types. This one is almost brilliant. The way they portray the fairytale in a very real time without the usual clichés (Fairy godmother, animals turning into humans and vice versa.) though nice, would have made it a bit cheesy when using real live people.
Drew Barrymore is a wonderful Cinderella. Her Cinderella does not wait for fate; she takes action. She is strong-willed, beautiful, and adventurous, but she never bashes it over your head. She is very vulnerable too. Angelica Huston is a great evil stepmother. She plays the part with relish. She is very elegant, calculated and manipulative, borderline sociopath. The mean stepsister gets over the top at times, but she is very good. I like the way they have one nice stepsister and one evil one. The prince got a little on my nerves, but he was good too. This movie is a classic. I hope more movies come out like this one.
Carolina (2003)
One word: Shirley Maclaine
Shirley Maclaine, without a doubt, makes the best quirky characters. Her expressions, timing, all of this comes into play with Carolina. Julia Stiles is a very good actress and she plays the part of Carolina, the girl who has all the answers to love and can't see it in front of her.
Shirley Maclaine, however, steals this movie. From the way she answers her phone ("State your business") to putting up with the Mirabeau craziness. In fact, she is the cause of it!! Then the birth scene is priceless. I would love to have a Grandmother like that, though my mother is fast becoming a Grandma Mirabeau.
I think this movie deserved more than just a direct-to-video. Movies like these are rare. All we have is a lot of trash. Over complex, overrated by the critics, etc. I loved this precisely because of its quirkiness.
Shooter (2007)
Very good
This movie surprised me. it is the usual action film with the gore, blood, macho male with mega muscles and cardboard female characters. The ending was not surprising. What surprised me was how well it was made. The protagonist had depth; even Pena's character was good. Kate Mara and Mark Wahlberg had excellent chemistry; my only complaint is how the directors refused to develop it. This isn't a masterpiece by any means. It's a very good action flick.
I don't like how they portray the female characters. They are either tough girl wannabes (Rhona Mitra) or vulnerable girlfriends (Kate Mara). I know this is typical in action flicks, but I still hate it. I wish they would focus on a woman for once; or at least made Kate Mara's character stronger.
The ending was too contrived. Killing the senator and Johnson was needed, but I wish they put more unpredictability in it. I also didn't like how they underdeveloped Rhona Mitra and Pena's relationship. It came too sudden. But it's an action flick. Relationships are secondary to the pot. They should have cut Kate Mara's part altogether. I liked her. She did very well in her part. It's the character I had a problem with.
All together, I think this was very good. I enjoyed it completely. Of course being a girl I have problems with the way women are portrayed. Other than that, it's the kind of movie I'd watch again and again.
Boudica (2003)
overdone...by a long shot
I hate fact twisted into some overdone fantasy/historical fiction called epics. This is one of the worst. I am obsessed with Celtic culture and I look it up endlessly. I have no problem in creating epics with a touch of unrealism. It's fiction. I like adding spin to it. But I absolutely hate it when people take history and completely ignore facts to add their own "idea" of realism.
Boudicca is one of my heroes. But she was usual for her time. The actress played her well, but the whole idea of Boudicca should have been left to true, hard-core lovers of Celtic culture.
One day,maybe, someone will get it right. The actors were fine: the writing was WAY overdone. Stilted and unimaginative.