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jhlavaty
Reviews
Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006)
Entertaining, But There Have Been Better
I shed tears over the "My Sarah Jane" comment in the prior episode, entitled "School Reunion", but never cared about Madame Du Pompadour (despite the brilliance of Sophia Myles). Without giving away spoilers, I felt the connection between her and the Doctor lacked chemistry, which was a combination of a rushed script and Tennant's weaker performance (see below). Fortunately, as I wrote, the always brilliant Sophia Myles saved that (she also saved "Thunderbirds"). The episode left more questions than answers. This was, at best, an average show.
My faults with it were many. I love Tennant as the Doctor - even more so than Eccleston and several of the past Doctors from the Classic Series. But I felt this was Tennant's weakest performance by far. He seemed awkward and out of place in so many scenes. I would accept this if it were his first episode, not his fourth. After what I felt was one of his strongest performances in "School Reunion", this was a letdown. Additionally, I felt Rose and Mickey were underused and equally awkward, as if they were just standing around waiting for their next line as opposed to being involved (with the one exception of Rose's interaction with the Madame). Once again, if it were not for Sophia Myles and the brilliant costume and set designs (and the BBC excels at period pieces), this episode would have been one of the weakest of the New Series. But I rate on all aspects, not just a few. Hence, I give it the 6/10, which is good, but they have done better.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Murray is Great - The Movie is Not
Bill Murray deserves the Golden Globe and Academy Award (and any other accolades) for his performance. For, unfortunately, he was the only thing worth watching in the uninspired and unoriginal "Lost in Translation". I felt "American Beauty" captured the mid-life crisis struggle far better than the snail-paced "Translation". I did not fall for the pseudo-love story, because I did not believe Scarlett Johansson's character in any way. She did not convince me that she was SO unhappy in her marriage (she's a newlywed - why not support her husband on his big break, as opposed to running off to flirt with other men?) that she needed Murray's company. Nor did I believe that she would really be attracted to Murray's character. In contrast, I could see and easily accept the resignation of Murray's character. I felt his pain. I felt his frustration. I felt his joy. He made the film. He deserves to win. Sofia Coppola may very well have a fantastic career as a director in front of her - but if she continues to direct films like these, it will never be realized. Murray saved what I felt was a film that was constantly waiting to break out of its shell, but was continuously held back by Coppola's uninspired direction.
I cannot recommend this movie - unless you are a Murray fan.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
MUCH Better than Reloaded
If you weren't a fan of "Matrix: Reloaded", then you'll be happy with "Revolutions". I wanted to like "Reloaded" - I even saw it twice in the theaters hoping the film would win me over the second time. Sadly, I came away disappointed both times. But where "Reloaded" fails, "Revolutions" succeeds. This film is so good, it makes "Reloaded" that much better. "Revolutions" fits in with the themes established in the first movie. Characters and action sequences are done because they flow with the story. This contrasts "Reloaded" which seemed to have a lot of superfluous characters and action just for the sake of showcasing the special effects. Maybe some of the novelty of being inside the matrix itself has worn off, but the effects are still incredible - and the battle for Zion is outstanding. Gone are the sloppy effect easily visible in "Reloaded". "Revolutions" is an outstanding end to the trilogy, which hit a major speed-bump with the second film. As "Revolutions" is seeing only modest box-office success, hopefully people will see this movie on DVD and realize just how good it is.