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4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Last but not least for this summary release
With a livelier script and stronger production values, this sequel far outdoes the 2004 original. Funnier comedy, more interesting characters and much slicker effects work make it a terrific guilty pleasure.
The Fantastic Four are having trouble balancing their professional and personal lives. Reed and Sue (Gruffudd and Alba) can't get married without being interrupted by a crisis. Johnny (Evans) can't settle down with a girl, not that he's trying. And Ben (Chiklis) is made of stone, although his girlfriend (Washington) doesn't seem to mind. Now the world is about to be devoured by an evil force heralded by a glistening silver guy on a surf board (Jones, with Fishburne's voice). And they may need to team up with nemesis Victor Von Doom (McMahon) to save the planet.
The filmmakers strike a humorous tone early on, combining a colourful comic book design with goofy comedy to get us chuckling. Jokes about invasive paparazzi and corporate sponsorship abound, even as both are the franchise's bread and butter. And the wink-nudge innuendo will keep kids feeling like they're watching something vaguely grown up, even though any TV sitcom takes things far further than this tame movie. Meanwhile, we know the wackiness will soon be interrupted by something nefarious and earth-threatening.
And it's pretty impressive. After a slightly awkward plot set-up, things kick into gear, combining thrilling action with genuinely clever gags (the power-swapping is ingenious). It's great to see a full-on London effects sequence, as well as subtle references to, of all things, rendition and human rights issues. Yes, it's still simplistic, with the requisite boneheaded military idiot (Braugher) and some extremely random scenes, but it's also thoroughly cool--especially the foursome's new vehicle and the surfer himself. There's also an intriguingly serious final twist. Ish.
Clearly, Stan Lee and Marvel have an obsession with embarrassing disco dancing this year (see also Spider-man 3). But it helps that the cast are having a lot more fun this time. They're engagingly relaxed and allowed to deepen the characters and play around with the iconography. Honestly, this is how the first film should have been, and it bodes well for more to come.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Leaden, lifeless, emotionally empty direction and a pace that will render mind and bum comprehensively numb
Unfortunately, the third Pirates of the Caribbean film is destined to join the dreaded list of trilogy disasters.
At World's End is a messy maze of complicated plot twists and convoluted characters that coasts along on the success of the first two films.
It spends the first third wrapping up Dead Man's Chest, the second third trying to explain its massively complex plot and the third vainly attempting to make it all sound meaningful.
Hardly the stuff of successful movies - let alone trilogies.
If it feels like a rehash of the first two films, that's because it largely is. There are precious few new characters, and director Gore Verbinski relies on Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his camp goofiness so heavily it should be called the Captain Jack Sparrow Show.
As the plot builds towards a final showdown, the love story continues to revolve around William Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and their 'will they-won't they' merry-go-round. Snore.
It's a similar story with At World's End's special effects. They're impressive, but it feels like we've seen them all before.
The best are stolen from the far superior Dead Man's Chest, with only a short sequence featuring Sparrow hallucinating in Davy Jones' locker showing any signs of inspiration.
Thankfully, the much-hyped appearance of Keith Richards as Sparrow's father is well worth the wait. Richards is brilliant, and if there were more of him he could have single-handedly saved the film.
But it's a wasted opportunity, much like the rest of the film.
To get to the climactic overblown whirlpool battle, you'll have to navigate a massively complicated plot that features more twists, turns and double-crosses than a con artist convention.
You'll need more than a compass, an eyeglass and a map marked with 'X' to understand what the heck is going on. By the time you get to the end, you won't remember how you got there or why you're supposed to care.
To make matters worse, the final scenes hint a fourth movie could be on the cards.
Come on, guys. Successful movie quadralogies are even rarer than trilogies. Surely it's time to give Captain Jack Sparrow and his merry band of pirates a rest? Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End By CHRIS SCHULZ - Stuff.co.nz
Navarasa (2005)
movie about the third gender.
Cinematographers-turned-directors always have a special delicate, indrawn way of looking at life - and this isn't the first time Santosh Sivan looks at a fringe community. Sivan plays with the concepts of light and dark, shadow and sunlight to depict the ambiguities that underline human sexuality. Swetha's shock and incredulity at the idea of her beloved uncle being a woman in a man's body is a clever device to distance and familiarize the audience with the third sex. Often, the director's camera tends to flirt with exotica, but not at the cost of the plot. There are long passages of soulful visuals, for example the eunuchs huddled in a dreamy blur at the fair dressed in widows' whites after marrying the deity Aravan...here the cinematographer in Sivan coalesces with a gentle jolt in the director. on the whole, this movie is a worth watching....