Quickie Movie ReviewsWant to know what I think of a film? Here`s my Quickie Movie Reviews. Each film is reviewed quickly in a paragraph or two then given a rating out of 10. My reviews are totally biased to what I like and I`ll say what I think. I wouldn`t use this as a guide to what to watch, but perhaps use it in conjunction with more established web and print reviews. I'll try to cover films of a wide range of subjects and quite a few that you may not have seen. If you`ve seen a film and want to review it, and can do it in a paragraph or less with a quick description of the film, the stars, and what you liked about it, plus perhaps any trivia or links you know of then forward it to me and I`ll put it up. Please check the The Internet Movie Database for more reviews and links. Buy your movies for the best prices from the Video Vault! or search Half.com  to buy used movies.Hard Target This is one of Jean Claude Van Dammes better movies. A lot of people dismiss his work out of hand, but I quite like his films. Directed by Hong Kong action supremo John Woo the film is set in New Orleans (helping to explain Jean Claudes accent) and is about an illegal hunting game with a twist - the prey is human. Jean Claude, down and out of luck, helps a young woman find out what happened to her father. His special forces training soon comes into play as he discovers the game, run by none other than the always watchable Lance Henriksen (of Aliens, TVs Millenium and others). The film is a top notch example of the action genre and is a non stop adrenalin rush from beginning to end. Produced by Sam Raimi theres the usual cameo of his brother, Ted Raimi and another actor from his stable, Arnold Voslo (from the Darkman sequels and lately The Mummy). 8/10. Evil Ed. This is a low budget slasher film from Sweden (I think) and is full of blood, gore and humour. The Ed of the title is an editor working for a movie company who is put to work editing a series of slasher pics for re-release. The ultra violent footage he watches soon seeps into his unconcious and begins to make him act like the characters from the film. There are a number of nods at other movies, such as posters of Critters, Dracula and others and spoofs of Legend and Gremlins. If you like films along the lines of Braindead then you`ll like this. 8/10. Final Cut. A low budget British film that does stretch the boundaries of film making, and that`s no small accomplishment. This film uses its low budget to its advantage, if such a thing is possible, by resembling a home movie. Even the actors go by the real first names in the film! Starring Jude Law and Sadie Frost as husband and wife (as they are in real life) and Ray Winstone the action starts at Judes funeral. Sadie has his friends around for the wake and asks them all to sign over the rights to use their images as they enter. A camera follows the action in the house as they proceed to watch a video Jude has made over the last few years. Starting with innocuous scenes (such as Rays wife on the toilet) it gets increasingly more invasive as Judes hidden cameras film life around him and stunts he has set up. All hell breaks loose as each character finds things out they`d rather forget, building to an unforgettable climax. I really liked this film, so its going to be the first that gets top marks from me. 10/10. Three Kings A classic adventure movie starring George Clooney and set in the aftermath of the Gulf War. This film has some very black humour amongst the action (look out for the exploding cow) yet sometimes still makes you stop and think. It isn`t an issue film, however, it is at heart an adventure story and keeps to the point throughout. The `Three Kings` of the title are three gulf war veterans who discover a map to Saddams stolen Kuwaiti bullion. Off they go in search of it, and of course come across a few `problems`. Eventually of course their consience wins out and its a happy ending, the only part I think spoiled the movie. Perhaps its just to keep the audiences happy. This film is non stop action reminicesent of those by Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon etc). Definetly recommended. 8/10. Thin Red Line One of those films that usually gather oscars, but I found it _extremely_ slow. It isn`t a short film, and it doesn`t feel like it either. Set in the pacific campaign of World War 2 on Guadalcanal it centers around a group of american soldiers attempting to take a gun emplacement from the Japanese. Stretch this for 3 hours and thats the movie. Of course theres a lot of issues there, a lot of moral complications, a lot of `inner thoughts` on celluloid but for me undescribably boring. You might like it if you`re a more discerning moviegoer, I hated it. 3/10. The Green Mile Another film with oscar pretentions, and again a 3 hr movie, but this one is quite good. Based on the serialised novel by Stephen King it stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard on death row (`The Green Mile`). Pauls day to day work soon suffers a setback when new inmate, John Coffey, arrives guilty of murdering two little girls. Paul and his guards treat the prisoners well, but a new arrival, the nephew of the governor, does not and friction soon arises. Eventually, with the arrival of a another inmante nicknamed Wild Bill and the discovery of Coffeys healing powers all hell breaks loose. The film builds slowly but is still good to watch and the story flows well throughout. The depression era atmosphere is quite authentic and though the film has relatively small sets, mainly just death row and the execution chamber it never gets boring. This film is by the same people that made The Shawshank Redemption, another prison movie which I liked so I had high hopes for this one. Pretty good. 8/10. A Clockwork Orange This film has been re-released in the UK following the death of the director, Stanley Kubrick, on whose wish it was originally withdrawn. It stars Malcom McDowell as Alex, beethoven-loving leader of a gang of youths. Although this film is now over 25 years old it doesn`t really show its age. Set in the future it depicts Alex`s violent lifestyle of beatings and rape in a society that has all but disintegrated. Eventualy, through treachery from his gang members, Alex is caught and sentenced to 14 years for murder. He is given one lifeline after two years inside, to volunteer for a system to transform him back into a productive member of society. This brainwashing ruins his life. The film deals with Alex`s fight against the system, his failure to win, then Alex recovering and getting the last laugh. It`s a strange movie, classical music playing throughout scenes of sex (like 2001, another Kubrick movie, of course with no sex) and violence, phallic references everywhere and moments of extremely black comedy. Forget the sex and violence, which in my opinion is overrated (and the film shouldn`t have been withdrawn) and enjoy the film for the unique experience it is. Here is a link to the script: Clockwork Orange 8/10. The Godfather, Part 2. I haven`t seen part 1 as I write this, but I decided to watch this first as chronologically part of it comes first. The film is two intertwined stories - that of the yound Vito Corleone played by oscar-winning Robert De Niro and that of Michael Corleone, whom Al Pacino continues to play from part 1. The stories mix and match but the continuing saga of Michael takes up the bulk of the film. Michael, now head of the Corleone family finds treachery in his ranks. Trying to become a legitimate businessman he starts a deal with Hyman Roth, whilst also fighting a federal investigation into the Mafia. There is dissention among the new york gangs and Michael tries to keep things cool while he is working all sides, with some disasterous consequences. The Godfather films are classics and deserve every accolade they have been nominated for and won. Part 2 is far less violent than you`d think, but the slow decline of Michael provides a counterpoint against the rapid rise of Vito in the cleverly joined sections. If you haven`t seen it you don`t know what you`ve missed. There is no doubt in my mind that this one deserves top marks. I`ve just seen part 3 as well, and it`s not as good as this one but still packs a punch. I won`t write a review of that. I`ll write one of the original as soon as I`ve seen it. 10/10. The Godfather Most critics will agree that Godfather Part 2 is better than, or at least equals, the first part. Don`t listen to them. Although Part 2 is extremely good number 1 is waaaay better. I`ve only got one problem here, I rated part 2 10/10 so part 1 will have to be 11/10! This film follows the story of Don Vito Corleone, `The Godfather` and his family. Trouble starts when Vito is offered a partnership in a drugs deal, but Vito doesn`t believe in this, preferring to stick to his usual gambling and smuggling deals. He drops out, then is gunned down. While Vito is seriously ill his son Sonny is head of the family. He has different ideals (he wanted the drugs deal) but is extremely hot tempered. Eventually he is gunned down as well. It isn`t long before there is a full scale war on between the five New York Families. Now it is Michael left to run the family. Michael, a war hero who didn`t originally want to be part of his fathers world kills a bent cop and the `Turk` - the original broker of the drugs deal. He is now head of the Family, overlooking the useless Fredo, his elder brother. To cut a long (but good) story short the heads of the Five families are killed, Vito dies, the Family moves to Nevada. The word `Mafia` is never mentioned in this film, but its obvious what it`s about. Marlon Brando (Vito) won an oscar as best Actor even though Al Pacino as Michael had more screen time. In my opinion the oscar is well deserved. This is Brandos career defining role. He makes the film. Don Vito is the only character to have two oscars, as De Niro won it for Supporting Actor in Part 2! 11/10 Any Given Sunday If you like American Football you`ll like this. Directed by Oliver Stone it packs a punch and stars Al Pacino along with Cameron Diaz, James Woods and others. I don`t know much about american football so I didn`t like this, which is sad as some of my favourite actors are here. I expected the film to appeal to a wider audience as most sports films offer more than just the sport. Not so here. Full of Stones annoying split-screen and picture-in-picture editing effects it plays like a war movie, crunches and tackles everywhere. Oliver Stone went a bit overboard here with the sound effects, complete with silences, and the slow motion, hand held cameras and weird zooms. Irritating. The story? Pacino is coach to the Miami Sharks (ha) and is having a hard time with a string of losses, a maverick quaterback, a weakend squad and Cameron Diaz`s owner. Thats it. 5/10 Kevin and Perry Go Large To enjoy this you must like (a)British Comedy, (b)Adolescent Humour and (c)Dance Music. Well, perhaps not (c) but you get the point. Kevin and Perry is two of british comedian Harry Enfields characters brought to the big screen. Kevin (Enfield) and Perry (Kathy Burke) want to go to Ibiza to become top DJs and lose their virginity. Theres one problem, Kevins parents come along as well. Fill the remainder of the plot with erections, floating turds, dance music and more dance music and you get the film. I found it very funny, on a similar level to American Pie. There are a few cameos from british TV personalities, and Rhys Ifans as Eyeball Paul, top DJ. The music is mainly mixes from Judge Jules, radio 1 and top club DJ. I don`t think this would be as funny a second time through, but then what is? Oh yes, the Monty Python films :) 8/10 Galaxy Quest This is basically a spoof of Star Trek. Well, perhaps more than that but that is the basis. It is a pretty funny disney movie about a group of out of work scifi actors who get called up to save an alien race. Most of the humour comes from the misplaced actors, and Tim Allen is excellent as their commander. I found Alan Rickman as the spockalike a little irritating. If you are an obsessed Star Trek fan you may not appreciate this film. A funny film to watch but no classic. 7/10 Gladiator This is a return to the sword-and-sandal (as the press likes to call them) epics of old. It`s obviously going to be compared to Kubrick`s Spartacus but Ridley Scott`s epic stands on its own and in some ways betters its spiritual grandparent. Russell Crowe, quickly climbing the Hollywood superstar ladder with roles in films such as The Insider, is excellent as General Maximus. Given the task of restoring the Republic of rome by the dying Caesar Marcus Aurellis he is stopped by Caesars son, played by Jaoquim Phoenix. who is after the crown himself. Escaping his captors he joins Oliver Reeds (this is his last film) Gladiators and fights his way back to rome. The film is almost 3 hrs long but seemed to fly by for me. The ending is a bit sugary, a strange contradiction to the violence in the bulk of the movie, but that doesn`t spoil it too much. Ridley Scott, as expected, uses a lot of non-american actors here and it makes a change to see a top film without the usual superstars. Richard Harris as Caesar, Oliver Reed back on top form as Proximus (but sadly he died making the film) and Crowe as the surly, tough Maximus. The sets are mind-blowing, especially the recreation of Rome and the magnificent Colloseum. All in all a most excellent experience. 10/10 The Whole Nine Yards Another Friends star hits the movies. This time its Matthew Perry (Chandler) who hits the screen. I think he is going to have more success than his contempories. Although its obvious that in this film he almost plays Chandler again he stars opposite Bruce Willis so at least theres one big name to attract the public. Willis, himself choosing mixed roles, plays an assasin who moves into a quiet canadian suburb, next to Perry. Here he waits to finish the convoluted plot by killing his ex-boss and ex-wife enabling him to sign for $3,000,000. Of course, the wife and boss have the same idea and Perry is stuck in the middle. Its sort of reminiscent of the excellent Bill Murray film `The Man Who Knew To Little` in that it is about a man in way over his depth. The film is pleasant enough, and had me laughing out loud in places, but in fact one of the film trailers for the next Matthew Perry film `Three to Tango` had be laughing more. 7/10 Idle Hands Another teen/comedy horror. These are getting pretty common now, thanks to Scream and its ilk, but this offers nothing new or special. The usual bunch of tv actors combine to form a special effects story about a total slacker with a possessed hand. The devil likes idle hands, you see, so it possesed a dope smoking tv junkie. Most of the jokes didn`t really hit it with me, but it was slightly humorous. Most of the comic relief is provided by two dudes who were so lazy the couldn`t be bothered to go to heaven once killed, leaving them as zombies. Nothing much I can say about this. One or two of the death scenes were quite inventive but the old Omen films still have the best death scenes to me. Pretty average. 6/10 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo This one is more like it. I found this pretty funny. Deuce (Rob Schneider) is a fish tank cleaner who has an accident whilst working for a famous gigolo. He needs money fast, so tries the business for himself. Deuce falls in with a he-madam called TJ and becomes a he-whore (the film is full of references like this and he-bitch etc!). Of course, the women he has to entertain are all weird to one extent or another and he has strange ways of making them happy. This comedy if of the level of American Pie, Something about mary etc and is pretty funny. Its also by Adam Sandlers company. 8/10 Final Destination A horror film, again, but one which is almost as suspensfull as the great shocker `Jaws`... One scene in particular, which I won`t spoil for you, will make anyone jump! The film is about a group of students who avoid death by leaving a plane due to crash because of one of the students visions. In the weeks that follow death catches up... I suppose if you were to break it down the film is a series of elaborate death scenes, and you find yourself always trying to guess how each character will die, but it isn`t that easy! Written and Directed by James Wong, an X-Files regular and one of the creators of the short-lived (but missed) `Space: Above and Beyond`. Well worth watching. <9/10> The Patriot I wasn`t expecting to like this, as I didn`t like Braveheart, but this was quite good. There are lots of comparisons to Braveheart, mainly due to Mel Gibsons starring and the `against the english` plot, but this American Civil War movie was very enjoyable. Its by the people behind Stargate, ID4 etc so they haven`t got an extensive track record with this kind of thing but Mel Gibson in manic mode is always enjoyable to watch and who doesn`t appreciate exploding heads and other limbs? Everyone knows the story behind the civil war and this one follows Gibsons own part as he uses the Militia to hold back Lord Cornwallis while he protects his own family. To be fair the British aren`t shown in a totally bad light, and the way the war is fought would be laughable if it didn`t actually happen that way. The bad guy is pretty damn evil, the good guy a true hero and the frenchman comical. What more could you ask for? If there is any gripe it is that the misery is piled on a little too thickly but all in all a good film. 8/10 Memento I was very impressed by this film. Its an original thriller starring Guy Pearce (formerly of "Neighbours" soap-opera fame, latterly of LA Confidential) that takes an unusual route to the climax - backwards! Leonard has suffered a major trauma in his life that takes away his short term memory. He exists via notes to himself, tatooed notes on his body and polaroid photographs. Leonards one goal in life is to find who killed and raped his wife, the mysterious "John G." This film makes you think differently as it is shot not so much backwards but sidewards. You are forced to change your perceptions of almost every character continuously and even though you try to second-guess the plot all the time it still catches you out. Memento could so easily not have worked but instead it is a triumph, but make sure you have a clear head before you watch it! Nothing will mess with your brain like this film! It's great to see a former soap-star making such a success in high calibre films like this. 9.5/10 Bedazzled This is your standard 3-wishes film except that (a)the hero gets seven wishes and (b)the genie (or in this case the devil) is played by Elizabeth Hurley. Bedazzled is based on the earlier Peter Cook/Dudley Moore movie of the same name and concerns Elliot Richards (Brendan Fraser) attempts to get Alison, the girl of his dreams. As you expect most of the laughs come from the fact that the wishes are misinterpreted by the devil to cause Elliot a lot of problems, but I found these worked quite well. For example, his wish to be rich and powerful left him as a colombian drug lord! Liz Hurley basically stands around in costumes found in every male fantasy - but I'm not complaining :). Fraser acts competently in the movie, though nothing much is really asked of him. His nerdish character in the beginning is quite amusing. Bedazzled was directed by Harold Ramis - best known as Egon in Ghostbusters but an acclaimed writer/director responsible for classics such as Caddyshack and Groundhog Day. 6/10 The Mummy Returns Another outing for the Mummy! After the success of the first feature it was almost inevitable there would be a sequel, but there are no complaints for it is very good. The Mummy Returns again stars the same actors as the original, but more has been spent on the effects and scenery. In a chase from Egypt to London and back to Egypt again Rick O'Connel (Brendan Fraser) returns to London with his wife and son holding the mysterious amulet of the Scorpion King. He is followed by an Egyptian priest who needs this to awaken the Scorpion King, awaken High Priest Imhotep (the Mummy, Arnold Voslo), get the Scorpion King killed then take over the Army of Anubis and rule the world. Following me? Ricks son gets kidnapped, Rick chases the Mummy across Egypt in a rocket-powered air ship, finds the lost oasis, contends with armies of pygmies and saves the day from the half-man, half-scorpion king. The plot doesn't need to make sense as its a fantasy full of non-stop action and great effects. This has no pretense to be anything else. For what it is the film succeeds admirably. Fraser and Weisz have great on-screen chemistry and Voslo must have fun playing the Mummy. British actor John Hannah provides comic relief as Ricks cowardly brother and WWF wrestler The Rock plays The Scorpion King but doesn't have much screen time (but look for a prelude movie called The Scorpion King starring him!). This great cast again makes a great film. <8/10> Evolution You can think of Evolution as like Men in Black, and because of it's link with Ivan Reitman has been called "Ghostbusters for 2001". This is a quite funny film with amazing special effects. A meteor lands in Arizona narrowly missing a fireman (Sean William Scott, staple of the modern bunch of high school comedies) out on practice. The local reprensentitive of the US Geological Survey happens to be Dr Harry Block, a college Geology teacher played by Orlando Jones who ropes in fellow teacher Ira Kane (David Duchovny). When they inspect the crash site they discover that it contained alien DNA that is replicating and evolving at a fantastic rate. Dreams of nobel prizes in mind they keep the discovery to themselves but an e-mail tap by Kanes ex-bosses results in the military taking over the site. Unfortunately the creatures evolve to rapidly for them to control and all hell breaks lose... Apparently this was originaly scripted as a straight scifi shocker, but I'm glad Reitman took over and turned it to a comedy. David Duchovny plays it straight, and is all the funnier for it, while Jones is a comedy star in the making. He reminds me a lot of Jeff Goldblum. The films stars are really the CGI aliens, with some truly weird creations. Ivan Reitman returns to the top after some duds (six days, seven nights etc) with this film and it launches the movie careers of Duchovny and Jones. The film also stars Julianne Moore who is woefully underused and a cameo from Dan Aykroyd (where's his roles these days?). Oh, there's also the most blatant product placement for Head&Shoulders in history... 8/10 Ed Wood This is the true story of Edward D Wood, Jr. - who has achieved notoriety as the `worst director of all time`. A strange premise for a movie, but it is highly entertaining and even moving in parts. The story covers Woods efforts to emulate Orson Welles and become a movie producer - writer - actor. Wood seems to wander through life with a unshakable belief in himself and his films (even when no-one else has) and a wide eyed innocence that anything is possible, a feeling finally enforced when he meets Welles himself in a bar towards the end of the film. Woods career `takes off` when he meets Bela Lugosi in a street and becomes friends. The sub-story of Bela, played by Martin Landau (who was nominated for an Oscar for the part) is quite moving - that of a washed up drug-addicted movie star. Eds main struggle in his career is to get funding. His first film `Glen or Glenda` is a semi-autobiographical movie about his own transvestitism which is predictably a flop. He gets financing for his second by giving away leading roles to his various financers. His third, Plan 9 from Outer Space (the worst movie of all time) is bizzarely funded by the Baptist Church of America!. It's this movie - starring a Bela Lugosi double (his girlfriends chiropracter!) because Bela died during the making, plus TV starlet Vampira and Swedish wrestler Tor Johnsson - that made Ed Woods name. The film is shot in black and white and the subject matter is strange to say the least. Many people won't have seen it because of this. I highly reccomend the film! The fact that it is a true story of one of cinemas most original characters is a bonus. Tim Burton has a habit of recruiting big stars to his quirkie movies and this is no exception! 9/10 The Man Who Fell To Earth This is famous because it stars David Bowie - in a role noone else could play. Bowie, of course, has a history of science fiction / apocalyptic visions - at least in his music. This movie is well known for being difficult to understand. It is straightforward enough until the last hour or so, then it becomes quite difficult. The film is directed by Nicolas Roeg who has a habit of making these beautiful to watch but hard to understand films. This is no exception! For me at least the first part was quite exciting and enjoyable but towards the end it gets deeper and more poetic. It is more a vision and a experience rather than a movie. Still... this is a very good sci-fi fantasy. One of Bowies first film roles, and one made for him. Easily his best. The plot concerns a man who goes by the name Thomas Jerome Newton (Bowie), supposedly an Englishman. The movie begins with scenes of something crashing into the atmosphere and landing in a lake. You then see a figure stumbling down a hill. It jumps to Bowie, who is visiting small towns and pawn shops selling rings, but this he does to get the money to pay for a patent lawyer. Newton meets this lawyer, Oliver Farnsworth, and gives him a sheaf of papers. His plans and ideas for ground breaking technology. The film then jumps forward a few years. Newton is now head of a massive company making hundreds of millions, with Farnsworth as its president. There are a few battles between Newton and Farnsworth as the opportunity is there to make billions, but Newton keeps selling out for quick cash. It soon transpires that Newton is in fact an alien and is raising money to build a spaceship to take water to his home planet, where is wife is waiting for him. Unfortunately Newton becomes sidetracked on earth. He falls in love with a girl named Mary Lou while living in a mexican border hotel, and also discovers some unique joys of alcohol, sex and TV. Eventually Newtons company is subjected to an extremely violent takeover bid and Newton himself is locked up in a hotel where doctors try to examine him. Newton still dreams of his family, but is almost in a permanent drunken state for many years till he finds the door open one day. Everyone he has known is now many years older. With no friends left, only those who betrayed him, the film ends with Newton sitting at a table still drinking and dreaming. It's easy to read too much into this movie. If you read other reviews almost everyone complains of its arty, disjointed, meandering style. I find it just an original and enjoyable scifi fable, with Roegs unique eye. Of note are the incredible sets and outside locations, especially the decadent but decaying hotel rooms where Newton is locked up in the end. There's also quite a few erotic soft-porn scenes, with a Rip Torn character at the start and his penchant for 18yr old students, and with Bowie and Candy Clark. The film has some points to make, about the corruption of innocence and corporate greed but what about the story itself? you'll either love it or hate it - just don't try to understand it too much! 9/10 The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers The second installment of the definative fantasy jumps right into the action. Theres not much in the way of catching up but everyone would probably have seen the first film anyway. The Two Towers sees the fellowship split into three groups: Sam and Frodo struggle to reach Mordor and deal with the slimy Gollum. Aragorn and crew are looking for the hobbits but get sidetracked into defending Helms Deep and the other two hobbits, Pippin and Merry, escape Orc capture and meet the Ents of Fangorn Forest (easily the worst part of the movie). Phew! What's really interesting about The Lord of the Rings is how it was made and whos involved. The Lord of the Rings is one of the biggest novels to tackle, often voted as the best book ever. It is THE fantasy. Only recently has the technology been available to even think about filming it, the only other attempt was the strange rotoscaped version, and that didnt make it to part two because of funding problems. New Line Pictures (not known for big movies) commissioned it. Then they handed it to Peter Jackson, a small time director who once self-made the low budget `Bad Taste` and let him film all three parts at once in New Zealand... The cast are partly 2nd rate straight-to-video actors such as Viggo Mortensen and John Rhys Davies (who also voiced the Ents)... And theres a CGI Character and we all know what happens with those! But, it works. Jackson is a genius. The actors act like they've never acted before. Gollum, the CGI Character, is amazing and probably the star of this installment. Even at three hours long it works. Even supporting actors are pretty good, such as Bernard Hill as King Theoden (who sadly died after making the movies). Even hammy old actors like Christopher Lee and Ian Mckellen pull it off with style. You've never seen anything else like this. Even Star Wars (kind of like the SciFi equivalent) pales in scope. Harry Potter? Who?. It would have been easy to hand this to a big name director with lots of stars but then the budget wouldn't have been there for the effects, locations and settings. It would have been easy to film in studios in Hollywood but then they would have lost out on the incredible scenery of New Zealand. The third installment is "more of the same", but darker. Some of the effects also start to show their age. Still, it deservedly cleaned up at the Oscars and we'll probably still have the prequel "The Hobbit" to look forward to in the future... 10/10 (for the trilogy) The Dark Half This is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel by George A Romero. Two big names in horror there, but is it any good? In short- Yes. Both Romero and King can be hit and miss but thankfully this is more of a hit - and partly down to Timothy Hutton and his acting skills. In this movie he plays a writer, Thad Beaumont, who discovers his "Dark Half" has come to life and is starting to kill the people around him. This Dark Half is his alter-ego, a pseudonym he writes under called George Stark. Thad, tired of the trashy novels he writes as Stark, tries to kill off his own creation with disasterous results... Stephen King is still in the Guiness Books as the author with the most Movie adaptations and this is a welcome addition to his collection. There are familiar themes in this novel, such as a Writer as the main character (like Misery) and the settings in Castle Rock, and one of the characters - Sherrif Alan Pangborn (Michael Rooker) reappears in another movie, Needfull Things (played by Ed Harris there). Even Timothy Hutton is in "Secret Window" - another King story. 7/10 |
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