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Below are the 5 most recent journal entries recorded in
Educated orc's LiveJournal:
| Friday, March 4th, 2005 | |
| 12:52 pm | Thunderbirds are Go! I liked the Thunderbirds movie. I didn't expect to. I was never a big fan of the TV show. My sister was, so I knew the general premise, and I didn't actively dislike it, but neither was it one of my childhood favorites. I also didn't think much of the kid playing Alan in the ads (still think he looks kinda goofy). And every review I read or comment I'd seen was negative. But hubby was a fan of the show, and thought the ships in the trailer looked cool, so I knew from the first I was doomed to see it. Perhaps I liked this movie because I didn't expect much, but at any rate, I thought it great fun. The credits totally sold it - the ship countdown, Alan being left out, pulling the plug. I think Frakes summarizes it nicely in his commentary, "Family, action adventure, fantasy." Yep. Totally recommend it as that. ( Much rambling on why we liked it ) "So dangerous is, in fact, an understatement..." Heh. Sheryl |
| Sunday, November 28th, 2004 | |
| 6:17 pm | Enormous HP3 film review Alright, call me a grump, but I still don't like the third Harry Potter movie nearly so much as the first two. Everyone I hung out with was so excited about it, going on about how boring Chris Columbus's version of things was, but I liked the first two just fine. No, they weren't brilliant, but they were good storytelling, and I like HP for the story, now don't I? While there's some nifty imagery in Cuarón's version, I don't think he's as good a storyteller as Columbus was, most particularly when it comes to pacing. On first viewing I think a lot of people were wowed by the power of Cuarón's vision - for whatever reason, I wasn't. I think I was hyper aware of stuff that wasn't going to "last" for me because I watch these kind of movies over and over for the characters. The first two movies continue to work for me because there's a focus on character - I'd happily re-insert many of the "deleted scenes" with the first two because they tend to be character scenes. The deleted scenes for HP3 are mostly more of what I didn't like about the movie - special effects and do-dahing pointless prettiness. ( Lots of HP3 spoilers, if anyone still cares ) Sheryl |
| Friday, October 24th, 2003 | |
| 11:30 am | Still on the Disney kick... ( More Disney ramblings ) |
| Monday, September 22nd, 2003 | |
| 8:04 pm | Escape to Witch Mountain Man, I loved the Witch Mountain films as a teen. Read the book before Disney even considered doing the movie, and that remains my favorite Alexander Key (please don't talk to me about Zenna Henderson - liked her stuff, too, but I don't see them as the same). Followed Ike Eisenmann's career for years - kicked myself that I'd missed Fantastic Journey (TV series), got all excited that he'd be Scotty's nephew on the second Trek movie until I found out the size of the role, put up with the Winged Colt (three episodes of boredom, IIRC), and rather liked "Dreams Don't Die" (Paul Winfield helped - he's another favorite). Actually, in some ways I preferred the book version of Return From Witch Mountain to the movie - very few differences, but where there were differences I preferred the book version. For one thing, the book had Tony agonizing over what they were forcing him to do. If they'd just filmed that, the angst level would have been hyped three or four levels... Anyhow, yeah, really enjoying the movies and the making-of stuff and whatnot. Addicting the kids with no feelings of guilt. Also tracked down a movie Ike Eisenman did that he says is a "parody of the parodies" of Blair Witch Project. I haven't seen Blair Witch Project but I have seen some parodies (the Scooby Doo one was nominally amusing), and I read lots of annoyed reviews so I have a fair idea of what it was all about. Kim Richards has "The Blair Witch Mountain Project" on her site for downloading, and I recommend it. http://www.kimrichards.net/start.ht I'd advise reading the popup description first unless you're more up on celeb authors than I am. :p Although maybe I would have gotten it even if I hadn't read the popup. I particularly liked the Roswell bit... Sheryl |
| Sunday, September 21st, 2003 | |
| 11:43 am | The Exciting Opening Post - DVD commentary Hit Toys R Us yesterday so the two straight-haired kids could spend their birthday money, and I spent much more than I should on arty stuff (Crayola was on three-for-one). Got some huge pads of paper and some stuff so the kids can color on the windows, which I've been intending to let them do once the air conditioners go to the basement. Cool! Also got the DVDs for "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "Return from Witch Mountain", with commentary by Ike Eisenman, Kim Richards, and the director, John Hough. IE and KR were in the same room, Hough was obviously doing it independently. I've decided I must prefer commentary where everyone's doing it in one room. Then again, I love the cast commentary on FOTR, and I suspect the Hobbit lads wouldn't have been half so much fun with "the grownups," so maybe not. The commentary with PJ and wife and co-writer (I'm bad with names, okay? Phillipa Boyens and Fran, there, I remembered) is much "smoother", while the cast commentary has a disjointed feel to it, because the comments done by the different groups don't flow as the conversation between the big three does. Much as I like the hobbit lads, my two favorite commentaries are the ones on Huck Finn (the writer/director and the... cinematographer?) and the one on Spy Kids II (writer/director). The guys on Huck Finn are good pals and that's fun, while Rodriguez is so totally "do it yourself" and "you can do it" it's just a joy. I love that you get two such different version of the same song in the movie - he offers the original (a capella and sung by Rodriguez himself). Nice! The "Making of" stuff on Spy Kids II is good as well. I wonder if Spy Kids III will be as good a package. We managed to miss that in the theatres entirely - hubby meant to take the kids but didn't get around it in time, while I had not planed on checking that out because I can't stand 3D. Please tell me they're not going to release the DVD as 3D. Oh, another cool thing about the "Return from Witch Mountain" DVD - an interview in Spanish with Christopher Lee where he sings a snatch of opera. A capella and on the fly, at the request of the interviewer, but rather nice. He apparently sings in one of his movies, too, but one I haven't seen. There's lots of those, LOL! I saw a lot of his Hammer films in a college class - can't remember the name of it at this point, but I do know it was one of the college classes that made my dad groan about the state of Universities today. :D Saw some cool stuff in Knights and Cowboys as well, including a bunch of classic westerns and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Which remains the only Monty Python thing I like pretty much in entirety. Definitely prefer Paul Paddic as Captain Feathersword. Murray just doesn't cut it, and I don't care if he originated the role. Sort of like Tom Baker being the definitive Dr. Who, and not just because I saw him first. ;) Sorry; the TV's right beside my desk and the kids are watching the freebie disc they go with my Disney discs... And what the heck kind of mood is "schwa", anyhow? And is *sporfle* an acronym? And, yes, this is as exciting as it's likely to get. Sheryl Current Mood: Spiffy Current Music: The Wiggles, with protest. |