Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

Tom's Midnight Garden (1999)

In 1958, Philippa Pearce's novel "Tom's Midnight Garden" was released to great acclaim, winning the the Carnegie Medal. In 2007, it was selected by Carnegie judges as one of the ten most important children's novels of the last seventy years and is currently read in many schools and looked upon as a modern British literary classic. The success of the book has resulted in several adaptations, including no less than three by the British Broadcasting Corporation (1968, 1974 and 1988) for television, a play adapted by David Wood in 2001 and this feature length movie in 1999. This 1999 adaptation was directed by Willard Carroll for Hyperion Pictures with much of the filming taking place in the Isle of Man.

The synopsis from Second Sight reads:
Tom’s Midnight Garden is the magical tale of a young boy who is transported to a mysterious world of times past. 14-year-old Tom is sent to stay with his Aunt and Uncle for the summer to avoid catching measles from his brother. One night, on hearing the grandfather clock strike 13, he sets off to explore and discovers the house has been transformed. He investigates further and opens the door to a magical, sunlit garden of a bygone age where he meets Hatty, a young orphan girl, and begins an incredible adventure. Based on Philippa Pearce’s timeless fantasy, Tom’s Midnight Garden stars Greta Scacchi, James Wilby and David Bradley who later starred as Argus Filch in the Harry Potter series.

So let's start with the bad... First of all, the script. Despite the source material, the screenplay by director Willard Carroll features some horribly clunky dialogue. Veteran cast members Greta Sacchi and James Wilby seem to get the worst of it as Aunt Gwen and Uncle Alan Kitson but they have the professionalism to just about carry it off. Unfortunately, the less experienced cast members have a harder time dealing with the dialogue. The second, and final bad thing about this production, is the truly horrible casting of Anthony Way as lead character Tom Long. A former choirboy, Anthony not only looks far too old for the role (he was seventeen during filming), but he also looks completely out of his depth, struggling to show the surprise and drama his character requires. Needless to say, this was his first, and last, role in film.

The good stuff starts with an underused actress who puts in her usual great performance, Joan Plowright. She plays Mrs. Bartholomew and does a fantastic job in doing so. The settings that were used for the film are perfect, especially the colourfulness of the garden and the contrast with the stately home. The special effects are reasonably good for a low budget production, particularly the scene where the furniture constantly disappears and re-appears in the house. Although the dialogue is clunky (as I said above), you can't completely ruin a classic tale when you try to stay faithful and the ending is extremely satisfying.

With a more experienced lead actor and more thought put into the scripting process, this could've been a classic. Because the lead is so poor, yet a vital part of the film, it's just an average, but solid and faithful adaptation that is just a tad disappointing in its end result.


Full review - http://www.dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=2578

[samuelrichardscott]

Black Sheep (2006) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Terrified of sheep and dosed up on therapy, Henry Oldfield (Nathan Meister) returns to his family's farm to sell out to his older brother Angus (Peter Feeney), unaware that something baaaad is going on: Angus' reckless genetic engineering program. When a pair of environmental activists release a mutant lamb from Angus' laboratory onto the farm, thousands of cuddly sheep are turned into bloodthirsty predators. Along with farmhand Tucker (Tammy Davis) and greenie girl Experience (Danielle Mason), Henry finds himself stranded deep on the farm as his worst nightmare comes to life...

My Thoughts:
Is Black Sheep the first killer sheep movie? I don't know, but this little comedy horror from New Zealand is quite fun. Has the feel of early Peter Jackson to it, but isn't as clever, or as funny, as either Braindead or Bad Taste. There is some nice homage to similar movies tied into the dialogue and the cast are quite good, with special effects surprisingly good (though they were done by WETA). Overall though, it fails to get away from a formulaic structure which leaves it as a rather average comedy horror despite the fact it could've been a bit more inventive and original with the route the story follows. If you're a fan of horror, it's worth picking up cheap but there are superior films of a similar ilk out there (Slither anyone?). Rent it. 3/5

[Najemikon]

Ah, I remember seeing this at the cinema! I agree with you. It had its moments (the flock charging over the hill, the dangers of natural methane, etc), but largely fell flat. And Slither is fantastic.

[samuelrichardscott]

Dark Vengeance (2011) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Elijah Kane (Steven Seagal) is no ordinary undercover cop. Elijah Kane is an urban warrior on a personal conquest to rid the streets of scum. With his team of fearless crime fighters, taking life-threatening risks is only part of the job. There’s a savage killer on the loose, preying on local strippers and using twisted techniques associated with the occult. As the bodies pile up and the city spirals into fear and paranoia, Kane is thrown into a deadly, demented criminal underworld of black magic and terror, but nothing can stand in the way of Elijah Kane when it comes to brutal justice and Dark Vengeance.

My Thoughts:
Steven Seagal's latest output is made up of the two part Dark Vengeance storyline from his television show, True Justice. Now most people have a love/hate relationship of Seagal but he has some very loyal fans, of which I am unashamedly one. Unfortunately, this doesn't have enough action to keep his fans entertained and the story itself is rather lacklustre and I had guessed the murderer from the outset with ease. Some of the supporting cast are a little better than the script suggests and it is a competant enough story to sit through, and the few and far between action scenes are enjoyable, but I can't bring myself to recommend this to anybody. Skip it. 2/5

[Jimmy]

Is Black Sheep the first killer sheep movie?

Actually not...

[samuelrichardscott]

Thanks Jimmy. Looks like something I would like to check out but not at the current import price and no UK release to rent via Lovefilm. I've added it to my Amazon wishlist so maybe one day I'll get to it.

[Jimmy]

You can always get it as a download file from SWV. Of course, this isn't the dvd and you don't get all the extras but the price is lower.

[samuelrichardscott]

Love & Other Drugs (2010) Region B - United Kingdom

Overview:
Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone--or anything--tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

Thoughts:
I wasn't expecting much from this at all and viewed it based around a recommendation from a friend who never lets me down when it comes to good movies. This was a very nice suprise. I liked the characters who were perfectly cast, especially the underrated Oliver Platt (who was awesome in Please Give) as Bruce. The story, whilst obvious, moves along at a good pace and includes the perfect balance of comedy, romance and drama in all the right places. I was also surprised just how much Hathaway gets her boobs out, but of course, not in a bad way! Edward Zwick remains a capable, reliable director and I look forward to whatever his next project may be. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Just Go With It (2011) Region FREE - United Kingdom

Overview:
Danny (Adam Sandler) must engage Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), his faithful assistant, to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife. Danny must pretend that he is married, because he lied to his dream girl, Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) the most gorgeous woman in the world. To keep the woman he loves, covering up one lie soon turns into many lies.

My Thoughts:
Jennifer Aniston is churning out rom-coms often and fast. When you watch them, you know what to expect and this was no different with Dugan's "Just Go With It". Although the ending can be seen a mile away, there is some fun to be had here and some very funny scenes, generally involving Michael (Griffin Gluck) or Eddie (Nick Swardson). I'm a big fan of Nicole Kidman generally, but I found her character generally unneeded here and annoyingly, poorly constructed. Aniston puts in a better performance than usual, but then the script is better than your average rom-com, and Brooklyn Decker held her own surprisingly well. I wish Sandler would do more films like "Punch Drunk Love" but this was a good role for him. Overall, this is recommended to fans of any of the cast (bar Kidman), or of rom-coms in general. Everyone else should rent it first. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Children of the Corn (1984) R0 United Kingdom

Overview:
Travelling through Nebraska, Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton) stop in a small town to report the death of a child on the highway. There, they discover something strange about the community: all the grownups are gone, and the children seem to belong to a strange cult. What's worse, it's a cult that sacrifices adults to the dreadful 'he who walks behind the rows'...

My Thoughts:
Children of the Corn is a movie that scared me senseless as a kid, in particular the character of Isaac played by John Franklin. As an out and out horror, there really isn't much in the way of blood and gore, but the way the kids are filmed, and how tense some of the moments feel when the adults (Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton) enter the town of Gatlin, puts this minor point at the back of your mind. My favourite scene is when Horton's Burt enters the church just as Amos is giving his blood as it is the first day of his nineteenth year, so must now die. If you're a fan of horror, and of the Stephen King story, this is recommended.

[samuelrichardscott]

Children of the Corn II: Final Sacrifice (1992) R0 United Kingdom

Overview:
A young couple uncovered the horrors that lay hidden in the small community of Gatlin, Nebraska. Three years earlier, all the adults suffered a terrible fate at the hands of their own sons and daughters - victims of a bloody cult of human sacrifice. Now, the bodies have been discovered and the neighbouring townsfolk of Hemingford agree to shelter the traumatised children, unaware that they are opening their doors to an awesome force that will threaten their very existence!

My Thoughts:
Despite the low score at imdb (3.8 at time of writing), Children of the Corn II is a suprisingly good sequel. Although made eight years after the original, it takes place soon after the events of the first and instead of being a completely new 'storyline' as many horror sequels, it actually follows on nicely from the first. The first half moves a little slow at times, but the characters are fun and there are some interesting scenes (such as the man bleeding in the church) and there's a decent ending. Special effects can be dodgy but they are better than the first, and the only real thing this lacks compared to the first is the cast. The kids aren't as scary and the adults aren't as convincing as Hamilton/Horton. Still, this is a worthwhile sequel, if nothing great. Recommended if you enjoyed the first, otherwise a rental. 3/5

[Jimmy]

The thing I've always find funny about this franchise is the fact they made so many films (7, I think ) based on a short story.

[samuelrichardscott]

The 8th has just been released:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745672/

Currently I own 1-5 (seen 1-3 before).

[samuelrichardscott]

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
An edge-of-your-seat thriller packed with suspense and terror -- you can't miss CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST -- third in the wildly popular CHILDREN OF THE CORN series! Soon after a childless couple adopts a pair of orphaned brothers, it becomes alarmingly clear the boys are much more than they seem! With the immense power to hypnotize schoolmates into mindless followers and destroy any adult opposition, the younger boy continues the frightening campaign of terror that began in CHILDREN OF THE CORN! But there is one person -- his brave older brother -- who can possibly stop the relentless destruction, setting up an awesome final showdown between the powers of good and evil!

My Thoughts:
Credit where credit is due, James Hickox had to take a different route for the third movie in the series (and his directorial debut) to avoid CotC going stale and he almost managed it. Moving the settings from the country cornfields to the city garden of foster parents of kids from Gatlin, and having the obvious stereotypical inner city students in the school of the adopted country kids introduced a good change of pace compared to the previous films but it was always going to be a hard sell. Unfortunately, it completely loses it in the final act by being a bit OTT compared to the general tense nature of the CotC films but outside of that, it's an interesting entry in the series and has more gore than the previous films. Rent it. 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) R1 USA

Overview:
Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of spine-tingling thrills unleashed in Children Of The Corn IV: The Gathering – a chilling chapter in the wildly popular Children Of The Corn series! The horror returns when the children of a small midwestern town are haunted by an unspeakable evil that lurks somewhere out behind the corn fields. A bright young medical student must solve the frightening mystery that plagues the children... before a sinister stranger can claim their souls for his own! It's a pulse-pounding race against time and terror that will leave even the most die-hard suspense fans on the edge of their seats!

My Thoughts:
Children of the Corn IV is another surprisingly worthy entry into the series. Taking the route of kids getting a fever in a small town, there are some good death scenes and special effects and the acting ability of the kids in this one is better than the third movie. Naomi Watts and Karen Black add a little star quality and Watts shines throughout compared to the rest of the cast showing why she has become an A-lister. OK, it's not an award-winning performance, but still great. I suppose I can recommend this one to any fans of the series even if the 'corn' plays a lesser role in comparison. Better than 2 and 3, but not as good as the first. 3/5