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Phantoms, a review by Dragonfire

Phantoms

My Thoughts

I enjoy this movie overall, though the book it is based on is much better.  Too much has to be condensed or completely eliminated for the story to have the same feeling as the book.  The movie does have a creepy atmosphere and some decent action scenes.  The pace does move a little slower, which might bother some viewers.  There is more attention given to building suspense instead of just relying on special effects like some movies do.  The effects the are alright, though they aren't overly impressive, especially what is the major effect for the movie.  The plot is interesting even though it isn't as developed or strong as it was in the book.

I enjoy this movie even though the plot could have been stronger and more suspenseful.



I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Phantoms

(From Dragonfire's Halloween/Horror Marathon 2009 on October 2nd, 2009)

Life of Pi, a review by GSyren

Title	Life of Pi
Year	2012
Director	Ang Lee
Stars	Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Ayush Tandon, Gautam Belur, Adil Hussain
Overview	Embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this visual masterpiece from Oscarr winner Ang Lee*, based on the best-selling novel. After a cataclysmic shipwreck, young Pi Patel finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with the only other survivor - a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Bound by the need to survive, the two are cast on an epic journey that must be seen to be believed.
My thoughts	You are probably going to disagree with me on this... After all the rave about this film, I was quite disappointed with it. To be sure, it's a marvellous technical achievement, and the acting and direction is excellent. I just didn't like the story. Unlike most viewers, I see in the moral of the story (or rather the extension of the moral of the story) just what is one of the biggest problems in the world. The film tells one, admittedly beautiful, story. Then at the end, we get another, not so beautiful story, and we are asked "Which story do you prefer?". Well, that's religion in a nutshell. And on the surface there's nothing wrong in believing in a beautiful fairy tale, as long as you accept that other people may believe in something else. The problem arises when you get so absorbed in your chosen story that you are willing to kill people just because they don't share your story. Don't get me wrong, though. There is nothing in the story that encourages hating people. It's just the idea of chosing to believe in a basically unbelievable story that rubs me the wrong way. So, if you are a cynic and an agnostic, like me, maybe you'll react as me. If not, chances are that you'll love this film. Please don't hate me for my views, though. I'm giving this film 3.5 out of 5 for its technical excellence.
Rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on May 14th, 2013)

"Due South" Marathon, a review by Tom

Due South (TV movie) (1994-04-26)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Writer)
Director: Fred Gerber
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), David Marciano (Detective Ray Vecchio), Wendel Meldrum (Leann Brighton), Charles Shamata (Capt. Walsh), Joseph Ziegler (Insp. Moffatt), Page Fletcher (Frank Drake), Ken Pogue (Gerard), Kaye Ballard (Mrs. Vecchio), Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.), Jim Millington (Underhill), Victor Ertmanis (Supt. Meers), Michael J. Reynolds (Senior Official), Eric Schweig (Inuit Hunter), Kimberly Ange (RCMP Officer 1), Jennifer Parsons (RCMP Officer 2), Johnathon Wittaker (RCMP SGT.), Steve Morel (RCMP Officer 3), Scot Dentor (RCMP Officer 4), Nigel Hamer (RCMP Officer 5), Barry Kennedy (Bert Jenkins), Philip Williams (Herb Lantrell), Keith Dinicol (Coroner), Jack Nicholsen (Airport Hustler), Gene Mack (Chicago Desk Sgt.), Simon Lugassy (Prisoner), Dan Lett (Dr. Weingarten), Paulina Gillis (Maria), Ramona Milano (Francesca), Vito Rezza (Tony), Elizabeth Berman (Mrs. Drake), Sandi Stahlbrand (TV Reporter), Farzad Sadrian (Cabby)

It was really fun to revisit this TV movie again. Great introduction to the two main characters. None of cast which became the regular cast of the series are in this movie though. We have another captain (the one of the series is better). The only two other characters who are well known in the series to appear in this TV movie is Robert Fraser, Benton's father. And Francesca, the beautiful sister of Ray who develops a crush on Benton.
The humor the series is known for is already present in this movie.
The pilot made appetite for the series again.

Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on May 27th, 2009)