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Clash of the Titans (2010), a review by Dragonfire

I went to see Clash of the Titans last week.  I have seen the original several different times on television, but it has been so long, that I've forgotten most of it.  From what I remember, the basic story has stayed the same, though I thought Perseus went on the quests and stuff in the original because he wanted to marry Andromeda, not because he wanted vengeance against Hades.  There isn't a lot of background for the characters, though enough is done to set up the motivation for what Perseus does. 

The plot really isn't that complicated even though a lot of things happen.  Action and the special effects receive way more attention than plot and character development.  I did sort of expect that before seeing the movie.  The effects are done well, though there are so many obvious effects shots that they lose impact after a while.  The different monsters and creatures do look cool, though I really could have done without seeing so much of Medusa.  I didn't see this one in 3D..I didn't want to because of Medusa and my snake issues.  The cast is all right, though no one really stands out that much for me.

Even though the movie has issues, it is entertaining overall.  This is one I would have rated 3.5 stars on Epinions if I had the option.  Since I don't, I rounded up to 4.

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

Clash of the Titans



(From Clash of the Titans (2010) on April 29th, 2010)

Beetlejuice, a review by Tom

Beetlejuice (1988/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (Germany) Director: Tim Burton Writing: Michael McDowell (Story By), Larry Wilson (Story By), Michael McDowell (Screenwriter), Warren Skaaren (Screenwriter) Length: 88 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Music Only: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

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Stars:
Alec Baldwin as Adam
Geena Davis as Barbara
Annie McEnroe as Jane Butterfield
Maurice Page as Ernie
Hugo Stanger as Old Bill

Plot:
A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house.

Awards:
Won:

Academy Award (1988)		Best Makeup (Ve Neill, Steve LaPorte, Robert Short)
AFI (1988)		100 Years... 100 Laughs (2000)
Saturn (1988)		Best Horror Film
Saturn (1988)		Best Makeup (Ve Neill, Steve LaPorte, Robert Short)
Saturn (1988)		Best Supporting Actress (Sylvia Sidney)

Nominated:

AFI (1988)		100 Years... 100 Songs (2004) (Day-O)
Hugo Award (1989)		Dramatic Presentation
Saturn (1988)		Best Director (Tim Burton)
Saturn (1988)		Best Music (Danny Elfman)
Saturn (1988)		Best Special Effects (Peter Kuran, Alan Munro, Ted Rae, Robert Short)
Saturn (1988)		Best Supporting Actor (Michael Keaton)
Saturn (1988)		Best Writing (Michael McDowell, Warren Skaaren)

Extras:

• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• Trailers

This movie always entertained me. A lot of the scenes stayed with me since I first saw the movie as a kid. Like the dinner scene. Or the man in the waiting room with the shrunk head. He looks funny, and the idea behind it as a little creepy.
Michael Keaton does a really great job as Beetlejuice. A character vastly different to Batman, who he played a year later. No wonder the studio was really wary about casting him as Batman.

Rating:

(From Tom's Horror Marathon 2012 on October 6th, 2012)

"Battlestar Galactica" Marathon (1978-2009), a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: For a thousand yahren the war with the Cylons has lasted. The Cylons are machines and their creators - the original race called "Cylons" - have died out long ago. But now an armistice was negotiated by Baltar and the fleet of the Twelve Colonies of Man meets with the Cylons to sign a peace treaty. But Baltar has betrayed his own species to seize power and the Cylons launch a large-scale attack on the colonial fleets and the colonies. Only one Battlestar - the Galactica - and a few refugees survive that holocaust. But there's a myth about a thirteenth colony of Kobol. Commander Adama and his fleet of 220 ships leave the colonies behind to find that legendary colony: Earth. But it won't be an easy journey and there are still those who believe that mankind should lay down its weapons and seek peace with the Cylons.

My Opinion: The show begins with an epic three-parter which was re-cut and re-published as a movie. The designs of that show are still great. The Galactica, the Cylons ("walking chrome toasters"), the Cylon Raiders, the Basestars. Although the deception of mankind and the destruction of the fleet was a bit too easy, it was a decent start for the story and it showed that Adama is an astute commander and that he has the best pilots in the fleet. I also liked their sense of humour: One of the ships had an advertisement printed on the side: "Colonial Movers - We Move Anywhere". The characters are also good. They may not have the depth of nowadays's characters, but they have charm: Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, Cassiopeia, Serina, ... and of course the diabolical Baltar.

(From "Battlestar Galactica" Marathon (1978-2009) on March 13th, 2009)