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Fargo, a review by Eric

Fargo


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Based on a true story that took place in Minnesota and North Dakota in 1987.  The opening credits claim that the names of the survivors were changed but that "in respect for the deads the rest is told exactly as it occured".

It's about a frustrated loser who hires 2 guys to kidnap his wife and get his wealthy father in law to pay a ransom he will then keep. The story is interesting and I had never heard of it. 

The movie however is not very good.  It was obviously done with a small budget but I don't think it excuses everything.  The thing that bothered me is that the characters from Minnesota and North Dakota all looked kind of "idiotic".  They look cold, like nothing ever surprise them, almost like Zombie.  They also say "Yeaaaaah" at least once per sentence, often more, but pronounced almost with a German or Dutch accent.  I don't know if people in Minnesota really say "Yeah" all the time but in the movie it's very annoying, almost like the writer sometimes makes them say something totally useless just to squeeze another "Yeah" in there.

This is bad IMO because there's a scene in the movie where all those one word sentences with people answering "yeah" all the times makes the whole thing look like some parody that isn't even funny.

They may have told things exactly as they happened by respect for the deads but they could also have shown respect for the people involved by not depicting them as idiots.

My score: , but if you find it somewhere for less than 5$ bucks it can still fill a snowy saturday afternoon if one has nothing else to do.


P.S: After writing this review I checked the movie on Rotten Tomatoes.  To my surprise it got very good critics and scores averaging 85% by critics and 94% by the community so I guess one should base his decision on getting this movie or not on my review.

(From Eric's DVD watching. on October 4th, 2008)

Shrek Forever After, a review by Dragonfire

While I have enjoyed the Shrek movies, they aren't my favorites.  The movies are entertaining, but no where near as good as the Pixar movies.  I still think Monsters, Inc. should have gotten the Oscar instead of Shrek.  Anyway, I did still want to see Shrek Forever After and I decided to go Friday to the first 3D showing.  There weren't as many people there as I had thought there might be...no where near what was at Iron Man 2. 

The plot makes an attempt to me original by having Shrek agree to a deal with Rumpelstiltskin that will allow him to feel like a real ogre for a day.  He just has to give up a day in return..and that is where everything goes wrong.  Shrek has fun at first running around scaring people before he realizes that things are really messed up in Far Far Away.  Rumpelstiltskin is King and he has the witches working for him, hunting ogres.  No one, not even Fiona, knows Shrek.  Once he realizes just how bad the situation is, he has to try to figure out a way to get his life back. 

At first glance, the deal with Rumpelstiltskin is original, though after thinking about it more, it doesn't seem that way anymore.  A lot of movies and even television shows have had a character have some sort of crisis or breakdown after marriage, so Shrek wanting to be a real ogre again is really nothing more than that.  What really pushes him to the brink is how most days with Fiona and the kids are the same.  The different version of Far Far Away is interesting, though it does lead to situations that are similar to things that have happened before.  Shrek and Donkey have to meet again..and Shrek and Puss.  Shrek goes to the castle where Fiona was locked up again.  Dragon is shown again as a monster who wants to eat all living things.  I had forgotten about this before, but she is dealt with in a somewhat similar manner with chains again as well.  The more I think about things, the more similarities I see to the previous movies, especially the first one.  Shrek already had to face potentially losing Fiona in the second movie..and here it is again.  The final scene is a recreation of the final scene from the first movie, complete with the same song, though it is sung by someone else.  Maybe this was intended to sort of bookend the series, but I think more originality would have been better.  The movie is still entertaining, but some people will have more issues with all the similarities.

Much of the humor is silly and some of is gross again.  Things are funny, but the movie isn't as funny as the first two movies.  I didn't notice pop culture references like were used in the first two movies especially.  Those did get a bit over used at times, but they did add to the humor, so a few could have worked.  Music isn't used like it was in the first movies.  There are only a few short spots that feature music, and none work as well as what was done with the first two movies. 

The animation was done very well, though I think Pixar is better.  I do think the movement of Fiona's hair looks better.  Most of the 3D is more subtle, though it does stand out in some scenes.  The movie beings by showing a storybook - another similarity to the first movie, complete with pages being ripped out while a character is heard reading the story.  The book seems to float right off the screen and across the theater until it almost smacked me in the face.  That image was done very well.  When the credits begin, the images sort of serve as a recap of the previous movies.  It seems like that should have been done at the beginning instead.  More is shown from the first two movies and just a few basic things from the third are shown.  It does seem like someone decided to try to ...forget about certain parts of that movie.

I think the returning characters are basically the same as they have been.  The alternate versions of the characters are a bit different, but there isn't much to the development of them.  Some of the supporting characters, like Gingy, are barely in the movie.  Some others aren't back at all.  There isn't even a mention of Artie from the third movie. 

Even though I do think this movie has issues, I was still able to enjoy it as a fun, entertaining movie.  I can see why some people would be more disappointed with it though, especially since I have remembered a few more ..issues since first seeing the movie.  I also understand why the movie isn't doing as well as predicted for the weekend.  I think people who were disappointed by the third movie are being more wary of this one.  I do think Shrek Forever After is better than the third movie, but not quite as good as the first two movies.

I did get a review posted on Epinions.  I would have gone with 3.5 stars there if I had the option..since I didn't, I decided to round up to 4.  So I'll use 4 here too.



Here's the link if anyone would like to take a look.

Shrek Forever After

(From Shrek Forever After on May 24th, 2010)

Babylon 5: Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The body of a dead Minbari warrior is presented on Babylon 5 as a sign of respect towards the warrior. But the body is stolen and the Star Rider clan of his blames the humans for the loss. Meanwhile a young girl is found who has teep abilitiies. Whila Talia Winters wants her to enter the Psi Corps, Susan Ivanova tries anything to keep her away from that organisation.

My opinion: Funniest moment was when somone remined Garibaldi that the Pak'Ma'Ra are carrion eathers. We also learn that the Narn are the only people that have no teeps. And we get another look into the Minbari culture and tradition. For the first time we see Delenn use her power as member of the Grey Council. And I liked the ending where Talia and Susan - who where opponents over the teep business - apologized to each other.

Quote of the episode:
Neroon (to Sinclair): "You speak like a Minbari"


Synopsis: The planet Epsilon 3 around which Babylon 5 is orbiting devolps a series of quakes. A survey team which tries to land is being attacked when the planet is supposed to be uninhabited. Meanwhile riots have broken out on the Mars colonies and Garibaldi tries to communicate with a previous lover.

My opinion: At last we learn something about the planet below Babylon 5 except it being a nice wallpaper. We see that there's a huge machinery down below the planet's surface but like most two-parters the first one is only the prelude to the second part.

Quote of the episode:
Draal: "The third principle of sentient life is the capacity for self-sacrifice. The conscious ability to override evolution and self-preservation for a cause, a friend, a loved one."


Synopsis: Earth heavy cruiser Hyperion arrives at Babylon 5 to protect anything of interest that may be found on Epsilon 3. But another ship arrives, too; claiming the planet belongs to them and that they will take it by force, if necessary. And the dying man from the Great Machine tells Draal and Delenn, that someone must take his place in order to prevent the planet's destruction.

My opinion: Loved it. Sinclair is willing to risk everything to protect the station and the people living there. He is truly a man who understands the third principle of sentient life. And to see the sparkle of excitement in Londos eyes to really do something again - marvelous. It was also interesting to see that there are (and have always been?) tensions between the Earthers and the Marsians.


Synopsis: Babylon 4 is back! After Bablon 1 to 3 were destroyed during constructions, Babylon 4 got lost 24 hours after going operational. Babylon 4 was trapped in a time distortion field and it seems to fall back into it. It's decided to evactuate the station before it disappears again. Meanwhile Delenn is summoned back to the Grey Council to take back her place there which means she has to leave Babylon 5.

My opninion: I alsways like time travel episodes even though this time it wasn't really a time travel. But I loved the hints about Sinclairs future. And I like the fact that Delenn left the Grey Counsil because of the calling of her heart and her expressed opinion about the humans (even if it came from a human script writer )

Quote of the episode:
Zathras: "The One leads us. The One tells us to go. We go. We live for the One. We would die for the One."

(From Babylon 5: Marathon on August 5th, 2007)