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The Road, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Road



Title:The Road
Year: 2009
Director: John Hillcoat
Rating: R
Length: 111 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Viggo Mortensen
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Robert Duvall
Guy Pearce
Molly Parker

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes


Tonight it was my pick and as I have been hearing and reading great reviews of this movie I thought the time had come to experience it.

A very emotionally moving movie and unlike any other post-apocalyptic story I have watched before. This focuses less on the tragic end of days (for which it was never clear what caused it) but more on the enduring love between a father and his son.

I like how it begins, with bright colorful images of nature and life before the event compared in stark contrast to the dirty lifeless grey that permeates the entire world after which leaves no confusion as to the extreme level of desolation. Through a series of flashbacks we see how one family drifts from one state of mind to another.... surprise, fear of the unknown, survival, desperation, terror and resignation of ones fate. The mother, played by Charlize Theron, gives up, leaving her men to the horrors of the world.

The man and his boy, played by Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee set out for the southern coast of Florida facing starvation, the elements, which include constant rain and earthquakes, cannibals & rapists and worst of all... the unknown. All in the hopes of finding a more forgiving climate and some semblance of civilization.

There are some very memorable cameos in this movie. Robert Duvall as the nearly blind old man Eli who envies the bond between the man and boy as he reflects sadly at the loss of his own son. Michael K. Williams, as the thief who runs off with their only belongings, stripped of everything including his dignity once caught. Guy Pearce, plays a man who could be either the boy's death or his salvation and you find yourself holding your breath until you know the answer.

There are moments of raw emotional feeling that were very touching for me. Already ferociously protective of my own children, I could see where a parents survivalist instincts would increase a hundred fold when safekeeping their own.

Now one of my favorite movies, I must read Cormac McCarthy's book.

If this movie is in your to-watch pile... move it to the top.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010 on January 2nd, 2011)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a review by Tom

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007/United Kingdom) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (United Kingdom) Director: David Yates Writing: Michael Goldenberg (Screenwriter), J. K. Rowling (Original Material By) Length: 138 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: PCM 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dutch: Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Catalonian: Dolby Digital 5.1, Danish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Flemish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Swedish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Catalonian

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Stars:
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
Jason Boyd as Piers
Richard Macklin as Malcolm
Kathryn Hunter as Mrs. Arabella Figg

Plot:Awards:
Won:

ASCAP Awards (2008)		Top Box Office Films (Nicolas Hooper)
Empire Magazine Awards (2008)		Best Director (David Yates)
European Film Awards (2008)		People's Choice Award
National Movie Awards (2007)		Best Family Film
National Movie Awards (2007)		Best Female Performance (Emma Watson)
National Movie Awards (2007)		Best Male Performance (Daniel Radcliffe)
Scream Awards (2007)		Most Vile Villian (Ralph Fiennes)
Teen Choice Awards (2007)		Choice Summer Movie: Drama/Action-Adventure
Visual Effects Society Awards (2008)		Outstanding Special Effects in a Motion Picture (John Richardson, Steve Hamilton, Ricky Farns, Stephen Hutchinson)

Nominated:

Art Directors Guild Production Design Awards (2008)
BAFTA (2007)		Production Design (Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan)
BAFTA (2007)		Special Visual Effects (Tim Burke, John Richardson, Emma Norton, Chris Shaw)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2008)		Best Family Film
Costume Designers Guild Awards (2008)
Empire Magazine Awards (2008)		Best Actor (Daniel Radcliffe)
Empire Magazine Awards (2008)		Best Actress (Emma Watson)
Empire Magazine Awards (2008)		Best Film
Empire Magazine Awards (2008)		Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Empire Magazine Awards (2008)		Sony Ericsson Soundtrack Award
Hugo Award (2008)		Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
MTV Movie Awards (2008)		Best Kiss (Daniel Radcliffe, Katie Leung)
MTV Movie Awards (2007)		Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet
National Movie Awards (2007)		Best Male Performance (Rupert Grint)
Saturn (2007)		Best Costume (Jany Temime)
Saturn (2007)		Best Direction (David Yates)
Saturn (2007)		Best Fantasy Film
Saturn (2007)		Best Make-Up (Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight)
Saturn (2007)		Best Music (Nicholas Hooper)
Saturn (2007)		Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Daniel Radcliffe)
Saturn (2007)		Best Special Effects (Tim Burke , John Richardson , Paul J. Franklin, Greg Butler)
Saturn (2007)		Best Supporting Actress (Imelda Staunton)
Saturn (2007)		Best Writing (Michael Goldenberg)
Scream Awards (2006)		Most Anticipated Movie
Scream Awards (2007)		The Ultimate Scream
Visual Effects Society Awards (2008)		Outstanding Compositing in a Motion Picture (Jolene McCaffrey, Jelena Stojanovic, Victor Wade, Adam Paschke (For the Hall of Prophecy, comp shots))
Visual Effects Society Awards (2008)		Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Motion Picture (David Vickery, Philippe Leprince, Trina M. Roy, Jolene McCaffrey (For the Hall of Prophecy))
Visual Effects Society Awards (2008)
World Soundtrack Awards (2007)		Discovery of the Year (Nicholas Hooper)

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Outtakes

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the last ones. The characters came off as a little uneven. Also the story wasn't really that interesting. Also for me it came out of nowhere that Harry Potter suddenly is such an experienced wizard that he could teach all the others.

Rating:

(From Tom's Harry Potter Movie Marathon on December 20th, 2012)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: After they've returned from a weird mission, the SG-1 members get the feeling that they aren't themselves anymore. They aren't even humans anymore. They are machines. They travel back to the planet and confront Harlan - the only inhabitant.

My Opinion: Harlan is the only inhabitant of that planet and everytime such a thing happens, something strange is going on with SG-1. I like Harlan, he is a funny guy.
BTW: When we see Jack's front and his back then we see the back of Dan Shea. Dan was RDA's stunt double on MacGyver and he is it on SG-1. He also plays Sgt. Siler.

Synopsis: An artefact that looks like a mirror brings Daniel into a parallel universe. When he returns to Earth, everything is the same and also different. But then Apophis' troups attack from the orbit.

My Opinion: It mustn't be any artefact, it has to be a mirror. Episodes in a mirror universe are always interesting because they fall under the category of "What if". I also liked Teal'c's haircut.

Synopsis: Senator Kinsey is head of the committee that oversees the Stargate project's budget. But he won't spend any more money on this project unless he is convinced of it's purpose. So he comes to Cheyenne Mountain to see the project for himself.

My Opinion: This is the "We've spent to much money on the FX and now we have to make a really cost-effective episode" episode. This is not uncommon, usually they find a reason to show a lot of archive footage and thus reduce the production costs of the current episode.

Synopsis: After Kinsey has shut down the Stargate Command, SG-1 goes through the gate without permission. They go to the address Daniel brought back from the mirror universe, because that's the point from which the attack came. Suddenly they find themselves on a Ha'tak (Goa'uld mothership) that is on its way to Earth.

My Opinion: Great cliffhanger. I also liked the gag with the acceleration/deceleration. But they stopped using that later on (they also stopped using the ice-effect when going through a Stargate). This episode gives even more hope than Thor's Hammer that something of the host survives when the Goa'uld takes over.

The Season - My Opinion: A good start to the series. Granted, there were weaker episodes but they had to warm up. The general framework of the series is set up and most of the major players are already on the playing field. The others arrive soon and then they can play the game for the next seven seasons until the rules are changed.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on March 2nd, 2008)