Review: The Day of the Doctor a.k.a. Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, or Three Steven Moffat Stunts That Disappointed Some Fans

BBC

A nod to the classics.

MOVE ALONG IF YOU HATE SPOILERS

After a long hiatus, the Doctor is back. This time, it's not just Matt Smith's Eleven. He'll be joined by David Tennant's Ten and John Hurt's… uh, Eight-point-five? Because it's Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, that's why.

BBC

John Hurt wouldn't even be here if Christopher Eccleston said yes.

Immortals

The golden rule is: Thou shalt not judge a movie by its trailer.

Even if the trailers have explosions like this.

From the trailer of this film, you might expect it to be like 300, because it said that this was from the producers of 300. But a film is not the creation of the producers. It is merely a production by the producers (hence the root word "produce"), but it is the creation of the entire collaborative effort under the guidance of the director. And this film was directed by Tarsem Singh, not Zack Snyder, so it's nothing like 300 at all.

The look was great. What Singh wanted was for it to be an action film using Renaissance painting styles. Well, it kind of works here:

And maybe also here:

But that's basically it.

Although it works as an action film, don't get me wrong. The fight scenes were spectacular.

"Take that, 300!"

They even had the typical war speech before they started bashing heads in.

Stephen Dorff looking like Kiefer Sutherland.

So what I'm actually saying is that this film has no problems visually. It's the storytelling that makes it fail. The pacing is too slow, and there is no smooth flow from one scene to the next.

Henry Cavill doesn't show much promise in the acting department. Well, how many good actors have played Superman lately? Exactly.

Henry Cavill's acting moment:
Pretending to have an arrow.

Stephen Dorff showed more acting chops here than both Cavill and Freida Pinto combined. Although they did show Pinto's ass, which is a big career boost for her. Now she'll be able to land more roles showing off that cute Indian butt of hers.

"I'm more than just a cute butt!"

Isabel Lucas is really hot, yet no ass exposure, so... too bad for her. But the performances were salvaged by Mickey Rourke, who spoke in almost-incoherent grumbling all throughout, and maybe John Hurt's short-lived role as the old man. Quite unrealistic, though, is the fact that Theseus called him "old man" despite claiming to have known him since childhood. Really now.

One last thing: the casting wasn't so great either. For the role of Zeus, they cast Luke Evans, who kind of looked like an older Orlando Bloom. Zeus is supposed to be the alpha-god, but it just doesn't work with Mr. Evans here. Sorry. You may be a good actor, but you got cast in the wrong role.

Also, you have a dorky whip.

Immortals. USA. 2011.



Rating: Five out of ten.




*some info from IMDb and Wikipedia

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Hollywood never learns.

It all started with The Godfather. They made Part III years after the first two movies. Then they made the sixth Rocky flick. Then the fourth Die Hard film. And then they made the fourth Rambo film. It seems that when Hollywood decides to continue a successful franchise, it almost always doesn't agree with the critics. The only exception seems to be the Star Wars prequels, but that's because they are real legitimate prequels. The others are, well, money-making ventures. And this film is no different.

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Spielberg, not because of the types of movies he makes, but because of his storytelling style. He is one of the few filmmakers I know who can tell a story really well just by the pictures alone. But sadly, his storytelling powers go to waste in this movie, as it practically offers us nothing new about the exciting archaeologist, who is actually the prototype for the Tomb Raider Lara Croft.

There is no shortage of action, as the film begins with a warehouse shootout in─where else─Area 51. That's already a foreshadowing tool, telling us that there will probably be an extra-terrestrial being later on in the film (and there will be). There is also a motorcycle chase with Indy and Shia LaBeouf, inside the university campus. Only in Hollywood will you see a motorcycle crash into a library.

Acting-wise, Harrison Ford seemed like he just went for a nineteen-year vacation, as his Henry Jones, Jr. character never changes from the last time we see him in The Last Crusade. Karen Allen reappears as Marion Ravenwood, who we last saw in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and her on-screen chemistry with Ford is the same as it was back in 1981. Cate Blanchett is, as usual, ravishingly beautiful, especially with that Russian accent, and her hair looks pretty good on her. John Hurt is amusing as the crazed out Professor Oxley. But the two best performances come from Shia LaBeouf, the greaser boy who is actually Henry Jones III, and Ray Winstone as the double-crossing Mac. LaBeouf has proven that there is more to him than a klutzy heartthrob, and there will definitely be more roles coming up for this actor. Ray Winstone, meanwhile, shows his brilliance once again, and since Spielberg loved his performance in Beowulf, Winstone might just appear again in the upcoming Tintin flicks. Let's just keep our fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, watch this film if you are a fan of Dr. Jones, or watch it if you are a fan of action and adventure movies. Do not watch it if you want to be blown away, because you most probably won't.


Rating: Three stars.




You might also want to check out the review of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Vantage Point

This is what I call a "non-linear whodunit".

Writer Barry Levy gives us a spectacular script (those of you attuned to the intricacies of scriptwriting will agree that Levy has done a brilliant job), and it is this script that glues the whole story together. It also helped to have great actors in front of the cameras, who basically just followed the script and did their thing. Vantage Point is a work of art in terms of storytelling and directing, with Barry Levy and director Pete Travis providing the one-two punch.

Dennis Quaid plays the high-strung hero who gets a little too physical in the stunts (seems Mr. Quaid isn't as old as I thought he was), while the ever-serene William Hurt plays the "number one terrorist", a.k.a. the president of the United States. Oscar winner Forest Whitaker does his fair share of running around the streets of Spain, while Sigourney Weaver's very short screen time makes her virtually unnoticeable to younger fans who've never seen her in Ghostbusters. And of course let's give a shout-out to a great supporting cast.

A masterpiece is made when several elements come together to form something which will blow your mind away. This is one such example. The use of non-linear storytelling, great directing, great editing (watch the car scenes, it'll pump up your adrenaline), great sound effects, and actors who do not try to upstage each other all come together to give us one excellent story---and way up to the end you'll still be asking whodunit.

Rating: Five stars.