Reviews Written by Edward
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December 12, 2000
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April 26, 2000
Pros and Cons
Pros: Lightsaber Action, R2's intro, Pod Race (minus the two headed announcer), Watto (AKA The good CGI character), Amidala, Panaka Castigere from Highlander) Droidekas, Scenery, Music. Cons: Jar Jar (not the other gungans, just him), midichlorians, dialogue (repetetive), slow moving, lack of Ralph McQuarrie, lack of Haley Joel Osment, and it relied too heavily on self-reference (face it, if not for the other three, this one would not be as popular). All in all a decent, if flawed, attempt. P.S. Vader vs. Maul is like Eastwood vs. VanDamme. ... -
April 26, 2000
If you liked this, see Throne Of Blood
Shakespear in hakama! Ran is as big and beautiful a movie about bloodshed as there can be. The characters are right out of a No drama and the colors are outstanding, even if the film is a little overlong. Check out Kurosawa's Throne Of Blood for an even better, if smaller, trip through Fedual Japan with the old Bard. ... -
April 26, 2000
Sequel to Yojimbo
The Samurai With No Name makes his second appearance as he is forced to babysit a group of inexperienced samurai caught way over their heads in a web of political intrigue. Not as hard or gritty as Yojimbo, and a little on the lighter side, nevertheless, Toshiro Mifune is as captivating as ever, and the storyline is intruiging. The faceoff between the hired swordsman and Sanjuro at the end will stay with you for a long time. ... -
April 26, 2000
Shakespear in Japan!
Forget Romeo and Juliet in Venice Beach,
forget Othello in high school -this is one of the better attempts at transporting Shakespear into another culture. The ghosts are eerie, the Lady is devious, and Toshiro really buys it hard in the end. Well worth a look-see. ... -
April 26, 2000
Precursor to Star Wars IV: A New Hope
This is the movie that Lucas gleaned some of the plot for the original Star Wars from. Stand alone though, it's great. Two bumbling vagabonds (a la 3PO and R2) unwittingly aide an exiled princess and her loyal general, the incomparable Toshiro Mifune (who was considered for the part of Kenobi), in smuggling a fortune in gold past an army of enemies. A great plot with fine instances of comedy and drama, good action, and great music. ... -
March 16, 2000
The Best of `98
This was the best film of 1998. Completely ignored and overlooked by the Academy, Ken Loach's direction is superb, second only to the performance of Peter Mullan, which is quite simple astonishing. Why he was not nominated for best actor of the year is a complete mystery. He injects such life into the character of Joe, that we feel his triumphs and failures as surely as if they were our own. ... -
March 8, 2000
#1 In The Holy Trinity
This is the best of the holy trinity of John Wayne westerns, right up there with
The Shootist and True Grit. One of John Ford's best films, The Searchers is as relentless and indomitable a western as Ethan Edwards himself. It will remain a classic for years to come -"Just as sure as the turnin' o'the earth." ... -
March 8, 2000
The Greatest Space-Fantasy Of All Time!
This was before the wiles of the Dark Side lured George Lucas into sacrificing characterization and indentity into plush toys and bath mats. This is Star Wars as it was in its inception -the product of years of the dreams and hopes of a multitude of children. Now George has forgotten that when he gave this movie to the world, it became as much a part of us as Babe Ruth and Apple Pie. ... -
March 8, 2000
The Greatest Historical Epic Ever
Astounding. The character of Lawrence as played by Peter O'Toole is as enigmatic and sweeping as the trackless sands of the desert in which this picture was filmed. This is the finest historical epic ever made, with a fantastic cast, engrossing action, and a wonderful presentation of one man's unending conflict with his own immeasurable destiny. ...
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Grim, unrelenting
One of the most unrelenting samurai films ever. The protagonist is a guiltless, unscrupulous sociopath who brings death and misery to anyone he meets. Based on Nakadai's book, the anti-hero is the weaver and center of a web that closes in on him at the end, as all the fruits of his misdeeds converge. Toshiro Mifune makes a brief appearance as a peerless fencing instructor who instills the feer of the Furies into the main character. The ending may leave some people hanging, but this is still a fascinating piece of work. Where's the DVD? See this movie! ...