Yet another LOTR indie film coming out...

We've already had The Hunt for Gollum and are eagerly awaiting Born of Hope (though the release date seems a bit ambiguous - the official website says August/September 2009, others - allegedly director Kate Middleton - say December 2009) - but today I've come across another one, made in Ireland on a micro-budget, directed by Tim Robinson.

It's called Halifirien, and I like the storyline they've come up with, not focusing on main characters or locations at all:

During the time of the War of the Ring a young boy will face his own quest, to light the last beacon and signal to Rohan that Gondor calls for aid.

High on the mountain of Halifirien, overlooking the border between the two kingdoms, the wardens keep their watch for the ancient signal that will call the men of the west to unite against the threat of Mordor.

As Sauron's shadow grows over Middle Earth, orc war bands maraud further into the free lands, and one night invade the hallowed mountain upon which the wardens keep their watch. As Eradur (James Robinson) and his brother (Dominic Downes) are on guard they hear the noise of battle from further down the mountain. Do they go and help their friends? Or stay and keep to their sworn duty?

Eradur will face the loss of those most dear to him as he is hunted down by bloodthirsty orcs and forced to confront his fears alone.


Official Trailer:


Official Website

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

Best In Show (2000)

Directed and co-written by Christopher Guest (the other writer was Eugene Levy), Best of Show is one of the oddest films I've ever seen. It also happens to be riotously funny in quite a few places.

A mock documentary (I just hate the phrase "mockumentary" for some reason!), this details the ups and downs... well, mainly downs... of several dog owners on their way to and during the dog show. I think if you're a fan of such shows and can see how well the characters in the movie mirror real life it would probably be even funnier; I'm not, but I still found parts of it absolutely hilarious.

Partly because much of it is ad-libbed it's a bit uneven and not all of it tickles the funny bone, but it's certainly well worth watching.

It's rated 12(UK) PG-13 (US) for language and sex-related material. There's nothing particularly terrible though there's a lot of innuendo. More of the humour comes from the characters more than what they actually say, though it's also one of those movies that makes you really listen to the dialogue because you can easily miss the best lines. All of the cast are terrific.

The additional scenes on the DVD are a mixed bunch; some are boring while others are hysterical. Much like the whole film really, but overall it's really enjoyable. Not a conventional film, but proof (as if needed) that unconventional films are often among the best. I'm guessing that this is one of those movies that's actually funnier on the second viewing; I'll let you know whether I was right once I've watched it again! I'm also going to lend it to some people at work who go to dog shows quite regularly, I'm very curious as to what they'll make of it.

Cast

Christopher Guest as Harlan Pepper
Eugene Levy as Gerry Fleck
Catherine O'Hara as Cookie Fleck
John Michael Higgins as Scott Donlan
Michael McKean as Stefan Vanderhoof
Michael Hitchcock as Hamilton Swan
Parker Posey as Meg Swan
Jennifer Coolidge as Sherri Ann Cabot
Jane Lynch as Christy Cummings
Larry Miller as Max Berman
Jim Piddock as Trevor Beckwith
Fred Willard as Buck Laughlin
Ed Begley, Jr. as Hotel Manager
Lynda Boyd as Cabot Party Guest
Teryl Rothery as Philly AM Host
Patrick Cranshaw as Leslie Ward Cabot
Will Sasso as Fishin' Hole Guy
Bob Balaban as Dr. Theodore W. Millbank III
Don Lake as Graham Chissolm

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

Steamboy (2004)

Though it didn't quite live up to its spectacular opening sequences, I did rather enjoy this steampunk anime set in an alternate history Victorian England. Unfortunatley the movie suffers from probably the worst English dub in movie history, so I'm going to watch it again subtitled before I review it properly.

Hearing people who are supposed to be from Manchester / London speaking Japanese will seem odd, but not as painful as listening to American (and English) voice actors not only completely failing to nail the accent (which is pretty difficult admittedly), but Anna Paquinn voicing the young boy who's the main character, rarely sounding like a boy, usually like an American girl, never like an Mancurian. Oh well...

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Forest Whittaker's performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was superb and James McAvoy (as young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan) was as dependable as every, but somehow I felt that this film was lacking something. I just never felt emotionally involved; it had nothing like the impact of Hotel Rwanda to me. Apparently the storyline bears very little relation to historical fact; not knowing much about Ugandan history that probably didn't make too much difference to me, but the romantic element between Nicholas and one of Amin's wives (played by Kerry Washington) did feel rather contrived.

The F word is used quite a lot, and be warned - there are some very gruesome scnees in this movie. I thought it was a good movie to a limited extent, but somehow it just never really gripped me as I felt it should have. Rated 15 (UK), R (US).

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

Avatar Trailer

James Cameron's Avatar is the movie they're all talking about at the moment... but I have to be brutally honest, seeing the trailer makes me feel a bit disinclined to watch it. (Though I probably still will...)

What does anyone else think about this one?

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (1992)

This really isn't the sort of thing I would have watched, but we saw the DVD going cheap and my wife had fond memories of it from her younger days, so... Anyway, it's an animated movie about a bunch of fairies living in a forest that's about to be destroyed by humans, an evil dude who I'm still not sure about (I mean, what was he / it?!), a human who gets brought down to fairy side and a bat who is... well... batty.

It's reasonably well done, decent animation, quite a good music score and good voice acting - Tim Curry, Christian Slater and Robin Williams are among the voice actors. It's ecological message can hardly be accused of subtlety but it doesn't ruin the film. There are moments of pure random insanity that really life the film into surreal levels.

Despite myself, I rather enjoyed Fern Gully, though it's nowhere near being a classic in my opinion. It's clearly aimed at young children and they'll enjoy it the most.

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

The Glass Mountain (1949)

This isn't a bad film though the acting is pretty wooden and the sound quality (even on the remastered version) leaves a lot to be desired and the early dialogue is very wooden. The singing, unless actually in the opera within the movie, looks and sounds completely unrealistic. Still the storyline's quite strong, basically the trials and tribulations of composer Richard Welder and his long-suffering wife Anne (played by real-life husband and wife team Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray), and the woman who saves Richard's life when he's stuck in Italy during the war (played by Valentina Cortese). Everyone whose life is ruined to some extent by Richard seems to be amazingly (almost unreasonably) patient and understanding with him, but otherwise the storyline is basically believable. Singer Tito Gobbi makes an appearance as... himself. He sits and sings, looking like he's sitting mumbling, sounding like he's singing on a stage. Oh well... points for trying if not technical finesse!

I've criticised it quite a lot but still, it's really not a bad film as such, just very unpolished.

Without A Clue (1988)

This fun Sherlock Holmes spoof stars Michael Caine as the eponymous opium-addicted detective and Ben Kingsley as the long-suffering Dr Watson... with a twist in that Holmes is merely a creation of Dr Watson's, who is the brains of the operation, while Holmes is merely an actor playing the part and repeating the lines fed to him by Watson. When an evil plot emerges and Watson's life is endangered, however, Holmes must actually start to work out how to find and interpret the clues for himself... Not spectacular, but definitely enjoyable.

Also stars Lysette Anthony and Paul Freeman.

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

Special Offer from Play.com

Play have got this fantastic offer at the moment until 31st August! Movies you need from £2.99 are classic films from MGM's catalogue and features greats such as Rocky, Usual Suspects, Robocop, & When Harry met Sally. Play have got a massive selection of DVDs available at cracking prices, so make sure you check out there amazing range of top titles.

Click here for more details

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

Green for Danger (1946)

This comedy murder mystery is pretty mediocre for the first half hour, but once Alastair Sim as Inspector Cockrill, who's called upon to investigate a murder at a hospital during World War II. Directed by Sidney Gilliat, the brilliant script adapted by himself and Claude Guerney from Christianna Brand's novel combined an intriguing plot (complete with not one but two superb twists at the end) with sharp humour. The ensemble cast including Trevor Howard are fine, but this really is a one man show with Alastair Sim in absolutely top form. Bear with it through the slow and ever-so-slight tedious opening sequences and enjoy the ride once Sim comes onto the scene.

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog

A Royal Scandal (1945)

Another 1945 comedy I saw recently and really enjoyed was "A Royal Scandal". Very, very loosely a biopic of Catherine the Great of Russia, it stars Tallulah Bankhead as Catherine herself and William Eythe as an enthusiastic, patriotic young Leiutenant who brings urgent news to the Empress. Despite the fact that the news is nothing new to Catherine or her advisors, she takes a liking for the young man (and particularly how he looks in a white uniform). This puts him at odds with his fiance Anna (Anne Baxter), who is a lady-in-waiting at the palace. His idealistic ideas seem at odds with what is practical for the empire, but he does look so good in uniform... Seduced by Catherine, he remains a virtuous young lad who wants to set the world to rights. Not all of those around him are so scrupulous, of course...

Also starring Vincent Price as a visiting French emmisary and Charles Coburn who is absolutely brilliant as the canny chancellor, this film has sparkling dialogue throughout. The plot is pure hokum but A Royal Scandal is funny throughout, often quite hilarious. If you like films from this era, directors Ernst Lubitsch  and Otto Preminger served up a right royal feast with this one.

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CaptainD - Movie Reviews Blog