KING ARTHUR DIRECTOR'S CUT

3/5
stars clive owen, ioan gruffudd, hugh dancy, keira knightley

apparently this movie did pretty dismally at the cinemas, but the dvd director's cut version i think is alright. i haven't seen the theatrical release version so i've nothing to compare it to, but i'll base this review from what i've seen.

i'm not sure how closely the film follows the 'real' legend of arthur and his knights. but i guess the legend itself aint that clear either. anyways, the main story of the film portrays arthur's pre-king journey with his knights in thier numberous battles with the britains, the saxons, and the 'wolves' for the casue of freedom. after they defeat the saxons, their freedom will be granted - and after fifteen years, they have all come but one battle away from it.

but, as lancelot (gruffudd) tells arthur (owen), "only certain death awaits you."

this film was to me, kind of like a medieval, bloody, grown-up version of rob reiner's "stand by me" which is probably the main reason i liked it. the directing and editing was pretty ordinary, but the characters and the trials they faced together were well executed really well.

i don't know if this review has changed anyone's opinion of the film, but i thought it was pretty cool. and if you haven't seen it yet, i recommend it. if not for the gratuidous violence, head-lopping, and axings, then for the shit these knights go through for thier freedom.

-LOki

LEMONY SNICKET'S SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

2.5/5
stars jim carrey, meryl streep, emma browning, jude law

i was desperate for something to do and thought seeing a movie would be a good thing to kill some time. i went into the theatre thinking this film would be kinda funny, a little hollywood-ish, and perhaps even a bit suspenseful. unfortuante indeed, that none of my expectations were fulfilled.

the film is about three kids who are orphaned after a mysterious fire burns down thier mansion and kills their parents. of the three children, there's violet the inventor, klaus the reader, and summer the biter. they are put into the custody of count olaf (carrey), who is only after one thing - their inhertience.

the film goes through a series of events (pun, get it?) that sees the kids escaping time after time the plots of olaf to bring about their untimely deaths.

the film to me was very repetetive, and even boring in some parts. it lacked the hollywood bs despite having the big name actors. this was the thing i liked about the film, that it was quirky and different. the sets, colour-scheming, music, and atmosphere in general gave this film a sense of mysticism.

jude law lends his voice as the narrator, lemony snicket, as he follows the events that happen to these children.

its an odd-ball film with little to offer. perhaps the only meaningful thing in the film is at the end, where violet reads aloud a letter sent from their late parents. i suppose this last scene was worth the wait. if you're up for a theatrical, but somewhat boring and ho-hum film, see this movie.

-LOki

THE INCREDIBLES

stars holly hunter, craig t. nelson, samuel l. jackson, jason lee
5/5

i really don't know where to begin when it comes to this film. writer and director brad bird ("the iron giant" - another great animated feature) knows how to combine the right amount to sentiment with action, humour, and emotion.

firstly, this is what the film is about. after an avalanche of lawsuits filed against super-heroes and the crippling effects of legal costs to the government, super-heroes were forced to relocate and make their "secret identity their only identity." moving fifteen years on, bob parr aka mr. incredible has struggled to let the glory days go, the days where he used his powers for the good of the people. instead, he is a pencil pusher at an insurance company being both degraded and unappreciated by his co-workers and boss.

bob then gets a mysterious message asking for his help. he jumps at the opportunity and starts getting back into shape and using his super powers and for the first time in fifteen years, mr. incredible was back. and his family? his wife helen (voiced by hunter) aka elastigirl has hung up her super hero outfit and has tried to lead a 'normal' like under the radar of everyone else. their kids, dashiel (or "dash") and violet both have their own powers too, super speed and invisibility respectively.

mr, incredible realises only too late that his new employer is really the bad guy, and suddenly his family are brought into the plans of a crazed fan.

while the animation in this film is definitely awe-inspiring, what really stands out are the interactions between the family members. brad bird has captured the essence of what it is to be a family in this film, and uses the characters to explore all those ideas. the script, voices (with an excellent performance by jason lee (mall rats, dogma) as "syndrome") and animation make this film absolutely amazing and while this is a family of super heroes, one can't escape the fact that deep down, emotion and feelings are something that everyone - super or not - has in common. and brad bird hits the spot every time.

other characters make this film really cool too, such as edna mode - the fashion designer of super heroes (voiced by mr. bird himself), and the kid who lives down the street (voiced by bird's son, also voiced "squirt" from finding nemo).

what this film is really about a family dealing with family issues... but being super heroes as well.

this film is the sh|t, it has everything to offer and only asks 115 minutes of your time.

go see this movie, it's bloody awesome.

-LOki