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Reviews by tartan_skirt
Urgh... terrible.
Posted : 2 years, 2 months ago on 12 September 2007 07:16
(A review of Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde)**Slight spoilers** It has been quite some time since I last watched the first Legally Blonde film, but I think I actually enjoyed it at the time. I’m not sure what I would think now, but I know that this sequel thoroughly sucked. I attempted to watch this last year but I actually turned it off half way through because it was so bad. I only decided to give it another chance because a) I don’t like watching half a film and b) it was on. Utterly idiotic and ridiculous. The characters are terribly thought out, as is the storyline and much else about it. Does Sid the doorman actually ever mind the door? He seems to have an awful lot of time to waste helping Elle pick flowers or hunt politicians. The female judge was also just stupid with her “change” after the hair salon encounter with Elle transformed her so completely and shockingly instantly. The only funny part of the entire film was one line uttered by a very minor character. “Your dogs are gay.” Enough said. That was an hour and a half of my life that I will never get back..  0 comments, Reply to this entry
Better than I thought
Posted : 2 years, 2 months ago on 12 September 2007 07:13
(A review of Big Nothing)I quite liked Big Nothing. I expected more of a straight comedy, having heard very little about it, but it was more of a black-comedy/action with elements of murder mystery thrown in. Quite a nice blend when you see it. As for the actors, I think the casting was well done, though seeing Simon Pegg play an American was a bit weird. David Schwimmer also made a good attempt of a non-Ross role, but with an attachment lasting so long you can’t help but be reminded of it every now and then. I think that Pegg brought to the film something akin to that of Spaced or (the later) Hot Fuzz, so it is not only Schwimmer’s character association that shows at times. The storyline generally worked quite well for me, turning more into a murder mystery into the latter half of the film. I’m not entirely sure why it has such a low mark, but each to their own I suppose. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Self titled album from finnish cello roc
Posted : 2 years, 2 months ago on 12 September 2007 07:09
(A review of Apocalyptica)This is the sixth, and self-titled, album from the Finnish band Apocalyptica. Made up of 11 songs and a hidden track it contains some of my favourite songs from the band. “Life Burns!” (which is a perfect album opener), “Quutamo”, and “Distraction” are three of the best in my opinion but they are all grouped together at the start which sets the listener up for a bit of a disappointment (in my opinion, anyway). Not to say that the other songs aren’t good, but they certainly lack the flair of these opening tracks. After a couple of play-throughs I have come to like the latter tracks more though and the hidden track is really something worth waiting for. That all said, I hate H.I.M. and Ville Valo’s singing on "Bittersweet" really ruins the song for me. I think it could be much better but I am not a fan of his and so am a tad biased. I also dislike The Rasmus, but Lauri Ylönen’s voice fits “Life Burns!” very well and I can’t help but love the song. A decent album (though I am annoyed at HMV for putting the security tag over the CD’s sticker so that it would rip, thus there is a shiny patch where I’ve had to leave part of the tag on, but ignore my ranting…). I hope their other albums are as good as this one. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
American Pop
Posted : 2 years, 2 months ago on 12 September 2007 07:04
(A review of American Pop)This being my third venture into Bakshi's work, and the first non-fantasy film that I have watched, I have to say that his style is growing on me. There is something in his use of rotoscoping coupled with more adult themes and storylines that I find interesting. His characters are at times grotesquely real, especially in American Pop. American Pop follows four generations of men, in succession, amongst the tumult of war and music (and other elements) in their own lives and times. Of this shaky family line we follow up to the culmination of the dream of the first - to sing professionally – and as the name suggests, the progression of American Pop and pop culture over the decades. A great film and another wonderful work from Ralph Bakshi. It was sort of a lost cinematic classic for me and I am glad I discovered it for myself. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Another great Sailor Moon series
Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 17 July 2007 02:39
(A review of Sailor Moon S)**Contains spoilers** Sailor Moon S is the third series of Sailor Moon, taking us up to the 127th episode in the Sailor Moon saga in total, and the Sailor Soldiers have progressed to the 9th grade. This is one reason why I prefer anime to conventional cartoons: Time passes (Usagi even has a birthday!). Instead of the old stealing of energy game, this series has more of a focus on hearts and love ("pure hearts" are being stolen this time). New characters this time around include two new Sailor Soldiers, Uranus and Neptune, and the new bad guys - evil scientists mixing magic with science. The prominent new Sailor Warriors, Uranus and Neptune, are a wonderful addition to the Sailor Moon storyline, though I think it is a bit strange that lesbian undertones were brought into a (part) childrens series, but it is great. (It does make you wonder if this was one of the reasons the whole series was never included in the American dub too.) Chibi-Usa also returns, but thankfully there is a bit of a break from her for a good few episodes into the series. Her entrance was hilarious though. In the previous series she was a more than a little bit annoying but I think at least some of that is left behind with this series. I found the monsters (Daimonhs) a bit more interesting this time around, though the first set of them did seem to like semi-flashing their victims. Over the first and second seasons there is a clear evolution of the opposition to the Sailor Soldiers. A big difference is the monsters ability to form actual sentences! Wooo! One thing about the series that I am not as keen on is the new transformations and Sailor Moon's new "attack". All that spinning just makes me dizzy and puzzled at how flexible a clutz like Usagi can be... It is definitely a wee bit over the top. It is made up for though as not only are the transformation scenes cut out a bit more but I liked Haruka and Michiros ones as the music was a nice addition to the series (stings!). It is a wonderful series, almost as good as the first, but for me I doubt anything can beat the splendor of that first series which was part of my introduction into anime. The characters and plot are much fuller than before, and this development works very well. I hope the fourth series will be as good. :) 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Daft Punk musical
Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 16 July 2007 02:08
(A review of Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem)**Contains spoilers** I'm not really a fan of Daft Punk's music, and since this was basically just one of their albums with animated illustration forming a story, this wasn't exactly something I would normally go for, but I just like to see interesting animation in general and my boyfriend likes the music, so we watched it. One thing I can say is that the music videos finally make sense after seeing this. I had only ever seen the first and fourth songs on TV ("One More Time" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" respectively) and even though the style was interesting, I had been thoroughly confused and thus a little put-off from wanting to watch them again. Seeing this film actually gives them a link and everything fits properly, albeit with a slightly odd storyline. The plot in general is quite good but at times I couldn't help snapping back to reality and scratching my head at the sheer absurdity of some sections (such as the taking over the world/Mozart and other musicians actually alien parts). I've always thought the animation style was quite interesting but never have I considered it real anime (though I suppose it should be considered as such). It has a flair of individuality, and a departure from the generic anime style is always nice. Anyway, to round off: If you like the music of Daft Punk, watch it as that is what it is (this is why I gave it a 6 as I am not really a fan). If you like sci-fi animation you also might like it. Otherwise it is completely up to you and your likes/dislikes. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Wonderful fantasy, suitable for family v
Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 10 July 2007 07:48
(A review of The Cat Returns)As far as my understanding goes, The Cat Returns is a sort-of-sequel/spin-off to an earlier Studio Ghibli film called Whisper of the Heart, which I have yet to see but now want to. It is a lovely little film which I think would sit well with another, though much earlier, Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro as they are both very much family fantasy films that have wonderful stories. I loved the characters in this and recommend the Japanese voice cast with English subtitles as even though I have not heard the English cast, the originals fit very well indeed. A great film, recommended for anime and Ghibli fans and a good introduction for children into the genre. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Syberia
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 8 July 2007 01:52
(A review of Syberia)Syberia is definitely a very interesting point-and-click adventure game though it still doesn't quite meet up to some of the others I've played in the past (especially The Longest Journey). I managed to finish it in about 17 hours over two days (including breaks, food, game crashes and redoing parts, and getting stuck on silly bits for half an hour...). Not a bad duration for a game of the genre, and since it obviously ends with a prelude to a sequel, that adds more to it. I'm looking forward to getting the sequel, but I said that with the other Broken Sword games so who knows when that will be.. Overall the game has wonderful graphics and a highly engaging storyline, with a predictable home subplot (Kate-Dan-Olivia) that at least provides a little entertainment at times. As with many point-and-click adventures you can tell a lot of effort and skill went into the designing of the scenery, but I think the designers tried to cram in too many scenes and angles that just serve the purpose of taking up time clicking through rather than getting anything done. As for gameplay, the only things I would mention being a bit annoying were the access to the menu not being direct enough and the at-times finicky objects that slowed me down because they needed to be dealt with just-so, but there were only one or two of these so they didn't interfere greatly. Its a good game, but I think those who don't like having to sit through the odd bout of long narrative might find this at times boring. This shouldn't put you off though as it is worth it. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Ok BBC comedy panel show
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 2 July 2007 07:49
(A review of Would I Lie to You?)The newest product of the British comedy panel show genre, Would I Lie to You?, shows potential as it utilises another new (or unused) concept. Angus Deayton is at the helm once again as he finally makes his return from his humiliation on Have I Got News For You five years ago. As for team captains, David Mitchell is a good choice and Lee Mack is certainly an interesting one as his style of comedy seems to be one-liners more than anything else from his past work on The Sketch Show. I missed the first show, but the second and third have been good. The latter was very odd in deed because two of the opposing guests were Dara Ó Briain and Jimmy Carr, hosts of their own comedy panel shows (Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats, respectively) and Carr in particular seems less comfortable as a guest than a host. It's a good enough show and the truths about the celebrities featured are shockers at times. I think it should do all right since it has an alright time-slot, but I doubt it'll meet the standards of the BBC's more long-running successes in the area such as HIGNFY, QI, and Nevermind the Buzzcocks. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
Jengcheon - The Restless
Posted : 2 years, 5 months ago on 29 June 2007 03:02
(A review of The Restless)**May contain spoilers** I quite liked this Korean fantasy-action film. It has some good action sequences and a nice storyline. I didn't think that Tae-hee Kim was the best person to have in the female lead though. She just looked half-startled most of the time and a tad too childish for the role. I could have sworn that I had seen her in something before (like a comedy), but alas, nothing. I just thought the role could have been suited a little bit better for someone else, but she does put in an alright performance. As for special effects there were quite a few very well done, but the odd one just stood out to me as being a little bit out-of-place-looking. For instance, the attack using the flower petals just looked a little naff. However, I did like the sort of burning/disintegration effects. A good film, but it could have been a bit better. It definitely has the feel of Musa and Bichunmoo to it but with a fantasy twist, so if you're a fan of those you should check this out. 0 comments, Reply to this entry
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