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Trailer #2: The Words (2012)

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 2:59 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and others
Current release date: September 7, 2012

The Mummy Returns (2001) Directed by Stephen Sommers

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 7:56 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , ,



(Review originally written at 6 May 2007)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

 This movie is a typical sequel, meaning that everything is bigger. More action, more special effects, more comedy, more new characters and more different plot lines. Is it all better? Perhaps if the movie was more original and not so much an extension of the first movie, then perhaps it would had been.

 If you enjoyed the first "The Mummy", you'll probably also enjoy watching this movie. It's in the same style and follows the same characters, with just a few more new adjustments to it. Not all are for the best though.

 Compared to the first movie, this movie obviously has an highly budget and it uses this for some more big scale battles, at the beginning and end of the movie. It also puts in some overall more action sequences and more traveling elements, which helps to provide the movie with its fun and adventurous feeling.

 They also tried to put some more layers into the story, involving the same characters from the first movie but none of this ever really works out, since these plot line differ way too much from the characters as we got introduced to in the first movie. There also are some new characters in the movie. The O'Connell's now have a son. Why oh why do movies always feel the need to put in kids into the story. As a matter of fact the character is quite entertaining in the movie but at the same time annoying because he just feels so completely redundant. Luckily John Hannah is still present for the comical notes of the movie and Arnold Vosloo as the charismatic mummy. This is the role he definitely will be remembered for, even though it isn't a very demanding role.

 Very much like the first movie launched the careers of Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo, this movie launched the acting career of The Rock. Yes he's painfully horrible in this movie, despite having no lines but he's such a great new action hero star. He definitely is the new Arnold Schwarzenegger, who obviously also wasn't the best actor around but still a big and popular one. It was also fun to see Alun Armstrong in the movie, though he's hard to recognize. Also Patricia Velasquez's role has been extended, which is a welcome thing.

 Like most sequels, it's tries (too) hard to surpass its first movie, in terms of size and spectacle. Yes, it provides the movie with some great moments but yet the movie feels more of the same. It's not a bad thing, since the movie is still perfectly fun and entertaining but its lack of originality and new ideas is disturbing at times and makes me worried for "The Mummy 3", if there is ever going to be such a movie.

 The ending is sort of an anti-climax, when a computer animated scorpion king appears, that looks nothing like The Rock and looks as if it came straight out of a playstation game. It's a bit of a disappointing ending but luckily the rest of the movie is good enough to compensate for this and still make this is perfectly fun and watchable movie.

 6/10

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The Mummy (1999) Directed by Stephen Sommers

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 7:53 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , , , ,



(Review originally written at 6 May 2007)

 At the time of its release, both the public and critics were screaming and shouting that this movie for being to much of an Indiana Jones wannabe. Now that this storm has settled down, I hope that more people will be able to take this movie for what it is; pure simple entertainment.

 This is certainly a movie that entertains. It's clean and simple and makes no attempt in putting in any realism or much originality for that matter.

 It's obvious that Stephen Sommers, just like with his other movie "Van Helsing", was attempting to revive the old adventure genre from the '30's/'40's. And just as with "Van Helsing" was the case, it doesn't do this very successfully. Modern movie-making and '30's/'40's adventurous storytelling just don't go together well anymore. The movie is perhaps more of a spoof than an homage at times. And although I certainly enjoy and admire Stephen Sommers attempts, I just don't think these sort of movies will ever make a large impact, or revive the genre from the old days. But I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more simple big blockbuster movies from Stephen Sommers in the future.

 The movie is loosely and I mean very loosely based on the 1932 "The Mummy", starring Boris Karloff in the title role. The movie mostly chooses its own approach and simply uses the concept of the mummy for an overblown entertaining movie with a simple story.

 But entertaining this movie surely is. The movie is filled with fun characters, lots of over-the-top action and a perfectly adventurous feeling all over it, due to the movie its settings and traveling elements.

 The characters are perhaps the foremost reason why the movie works out so entertaining. All of the characters are extremely simple and stereotypical but that works really well for such a movie like this one, that obviously doesn't take itself too serious. On top of that the movie is also really well cast. It was the movie that introduced the world to Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo, though his career never really got off the ground. Brendan Fraser shows how well he can handle the comical sequences but he also is convincing as the action hero of the movie, mainly because he has the right looks for it. Rachel Weisz plays a more light and naive kind of role and it actually is hard to believe that she is mostly playing now more demanding roles in movies such as "Constant Gardener" and "The Fountain". John Hannah is perfect as the more comical sidekick of the movie and also Arnold Vosloo impresses as the villainous mummy. Also the supporting roles of the movie are very entertaining, such as the stereotypical cowboy-type Americans and Kevin J. O'Connor as Beni, who also provides some comical notes. The characters are also made more entertaining by some fine and fun written dialog.

 But there isn't much else to the script really. The movie purely is an excuses to show off some new special effects and let the mummy cause all kind of mayhem across Egypt. Yes, its incredibly simple but perhaps also all the more entertaining because of that.

 The sequences with the movie definitely are the highlights of the movie, as he unleashes all the biblical plagues across Egypt. The special effects are convincingly looking for the mummy and his neat tricks, though it's definitely true that by todays standards the effects are all quite slightly below average.

 The settings of the movie are nice, though some are obviously fake, and they help to give the movie its adventurous feeling. The movie obviously had an high budget and it shows in its action sequences and special effects. The musical score by Jerry Goldsmith is also fine and truly uplifts the movie. Jerry Goldsmith has made a couple of epic scores for some not so epic movies.

 Good simple quality entertainment. Just sit back and enjoy!

 7/10

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2003) (TV) Directed by Maurice Phillips

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 9:05 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , ,


(Review originally written at 23 September 2006)

The story if 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson is already a good, solid one, with powerful and relevant themes in it, on its own. Yet this TV movie chooses to alter the story with as the end result, a movie with a story that lacks a real point or a good main plot line.

The movie mixes several elements from other previous Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde movies (even from "Mary Reilly") but yet it fails to use the most interesting and intriguing elements. The story isn't always interesting enough to follow because of this but in this case that's not just only the scripts fault.

Also of course a big problem of the movie is that it has a typical made-for-TV look, which is never a really positive thing. The costumes and sets are cheap looking and far from impressive. I also really didn't liked the movie its visual style. Judging by this movie I have the feeling that the cinematographer thinks of himself that he is brilliant. He uses artistic positions and lighting with as a result that every sequences feels fabricated and planned out. It makes the movie, story and its characters feel very distant because of this. Also the directing isn't top-class. The movie is filled with a couple of overdone sequences, which mainly feature some slow-motion effects to make the movie feel extra artistic. The end result is the opposite of what the movie makers tried to achieve. Also the musical score is typical simple made-for-TV stuff, which means that's its more distracting and irritating, than that it adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

I at first had trouble seeing John Hannah in the main part as Jekyll/Hyde. I don't know, after his role in the two Mummy movies I have difficulties taking him serious in serious roles, especially when he plays the main character. But once I got accustomed to seeing him playing the Jekyll/Hyde character he was alright. It's too bad that the material and crew he had to work with wasn't the best. Most of the other characters feel like they were just thrown into the story to fill it up. None of them serves a significant enough purpose in the story. Also the actors that portray them aren't the most charismatic or talented persons around, which also certainly obviously doesn't help the movie and story.

The movie tries to be different in its style but especially its story. This movie basically is a free interpretation of the classic 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' that abandons lots of themes and elements from the novel. The struggle between the good and evil side of a person is brought well and effective to the screen but its too bad that the rest of the story and its alterations work out far from well. The movie lacks a good main plot and purpose. It makes this version of the Jekyll and Hyde story a bit or a redundant one that adds far too little interesting to the classic story.

An original but not interesting enough made-for-TV interpretation of the famous story.

5/10
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