How to Train Your Dragon (Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, 2010) Review

Did you know that there was a time that Pixar and Disney were NOT on top? Hard to believe, I know. With films like Cars 2 and Winnie the Pooh, you have to ask yourself if Disney are really as good as they used to be (Wreck-it Ralph says otherwise) so I thought I would see what Dreamworks were up to. Now, I used to love the books this film was based on so I decided to check out this film.

On the Viking island of Berk, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is young Viking who wishes to join his village in a battle against dragons. His father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), believes that his son is incapable of fighting and dismisses him. Hiccup ignores his father's word and manages to take down a Nightfury, the rarest of dragons. Hiccup can't bring himself to kill the dragon and also learns that dragon can no longer fly due to a injury caused by Hiccup. He decides to try and tame it after the dragon, which Hiccup names Toothless, doesn't kill Hiccup which is what he was brought up to believe dragons would do. Hiccup and Toothless begin and friendship and try to form a bond between Viking and Dragon.

Did you know that this was the film that started Dreamwork's streak of great films? This, Megamind, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Madagascar 3 and Rise of the Guardians all proved that Dreamworks can do better than Disney. All of these were great films but the crowning jewel, and what I believe to be Dreamworks' best, is How to Train Your Dragon. This film is just beautiful. Firstly, the two protagonists are so likeable and well designed that they allow you to be engaged in the film and be sucked into the amazing world it creates. Jay Baruchel provides a break out performance that got people to notice him and being along Gerard Butler prove to be a realistic relationship, even more so with Hiccup and Toothless.

My God is the soundtrack amazing. I'm sorry but it's truly one of my favourite soundtracks to an animated film. Just listen: THIS IS A LINK! John Powell did a stand up job for the music and it compliments the beautiful look and aesthetic of the film. Even the emotion is great. The story leads to some moments that you'd think would be cliché and, while they technically are, they pump it full of that good old emotion that always gets a thumbs up from me (Men In Black III won me over with it).

How to Train Your Dragon only has one thing that bugs me. It was released the same year as Toy Story 3. I'm so annoyed that I'm not allowed to prefer this film. It's a truly beautiful film and proves that Dreamworks can do better than Disney...it just depends what film the rival has up their sleeves (I think Pixar deliberately made Toy Story 3 just to distract people form Dreamworks' best film). Don't watch Pixar's version known as Brave, watch this film instead...yes I am going to attack Brave at every opportunity (seriously Academy? Did you even see Wreck-it Ralph?).

Verdict:
9.5/10
Dreamworks' best film that is filled with beautiful music, landscapes, well crafted characters and lots of emotion.

A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971) Review

It was a toss up for what to watch one fine evening. I am absolutely hooked on the series Breaking Bad and wanted to watch some more but my friend insisted that I watch A Clockwork Orange instead. It's one of the most famous and popular films of all time so I thought I may as well seeing how iconic it is. Sure, the name makes little sense (unless you really look deep) but...it's just one of those films that everyone has to see at some point in their life and I decided to find out why. Want to know? Let's find out!

Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) is a leader of a gang who spend their time causing havoc including assault, robbery and rape. After he pays a visit to an unassuming local, he ends up killing them and eventually gets arrested. In prison, Alex tries to redeem himself but ultimately learns of an experimental program that claims it will get Alex out of prison early and make sure he never returns. Upon leaving, Alex must adapt to the world that his actions prior to prison life has created.

After watching this film I can safely say that I can tell why this is so popular. Firstly, Malcolm McDowell is nothing short of amazing and it was a crime that he was snubbed at the Oscars. He creates a complex yet strangely enjoyable character (yeah...I said something that scares myself). Like Hannibal Lector, there's just something about these characters that makes them so engaging. I'm not saying I relate to Alex but he acts as the gateway for the audience to get immersed in the film. There's just something about the look, portrayal and the fact that he enjoys every horrific act that he commits. I could go on about how incredible Alex and Malcolm McDowell are but then this would be longer than my The Dark Knight Rises review.

You can tell almost instantly that this is a Stanley Kubrick movie. The cinematography and mise en scene is spectacular and has it's own style to it that I first was in The Shining. The shots and use of the camera gives an interesting spin on situations and adds to the affect. The image above is an example of a great shot in the film. It's also not that noticeable  but the music adds something. The opening music is especially an example of that...although that might just be because of Conker's Bad Fur Day (the opening is almost identical). You have to sort of get yourself into the film to understand everything but once you do, you're in for an incredible experience...that may disturb certain people.

A Clockwork Orange deserves every bit of recognition it deserves. I guess the downfall of the Oscars started with this film (no wins and no nomination for Malcolm McDowell...what the hell!). Could this be considered the best movie of all time? It's one of those films that could be. It's commonly seen on 'Best Films Ever' lists and I can see why. If you can take the bizarre style of Stanley Kubrick and ready for some...interesting moments then I couldn't recommend it enough...really, you should have watched this already.

Verdict:
9.5/10
A truly amazing film that delivers an amazing performance with some excellent cinematography that Kubrick is known for.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (Bradley Raymond, 2002) Review

You know you're in for a treat when I tell you that this is the best image I could find...

Show of hands, how many of you knew this existed? Well, it does and as you might expect, it was direct to video. That can only mean one thing: it sucks. You never know though, I did actually enjoy Aladdin and the King of Thieves so maybe we're in for a treat. After all, they got the original cast back as well as other well known talent such as...Haley Joel Osmand and...Jennifer Love Hewitt.....ohhhhhh...well, here's The Hunchback of Notre Dame II...not exactly thrilled about this.

With Frollo's threat gone from Paris, Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) has now been accepted into society and still keeps to his job as bell ringer of Notre Dame. Esmeralda Demi Moore) and Phoebus (Kevin Kline) now has a child, Zephyr (Haley Joel Osment), who has become a good friend of Quasimodo and he also gains a new friend when a circus arrives in Paris. Madellaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) seems to be smitten for Quasimodo (short sighted, I assume). There is also a new villain called Sarousch (Michael McKean) who wishes to steal the largest and most expensive bell in Notre Dame.

Most direct to video Disney films suck and, yeah, this one does too. I theorise that the only reason this film exists is just because people complained that Quasi didn't get the girl at the end of the first film so Disney wanted to continue the tradition. I will give the film credit in that Madellaine is quite an enjoyable character. They could have done a lot worse and made a boring character...I'm not saying shes's the most mind blowing character ever but she's good enough. The other new characters are just...boring and/or annoying and, as is tradition for Disney sequels, the animation is much worse. It looks....eh....

It gets worse though.  Did I mention that the first film has one of the best soundtracks in any Disney film? Yeah, you can go and throw that out the window now. The soundtrack in this is... forgettable to say the least. I can only remember one song and I really wish I didn't because it's freaking annoying (auuuuugh! *smashes head on desk*). Even the villain is boring. Sure he's funny but after Frollo he just seems crap. You can't even top Frollo...or the first film so why did you even bother?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II is, as you probably could tell, is a much worse film than the first. There are a few things I enjoy but, all in all, it comes off as cheap and forgettable. The soundtrack is crap, the new characters are annoying and just feels off. All the time I was watching this, I just wanted to watch the first one again. 

Verdict:

2/10

A cheap and forgettable that feels insulting to the first film. Just watch the first one again, you'll get a better experience. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Gary Trousdael & Kirk Wise, 1996) Review

So I was going to review We Bought a Zoo but frankly, I was having major writers block (hence the lateness of this review) so I looked at the next film on my schedule...it was this. Definitely one of the darker Disney films so trying to win back the audience after Pocahontas may not have been easy but...it's certainlly popular know. Why is this, you ask? Let's find out.

In Paris, a gypsy woman travels under the docks near Notre Dame. She is intervened and killed by Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) who threatens to kill her deformed baby too. The Archdeacon (David Ogden Stiers) of Notre Dame manages to convice Frollo to keep the baby for his own on the condition that he live in the bell tower of Notre Dame. The child, called Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), has grown into an adult and wants to live out with everyone else. The paths of his master, Frollo, and a gypsy dancer named Esmerelda (Demi Moore). Quasmodo must stop Frollo's rage agaisnt the gypsies and gain recognition from the people.

First things first, the music in this film is one of Disney's best. 'Bells of Notre Dame', 'Hellfire', 'Out There' and so many others are truly up there with the best Disney songs and even the background music is that good. This is mostly due to the top notch voice acting with Tony Jay being the most memorable of them. Frollo is up there in terms of Disney villains and the rest of the main cast is very enjoyable. Even side characters such as Clopin (Paul Kandel) are memorable. That takes effort.

I only have a few complaints. The most notable one being that, when you get down to it, this is quite a short film. Things go by a bit too quickly. I wish there was more too it except maybe the gargoyles friends Quasimodo has. They really bring down the tone that the film is trying to convey. It works sometimes but other times it just seems forced.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a gamble for Disney and I can safely say that it paid off. The characters are brought to life by some of the best voice acting in Disney history as well as some truly amazing animation. I love the character designs and especially the colours and lighting. They come together for a great climax. This is definitely one of my favourite Disney films and is certainly up there with some of the bests.

Verdict:
8.5/10
Some amazing animation mixed with great voice acting and well designed characters makes for a great Disney film.

Conan the Barbarian (John Milius, 1982) Review

I have really been watching too many Schwarzenegger movies lately. When friends throw DVDs at you (five of them consisting of Arnie films), that's bound to happen but I guess it's my own fault for not watching films such as Terminator 2 and A Clockwork Orange. We all know Arnie as a cheesy, macho guy that likes to go "RAAGAHHAHRHAH" a lot but let's look at an Arnie film BEFORE he went all...one-linerish (is that even a thing? It is now). So is Conan The Barbarian like an other Arnie film or something different? Let's find out.

Conan is a young boy whose father (William Smith) makes a legendary sword. When his village is invaded and whiped out by a man named Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), Conan is captured and mae a slave. Many years later, Conan, now an adult (Arnold Schwarzenegger), escapes and vows vengeance on Thulsa. Conan meets two thieves, Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and Valeria (Sandahl Bergman), who band together to take down Thulsa Doom's forces as well as trying to rescue the King's daughter from Thulsa's hypnoses.

Did I say this was different from Arnie films? Err...kind of.  Sure, there are no guns or explosions but it's got an older equivalent with Arnie style sword fighting instead (all those people couldn't take down Conan? How?!). Does this make it a bad film? Not really, I think it's a little worse than Commando though as the biggest problem with Conan the Barbarian is that it's way too slow. Some scenes were very unnecessary and dragged on a bit. Ironically, the only bits that seemed a bit too fast were the RELEVANT bits to the plot! I think it has it's priorities wrong. 

There are some great things (I think I'm making a habit of this formula). James Earl Jones is excellent in this however he only really gets one scene to shine. The rest of the time, he doesn't do much but his imposing look is enough to be awesome. I will admit that the side characters are engaging but Conan himself is boring. There's no character to him. Look past him and you get a film with some great characters who you will actually care about. It also has one of the best soundtracks in film history. Just...JUST LISTEN TO THIS (best bit starts at around 3:32).

Conan the Barbarian is definitely an epic film but there are so many flaws that stop it from being a great one. If they had polished up some things such as the pacing and the writing, this could be a great film. The cast, the music and the look of the film get overshadowed by the flaws. This film is a gem hidden deep in a rock. Cult classic? Probably. Guilty Please? Again, probably. That's what Arnie's films all tend to be: guilty pleasures.

Verdict:
6/10
There are so many good things here but the flaws overshadow them. 

Commando (Mark L. Lester, 1985) Review

Remember when I said that I would review another franchise? I lied. Instead we're looking at one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most macho films that was made back during his prime! This was before the days of Batman and Robin and Jingle all the Way. Many consider this to be the primary Arnie film that just symbolises what Arnie is all about! Let's take a look at Commando!

Retired military agent John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) lives a happy life with his daughter, Jenny (Alyssa Milano). That is until a group of terrorists start killing Matrix's fellow soldiers and finally aims for Matrix. They kidnap Jenny and force Matrix intro assassinating the president of another country. Matrix manages to trick the terrorists and now has 11 hours to come up with a plan to save Jenny and finish off the terrorists.

Yes, this is cheesy. Yes, Arnie can't act. Yes, it barely makes any sense. Does this mean it's a terrible film? You'd think so, but no. This is probably Arnie's best (well, The Terminator was better but...it's not just Arnie blowing stuff up) but I'm not really sure how much that's saying. The term badass is defined by this movie but looking at it now, is it really that good? It's pretty awesome, I'll give it that and I did find it surprisingly heartwarming (just look at the lengths Matrix goes to save Jenny!)  as well as action packed. I did thoroughly enjoy Commando.

Did I say thoroughly? I guess there is some leniency there. This is an unbelievably stupid movie. Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong) is a very annoying character that offers nothing to the narrative at all. Why was she inventied? I have no idea and I think the film would have benefited from her absence. In addition, there are some moments that go beyond stupid where I have to draw the line. 

Commando is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger better films but, like I said, I'm not really sure if that statement is worth anything. If people do hate this film, then I guess this is a guilty pleasure. I would watch it again but, technically speaking, this is a stupid, stupid film. I can think of many worse Arnie films like Jingle all the Way and Junior so if you want a good Arnie film, this is one of them. 

Verdict:
6.5/10
A stupid film that I can't help but enjoy. One of the most badass films ever, 'nuff said.

Godzilla (Roland Emmerich, 1998) Review

It's another film from the director of 2012...oh good God what have I gotten myself into? We've all heard of Godzilla (and if not, where have you been) but I guess Hollywood felt that they needed to do their own take on the classic franchise. With Roland Emmerich at the helm...it's probably a load of crap. After all, everything he's made is terrible (even Michael Bay, to his credit, made The Island which was...okay) but is Godzilla an exception? Let's find out!

After nuclear tests are performed, it begins to mutate an iguana that finds itself attacking a Japanese fishing boat. A survivor is found and only has one word about the ordeal - "Gojira". Dr. Niko Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) is called in to investigate what has happened and what caused this mess. Tatopoulos finds that the iguana has mutated into a giant lizard known as Godzilla which has now set it's sights on New York City. With the army's weapons proving useless, Tatopoulos must find a way to save New York fom Godzilla.

Is this an exception? No. Plain and simple. This is as bad as his other films. This is not Godzilla! It really isn't. Firstly, it looks nothing like Godzilla nor does it have anything that resembles the franchise. If it wasn't for the name, no-one would think this was Godzilla. The focus on the monster draws away from the characters making them bland and uninteresting. People make fun of Matthew Broderick and this is one of the films that make you question his acting. Sure, he's done good stuff but this is definitely one of his worst films. So, let's recap here: Misuse of Godzilla name, boring characters and terrible acting.

More so, the focus on action makes the film boring and uninspired. If you've read my reviews for a while, you may know that I hate it when films focus on nothing else but action as I feel that it gives it no substance...this is the case here. All this is is a monster tearing up New York! Where's the substance, the development...ANYTHING?! Even the CGI is now a bit dated so...what's to like?

Godzilla, despite it's name, is not a Godzilla film. The original franchise even went out of it's way to distance itself or at least take a stab at it (seriously, the real Godzilla 'fought' this one). Please never let this director loose on other franchises...PLEASE! I've done two bad films in a row...I need something to please me next time...maybe another franchise (maybe but probably not...).

Verdict:
3/10
A terrible interpretation of a great franchise. It's bland, dull and is filled with some terrible acting and underdevelopment