Deutsche Version | November | January 2010 December, 15th Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country William Shatner … Captain James T. Kirk Leonard Nimoy ……
Movie Watchings 2009
Movie Watchings 2009 – November
Deutsche Version | October | December
November, 3rd
Sylvester Stallone … John Rambo
Julie Benz … Sarah
Matthew Marsden … School Boy
Graham McTavish … Lewis
Jake La Botz … Reese
Tim Kang … En-Joo
Paul Schulze … Michael Burnett
Synopsis: In Burma a civil war is causing countless deaths on a daily basis. But John Rambo isn’t interested in war anymore. He lives a quiet life in Thailand and doesn’t care about the world. But one day christian missionaries want to rent his boat to get into that war zone. And when they don’t return he does what he was born to do.
My Opinion: A very bloody movie. Make sure you have a bucket under your TV to catch all the blood that is dripping out of it. But it’s also a very honest movie; it does not hide or glorify the truth of battle. After the first, this is the best Rambo movie and it brings the story full circle. I don’t think Stallone should make another one. Just like with Rocky he finished the story of the character in a satisfying way and he should leave it at that.
BTW: Check out the body count chart. 😉
Movie Watchings 2009 – October
Deutsche Version | September | November
October, 4th
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sean Astin … Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee
Sean Bean … Boromir
Cate Blanchett … Galadriel
Orlando Bloom … Legolas Greenleaf
Billy Boyd … Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took
Ian Holm … Bilbo Baggins
Christopher Lee … Saruman
Andy Serkis … Gollum / Voice of The Witchking
Ian McKellen … Gandalf the Grey
Dominic Monaghan … Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck
Viggo Mortensen … Aragorn
Craig Parker … Haldir
John Rhys-Davies … Gimli
Liv Tyler … Arwen
Hugo Weaving … Elrond
Elijah Wood … Frodo Baggins
Synopsis: 3000 years ago an army of Men and Elves defeated the dark lord Sauron. But his power was embedded in the One Ring, and that was not destroyed. The Ring found its way into the hands of Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit. And now the task of destroying it became his. But the Ring can only be destroyed where it was made: In Mount Doom in the heart of Mordor and there Sauron and his armies are rising again. His journey begins in the Shire, the homeland of the Hobbits and leads from there over Bree, Rivendell (the home of Elrond), Moria (a dwarf mine deep in the mountains) and Lothlórien. But Frodo is not alone on this journey; he’s accompanied by friends and allies of all races who stand against the dark forces: Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Wizards and Men.
My Opinion: I love this trilogy, maybe even a bit more than Star Wars but I am still undecided on that. I’ve read the books both in German and English but I have to say I like the films better. Most of the actors are really great, especially when they deliver speeches. The only somewhat problematic actor is Elijah Wood, especially in the later movies when Frodo becomes more and more influenced by the Ring. One gets the feeling he has only one facial expression left.
But still: Great story, awesome New Zealand Middle-Earth nature shots and superb special effects (even when they sometimes forgot to put a CGI arrow in Legolas’s bow 😉 ).
I also don’t mind the deviation from the books, e.g. no Tom Bombadil. It doesn’t really have an effect on the story at all; the only thing I really noticed was that they didn’t explain the origin of Merry’s sword which is important in the Battle on the Pelennor Fields. (In the books they find the weapons in old grave hills, they were forged to be used against the Witch-King of Angmar (leader of the Nazgûl) when he was still a man. That’s why Merry could stab and wound him and then he could be killed by Éowyn in Return of the King.)
Movie Watchings 2009 – September
Deutsche Version | August | October
September, 1st
Catherine Zeta-Jones … Kate
Aaron Eckhart … Nick
Abigail Breslin … Zoe
Patricia Clarkson … Paula
Jenny Wade … Leah
Bob Balaban … Therapist
Synopsis: Kate’s life is the kitchen. She’s the head chef of a famous restaurant and she’s the best. But then her sister dies in a car crash and suddenly she has to take care of her niece. And to make matters worse, her boss hires an additional chef, Nick, whose specialty is italian food. And from where Kate is standing, it looks like he’s taken over her kitchen!
My Opinion: I really liked this after the disappointment that was Alex & Emma, especially since it has this melodramatic element of her adopting her niece and the difficulty to adjust to this new situation that both of them have. What I also liked was that the basically mandatory bump in their relationship wasn’t caused by him this time, but by her. And I loved it when she threw a raw steak onto a customer’s table because the previous two weren’t rare enough for him. 😀
Movie Watchings 2009 – August
Deutsche Version | July | September
August, 12th
Tom Cruise … Maverick
Kelly McGillis … Charlie
Val Kilmer … Ice
Anthony Edwards … Goose
Tom Skerritt … Viper
Michael Ironside … Jester
Tim Robbins … Merlin
Clarence Gilyard Jr. … Sundown
James Tolkan … Stinger
Meg Ryan … Carole
Adrian Pasdar … Chipper
Synopsis: Lt. “Maverick” Mitchell – a slightly maniac F-14 pilot – and his RIO Lt. “Goose” Bradshaw have been accepted into the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School – more commonly known as “Top Gun”. There they will learn the finer arts of aerial dogfighting. That is, if they don’t get thrown out due to Maverick’s behaviour. And the competition is hard, Top Gun accepts only the best pilots to begin with.
My Opinion: This movie has incredible flying scenes even after all these years. No crappy CGI but real planes flying in real air. And a great soundtrack, too. Ironically I haven’t seen that movie that often but I seem to know it by heart due to the many parodies on many scenes of that movie.
And while I recognized Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli in Heroes) at once, it took me a while to recognize Goose as Dr. Greene from ER.
Too bad, that there aren’t more good airplane combat movies out there.
Movie Watchings 2009 – July
Deutsche Version | June | August
July, 12th
Jennifer Garner … Jenna Rink
Mark Ruffalo … Matt Flamhaff
Judy Greer … Lucy Wyman
Andy Serkis … Richard Kneeland
Kathy Baker … Bev Rink
Synopsis: It’s 1987 and Jenna has her 13th birthday. But it ends in disaster and she wishes nothing more than to be 30. And then her wish gets granted. When she awakes it’s 2004 and she’s Jennifer Garner and editor of the glamour magazine “Poise”. But she’s still 13 and she finds herself in a world where everything is different and – most importantly – where she’s different.
My Opinion: Jennifer Garner is a great 13-year-old. It’s funny to watch her react to things like a small girl would react. I also liked the fact that it turned out to be her that sold the front cover topics to their competitor and not Tom-Tom/Lucy because that would have been too obvious. What I didn’t care much about was Mark Ruffalo, I have nothing against the actor, I just don’t care about him in any of his movies.
And now:
‘Cause this is Thriller!
Movie Watchings 2009 – June
Deutsche Version | May | July
June, 3rd
Shia LaBeouf … Sam Witwicky
Megan Fox … Mikaela Banes
Josh Duhamel … Captain Lennox
Tyrese Gibson … USAF Tech Sergeant Epps
Rachael Taylor … Maggie Madsen
Anthony Anderson … Glen Whitmann
Jon Voight … Defense Secretary John Keller
John Turturro … Agent Simmons
Synopsis: The AllSpark is a mystical cube which can create life from lifelessness. Many eons ago it got lost, but Megatron – leader of the Decepticons – has found it on a planet called Earth. But he crashes here and freezes into a form of stasis in the arctic. But his arrival did not go unnoticed and many years later the Autobots under the lead of Optimus Prime also arrive on Earth. And now the hunt for the AllSpark begins. The question is whether the Humans can help save their own planet or whether they will be a mere annoyance that stand between the Decepticons and the AllSpark.
My Opinion: Robots that turn into cars, trucks, helicopters and tanks – need I say more? It’s a great fun flick whose sequel is about to start in the theatres. I enjoy such harmless movies where I don’t want to think and don’t need to think from time to time. The only thing that was a bit annoying was the final fight where one often couldn’t make out who’s currently fighting who.
Movie Watchings 2009 – May
Deutsche Version | April | June
May, 1st
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
William Shatner … Admiral James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy … Captain Spock
DeForest Kelley … Dr. McCoy
James Doohan … Scotty
Walter Koenig … Pavel Chekov
George Takei … Hikaru Sulu
Nichelle Nichols … Cmdr. Uhura
Bibi Besch … Dr. Carol Marcus
Merritt Butrick … Dr. David Marcus
Kirstie Alley … Lt. Saavik
Ricardo Montalban … Khan
Judson Earney Scott … Joachim Weiss
Synopsis: The Enterprise has become a teaching ship and Captain Spock is in command. When Admiral Kirk is on inspection and takes the ship for “a tour around the block” they get a disturbing call from Dr. Marcus. Someone is trying to get his hands on the “Genesis” project, a secret research project to create life on lifeless planets. But this Genesis device could also be used as a terrible weapon. And Kirk’s enemy is no other than the genetically enhanced Khan. He tried to kill Kirk and take his ship fifteen years ago.
My Opinion: Still a great movie. I really liked how they used the fact that space is three-dimensional, a fact that even especially Sci-Fi shows forget too often. I also liked how Khan used quotes from Moby Dick, but replaced some of the places with astronomical locations. Technically he couldn’t have this knowledge, he was in stasis and shortly after his defrosting he was banned to Zeti Alpha 5. He also couldn’t know that the Klingons have a proverb: “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. But I am willing to overlook that because Montalban was awesome when he said it. 😉
And I loved those close combat scenes, it reminded me of the old battles between sailing ships.
Movie Watchings 2009 – April
Deutsche Version | March | May
April, 10th
Terence Hill … Trinità
Bud Spencer … Bambino
Farley Granger … Maj. Harriman
Elena Pedemonte … Judith
Steffen Zacharias … Jonathan
Dan Sturkie … Tobias
Gisela Hahn … Sarah
Synopsis: Trinity comes into a small town where he meets his brother Bambino again. Bambino is the Sheriff there after he accidentally shot the real Sheriff (i.e. he thought the Sheriff was pursuing him, but he wasn’t). Trinity takes the role of the Deputy Sheriff and together they help a group of Mormon settlers who have trouble with a man who wants their land for his horses.
My Opinion: Except for the early movies, Bud Spencer & Terrence Hill movies are always harmless fun. They are childhood favourites of mine and have a certain cult status here in Germany. This is mostly due to a very unique dubbing of these movies but I still enjoy them very much and I own pretty much all of them.
Movie Watchings 2009 – March
Deutsche Version | February | April
March, 1st
Kristy Swanson … Buffy
Donald Sutherland … Merrick
Paul Reubens … Amilyn
Rutger Hauer … Lothos
Luke Perry … Pike
Michele Abrams … Jennifer
Hilary Swank … Kimberly
Paris Vaughan … Nicole
David Arquette … Benny
Stephen Root … Gary Murray
Thomas Jane … Zeph
Synopsis: Buffy is a normal highschool freshman and member of the cheerleading squad. But then she meets Merrick and he shows her what she really is: The Chosen One, a Vampire Slayer. Born with the strength and skill to fight the Vampires, to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. But she wants to stay a normal girl and wants nothing to do with such rubbish.
My Opinion: This movie may not be what Joss Whedon had intended or will do on the TV show. But it definitivly falls into the category of “guilty pleasure” and is a lot of fun if you’re willing to accept its cheesiness. And the dialogue is unmistakably Whedon. Also, Lothos used a Samurai Katana, that’s a plus in the book. 😀
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