Jeff's Movie Page

A few of my favourite movies

AI, with Haley Joel Osment, William Hurt, Jude Law, et al. What an excellent actor Haley is. If only he had been cast in the role of the young Anakin Skywalker (see the link below on Star Wars Episode I).
Alien, Aliens, Aliens 3, all featuring Sigourney Weaver as a chartered accountant who becomes involved in neither a tangled knot of suspicion nor any web of lies which would not, had she been not uninvolved, surely have led her to no other place than the central criminal court of the Old Bailey. No, wait -- she fights with extremely nasty aliens. What was I thinking? (As for Alien Resurrection -- what a waste of time. Sigourney has been heard to say that it was the best of the four; but I can't understand that... It could have been great, and it had its points, but it lost the "feel" of the others.)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, starring Jennifer Leoh, Chow Yun Fat, Ziyi Zhang. Unlike the annoying "Romeo Must Die", the impossible movements performed by these martial artists actually fit the story. An excellent combination of action and a contemplative, atypical story line.
Dr. Strangelove, starring Peter Sellers in three very different roles, along with Slim Pickens, Keenan Wynn, George C. Scott and others. A side-splittingly funny movie if viewed from the right perspective, it might easily be mistaken for a standard old war movie if it was playing in the background, or if one did not pay attention to the deadpan dialog.
The Fifth Element, starting Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich
Groundhog Day (1992), starring Bill Murray, Andi McDowell and Chris Elliott -- a remarkable movie which has not a single word of bad language, and which simply tells an extremely amusing and engaging standalone story.
The Lord of the Rings (2001). There is so much to say about this movie, largely but not entirely good. Naturally, huge amounts of cutting had to be done, and the condensation of the story into a screenplay was generally done very well. Effects -- seamless and exemplary. Acting (and casting) -- praiseworth all 'round. Adherence to the original Tolkien work -- excellent in places, but with several rather baffling alterations, such as the insertion of Arwen into the situation at the crossing of the Greyflood, and the consequent minimization of Frodo's own strength and courage on that occasion. Also, why were Merry and Pippin downgraded from being among the chief architects of the flight from the Shire, to little more than ne'er-do-wells? Overall, though, it was an outstanding movie, and I hate having to wait for the next two!
Update, 2007: It's been some years now since the last of these movies was released, so I am late in updating this entry -- but I must say that I was less impressed with each new movie. The effects were excellent, the acting was (on the whole) quite good, the casting was on the mark. But the changes, minor in the first movie, grew in scope and damaging potential.
- Why destroy the character of Denethor, who in the book was a wise and noble (although mad) character, but in the movie was portrayed as uncouth and foolish?
- Why have Faramir temporarily fail and take Frodo prisoner, when in the story he never did so? Notwithstanding the fact that Faramir relents, this nevertheless damages the integrity of the character, who in the story only mentions the possibility for a few moments but clearly never intends to act on it.
- Why have the ringbearer face a ringwraith, standing in plain view, in the middle of Osgiliath, when in the story Frodo was never there? The fact that Frodo remained out of sight of the ringwraiths was critical.
- Why change the psychological influence of Saruman over Theoden via the whisperings of Grima, and instead make Saruman control Theoden directly by magic from a distance? And why the grotesque physical alteration in Theoden's appearance? It was dramatic, but nonsensical.
I could go on and on, and probably will later... But I can sum it up this way: I am massively disappointed in Jackson, who I thought was a Tolkien fan but ended up ruining the very story he tried to tell with these senseless alterations.
The Matrix. Need I say more?
Star Trek II, III, IV, VI, VII, I, V, in order of overall preference. I'm not really a Trekker any more, and was *never* a Trekkie. For me, Babylon 5 was head and shoulders above Star Trek, which became something from my youth that I remember with fondness but have little interest in watching any more.
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi (all of which were, IMHO, excellent, though not without their flaws -- for example, the acting, while always competent, was not outstanding).
Why I didn't like Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Tombstone (1993), starring Curt Russell (Wyatt Earp), Bill Paxton (Morgan Earp), Sam Elliott (Virgil Earp), Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday), Powers Boothe (Curly Bill), Michael Biehn (Johnny Ringo) and others (including Wyatt Earp as Billy McLowery) -- a true classic, one which (for me) bears repeated viewings with ease. If only they could, for once, make a six-shooter fire just six shots without reloading. And as for Doc's apparently triple-barrelled shotgun... Here's my attempt at a translation of the Latin exchange between Johnny Ringo and Doc Holliday. By the way -- ever noticed how often Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton appear in movies together?
Unbreakable (2001), starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson
Many of Alfred Hitchcock's movies, especially North By Northwest with Cary Grant.
And a whole slew of others, too numerous to mention...

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