Category: Recommended

Team America: World Police

Post author By anthony
Post date 27.01.05
No Comments on Team America: World Police

I saw this film on Tuesday with Mark in Ster Century. It’s the latest film from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park and its accompanying movie. Team America: World Police tracks the team tasked with protecting the world from evil terrorists. The puppets are similiar to those used in the old Thunderbirds episodes and there are a number of spot gags highlighting how difficult to manoeuvre they are. The plot is quite thin but there are some very funny sequences and some of the puppets are spot on. I loved the way all of the terrorist dialogue contained the words “Derka, derka, derka” before everything. 🙂 Overall I thought it was entertaining but was lacking in the fact that it tried to lambast too many characters (ie. Helen Hunt) when they didn’t spend time developing a satirical character. It’s not as good as South Park: The Movie or Baseketball but it was good.

Tony’s Rating: 7/10

Plot Synopsis: Team America follows an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability. Learning that power hungry dictator Kim Jong Il (Parker) is out to destroy the world, the team recuits Broadway star Gary Johnston (Parker) to go undercover. With the help of Team America (Stone, Miller, Masasa, Parker, and Norris), Gary manages to slip into an arms dealer’s hideout to uncover the plan to destroy the world. Will Team America be able to save the world?

Recommended

Alone It Stands

I went to see “Alone It Stands” on Thursday this week and have been meaning to post about it ever since. It was simply fantastic. 🙂 My mum had mentioned how she wanted to see it while browsing the paper a few weeks previous, so I booked tickets for myself, my mom, my aunt and my brother. The play is essentially 6 actors playing a variety of roles as the base of the story is Munsters famous victory over the All Blacks in 1978. All of the actors are fantastic and the performances exude professionalism and wittyness. It’s on until the 29th of this month at the Olympia and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who loves comedy. 🙂

Recommended

The Incredibles

Post author By anthony
Post date 30.11.04
1 Comment on The Incredibles

Was a bit apprehensive going to this after seeing the trailers as it doesn’t give you much to go on. There’s the obvious fact that its about a family of superheros which is a change from the usual buddy comedies that Pixar produce. It’s obvious that Pixar took a risk in straying into untried territory but its a risk that has paid off. The Incredibles lives up to its name with a solid story detailing the Parr family led by Bob who, after being sued for saving someone, retires into suburbia and lives a fairly ordinary life while trying to cope with not using his powers.

The whole family are brilliantly animated and the team at Pixar once again inject them with humour and depth while maintaining the cartoonish illusion. There’s a sense in this film that they have strayed a bit further away from the “kiddie” movie and its not as “kiddish” as Toy Story or Monsters Inc. The story remains solid throughout and theres some genuine cracking set-pieces. The graphics are fantastic and they really went for it in creating realistic humans, fire and water. Overall, its a fantastic addition to Pixar’s library and a certainty to be in my DVD drive come the middle of next year.

Tony’s Rating: 8/10

Plot Synopsis: Mr. Incredible is a superhero; or he used to be, until a surge of lawsuits against superheroes submitted by the people they’ve saved forced the government to hide them in witness protection programs so they could lead normal, anonymous lives. Now known exclusively by his secret identity, Bob Parr, he lives with his wife Helen, formerly Elastigirl, and their three children Violet, Dash, and Jack Jack. He works as an insurance claims specialist, and he’s fed up with his pushy boss and his immoral profession, but his wife’s worked too hard to build a normal life for her family to abide his nostalia for heroism. When Mr. Incredible’s offered the chance to play the role of hero again by a mysterious informant, he jumps at the opportunity, but when it turns out to be a trap set by an old nemesis he had a hand in corrupting, the whole family must reveal themselves to save Mr. Incredible and countless innocents.

Movies Recommended

Finding Neverland

Finding Neverland: Went to see this with Anne-Marie last week as it was a choice between this and Hero. It details the story of J. M. Barrie who wrote the story of Peter Pan. Essentially it elaborates on his interaction with a well-to-do family lead by Kate Winslet who has been recently widowed. Her sons provide the inspiration for Barrie’s story and they feed his imagination when other aspects of his life serve to bring him back down to earth. A superb performance from Johnny Depp could lead to an Oscar nomination in March.

Tony’s Verdict: 8/10

Plot Synopsis: The movie details the experiences of ‘Peter Pan’ author J.M. Barrie, which lead him to write the children’s classic. He got to know four children who have no fathers. Drawing from his time with the kids, he writes a story about children who don’t want to grow up.

Movies Recommended

Hero

Post author By anthony
Post date 22.11.04
No Comments on Hero

Hero Saw this last week and have to say it was one of the best films I’ve seen in ages. A solid story detailing the story of a warrior who kills three assasins who have vowed to kill the king and how he is rewarded for his deeds. It takes a few twists and turns along the way but the imagery and use of colour are fantastic. Definitely one to see.

Tony’s Verdict: 9/10

Plot Synopsis: In ancient China, before the reign of the first emperor, warring factions throughout the Six Kingdoms plot to assassinate the most powerful ruler, Qin. When a minor official defeats Qin’s three principal enemies, he is summoned to the palace to tell Qin the story of his surprising victory.