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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Captures the spirit of Jackson's LOTR trilogy
This is not the masterpiece that is Peter Jackson's original trilogy, but it is a fantastic and gorgeous series that captures the spirit of those films. It's a slow-burn, for sure, but intriguing and captivating in its own way, nonetheless. I like it very much so far.
There isn't one bad actor in the entire cast. The production design, cinematography, and costumes all harken back to the look of Jackson's films very well, and it all feels like a cohesive whole. Also, I've been a fan of Bear McCreary's since Battlestar Galactica, and his work here doesn't dissapoint. I sincerely hope the series contiues for a while. I like it much better than the vulgar, incomprehsible mess that is Game of Thrones and it's spinoff.
Warlock (1989)
I had no idea Warlock was a roadtrip comedy
I had no idea Warlock was a roadtrip comedy buddy movie adventure movie, with some nice horror bits thrown in here and there. I was very surprised and entertained. I'm not sure why I never watched it before (I saw 1989's Batman in the theater), but I'm glad I watched it now. What a pleasure.
Robin's Big Date (2005)
Hysterical
When I read the cast I did a double take. But nope, that's the two guys who were in Galaxy Quest with minor, yet important roles, in this quirky fan film about the Dark Knight who unwittingly discourages the Boy Wonder from getting' some.
Sam Rockwell (Galaxy Quest, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy) is The Bat-man who seems more of a party guy and ladies man than the Dark Knight and almost steals the show right out from under the rest of the terrific cast.
My only complaint is that the film was shot on low quality videotape and it shows badly -- especially considering the final showing of the film would be via the internet. But it gives the production a cheaper than dirt quality which is just fine considering it probably was just exactly that.
I wish big expensive movies were this much fun in this short a time.
Red Dragon (2002)
Delicious.
Officially a prequel to Silence of The Lambs, Red Dragon follows Will Graham, the FBI agent who captured Hannibal Lecter, on the trail of the Tooth Fairy, a vicious serial killer who is methodically hunting and murdering families in a particular fashion, but with seemingly no connection between the victims. Graham, adept at thinking like a madman and interpreting the how's and why's to their insanity, is perplexed by this case and so seeks the help of the good doctor himself. Meanwhile, what started as just a routine murder mystery becomes a personal struggle for survival as the Tooth Fairy uncovers the identity of his would-be captor, and turns his attention to Graham and his family.
Visually comparable to Silence, with all the thrills and shock value one might expect, I was fascinated by this movie and though I loved the scenes with Lecter, I found myself completely absorbed by Fiennes' clever portrayal of the Tooth Fairy. Whether you're a fan of the books or movies or not, Red Dragon is certainly not a film to be missed. A terrific date movie because of the shock value (one of you will be gripping the other throughout) without the appalling level of gore seen in Hannibal. In fact, this movie is tame compared even to Silence, I thought.
So, go watch Red Dragon, a terrific and worthy addition to the current Lecter films. May I say it's delicious?
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Decent Enough
As far as keeping true with contemporary folklore, "Ginger Snaps" falls short (I thought you could only kill werewolves with silver bullets or fire), but the movie does well, anyway. Basically, it's okay enough to watch if you have nothing better to do.
It takes a while, but in the end when we finally get to see our werewolf, it's done in the four-legged nature of John Landis' "An American Werewolf In London" and though years apart, the effects are just a little less effective in "Ginger Snaps", possibly due to this movie's relatively small budget.
Not the best werewolf movie I've seen, but I did watch it from start to finish, which is more than I could say for some other recent movies of a similar nature (cough, "... Paris", ahem).