Holiday reviews
Oct. 17th, 2010 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearIn a nine-day trip overseas, I failed to finish one book, which is very odd for me - does this signify an excellent action-packed holiday, or a total failure of brain function?
Still, I do have three movies and a play to review, so it's not all bad.
The Last Airbender - good concept, bad execution. The idea of different tribes who produce people who can control different elements is a good one, and all the visuals and some of the fight choreography were excellent. However, an appalling script and a fairly clunky plot made for sometimes dull and sometimes risible viewing. The most entertaining aspect of the experience was the fact that Dave and I tried to watch the movie at the same time on our individual screens on the flight out but Dave ended up being about three seconds ahead of me so I got all his reactions before I saw what actually happened.
Winter's Bone - very good execution, but not exactly jolly. Very little actually happened, plotwise, but there was a very effective undercurrent of foreboding throughout. Great performance from the protagonist, as all the reviews have been saying, but not one I would necessarily recommend as it's rather dreary.
Despicable Me - this was a film that didn't quite live up to expectations. All the trailers and advertising highlighted the yellow, goggle-wearing minions - and they were generally pretty funny, but not as funny as I'd hoped, and the rest of the film was a bit flat. It was entertaining enough, but nothing for Pixar to worry about.
Improbably Frequency - this was a very odd play we saw while in Washington DC. It was staged on the sixth floor of an unfinished office block, which made for an interesting atmosphere. The plot involved Ireland's neutrality during the Second World War, lots of spy shenanigans and a probability adjustment machine designed by Schrodinger (who wore very disturbing trousers). The whole thing was completely ridiculous (and also in rhyme with lots of singing) but in a good way. A rather bizarre night out, but quite fun.
Still, I do have three movies and a play to review, so it's not all bad.
The Last Airbender - good concept, bad execution. The idea of different tribes who produce people who can control different elements is a good one, and all the visuals and some of the fight choreography were excellent. However, an appalling script and a fairly clunky plot made for sometimes dull and sometimes risible viewing. The most entertaining aspect of the experience was the fact that Dave and I tried to watch the movie at the same time on our individual screens on the flight out but Dave ended up being about three seconds ahead of me so I got all his reactions before I saw what actually happened.
Winter's Bone - very good execution, but not exactly jolly. Very little actually happened, plotwise, but there was a very effective undercurrent of foreboding throughout. Great performance from the protagonist, as all the reviews have been saying, but not one I would necessarily recommend as it's rather dreary.
Despicable Me - this was a film that didn't quite live up to expectations. All the trailers and advertising highlighted the yellow, goggle-wearing minions - and they were generally pretty funny, but not as funny as I'd hoped, and the rest of the film was a bit flat. It was entertaining enough, but nothing for Pixar to worry about.
Improbably Frequency - this was a very odd play we saw while in Washington DC. It was staged on the sixth floor of an unfinished office block, which made for an interesting atmosphere. The plot involved Ireland's neutrality during the Second World War, lots of spy shenanigans and a probability adjustment machine designed by Schrodinger (who wore very disturbing trousers). The whole thing was completely ridiculous (and also in rhyme with lots of singing) but in a good way. A rather bizarre night out, but quite fun.
