bombad_jedi

---major spoiler warning---

I've just came back from the theatre, and I must confess that this is one of the most fun films that I've seen in a long time. The film starts on a very large space battle, in which Palpatine has somehow gotten himself captured by Count Dooku.

There is a very interesting interaction between Christopher, Hayden, and Ewan, during the battle. Christopher Lee says a line that I think was delivered just great: "Twice the pride, double the fall", which really predicts what happens to Anakin.

Some of the dialog is delivered a little clumsily, but Ian McDiarmind doesn't muck up any of his lines (and some are written a little badly, I admit) and is really the saving grace of this film, even if you hate all the rest.

Anakin's slow fall into the dark side is really well done, and you just want to scream has he does some of this more insidious deeds you just know he has to do.

The final battle between the two friends is very emotional. Ewan's final lines about Anakin being the chosen one, are well delivered, also.

About the CGI: Some really great work with the space battles this time around to be sure, and General Grievous was very well animated. Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader is very chilling and painful to watch, and effective.

About the Music: John Williams really outdid himself! The final battle music takes bits of "Duel of the Fates" and fits it into the new music, which includes a lot of choral vocals, and is very chilling.

That is one of the many great quotes from this film. Ian Richardson plays the character of Francis Urquhart for all it's worth, and the rest of the supporting cast is quite stellar. Paul Seed does a competent job of the direction, and has a good talent for photographing faces.

The way the Francis frequently comments (breaking the 3rd wall so to speak) encourages viewer participation, and I found myself agreeing with him, or even yelling at him during the course of the film.

If it ever comes on television, do yourself a favor and watch this one. It is long (clocks in at about 4 hours, 1 hour per episode), but it's certainly worth your while. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next part in the series, "To Play the King", which I've heard is just as good.

The first version (the 1970's TV series) was so woefully off of the true story it was sad. Unfortunately, the recent "Beyond the Prairie" with Richard Thomas wasn't much better.

I find problems with this version as well (mainly with the acting) but it is thankfully much closer to the original version.

The man who plays Charles Ingles in this version is far better than Micheal Landon or Richard Thomas, both of whom were sadly miscast in that role. All in all, it is quite entertaining, and fairly close to the book.

I'm looking forward to part two of this version with great interest.

I caught this documentary on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) in the Fall of 2004. It shows a good balance of opinions between the parents, and the children trying to send them to nursing homes.

The editing by John Kastner is very well done, and keeps up the pace in a documentary that could have so easily became tedious, especially with this being 3 hours long (albeit presented in 3 episodes).

The first episode dealt with siblings being separated, the second with a woman over 100 years old who still manages to stay happy, and the third episode is two separate stories about a man and a woman who refuse to be sent away.

A very good documentary 4 stars (out of 4)

Animated films (I say animated because "cartoon" would be an insult) this good rarely come along.

Excellent animation for the time (bare in mind this is 1978) and superb voice acting.

Children may appreciate this film, but it might be mildly disturbing to them as well, especially the scenes of the rabbits being mauled. Don't let that scare you away though, this film is a very good, and serious animated film.

Be sure to check out the other collaboration by director Martin Rosen and novelist Richard Adams: The Plague Dogs (1982) Warning: The Plague Dogs is MOST CERTAINLY not a children's film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084509/

American Zoetrope is undoubtedly one of the most influential film studios of the past century.

It is truly sad that they had so many troubles in the early years starting out, but it helped to shape the careers of greats like George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Walter Murch, and many more.

The documentary includes a good balance of vintage footage, and interviews with just about everyone you'd care to hear from.

"A Leagacy of Filmmakers" is also included on the THX 1138 DVD, which is a great purchase.

If you are interested in the history of film (and especially film of the '70s) watch this documentary... you'll love it.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting too much when this appeared on CBC earlier tonight, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Rupert Everett, while no Jeremy Brett, is a very good Sherlock. The rest of the cast doesn't draw too much attention, but they are very passable.

"Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking" could have benefited slightly from being shortened to 1 and 1/2 hour instead of the apx. 1 hour 40 minutes.

It would have tightened up the loose ends, and helped quite a bit.

The BBC is best at the Holmes stories, and I would love to see another production starring Rupert Everett, who is certainly the best since Jeremy Brett.

When I picked up this set I wasn't expecting much.

It turned out that this is one of the best WW2 documentaries ever done.

With great commentary by Patrick O'Neal, and some of the most complete war footage I've ever seen, this is a must-see set for anyone interested in WW2.

This miniseries is currently being sold in two separate 2-disc sets.

World War II: The War in Europe

World War II: The War in the Pacific

If you have any interest at all in vintage WW2 footage, you will want to check this miniseries out.