Sean-Bean Movie Reviews

This is it, folks! The one we've all been waiting for... THE BIG ENCHILADA! J.R.R. Tolkien's "Return Of The King" is unfortunately the last of the classic LOTR stories & is sure to be the best one in this 3-part movie trilogy. We'll see Frodo & Sam climb to the top of Mt. Doom, Aragorn become crowned a King, and an epic battle between good vs. evil in a HUGE war. Other revelations shall also be revealed so we're all just going to have to wait till December 17, 2003 to see the end of a great saga! I know it's a little TOO early to rate this now, but considering that 'Fellowship' & 'Two Towers' were excellent, this is sure to be even better!

I am a very frequent movie goer. Many movies have I watched, but mark my word, Never have I been awed by any movies, but The Lord of the rings. I bought all versions of the VCDs and DVDs for both fellowship of the rings and the two towers. And, after watching for I donot know how many times, I still feel the thrill and the suspense of the movie. I think this movies should be rated more than 5 stars! Though many details were taken off in the screen adaptation, still the realization of such grandeur epic is just too wonderful to be missed by anyone who loves fantasy. I was no tolkien fan, but believe me, I am totally swept off my feet when it comes to The lord of the rings. lastly,I just couldnt wait any longer for the last installation of this amazing trilogy.

This movie will, in no doubt, be incredibly good. It'll win many Oscars and also 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' is expected to get really good critic-reviews. This is a movie that I highly anticipate to see! 'Return of the King' will be a phenomenal movie to end the wonderful 'The Lord of the Rings' movie-trilogy! December 17nth is drawing near!!!

Considered both as fantasy adventure and as an adaptation of a beloved literary classic, Peter Jackson's film of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" sets new standards for cinematic excellence. Everything about this film feels exactly right, from the casting to the screenplay to the special effects. The last are amazing, putting to shame anything George Lucas has come up with, and yet they always serve to advance the story; unlike Lucas, there's never any hint that Jackson is merely playing with his toys. Jackson shows great respect for Tolkien's text, but not slavish devotion. Certain characters--such as the lovable Tom Bombadil and Frodo's poisonous Aunt Lobelia--are missing, and Tolkien would be chagrined to find that the little poems and songs he loved to write are nowhere quoted. But if Jackson gives short shrift to Tolkien's whimsy, he more than makes up for that by giving us Tolkien's intensity, pathos and moral vision absolutely undiluted. Above all, Jackson never forgets that Tolkien's chief emphasis was always on the characters he created. Jackson casts wonderful actors to play those characters and--again unlike Lucas--he actually allows them to give performances. How wonderful to find the great Sir Ian McKellen, a uniquely commanding and charismatic actor, as Gandalf, or the charming and touching Elijah Wood as Frodo. You can go straight down the list--Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Sean Astin as Sam, Ian Holm as Bilbo, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel--and find nothing but perfection. This is one of the very few big-budget blockbusters that unqualifiedly deserves its success, and all we can do now is look forward with excitement to the release of "The Two Towers" in 2002 and "The Return of the King" in 2003. Like the books they came from, these three fillms will be cherished by future generations.

"It wasn't just like the book. Peter Jackson wasn't close enough to the mark. Where's Tom Bombadil? THE BOOKS WERE BETTER!" BLA! BLA! BLA! BLA! BLA! I've had enough of the "fan boys" complaining about the fact that the films are not "like the books". That's because these are what people living in the present like to call "films, or movies". Give peter Jackson credit where it's due. Nobody makes truly epic films like this anymore. The man's discovered a lost art. As much as I like George Lucas, he can create a universe from nothing and transfer it to film. Peter Jackson used the real world and made sure that a great deal of time, effort, and care went into presenting this ADAPTATION. If it were just like the books, people would have fallen asleep or walked out after the first 100 page narrative. GROW UP! ENJOY LIFE! WATCH MORE TV! DRINK SOME ALE AND SMOKE A HOBBIT PIPE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!

Sincerely,

Bilbo Baggins

I'll make this short by assuming you have seen the theatrical release and are a fan.
Pros:
Bottom line is the extended edition (consisting of disk 1 & 2) is well worth the purchase alone. After seeing it, you get a lot more out of the movie (character development, storyline, etc.) These extended scenes were obviously cut out due to the movie running too long. They have done a good job adding them back in with the exception of only a couple of transitional glitches.

The VERY in-depth appendices (disk 3, & 4) provide you with everything from writing the screenplay to design and special effects by Weta.

Cons:
The packaging is done well, with a book style looking DVD case, holding all four discs. However, getting the discs out of the case is another story. If you have rented a fair amount of DVD's then you know what I'm talking about. You feel as though you're going to break the discs when trying to get them out; I guess not all cases are created equal.

Verdict:
Go for it.

I love horses. I will suffer through bad acting, awful plots, and overly precious child actors in just about any horse movie, and for me to say Black Beauty was almost unbearable is a statement and a half. I was hoping for so much more from this film after reading about how much more faithful a version it was. Having sat through two '80s animated monstrosities, an entertaining but in-name-only New Zealand made TV series, and a downright awful '70s version that has Beauty in the circus, going to war, and involved with a bunch of Irish Travelers, I was expecting much better from something prouduced in the '90s.

It all starts innocently enough, with the lovely Sean Bean attending to Beauty from his birth and throughout his training and though I was a bit annoyed that the fox hunt was cut I could understand why something so brutal was left out. From thereonin it was all downhill. Absolutely pointless changes were made, nobody is permitted to die, they simply get fired or move to the country, and if we aren't shown anything an offhand remark tells us that 'all the other horse were saved too'. I can understand not wanting to frighten children but for heaven's sake, animals died in Babe didn't they?

Black Beauty was not intended to be a kids' book, it was meant to draw attention to animal cruelty of the time period and for it to be so dumbed down is annoying. We are told Ginger is vicious, and there is an offhand comment about previous bad owners but that's about it. Only Beauty is given a voice and Merrylegs' and Ginger's stories are left frustratingly untold, replaced with overlong shots of them frolicking that will have even children getting antsy. And how annoying is it that Ginger is bizarrely made into a love interest? At least with the other Black Beauties the changes were apparent enough from the start that you weren't expecting much later on.

Weird edits give us random shots of doors as scenes end or shots of Beauty tossing his head for minutes on end. The movie is 87 minutes long but because of the extended horse footage it seems to take forever. You know there's a problem when I'm counting down the minutes to when David Thewlis pops up instead of swooning over the horsies.

I'm not so heartless as to not admit that the film made me cry, twice no less, but those were the only times I felt anything other than apathy or annoyance. It's too bad, because this really had the potential to be like Nightmare Before Christmas or Spirited Away and have a crossover appeal to young and old audiences. If you want a good horse film you won't have to suffer too much through, get Misty instead and, for a lush children's period piece, pick up the '95 incarnation of A Little Princess. Either way you'll have a nice family movie that will encourage kids to pick up a book without insulting your intelligence in the process.

We just love this movie. It is excllent for the kids and adults also. My daughter is a horse lover and really enjoys this movie. It is one of the better family movies there are. I would highly recommend this movie.

I loved this Movie! I've always liked the Novel since I was in Junior High and finally decided to watch the story on the screen and I was highly impressed by the great performances by the Black Beauty horse and other ones. Music was just great!!!

A Must buy!

If you haven't seen Goldeneye yet and you like 007 you should get it. Don't read too many of the reviews here because many of them contain spoilers that give away the villain's identity--it was a nice plot twist that came halfway through the movie and, to me, was unexpected.

The digital transfer of the movie is very crisp, if maybe a little bit bluish. I didn't see the theatrical release, so maybe that's how it's supposed to look. The sound is great with understandable dialog and sound effects that aren't artificially bass-heavy. I think this is a good demonstration DVD that merits repeated viewings.

In his first outing as James Bond,Pierce Brosnan does a great job.(he actually looked like he'd been playing Bond for years)As for the movie itself,it is very good.Even though the cold war is over,Bond still finds himself up against the Russians,who have a satellite called Goldeneye that can destroy anything with an electronic circuit.The main villain is former MI6 agent Alec Trevelyn,whom Bond thought had been killed.(in the excellent pre-title sequence)There's a beautiful Bond girl named Natalya Simonova,(she acts a little more independent than past Bond girls)and bad(but beautiful)Bond girl Xenia Onatopp.The title song,sung by Tina Turner was pretty good,and the musical score by Eric Serra was good.There's plenty of action and stunts,(I loved the beginning when Bond bungee jumps off an enormous dam)and lots of gadgets.Overall,it's a great Bond film,and Brosnan does great.

my favortie Bond movie of Brosnan's, though I also liked The World Is Not Enough also, but this one is my fav. with kicking fights between Brosnan and Bean and the ever so [.....] crushing Famke Janssen(man id love to dip her in chocolate). Alan Cumming as Boris is a hoot. Joe Don Baker is in this one but he has a differnt role other then his badguy role in The Living Daylights with Timothy Dalton. Judi Dench as M, Demond Llwellyn as Q, Thcky Karyo as Mishkin, Robbie Coltrane as Valentino and Izabella Scruopo as Natayla also star. look close for Minnie Driver in a cameo as Valentino's singing mistress Mina. this one has great bond moments also, like the train scene, where Bond drops Alec Trevelyn, the beginning when Bean gets shot and the chase scene in the city. hang on to your socks friends. Tina Turner does the song to the main title and its catchy too, got that song stuck in my head for awhile

If you haven't seen Goldeneye yet and you like 007 you should get it. Don't read too many of the reviews here because many of them contain spoilers that give away the villain's identity--it was a nice plot twist that came halfway through the movie and, to me, was unexpected.

The digital transfer of the movie is very crisp, if maybe a little bit bluish. I didn't see the theatrical release, so maybe that's how it's supposed to look. The sound is great with understandable dialog and sound effects that aren't artificially bass-heavy. I think this is a good demonstration DVD that merits repeated viewings.

In his first outing as James Bond,Pierce Brosnan does a great job.(he actually looked like he'd been playing Bond for years)As for the movie itself,it is very good.Even though the cold war is over,Bond still finds himself up against the Russians,who have a satellite called Goldeneye that can destroy anything with an electronic circuit.The main villain is former MI6 agent Alec Trevelyn,whom Bond thought had been killed.(in the excellent pre-title sequence)There's a beautiful Bond girl named Natalya Simonova,(she acts a little more independent than past Bond girls)and bad(but beautiful)Bond girl Xenia Onatopp.The title song,sung by Tina Turner was pretty good,and the musical score by Eric Serra was good.There's plenty of action and stunts,(I loved the beginning when Bond bungee jumps off an enormous dam)and lots of gadgets.Overall,it's a great Bond film,and Brosnan does great.

my favortie Bond movie of Brosnan's, though I also liked The World Is Not Enough also, but this one is my fav. with kicking fights between Brosnan and Bean and the ever so [.....] crushing Famke Janssen(man id love to dip her in chocolate). Alan Cumming as Boris is a hoot. Joe Don Baker is in this one but he has a differnt role other then his badguy role in The Living Daylights with Timothy Dalton. Judi Dench as M, Demond Llwellyn as Q, Thcky Karyo as Mishkin, Robbie Coltrane as Valentino and Izabella Scruopo as Natayla also star. look close for Minnie Driver in a cameo as Valentino's singing mistress Mina. this one has great bond moments also, like the train scene, where Bond drops Alec Trevelyn, the beginning when Bean gets shot and the chase scene in the city. hang on to your socks friends. Tina Turner does the song to the main title and its catchy too, got that song stuck in my head for awhile

If you haven't seen Goldeneye yet and you like 007 you should get it. Don't read too many of the reviews here because many of them contain spoilers that give away the villain's identity--it was a nice plot twist that came halfway through the movie and, to me, was unexpected.

The digital transfer of the movie is very crisp, if maybe a little bit bluish. I didn't see the theatrical release, so maybe that's how it's supposed to look. The sound is great with understandable dialog and sound effects that aren't artificially bass-heavy. I think this is a good demonstration DVD that merits repeated viewings.

In his first outing as James Bond,Pierce Brosnan does a great job.(he actually looked like he'd been playing Bond for years)As for the movie itself,it is very good.Even though the cold war is over,Bond still finds himself up against the Russians,who have a satellite called Goldeneye that can destroy anything with an electronic circuit.The main villain is former MI6 agent Alec Trevelyn,whom Bond thought had been killed.(in the excellent pre-title sequence)There's a beautiful Bond girl named Natalya Simonova,(she acts a little more independent than past Bond girls)and bad(but beautiful)Bond girl Xenia Onatopp.The title song,sung by Tina Turner was pretty good,and the musical score by Eric Serra was good.There's plenty of action and stunts,(I loved the beginning when Bond bungee jumps off an enormous dam)and lots of gadgets.Overall,it's a great Bond film,and Brosnan does great.

my favortie Bond movie of Brosnan's, though I also liked The World Is Not Enough also, but this one is my fav. with kicking fights between Brosnan and Bean and the ever so [.....] crushing Famke Janssen(man id love to dip her in chocolate). Alan Cumming as Boris is a hoot. Joe Don Baker is in this one but he has a differnt role other then his badguy role in The Living Daylights with Timothy Dalton. Judi Dench as M, Demond Llwellyn as Q, Thcky Karyo as Mishkin, Robbie Coltrane as Valentino and Izabella Scruopo as Natayla also star. look close for Minnie Driver in a cameo as Valentino's singing mistress Mina. this one has great bond moments also, like the train scene, where Bond drops Alec Trevelyn, the beginning when Bean gets shot and the chase scene in the city. hang on to your socks friends. Tina Turner does the song to the main title and its catchy too, got that song stuck in my head for awhile

I have read and enjoyed all of the Bernard Cornwell books on Sharpe, and in general this series of videos is very good dramatically (3 and often 4 stars). Unfortunately, the focus and picture are often pretty bad - 1-2 stars most of the time. And the sound is often difficult as well.

I bought the first four DVDs in the series and am now watching the third one. Wish someone had mentioned before I bought them how bad the recording was. I have well over a hundred DVDs, and the picture on these is the worst by a wide margin. These may well turn out to become a donation to the public library for all to "enjoy".

Oh, by the way, while the Cornwell books are usually very good, nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to C. S. Forester's Hornblower books for literacy and sheer enjoyment. And I've tried most of the contenders (Kent, Woodman, Connery, O'Brian, etc.). In fact, I recently bought new copies of all the Hornblower books because my previous set wore out from too much reading (plus they weren't printed on acid-free paper so they were deteriorating).

Hope this review helps. Maybe the later DVDs will be better quality. If so, I'll do a new post to let people know.

Richard Sharpe is on DVD, and better than ever! Sharpe's Rifle's, the first in the series of Sharpe films made for BBC television and aired on Masterpiece Theater in the U.S. is an exciting starting point for people who are not familiar with the brilliant series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. It is also a great showcase for the talents of Sean Bean, who we will see more of next year in The Lord of the Rings. The movie follows Lieutenant Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic wars, as he takes command of a rifle company and sends whole bunches of Frenchies to their graves. Action galore and interesting period detail. Fans of the book series may be suprised at the early appearance of Teresa in "Rifles" (in the books she doesn't show up until "Sharpe's Gold") but fear not! It won't ruin the story for you. I hope these four DVD's are only the begining, as there are ten movies in all. This price is unbelieveable too!

A friend of mine loaned me the whole 14 tape series back in 97 and I have loved it ever since. I am a military reenactor and loved the detail that they kept to with the uniforms and food and all the other stuff. For action and adventure as well as seeing the whole class warfare of the time period this is one of the best.

Christian Bale stars as a man that starts to have emotion and feeling in a world where it's a crime. The film starts out with him as a cop fighting and killing people who feel. A prisinor played Emily Watson makes him curious to what it would feel like to have emotion. He then realizes that the right to feel and have emotion is worth fighting for. He decides to fight and stand up to the system he once stood for. The action is fun if not a little took quick and often even silly. I mean Christian Bale fights a bunch of cops just to defend a puppy for god's sake.

Equilibrium has been called a Matrix rip-off among being called a rip-off of many other Sci-fi films. I think it stands on it's own though. It's a good movie if you look past the silly plot. The performances by Bale, Watson Sean Bean and Taye Diggs, the cool looking atmosphere and the action make it worth watching.

Sci-fi flick with stunning visuals, "Equilibrium" deserves much more attention not only from fans of genre, but also from general audiences. Sure, its flaws are too visible, borrowing Orwellian ideas from other films like, say, "Brazil," but it is not that ideas themselves but the way they are put into practice that really counts, and on that score "Equiliburium" is a winner. (And critics, please let me know, why do you all praise Steven's "Minority Report" which actually borrows ideas from other films of this genre? So, why not give this one a due respect?)

Well, I admit the opening chapter of "Equilibrium" is a bit weak, introducing us to the dystopia world after the WW3, but soon you will forget that. The totalitarian government established after the war decided to eliminate anything that might possibly make humans emotional, forcing the people to inject a certain doze of [chemical substance] to be unemotional every day. Moreover, it decrees there should be no more music (not only hip-hops, but classic music), no more motion pitures, and no more decorated interiors. Those who love them hide underground, becoming rebels while the authroity set up a super-cop troop called "Grammaton Clerics."

Christian Bale ("American Psyco") is John Preston the best of the Clerics, and dedicates himself to the job until he arrests a woman Mary O'Brien who possessd illegal stuffs. But her strong creed and perhaps beauty make their way into the sleeping heart of Preston, who has been long fighting for his cause.

The film's philosophical messages are in themselves not new at all, and director Kurt Wimmer might have kept his idea a little too long. I say so, because today, in the 21st century, it is not this Orwellian society that we are afraid of most. The story has enough twists to surprise us, but maybe one too many, I think, and the wrap-up part of the film feels a bit hurriedly done.

However, those are noting before the film's sensational action scenes, which can make up for any flawed part of the film. The "Gun-Kata" fighting deserves special mention, using [weapons] like Japanese swords, and its hyper-kinetic movement is very violent and very beautiful at the same time. Incredible it might sound, but Christian Bale shows excellent action star quality here, displaying the beauty of "Kata"s -- and "kata" means in Japanese "style." Yes, there are lots of styles in "Equilibrium."

Other plsyers are also effectively cast, and most unexpected is Emily Watson, who quite naturally becomes the Joan D'Arc-like character. Taye Diggs is good as Preston's partner, and though short time, Sean Bean, cast against type, is also perfect as Partridge who plays a key role in the story.

I was quite surprised and satisfied, and even thrilled to see this neglected film, which should have been more pushed. Again I say, its actions are sensational. Not that this is "Matrix"; rather, it is more unique and has its own "kata" = style, which means a lot these days.

For action sake why this movie was so poorly received by critics? Ok, I'm a huge action fan. I love watching a movie with well-developed characters, great plot, interesting conversations but when I rent something in the action category I am expecting to see a film where the main character kicks some serious butt. Equilibrium was great! It not only satisfied my hunger to see beautifully choreographed gun battles but it also delivered likable characters and an intense plot. Christian Bale shines in his role as the cleric John Peterson. His expression is so cold, his stance with a gun in each hand exudes extreme power and fearlessness. In fact, he doesn't feel fear because he has to take Prozium, a drug that eliminates emotion. Accidentally, however, one day John misses the dose of his drug and starts feeling the world around himself like a true human. This is where the trouble starts and cool fight scenes begin.

If you are an action fan, you will love the fights in Equlibrium. I'm also a big Matrix fan and after watching Equlibrium I have to say the gun battle scenes of this movie can almost put Matrix to shame. For the love of action, do not miss this film! This film does indeed shows us something new.

Christian Bale stars as a man that starts to have emotion and feeling in a world where it's a crime. The film starts out with him as a cop fighting and killing people who feel. A prisinor played Emily Watson makes him curious to what it would feel like to have emotion. He then realizes that the right to feel and have emotion is worth fighting for. He decides to fight and stand up to the system he once stood for. The action is fun if not a little took quick and often even silly. I mean Christian Bale fights a bunch of cops just to defend a puppy for god's sake.

Equilibrium has been called a Matrix rip-off among being called a rip-off of many other Sci-fi films. I think it stands on it's own though. It's a good movie if you look past the silly plot. The performances by Bale, Watson Sean Bean and Taye Diggs, the cool looking atmosphere and the action make it worth watching.

Sci-fi flick with stunning visuals, "Equilibrium" deserves much more attention not only from fans of genre, but also from general audiences. Sure, its flaws are too visible, borrowing Orwellian ideas from other films like, say, "Brazil," but it is not that ideas themselves but the way they are put into practice that really counts, and on that score "Equiliburium" is a winner. (And critics, please let me know, why do you all praise Steven's "Minority Report" which actually borrows ideas from other films of this genre? So, why not give this one a due respect?)

Well, I admit the opening chapter of "Equilibrium" is a bit weak, introducing us to the dystopia world after the WW3, but soon you will forget that. The totalitarian government established after the war decided to eliminate anything that might possibly make humans emotional, forcing the people to inject a certain doze of [chemical substance] to be unemotional every day. Moreover, it decrees there should be no more music (not only hip-hops, but classic music), no more motion pitures, and no more decorated interiors. Those who love them hide underground, becoming rebels while the authroity set up a super-cop troop called "Grammaton Clerics."

Christian Bale ("American Psyco") is John Preston the best of the Clerics, and dedicates himself to the job until he arrests a woman Mary O'Brien who possessd illegal stuffs. But her strong creed and perhaps beauty make their way into the sleeping heart of Preston, who has been long fighting for his cause.

The film's philosophical messages are in themselves not new at all, and director Kurt Wimmer might have kept his idea a little too long. I say so, because today, in the 21st century, it is not this Orwellian society that we are afraid of most. The story has enough twists to surprise us, but maybe one too many, I think, and the wrap-up part of the film feels a bit hurriedly done.

However, those are noting before the film's sensational action scenes, which can make up for any flawed part of the film. The "Gun-Kata" fighting deserves special mention, using [weapons] like Japanese swords, and its hyper-kinetic movement is very violent and very beautiful at the same time. Incredible it might sound, but Christian Bale shows excellent action star quality here, displaying the beauty of "Kata"s -- and "kata" means in Japanese "style." Yes, there are lots of styles in "Equilibrium."

Other plsyers are also effectively cast, and most unexpected is Emily Watson, who quite naturally becomes the Joan D'Arc-like character. Taye Diggs is good as Preston's partner, and though short time, Sean Bean, cast against type, is also perfect as Partridge who plays a key role in the story.

I was quite surprised and satisfied, and even thrilled to see this neglected film, which should have been more pushed. Again I say, its actions are sensational. Not that this is "Matrix"; rather, it is more unique and has its own "kata" = style, which means a lot these days.

For action sake why this movie was so poorly received by critics? Ok, I'm a huge action fan. I love watching a movie with well-developed characters, great plot, interesting conversations but when I rent something in the action category I am expecting to see a film where the main character kicks some serious butt. Equilibrium was great! It not only satisfied my hunger to see beautifully choreographed gun battles but it also delivered likable characters and an intense plot. Christian Bale shines in his role as the cleric John Peterson. His expression is so cold, his stance with a gun in each hand exudes extreme power and fearlessness. In fact, he doesn't feel fear because he has to take Prozium, a drug that eliminates emotion. Accidentally, however, one day John misses the dose of his drug and starts feeling the world around himself like a true human. This is where the trouble starts and cool fight scenes begin.

If you are an action fan, you will love the fights in Equlibrium. I'm also a big Matrix fan and after watching Equlibrium I have to say the gun battle scenes of this movie can almost put Matrix to shame. For the love of action, do not miss this film! This film does indeed shows us something new.