Movie Reviews

Yet another batch of old movies viewed and reviewed. Some interesting ones this time, but also some really bad ones. Here goes: Wings of Desire (Peter Falk) Daniel, an angel who spends his days easing the mental suffering of human beings, falls in love with a young woman and must sacrifice his wings and immortality in order to be with her. Pros: An interesting concept (this is a film that predated City of Angels) and the last 20-30 minutes of the film are actually quite good. Plus, there’s the lovely Peter Falk playing himself in a rather unique way (in fact, the little surprise about Falk at the end made me grin). Cons: It’s really boring. Most of the film is spent establishing the concept, and, quite honestly, they could have spent more time on other things. The concept was obvious in the first ten minutes, but the writer/director wouldn’t let up and just pounded it into my head relentlessly. It was too much. Rating: 1.5/5 Value: $2.00 Hole This quasi-science fiction / psychological comedy movie posits a world in which a strange cockroach virus has devastated Taiwan, forcing the government to begin evacuating people against their will. But for a couple of unusual characters (a sleazy young man whose upstairs apartment perpetually leaks into the one below it, a woman who randomly breaks out into song, and a bicycle-riding boy who plays games with people’s doorbells), evacuation is not an option. Pros: There are moments of sheer brilliance in this, like when the guy upstairs decides to shove his whole leg into the whole in his floor and dangle his foot around in the singing woman’s apartment. I found myself laughing here or there, but I think it’s fair to say that this is not a comedy so much as a weird psychological film. Cons: There is no plot and the movie plods along at an astonishingly slow pace. The good bits are far and few between. There is some good here, but I’m not sure if the wait is worth it. Granted, at least it’s not as boring as some of the films I’ve watched. The subtle humor seems to work well. Rating: 1.5/5 Value: $2.25 Jigoku A Japanese version of Dante’s Inferno, this follows a young man whose life gets turned upside-down when he and a friend run over a drunk gangster on the way home. The event causes an avalanche of disasters that eventually land him and his entire family in hell… Pros: For its time, this must have been freaking terrifying. It’s fairly gruesome and doesn’t pull any punches. Hell literally looks like hell. The story itself is convenient, but it gets the job done. Cons: Can be a bit slow in parts and is clearly outdated. It’s good, but it’s from a different era of film, and if you’re not into that, then you won’t be into this. The acting is somewhat ridiculous, too, but, to be honest, I think the insanity portrayed by the characters worked well. Rating: 3/5 Value: $5.50 The Big One (Michael Moore) In this short companion to one of Moore’s first book tours, our favorite Flintian takes on corporate downsizing and outsourcing. Pros: It’s Michael Moore. You either love him or you hate him. Here Moore is somewhat more level-headed than in his higher profile documentaries, and his jokes and antics are much appreciated and enjoyable. Cons: This isn’t really a documentary, though I had expected it to be. It’s good, but Moore really should have taken this further and made it more a traditional documentary. Rating: 2.5/5 Value: $3.50 Titus (Anthony Hopkins) A semi-modern adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most twisted works about a Roman general who slowly loses his sanity after his children are killed, maimed, or worse by a vindictive Goth queen-turned-Roman-empress. Pros: The opening for this is amazing. I absolutely loved it. The story is also twisted in a good way, and Anthony Hopkins is amazing here. The other actors are mostly good, with a couple bad eggs here or there. Cons: Not for the faint of heart, though not nearly as gruesome as some of the horror films being made to day. One of the key problems with this film is that all the dialogue is in typical Shakespeare style, which makes it really difficult to understand what is going on at times. Most of the time it’s pretty obvious, but unless you’re familiar with this particular story, the subtlety is lost to you. Rating: 3.25/5 Value: $6.50 And that’s that! I think I’m going to get Netflix, because the University of Florida library is running out of good stuff…

Another batch. There’s a little bit more science fiction and fantasy this time. Have at it: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (Mamoru Oshii)Following the acclaimed Ghost in the Shell, this installment follows Bato through a maze of virtual worlds and crazed robots as he tries to discover the reason for a string of brutal murders committed by semi-sentient play-bots (dolls). Beneath all this is the mysterious disappearance of the Major and her connection to Bato.Pros: Absolutely stunning visually. This film has taken Japanese animation to new heights, in my opinion, and any films that cannot match its beauty are missing something vital. The story in this, while hard to follow, is brilliant. There are a lot of fantastic ideas being portrayed here as far as cyberpunk is concerned. This is a must see.Cons: As mentioned, the story can be hard to follow and this one suffers from being quite obviously a serious film. There is little comedic relief here (though some). If you can’t devote your full attention to this one, then don’t bother. Rating: 4/5Value: $9.50 The Call of CthuluThis attempt at recreating one of Lovecraft’s most celebrated horror stories as a silent movie follows a small cast of related characters as they try to unravel the mysteries of the monstrous Cthulu.Pros: A novel attempt, that’s for sure. The producers of this film went all out to recreate the silent movie film, albeit on updated film technologies. It has a certain kind of Lovecraftian charm to it that would otherwise be lost to those unfamiliar with his work.Cons: As much as the directors tried to justify why they wanted to go with the silent movie approach (some nonsense about how the only good way to do Cthulu is to do a silent movie, and more nonsense about how silent movies don’t have dialogue, which they do), the entire project falls apart. This might have been terrifying in 1920, but we are in the freaking millennium, and as such, there’s no logical reason why one cannot update Lovecraft so that it might actually scare the crap out of viewers today. The silent movie approach doesn’t work anymore, and so anything that might be taken from Lovecraft ends up lost in the attempt to keep with his time period. It’s cut, but it just doesn’t work.Rating: 1/5Value: $1.00 The God Who Wasn’t There (Brian Flemming, Documentary)Flemming’s controversial short documentary takes a stab at Biblical accuracy and the problem of fundamentalist religion.Pros: A lot of brilliant observations are made here. Flemming is decent at making his point without dabbling in loads of slightly inaccurate facts and the like. It raises a lot of good questions and grounds itself firmly in the authority of some notable historians.Cons: Some of the points need stronger backing. I think this is too short to be as effective as it should be, and the ending falls far from the mark it needed to hit. There were a lot of great things in the middle, but Flemming needed to take this further. One of the things that bothered me about this documentary is that Flemming does not have the flair of non-theist critics like Dawkins or Hutchins. He needs to work on that.Rating: 3/5Value: $4.75 The Mists of Avalon (Anjelica Houston)Based on Marian Zimmer Bradley’s novel, this take on Arthurian legend takes a look at the events through the eyes of the women. From the birth of Arthur to the rise of his son, Mordred.Pros: The visuals are nice and the music is okay. The story takes forever to get to the meat and potatoes, but once it does, at least it is somewhat interesting. Too bad for all the other bits, though. It could be worse.Cons: Characterization is absolutely wretched in this movie. Characters act in ways that make no sense (parents just letting their children be whisked off forever, willy nilly, with barely any protest, and other things like that). This movie was supposed to highlight the women, which it does, but ultimately it made me hate the women more than I did the men. Why? Because all but a handful of the women are scheming, conniving, backstabbing witches. Only one or two of the characters are remotely likable. Also, the cast for this is a mixed bag (I think Julianna Margulies is a terrible choice; she’s annoying when she cries). Anjelica Huston is awesome, but she is not given a great role here. The men are inconsequential precisely because they are shoved off to the side. I could go on, but I’ll cut it off here. This one just sucks. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that apparently people didn’t age during King Arthur’s days…Rating: 1/5Value: $2.00 The Man Who Wasn’t There (Billy Bob Thornton)Set in post-WW2 America, this tale of a barber disillusioned with his relatively meaningless life and his cheating wife collects together murder, blackmail, and noir to create an interesting psychological piece.Pros: The visuals are quite appealing and all of the actors fit right into place. The story itself is rather interesting, but, to be honest, the plot is mostly irrelevant. The key purpose of this tale is to examine the psychological arch of the main character.Cons: Some parts move rather slow and the feeling of the piece is, I think, problematic for most viewing audiences. There is not a lot of action here and most it is told in an internal monologue style. This makes for a piece that is incredibly introverted. It’s good, but imperfect in that regard.Rating: 3.25/5Value: $6.25 And there you have it. Comments appreciated!

I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately. I’m not a huge movie person, to be honest (at least when it comes to being at home), but the library at the University of Florida has free DVD rentals, so I’m taking advantage for the time being. Here goes: Europa (Trier)A young American travels to post-war Germany to become a sleeper car conductor for the Zentropa company, and do some good in a country ravaged by war and occupation. Soon he finds himself caught in the middle of an underground militant group’s quest for revenge and the strange psychological world state of Europa.Pros: Bizarre, beautiful, and downright creepy. This is a powerful movie that is as brilliant as it is deep and meaningful. The visuals do some brilliant adjustments between b&w and color, to great effect. This is a must see.Cons: It might be difficult to grasp for some. If you’re a Michael Bay fan, then this is not for you. This is not action-packed, nor is it insanely suspenseful. It’s a deep, psychological film dealing, in unique ways, with the post-war condition, but in a way that never really happened (on the box it describes this as a futuristic past). This means that at times the story can drag. It is also rough around the edges as far as editing is concerned, though, perhaps, for good reason.Rating: 4/5Value: $8.00 Animania (the Documentary)A brief examination of Anime culture, walking through the basic concept to costumes to the acceptance of the movement and culture by mainstream society.Pros: It’s a geek fest for people who are already a part of the movement. Beyond that, it has nothing going for it. (Then again, it says “seriously funny” on the cover, so maybe they’re trying to make a joke of things?)Cons: This is in no way a well-thought or particularly adept attempt to document anything within Anime culture. I know; I’ve been to a couple Anime conventions myself, and this “documentary” tells us nothing that we didn’t already know about the people who go or dress up or are obsessed with Anime. It reinforces the stereotypes and fails to not only dig into actual Anime culture, both here and in Japan (and elsewhere), and completely misses the mark. Animania seems more like a media project for a convention rather than an honest attempt to actually work with the phenomenon of Anime culture. There really isn’t anything good to say about this. It’s just bad.Rating: 0.5/5Value: $1.00 Metropolis (Fritz Lang)This iconic film takes place in 2026 where the world is divided between those who live above the Earth in the massive city of Metropolis and those who live below, working on the machines that keep Metropolis running. A tale of love, betrayal, revenge, and fallen utopias, this is a must see for any science fiction enthusiast.Pros: As an astonishingly detailed film, it is no wonder why Metropolis is so influential. It has a fascinating story too.Cons: This is a silent film and does show its age. This may be problematic for most film lovers. Also, the story is a bit disjointed, not because parts of the film are missing, but because certain aspects of the film are rushed.Rating: 3/5Value: $9.00 (because it’s a classic) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Extended Cut; Clint Eastwood)Taking place in the middle of the American Civil War, this western follow three interlinked characters who discover the existence of a “treasure” buried somewhere in an unknown cemetery. What follows is a long series of tricks, betrayals, lies, deceptions, and gun battles as the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly try to secure the treasure for themselves.Pros: A different kind of western that makes a game of creating mythological archetypes of its cast of main characters (from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). There is a good amount of action here, and much of what is iconic of westerns, at least as modern viewers know it today, seems to have been established here: drawn-out waits in duels, the iconic whistling music, etc. The characters are well-rounded. Quite entertaining.Cons: The extended cut is too long. Parts of the movie drag endlessly and the entire beginning loses a lot of its power by the time you get to the meat and potatoes. That said, the length does make for a more rounded film; none of the characters are short-changed here. But two and a half hours of this style of film is a lot to take in. There were also some audio track issues, but this may be due to the time and not the filmmakers.Rating: 3/5Value: $6.00 Let the Right One InThe critically acclaimed vampire film that puts all others to shame. Let the Right One In is about a young boy named Oskar in 1980s Sweden who lives a troubled life amidst bullies and a broken family. When he meets Eli, a mysterious, cold girl who moves in next door, he quickly befriends her and the two of them strike up a youthful “romance.” But the more Oskar gets to know Eli, the more he realizes that she is not a normal twelve-year-old girl…Pros: It is impossible to describe this movie in an effective way without giving away all the details. What I can say is that this is an absolute must see. Period. It is not only powerful, but brilliantly crafted, visually stunning for such a low budge film, and simply amazing. From the characters to the plot, Let the Right One in does everything a good movie should without resorting to the ridiculous nonsense of Hollywood.Cons: If you do not like blood, don’t see this movie. Let the Right One In is not gory, but there are a few scenes where blood is present. One of the things I appreciated about this film is that it did not resort to being disgusting in order to shock you into discomfort. Those few scenes where blood or a little gore were shown were done with class. To be honest,

Apparently I’ve been forgetting to toss in the “value” feature. So, it’s back in this batch. There are a whole mess of Miyazaki films here, in case anyone is interested. Otherwise, there are a few other interesting films to consider. So here goes: The Good German (George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maquire)A stylistically nostalgic film that chronicles an American journalist’s attempts to solve the murder of a deceptive young corporal that nobody else seems interested in. His journey takes him through an intricate web of relationships that draw him to a Russian commander, a presumed-dead member of Hitler’s SS, and an ex-lover with her own deceptive agenda.Pros: The Good German does an amazing job of capturing the film styles of pre-color (and post-silent) films, not only in its visuals, but also in its plot and characters. I was also surprised that Clooney and Blanchett so easily pulled off their non-English moments while on the screen. Clooney is particularly strong here.Cons: The plot could have used some thickening to make it fit together better. Perhaps this was part of Soderbergh’s design in engaging with a nostalgic film past, but it can be a little jarring if you’re not used to the style. Tobey Maguire is not at his best in this one (thankfully his role is rather small).Rating: 3/5Value: $4.75 Ultraviolet (Milla Jovovich)Based on the comic book series, this attempt at high-concept science fiction thrusts us into a future world where “pure” humans have waged a largely successful campaign to exterminate the infected hemophages. Violet, a hemophage, steals a human weapon only to discover that it is actually a boy with a mysterious origin.Pros: The concept here is actually quite brilliant. This is a world in which weapons can be hidden is strange dimensional “pockets” on the body and where germophobia has been taken to its logical extreme. There are a lot of great science fiction concepts in this film.Cons: The first ten minutes or so are wasted on a monologue explaining to us who the main character is. For a movie that is supposed to be rather action-packed, this is not only a drain, but exceedingly annoying. The visuals also are lacking. Whether they were going for a certain “video game” style or not, it looks amateur at best and downright awful at the worst. It’s a waste of a perfectly good concept to reduce it to fouled up visuals.Rating: 2/5Value: $3.00 Whisper of the Heart (Hayao Miyazaki)Shizuku is a junior high student going through the trials and tribulations of self-discovery. During her summer vacation, she notices an ordinary-looking cat riding the train and decides to investigate. Soon she meets Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and soon sets out on her own journey to follow her dreams of writing, weaving a tale of magic and intrigue, using characters made familiar in The Cat Returns.Pros: Some brilliant characterization here. Unlike other animated films I have seen, this one does not skimp on making all of its characters completely three-dimensional. One of the most interesting things about this movie is how it ties into The Cat Returns; you get the sense that The Cat Returns is more an extension of the Shizuku’s imagination and stories, a metanarrative, if you will; this adds some brilliant depth to a film about talking cats and other silliness. There’s a lot of charm here.Cons: The story tends to drag. This is not “typical” Miyazaki. There isn’t a lot of magic and weirdness here, but more an in-depth, emotional journey through the world of Shizuku. It’s a beautiful story, but somewhat difficult to get into if you don’t go into it with the right mindset.Rating: 3/5Value: $5.25 My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)A unique story about a family split up by an unexpected illness and two sisters who discover the world of the mysterious Totoro. The Totoro come in all shapes in sizes, but all of them are furry, and all of them cannot be seen by adults. This heartwarming tale is a clever mixture of family drama and Alice in Wonderland style oddness.Pros: The visuals in this are quite unique, not because this is a Miyazaki film, but because the design of the settings and characters are memorable in every way. I especially loved the detail of the cat/bus thing. My Neighbor Totoro is also quite cute and powerful for a film meant for kids. I think there’s something that had to be said about the ways that Miyazaki manages to take complicated subjects and make them work for a very young audience.Cons: The ending feels very much incomplete. I won’t ruin the plot or what is incomplete, but just note that this doesn’t end in concrete fashion. There are still some unanswered questions. Other problems are that this one can drag just a little in the beginning, which seems typical of Miyazaki.Rating: 3/5Value: $6.50 Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki)Kiki, a thirteen-year-old witch, heads out into the wide world in order to fulfill tradition and spend one year training away from home. With Jiji, a talking black cat, and her mother’s broom, she sets up a magical delivery service in a seaside town. A cute tale about a young girl discovering herself, Kiki’s Delivery Service is a fantastic film by one of the greatest animation directors of all time.Pros: A cute story with brilliant animation (as expected) and wonderful characters. I got a kick out of Jiji and wish there had been more of him. While not my favorite of Miyazaki’s, this is certainly memorable and enjoyable. If you have kids, this is definitely one they should see. Don’t forget to watch the end credits, because there’s loads of cute stuff there.Cons: The ending is somewhat un-fulfilling, if not incomplete. There is a resolution, but it didn’t meet what I had expected by the end. Beyond that, though, it’s hard not to love this one.Rating: 4/5Value: $9.50

Here we are with another edition of my quickie movie reviews. Since it has been a while since I’ve done these, and there are new readers seeing this, I want to reiterate what they are about. Any time I watch something that has either been out on DVD for an extended period of time or is no longer in theaters, I do a quickie review rather than a longer review, because, when it comes down to it, nobody really wants a long, drawn-out review for a movie they can pick up for dirt cheap through Netflix or some other service. They want a quick review to get right to the point (is it good or does it blow). That’s what this is all about. The only thing that has changed since the last edition is that I now include a brief synopsis. Without further delay, here we go: Slipstream (Sean Astin and Vinnie Jones)A physics genius working on a temporal displacement device for the government decides to test it out in public, but when the device falls into the hands of a bank robber, he has to get it back before it’s too late.Pros: A great concept with an interesting soundtrack and a superb grasp of low-budget graphics. Big filmmakers would do well to pay attention to how this practically unknown film managed to make its concept visually stimulating without resorting to excessive computer graphics.Cons: The acting is weak; Sean Astin is not at his best here and the rest of the cast either were given poor direction or have issues making their lines feel believable. The plot is, unfortunately, overdone, and any complexity within it feels force.Rating: 2/5 Howl’s Moving Castle (English Dubbed)Set in a bizarre steampunk-esque fantasy world, this brilliant animated piece by legendary animation guru Hiyao Miyazaki follows Sophie, a young girl who is transformed into an old woman, on a magical adventure. She joins Howl’s parade of unusual characters and what follows is a unique and powerful love story amidst the growing tensions of a war.Pros: Beautifully crafted, from in all aspects, with some of the most original and powerful visuals I have seen. The story can be difficult to follow if you are not familiar with Japanese animation styles, but that makes for a deeper, more profound story. The cast is well chosen too, including Billy Crystal as the voice of Calciver!Cons: Suffers from being too clearly Miyazaki. But for those that love his work, this is a meaningless criticism. Beyond that? Maybe the plot can be difficult to follow, but, as I said before, if you like Miyazaki, you already know what kinds of plots he works with.Rating: 4.5/5 Porko Rosso (English Dubbed)Another Miyazaki flick, this tale follows Porko Rosso, a seaplane pilot with the face of a pig, as he combats glory-hungry Americans, idiot pirates, and a wartime Italy bent on locking him up for abandoning them in a time of war.Pros: The visuals are pretty decent and the story is relatively easy to follow.Cons: The story lacks depth and no explanation is given for why he is the only one who looks like a pig until fifteen minutes or so into the movie–and even that explanation is rather weak. Other issues include weak characterization, a dragging plot, some poor dubbing, and other issues that come with translation, particularly in films like Miyazaki’s. In my opinion, this is one of the weakest of Miyazaki’s films, if not the worst.Rating: 2/5 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (English Dubbed)Based on the manga series of the same name, Nausicaä is an epic science fantasy tale set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. Mankind has largely destroyed the planet, creating an entirely new ecosystem where giant insects and deadly plants devastate human populations wherever they meet. Nausicaä, and her various companions along the way, finds herself caught in the middle of a feud between two human factions and the rage-filled insects that dominate her world.Pros: Truly an epic story, with some amazing imagery, unique characters, and a brilliant vision. Miyazaki, while not the creator of Nausicaä, certainly tried to capture the stimulating visuals of the manga series to create this story.Cons: The story itself is very much the hit-you-over-the-head kind in regards to its environmental message. I found it somewhat annoying, but did my best to get past it to enjoy the rest of the movie.Rating: 3/5 The FallAn injured stuntman manipulates a young girl with a broken arm into helping him try to commit suicide by telling her a story of adventure and intrigue. But with each passing moment, the story becomes more real, and the line between real and imagined fades. A richly detailed and unforgettably unique movie, The Fall is one of those films we wish had been in theatres everywhere.Pros: The Fall is absolutely gorgeous, utilizing various locales across the world to create an astonishing array of visual flavors. The story itself is quite powerful, too, which may be something lacking in films of this vein, especially today. It’s not every day that a film can successfully stick together pulp-era adventure with a deep and compelling narrative of depression and the power of imagination.Cons: It is unclear what sort of style the directors were attempting to create in the relationship between the stuntman and the young girl. Most of her screen time is spent either seemingly ad-libbing or speaking softly with a thick accent, making her difficult to understand. This style of acting clashes heavily with that of the stuntman. Thankfully, it is bearable.Rating: 3/5 And there you have it. If any of the above movies interest you, go rent them or buy them on DVD! Or not, it’s up to you…

The Harry Potter film franchise has had a rocky existence. Some of the movies have been fantastic, and some of them not so much. The latest installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is an example of a well-crafted adaptation gone wrong. The sixth movie brings us back to Hogwarts, where extra security measures have been put in place to deal with potential attacks on the school by Voldemort, now fully recognized as “back.” Dumbledore, however, has plans for Harry, and implores the chosen one to help him convince a former professor, one Horace Slughorn, to divulge the information the two of them need to weaken Voldemort. And as Harry works with Dumbledore to press Slughorn for information, teenage life at Hogwarts starts to get a bit…steamy. One thing that has always stood out in the Harry Potter films is how each director/screenwriter attempts to show how the characters have matured not just in how they act on the screen, but in how the films themselves are designed. These films are quickly becoming “not for kids” movies, growing up with the characters and the viewing audience as the books did all those years ago. The sixth movie is well aware that it is no longer dealing with children characters, but practical adults with emotional and physical desires comparable to everyone else—just because they’re wizards doesn’t mean they don’t have teenage issues. And so the relationships between the characters grows more complex, more emotionally mature, and more powerful, leaving us with high hopes for the duology to come.But the movie is not without flaws. Unfortunately the sixth film suffers not from being poor as a film, per se, but at being an adaptation. Generally speaking the adaptations for the Harry Potter movies have been imperfect, yet good enough. But here there is a serious flaw: the ending no longer makes sense. For those who have read the books, you’ll understand. There is supposed to be a fight scene at the end of the book that is discussed briefly by Rowling. This scene establishes the basis for the presence of several of the enemy characters, but in the movie, they’ve cut this entire scene, which would not be a problem if they had also cut out everything to do with Draco Malfoy and the heavy hitters of Voldemort’s regime (which would also be impossible, because then the seventh book could never be made into a movie). But those figures are present, and Draco has significantly more screen time than in previous installments. The result is that the final moments of the movie make no sense. What exactly is the purpose of these other characters being present at the end? They quite literally do nothing to further the plot and their complete lack of involvement in the film means that Malfoy’s entire subplot is meaningless. Why they cut that battle scene is beyond me, because it is integral to the continuity of the series. Maybe they ran out of money to do it, or perhaps they needed to cut five minutes of film, and decided taking out the fight scene and not five minutes of Malfoy’s subplot would be best. Whatever the reason, the decision to leave the battle out drew unnecessary attention to a plot hole that now can never be filled. What can be said for the emotional maturity of the film franchise and the characters/actors truly falls apart when considering those last few minutes of the movie. What should have been the most impacting ending of the entire series has now become a weak example of wasted space. But beyond this severe flaw, the film is well-crafted. Brilliant visuals and surprisingly powerful acting show that there is a lot to look forward to in the final two-part installment to come. We can only hope that the writers do the last book justice, because any skimping on the final battle between Harry and Voldemort will likely result in a lot of disappointed fans. For now, we have six movies, of varying degrees of quality, and a lot of anxious fans. Directing: 3/5Cast: 4/5Writing: 2.5/5Visuals: 4.5/5Adaptation: 1/5Overall: 3/5Value: $6.00