Van Helsing

• Title: Van Helsing
• Director:  Stephen Sommers
• Date:  2004
• Studio:  Universal
• Genre: Horror, Action, Adventure
• Cast:  Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh
• Format:  B/W prologue only, then Color/Widescreen (old)
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"You've never been out of the Abbey, how do you know about vampires?" - Van Helsing

"I read." - Carl

"My life, my job, is to vanquish evil. I... I can sense evil. This thing, man, whatever it is, evil may have created it, may have left its mark on it, but evil doesn't rule it. So I cannot kill it." - Van Helsing (re: the Creature)

Van Helsing is much more about style than substance, though as the CGI-heavy film moves along, it does improve - and it has some great moments.

The film opens with a black and white prologue - Dr. Frankenstein is doing his famous experiment to create the Creature, but after it becomes alive, he is confronted by Count Dracula. Dracula kills Dr. Frankenstein, but the Creature escapes with his body to the famous windmill. There a crowd of local people confront the Creature with torches, quickly burning down the windmill, presumably killing both Dr. Frankenstein and his Creature.

One year later the film opens into full color, and shows Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) chasing Hyde of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame. Unfortunately, when Hyde falls off a roof he turns back into Jekyll - and dies. Van Helsing is blamed for the murder. However, he really doesn't have much to worry about because he goes to a supernatural MI6, where the cardinal, like M, is the voice of exposition. M explains that Van Helsing must go to Transylvania to rescue the last members of the Valerious family by destroying Dracula. Due to some sort of curse, that Van Helsing's Secret Order was also involved in, if Dracula isn't destroyed before the last members of the Valerious family die - the entire family (including the dead members) will be cursed for eternity. Yeah, OK - it doesn't make much sense, but plot is more of an excuse in this film, than something that's well thought out. Have plenty of popcorn and enjoy the show. Anyway, while at his secret headquarters, the Cardinal, like M in a James Bond gives Van Helsing basic info, some clues, and a torn piece of a scroll bearing a mysterious signet - which is identical to the signet on Van Helsing's ring. Conveniently, Van Helsing has also lost his memory. After getting information from M, I mean the Cardinal, Van Helsing goes to see Carl, a friar with more than a passing resemblance to Q in the James Bond films. Carl (David Wenham) kits out Van Helsing with special gear. However, Van Helsing surprises Carl by requesting he come along to Transylvania. The bookish, scientist-type, Carl isn't that happy about it.

Van Helsing and Carl travel to Transylvania where they meet Anna, the last member of the Valerious family (her brother had been recently transformed into a werewolf). Anna, Van Helsing, and Carl need to find and defeat Dracula.

There is a lot of CGI in the film, and the entire thing is digitally graded to make it look darker. The action scenes are good to excellent but lack depth because the characters are not that well drawn. This is probably why I haven't watched the film since it originally came out and I originally purchased the DVD. Anna is strong, capable, and an excellent fighter - but still manages to get captured by Dracula and has to be rescued by Van Helsing. Carl is an excellent character, and his ability to put together information from libraries and stained glass windows is a valuable addition to Van Helsing's quest. I also liked his character. Van Helsing is cool - especially his costume, and his weapons, but because he has no memory, and the audience for the most part only sees him when he's fighting - he's an enigma, so as a character he's hard to like - despite a good performance by Hugh Jackman.

About halfway through the film, as Anna and Van Helsing are escaping through some water-logged tunnels, they encounter the Creature. However, the Creature speaks, and feels bad for himself because everyone hates him. He also knows Dracula's secrets. Despite orders to the contrary - Van Helsing not only works with the Creature but in the end lets him go. The Creature shows surprising humanity, and is one of the better things in this film.

Overall, Van Helsing felt like a graphic novel adapted for the screen, though the credits list it as an original film (that is, written for the screen). The visuals were very typical CGI, but at times were impressive. They made have been more impressive in 2004. The entire cast, especially some of the smaller roles, also did a very good job - the acting can't really be critiqued negatively. The director also at times did some great things. A scene with a mirror in what turns out to be Dracula's Summer Palace is particularly memorable. Likewise, there's a hidden door scene that's far from the norm done seriously in so many films and parodied brilliantly in Young Frankenstein. However, the film also reminded me of The League of Extra-Ordinary Gentlemen.

Special Note:  I have the Ultimate Collector's Edition, which not only includes the film Van Helsing but the original monster films Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man from the 1930s - all of which are worth watching at least once. And the original Frankenstein can easily become a Halloween tradition to re-watch.

Recommendation: Some good elements, but a bit average

Rating: 3 out of 5

Next Film: Wayne's World

Thunderbirds

• Title:  Thunderbirds
• Director:  Jonathan Frakes
• Date:  2004
• Studio:  Working Title, Universal
• Genre:  SF, Adventure, Action, Children
• Cast:  Brady Corbet, Bill Paxton, Sophia Myles, Ron Cook, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Edwards, Genie Francis
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Alan, This equipment's only to be used in an emergency! [Tin Tin and Alan look at each other] I guess this qualifies." - Fermat

"It's the children. They have it." - The Hood

"No way. They're dead. No one could live through something like that." - Mullion

"I did." - The Hood

"Alan? He's just a kid." - Gordon Tracy

"He's a Tracy." - Jeff Tracy

Thunderbirds is a live-action children's adventure film based on the ITV Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series of the same name. It's an origin story of sorts, set early in the career of International Rescue and the Thunderbirds. Jeff is very much an active part of the organization, and Alan - the youngest Tracy, is still at school, attending Wharton Academy, an all-boys boarding school, with Fermat, Brains' young son.

Alan dreams of the day he can leave school behind and join his brothers in International Rescue as a full Thunderbird.  In this film, the Thunderbirds are the pilots of the machines as well as the machines themselves. Alan's at school when he's caught daydreaming by a teacher - and is given an extra report to write during Spring Break. However, soon all the students are watching a news cast - the Thunderbirds respond to an fire at an oil rig in Russia and rescue the trapped men, despite heavy rain and other problems. Alan and Fermat watch with the other students, but Alan, far from being worried about his older brothers and father - mimes their actions and wishes to be with them.

Lady Penelope, the family's London agent, arrives at Wharton and picks-up Alan to bring him home to Tracy Island, because the rest of the family is obviously busy. Not only does she arrive in her 6-wheeled pink Rolls Royce - but Lady Penelope's entire wardrobe is pink. Once she, Alan, Fermat, and Parker have driven away from any traffic the car turns into a flying car - and Parker pilots it to the Island.

Unbeknowest to Scott Tracy, however, when he and Virgil drop off the rescuees at a local hospital, one of them shoots a tracking compound onto Thunderbird 1. Scott doesn't notice. At dinner, Alan asks his father when he can become a Thunderbird, and Jeff rebukes him saying he's too young.

Alan and Fermat sneak into Thunderbird 1 where they accidentally start the launch sequence. The sequence is stopped without incident, but Jeff is so mad at Alan's behavior he doesn't give Alan a chance to tell him about the tracking goo he and Fermat found. (At this point the children don't realize what the goo is for.)

John's on Thunderbird 5, a manned satellite and communications station. He reports to Jeff on a couple of minor problems but his report is it's basically a quiet night. Then, suddenly, and without warning, The Hood (Ben Kingsley) fires a rocket into Thunderbird 5. The satellite is crippled and John is in trouble.  Jeff, Scott, Virgil, and Gordon take Thunderbird Three, the giant, red rocket ship into orbit to rescue John/fix the satellite.

Meanwhile, The Hood invades Tracy Island.  Alan, Fermat, and Tin Tin see his sub - but are unable to stop the attack on Thunderbird 5.

The Hood bursts into the house on the island, looking around he recognizes Jeff's picture. The Hood's vendetta seems personal. The Hood forces Brains to activate command and control. Jeff and his boys enter Thunderbird 5, but The Hood locks the door so they can't get out.  Jeff handles the emergency on Thunderbird 5 well, and finds and cares for his injured son, John.  However, the five men are unable to escape the satellite because The Hood's locked and jammed the door from Command and Control.

Alan, Fermat, and Tin Tin (Kyrano's daughter) go the Thunderbird Silos - they use the Firefly and the Thunderizer to escape The Hood's henchpeople, Mullion and Transom.  They slide down an exhaust pipe into the Ocean surrounding the Island, then get to shore. The three need to come up with a plan. They decide to cross the Island on foot, through the jungle to the Island's satellite dish to try to contact Jeff on Thunderbird 5. After a few adventures, they make it.  They have some difficulty with the transmitter, but eventually get it working.  Alan asks what to do - but Jeff tells him to follow protocol and get to Lady Penelope.

Alan would rather have an more active role. He finds one of the family's old hover-sleds, and builds a sidecar-like device so he can carry Tin Tin and Fermat as well behind them. They are chased by the Hood's Henchpeople, Mullion and Transom.  Fermat and Tin Tin are caught, and put in a freezer with their fathers, Brains and Kyrano.

Meanwhile, Alan is still free, and he sees Lady Penelope and Parker arrive. He follows and sees them challenge and fight the henchpeople in the Tracys' living room.  Although the British agents fight extremely well, they are no match for The Hood's mind control - the are caught and put into the freezer with everyone else.

The Hood, Transom, and Mullion head off to the Bank of England in Thunderbird 2 - having gotten the guidance computer chip Fermat had taken out of the machine.

In the freezer, Parker remarks that he can open the lock if he had a small piece of wire. Lady Penelope offers him the underwire from her bra. Everyone had discretely turned away as she retrieved it.

The group manages to rescue Jeff and the boys on Thunderbird 5 just before the satellite burns up in a decaying orbit, as well as reversing the sabotage to the satellite airlock door to Thunderbird 3.  Then, the group, including Lady Penelope take Thunderbird 1 to London.

The Hood lands Thunderbird 2 in Jubilee Gardens, near the London Eye.  They take the Mole and dig a route under the Thames towards the Bank of England, their route cuts the supports of the monorail - causing a disaster.

Meanwhile, Jeff and his boys head directly to London in Thunderbird 3.

Alan arrives in Thunderbird 1 - he lands and uses Thunderbird 4 (the yellow sub) to rescue the monorail car, with help from Tin Tin who secures the line around the monorail, which is then lifted by Thunderbird 1.

Jeff watches his youngest son in action, and is proud of how his handles himself. He lands Thunderbird 3 in Jubilee Gardens next to the other Thunderbirds.

Once the people from the monorail are safe, the Thunderbirds and Lady Penelope go to the Bank of England to stop The Hood.  Lady Penelope, thanks to The Hood's special powers, and Jeff end-up locked in a vault.  Alan, with the help of Tin Tin's use of her own special powers, defeats The Hood.

At a celebratory beach party, Jeff gives International Rescue pins to Fermat, Tin Tin, and Alan - and welcomes Alan officially into the family business.

Thunderbirds is a fun family movie. It always makes me smile whenever I watch it, from the opening animated sequence, to the ending credits theme tune by Busted, "No strings to hold them down," indeed.  Yes, it's a kids movie, and Jeff and the older Tracy sons are basically stuck in Thunderbird 5, completely helpless for the majority of the movie. The movie emphasizes Alan - and shows us his journey from teenager, to full-fledged International Rescue member. Jeff Tracy does come off as an, excuse the expression, bit of an hard-ass, but explanations are given. The Hood hates him because when International Rescue responded to the collapse of his illegal diamond mine - he wasn't rescued, but stranded. Being trapped led him to develop his mental powers. When Alan asks if The Hood's story is true - Jeff tells Alan, yes, it is, and that sometimes you can't save everyone, even though International Rescue saved 600 people that day. Alan then asks, "What was Mom like?" To which Jeff replies, "She was like you." Jeff had been inspired to start International Rescue after his wife was killed in an avalanche.

There are some notable differences from the TV show the movie is based on - one of the most notable is that the International Rescue members, that is, the Tracy boys who pilot the Thunderbird machines call themselves Thunderbirds as well. In the series, their organization was always International Rescue, the machines were Thunderbirds, and the pilots were the Tracys. Though, as it was a secret who IR was - I could easily see the public also calling the pilots Thunderbirds rather than members of International Rescue as they do in the TV show. Also, in the series, Alan is an adult - an astronaut who is also famous as a race car driver (which was almost a hobby for him). And Alan's a competent member of International Rescue, and the pilot of Thunderbird 3 - who splits space monitor duty with John, aboard Thunderbird 5.  Jeff leads his boys from the ground as base commander. And Lady Penelope doesn't wear so much pink. Though I must admit her wardrobe in the film, is fantastic.

Still, even with the shift of focus to Alan, Fermat (a new character for the film), and Tin Tin, the film is fun. It's an excellent family film. And I always enjoy it every time I watch it.

Recommendation:  See It! Especially appropriate for families and pre-teens.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Next Film:  Thunderbirds Are Go

The Three Musketeers

• Title:  The Three Musketeers
• Director:  Stephen Herek
• Date:  1993
• Studio:  Walt Disney Pictures
• Genre:  Adventure
• Cast:  Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt, Tim Curry, Rebecca De Mornay, Gabrielle Anwar, Paul McGann
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  NTSC, Region 1

"You go back, and you tell the Cardinal, we will continue to perform our sworn duty, which is to protect the King, and we will use every means in our power to fight him." - Athos

"A remarkable woman - the most beautiful I've ever known, and the deadliest, which would explain my attraction." - Cardinal Richelieu

"D'Artagnan, would you be so kind as to redistribute this wealth? [D'Artagnan looks confused] Throw the coins, man, people are hungry." - Aramis

"This world is an uncertain realm filled with danger, honor undermined by the pursuit of power, freedom sacrificed when the weak are oppressed by the strong, but there are those who oppose these powerful forces, who dedicate their lives to truth, honor, and freedom. Those men are known as Musketeers." - the King

Disney's The Three Musketeers is a fun, adventurous, romp. Although there are lines here and there referring to the sorry state of the people of France, and the assassination of the previous King of France (the new King's father), it's not dwelt upon - at all. The result is this is a fun, light, frothy adventure film.

With the death of the previous King, and a very young new King on the throne of France, the evil Cardinal Richelieu is posed to take over France, and even aims to become King himself. Richelieu is played with considerable relish, and some chewing of scenery by Tim Curry, so you know it's going to be fun. Richelieu's opening move is to dismantle the Musketeers the King's personal and private guard. Told of the disbanding of the Musketeers, the men ceremonially burn their blue tunics and turn in their swords.

Three Musketeers refuse to give in, however, and become outlaws.

Meanwhile, Chris O'Donnell plays an arrogant young man who is on his way to Paris to join the Musketeers like his father. He gets into a duel with Girard, who believes he wronged his sister. The duel is, however, swiftly broken up and the young man, D'Artagnan, heads to Paris. Upon arriving he find a man in the destroyed former HQ of the Musketeers. Assuming the HQ has merely been moved, he asks for the new location. D'Artagnan learns that the Musketeers have been disbanded. He manages to get Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, upset with him and ends up with appointments for duels with each of them - at 12:00, 1:00, and 2:00, respectively.

When he arrives, late, for his duel with Athos, he meets the other Musketeers as well. The three are surprised to learn D'Artagnan has arranged duels with them all. And D'Artagnan is shocked to learn the three men he's agreed to fight are Musketeers. He finds no joy in killing a Musketeer. But there will be no killing - the Cardinal's guards attack and the four men fight back. The Three Musketeers are surprised by the young D'Artagnan's skill. They defeat the first group of the Cardinal's guards, then another group attacks. Athos urges D'Artagnan to leave and go home.

D'Artagnan, doesn't leave, gets separated from the group and is captured. But he frees himself from the dungeons and hears the Cardinal meet Mi Lady D'Winter - and hears their entire plan. Richelieu plans to betray France to England by signing a treaty with Lord Buckingham - his payment for this will be the throne of France. Mi Lady D'Winter will carry his terms, and the treaty to Calais. Somehow, though he hears the entire plan, D'Artagnan doesn't see Mi Lady D'Winter, or forgets who she is when he meets her later.

The Three Musketeers rescue D'Artagnan from the chopping block - literally, and they escape in the Cardinal's own coach. The four drink the Cardinal's wine, eat his food, and give his coin to the poor as they leave Paris. D'Artagnan tells the Musketeers of Richelieu's plot - and the Musketeers realize that if they can stop the spy and get the treaty, they will be able to prove Richelieu's a traitor, as well as saving France. Unfortunately, the Cardinal knows that D'Artagnan knows about his plot - he orders a 1000 gold coin bounty on the heads of him and the Musketeers. This makes getting to Calais difficult.

To make their travel less obvious, and to double the chances of finding the spy - the four split into two groups. Athos and D'Artagnan are attacked by bounty hunters. D'Artagnan offers to stay with Athos (until the bitter end, because they are outnumbered by men with guns, or at least, muskets), but Athos orders him to go on to Calais, knowing that finding the spy, stopping Richelieu and rescuing the King are more important than a single Musketeer's life.

D'Artagnan takes the surviving horse and heads off but eventually falls asleep and falls off his horse. He's picked up by a woman in a carriage - a woman he doesn't recognize. She's Mi Lady D'Winter. They go to the ship for her meeting with Buckingham. But Porthos and Aramis have reached the ship first, and have knocked out or killed the crew. The Musketeers end-up with the treaty, and D'Artagnan is again, rescued. Mi Lady D'Winter turns out to be Sabine - Athos wife, whom he kicked out and thought dead. Athos had regretted his decision to kick out his wife (he thought her an enemy of France and a murderer, she professed her innocence, he exiled her anyway.)

The next morning she's to be executed. Athos had tried to get her to tell him the rest of Richelieu's plan, but she refuses. At the execution, Athos stops the ax-man. Sabine reveals that Richelieu plans to have the King assassinated at his birthday celebration, that Friday. She forgives Athos for not believing in her all those years ago, then kills herself by jumping off a cliff.

The Musketeers and D'Artagnan rush to Paris, leaving "All for one and One for All" markers everywhere in their wake. At the birthday celebration, the four try, desperately, to find the assassin. He gets a shot off, misses, and the plaza fills with Cardinal's guards and Musketeers. D'Artagnan, meanwhile fights the assassin on a nearby rooftop. The battle moves inside as Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan, try to find and rescue the King and Queen from the Cardinal. They succeed, the Cardinal is captured, and the King admits D'Artgnan into the Musketeers.

Again, this is fun, light, adventure film. There's no serious violence. No one gets killed. The good guys win and the bad guys lose. In the middle there's lots, and lots, of sword-fighting to enjoy - as well as chases. The film's score is excellent, and the cast is good - if a bit young. The filming is gorgeous - and especially the greens just pop off the screen. The whole film has a very storybook quality to it. It's highly enjoyable, and not too deep. I recommend this, especially for families.

Recommendation:  See it!

Rating:  Four Stars

Next Film:  Thunderbirds

The Librarian Curse of the Judas Chalice

• Title:  The Librarian Curse of the Judas Chalice
• Director:  Jonathan Frakes
• Date:  2008
• Studio:  TNT (TV movie)
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
• Cast:  Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin, Stana Katic
• Format:  Color, Widescreen (HD)
• DVD Format:  NTSC, R1

"Maybe some women are OK with the wild and unpredictable lifestyle of dating a librarian, but I'm not."  -- Katie, when she dumps Flynn

"Charlene, How big is the library?"  - Flynn

"As big as we need it to be." - Charlene

"You cannot escape your destiny, Flynn." - Simone

"I was trying to take a little vacation from it but it didn't seem to work out." - Flynn

"No, if you fight your destiny you will be miserable.  You must embrace it and revel in every moment." - Simone

The third film starts with Flynn, wearing a black tuxedo, and attending a high priced auction.  But rather than having the sophistication of James Bond, this is still our Flynn - the free champagne causes him to sneeze, though he also points out it's not technically champagne but an Italian sparkling wine.  During the auction, not only does Charlene call to remind him of The Library's budget, but his girlfriend, Katie calls to break up with him. Between the two conversations on his cell phone, and the auction itself, Flynn is distracted and accidentally raises the bid much too high several times.  Finally, it total frustration, he bids L1 million Pounds Sterling.  He wins the vase, and back at The Library, Charlene nearly faints.   After the auction, Flynn picks up his vase, intentionally drops it, and shatters it into a million pieces, he finds and takes a small cloth bag, and hides it in his jacket pocket.  The other bidder arrives, and when he sees what's happened, tries to take the item from Flynn. It turns out it's the Philosopher's Stone which can turn anything it touches into gold. Flynn and his rival fight, with anything at hand, including a throw pillow that Flynn's quickly turned to gold.  The fight merges into a stolen sword, sword-fight.  Flynn, after some difficulty, escapes with the Stone.

Flynn goes to the hotel bar to meet his girlfriend, but she's left.  He returns to the Library, where Charlene and Judson show him the Large Collection Annex, which, among other things, includes Noah's Ark.  However, Flynn, though impressed, is fed-up.  He mentions his relationships that haven't worked out:  Nicole, Emily, now Katie.  And how he can't even tell his mother the importance of his work.  In short, he has a meltdown and threatens to quit.  Judson and Charlene ask him to take a vacation instead.

So Flynn does, but he merely stays in his apartment, eating take-out.  Charlene drops by one night at drops off a bunch of travel brochures.  Flynn is polite to her, but doesn't take her suggestion seriously.  That night he has a dream of a Siren calling him, then sees a statue of a rearing horse.  When he wakes, he looks at the brochures again and finds one with the same rearing horse.  He decides to head to New Orleans on vacation.

In New Orleans, Flynn seems determined to have a very boring vacation, at first.  But one night he wanders into a bar, and sees the woman from his dream singing on stage.  During her break, he sits at her table and tries to buy her a drink.  This seems to be going terribly, when some heavies show up and come after the girl.  She and Flynn escape.

Flynn and the girl, Simone, spend the night together.  The next day, she's gone.  Flynn runs into Judson in a barbershop, and learns a bit about the plot.  It seems that the Judas Chalice, an artifact made by melting the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas Iscariot to betray Christ, is in play.  The Chalice has the power to re-animate dead vampires.  Meanwhile, the coffin of Dracule - aka, Vlad the Impaler, has disappeared.

Flynn and Simone, attempt to follow the clues to solve this new riddle.  Simone, guards a key that leads to the hiding place of the chalice.  Through a series of adventures they solve the puzzles.  However, Simone is a vampire - this isn't too bad, she keeps blood in her fridge and has no desire to snack on Flynn.  Flynn also runs into a famous professor, whom he thinks is killed by the vampires chasing him.

The conclusion, is much more bittersweet than the previous Librarian films.  However, Flynn has once again, learned how important it is that he remain The Librarian.  He's also learned that The Library is part of a larger struggle of Good vs. Evil.  And he's picked up a little background on Judson.  Flynn, once at the verge of quitting, returns to The Library.

The third and final Librarian film, The Librarian Curse of the Judas Chalice, is a little weak in spots.  The entire film, for the most part, is set in New Orleans, though it makes use of the location.  I liked Flynn's pal, the cabbie - who continuously shows-up to help Flynn and get him whatever he needs - a cemetery tour, a rental boat, etc.  Simone, a 300-year old vampire with a desire to take revenge on the one who made her, is a new twist on Flynn's female companion du jour.  Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin round out the cast to make the film that much more fun.  Still, I missed the more global-trotting aspects of the previous films.  Though having the humor back was a bonus.  Overall, the film was enjoyable and fun.  Later this year, in December 2014, TNT will bring The Librarians to the small screen, starring Wyle, Newhart, Curtin, John Larroquette, and Christian Kane (of TNT's Leverage). I'm actually looking forward to seeing it.

Recommendation:  See It - this film is especially appropriate for children

Rating:  3.8

Next Film:  Star Trek:  Into Darkness

The Librarian Return to King Solomon's Mines

• The Librarian Return to King Solomon's Mines
• Director:  Jonathan Frakes
• Date:  2006
• Studio:  TNT (TV Movie)
• Genre:  Action, Adventure
• Cast:  Noah Wyle, Gabrielle Anwar, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin, Olympia Dukakis
• Format:  Color, Widescreen (HD)
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Flynn, I trust you, we send you on missions alone.  It's just you have a lot to learn."  - Judson

"Sometimes, you have to give up what you want for the greater good.  You see that's the difference between a good librarian and a great one." - Judson

"Be safe.  Don't get killed.  Save your receipts." - Charlene

"You'd be surprised what you can learn at the Library."  - Flynn

This film starts with Flynn Carson on a quest to retrieve the Crystal Skull of Atlantis.  He manages to grab it from some pot hunters, but before he can sneak away, he's distracted by finding a Sault arrow head, which would be unusual to find in Utah.  In attempting to retrieve it also, he catches the attention of the pot hunters.  They give chase to Flynn and his Native American companion.  The two run away, and eventually reach a high gorge.  Flynn and his partner jump there horses into the gorge and land in a rushing river.  Flynn's companion is shocked he knew there would be a deep river at the base of the gorge.  Flynn gives him an explanation about average rainfall - only to have his companion tell him he had the month wrong.  Flynn's blasé response is, "huh, we should have been flattened like pancakes."

Back at The Library, Flynn's expecting congratulations for finding the Crystal Skull.  And although Judson is happy about it, he still reins Flynn in for taking too many risks.

That night Flynn heads to his mother's, only to walk in on his own surprise party.  His mother tries to set him up on a blind date with his third cousin.  Flynn is not amused.  The evening turns out to not be a total loss though when he runs into his "Uncle" Jerry, his father's best friend, who works in "Import/Export". Jerry gives Flynn his father's amulet.  Flynn's birthday is somewhat bittersweet, Flynn's father died when he was 32 and Flynn was eight (8).  Now Flynn is 32.  When Flynn gets home to his apartment he finds it's been trashed.  He calls Judson, but is knocked out before he can tell him much of anything.

Judson sends him on a quest for the two-part Key of Solomon a map Legend to decode the Map of Solomon to King Solomon's Mines, but warns Flynn that sometimes a Librarian must give up what he most wants - for the greater good.

In Casablanca, Flynn meets Emily Davenport (Anwar) an archeologist with 25 degrees who's possibly smarter than he is.  Together they set out on the quest.

Flynn is attacked, but when he sees the Mason Symbol amulet Flynn wears that was his father's, the man backs off, shows his own amulet, and explains he's part of a Secret Society of Masons protecting King Solomon's Secret.  Flynn gets the first part of the Legend, and the guy tells Flynn the second part is in Kenya.

In Africa, Flynn and Emily find a man buried in the sand up to his neck.  They rescue him and Jomo becomes their guide.  Flynn tells Emily that his father was mugged coming home from work, and the "coward" shot him.  According to Flynn, they never caught the guy.  So, Flynn's father was shot dead when Flynn was 8-years old, by a mugger.  Does this sound familiar?

The scenery in Africa is beautiful.  Because the second film really emphases Flynn's background, especially his loss of his father, the story has more heart, and less comedy than the previous film.  Flynn is experienced and professional, an no longer bumbling in his role as the Librarian.

Flynn and Emily find the second piece of the Map Legend, and run into Flynn's Uncle Jerry who helps them. Jerry explains to Flynn that the reason he has his father's amulet, is that his father got it from his father, who got it from his father before that.  Flynn responds, "The secret shall be passed."

Flynn and Emily examine the map and the two pieces of the legend.  Flynn realizes the map is sheet music. He plays the music on one piece of the map legend, and the map becomes a 3-D map showing them how to get to the mines.  Flynn and Emily leave the train, and Uncle Jerry, who goes his own way.  Once again, Flynn and Emily are off on an adventure, in search of  the Mines.

As they follow the map, Flynn realizes that the pictures he drew as a child, based on his father's bedtime stories, are actually places they will find while searching for King Solomon's Mines.  Flynn realizes with some astonishment, that his father was preparing him for this quest his entire life.

Eventually, they reach the ante-chamber to the Mines, Flynn and Emily have to cross a stone bridge over a river of  lava.  They do, and Flynn discovers his father's amulet is literally a key to the treasure chamber. Inside, Flynn opens the web-covered book, which sits on a plinth in a shaft of light.  Emily distracts Flynn before the weird stuff the book is doing to Flynn completes.

The concluding scenes are quite good, and I don't want to spoil them.

This chapter in The Librarian series isn't as funny as the first - it's definitely more adventure than comedy. However, the story, by emphasizing Flynn's relationship with his father, and that history, has more heart.  The conclusion is wrapped around the relationship between Flynn, his father, Jerry, and Flynn's mother, so it works well.  Flynn is no longer the bumbling professional student.  He is now an experienced Librarian and adventurer.  Emily is impressive, an archaeologist with 25 degrees, she's smarter than Flynn but knows nothing about The Library.  And, The Library is only seen at the beginning and very end of the film.  Once the quest is over, Flynn does go back to the Library, having learned about his own personal history, as well as having first-hand experience as to exactly what Judson meant by, "Sometimes, you have to give up what you want for the greater good," and has progressed in his career as the Librarian.  Emily goes off on another dig, continuing her own personal quest to discover more about the Queen of Sheba.

The Librarian Return to King Solomon's Mines is still a good, light adventure film.  Although it doesn't have the strong comedy elements of  The Librarian Quest for the Spear, it makes up for it by having more heart, and delving deeper into the character of  Flynn Carson, Librarian.  There are references to the Indiana Jones films, especially Last Crusade, but also references to Batman. It's quite the enjoyable film.

• Recommendation:  See it!  This film is especially appropriate for children and pre-teens.
• Rating:  3.5 of 5
• Next Film:  The Librarian  Curse of the Judas Chalice

The Librarian Quest for the Spear

• Title:  The Librarian Quest for the Spear
• Director:  Peter Winther
• Date:  2004 (5 December 2004)
• Studio:  TNT (Television)
• Genre:  Action, Adventure, Comedy
• Cast:  Noah Wyle, Sonya Walger, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin, Kyle MacLachlan, Kelly Hu, Olympia Dukakis
• Format:  Color, Widescreen (HD)
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"You are about to begin a wondrous adventure  from which you will never be the same.  Welcome to The Library."  -- Judson (Bob Newhart)

"You are now part of a very special community.  The secret of  the library has been kept  for thousands of years."  -- Judson

"I believe in you, Flynn, I think there's a possibility you could be a great librarian." -- Judson

Flynn Carson is a bookish professional student, with twenty-two degrees, six alone in Egyptology (one wonders how he paid for them all?  But thinking of the Real World is not something you should do while watching this film).  His current professor gets fed up with him, and throws him out into the "Real World" to get a job midway through the semester, signing off on his degree.  Flynn is devestated - he has no idea how to get a job and doesn't really want one.  He goes home, where his mother has set him up on a blind date with a girl about his own age - who's a social worker.  Flynn gets even more depressed.

Flynn's in his room, when he suddenly finds an envelope.  He opens it and words appear, inviting him to apply for the position of The Librarian.  Flynn goes to the interview.  At The Library, there's a huge line of applicants.  Flynn hears the protests and even cries of the previous applicants.  He's about to duck out of line when a voice orders him in.  Flynn passes the pre-test question easily, and more importantly passes the Real Question.  He meets Judson, who takes him into The Library, underneath the library.  The Library is a wondrous place, indeed, home to all of  human knowledge, and a number of  magical, mystical, and real human artifacts, such as Pandora's Box, the Mona Lisa, the Ark of the Covenant and Excalibur.

Flynn is beginning to settle in to his new job, when there's a break in.  Judson is knocked out, but not seriously harmed.  It seems one part of the Spear of Destiny has been stolen.  The Spear was broken in to three pieces for safe keeping.  Flynn is sent on a quest to find the other two pieces of the Spear and stop the evil organization known as the Serpent Brotherhood from assembling the Spear and causing havoc.  Flynn is soon joined on his quest by Nicole, a bodyguard for the Library.

The film resembles classic adventure films like the Indiana Jones films and Romancing the Stone.  But it is not a parody.  It takes that style of film and introduces it's own characters and it's own plotline, but most of all it has fun. There is a lot of humor in this movie - it's it's not simply the obligatory quip and the occasional really good one-liner.  The film is simply fun to watch and the cast is terrific.  Noah Wyle is great as the wide-eyed, bumbling, professional student who has, among other things, memorized the Earth, but can't quite master flirting with a girl, or have much in the way of practical knowledge of the Real World.  Nicole is very like Michael Douglas's character in Romancing the Stone - we even see her hacking away at jungle growth with a machete, while the branches hit Flynn.  But the story opens up too - not only do the characters go to a jungle in South America, but also to mysterious Shargri-La in the Himalayas.  Nicole has a reason for her somewhat icy personality, but she's dedicated to her job of protecting The Librarian.  And Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin, have small roles in terms of screen time - but they are vital to the plot.  And both make the film that much more fun.

This is simply an enjoyable film to watch.  It's bright, and funny, and fun.  And it's a good start to the series' universe. Yes, this is a TNT Original film, which spawned two sequels, and a  television series which starts in December 2014.

Recommendation:  See it

Rating:  4 Stars

Next Film:  The Librarian Return to King Soloman's Mines

Star Wars Return of the Jedi

• Title:  Star Wars Return of the Jedi
• Director:  Richard Marquand
• Date:  1983
• Studio:  20th Century Fox
• Genre:  SF, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
• Cast:  Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, Alec Guinness
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends you can either profit by this or be destroyed.  It's your choice but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."  -- Luke

"When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not."  -- Yoda

"Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall, that is the way of  things, the way of the Force."  -- Yoda

"Anger, fear, oppression, the Dark Side are they.  Once you start down the dark path forever will it dominate your destiny."  -- Yoda

"Your father was seduced by the Dark Side of  the Force.  He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Dark Vader.  When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed.  So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."  -- Obi-Wan Kenobi

Return of the Jedi again starts with a crawl updating the audience to the plot, and reminiscent of very old movie serials.  There is an impressive opening shot of a very large and long ship approaching a partially constructed Death Star.  The sequence has several impressive model shots as well, including:  two star destroyers, shuttles, and the moon with the Death Star itself.

On Tatooine, R2-D2 and C3PO are in the desert, they approach Jabba's palace.  Inside, R2-D2 plays a message from Luke Skywalker.  He wishes to bargain for Han Solo's life, and gives Jabba R2-D2 and C3PO as gifts (don't worry it's all part of the plan).  The droids are indoctrinated into Jabba's workforce in a scene which includes shots of droids being tortured (one is having it's feet burned with red-hot horseshoes, another is being pulled apart at the arm and hip sockets).  Jabba's palace has an 1001 Nights aspect to it, and it's full of music, aliens, and dancing girls.  Jabba kills his slave girl, dropping her into a pit.  A bounty hunter comes in with Chewbacca, haggling with Jabba (via C3PO's translations) to get a higher price.  Lando is also hiding in Jabba's palace in disguise.  Later that night, the "bounty hunter" rescues Han.  He's frozen in Carbonite and she de-freezes him.  She's Princess Leia.  Han is basically OK, though temporarily blind.  Jabba quickly captures Han again.  Leia is brought to be Jabba's slave girl, and Han is imprisoned with Chewbacca.  Luke, dressed in black and cloaked, arrives.  Luke uses his Jedi mind tricks on one of  Jabba's guards, but they don't work on Jabba.  Luke threatens Jabba for Han and Leia's lives, but Jabba is over-confident and drops Luke in the Bantha pit.  Luke kills the Bantha monster and the Bantha Keeper is devastated.  However, Luke in unable to rescue Han at the time and the entire group is taken to Jabba's sail barge to be taken to the desert where they will be executed by another monster - Jabba thinks.

On the barge, Luke will be forced to walk the plank - but instead he performs some very impressive gymnastics and grabs his light-sabre that R2-D2 has sent sailing into the air.  The Star Wars theme swells.  Luke fights Jabba's creatures and rescues Han and Chewbacca, then heads to rescue Lando.  Leia tries to free herself and also kills  Jabba.  Leia also rescues R2-D2.  She points the huge gun on the sail barge at the deck, set to blow.  Luke and Leia swing to safety on a smaller desert hover boat where Han, Chewbacca, and Lando await.  The two droids dive into the desert sand, and are picked up by the smaller boat.  The sail barge is destroyed.

Luke heads off to Dagobah with R2-D2.  The rest are on the Millennium Falcon heading for the alliance fleet.

Meanwhile, Darth Vader and an extremely impressive parade of troops great the Emperor.  The Emperor urges Vader to wait for Luke to seek him out and together they will turn Luke to the Dark Side.

Meanwhile, Luke visits Yoda on Dagobah.  Yoda is dying.  Luke is devastated to lose his mentor, but handles it without the anger of  his younger days.  Yoda also avoids Luke's questions, but mentions a mysterious "other".  After Yoda's demise, the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears.  He confirms what Luke knows - Vader is his father ... and also tells him Leia is his sister (Luke half  figures this out himself).  Luke now knows he must confront Vader -- but he's convinced there is still good in his father.

Meanwhile the Alliance, including Han Solo, Lando, Chewbacca, Leia, and in the background, Wedge, as well as a full room of others goes over their plans.  A female general/diplomat reviews information received from "Bonthan spies", then turns the meeting over to Admiral Ackbar to explain the details of the attack.  Lando will lead the fighter strike team in the Millennium Falcon which Han gives him.  Han, Leia, Chewbacca, C3PO, and R2-D2 will go to Endor to knock out the Shield Generator.  Luke arrives just as the plans and teams are being finalized and joins Han and Leia.

On Endor, Han and Luke encounter a pair of Storm Troopers and the speeder bike chase ensues.  Leia falls off her bike.  Luke returns to Han and company.  Meanwhile, Leia meets and befriends an Ewok - a sort of primitive walking teddy bear.  Leia is nearly captured by a pair of storm-troopers but she manages to defeat them herself.

Meanwhile, on the Emperor's ship, Vader reports that a Rebel force has landed on Endor, including Luke.  The Emperor orders Vader to Endor.  Luke will come to Vader who will bring him to the Emperor.

Meanwhile, Luke, Han, and company are looking for Leia -- they don't find her, but get caught in a trap.  Though they get themselves free, they are captured by Ewoks.  The Ewoks worship C3PO.

They are taken to the Ewok village.  Leia appears.  Luke uses the Force to raise C3PO's chair and the group is set free.  Leia kisses Han.  At the feast that evening, C3PO tells the gathered Ewoks the story so far complete with sound effects.  The Ewoks look on in stunned amazement.  Luke, Han, and everyone are inducted into the Tribe.

Luke and Leia speak to each other.  First, Luke asks Leia about her mother.  He then tells her, Darth Vader is his father.  Then he tells Leia she truly is the last hope of  the alliance, she's his sister and has the power of the Force too.  He wanders off, because he's a danger to the main Alliance mission.  Han arrives.  Han gets a bit angry that Leia's honest with Luke but won't tell him what's wrong.  Of course, Han has no idea what Luke's just told Leia.

Luke turns himself  in to Vader.  Despite Luke insisting there's good in Anakin Skywalker, Vader turns him over to the Emperor.

Han and his team check out the shield generator on Endor.

Lando and his space fleet make the jump to hyperspace under Ackbar's orders.

The Ewoks lead Han and his team to the back door of the bunker.  An Ewok steals a speeder bike and draws off some of  the troops.  Unforunately when they walk into the bunker...

Vader brings Luke to the Emperor.  The Emperor gloats that Luke's friends are walking into a trap.  The space battle attack on the death star has to break off and a space battle ensues.

Han, Leia, and Chewbacca face a legion of storm troopers.  C3PO baits the storm troopers into a trap and the Ewoks attack.  Before long an all-out battle occurs between storm troopers and Ewoks.  The Ewoks do well but many are also killed.

The Ewok battle on Endor is intercut with the battle in space between Lando's group and the Emperor's fighters.

The Emperor, again, gloating has the Death Star attack and destroy a rebel ship.

On Endor, R2-D2 gets hit by laser fire.  Han tries to hot wire the bunker door.  More Ewoks are killed.  Lando continues to lead the fight.

The Emperor continues to goad Luke.  Luke grabs his light-sabre but Vader blocks his attack on the Emperor.

The Ewoks begin to succeed again in their battle with the Emperor's troops.

Leia is injured as she tries to cover Han at the door.  Chewbacca commandeers an Imperial Walker.

Luke fights Vader, then stops.  Vader strikes out at Luke and Luke counters him.  Vader throws his light-sabre at Luke,

The space battle continues.

Han and Chewbacca pull one over on the Imperial troops.

Luke plays cat-and-mouse with Vader and insists he won't fight him.  When Vader realizes Leia is Luke's sister and says he will convert her to the Dark Side.  Luke fights back, hard, now angry.  The Emperor arrives, and Luke, looking at his own mechanical hand, and Vader's wrist where he's cut off his hand, stops, and tells the Emperor he'll never turn to the Dark Side.  Luke throws aside his light-sabre.

Back on Endor, the bunker is destroyed.  In space, the attack on the Death Star commences.

The Emperor attacks Luke with lightening bolts.  Luke pleas to his father for help.  Vader grabs the Emperor and throws him into the well of  a power reactor, saving Luke, but getting electrocuted in the process.

During the space battle a rebel ship hits a star destroyer and it sinks, crashing into the planet.  Luke drags Vader to an escape craft.  Vader asks Luke to remove his mask so he can look at Luke with his own eyes.

Luke escapes in the shuttle.  The Death Star is destroyed.  Han  assures Leia that Luke wasn't on the Death Star when it blew.  Leia quietly responds that she knows.  Han offers to not get in the way when Luke returns.  Leia explains Luke is her brother, then kisses Han.

Luke burns his father's body.

Everyone reunites at the Ewok celebration.  Luke wanders off and he's the ghosts of  his father, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi before Leia brings him back to the party.

The conclusion to the Star Wars trilogy is actually quite good and satisfying.  It's best in it's quiet moments - Luke's conversations with Yoda and Ben (Obi-Wan); Luke's explaining his background to Leia; even Leia explaining to Han that Luke's actually her brother and she's in love with Han.  The film also uses short set pieces and in the last half-hour/forty-five minutes a lot of inter-cutting.  This stops the film from bogging down.  Yes, the film is the Hero's Journey but it's well executed, especially as at the time true fantasy heroes journey's were seldom the subject of  popular entertainment films.  Luke is much more mature here, so much so, that I wondered just how long Han was stuck in Carbonite, since Luke has finished his training.  Leia also seems a bit older, and more ready to take on responsibility, though her character doesn't grow as much as Luke or even Han.

Return of  the Jedi also has a lot of great lines.  Like all of  the Star Wars trilogy the writing is very quotable, which makes the film fun to watch.  All the leads also do a good job.  Mark Hamill is no longer playing the "whiny farm boy" but has grown and matured. Han Solo has discovered the importance of caring for people instead of just himself and Chewie.  Only Leia, though always strong, seems to have not changed much... though she does more or less propose to Han.

Recommendation:  See it, a true classic.
Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Sting

Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

• Title:  Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back
• Director:  Irvin Kershner
• Date:  1980
• Studio:  20th Century Fox
• Genre:  SF, Adventure, Action
• Cast:  Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, Julian Glover, Michael Sheard, John Razenberger
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Wars not make one great."  -- Yoda

"Do or do not.  There is no try." -- Yoda

"Size matters not.  Look at me - judge me by my size do you?  Hum?  And well you should not.  For my ally is the Force.  And a powerful ally it is.  Life creates it, makes it grow, it's energy surrounds us and binds us." -- Yoda

"I love you." -- Leia
"I know."  -- Han

"Luke, we can destroy the Emperor, he has foreseen this.  It is your destiny.  Join me and together we can rule the Galaxy as father and son!"  -- Darth Vader

Like Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back opens with a crawl, describing what's going on and remarking that it's "a dark time for the Rebellion" despite the success of destroying the Death Star.  This proves true, as Empire can be arguably seen as the darkest of  the three original trilogy Star Wars movies.  The movie itself opens with the Empire launching robotic probes to find Luke Skywalker and the rebels he leads.   One such probe lands on a glacier.

This is the ice planet Hoth, where Luke, Han, Leia, and a group of  rebels, part of  the Alliance, are hiding.  Han and Luke are on patrol, riding a cold-weather animal called a Taun Taun, something like a furry cross between a camel and a kangaroo.  They are finishing up their patrol, and Han tells Luke he's headed back to the Rebel base.  Luke agrees, but mentions he wants to check out a meteor.  They agree to meet back at camp.  Han returns to the camp and tells the general that he really must leave, he has a price on his head and it won't be lifted until he pays off  Jabba the Hutt.  The general, though upset to lose Han, agrees to his leaving.  Chewbacca and C3PO work on fixing the Millennium Falcon.  Leia confronts Han about his leaving.  They still spark and fight, as in Star Wars, but it's evident that the two have some affection for each other beneath their arguing.

Luke was attacked by an Abominable Snowman-like creature and taken to an ice cave.  He manages to escape, in part by using the force to pull his light sabre to his hand.  He wanders out into the snow, where he has a vision of  Obi-Wan Kenobi, who urges him to go to the Dagobah System to complete his Jedi training under Yoda, a great Jedi master and teacher.  Luke then collapses from the cold.

Meanwhile, the rebels have realised that Luke is missing.  Though the general thinks it's too late to go looking for Luke (the extreme cold makes it dangerous to be outside late at night or during blizzards) Han insists on looking for Luke anyway.  He takes his Taun Taun to search for Luke.  He finds Luke, and cuts open his own now dead Taun Taun to place Luke inside while he builds a thermal shelter.

At the rebel alliance base, the search parties have been recalled.  At the general's insistence, Leia orders the shield doors be closed for the night.  Chewbacca cries out in mourning when the door is shut, because Han hasn't returned.  The next day, speeder patrols are sent out to find the two.  They do find both Luke and Han and bring them to base.  Han is OK, Luke is treated for exposure and frostbite but basically he's OK too.

Han and Chewbacca find an Imperial Probe Droid.  The rebel general decides to evacuate.

Vader orders an attack on Hoth.

Leia addresses the fighters who will escort the transports off  the planet.  She ends with "good luck" and from the sound of things, they'll need it.

The rebel speeders attack the Imperial walkers invading Hoth.  The walkers are like metal combat elephants.  Very quickly during the battle, Luke realizes their blasters can't penetrate the armor, and advises using harpoons and tow cables around the legs of the walkers, causing them to collapse.  This does work.

The battle between the Rebel snow speeders and the Imperial walkers, though it takes place on a snowy field, is also on a very bright sunny day!

Getting back to the battle, after losing his gunner, and one successful pass leading a harpoon ship, Luke is hit and crashes into the snow.

Han rushes to the command center to check on Leia, urging her to leave.  She issues the evacuation order.  Although the rebels had some success against the walkers, over all it's a rout.  As Han is leading Leia away, the tunnel ahead of  them collapses.  He tells the rebels he'll get her out on the Falcon, and they head back the other way.  Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C3PO end up on the Millennium Falcon.

Vader enters the nearly empty rebel base.  The Millennium Falcon escapes.  Luke and R2-D2 get to an X-wing, but Luke heads for Dagobah, not the Alliance rendezvous.

Three star destroyers and TIE fighters chase the  Millennium Falcon.  One star destroyer actually manages to physically hit another one, leaving one to go after the Falcon.  When the hyper-drive fails, Han knows he's in trouble.  Han and Chewbacca try to fix the ship while in flight, when they encounter an asteroid field.  Han flies into the field, because he knows the Imperial ships won't follow him.  He impressively loops the Falcon and lands in a cave on an asteroid.

Meanwhile, Luke splash-lands on Dagobah.  R2-D2 falls into the swamp, is attacked by a creature, and is spit out.  Luke gets his camping gear together and tries to figure out what to do.  He meets Yoda, whom, at first, he doesn't recognize -- and he thinks is actually somewhat annoying.  But when Yoda takes him to his home, and has a conversation with the dead Obi Wan Kenobi - Luke realizes this is the Jedi Master he seeks.  Yoda is hesitant, but agrees to teach the young Jedi.

Meanwhile, Vader's ships fail to find the Millennium Falcon.  Vader kneels before the Emperor for a holographic conversation.  Vader suggests "the son of  Skywalker be turned".

Han, Chewbacca, and C3PO work on fixing the Millennium Falcon, and even Leia helps.  But something attacks the ship while they are in the cave.  They go out to investigate, and find Mymocks, some type of  bat-like creatures with suckers stuck on the ship.  Han suddenly realises he's made a big mistake -- they all get back in his ship and barely escape.  They weren't in a cave, but a giant space worm with teeth!  Han lands the Falcon on one of  the Star Destroyers, which gives an incredible sense of  scale.  He manually detaches and floats away with the rest of  the garbage the Empire dumps before going to hyper-space.  They float away and then head for Bespin and Lando Calrissian.

Yoda starts training Luke -- physical training, and exercises in using the Force.  He also tries to explain what the Force really is and how it supplies power to a Jedi.  And he warns Luke about the Dark Side of  the Force.  Yoda tells Luke, "When you are calm, at peace, passive... a Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense.  Never for attack."  They arrive at a cave, where Luke feels cold.  Yoda tells him the cave is strong with the Dark Side, and urges Luke to go in.  Luke starts to strap on his weapons, but Yoda says he won't need them.  Luke takes them anyway.  Inside the cave, Luke sees Vader... he draws his light sabre and attacks, but when he cuts off  Vader's head he sees his own face in the helmet.  Yoda continues Luke's training, but he gets distracted by R2-D2.  Yoda then raises Luke's ship out of  the swamp, something Luke was unable to do because he did not believe he could do it.

Vader, meanwhile has hired bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, to find Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon.

Yoda continues to train Luke, and urges that Luke learn control.  Luke sees a city in the clouds, and sees his friends in trouble, sensing that they are in pain.  Yoda says Luke has seen the future.  Luke asks if  his friends will die.  Yoda says he doesn't know.  Yoda also urges caution, but Luke wants to go to his friends to help them.  Yoda admits that if  he goes he could help them, but if  he goes he will also endanger everything his friends stand for.  Ben urges patience, and Yoda urges that Luke wait.  Patience is not Luke's strong suit.  Luke leaves Dagobah but promises to return to finish his training.  Ben says "that boy was our last hope" but Yoda says "there is another".

Han Solo has landed in Bespin, a mining colony in the clouds.  Lando says he's independent, with no Imperial oversight and not part of  the mining guild.  But he turns them over to Vader... saying Imperial troops arrived first and he has no choice.  Chewbacca is tortured with sound.  Han is tortured with burning heat.  When Han and Leia are reunited in a cell, Han remarks that they didn't even ask any questions, and he can't understand that.  Lando enters the cell, and explains they are after Skywalker.

Vader decided to test the carbon freeze unit with Captain Solo.  Chewbacca fights for Han, but Han calms him down, tells him to care for the princess (Leia).  Han and Leia kiss and for the first time, Leia tells Han she loves him.  His response is, "I know".  Han is put in carbon freeze but survives.  Han is now a monolith in perfect hibernation.

Vader asks that the princess and the wookie (Chewbacca) be taken to his ship.  Lando's starting to catch on that he can't trust Vader, as his "deal" is getting worse by the second.

Luke arrives.  He and Vader clash in an epic light sabre battle.  The battle has three major set-pieces and is inter-woven with other parts of  the plot.

First Luke and Vader crash in the carbon-freeze room, and Luke extracts himself  from the freezing unit before Vader can use it on him.

Lando and his men arrest the Imperial stormtroopers.  They free Leia, Chewbacca and C3PO.  Boba Fett has frozen Han placed in his cargo hold.  C3PO meets up with R2-D2.  They try to catch up to Han Solo but see Boba Fett's ship leave.

The film returns to Vader and Luke's light sabre battle.  Vader encourages Luke to turn to the dark side path.  Luke is sucked out a Cloud City window.

Lando urges a city-wide evacuation, telling people they are on their own.  Lando, Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C3PO make it to the Millennium Falcon despite being caught in a running laser blaster battle.  The Falcon takes off.

Luke rescues himself and for the third time fights Vader.  Vader cuts off  Luke's hand and he loses his light sabre.  Vader tells Luke he's his father.  At first, Luke doesn't believe it, then doesn't want to believe it.  Vader tries to convince Luke to join him, to defeat the Emperor, and to rule as father and son.  Luke escapes down a tunnel and lands on an antenna at the bottom of  Bespin.  Luke calls for Ben for help.  Then he calls for Leia.  She senses him.  Leia sees Luke, the Falcon rescues him.  The hyper-drive on the Falcon re-engages thanks to R2-D2.  Chewbacca and Lando take the Millennium Falcon to search for Han.  Luke gets an artificial hand.  Luke, Leia, C3PO and R2-D2 look out a window at a galaxy and the Falcon leaving.

The Empire Strikes Back is darker than Star Wars.  Rather than a fairy tale or fantasy film like Star Wars, this film focuses on the Rebel Alliance which is in trouble, and develops the characters who learn and grow.  Luke is well on his way to truly becoming a Jedi Knight.  Han, though he still talks about leaving, is showing his loyalty to Luke and to Leia.  And Leia herself, the most experienced person of  the three in terms of  leading the rebellion, is starting to feel something for Han.  There's also the hint of  something between her and Luke.  But yes, the Empire does strike back, and our heroes are in trouble even though they escape definite capture by the end of  the film, all that is except Han Solo.

Rather than the harsh white/black/grey color palette of the first film, Empire is more colorful... from the greens of  Dagobah's swamp to the blues of  the carbon freeze room at Bespin.  This contrasts with the darker plot of  the film.

A second thing to notice about both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, is the use of  language... specifically accents to denote groups.  The Imperial admirals, generals, and lieutenants generally all speak with British accents (and very precise ones at that).  The Rebels are generally American.  Notable exceptions are James Earl Jones as Vader's voice, though David Prowse was in the costume, and Alec Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi.  Although this doesn't consciously affect the viewer, subconsciously it sets the two groups apart.  However, it was most probably an accident not a deliberate choice:  much of  the Star Wars films were filmed at English studios and many British character actors (including Peter Cushing, Julian Glover, Michael Sheard, and even Alec Guinness) were hired on site.  Of course, the film was an American film and main casting took place in the US.  Lucas (executive producer on Empire) hired people he had worked with before or that were young and new.  But I still thing the obvious class differences between the Empire and the Rebels add to the film.

Highly, highly recommended, a must see!

Recommendation:  See it!
Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Star Wars  Return of  the Jedi

Star Wars

• Title:  Star Wars (aka Star Wars IV:  A New Hope)
• Director:  George Lucas
• Date:  1977
• Studio:  20th Century Fox
• Genre:  SF, Fantasy, Adventure
• Cast:  Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Your father's light sabre.  This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight.  Not as clumsy or random as a blaster.  An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age."  -- Obi-Wan Kenobi

"The force is what gives a Jedi his power.  It's an energy field created by all living things,  it surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the Galaxy together."  -- Obi-Wan Kenobi

"I want to come with you to Alderaan.  There's nothing for me here now.  I want to learn the ways of  the force and become a Jedi like my father."  -- Luke

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you!"  -- Luke

Hands down one of my favorite movies, ever!  Star Wars is the classic science fantasy film, mixing the cultural mysticism of  Old Japan, with the classic tale of  farm boy who wants adventure, then he becomes very important.

The film opens with a scroll revealing this is "Episode IV" like the old movie serials from the 1930s. This catches up on the plot for a "pre-quel" that in 1977 didn't exist, but it explains the background for what's going on.  We see an impressive, but small ship being chased and shot at -- then a shot of a much, much larger ship chasing it.  The ship seems to go on forever.  It's blasting lasers at the smaller ship.

Inside the ship we meet two 'Droids (or androids), R2-D2 and C3PO.  R2-D2 communicates only in whistles and beeps (meant to suggest machine language) though we have an idea what he's saying from C3PO's responses.  C3PO, a "protocol" droid and translator, seems a bit like a bad butler.  The entire ship is swallowed by the larger one.  Imperial Storm Troopers in metallic white armor burst in. Vader strangles one of  the rebels, and Princess Leia is stunned.

R2-D2 and C3PO leave the ship in an escape pod.  Because the pod registers no life signs, the Imperial troops let it get away.  They land on a dessert planet.  Jawas, dessert scavengers, pick up the two droids.
The Storm Troopers arrive, thinking the "plans" are hidden in the pod, then find evidence of droids and tracks.

Meanwhile, the Jawas arrange their droids to sell.  Luke and his Uncle Owen take first C3PO and then R2-D2 from the Jawas and bring them back to their farm.

Luke stumbles on to part of  Leia's message while cleaning R2-D2.  He claims he's the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Luke discusses going to "the Academy" with Uncle Owen, but Owen wants him to stay and help with the harvest.  R2-D2 goes off on his own in search of  Kenobi.

The next morning, Luke and C3PO search for R2-D2 and find him.  They're attacked by Sand People.  Obi-Wan Kenobi rescues Luke, and the droids.  Obi-Wan fills Luke in on some of  his father's history, and gives him a light sabre.  He starts to teach Luke about the Force, and they listen to Leia's full message hologram.  Kenobi asks Luke to help go to Alderaan.  Luke says he can't.  Then they find the Jawas attacked and destroyed, it's meant to look like Sand People were responsible, but Obi-Wan realizes Imperial Storm Troopers were responsible.

On Vader's ship they discuss the disappearance of  the plans, and Vadar strangles a man using the Force.

Luke rushes home, but the farm's been destroyed and his Aunt and Uncle burned to death.  He returns to the Jawa site, meets with Kenobi, and vows to go with him, learn the ways of  the Force, and become a Jedi Knight like his father.  They head for Mos Eisley spaceport, the famous "hive of scum and villainy".  There they meet Chewbacca and Han Solo and book passage on the Millennium Falcon.  Luke sells his speeder to get cash.

Imperial troopers show up at the space port and there's a brief  laser gun fight.  The Millennium Falcon escapes the Imperial cruisers by making the jump to light speed and cruising into hyperspace.  During the brief trip, Obi-Wan Kenobi begins to train Luke in the use of  a light sabre.  When they arrive at Alderaan, it's in the middle of  a meteor shower.  And the planet isn't there.

We'd seen Vader coldly and calmly use the Death Star to destroy the entire planet, Leia's home, and one she insists is peaceful with no weapons.  Obi-Wan Kenobi had felt the tremor in the force, the millions of  lives silenced, and nearly collapsed, while aboard the Falcon, in hyper-space.

Back on the Falcon, they see a small moon near Alderaan, or what was, Alderaan.  Quickly, Luke, Han, and Obi-Wan realize it's a space station and they better get out of  there.  But they are pulled into a tractor beam.  When the ship lands, the Imperial Troopers think no one's on board, as they had all hidden in Han's smuggling compartments.

Obi-Wan Kenobi will take care of  the tractor beam.  The rest are to check for info, but stay put.  However, R2-D2 plugs into a Imperial computer port, downloads data, and finds Leia and that she's scheduled for execution.  Luke convinces Han to rescue Leia.  Han reluctantly agrees.  They rescue Leia, get caught by troopers trying to escape, and Leia blows a hole in the wall with a blaster rifle and they end up in the garbage compactor.  Luke calls C3PO for help and they barely escape.

Getting back to the Falcon isn't so easy, with more blaster battles.  Everyone gets to the Falcon, but Kenobi is fighting Vader.  Luke sees this on the other side of  the hanger deck.  Vader kills Kenobi, and Luke angrily fires at any Imperial storm trooper he can.  The Falcon escapes, after a space battle against TIE fighters, but Leia insists "they let us escape".

She's right, the Death Star follows them to the rebel base at Yavin, on a nearby moon. The rebels study the plans and come up with a plan.  Small, one-man fighters (X-wings), will fly through a trench and send photon torpedoes through a 2-meter thermal vent.  If placed directly, and perfectly on target, the torpedo will reach the center of  the moon's reactor, blow it up and cause a chain reaction to blow up the entire Death Star.

Luke, Wedge, and two squadrons of rebel pilots, head for the Death Star to make their attack run.  Meanwhile, Leia and the rebels watch battle screens and listen.  They watch as the Death Star comes closer and closer, knowing that when or if  it clears the planet, they are all dead.  And they listen as the rebel pilots, one by one, die -- either in collisions in the trench, blown up by Imperial TIE fighters, or destroyed by anti-aircraft batteries on the Death Star.  Finally, it's down to Wedge and Luke.  Wedge gets a bit cooked and has to pull out (but he survives).  Han Solo arrives in the Falcon, and destroys two TIE fighters, and clips Vader's fighter so it rolls off  into space.  Luke disables his targeting computer, and let's the force guide him to make the shot.  He succeeds.

Later he and Han reunite with Leia and are congratulated.  Both receive awards at a huge ceremony.  Chewbacca is also honored and  R2-D2 and C3PO are present at the ceremony.

Star Wars is a fun movie - but it has a lot to say too.

The color palette is bright white, black, and grey.  There's occasional pops of blue, orange, and brown.  But mostly it's white, black and grey - which gives the film an almost monochromatic look, even though it's a color film.  And, the sharp whites and blacks add to the feel of  being in space.  Despite the obvious fantasy elements of  the film, the star fields, uni-directional lighting and such, feel like space.  Even when R2-D2 is in the back of  Luke's X-Wing fighter, his normally blue markings look black because there's no light in space to see the blue.

The plot, about an orphan who discovers he is meant for greater things also isn't that different - after all Frodo Baggins and Harry Potter are also orphans.  The farm boy who longs for adventure, and finds it is an old idea, a classic idea.  And in part, Star Wars, is a classic fantasy tale - with a princess to be rescued and plenty of  sword play and (blaster) gun battles.  We even have the old mentor, Merlin-like, teaching the young boy.

But far from being derivative - Star Wars brings all these elements together and cooks them up into something no one had seen in 1977, and the film is still popular, even legendary today.  Because of  the futuristic fantasy setting, it doesn't feel "old", unlike many science fiction films (or even buddy cop films or musicals or other genre films).  And that is because the film was made with so much care and precision and the young cast is brilliant.  The script is also brilliant - as the many famous quotes from it bare out.  After all, who doesn't know what "These aren't the droids you're looking for?" means or where "May the Force be with you" comes from?  It's just a brilliant, brilliant film.

The film, like Raiders of  the Lost Ark (1981), is actually split into relatively short sections (again, inspired by movie serials), which allow for a more complicated plot and prevent any boredom from setting to setting.  Star Wars moves at a break-neck speed, and with surprising amounts of  humor, although the overall tone is that of sheer fun adventure.

I saw Star Wars when it came out in 1977 - I was eight years old, and the perfect age to fall in love with this movie.  It, like the Indiana Jones films, inspired a life-long love of  film.  It also inspired my interest in not only watching science fiction, but reading it.  And reading fantasy also.  A couple of  years ago I had the privilege of  showing Empire and Jedi to my at-the-time eight-year-old niece and nephew (they'd seen Star Wars) and it was fun to see the films as new through their eyes.  Because I must admit, I've seen these three films so many times I've memorize whole sections of  dialog from them.

Recommendation:  A must see!
Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film:  Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back

Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows

• Title:  Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows
• Director:  Guy Ritchie
• Date:  2011
• Studio:  Warner Brothers
• Genre:  Action, Adventure, Drama
• Cast:  Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Kelly Reilly
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"Oh, how I've missed you, Holmes." -- Dr. John Watson


"It's so overt, it's covert." -- Sherlock Holmes


"What better way to conceal a killing, no one looks for a bullet hole in a bomb blast." -- Dr. Watson

"They're dangerous at both ends, and crafty in the middle.  Why would I want anything with a mind of  its own bobbing about between my legs?" -- Sherlock Holmes (on horses)

It isn't often that an adventure film sequel is as good as or better than the original, but Sherlock Holmes A Game of  Shadows is one brilliant film, just as good if  not better than Sherlock Holmes.  Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films are proving to be crack to the SH fan -- doing things any fan of  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing has always wanted to do (Who hasn't wanted to push Mary off a railway bridge?  Or to not only have Watson see Holmes' fall at Reichenbach, but to have a hint that he knew Holmes wasn't dead?)  Holmes and Watson were the original "buddy cop show" (though neither was a cop) and Holmes the original geek (used in the best sense, not the pejorative one) Ritchie's films have come about at the most appropriate time, here's hoping to a long and successful series.

In Sherlock Holmes A Game of  Shadows, we immediately see the close friendship between Holmes and Watson.  They finish each other's sentences, know each other's moves, and have complete trust in each other when it really counts. Holmes doesn't discount Watson's abilities, especially as a soldier, or as a doctor.

This film introduces Professor James Moriarty, as Holmes' equal and opposite.  Their conflict is played out in a metaphor of  chess, and both are very good at the game.  But, Holmes probably wouldn't have directly challenged Moriarty, even when he finds out, to his horror, exactly what Moriarty is up to, if  it wasn't for Moriarty's murdering of  Irene Adler, and threats against Dr. John Watson, and his wife, Mary.  The film also  plays with real historical events, including a series of  anarchist bombings in Europe (which did happen, especially in Russia) and the prelude to World War I.  Moriarty's plan, in fact, is to use the existing alliances and rivalries in Europe to start a world war -- twenty three years early.  This, after he has  bought-up every business that can profit from war from bandages (cotton) to bullets (weapons and chemical warfare).  Moriarty owns cotton, steel, opium (used to make morphine - the anesthetic of the time), and the aforementioned arms.  As Holmes points out when Moriarty is torturing him, "Now that you own the supply you intend to create the demand."


The film also introduces Mycroft, Sherlock's brother, played by Stephen Fry, as quite possibly more eccentric than Sherlock.  However, it is to Mycroft that Sherlock trusts the health and welfare of  Mary, after dropping her from a moving train into a lake to save her from Moriarty's attack.  Watson is quite distraught at Holmes' cavalier treatment of  his wife, until he realizes that Holmes was in complete control, timing things perfectly, and his actions were to protect Mary.  Quite a lot of  Holmes' actions in the film are to protect Mary and John; John because he is Holmes' only friend and Mary because she is important to John.

I, personally realized the film was doing "The Final Problem", when Moriarty's men attack on the train, but I still loved just how much Ritchie opened up that particular story and brought more to it.  That Holmes sends John on an errand so he can sneak into Moriarty's weapons factory in Germany speaks volumes of  how much he cares.  That John returns and immediately figures out how to rescue Holmes, not only shows his own intelligence, but his own feelings for Holmes.

The escape, with the gypsies through the forest was brilliant.  First the  direction, using a stop-motion technique to freeze the action briefly, enabling the audience to actually follow it was brilliant.  The complete chaos of  the explosions, gunshots, and use of  big guns (howitzers, etc) brings to mind World War I.  There is also complete trust between Holmes and Watson, when at one point, Holmes twirls the stock of  a gun, and Watson is right there to receive it as Holmes hands it off.  It's Watson who fires the weapon at Moriarty's men.

After escaping, Holmes, who's been tortured, Watson, and Sim, their Gypsy companion, are in a railway car.  Holmes stops breathing and his heart stops.  Watson beats on his chest (this is a little premature - I don't think even a doctor would know CPR in 1891) but is unsuccessful.  Then he has a lightning moment - and uses Holmes' wedding gift -- pure adrenalin, that Holmes had extracted in an experiment, and Watson had seen Holmes use to revive Gladstone (Watson's dog) after the dog ate something poisonous.  The adrenalin works and Holmes jumps up, babbling of  bad dreams.  But the entire scene is brilliant.  Watson pounds on Holmes' chest crying that Holmes, "Bloody well not going to die on me!" and shouting at him to "come on".  Watson's brief  devastation as he realizes that his best friend has died, before the light bulb goes off, perfectly illustrates his caring for Holmes.

Holmes, Watson, and Sim arrive in Switzerland and meet Mycroft, but discover the peace conference is still planned.  Holmes dances first with Sim, and then with Watson. (Another perfect moment!)  He points out that Rene has had his face altered by experimental surgery.  Holmes trusts Watson to find Rene, Sim's brother and stop the planned assignation that will touch off a war, while he goes to confront Moriarty personally.  Holmes and Moriarty plan a chess game together, without even using a board, while Moriarty both threatens Watson and Mary, and tells Holmes there is nothing he can do to stop him.  Holmes sacrifices his Queen in the game, to win.  The two then fight, first in their heads (each plotting out moves and counter moves, before doing a thing).  Holmes, knowing he is still weak from his injuries at Moriarty's hands, grabs Moriarty and sacrifices himself, dragging them both over a balustrade into the rushing waterfall under the castle of  Reichenbach.  Watson, having found Rene, and stopped the assignation attempt, opens the door, a smile on his face to tell Holmes of  their success.  But, his smile evaporates, as he sees Holmes and Moriarty fall into depths.  We then hear Watson reading the end of  "The Final Problem", as a voice-over, which then becomes Watson typing the story.  Mary comes to him, reminding him of  their planned honeymoon trip.  However, Watson gets a strange package in the post, Mycroft's oxygen breather.  Watson leaves, and Holmes appears, having been hidden by his camouflage.   He adds a question mark to the words, "The End", at the end of  Watson's story, cut to credits.  Simply brilliant!

Sherlock Holmes A Game of  Shadows is brilliant.  The directing is perfect.  I loved the ramped-up "Holmes vision", which really gets into Holmes' head and shows the audience how he thinks.  Also, it makes Holmes seem less arrogant or untouchable/non-understandable by allowing the audience to see just how his mind works, rather than letting his deductions and actions seem almost magical or like some sort of  trick.  The friendship of  Watson and Holmes was handled very well.  I loved that they finished each other's sentences, knew each other's moves, but also, at their core, Watson cares deeply for Holmes and Holmes cares deeply for Watson.  It is the male friendship that makes the pair timeless.  And the plot was extremely well put together.  Moriarty not merely as a master criminal, but an extremely crafty war profiteer, how appropriate.  All in all, I really don't think anything could have made this film better, I really loved it and highly recommend it.

Recommendation:  An absolute must see!
Rating: 5 out of  5 Stars
Next Film:  It Could Happen to You (a recent purchase) or Shrek (on list)

The Princess Bride

• Title:  The Princess Bride
• Director:  Rob Reiner
• Date:  1987
• Studio:  MGM
• Genre:  Adventure, Romance, Comedy
• Cast:  Cary Elwes, Robin Wright,  Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Peter Cook, Andre-the-Giant
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders.  The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia.  But slightly less well known is this - never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line."  -- Vizzini


"We'll never survive [in the Fire Swamp]."  --  Buttercup, the Princess Bride
"Nonsense, you're only saying that because no one ever has." -- Westley


"You know how much I love watching  you work - but I've got my country's five hundredth anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Gilder to frame for it.  I'm swamped." -- Prince Humperdinck

The Princess Bride is one of  my favorite films of  all time.  It's a film I actually owned a copy of on VHS, then replaced with a DVD.  I absolutely adore this film -- it's smart, fun, intelligent and chock full of fun and quotable lines.  The film actually has two storylines -- the frame story of a grandfather (Peter Falk) reading the story of  The Princess Bride to his grandson (Fred Savage) who is home sick.  The growing relationship between grandson and grandfather adds a sweetness to the film, as does the young boy's growing interest in the story.  The main storyline, though, is the story of  Westley and Buttercup, two young lovers separated by fate who simply must end-up together.  However, what prevents the story from sinking into typical romantic comedy is the intelligent, witty dialogue and the simply gorgeous cinematography.  The film pulls itself together in such a way that it just works incredibly well.  It's also shot in a very storybook style, which ranges from castles with interiors that obviously look like sets, to some simply wonderful sunsets, and some great scenery when Buttercup and Westley first meet again. (The wide shots of  the castles are no doubt real ones in Ireland and England where parts of  the film were shot).

This film also has some wonderful sword fights.  The fight between Westley and Inigo Montoya is wonderful! I really enjoy it every time I watch the film.  But there's also some wonderful fight scenes between Montoya and the evil Count Rugen.

Overall, the film is just enjoyable.  Simply enjoyable.  It's funny, it's sweet, it's romantic.  The good guys are good because they treat other people nicely and well, and the bad guys - Vizzini, Count Rugen, and Prince Humperdinck are bad guys in part because they treat other people terribly.  Humperdinck's motivation is also to start a war between Florin (his country and home to Buttercup) and neighboring Guilder.  And a bit of wordplay with the names of  the country as well - Florin and Guilder are two coins in a former Netherlands currency.  Florin is also the name of  an old two-shilling coin in the UK that's no longer in use.

If  by some chance you haven't seen this movie, it's an absolutely must-see.

Recommendation:  See it!  Also good for all ages without being overly sweet.
Rating:  5 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Producers

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

• Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• Director:  Stephen Norrington
• Date:  2003
• Studio:  20th Century Fox
• Genre:  Action, Adventure
• Cast:  Sean Connery, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Richard Roxburgh, Peta Wilson
• Format:  Widescreen, Color 
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"I'm a representative of Her Majesty's government, the Empire needs you."  Sorenson
"But the question is, Do I need the Empire?"  -- Allan Quartermain


"You're missing a picture, Mr. Grey."  Allan Quartermain to Dorian Grey


"I've lived long enough to see the future become history, Professor.  Empires crumble, there are no exceptions."  --  Dorian Grey

The League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen starts with a steampunk bang as a tank bursts out of a building, crushes a bobby, and then bursts through the walls of the Bank of  England to commit a robbery.  However, the object of  the robbery isn't just money, gold, or even jewels -- it's documents.  The robbery seems to have been conducted by the Germans, but next on the hit list is a German Zeppelin factory -- which is blown sky-high.  Thus Britain blames Germany and Germany blames Britain, while in the background the mysterious Fantom seems to be orchestrating everything.  The film is set in 1899.

And thus, M, the mysterious leader of  the League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen assembles the extraordinary men and women of  the League to prevent a war -- he says.  And the League is assembled:  hunter and adventurer Allan Quartermain (Sean Connery), Mina - the vampire lover of  Jonathan Harker, a thief named Skinner who has stolen the formula for invisibility, American Secret Agent Tom Sawyer, Dorian Grey, Captain Nemo (and his Nautilus) and Hyde (and his alternate identity Dr. Jekyll).  Now assembled M tells them they must prevent the mysterious Fantom from sinking Venice and killing the world leaders assembled there for a peace conference.

Reaching Venice, the League discovers they are too late, Venice is already starting to fall.  They manage to stop the destruction, and discover that they were set up.  Dorian betrays the crew, he's working for M who's stolen something from him.  Skinner (aka the Invisible Man) whom the League thought was guilty is innocent, but steals aboard the small Nautilus excursion pod with Grey.  Skinner is able to send a message to the League and they are off  to stop M where he's using the unique talents of the League members (Vampirism, invisibility, Jekyll's potion, etc) to create new superweapons, as well as his tanks, mechanical men, etc.

The League reaches M's new hideout and manage to win the day.  Allan Quartermain dies but passes the torch to Tom Sawyer whom he calls a "hero for a new century" (Quartermain being the hero of  the old century).  M is revealed to be behind the Fantom, and also to be Professor Moriarty.

The League of  Extraordinary Gentlemen is a good film, but I think it could have been better.  I loved the Victorian literary references (other than Tom Sawyer who seems too young and out of place in the film).  Besides the main characters, Quartermain makes a reference to Phileas Fogg going around the world in 80 Days.  Sorenson is a Sherlock Holmes reference, it's Holmes alias during part of his "missing three years" after Reichenbach  Falls. That M is really Professor Moriarty is also another Sherlock Holmes reference.  There are some marvelous quips as well.  Sean Connery is brilliant, and the rest of  the cast does a competent job.  However, I can't help but wonder how much better the film could have been with a more experienced and better known cast.  Also, far too much time is spent assembling the League -- time that could have been spent firming up the plot.  I didn't like the obvious CGI Hyde (and the "super-Hyde that fights Hyde at M's fortress is just silly-looking).  The initial CGI effect for the Invisible Man as he smears on cold cream to show his face is extremely well done, but the very next scene in the car has the actor with white greasepaint on his face that's applied so badly you can see his beard stubble.  One or the other effect would actually have worked, but switching between both is distracting and screams "we didn't have the money to do this right".  The Nautilus is gorgeous, but is apparently solar powered, which makes no sense for a sub.  In Jules Verne's novel it's a nuclear sub -- maybe the filmmakers were afraid to say so?  Nemo's car is also beautiful.  Overall, this film felt like a nice intro, but its a real shame no further sequels were made.  I almost think it would have been better as a television pilot than a film, especially as a television series could have brought in even more fictional and real Victorian characters.

There is plenty of action, however, and the look of  the film is actually really, really gorgeous.  And I did like the cast, they all do a competent job (I just think they could have done better in casting).  In a sense the film suffers from unfulfilled promise.

Recommendation:  a fun movie for teens and adults, see it
Rating:  4 of 5 Stars
Next Film:  The Lost Weekend