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Would you recommend this? Definitely, if you’re looking for a sweet movie that’s maybe just a bit darker than you’d expect. It’s not dark, but wasn’t as warm and light as I thought it would be.

Technically any good? There’s only a bit toward the end where the script starts to let us down–it’s just a slow patch where I found myself confused as to what the heck the movie was doing. However, everything around that slow patch is pretty solid. The movie is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and it shows in the witty dialogue and ironic situations. The acting is as spot-on as you’d expect. However, I found Jimmy Stewart’s pantomime to be a bit less convincing than I would have liked, though I’m sure it was fine for the day and certainly didn’t knock me out of the movie.

How did it leave me feeling? Warm and fuzzy inside. I usually don’t like to feel that way, so I give the movie even more credit for making me not mind. Three-cheers for being a bit darker, too. I’m sure if someone ever (god forbid) remade this movie it would be a good deal lighter.

Would you sit through it again? I would sit through it again, but it’s one of those movies that does a great job–so good that I don’t think I’d want to sit through it again for a while.

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Geh… kind of. I guess. But annoying as hell, too.

Technically any good? ARG! NO! It meanders all over the place and is frustrating at every turn. The characters in the movie do everything against logic yet somehow (duh, because the writer wants it) they are able to get away with their rock-stupid choices.

Seriously, at almost every point of this movie, there is a character that is doing something ill-advised, illogical, or downright STUPID and yet, fate (the writer) allows things to generally work out for the characters in the end.

I think the film was trying to be some sort of fable, but ends up being very uneven and contrived.

The acting was perfectly reasonable, but no amount of good acting could undo the rest of the flaws of this film.

How did it leave me feeling? FRUSTRATED. I had to have one of my venting sessions afterwards because it was just a mess. I really like Tom Tykwer as a director–I loved Run Lola Run and enjoyed Winter Sleepers quite a lot. However, The Princess and the Warrior was just annoying as hell to sit through.

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Wow–this movie is pretty incredible. Sadly, it’s also got some major flaws that aren’t entirely the director’s fault.

Technically any good? This is one of those rare occasions where I will include what I’d consider a mild spoiler. So here, I offer a SPOILER WARNING. That’s not to say that I’m about to divulge a plot point or anything that might ruin the movie for you. However, this might change the way you view the film or it might even influence you to not bother seeing the movie. So, please keep that in mind as you read the next paragraph. YOU HAVE BEEN SPOILER(ish) WARNED!

SPOILER(ish): This film was to be the first of a series of films based on a huge novel. Sadly, the sequels were never made. As a result, there are quite a few plot lines that are never actually resolved. One MAJOR plot line is included in that, sadly. END SPOILER(ish).

This is very frustrating as this film is really amazing. The acting is superb from almost everyone in the cast and Nakadai, in particular, is INCREDIBLE. Sadly, the ending is simply not satisfying, but keep in mind that just about every other damn thing in the movie is.

FX, for the period, are spot-on. Most of the time, I found myself visually convinced the lead was really slicing into his enemies and sometimes really grinding that blade in there, too. Yikes! OH and the fights were all REALISTIC. None of this BS wire-work that is way to common place now. No gravity leaps or super-powered limbs. Just good, old fashioned (literally) sword fighting.

How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed (see spoiler) but definitely entertained. If films as good as this were still made today, I’d love to see a remake done and perhaps a sequel or two. :)

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Positive Experience/Entertaining? Well, I’ve got to say no, not really. I know it seems silly to even review a film like this, but hey, I watched it, might as well write about it. But no, this was not a positive experience.

Technically any good? This is your standard, bad b-movie, designed to entice dumb teenage boys to watch in the hopes of finding some nudity and there is a bit of it, so that’s nice for those of us who enjoy seeing topless women. Of course, one of them gets raped, so you might want to bear that in mind.

Aside from the rape scene, the film is generally what you would have expected to see on MST3K since it’s pretty much on the level of Hobgoblins (and even shares a cast member). The acting is as flat as you’d expect, though I never blame the actors. The story is damn near non-existent, though I have to say it’s more coherent than what we’ve got going on Battlestar Galactica, so there is that.

How did it leave me feeling? Achy neck from shaking my head so much. Even as a dumb b-movie, this isn’t one I’d recommend. I also found it kind of weird that while we see a topless woman get raped, during the healthy, nice sex scene between consenting adults we see later on, there is no nudity. Kinda sad if you ask me. I always prefer to see boobs in a positive situation.

Final Rating? DNS – Do Not See. There are loads of better (read: more fun) bad b-movies out there (even with nudity) if you’re interested in doing your own MST3K-style DIY quipathon.

Buy it! Watch it now! Watch it free at Archive.org

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Well, as a fan of cheesy movies, it was juuust barely a positive experience. Entertaining might be overstating it, however. More, amusing (at times).

Technically any good? Well, it was directed by Roger Corman, so that’s debatable. However, the movie did hint at the comic talents we’d see on display in Little Shop of Horrors, which was nice. The script is campy and silly and there’s not much else to say about the movie. The acting is hit and miss, though it doesn’t matter since this is one of Corman’s more campy creations.

How did it leave me feeling? I guess it left me feeling satisfied that I’d accidentally stumbled across a Corman film I’d never seen or heard anything about. It was pretty crappy over all and would only recommend it to Corman Completists and since I’m not one, myself, I can’t really recommend it–even to the MST fans in the audience.

Final Rating? DNS – Do Not See. This film will never (rightfully) see the moniker of “classic” Corman. It’s mildly amusing and that’s about it. I’d love to see it remade though–the premise of a guy getting rich off of a monster hoax that turns out to not be a hoax during the Cuban revolution is actually kind of interesting to me.

Buy it! Watch it now!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? It was certainly entertaining, but once you go deeper than the surface, you realize that this film is all glitz and no guts.

Technically any good? The acting was generally solid (though Jodie Foster’s choices were strong but boring–aka she was an almost over-the-top, predictable mean person rather than a real character who happened to be unlikable). The film is shot beautifully–the music is good, but there’s too much of it. The most sad thing here, however, is the script. Spike Lee is a very good filmmaker so he makes you forget how nonsensical the script is. Sure, the film seems to hold together until you start thinking about how NOT perfect this supposedly perfect crime is. The fact of the matter is that the basic premise of the film falls apart the moment you begin to examine it.

Also, don’t expect any positive female characters in this film. You’re either an obedient sex pot, a bitch or a bland background character, if you’re a woman in this film.

How did it leave me feeling? Very “meh.” It was clearly trying to do some some sort of modern film noir, but it was just too complicated and messy to work as a noir (especially since it doesn’t really work as anything else–of course, that doesn’t stop it from being entertaining on a basic level).

Final Rating? DNS – Do Not See. It was a nice first attempt for Spike Lee to do a non-racially motivated/charged film, but with a better script, I think Lee’s capable of a much better movie. And ditch the “Spike Cam” (or as I like to call it now: “Segway Cam”) it just knocks you right out of the damn movie–like a sledge hammer it knocks you out of the movie.

Buy this now from Amazon

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely–this movie does a great job with atmosphere and mood. If creepy is what you’re after, this is it.

Technically any good? I think this film is technically very good. That is to say, the cinematography, acting, editing, pacing are all spot-on. Sadly, I felt the script was lacking. While the general throughline made basic sense, the finer details were messy and disconnected. The location was amazing, the acting pretty solid and the characters were very well, drawn. But the story just doesn’t hold up.

How did it leave me feeling? Like I said, it was definitely entertaining. I just wish the script was tighter and made more literal sense. Not that everything had to be explained–I like a movie that leaves some mystery–but this was less mysterious and more lacking.

Final Rating? NFI – NetFlix It – if you’re a connoisseur of creepy or like dark, brooding, atmospheric films, don’t miss it. I’d love to see this premise remade with a better script, or at the very least, I’d love to see the filmmakers’ next movie(s). These guys have immense talent.