"Training Day" is the best of the bad cop dramas that I have seen. Both Denzel Washington as the psychopathic bad cop, Alonzo, and Ethan Hawke as the idealistic rookie, Jake, were amaizing. Denzel Washington won the Best Actor Oscar for...
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"Training Day" is the best of the bad cop dramas that I have seen. Both Denzel Washington as the psychopathic bad cop, Alonzo, and Ethan Hawke as the idealistic rookie, Jake, were amaizing. Denzel Washington won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, and Ethan Hawke was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The direction by Antoine Fuqua was superb. Before seeing this movie, my impression of Denzel Washington as an actor wasn't especially high. Not to say that he isn't talented, just that ever since Crimson Tide he appeared to be slotted neatly into every stern hero in every serious political thriller to be trotted off the studio assembly line for years. But then came Training Day and his role as Alonzo Harris and all that changed. Shrugging off the overly serious good guy image once and for all, Washington here is a revelation; a barking, ranting maelstrom of police brutality who believes that maintaining order on the crime ridden streets of LA means being even more ruthless than the drug dealers he faces on a day to day basis. His performance elevates the film from standard thriller fare into an exemplary story that has quite rightly become one of my favourite films of all time.

Set over the course of twenty four hours, the film whisks Ethan Hawke's naive young police officer onto an introductory day of Narcotics work under Alonzo's tutelage. As the hours go by, Hawke is subjected to more and more violence as the heat and paranoia of suburban Los Angeles combined with his loose cannon superior officer play a heavy toll on his nerves. Consequently, the film is very much a two man story with Hawke and Washington playing off against each other expertly as polar opposites. One young, inexperienced and a firm believer in the rule book, the other older, more cynical and twisted by all his years on the streets into a bull-headed monster.

The story itself is fraught with tension. Alonzo forcing his young protégé to smoke PCP at gunpoint is just the start and from there on the pulse pounding never stops. The execution scene where Hawke realises just how far gone his partner is for example is one of nail-biting pressure and shortly after, his encounter with a trio of Mexican gang members is jaw dropping, working as the exact moment you realise how much hot water he has found himself in.

The end result is nothing less than a brilliant thriller. Hawke and Washington make for a phenomenal double act and the pace only occasionally lets up to allow the characters time to breathe and establish the depth that makes you care for them more. Highly, highly recommended so long as you're prepared to be abso lutely terrified of Denzel Washington for years to come.

Sweeping all five major Academy Awards ("Oscars" for Best Movie, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay) is quite an accomplishment. Doing it nearly a year after a film was released is a miracle considering the notoriously short attention...
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Sweeping all five major Academy Awards ("Oscars" for Best Movie, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay) is quite an accomplishment. Doing it nearly a year after a film was released is a miracle considering the notoriously short attention span of Oscar voters. It is a powerful example of how great a movie can be when superb writers, directors, actors, and others work at the top of their craft.

With Silence of the Lambs comes some much needed recognition for the horror genre. It is a first-rate production all around. It boasts a witty and suspenseful script based on the Thomas Harris novel, full of great lines. It has marvelous direction from Demme. Demme creates suspense very well throughout and uses some great directorial shots such as the twin frames of Clarice ringing a doorbell and the FBI men breaking into a home. The two lead actors won oscars for their performances...each deserved. Foster is very good in her role, but it is Anthony Hopkins that literally lights up the screen with his complex portrayal of a complex serial killer. The psychological path of Hannibal is hard to trace. He is so odd a mixture of intelligence, cruelty, insanity, grace and charisma. In the depth, fledgling FBI trainee Clarice is no match of him. She is still naive yet very ambitious. On the trail of the serial killer Buffalo Bill, she's sent to interview him, a psychiatrist-turned-cannibal. Hannibal is willing to provide clues to finding the killer but only in return for personal information about Clarice herself. He calls it Quid Pro Quo. In those mind games, the two dance backward and forward between cannibal and FBI agent, mentor and student, psychiatrist and patient, father and daughter. It is Clarice who breathes life into the multidimensional sophisticated psychopath and Hannibal who nudges the aspiring student FBI agent and helps her achieve her first success in a world of Y chromosome where her guru Crawford uses her, embarrasses her, excludes her; Doctor Chilton regards her no more than a simple-minded woman and tries to flirt with her.Foster's performance is absolutely brilliant. While Anthony Hopkins receives most of the (well-deserved) praise for his chilling portrayal of incarcerated serial killer `Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lector', it is Foster's performance that holds the movie together. The fear she shows just behind her eyes makes Clarice's outward courage all the more interesting and vulnerable. This is the perfect way to play the part because it explains Lector's interest in Clarice. Her only bargaining chip in getting Lector's help is to let him `feed' on her innermost secrets and fears in exchange for his brilliant insights into the psychotic mind. The title of the movie comes from these exchanges and is very poignant.

The rest of the cast is also quite good with Anthony Heald a standout as a unethical, petty doctor in charge of Hopkins. Of course the story of the other killer is very very chilling as well. A quality film in all aspects! It is a creepy and taken-by-storm experience with the film, background music is darker than the film itself and too ominous, plot is brilliantly constructed, conversations are thought-provocative, to crown the whole, Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkin are the cream. A fascinating display of direction is in a scene that shows an intense and grisly escape that Lector plotted by making a deal which was a transfer to another cell in exchange to provide Clarence more insight into a serial killer's profile. Jonathan Demme has done an amazing job at skilfully presenting here some edgy psychological material with depth that amplifies tension and maturity. The Silence of the Lambs is clearly a favourite as it ingeniously combines various facets of film-making to please mainstream and most art-house film lovers. Do not miss this movie. The movie is incredibly suspenseful and an absolute must see.

Based on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," "10 Things I Hate About You" offers a refreshing revival of the "good" teen films, as compared to the "typical" teen films. It may not surprise you in terms of...
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Based on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," "10 Things I Hate About You" offers a refreshing revival of the "good" teen films, as compared to the "typical" teen films. It may not surprise you in terms of who gets which girl and it's fairly predictable in a romantic comedy type way but that's not it. Heath Ledger & Julia Stiles make a great couple and his rendition of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" was one of the highlights. We have the highschool stereotypes of the cool kids nobody messes with, the wannabe's that try too hard to be something they're not, the geeks everyone picks on and the rebels everyone is afraid of. In other words, there's a character in this film everyone can relate to. The stand out performances are Heath Ledger as Patrick, the rebellious, feared and elusive bad guy who wins the heart of Kat Stratford played to perfection by fine actress Julia Stiles who has no interest in the opposite sex and is perceived to come from the planet 'Loser' while her more sociable, boy crazy sister Bianca (Larissa Oleynik) hails from planet 'Look at Me, Look at Me'. Her good looks catch the eye of the smooth, suave and egotistical Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) who is a male model, and fights for the affections of the prettiest Stratford sister with Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) the highschool geek, with a big heart and a big crush on Bianca. The hilarious Larry Miller stars as Walter Stratford-the kind of father who puts his girls on a short leash and desperately tries to shield them from the horrors of sex, drugs and rock and roll, and of course, boys. A typical teenage comedy, but its witty dialogue, goofy, sexy, cool characters, and enjoyable storyline set it apart from all the rest. There's plenty of memorable moments, romance, and clever and ****c lines, all leading up to a predictable but perfectly good ending that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling about teenage love.

Seven years after barely surviving events on board the Nostromo in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror ALIEN, Sigourney Weaver reprised her role as Warrant Officer Ripley for one of the most compelling and critically-acclaimed sequels of all time. When...
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Seven years after barely surviving events on board the Nostromo in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror ALIEN, Sigourney Weaver reprised her role as Warrant Officer Ripley for one of the most compelling and critically-acclaimed sequels of all time. When Ripley is rescued from drifting aimlessly through deep space, she is horrified to learn that not only has she been asleep for 57 years, but the planet on which she had encountered the original alien all that time ago has since been colonized. At first no-one will heed her warnings or completely believe the story she gives at an official enquiry as to what happened to her and her fellow Nostromo crew members. But then contact is lost with LV-426, and despite initially throwing Ripley "to the wolves" (as she herself puts in), The Company, through representative Carter J. Burke (Paul Reiser), suddenly finds itself in a position of having to ask Ripley for help, finally persuading her to return to the planet that still consumes her every nightmare, as an advisor to a motley group of very tough colonial marines expecting this to be just another run-of-the-mill "bug-hunt". But how wrong that assumption turns out to be!

I believe that Aliens far surpasses its celebrated predecessor in almost every aspect. Obviously the sheer spectacle of what is basically a Vietnam war movie in space is particularly awe-inspiring - the impressive sets, the many excitingly-staged combat sequences, the aliens themselves. Part of what makes the monsters so effective is that we're not told too much about them. We only get glimpses into their physiology's, their behavioral patterns and their intelligence. James Cameron gives us just enough to become wrapped up in the film, but not so much that we become overly familiar with the aliens, or start to question the logic behind the film. He also smartly carries over some devices from the first film that were abandoned to an extent, such as the acidic blood of the aliens, and he supplies answers to the few questions that the first film raised, such as why the blood doesn't corrode instruments and objects when a dead alien is examined.

The best performance of the movie is easily that given by Sigourney Weaver. The fact that in 1987 a performance in a sci-fi/action movie should be nominated for an Oscar is testament enough to the quality of her acting. The mother-daughter bond that grows between Ripley and Newt is central to the movie, and one that allows Weaver to develop her character even further. Of course Cameron cannot resist mirroring this with the maternal instincts of the Alien Queen. These themes of motherhood and the nature of the difference between the two species are continued in the next two movies, although never as subtly. Cameron fashioned Aliens into a grand arc where Ripley's actions at the end of the film have much more meaning as she's not only fighting monsters, but also fighting to retain a semblance of something she lost due to her 57-year hyper sleep. As in the first film, she is still the most intelligent, courageous and resourceful member of the crew, but she has much more colorful company.

Amongst the talented supporting players are Cameron regulars Michael Biehn (THE TERMINATOR, THE ABYSS) and Bill Paxton (bit part in THE TERMINATOR, TRUE LIES, TITANIC). Both Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen turn in wonderfully over-the-top performances, at their diametrically opposed ends of the emotional spectrum - Paxton as the spastic surfer/redneck and Henriksen as the intense, moody sage, with a surprising reality and an even more surprising conscience to go along with it. We also get a cigar-chomping Sergeant, a crazy, butch Private, and a complex, pensive Corporal as main characters, and a mysterious, bright young girl (played in a terrific performance by Carrie Henn). Much of the center section of the film hinges on the interrelationships of these characters, despite the action trappings going on around them.

Nominated for 7 Oscars, the film went on to win for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects Editing. Further, almost inevitable sequels followed in 1992 and 1997, but I prefer to think of the terrifying perils of Ellen Ripley as ending on this high note. Cameron carries over the crypt/labyrinth motif of the first film, and adds a metaphorical descent into the bowels of hell in the climax. The action throughout is suspenseful. Cameron is able to clearly convey the logistics of very complex sets, so that viewers remain on the edges of their seats. Everything about this movie is sheer ****and it is rightly considered one of the best of its type ever made. If you don't like this movie then the problem is your taste in films, not the film itself. If you have not seen it, not only am I surprised, I recommend you do so when you're in the mood to have a roller-coaster ride but Blackpool is too far away.

This is a phenomenally good film by any standards, a tremendous amount of fun and glorious in every detail. The film is 2 hours and 40 minutes long, but that time flies by as you are transported into an awesome world of swashbuckling and sword...
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This is a phenomenally good film by any standards, a tremendous amount of fun and glorious in every detail. The film is 2 hours and 40 minutes long, but that time flies by as you are transported into an awesome world of swashbuckling and sword fights.

After being rescued as a boy, pirate Will Turner grows up as a respectable blacksmith in town and forgets his true nature. But when the love of his life Elizabeth is captured by the villainous Captain Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl, Will soon springs into action and is forced to work alongside flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow, who has an agenda of his own. But the rescue mission is a lot more complex than anyone imagined and before long, they are all desperate to escape the terrifying curse of the Black Pearl.

It's no great secret that Johnny Depp steals the whole show and in truth, this is an absolutely stellar performance that deserved some award-based recognition. And as good as he is, it's difficult to pick out a weak link in the acting. Even under his tangle of hair and blackened eyes, he will make you swoon and laugh both at the same time with his tonnes of witty lines and mannerisms. That is not to say that Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush were less than fantastic. Rush made a delightful villain as Capt. Barbossa, and Orlando Bloom's performance brought charisma to a rather limiting role as Will Turner. Expect nothing but good things from this young actor in the future. Even supposed lesser actors like Jack Davenport and Mackenzie Crook shine, which can't be easy when you're competing against the beautiful backdrop of the Caribbean. The film may not be the most historically accurate pirate film of all times but all that is forgotten as you enjoy the brilliance of this marvelous movie. Production values are sky-high and the whole film looks fantastic and authentic. The action set pieces are typical Bruckheimer but in period costume and it works surprisingly well. It's exciting and a lot of fun - exactly what an action adventure movie is supposed to be but rarely is. Even the special effects are special, creating a perfect illusion of a crew of undead pirates marauding and fighting with bewildered British Navy soldiers. Only the most hard-heartened individual will not like this film. It's brash, colourful, full of life and enthusiasm and is a riot from start to finish. It takes a while to tell its story and that may test the attention span of younger viewers but this is a stunning film, one that finally does justice to the long-forgotten pirate genre.

This is the finest action movie of all time. And, yet, believe it or not, it's not the action in the film itself that makes this be the case. This is especially odd in a movie with a $100 million budget (in 1991!), with multiple huge explosions,...
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This is the finest action movie of all time. And, yet, believe it or not, it's not the action in the film itself that makes this be the case. This is especially odd in a movie with a $100 million budget (in 1991!), with multiple huge explosions, with thousands of bullets fired, and scores of stuntmen used.

This movie takes the vision of one of the most imaginative directors, and realizes them almost perfectly with all the tools that fit the task - actors, stunts, puppetry, models, and CG.

But, a little bit of background is due. John Connor (the commander-to-be) is about 12 years old, and his mother (Sarah) is feverishly trying to prepare him for his fate, even as she tries to stop the factors that will lead to the nuclear war and the entire terrible future that made all this necessary. The machines now send a superior, more intelligent, shape-shifting cyborg (T1000) into the past, to kill John himself. Meanwhile, future-John reprograms the ex-evil Terminator (T101) from the original film, and sends him into the past to protect John against the T1000. That's your basic plot. It does involve travel into the past, so it immediately presents a time-travel paradox which can't really be resolved. In order to even try watching this movie, you must look past the paradox. If you don't, this movie has zero credibility, and is not worth your time.

What happens after the two terminators appear in the past is a wild ride rife with dark reflection on the nature of man, and a few rays of hope, here and there. Schwarzenegger (the good terminator) and Patrick (the bad one) make for such effective foes that the times they meet on-screen are completely breathtaking (and odd, given that you repeatedly see the relatively slim T1000 through Arnie through a wall or two). Hamilton, as Sarah Connor, is a wonderful character - completely focussed on preventing the nuclear war and ensuring John's safety, yet clearly a little out of her mind with paranoia and anger; amazingly, you see actual character development (specifically, when John and T101 arrive at Dyson's house to prevent her from doing what she wants to) in her otherwise 2-dimensional character. And Furlong, as John, is pretty convincing as the extroverted kid who's confused by the fact that everyone except his mom tell him his entire upbringing was based on a lie. The bit players all do their jobs well, particularly Earl Boen who plays the semi-sadistic mental hospital warden that stands between Sarah Connor and her son (until the T1000 makes a chilling entrance).

With these players set in motion, it's up to the script to deliver the real substance of the movie. And the script delivers. The film is absolutely filled with great, ****c moments, and they're evenly spaced through the movie. I mean, who doesn't cheer (at least inside) when Arnold steps out of the biker bar, fully clad in leather when "Bad to the Bone" music starts to blast? The guy absolutely bleeds coolness. And the T1000 absolutely bleeds evil. But, with so many great moments, you'd think the pacing would be a little uneven... not really! The film shifts from place to place with an ease that makes perfect sense, always driving forward, but always doing so thoughtfully and with attention to detail.

Of course, this wouldn't be an action movie without some action. There's plenty of it, and it's perfectly done. The CG effects for the shape-shifting T1000 were cutting-edge for the time, and still look great - even if they're completely commonplace today. The stunts are completely insane in scale (at one point, a helicopter flies under a highway overpass; at another, a motorcycle jumps from the 2nd floor of a building into a flying chopper). And then the truly amazing scenes that bypass acting are shocking and memorable - just wait until the nuclear detonation sequence.

I'm not sure what else you would want in a movie. Probably moral content, and the movie has a very clear pro-human, anti-war message. The message is a bit stale, and the delivery IS, at times, a little heavy-handed (and some moments with the T101 seem just a bit unrealistic, towards the end), but the movie has heart, and that you cannot deny. It lacks the fierce brutality and darkness of the first film, but makes up for it with spectacular visual effects and action sequences. It lacks the horrific central focus of the first film (futuristic, indestructible cyborgs with no feelings being able to unemotionally kill), but it makes up for this with a new focus of humanity, coming to accept your future, and how it would look if two colossal killing machines entered into an arena together.

The opening scene of The Two Towers provides an outstanding, yet very brief, taste of action, cinematography, and special effects, only to be matched (and far surpassed) in the final hour of the film. The stunning events of the third hour of The...
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The opening scene of The Two Towers provides an outstanding, yet very brief, taste of action, cinematography, and special effects, only to be matched (and far surpassed) in the final hour of the film. The stunning events of the third hour of The Two Towers are undoubtedly the centerpiece of the film, and while the first two hours serve finely as story development, they primarily build anticipation for the final hour, which mostly depicts the battle of Helm's Deep. More than anything else, the first two hours merely tease and torment the patient audience.

The Two Towers begins where The Fellowship of the Ring ended. The majority of the film follows four separate groups and their story lines: Frodo and Sam; Aragorn and Legolas, Merry and Pippin, and Saruman and his army. The performances live well up to the standards of the first film, with a particularly notable performance from Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, whose role is significantly larger in The Two Towers. Aragorn satisfies a thirst for someone to root for, a thirst that was left partly unquenched in Fellowship. It's much easier to root for Aragorn than it is for Frodo; Aragorn has many more qualities of a leading man, a soldier, and a hero. Gollum also shines in a much-welcomed large role, due to extremely realistic computer animation, and a fine performance from Andy Serkis, upon which the animation was modeled. In Fellowship, it was appropriate to consider Gollum one of the many great 'features' of the film. However, here he is more of a leading character and a 'star,' and his convincing dual-personality, stabbing voice, and well-choreographed body movements make him consistently eye-grabbing and the center of focus of nearly every scene in which he appears.

As was The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers is a visual delight. Those who have seen Fellowship are no doubt familiar with the beauty of the landscapes of New Zealand. The cinematography is, again, one of the best aspects of the film. The swooshing camera movements that follow the armies and horsemen throughout the fields are extremely satisfying. The shots of the ascending enemy-laden ladders in the battle of Helm's Deep are terrifying and chillingly gorgeous all at once. The visual effects take an appropriate leap forward from those of the first film. While the visual effects in Fellowship were outstanding, the battle of Helm's Deep provides for the best application of CGI since the rippling waves of The Matrix's 'Bullet Time.' The battle of Helm's Deep features absolutely awe-inspiring and seamless integration of acting, stunts, and computer animation. Each orc seems to have its own personality, demonstrated in its movements and visual features. The masses of armies fight with strategy and true character, which I imagine is much harder to accomplish than animating thousands of identical clone troopers. George Lucas and the Wachowski brothers certainly have not created anything that approaches the grandness and magnificence of The Two Towers' final hour, and I doubt they will do so anytime soon.

If not the picture itself, there should be a way to recognize and award the battle of Helm's Deep. The battle sequence alone represents successful filmmaking in its highest form. The choreography of the battle, the visual effects, the pacing, acting, cinematography, and music, all work together in perfection to achieve grand filmmaking which is as entertaining and enjoyable as film can be. For this very reason, no one, whether a fan of Fellowship or not, should miss The Two Towers. The darkest and most uncomfortable of the three movies, The Two Towers is also, in some ways, the most powerful. The themes are morality, sacrifice, friendship and, as always, the nature and just use of power. In the Two Towers, the internal power struggle between good and evil gains momentum within the Fellowship's principal protagonists. As with the Fellowship, the art direction, score and soundscaping subtly add great depth to the entire experience.

The first two films established Jackson as an incredible visionary, shooting vast landscapes from his native New Zealand. With `Return of the King,' Jackson really gets a chance to show off. With, hands down, the most beautiful visuals of the...
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The first two films established Jackson as an incredible visionary, shooting vast landscapes from his native New Zealand. With `Return of the King,' Jackson really gets a chance to show off. With, hands down, the most beautiful visuals of the trilogy, Jackson makes `Return of the King' a gorgeous feast for the eyes, while never resorting to McG level over-the-topness. Jackson stays very grounded in his characters, not letting the effects tell the story, but only assist the wonderful dialogue and characters. Think of `Return' as a mix of `Fellowship' and `Two Towers,' with enough action and character development worthy of ending a film event of this magnitude.

Saying that this film starts where `Two Towers' left off is somewhat misleading, for the film starts a great distance from the walls of Helm's Deep. `Return of the King' opens with a flashback of Smeagol obtaining the one ring of power and an origin of his deterioration into the creature Gollum. This opening recaptures an emphasis that was somewhat lost within the epic battles of `Two Towers'. After the armies of Isengard have been defeated due to an allegiance between Theoden, the king of Rohan, and the elves, the main threat to Middle Earth is now concentrated in the kingdom of Mordor, controlled by the dark lord Sauron. Sauron has turned his eye towards the realm of Gondor, the last free kingdom of men, and the wizard Gandalf must warn Denethor, Steward of Gondor of the impending attack, while Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, and Theoden gather men to aid against the armies of Mordor. The dark lord Sauron needs only to regain the one ring of power to conquer all of Middle Earth, and two hobbits, Frodo the ring-bearer and Sam, must continue their journey, directed by Gollum, to Mount Doom, the only place where the ring can be destroyed. Since all three epics were filmed simultaneously, each individually has the feel of being part of a larger picture - except for this one. `The Return of the King' is just too big, the most epic of a set of epic films. Now that director Peter Jackson has brilliantly constructed the characters and plotlines throughout the first two films, he puts them to use.

All of the characters have their best moments within this film. The pair of mischievous hobbits, Merry and Pippin, are no longer the tree ornaments they were from `Two Towers,' but are split-up, and take their characters in completely new directions. Aragorn, played with an unmatched sense of honor by Viggo Mortenson, is about to meet his destiny as the future king of all men, while Andy Serkis continues his expert portrayal of Gollum (Serkis' provided not only the voice of Gollum, but also assisted during production by acting out the scenes of the computer-generated character with his fellow actors). Gollum is so much more than an effect - he is tragic, fearsome, hateful and funny. Praise of course goes to the special effects for making this character tell so much with an expression but to pretend that the work of the actor is secondary to the character (as opposed the look) is foolish. However, the real acting triumph of the film is Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. He continues his descent into corruption with an incredible talent that many could not pull off. Wood's performance is so critical to the film because it determines the ring's power to corrupt, which, needless to say, is absolute. John Rhys-Davies continued with Gimli's joking performance; he's really too amusing to take seriously, but does a good job at it.

The special effects, first of all, are excellent. The most impressive thing about them is the sheer scale. This isn't a small or simple scene; it often includes thousands of digital characters combined with filmed actors and action, sweeping landscapes, and dozens of things happening at once. This is a good reason to see it in theatres; even on DVD, there's little details that you can only catch when it's on a massive screen. My favorite scene would have to be the battle at Minas Tirith. The incredible scope of the battle, with the special effects, sounds, and many close-ups of pieces of the action, make for an exciting scene. The visual effects especially are stunning; the 'oliphaunts' play a big part in the action, and they're entirely created by computer. There's also some wide shots with tens of thousands of digital characters marching on the field of battle, and even the individual actions have the masses warring as a backdrop. Sound has been said to make 75% of the emotional impact of any production. This is a loud 75%. All the sound effects are very well pulled off, sound appropriate, and are generally loud. The Nazgul screeching was bordering on painful, but in a good way. Most everything has a distinct sound, and it's rare that anything feels out of place. In some of the battles, the roof of the theatre was shaking. The soundtrack fits the movie well, and Howard Shore has done an excellent job, as with the last two films in the series.

`The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' is one of the most finely tuned and cinematically perfect films ever made. Not only the best of the trilogy, but a crowning achievement in epic filmmaking. This is a fairy story of human endeavour, the defeating of power cliques and the triumph of the human spirit.

This film was a wonderful surprise. While I was expecting a moderately lightweight piece of teen fare, the film came in with truly profound depth, impeccable performances, solid direction and good pacing through a difficult story. A Walk To...
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This film was a wonderful surprise. While I was expecting a moderately lightweight piece of teen fare, the film came in with truly profound depth, impeccable performances, solid direction and good pacing through a difficult story. A Walk To Remember is a grown-up teen movie, it still holds the usual traits, but the narrative is more mature and is handled in a more adult way. Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks,'A Walk to Remember' celebrates the minds of two adult teenagers taking in the life that only revolves around them for such a short period of time. I would absolutley recommend this to any age. I never expected to see a great cast to perform so very well. Both Shane West and Mandy Moore have the strength and determination think of how any teenager can experience love and commitment to another. The characters of Landen and Jamie have a close bond as they develop their friendship and begin a remarkable journey of love until the sadness of Jamie's illness. These two characters share the meaning of love and loss, their miracles is bound to happen and their moments together are passionate and admirable. In other words, I think that Mandy Moore's starring role will surprise everyone, she embodies her character perfectly, her acting is right on the mark, she definitely has more talent than your average pop star. Shane West shines too as Landon, the bad boy who looks deeper inside of himself, aided by his love for Moore's character Jamie, and changes the way he's been living.

The religion elements of the story are effectively interlaced into the narrative without feeling like the viewer is being force-fed a theological viewpoint. And bring tissues- this one is a real tearjerker which leaves you feeling uplifted and optimistic. It's a very moral packed movie. Jamie is a devout Christian, and Landon puts his life back on the straight and narrow. It's a journey, I must add. The intention was to teach us that cancer is not something anyone can see or get from others. The director was also trying to show a person who has cancer that they should be brave, to love or hurt someone, and live life to its fullest. It shows that you shouldn't take life for granted and that you should live each day to the fullest. Above all, it shows you to have faith, no matter what. I would, recommend this movie, to everybody, young, or old. It made me think, laugh, and cry. The ending really hit home for me, and now, I catch my self wanting to watch it every time I rent movies. All in all, a well written story with a message that delivers good morals and principles, true love and friendship, confidence and security in the midst of peer pressure - above all, excellent acting from its' lead actors.