If you want to see people torn to pieces by a frenzied animal, you've found your movie. If you're hoping for a thoughtful horror movie that utilizes atmosphere and character development to forward the creepiness of the story, you're going to have to look elsewhere.

The main issue with the production is that it doesn't go anywhere. Yes, there is a werewolf...and..? Once Lawrence Talbot is bitten there is the expectation that there will be violence, of course. There is also the expectation that Talbot will be dropped into a moral quandary where his ferocious nature does battle against his more civilized sensibilities. The story here fails to ignite that kind of turmoil in Talbot. Instead the story becomes a series of attacks where the victims are quickly and brutally eviscerated.

I was constantly reminded of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula. This is partly because it is a period monster movie with Anthony Hopkins in a prominent role. I was also reminded of this movie because they both struggled to remain coherent. Like Dracula, this film feels like it was created to be far grander than it eventually became. The story, the script just doesn't have enough power to create a great film. So, like Dracula we are left with a great cast fumbling through what seems to be a first draft script in front of impressive scenery.

The lacking storyline becomes evident in the final confrontation. What should be an exciting battle is just another fight sequence. There are no surprises, no suspense and no horror. It is just a bunch of poor saps being ripped up until the credits roll.

For a more successful and interesting werewolf movie, I suggest An American Werewolf in London. It is a tad dated, but the script is well thought out and the tongue-in-cheek elements somehow manage to heighten the frightening aspects of that production. Here, even the transformation scene, the bread and butter of werewolf movies, isn't that impressive.




Related Reviews:
Horror movies
Alien (1977)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)


Other Critic's Reviews:
The Film Reel
Film Critics United



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Labels: Anthony Hopkins, Benico Del Toro, Emily Blunt, film, horror, Hugo Weaving, movie review

A very strong ad. It shows the story without revealing too much or going on too long.

I love the shot they chose to introduce Shelob - creepy.

Labels: Cate Blanchett, David Wenham, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, John, John Rhys-Daves, Karl Urban, movie trailer, Noble, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin

Screenwriters: John Orloff (Band of Brothers) and John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World)
Director: Zack Snyder (Watchmen)
Actors: Emilie de Ravin (Public Enemies), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Hugo Weaving (The Matrix), Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), Jim Sturgess (21) and Sam Neill (Event Horizon)






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Labels: Emilie de Ravin, film, Geoggrey Rush, Helen Mirren, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, movie trailer, Sam Niell, Zack Snyder

Love the period music.

Like all other wolfman movies, a great deal of attention will be paid to the transformation sequences. I think its safe to say they will be interesting. Let's hope the script has something to it.






Screenwriters: Andrew Kevin (Sleepy Hollow) and David Self (The Road to Perdition)
Director: Joe Johnston (Hidalgo)
Actors: Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects), Anthony Hopkins (Meet Joe Black), Emily Blunt (Charlie Wilson's War) and Hugo Weaving (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

Labels: Anthony Hopkins, benicio del toro, Emily Blunt, film, Hugo Weaving, movie trailer

SHORT REVIEW: B.S. is for…


This film is worth seeing. It is worth seeing twice.

Many critics who are affiliated with the "capitulate at any cost" left proudly speak of this film. They think this to be a powerful political statement. They have it right when they claim this is a strong political film inasmuch as the opinions are yelled loudly and cannot be ignored. Skunks have a strong and memorable smell as well. That doesn’t mean you want to dab some of the stink behind your ear.

The reason I believe this film is worth seeing is because to date there hasn’t been any other product which documents the bed-wetting left’s real view on America and its political conservatives. Christians are seething and angry malcontents who look to oppress and humiliate all whom fall under their whim. Right-wingers search for ways to undermine the human spirit and will consume freedom at every turn. We’ve heard the left blather bromides that imply these things for forty-odd years. This film is a stellar example of how the left actually sees the world. It shows why these delusional saps react so irrationally to what used to be common sense.

Created by the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) this film literally promotes terrorism. Evil conservatives have taken over England and now run the place with wild abandon. America has imploded and is no longer a relevant world player. All things liberal, such as deviant morals and sexual acts along with enjoying the fruits of the enemy’s efforts at the expense of your neighbor’s lives are outlawed. In this terrible and dark world we find Evey Hammond (Evey Hammond – EVERY HUMAN! OH, I GET IT! HOW DELIGHTFULLY CLEVER! OHHH! IT’S LIKE EVERYMAN BUT IT’S DIFFERENT! OHHH! HOW SHARP!) Milquetoast in heels, Natalie Portman, portrays the philosophically pliable Evey. Portman, who is apparently trying to making slouching look sexy, offers one of her usual flat and distant performances. When she is at her best she looks and sounds like she is reading the script for the first time. Every time I see her I expect her to stop and ask for her lines. Evey is our avenue into this terrible world where conservatives hold sway. Thankfully, the world’s chattiest superhero, “V” comes to her rescue. “V”, which I believe actually stands for "vacuous", is a potent terrorist who bombs government buildings in protest of the cruel government. He also has a penchant for over-written dialog and self-important political blathering.

The film itself would be rather boring if it weren’t for its insidious political bent. the Wachowskis, in their scramble to seem smart, end up once again looking like fools. They want to smear the Bush Administration but do not have the seeds to follow through. Despite what these privileged degenerates tell themselves, we have free speech in our country and they are open to say what they want. Like a kid who kicks his dog instead of confronting his parents, the Wachowskis move the object of their anger off shore. The child/parent analogy works for this film quite well. This whole film has the breathless antagonism of a teenager’s logic when they can’t get what they want. “You won’t lend me the car, you never loved me and you never will!”

Overall, there is plenty to keep me from really recommending this film. It is blotchy and poorly written. The pacing gets broken constantly by a slurry of sophomoric rants. It is as if the Wachowskis have taken all of the meandering ideas coming from a college dorm ten minutes after all the bongs emptied out. It would have help if they had passed their script on to an adult for corrections before heading into production.

People have been killed and maimed by terrorists and these privileged low lives are snickering in their towers. This said, they don’t have the conviction to be forthright in their attacks. It has been said before and I will say it here, these people are cowards. If things were as bad as they tell themselves, then it is a treason against humanity for them not to speak up clearly and forcefully against the perceived evil. If we’ve been headed into a dark age of fascist hell, isn’t it just as evil to avoid confronting the fascists in plain sight? The Wachowskis, much like “V” are happy to slip bombs under people’s doors rather than to stand up and fight with any real courage.


Related Reviews:
Other B.D.S. movies
Fahrenheit 9/11
Death of a President (2006)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Creative Loafing
Movie Nook

Labels: film, Hugo Weaving, movie review, Natalie Portman, Wachowski Brothers