RSS 2.0The Cat Returns (2002)
Some people might be disappointed by “The Cat Returns” if they go to see it with the expectations of it being on par with the animated film “Spirited Away”. Ghibli studio, who produced both pictures, has billed “Neko no Ongaeshi”(The Cat Returns), as being associated with the great animation master, Hayao Miyazaki. However, in reality, he had little to do with it. None the less, when taken on it’s own merits, “The Cat Returns” is a thoroughly entertaining film.
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Van Helsing (2004)
Van Helsing is one of those big titles that would define the 2004 as a year of revolutionary blockbuster movies. And the name of its frontman, director Stephen Sommers, may bring back memories of his previous titles, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. The latter had, as a major complaint, a hectic pace in which the viewer wasn’t granted any laidback viewing or even a relaxed grab into his or her box of popcorn. One would almost think the effect the consuming of popcorn has whilst watching The Mummy Returns is where this website got its name from…
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Amsterdam is film location for Ocean’s Twelve
Ocean’s Twelve, the sequel to Ocean’s Eleven, started filming in Amsterdam on Wednesday 5 May. So far George Clooney and Brad Pitt have been spotted around town and Matt Damon is also reportedly here. Expected to fly in soon is Catherine Zeta-Jones (bleugh!), Julia Roberts and Andy Garcia…
Hidalgo (2004)
What do you do after finish playing a lead in a trilogy that has swept away all the important Oscars at the last Academy Awards? That must have been the question Viggo Mortensen asked himself and he probably thought that it was best not to stray too far away from his trusted Aragorn-character, in order not to upset the public. After playing mostly cold-hearted bastards before his big break, he now is into portraying rugged heroes. To further complete the déjà-vu experience, the story is a familiar mishmash of several movies (which we’ll see later in our little game ‘spot the movie’) and also introduces a face from yesteryear: the enigmatic Omar Sharif.
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Dawn of the Dead (2004)
A little light-bulb might appear above the heads of either genre lovers or lovers of ’70s movies, after hearing the title Dawn of the Dead. Other people might sigh, because the title might sound like yet another remake of a classic horror movie, but they can feel relieved. Because, besides the presence of zombies who have taken over the world and the main events being centred around a shopping mall, the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead has little to do with the 1978 original, the second in a trilogy by director and writer George A. Romero (the other two were Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead). But debuting director Zack Snyder doesn’t just steal the two elements that made the 1978 original such a smashing hit (namely the zombies and the mall), he gave his own interpretation and combines gore with humor in a very effective way. This contemporary approach provides the basis for this year’s first truly original horror movie.
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