Cast: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Olga Kurylenko (Camille), Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Judi Dench (M)
For complete info, see IMDb's Quantum of Solace page.
I've heard a lot of bad things about Quantum of Solace and though it's definitely not as good as Casino Royale (Daniel Craig's first Bond movie), it entertained me more than the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies and I thought it was worth seeing in a movie theatre.
I'm sure Quantum of Solace will be playing for a while. If you like 007 movies and/or Daniel Craig, I definitely recommend getting to a movie theatre to see it before it leaves. You've got time.
Grade: B
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, Bond, Daniel Craig, drama, Judi Dench, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:15 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Judi Dench (Barbara Covett), Cate Blanchett (Sheba Hart)
For complete info, see IMDb's Notes on a Scandal page.
This movie about affairs and deception was very well done. It's far from the best movie I've seen this year, but Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, and the rest of the cast are amazing. I haven't read the novel, but the movie was good. The movie includes more scandal than I expected from the previews I had seen and was very well constructed.
Definitely worth renting if you missed it in theatres.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2006, Cate Blanchett, drama, Judi Dench, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:15 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Eva Green (Vesper Lynd), Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre), Judi Dench (M)
For complete info, see IMDb's Casino Royale page.
I haven't been a huge fan of James Bond films, so I can't comment on the movie as a Bond enthusiast. I'd only seen the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies so far and I saw those for him, not Bond. Having seen Pierce Brosnan as James Bond and clips of the other actors playing him, Daniel Craig is my favorite. It was hard to tell if Daniel Craig was a good choice before seeing Casino Royale. My opinion is that Daniel Craig is the sexiest Bond ever and that probably helped make Casino Royale my favorite Bond movie.
Part of the reason I liked Casino Royale better than the other Bond movies I've seen is that it concentrated a bit more on stunts and not as much on gadgets. That was cool in the other Bond movies, but I thought this one was more interesting. Daniel Craig didn't hurt, either. David missed the gadgets, but I didn't really think about that till after the movie was over and I was thinking about how I liked this one more than the other 007 movies I've seen.
I definitely recommend catching Casino Royale while it's in theatres, since the stunt work and special effects are always better on a bigger screen. I'm already looking forward to the next Daniel Craig 007 movie (in 2008).
Grade: A
Labels: 2006, action, adventure, Bond, Daniel Craig, drama, Judi Dench, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Roseanne Barr, G. W. Bailey, Judi Dench
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Home on the Range page.
Well, not being a Roseanne Barr fan, I should have known this Disney movie would be even worse than most of theirs in the last few years. If it wasn't for Pixar, Disney's animated movie department would have died out...
This was a great example of why Disney movies haven't been doing as well as Pixar's in movie theaters or reviews. Simply a horrible movie. The old Disney movies are classics. The Pixar movies are amazing. Since Pixar came into the picture, Disney has stopped producing great animated movies for some reason. I'm not sure why, but if you want to see a Disney movie, rent one of the classics. Stay away from Home on the Range!
Grade: D
Labels: 2004, animated, comedy, Disney, family, Judi Dench, movie, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:30 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Halle Berry (Jinx), Judi Dench (M), John Cleese (Q)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Die Another Day page.
I only started watching the 007 movies when Pierce Brosnan started doing them, so I haven't been a Bond fan for long. In my limited experience, this was my least favorite. Although I don't agree with those who say that Die Another Day has the worst Bond film song ever (by Madonna - I'm a big fan), this is definitely not one of Madonna's best songs or the best Bond songs.
I'm not sure what bothered me most about this 007 movie, but I just didn't get grabbed by it as I have the other Bond movies. I guess it's as simple as that, though it's hard to describe perfectly. I'm also not a Halle Berry fan, which couldn't have helped my feelings for the movie. I'd say that in spite of the special effects this is best seen at home where you can do other things if you want to...
Grade: C+
Labels: 2002, action, adventure, Bond, Judi Dench, movie, Pierce Brosnan, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Rupert Everett (Algy), Colin Firth (Jack), Fances O'Connor (Gwendolen), Reese Witherspoon (Cecily), Judi Dench (Lady Bracknell)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Importance of Being Earnest page.
Although I like Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, I went into this movie with an open mind and was rewarded for doing so. I could tell from the titles of the reviews that most people were not happy with the latest version of this story, but I love the cast and I wanted to see for myself. I was happy with the movie. I love the story and have seen the play and still enjoy this movie. I recommend it, whether you've seen other versions of play, other movies, etc. or not. I think you can enjoy it either way as long as you don't go into the experience assuming it will be exactly like the last time you saw the play live or the last movie. Enjoy it for their interpretation of the classic.
Grade: B
Labels: 2002, Colin Firth, comedy, drama, Judi Dench, movie, Reese Witherspoon, romance, Rupert Everett
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:55 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Jonathan Pryce (Elliot Carver), Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin), Teri Hatcher (Paris Carver), Judi Dench (M), Desmond Llewelyn (Q)
For complete info, see IMDb's Tomorrow Never Dies page.
Since this is only my second Bond movie, I don't have that much to compare Tomorrow Never Dies to... I really enjoyed the movie and will definitely see more 007 movies in the future. I'm a big fan of Jonathan Pryce, so it was great to see him in this one.
Tomorrow Never Dies has everything that (as I understand it) you've always been able to expect in a James Bond movie. It has lots of action, beautiful women, a few hot guys, and a great new bond car with fun toys. I definitely think that this one is worth watching!
Grade: B
Labels: 1997, action, adventure, Bond, Judi Dench, movie, Pierce Brosnan, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), Kate Winslet (Ophelia), Julie Christie (Gertrude), Judi Dench (Hecuba)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Hamlet page.
There have been so many versions of Hamlet on screen that it's hard to count. This version is by far the most complete and, in my opinion, the best. It took a long time to finally be able to see it, since it wasn't very widely released. When we did get around to seeing it, we had to sit in the front row to see it (the next movie would be over 3 hours away due to the length of the movie and it only beeing shown in one theatre), but it was worth the minor torture.
Kenneth Branagh did a wonderful job adapting the play, directing, and starring as Hamlet. I'm not sure how he managed to keep everything straight while doing so many things on the set of Hamlet, but he did a wonderful job. The rest of the cast is also superb. It's nice to see such a complete version make it to film. Perhaps it would have been wise to have an intermission in this movie, since it is about the full length of the play and there is no intermission, but there have been long movies before and audiences have survived.
If you like Shakespeare, this is a must. If you don't, you should probably skip this version of Hamlet, since it is the most complete of the movies out there and that won't interest those who don't like Shakespeare.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1996, crime, drama, Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, movie, romance, Shakespeare
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams