Category Archives: adaptations

Films adapted from another source.

The Prestige (2006)

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2007 #14
Christopher Nolan | 130 mins | cinema | 12A / PG-13

The PrestigeThe latest effort from the director of Memento and Batman Begins is an intriguing one.

A well-handled complex narrative (it again jumps about in time, but never to the audience’s confusion), even if the twists are relatively easy to guess. A credit, then, that the film doesn’t totally rely on them.

I’m a big fan of Nolan’s work and definitely continue to be; this may gain that missing point on re-viewing. See it.

4 out of 5

The Prestige placed 4th on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2007, which can be read in full here.

South Pacific (1958)

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2007 #12
Joshua Logan | 151 mins | DVD | U

South PacificI like a good musical. I wouldn’t say I was a fan of the genre on the whole, but I do enjoy good ones. South Pacific, to my mind, is not one of the very best, but it has its moments (and its songs!) and there are some fair points underlining the plot. If you don’t like musicals this one probably won’t convert you; if you’re a musical fan… well, you’ve probably already seen it.

4 out of 5

It (1927)

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It2007 #10
Clarence G. Badger | 72 mins | VHS

Proof if it were needed that the format of the rom-com has gone largely unchanged for at least 80 years! In that respect It makes for a fairly entertaining film, with some story elements that modern audiences might find surprisingly, well, modern.

Entertaining but not essential.

3 out of 5

The Last Days of Pompeii (1913)

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aka Gli Ultimi giorni di Pompeii

The Last Days of Pompeii2007 #9
Mario Caserini & Eleuterio Rodolfi | 88 mins | VHS

The fact that it’s an old silent film will be enough to put most people off. Some of those are worth seeking out, of course, but I would hesitate to recommend this one.

The score may be a little unfair as the plot and execution of it aren’t too bad, but somehow I can’t bring myself to give it any more.

2 out of 5

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

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For Your Eyes Only2007 #7
John Glen | 122 mins | DVD | PG / PG

As you may have gathered from #6, I think that both of these films are fine examples of Bond filmmaking. FYEO is probably the better of the two, but not without its faults — no Moore film would be complete without some moments that threaten to utterly balls it up, and this one has a painful, outdated comedic ending, as well as an unnecessary pre-titles.

4 out of 5

Octopussy (1983)

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2007 #6
John Glen | 126 mins | DVD | PG / PG

OctopussyI dislike Roger Moore as Bond, mostly based on the number of piss-poor films he starred in. It seems I may just have been watching the wrong ones.

Whereas FYEO (see #7) is relatively widely praised, Octopussy is relatively widely panned. I’m not sure why. Yes, there’s a crap bit for about 10 minutes in the middle; yes, the clown outfit is a little silly; but, for the most part, it’s pretty darn entertaining.

Not the franchise’s all time high, but far from the worst entry.

4 out of 5

A Cock and Bull Story (2005)

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aka Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story

2007 #5
Michael Winterbottom | 90 mins | DVD | 15 / R

A Cock and Bull Story
I forget which British paper described this as “the best film ever, ever, ever”. It may’ve been The Guardian.* They’re not right, of course, but it has its moments — most of them courtesy of the excellent Rob Brydon, who far outshines Steve Coogan. It’s worth watching for the former alone.

3 out of 5

* It was.

Basil the Great Mouse Detective (1986)

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The Great Mouse Detective2007 #3
Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, Dave Michener & John Musker | 71 mins | DVD | U / G

A seriously underrated Disney film, though it does appear to have a substantially large cult following based on it being seriously underrated.

If you like your Disneys musical this may be one to avoid, though the couple of songs present are quite decent, but if you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan you should definitely catch it.

4 out of 5

Eragon (2006)

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2007 #1
Stefen Fangmeier | 104 mins | cinema | PG / PG

EragonThe first film I saw in 2007, and I saw it on New Years Day!

Eragon wants to be the next Lord of the Rings / Harry Potter / Narnia, especially with its utter lack of resolution at the end, but it just isn’t. It has its entertaining moments, but it’s also lumbered with huge lumps of bad dialogue, bad acting and fantasy clichés abound.

I have no idea how it compares to the book.

2 out of 5