Every Sunday, Gill delves into his archive of over 800 movie reviews and randomly selects three for your enjoyment! Here are this week’s…
The Adventures of Tintin – The Secret of the Unicorn
As someone who read the Tintin comics as a kid, I think that Steven Spielberg’s big-screen 3D performance-capture-animation adaptation is solid. Spielberg knows how to play with a 3D camera, and uses it to orchestrate some of his finest chase sequences to date, making the movie thrilling, stylish, and vividly realized. Beyond the amazing chases and terrific animation, however, there’s not a lot of time for any serious character development of Tintin. Captain Haddock gets a lot of screen time and back story, but the titular boy detective doesn’t have much to him, which may put off viewers unfamiliar with the source material. Overall, I’d say the coalescence of talent behind this movie – Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Edgar Wright, and more – pulled it off. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s fun, adventurous entertainment that you can watch with people of any age.
3.5 out of 5
The Shawshank Redemption
I consider this to be one of the very best movies ever made. Exceptionally well-scripted, directed by the deft hand of Frank Darabont, perfectly cast and acted, and with a truly satisfying conclusion, The Shawshank Redemption is nothing short of terrific. Seriously, seek this out and watch it if you haven’t seen it. I’m not kidding.
5 out of 5
The Matrix
The first Matrix movie was a surprise when it came out in 1999, and it launched cyberpunk into the mainstream alongside some gimmicky-yet-also-awesome special effects. At the time, it was the biggest, most amazing thing anyone had seen, and it’s still very good by today’s standards, even if it looks a little dated around the edges. This is also one of Keanu Reeves better performances, and Hugo Weaving makes a terrific villain as Agent Smith. The Wachowski siblings made the perfect movie for the time, and even if none of their other work matches the quality of The Matrix, their film profoundly influenced popular culture, to the point where parodying The Matrix has long been considered cliche.
5 out of 5
See you next Sunday for three more thrilling short reviews!