The bar has been set so high for Spielberg movies that anything less than Oscar-level quality is often seen as a failure. However, to judge the BFG along those lines would be a great disservice to a movie that has a great many merits, particularly as a family film. Shed of much of the darkness of Roald Dahl's source material, Spielberg breathes a healthy dose of his magic into The BFG, though it never reaches to the greatness of ET. Spielberg, however, does get some very strong performances from Mark Rylance as the title character and newcomer Ruby Barnhill as the young orphan who befriends the giant. The real star of the movie is probably the spot-on motion capture that brings the giants to life. If you're expecting a groundbreaking film like Raiders of the Lost Ark or a crisply directed work like Catch Me If You Can, you're in the wrong movie. But if you have room for close to two hours (which might be a tad overlong) of sweet, touching fun, you should absolutely consider The BFG.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The 12 Dogs of Christmas
(2004 Video)
Above average direct-to-video family film
1 January 2006
Every year there are several movies that pop up in stores that have the appearance of being quality family entertainment. Generally, most of them are disappointing at best. To my surprise, "The 12 Dogs of Christmas" isn't among the disappointments, though it does have its share of flaws.
Young Emma's father leaves her with her aunt in a small town that has just outlawed dogs. In an act of heroism, she rescues a puppy from the town's maniacal dogcatcher, and finds that she has a deep-rooted for canines. Along the way, she befriends the town's supposedly crazy "dog lady" and her son, as well as the local coach, a Russian dog-sledder and her initially angry aunt. In the process, she also makes enemies of the mean-spirited dogcatcher and his brother, the town's mayor. Yes, some of the characters are cookie-cutter, and the results are more than predictable. However, the movie uses the characters' -- and the viewers' -- love for dogs to bring about some very warm and pleasant results.
After viewing, we realized we enjoyed this movie enough to add this DVD to our holiday collection. I recommend it in the best spirit of a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Young Emma's father leaves her with her aunt in a small town that has just outlawed dogs. In an act of heroism, she rescues a puppy from the town's maniacal dogcatcher, and finds that she has a deep-rooted for canines. Along the way, she befriends the town's supposedly crazy "dog lady" and her son, as well as the local coach, a Russian dog-sledder and her initially angry aunt. In the process, she also makes enemies of the mean-spirited dogcatcher and his brother, the town's mayor. Yes, some of the characters are cookie-cutter, and the results are more than predictable. However, the movie uses the characters' -- and the viewers' -- love for dogs to bring about some very warm and pleasant results.
After viewing, we realized we enjoyed this movie enough to add this DVD to our holiday collection. I recommend it in the best spirit of a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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