The NeverEnding Story (1984) (5/10)

The story has a weak premise of interactive stories, as usual in another dimension. A school and a home are shown for an excuse but it is really about rescuing a princess who is awake just a for a few minutes throughout the movie. Its more about a boy who has to go on a quest for the princess just because her uncle says so. His character does not get built. There are a bunch of other characters thrown in for effect which they summarily fail to. What is this a mix of? Alice in wonderland, Wizard of Oz and Spongebob or something like that

The NeverEnding Story (1984) (5/10)

The Color of Magic (2008) (6/10)

Had decided to watch this for my love of Terry Pratchett though from past experience I knew that movies don't live up to their print counterparts - and I had not read the book. I wasn't disappointed in what I had thought. The movie was complex enough and many of the usual characters were there - including a troll and the sentient luggage (knowing about diskworld is useful) but it is difficult to bring about the humour in the text. Did get to the see the circumfence and the rimbow though. A lot that should be left to imagination escapes like spells from book of magic and then is not as effective somehow. The tourist lives up to one and is by far the star, if unintendedly. I will leave the turtles be.

The Color of Magic (2008) (6/10)

Kaze no tani no Naushika aka Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) (6/10)

Another masterful Miyazaki animation. But had a few elements more real world like. A world 1000 years after the downfall of civilization is portrayed with three nations and some ancient forces (ala LoTR?) and the OM chants (ala wOrMs of Dune? not to mention the Muad'Dib myth). The world is nevertheless enchanting with chemistry taking the driving seat.

Kaze no tani no Naushika aka Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) (6/10)

The Man from Earth (2007) (7/10)

John invites a few of his professor friends to say goodbye as he is moving on. No one knows where. A probe into that moves towards a possible science fiction story. The upheavel the storyline causes is hard to resolve or bring to a closure until John is threatened to do so or face consequences. His choice seems to satisfy everyone (because obviously that is the only conclusion anyone was going to believe). And then something else happens. The question is, what will the viewer believe? Unfortunately for such good storylines, viewers are already biased and have decided what they are going to believe, so much so that they will not even consider the opposite, not even in a what-if scenario.

The downside of the movie is that it is a bit low-budget and the acting is not uniform. But of course it is the loss of cinema that you need to make everything palatable.

The Man from Earth (2007) (7/10)

Manchurian candidate (2004) (7/10)

Sci-fi on steroids. Good theme and storyline, and acting if you ignore the rather fantastic matching of "memories" depicted across a whole group. in some sense the fantasy goes even beyond James Bond's devices, only that it is not fast.

Manchurian candidate (2004) (7/10)

Eragon (2006) (4/10)

Using something "extra"-ordinary to try getting special appeal is what this movie does with dragons. But its already an old tool. Harry Potter inc. has used it in the recent past. The war scenes between the "good" and the "bad" sides are LotRingy, but not as good as its fraction. The characters do not stand out. The story has nothing exciting about it. Given that, it is well made and will keep small children's attention for the most part as it is fairly fast paced with some magic, recklessness and resulting twists thrown in. You hardly get to see the king in action, but clearly he is being reserved for sequeals, as is another character introduced in the movie.

Eragon (2006) (4/10)