Even more lavish in the visual department than the first, at first I worried this would be at the expense of continuing what looked like a really nice story in the first movie. The second part in a trilogy is like the worst kind of second act in a regular movie – you’ve really gotta have something to pass the time. What better surprise, then, could I ask for here than a very well done gender-based body-swapping subplot, lol. Sometimes the humour in this part gets in the way of more poignant matters; sometimes, in fact, I fear it’s lost in translation entirely. But this is still a rip-roaring ride, if only for the visuals, and since there’s 2 years to wait for Twilight Watch, it’s mercifully wrapped up neatly in the end, so neatly in fact that I wonder how the story will continue. Can’t wait to find out, though.

I could so easily convince myself that I loved this movie for the same reasons I looked forward to seeing it (lol, though obviously not that much, I’ve been “meaning to see it” for at least 5 years …) – Drew Barrymore, of course, and Jerry Goldsmith’s score. I defy anyone not to find themselves with a huge smile on their face as the end credits roll, the girls in silhouette “getting away with it” to Goldsmith’s full-on version of the glorious main theme (one of those precious few that never diminishes no matter how often it’s repeated). But overall, the fact is it’s pretty bad with only a few admittedly well-placed set-pieces to hold the attention, by no means succeeding as the semi-feminist tract I think someone involved might’ve wanted it to be. It could one day find its way into my cheesy faves collection, but for now I really can’t give it more than 3 stars.

Part of me didn’t want to write a second review of this movie – I mean, it’s Chucky, for god’s sake – but I can’t stop myself. I know why the people who think this movie sucks think this movie sucks but personally, honestly, I’m almost overwhelmed by it. Though it remains a pretty perfect b-movie horror, chock-full of homage, it’s still entirely its own organism, and Glen/Glenda is a character who will stay with me till the day I die. It’s beauty and the beast, there’s some killer gore, excellent shocks, beautiful girls in Hannah Spearritt and Jennifer Tilly, delectable one-liners, John Waters’ face melting! You’ve gotta love how much Don Mancini fits into 80 minutes. I sincerely hope this movie made enough money in the end to finance another installment. Honest to God, this baby is beautiful.

9th December 2004:

I still haven’t seen Bride of Chucky, but I have vague memories of the original three Chucky movies, not that it really matters here, since most of the backstory is either fully recapped or hinted at enough for a stranger to get by.

This is a hell of a great horror movie. From a manic assault of Hitchcock homages at the beginning (from the obvious shower stabbing to a beautifully mimicked shot from the same movie that actually made me jump out of my seat more than I have in a looong time, something that happened quite a few times in this movie), through to the unveiling of a movie world within the movie (Jennifer Tilly plays an exaggerated – at least, I hope exaggerated – version of herself; they’re making a movie about the two dolls, which were found at the scene of “unsolved murders”), through to the “Seed” of the title, a new doll, Glen, or Glenda (paying homage to Ed Wood), in an at times genuinely moving subplot of confused identity. This movie truly has it all; jumps, laughs, severely grotesque deaths, John Waters, and, finally, tears.

It also features Hannah Spearitt, from S Club 7, as Jennifer Tilly’s ill-fated assistant. She’s the main reason I watched the movie in the first place, since I loved her so much in Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, and I loved her as much here, though her demise kind of upset me, lol. I hope she keeps making movies.

Watched this for the obvious reason, can’t resist anything with a good gender swap lol. The tagline to this movie (according to the IMDb) read: “The sexual transformation of a man into a woman will actually take place before your very eyes!” which led me to expect something a lot more trashy than what I got. The whole thing is told surprisingly straight – straighter than any other Hammer movie I’ve seen, I think, in fact. The first transformation, when it finally occurs, is fairly mesmerising without being as graphic (pity :-P) as I’d expected, and the subsequent ones are pretty interesting too (like the homage to the classic version of the story with Fredric March, done in a mirror). I like the integration of the Jack the Ripper murders, and the ending is pretty out there too. I’m not sure if I’d bother with it again, but it’s worth watching and better than I expected, I’m still waiting for the movie gender transformation to end all movie gender transformations though

I still have a really strong memory of the last time I saw this in a cinema and it was one of those instances of the whole ‘cinema experience’ making the world of difference to a movie. There were kids everywhere, getting so into the whole thing, and everybody was just responding to it completely.

Sometimes Mulan goes too far over the silly humour line for me – and its ending (a chirpy happy pop song played in the ancestors’ temple) is really kind of lame. But I never tire of the key songs (“Honor to Us All”, “Reflection”, “Be a Man”, and “A Girl Worth Fighting For”), Jerry Goldsmith’s score, and the killer flashes of great animation (the haircut scene is certainly among my alltime favourite scenes).

I confess before I even try reviewing this beautiful movie: I’m a Johnny Depp fan, moreso with each movie I see; I’m a budding filmmaker with ideas that some might, and some have, call as bad as Edward D. Wood’s; and I have gender issues. Maybe this is why I like this film, but I would love to just say it’s because it is a great movie, and I think it is.

Performances all round are superb – Martin Landau is a revelation, I don’t think he’s ever played as far from himself as he does in this movie. This is the kind of transformation that today would warrant a leading Oscar. It’s great that he won for supporting. It’s a shame the movie didn’t win more than this and make-up (odd, is this the most Oscars a single character has ever won in a movie?) Johnny Depp is, of course, perfect. And Tim Burton made a great decision for once ditching Danny Elfman’s music in favour of Howard Shore’s. Shore’s opening theme sounds very like Elfman, but later in the movie when things get slightly heavy and poignant, Shore is much more able than Elfman in my opinion.

I really don’t know how to be objective about this movie – but if you ever thought you had a great idea but were afraid to let it out ‘cos you knew that really it was stupid, then this movie will make you want to let it out.

This is a beautiful study of a character and her culture. Slow moving, light on story, completely in a world of its own. In places it reminded me of The Piano (Keisha Castle-Hughes was discovered by the same casting scout who found Anna Paquin for that movie, and The Piano too is set in New Zealand).

Superb images, superb score by Lisa Gerrard, and superb performances from the whole cast but particularly Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was completely rightfully nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. Her scene in which she breaks down because her grandfather isn’t there should bring tears to even the most hardened eyes.

This is not my kind of movie – I prefer Mel Gibson’s serious stuff (Braveheart, even The Man Without a Face, looking forward to The Passion of the Christ... so I guess you’d say I like his directing work…) – but I enjoyed it. There was something particularly spooky about the variety and means of the way the women’s thoughts were presented. The subplot of the office assistant girl made the movie completely worthwhile for me, I loved her.