Kingdom of the Idiots

Advantages: Plenty of bang for your buck.
Disadvantages: It's appalling portrayal of Arabs.

...After an American enclave in Saudi Arabia is bombed in a terrorist attack, Special Agent Ronald Fleury negotiates a secret trip to Riyadh to find those responsible. He is accompanied by a team of experts including forensics examiner Janet Mayes, explosives expert Grant Sykes and intelligence analyst Adam Leavitt. But once in the desert kingdom, Fleury and his team encounter cultural and political opposition to their presence. As they unlock the secrets of the bomb site they uncover evidence of an extremist cell determined to cause further destruction. Actor-turned-director Peter Berg takes what could be a potentially insightful movie on American foreign policy and turns it into a brainless, balls-to-the-wall action fest. It is a celebration of gung-ho US ?might is right? propaganda aimed squarely at Republican whipping boys; The Middle...

afy9mab 05.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Kingdom (DVD)

The Kingdom - Jack Bauer Could Have Sorted This One Out In 24 HRS

Advantages: Very good action scenes
Disadvantages: Would have like more characterisation

...The Kingdom (2007) I have had this film sat on my shelf now for a while and had not got around to watching it. As the pickings on the tv were a bit slim, I decided to give it a go. Basic Plot The story is centred around a terrible terrorist attack that takes place at the beginning of the film, in an American compound which is located in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - (hence the title). With the presence of American investigators being likely to further inflame an already volatile situation, America is told not to send any personnel; that Saudi Arabian police are quite capable of finding the people behind the attack. Not happy with this response, FBI agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) blackmails an official representing Saudi Arabia in America and gains permission to have five days on Saudi soil to be satisfied that a proper...

LAURALILIA 11.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Kingdom (DVD)

Kingdom of Heaven

Advantages: Brilliantly shot with lavish sets and costumes and exciting action sequences
Disadvantages: Feels a little disjointed, Orlando Bloom doesnt quite work as the lead

...Often tagged 'Gladiator 2', Kingdom of Heaven is Ridley Scott's take on The Crusades during the 12th century, and fans of Gladiator should know what to expect; Elaborate sets and constumes; dynamic shots of armoured men in frenzied battle; a fearless yet tormented hero rising from the bottom to change the course of history. Balian (Orlando Bloom) a bereaved blacksmith, is approached by his previously unknown father, a crusading Lord named Sir Godfrey (Liam Neeson), and joins his father to fight the crusades, but his father and his men are ambused and killed en route and Balion ends up taking up his fathers office in Jerusalem, a Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land. There he becomes embroiled in a political struggle between rivalling orders of Christian knights, and after the tensions spill out into war and defeat at the hands of Saladin...

Burning_Darkness 12.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Kingdom Of Heaven (DVD)

Kingdom of Purgatory

Advantages: Good cinematography and set design
Disadvantages: Orlando Bloom, One-dimensional characters, Frequently tedious

...Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - FILM ONLY REVIEW Certificate: 15 (UK), R (USA), 15A (Ireland) Running time: 145 minutes (there is also a director's cut at 194 minutes) Writer: William Monahan Director: Ridley Scott Main cast: Balian - Orlando Bloom Godfrey - Liam Neeson Guy de Lusignan - Marton Csokas Nasir - Alexander Siddig Sibylla - Eva Green Tiberias - Jeremy Irons King Baldwin - Edward Norton Saladin - Ghassan Massoud "Kingdom of Heaven" is the latest historical epic from Ridley Scott, he of "Gladiator" fame (as the DVD packaging and posters like to remind us). I liked "Gladiator" for all its faults - and I would probably liked it a good deal more if I had known that "Alexander", "Troy" and "King Arthur" were in my future - and I was hopeful of something equally absorbing in this offering. It initially looked...

Collingwood21 04.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of Kingdom Of Heaven (DVD)

Kingdom of Heaven- or Hell?

Advantages: Convincing performances, great battle scenes
Disadvantages: A Bit Long

...Kingdom of Heaven is the latest epic from Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Alien) and stars Orlando Bloom. There are also appearances from a number of established actors such as Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons. Kingdom of Heaven is based between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades, where Jerusalem is currently held by the Christians. There is currently a kind of peace (in that there is not an open war) in Jerusalem and Christians, Moslems and Jews all co-exist fairly well. This is the time just before King Richard (the Lionheart) set of on his Crusade. THE STORY: Set in 1186, the story centres around Balian (Bloom), a young French blacksmith mourning the recent death of his wife who committed suicide after their baby died. As a result of this the local priest cheerfully assures Balian that his wife will be at that very moment burning in...

karenes 09.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of Kingdom Of Heaven (DVD)

All Roads Lead To The Kingdom

Advantages: Intense, Fierce, Good Performances, Great Visuals
Disadvantages: A Little (well a lot) One Sided and Frantic

...After the horrific bombing of a U.S camp in Saudi Arabia and an explosion on the country's outskirts (resulting in the death of an F.B.I Agent) the American government realise that they have a major problem on their hands, but the insider politics of the situation makes a definite course of action hard to decide. However, Agent Fluery, spurred on by the death of his friend, assembles an elite force of agents and organises a secret 5 day trip to Saudi Arabia, known as the kingdom. Whilst there they are expected to follow the traditions and examples of the Saudi police, stopping them from following their own line of enquiry, until the kidnapping of one of the clan ignites an almighty showdown. The discovery of a selection of bomb makers and double crossers makes the situation messier. But will the conflict ever be resolved with any sort...

JayHall1991 06.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Kingdom (DVD)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Dubious Ending

Advantages: Harrison Ford, classic Indy humour and tension, the music
Disadvantages: That ending!

...Let's get one thing straight from the start. I'm a huge fan of Indiana Jones. Always have been. I think the original trilogy of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and the Last Crusade are cinematic genius. That hat, that music, Harrison Ford...love it all. For years there were rumours of an "Indy IV". Scripts came and went, everyone seemed to be on board but it was all about finding the right script. Then one day, they had it. And the hype began. I was very excited, devouring Empire every month to see what news there was. Finally, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released...and reactions were mixed, It was reported to be "definitely Indy" but also there was something not right. Had Spielberg and Lucas gone too far? Was it another Phantom Menace, god forbid? The storyline of Crystal Skull follows Indy...

eilidhcatriona 14.08.2009 (15.08.2009) · Read review
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Review of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (DVD)

HELLISH KINGDOM IN A HEAVENLY LAND!

Advantages: Spectacular battle scenes in a vast setting.
Disadvantages: Difficult to understand and historically inaccurate.

...KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - DVD Director: Ridley Scott Starring: Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Eva Green THE STORY In the late 12th Century, Balian (Orlando Bloom), a young French blacksmith, is mourning the suicide of his wife who took her life after the death of their new born baby. As she has killed herself, the local priest orders the grave-diggers to cut off her head before interring her body. The priest steals the cheap silver crucifix around her neck, wearing it himself. Pushing his luck, the evil vicar taunts Balian, saying that his dead wife's soul will be cursed. The blacksmith is hammering a white hot sword at the time and he notices his wife's silver cross around the priest's neck. He stabs him with the sword and the priest ignites - as does the whole building. Just before the vile vicar gets his just deserts...

alfeebee 17.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Kingdom Of Heaven (DVD)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Advantages: Good adventure
Disadvantages: Too much computer generation

...Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's finally here, the fourth instalment of the Indian Jones series which we have waited 19 years for is finally here and the verdicts are in, but is it any good or not? I went to see this at the cinema this weekend with three others, one of which had never seen an Indian Jones film before (how is that possible?) but we talked her into it. I am a big fan of the films and first saw them as a child but have watched them over and over again through the years (generally when they are on the tele over Christmas) so I was hoping that this one was going to be as good. I read a lot of the critic's reviews before seeing it which in general weren't that complimentary but kept an open mind going into it. Cinema goers however didn't seem to worry about bad reviews as the film took £12.5m...

Spottydog11 02.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (DVD)

A coup for the uk dvd owner

Advantages: DTS soundtrack, extras
Disadvantages: none

...Because Chicken Run is very british it's only right that we should get a better treatment when it comes to the dvd as we get a few more extras than our american cousins. The film is a very amusing and extremely well animated. Like Toy Story the plot and characters come first over the the look and it works. The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is excellent and clean. It's the best you'll se the film. Sound wise Pathe have given the consumer a couple of options. The disk has the usual Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix which itself is quite lively with some good surround effects. They've also included the soundtrack in DTS which is popular in the USA but hasn't really been put to use in the UK yet. The DTS mix is better than 5.1 as it's more full and has a lot more depth picking out the slightest sounds to...

utero 04.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of Chicken Run (DVD)