More movie reviews you don't need

I  watched an odd combination of DVD last night:

*  Clash of the Titans (2010):   this movie copped a lot of bad review when it came out, and I recall some of them were about about how bad the 3-D was during the rapid action sequences.   (Eyes and brain need more time to construct the 3-D, apparently).   But hey, as a 2-D experience at home, I can't really see what was wrong with it.  Oddly, the somewhat campy and out-of-date stop motion animation of the 1981 version seems to have more fans than this one, which makes little sense.

What did I actually like about this version?  Well, who can dislike a movie featuring a giant scorpion caravan ride across the desert?  But seriously, for such an over the top fantasy story, I thought the acting and script was fine.  In fact, I'm so used to Liam Neeson in God roles that I now find any movie in which he is just a husband has plausibility issues.   And on the other side of the coin, Ralph Fiennes seems to be the go-to man for evil supernatural roles; but you know, he does them well.  (I particularly liked his entrances in this movie.)  The special effects are fine and somehow didn't bother me for their computer generated fakery in the way they do in many movies now.   (In fact, I have a bit of trouble working out why this happens - why in some movies I resent how they are being used, and in others I don't.)    

Anyway, I thought it was all rather fun.

This morning I was curious to check just how many liberties the movie took with Greek mythology, and found this rather funny post which gives the answer as "heaps".  Ah well, real Greek myths are (in many cases) too grotesque for modern tastes, surely.   (As a child, I always felt sorry for the guy - Prometheus - who had his liver constantly eaten out by a bird.  And there's far too much sex with Gods disguised as animals - erk.)

*  Match Point (2005):   Supposedly a return to form by Woody Allen (at least for his skills with serious subject matter), but I just couldn't see it myself.

I hold Crimes and Misdeamours in high regard, but the basic theme of this movie is very similar, while being much duller and plodding.

Let's face it, you could see that the lead dude was going to do something bad, and one had an expectation of suspence, especially given the initial tennis club background which would have reminded many people of Strangers on a Train.   So it's rather a pity that you have to wait about 3/4 of the way through the story before there is any real tension and the deed is done.    I found it hard to see why so many people liked the main character before then, anyway.

And I have to say that I agreed with some of the English reviews:  Allen just doesn't seem to have an ear for real life conversation as it is spoken by anyone in England.  Everyone sounds stilted and scripted.

So, count me as unimpressed.