Saturday Matinee #2

Audiobook Reviews from Audiobook-Heaven
Presents Saturday Matinee

-----Movie Review #1-----

Title: Ratatouille
Starring: Patton Oswald, Lou Romano, Janeane Garofalo
Narrator: Helen Vasey
Running time: 106 minutes
Released in: 2007
Genre: animated
Filed in: Movie reviews

Even though Remy (Patton Oswald) is a rat, he has a taste for fine cuisine, and a knack for preparing culinary delights. Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano), son of world-famous chef Auguste Gusteau, and heir to Gusteau’s restaurant in Paris, has neither. When Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) the harshest food critic in the world visits Gusteau’s, the two will have to learn to work together to save the restaurant’s rating.
This isn’t the best film Disney’s Pixar Studios has created, but it’s still pretty cute. I loved the scene where Remy is riding on Alfredo’s head, and discovers that by pulling on Alfredo’s hair in different places, he can control the human’s body as if he were a puppet on strings. I also especially liked Peter O’Toole as a voice actor. I think he would make a great audiobook narrator.
A full reading of the credits is included in this recording.

-----Movie Review #2-----

Title: Shrek the Third
Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
Narrator: Nathan Tanner
Running time: 88 minutes
Released in: 2007
Genre: animated
Filed in: Movie reviews

Princess Fiona’s father, the king of Far, Far Away, is on his deathbed, and wouldn’t you know it, Shrek is the heir to the throne. The problem is, Shrek doesn’t want to be king, he just wants to go back home to his swamp where he and Fiona can be left alone. Shrek’s only hope is to find Fiona’s long, lost cousin, Arthur, and convince him to take the throne. Nothing ever comes easy to Shrek though; he’ll also have to contend with Prince Charming who is still trying to usurp the crown. Oh, and Fiona is pregnant, too.
I love all of the Shrek movies. Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy are just too funny, and when you throw in such other talents as Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, and Julie Andrews, you’ve got an instant hit. Don’t take my word for it, check out the box-office numbers. Shrek the Third has grossed almost $800 million.
At the end of the film, the narrator reads off the list of main characters, then stops so you can listen to the ending music.

-----Movie Review #3-----

Title: Signs
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joachim Phoenix
Narrator: Uncredited
Running time: 106 minutes
Released in: 2002
Genre: suspense
Filed in: Movie reviews

Reverend Graham Hess lost his wife, and then he lost his faith. When aliens begin to appear in the skies over major cities, and then in his own corn fields, he begins to understand that things are not always as they seem, and that everything, even the death of a loved one, serves a greater purpose.
In my opinion, “Signs” is the jewel in Shyamalan’s crown. Not only was this an incredibly creepy movie, it also has a powerful message behind it, a message about how God uses tribulations in our lives to heal and strengthen us. The climax of the film is a powerfully emotional moment when all the threads come together, and Graham is finally able to read the signs that have been there all along.
Shyamalan went with James Newton Howard again for the musical score, and Howard did another fantastic job. His music adds a boatload of tension to an already suspenseful film.
No end credits.

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All of the DVS movies I listen to come from the Three Blind Mice. They have hundreds of titles in mp3 format to choose from, and they can all be downloaded to your computer completely free. Visit Three Blind Mice by following the link on the sidebar.

Movie reviews by Steven Brandt.
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