Jude Law: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - Movie

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Cast :	Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Meryl Streep
Director :	Brad Silberling
Studio :	Paramount Home Video
Format :	Color, Widescreen, Dolby
Released Date :	December 17, 2004
DVD Released Date :	April 26, 2005
Language :	English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled)
Audience Rating :	PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
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Customer Reviews

Rating
Date	August 09, 2005
Summary	Absolutely Perfect
Content	Just try to find a more entertaining family movie than this made in the last 10 years. I don't think you can! Everything about this Lemony Snicket movie is just about perfect. Visually, its as eye popping as anything Tim Burton has thrown us; plot wise, it's almost Dickensian; acting wise it is strictly top drawer and the kids themselves offer performances that are . . . well, perfect. The movie is chilling, thrilling, heartwarming, tragic and inspirational. The messages it sends out - sometimes with subtlety, sometimes by bashing one over the head - are positive and thought provoking. There's not a lot to say about Lemony Snicket except that if you haven't seen it, you really, really should.

Rating
Date	August 08, 2005
Summary	Just Watch The End Credits
Content	I had high hopes for this film but it failed to entertain me in almost every regard. The writing is weak, we never get a chance to know or care for the cildren and Count Olaf as not intimidating as a villian - he's a mean spirited clown. Whenever Jim Carey was on screen the life of the film was sucked out. It was a great study in how a single actor can completely kill a story. Twenty minutes into the film I was about to turn it off until Meryl Streep showed up and saved the day. Suddenly we were seeing a real character who was totally compelling. The sets and art direction are very good but the animated end credits blow it all away. The film could have been ten times stronger if it was made in the style of the end credits. They're darker, creepier, more whimsical and interesting than anything else in the film. When the best thing you can say about a film is its end credits you know there is a problem. The DVD offers deleted scenes, a commentary and a making of short, but honestly I had no interest in watching them after viewing the movie. If you're a fan of the book you may enjoy this movie, but to all other's I say avoid it, but if you must see it watch the end credits first.

Rating
Date	August 08, 2005
Summary	A truly unfortunate movie event
Content	This is one of the more disappointing movies that I have seen in quite a while. Although there were some good supporting performers and some marvelous sets, it was marred as a whole by a wretched set of performances by Jim Carrey and a poor set up at the beginning of the film to let us get to know and like the three children playing the Baudelaire orphans. The movie starts off pretty much with the premise that we are going to like the children without actually having done anything to establish that in reality. I found myself at the beginning disliking the possible fate of the children, but as things went along, we got no real opportunity to get to know them, or consequently to like them. Halfway through the movie I was reduced to a complete state of I-just-don't-care-what-happens-next. I used really to like Jim Carrey as an actor. His almost superhuman physical flexibility and supreme goofiness seemed to suit him for a host of roles, and he has enough acting ability to more or less support his attempts at more serious acting. But his Count Olaf comes across more than anything as a gigantic clown, and the fear one feels of him is similar to the way some children react to painted comedians. As I said, I used to have a great deal of liking for Carrey, but this film combined with other performances such as THE MAJESTIC and THE GRINCH and a few others has left me positively wanting to avoid any future efforts on his part. There were some superb supporting characters that were largely wasted in the film. Billy Connolly, who was so superb in MRS. BROWN only a few years ago, was likable in his small role as Uncle Montgomery, but he, alas, met his fate rather quickly. Timothy Sprall, who is well known to any fan of Mike Leigh's films, was not given too much of a chance to excel in his role as Mr. Poe. Meryl Streep has a bit more room to create an interesting role, but she also unfortunately plays less of a role than Mr. Carrey. Also unenjoyable are the young twins who play the youngest Baudelaire girl. The problem is that it is pretty much impossible to use a pre-verbal child in a role that on the written page communicates meaning. In the film, however, they attempt to supplement this with subtitles. And there is not even the tiniest attempt to mesh Cedric the Entertainer into the film. The one performance that is consistently good is that of Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. In fact, however, he achieves this by doing a precise impersonation of the voice of Daniel Handler, the author of the novels. Anyone who has heard him interviewed and then listened to Law can fail to see the similarity. Although the film fails pretty much across the board in engaging the viewer's emotions, it is consistently fascinating to look at. I wouldn't be surprised if the film was one of the contenders for the Razzies for worst film of the year (that is pretty much a given), but it could also legitimately get an Oscar nomination for sets and art direction. Rarely has such a bad movie looked this good. I must add that I do not know the books, and it is possible that some of the people who have given it good reviews have transferred some of the enjoyment they have experienced of the books over to the movies. But without such an aide, I suspect most of us are going to find viewing this movie to be very unfortunate indeed. Oh, for the featured review at the time of my writing this I need to point out that there is a difference between an over-the-top performance and a purely ham performance, That difference is illustrated in Carrey's performance here.

Rating
Date	August 05, 2005
Summary	"I will raise these orphans as though they were actually wanted."
Content	"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is the tale of the three Baudelaire children--Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and Sunny. The children are suddenly orphaned following a mysterious fire, and banker Mr. Poe (Timothy Spall) delivers the children to the new guardian Count Olaf (Jim Carrey). The wicked Count Olaf has a dastardly plan to get the children's inheritance, and the film concerns the children's efforts to escape the Count and thwart his plans. While I am not a fan of the Lemony Snicket books, I found the film delightful. Director Tim Burton brings a wonderfully imaginative, gothic touch to the film. A strong supporting cast carries the plot along through hideous characterizations. Jim Carrey seems to have great fun as Count Olaf, and his performance reminds me of Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean"--both actors have such a marvelous time hamming it up. Olaf really is a splendid character, and his role allows him to become the master of disguise. He's revolting, sly, and a lowlife, but at the same time, he generates a lot of laughs. He's a thoroughly insincere, devious, vain, shallow egomaniac, and with all his revolting characteristics, he dominates the screen. The voice of Jude Law narrates the tale of the orphans' misadventures. Meryl Streep stars as the rattled, fearful Aunt Josephine. Billy Connelly stars as the Uncle Monty, the keeper of a fantastic serpentarium. As a children's film, the message stresses education, self-reliance, and imagination. The child characters cope with such issues as loss, grief, change and fear. Small children may find the film a little too much, and older children (early teens) may find it too childish. That leaves the film for adults like me who love the imaginative films of Tim Burton--displacedhuman

Rating
Date	August 04, 2005
Summary	It was very much like Big Fish.....
Content	I had a really though time getting into this movie it felt like every other scene it was ok, then it would get strange and odd. I am a Jim Carrey fan, but it was almost too odd for me. It was a really nice "looking " movie, they has wonderful costumes, and sets. This movie kept the same feel from start to end. It was just really though to get into.. But I had the same problem with "big Fish" Just not my type of movie.

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