Tomovoz, actually it was Shakespeare's RICHARD III...which may be my favourite Shakespeare...that sparked my historical interest in Richard...very different man than Shakespeare's charismatic villain. But Drama is Drama and History is History... and should not take its evidence from drama.
Jay, your assessment of POLAR EXPRESS was largely mine. I found it an overblown, over-produced carnvial thrill ride and awfully predictable. I don't how many times I looked at my watch. A story with the theme of a child on the cusp of wanting to still believe in Santa but beginning to have doubts, could've have been handled with a lot more simplicity and sensitivity.
I'm so tired of movies that assault you with effects, particularly at the expense of character and story. And not only did they try to make Polar Express like a theme park ride, but the effects became rather repetitive...there must have been three or four big set pieces back-to-back that were practically the same thing, all approximating a roller coaster ride. This is a Christmas story, where is its heart? And hadn't we heard the theme, that they kept pumping at us rather blatantly, better expressed in the original MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET years ago: "Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to."
And you're absolutely right! Tom Hanks...Oscar talk, pahhh!!! There is nothing taxing in any of the parts he plays and the main one, the conductor, was I felt rather obvious and cartoony. It came off like a bad community theatre performance. Give me Alistair Sim any day.
