Reviews

When somebody writes reviews saying that a film is "slow" or "boring" I usually tend to dismiss them as being from people who prefer action pictures and have simply watched the wrong movie for them personally. On this occasion I have to agree, certainly that this is a very (and I mean very very) slow film. Unfortunately, so slow that it fails to build tension. It's a good premise that demons could use humans to commit their evil and there are a couple of genuinely chilling moments in the film. So chilling that I had to let my dog into the yard half way through and a sudden unexpected noise in the dark made me jump out of my skin. There was so much scary potential there. The cast is good as would be expected, but I can't help wonder if Denzel Washington is miscast. His "cool" laid back attitude doesn't convince. Here's a guy menaced by Satan's agents on Earth, but he doesn't seem to show the slightest fear or break into a sweat. Come on - even the bravest man would start to crumble. Seeing a quick flash of the demon inside on the face of it's hosts would have made the film far more frightening (an effect used very well in "The Exorcist"). All in all, it's an OK film but it somehow misfires. I can't put my finger on why.

By all means see it, it has it's merits, sadly not enough to make the 2 hour runtime (was it really only 2 hours??) worthwhile for me. My partner has a habit of saying "that was good" at the end of most pictures we watch. There was no comment at the end of this.

A film that takes a look at scientist Charles Darwin's personal/ family life. Not much emphasis on his work, so anyone expecting deep philosophical insights into evolution theory will be disappointed. This basically puts the focus on how particular events in his private life spurred him on to complete his book. It's beautifully staged, acted & shot - it would be a fine 90 minute drama for a Sunday evening on BBC 2. Unfortunately, it overstays it's welcome by 26 minutes & the slow pace throughout makes it seem even longer than that. It's definitely one for the action and 'superhero' fans to avoid.

I felt that I had got into a rut with the types of film I was watching so decided to take a chance on this completely different genre - I'm so glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it!

It's a complex storyline that means you have to pay attention the whole way through and as a result, with so many strands introduced along the way, the time just flew by. A stylish, larger than life gangster movie it's got big names, lots of action & is liberally sprinkled with black humour. It's basically the story of a man who's made a fortune from growing & selling cannabis but who wants to sell his empire to retire from the business. Little does he know that his attempt to strike a deal will unleash all manner of mayhem. I've never been a fan of Hugh Grant but credit where credit's due - he's wonderful in this & definitely the standout performer. There is a cartoonish tone to the film so although there is quite a bit of violence, it's not the type that most people likely to find too graphic. If you are offended by swearing however then avoid this at all costs, since virtually every sentence spoken contains it. I must try and continue to view a broader selection of film types in future because if this is any example there must be lots of gems waiting for me to discover!

There's no doubt that this could be considered a visual work of art. The sets, the costumes, the colours and photography are all superb, and are what rescue this film. If you start picking the plot apart there are multiple areas for criticism, but in particular it's predictability. It has an odd mish-mash of styles and can't make up it's mind what it is - psychological thriller, gothic romance, supernatural mystery, horror or fantasy moving through all these genres as it progresses. I enjoyed it because the sheer quality of the visual images had me captivated through the 2 hour length but I can understand how those less interested in the aesthetic of the film could be disappointed. That some have said the beginning section is very slow I find odd since I myself preferred the more naturalistic Buffalo NY scenes & the setting up of the narrative. The most disappointing part for me was the denouement. Anyone expecting a straightforward supernatural horror might be better giving this one a miss.

Unbelievable that there are some criticisms about not understanding the accents in this programme. So what? In Britain vast majority can understand differing regional accents and this is a BRITISH programme made for BRITISH native English speakers. If you don't understand put the subtitles on your tv. Do you complain about not understanding Spanish , French or other foreign shows???? It's not particularly good by British drama standards but the accents have nothing to do with it. Deal with or or don't watch!!!

Am now halfway through box set of Series 2 on NowTV and loving every minute of it! I am addicted to historical drama / fiction but if you are expecting much accuracy in 'Jamestown' then forget it. The acting quality ranges from excellent to poor but any shortcomings are compensated for by the attractive ensemble cast and lush photography that makes full use of the stunning scenery - this show is beautiful to look at. It's very easy to become totally involved in the life of the characters as this is purely and simply a soap opera in fancy dress. Don't bother to analyse - switch off your brain for 50 minutes sit back and enjoy!

I originally saw 'The Green Mile' after the DVD was released. To be honest, I was not particularly interested in seeing the film, but a friend who is a big Stephen King fan loaned me the DVD. When I saw the running time of the film I sat down rather reluctantly to view it. I remember becoming engrossed in it & never noticed the three hours passing by - always a sign of a good movie. Yesterday I returned to the film again after 16 years and although this time I did feel it's length somewhat, it had lost none of it's power to thoroughly captivate. Perfectly cast and performed, it provides amusement, high drama & ultimately for the audience - tears. It is a fable / fairytale for adults with important & poignant messages about life (and of course death) that we all need to consider. If you have not yet seen this picture please give it a chance - it is doubtful that you will regret it and it is likely to remain with you for a long time.

I own the complete DVD box set of Hetty Wainthrop Investigates & have watched each series at least 3 times. The show is now being shown again on UKTV Drama so I am dipping in and out of the episodes once more. HWI is a quaint & quirky detective drama series with flashes of added humour that never lets you down. Comforting like a well loved blanket it is one of my favourite shows of all time. The cases that Hetty & Geoffrey investigate are mundane downbeat and in real life would only be of interest to those involved in them but the homely, warm feeling that the episodes radiate are pure gold. Quintessentially (Northern) English it is one to be reached for when you want an hour of harmless entertainment - the end of each episode will leave you feeling all is right with the world.

The House of Elliot is currently being shown each weekday evening on ITV3. I never saw it first time around in the early '90's - for some reason, it just did not appeal to me despite its original popularity. I'm glad I didn't see it actually because I would have been denied the great pleasure of seeing it for the first time now! All I can say is what a great programme it is. The likable characters soon have you completely involved in their trials and tribulations.If anyone is looking for great art, this is not it - however, it is an engaging, undemanding and enjoyable way to pass an hour's viewing. The period settings, costumes and attention to detail are fantastic - the show must have cost a fortune to make. Particularly impressive was the episode set in Paris, which was obviously filmed on location - all I can think was that the outside scenes must have been filmed at some unearthly hour in the morning when the city was quiet - however it was done it was an amazing feat! Well done to all concerned with this gem of a series.

I saw this film for the first time last night on DVD. I was prepared to give it a go as I do like most of the cast. The film is quite simply appalling and frankly I am surprised that any of the players ever worked again. The script stinks, the acting is dreadful, the comic timing and delivery of lines woeful. In particular, Joanne Whalley's scouse accent is risible. It seemed to last forever and considering it was supposed to be a comedy I sat through it without so much as raising a smile. I was soooooo grateful when it was finally over. Do not waste time on sitting through this car crash of a film, life is short and you will never get the time back again.

Each time you see a lousy film, you think nothing could possibly be worse until along comes something that blows the previous one out of the water for sheer awfulness. This is true of 'Taken'. Up to pres, it is the worst pile of junk I've had the misfortune to sit through in quite some time. Quite simply I am outraged that this should score so highly on IMDb and that I should have been taken in by it! Liam Neeeson goes through this looking like some badly made -up corpse, gaunt old features emphasized by an appalling hair-dye job, calculated to make him look younger and perversely emphasizing his age. Lousy script, lousy acting -the worst of which being the daughter who behaves like a demented 6 year old rather than a 17 year old asking to tour Europe. Why would anyone allow an obviously backward/retarded girl to do this? This film absolutely STINKS - it is utter RUBBISH!!!!!! Dozens of gangsters firing automatic weapons at one man and all missing the target etc.. the usual clichés, in fact its so bad its like a parody. Only watch this if you are a particularly unsophisticated/immature 15 year old boy because that's the only type of person who could possibly enjoy this garbage. Everyone has to pay their bills and Liam Neeson must have seen this as a way to pay his, because my God- he can't seriously have thought 'I've just GOT to play this role!' when the script landed on his mat! TRASH that hits a new low for the braindead.

This really is a poor film. It has a fine cast and it should have been much better, but it has all the hallmarks of an international co-production - bad direction, leading to poor acting (an astonishingly hammy / embarrassing piece of acting from the usually good Burn Gorman),confusing storyline, poor sex scenes etc.. etc.. The whole thing just does not hang together and the ending is just appalling. The pretentious, intellectual mathematical mumbo jumbo spouted throughout just makes your eyes glaze over I'm afraid. If you are a discerning film watcher you will know exactly what I mean. There is NO WAY that this could even remotely be called good. It isn't anywhere near as entertaining as even Inspector Morse or Midsomer Murders so take my advice and give it a wide berth!

For the first two thirds of its length, this film is a first rate thriller. It establishes the characters very well and you quickly become engaged in the plot, which is made very easy to follow. The acting is excellent,( in particular Clovis Cornillac as the malevolent private detective Plender). There are moments of true tension. Its definitely one of the most enjoyable films of its type I've seen in years. Then BAM - Vincent is arrested for murder and the plot descends quickly into the worst kind of overwrought Hollywood action flick - the kind of thing that Harrison Ford does when he's in his innocent man wrongly-accused mode (complete with implausible stunts). I was really disappointed as the characters become involved in a melodramatic pantomime. What the hell happened?? A superb thriller ruined in the last half hour!!! I have given it a six rating because I enjoyed more of it than not - had it not been for the last half hour it would have got a nine!!

From now on, I do not think that I shall really take any notice of the scores that films get on this site. How on earth this effort with a weak plot and dreadful acting can score almost 8 is beyond me. One of the most grating aspects of the film are the ridiculous accents which sound like a parody. The switching back and forth between English and Russian is embarrassingly awful. Vincent Cassel wins the award for hammiest actor with his pantomime villain, (the scene with the baby by the river is cringeworthy!!) the Naomi Watts character is as weak as dishwater and Viggo Mortensen has to be one of the most over-rated actors of all time. The 'plot', such as it is, has no tension whatsoever. I'm sure I would have loved the violence when I was 14 but more sophisticated film - goers should not be fooled by some of the positive comments others have placed here. The film's a stinker, pure and simple.

Just got back from an afternoon screening of this film. Even though the film has been showing for almost three weeks now, the cinema was PACKED with (mostly) over 50s. Firstly, I am a HUGE fan of ABBA (have been since the early 70s, even before their Eurovision win) and I so wanted to enjoy this film but I'm afraid that I felt like watching it with my hands covering my face and peeking through my fingers, such was my embarrassment! Overacted to the extreme by all concerned it is truly cringeworthy. The dreadful Julie Walters was the usual awful hammy, mugging Mrs. Overall persona that she always is (you may have guessed that I can't STAND this particular 'national treasure'.I really had to force myself to go to see it knowing that this ghastly woman was in it.) The music is actually tolerably sung by most of the cast (with the exception of Pierce Brosnan) but the 'OMG' hystrionics of the actors to show that they are having 'fun' is just appalling. Incidentally, not one person in the cinema laughed at the 'funny' bits. All in all, a miscast (the leads were WAY too old) misfire and one that any discerning cinema goer will find poor.

I really enjoyed this lighthearted 'feelgood' comedy. OK, it might be a bit old - fashioned and predictable when it comes to portraying gay stereotypes, but it is an affectionate and completely inoffensive film that passed an enjoyable 90 minutes or so for me. The film is populated by a cast of likable characters led by the sweet Maximillian Bruckner as 'Ecki', a young man who plays in goal for a smalltown football team and who is outed as gay by his teammates. The team and some of the townsfolk are particularly cruel to both Ecki and his parents following the 'outing'. (The running gag of the old man coming into the family's bakery shop and telling 'gay' jokes is quite funny however.) The film concentrates on Ecki's determination to put together a gay football team that can take on his tormentors and win. This leads to an enjoyable series of adventures in which his family, particularly his father, have to come to terms with his sexuality and in which he manages to find love along the way. Altogether a nice fairy-tale (excuse the pun!) - everyone even manages to live happily ever- after! See it and enjoy!

I just finished watching this again for the second time having seen it originally some years ago. I enjoyed it the first time I saw it and was glad to find that my enjoyment has not diminished. I couldn't believe its now 18 years old - frightening where the time goes! Although it can hardly be described as a cinema great, it certainly has its share of tense moments and Michael Keaton makes a good, believable psycho. You definitely feel for the Griffiths / Modine characters, especially if you've been driven to the edge of insanity by the behaviour of another tenant in an apartment block (as I have!) - very uncomfortable viewing indeed! All in all, an enjoyable roller coaster that seems to be under -rated.

Yes, I'm flabbergasted indeed that vacuous junk like this continues to get a release in the UK. The complete stranglehold that Hollywood has on our cinemas means that while there are dozens of home grown, continental European and some good independent US films gathering dust in a cupboard, boring, formulaic dross is allowed to infest the multiplexes. I really wanted Will Smith to be eaten by the rabid mutants as quickly as possible, boy did I want that, in fact as my brain began to atrophy I would willingly have offered myself up to them so that I could escape from my misery! There is little plot, poor CGI and the theme has been done to death in countless other films. Just HOW MANY crazed flesh eating zombie / mutant pictures can we take? JEEZ....or rather ZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!! Absolute rubbish.

I saw this last night when it was premiered on network TV. I must admit that I knew next to nothing about the story of Vanity Fair not having read the book or seen a previous dramatisation. I do understand, however, that in the novel, the character of Becky Sharpe is not a likable one and that she uses her guile to help her climb the social ladder. Unfortunately, this just does not come across in this film at all. Becky is shown as a kind, caring and loving character who climbs the ladder because she is in the right place at the right time and is admired for her intelligence by the 'upper classes'. There is a half hearted attempt in the last half hour to make Becky seem a bit more 'wicked' but it just flops completely and some of the things she says / does is just completely out of sync with the character that has been shown for the rest of the film. The film drags quite a bit in places and I'm afraid I was not impressed at all. Britain is rightly famed for the quality of its classic period productions. Alas - this is an exception to the rule. I am tempted to read the book now, to see how it compares with this adaptation.

This adaptation of John Clelland's 18th century novel was broadcast on BBC4 recently. Telling the story of an innocent northern country girl who travels to London to seek her fortune it certainly gallops along at an entertaining pace. Along the way, Fanny falls into the clutches of brothel keeper Mrs. Brown, finds her true love, finishes up in the gutter and finally....well, you'll have to watch it yourself to find out! The cast ranges from beautiful to grotesques, all play their parts with gusto and the tongue in cheek script provides enough material for all of them to shine. Everyone looks as if they are enjoying themselves. Made with the BBC's usual high production values and eye for historical accuracy, it's naughty, it's bawdy and an enjoyable, lighthearted piece of entertainment. I'm sure that this will eventually find its way onto BBC 2, it certainly deserves a wider audience - so keep an eye out for it and enjoy!

This so called comedy is probably one of the unfunniest that I have ever had the misfortune to watch. For a start off it is years too late to parody trash talk shows. Anyone going to do it should have done it years ago when they were relatively new. Secondly, it seemed to rely on the use of obscene language throughout to try and get laughs. Absolutely Fabulous was a genuinely funny classic piece of TV, but is this puerile nonsense the level that Jennifer Saunders has sunk to? Similarly Miranda Richardson, what on earth was she thinking taking part in this garbage? There wasn't a single thing in the half hour that even made me smile let alone laugh. How on earth it was ever commissioned is beyond comprehension. Truly, truly awful and definitely not worth watching again.

I hired this DVD from my DVD club simply because it was one of the newer films, rather than actually having a desire to see it. It languished in a drawer for a while and I pondered about sending it back unwatched - but hey - I'd paid for it so might as well watch it. Well - what a mistake I would have made to send it back unwatched!! Right from the start I was captivated by this beautiful film which manages to be both amusing and touching in turns. Excellent performances from the whole cast make this a magical experience and it turned out to be just the thing I was looking for to make a perfect evening. A fantastic antidote to the constant stream of cr*p that is pumped out by the big studios and forced onto people around the world. There's no teens, no sex, no blood, no swearing, no explosions and no car chases. In other words this is just a GREAT family film which made me realise how desperate I was to see something like it. A big thank you to every single person concerned in the making of this marvellous film, it's just wonderful!

Good performances. OK - now wev'e got the only positive comment about this TV film out of the way, let's have a look. What the hell was the point of this? Populated by a group of unpleasant, unlikeable stereotypes, it really looked like something that would have been made 20 years ago. Cliché ridden and unrelentingly grim throughout, the gay characters were either predatory, seedy individuals or had serious repression/hang up or psychological problems. The sex and violence scenes were sensationalist to say the least. This was meant to be part of C4's marking of 40 years of the liberation of gay men from the previous institutionalised repression they had suffered in this country throughout history. There are gay men like the ones in the film, I sometimes meet them, but they certainly do not represent the majority. Nobody wanted to see a positive propaganda exercise about gays, but neither did we want to see this parade of sad / damaged individuals. Whatever happened to balance? A piece of TV that was thoroughly depressing and ultimately, totally pointless.