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chrisc145
Reviews
The Wedding Pact (2014)
IMDb has its limits
Overall bad reviews of a great little film. Just hits a juicy and original vibe. Each scene has its own unique angle - even if the plot point it is carrying is no big surprise but then who cares? a movie comes at you one scene at a time - and each scene is fun - kind of like Friends. And I really warm to the two main actors. Genuine gems and surprises to be found. Napoleon Dynamite is the pinnacle but this is at least climbing the right mountain. Chris Cook I need to say a bit more. Well let's look at the scene where Mitch is taking a wee and a random randy woman approaches him - it's just very fresh how this pans out - it reveals his true feelings for Elisabeth but in a slightly surreal way - then the woman's brother arrives and does something strange in the garden. The whipping post scene is another good'un. Do check this out and Watch Without Prejudice.
Ten Dead Men (2008)
Bourne on a budget
Ten Dead Men is an amazing achievement on a slender budget. The fight scenes have the imagination and delivery of a budget 1000 times as high. I liked the Bourne-style fighting - not always resorting to guns. Which can be a bore - especially if you are the one shot. There's a nice comic angle from two of the thugs reminiscent of the Diamonds Are Forever guys. I'm a bit a stickler for dialogue and delivery so would have liked to have seen a bit more work in this area however the classic revenge premise keeps things moving along nicely. Ten Dead Men is certainly not for the faint-hearted as there's a high gore count and graphic visuals of the hero gouging a bullet out of his stomach. It's good that Brit movies are still getting made independent of the big boys and you will be hearing more from director Boyask and writer Regan.
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Near Perfect Woody!
I saw this film when it first came out and just felt very good about it. A little nervously I got it out and booked my thirteen year old son to watch it with me. He enjoyed it and I relished it. There's about six main elements to it and all of them work. The 'chorus' of comedians who keep us in the picture but actually paint a picture too. The two cultures New York Jewish and New York Italian are confidently detailed and interwoven. The structure that draws Danny closer and closer to Tina. The inventiveness of the lady prophet and the helium tank. The gags and their delivery. The romantic undertones. And the quick-fire philosophising. All though Danny claims not to believe in God, I think Woody really enjoyed playing such a Godly man.
Sideways (2004)
Hits a great tone and sticks to it
This is a lovely, unhurried film. Nearly everything in it is original, without trying to be different or flash. Really well observed, nice unpretentious poetry. Really felt for all the characters and laughed out loud quite a few times.
Well-structured with gentle but significant twists coming when they need to as the power alternates between the two main guys. Waited three years to see this and was very pleasantly surprised.
The photography is not stunning but the locations are really visual so it doesn't matter too much. The camera is always doing what it needs to be doing with some elegance. The director also made the Jack Nicholson film About Schmidt which was OK but left me a bit cold but with Sideways his mojo is working full on.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Bold and kind of beautiful
A lot of people who gave this one star are looking for something IMPRESSIVE in their movies, but the best movies are EXPRESSIVE like this one.
Hmmn just discovered I've got to write ten lines for this comment or really bad things will happen to me.
OK, well the director has got nerves of steel to stick to his guns and make pretty much the movie he wanted to make. Someone says the film is lame, well it takes lameness into the realm of high art. And actually he sneaks in a feelgood ending which I like. The follow up with Jack Black should be better but I don't think it is. They really hit on a purple patch with Napoleon Dynamite and got their mojo going.
Chris Cook, director of The Penalty King