Reviews

I'm on a free trial with Amazon Prime and have been binge watching movies, most of which are new to me. This was such a one. It's a revenge and "who is doing it" movie. These movies, by their nature, almost force you to stay to the end. Towards the end some of the perpetrators reveal themselves and explain their personal reasons for their deeds. (Some of those deeds are carried out in situations that require people to do things at precisely the right location and precisely the time. The planning is immaculate and everybody who they are after is in the right place at the right time. For instance, going to the chip shop for supper or changing ties on mannikins in a shop window display,) There is also, I think, an underlying bit of police/political skulduggery. which left be totally baffled. Colm Meaney is the old, wise to the ways of the Belfast world cop who has monologues on history, philosophy, cynicism, wisdom. At one time he talks at length in an empty room. I thought it was empty but the a wife turns up later in the movie. He has earlier declared that he has lost everything that mattered to him. Not her, obviously. Overall, the impression is that the film starts off with an interesting set up but no one had an ending in mind and they cobbled it together as the budget ran out. Very poor on everyone's part. Rubbish!

To make a claustrophobic story in Alaska is sheer genius! The scale of the place is stunning. Lakes, snow capped mountain ranges, make this movie beautiful in it's geography. However, the heart of the film is in the relationships between a small group of related people. The surprises in schemes and relationships were genuinely surprising. The getting into and then out of situations was better than Raiders of the Lost Ark. I chose it on Netflix because I like mountain movies. This turned out to be a brilliant story about people who are in a hole and have to keep digging. Top marks to all concerned.

Browsing through my Netflix choices I noted a five star rated movie starring Cameron Diaz. The movie was The Box. The film deals with themes of mutilation, losing faculty discount on your child's education, choosing to kill a stranger for a measly million dollars, bleeding noses, actors staring straight ahead. I stopped the Netflix film halfway through because it was not five stars. I had to finish it the next night to find out if the film answered any of the improbable questions it raised. No. It just got worse. More dilemmas were piled on Cameron and her husband. Why? No explanation. Just more drivel. I noted that the star rating on Netflix had dropped to 3 and a half stars. So what have I learnt. Netflix puts out a movie. Starts it on a top rating and lets it fall. Rubbish movie, rubbish film grading policy!

The Line, La Linea, is rubbish. The pretentious dual language title is an indicator that everyone speaks American apart from the occasional Gracias. In the end titles the film is dedicated to the city of Tijuana. Well I ain't going there on my holidays. Every cliché in the book is deployed. Nearly every male has a manicured 3 day beard. I couldn't tell one from the other. There is a prostitute, who ,of course, has a heart of gold and she is, of course, as gorgeous Hollywood actress. Maybe I will visit Tijuana! An amazing cast, check it out. Don't be deceived!

Just home from seeing Aquarius in a cinema. This is cinema. You must not watch films like this at home. It is has to have a theatrical setting because it is a film designed to make you think. It is long, overlong. I appreciated the pace at first, family parties, friends gossiping at a dance, etc. I must admit though that towards the last third of the movie I was thinking, "Get on with it!". I know I got irritated but I also know these scenes will come back to me over the next few days as I try to get my head around why the director did not make an edit. What was that scene meant to convey? The film makes comments about Brazil. They do not flatter the country. In long scenes and conversations someone sticks in a comment about the nature of society in Brazil. The comment is made and the conversation moves on. Sonia Braga is fantastic in this. In a really long film she is the centre of every scene. I found the woman she played not someone I could like, but someone I could admire for her stubbornness. She admits, "I am a woman and a child!" I think the overriding feeling I have is that it's just too long!

In the end titles we see photos of actual people depicted in an enjoyable, but light weight, story. The amusing idea of a well-to-do financier having to find work serving in a fast-food joint was based on real events. The film chose the feel good option, touching fleetingly on some serious economic issues. People relationships feature, centred on the fantastically lovey-dovey central couple. There are glimpses of other less happy couples. I enjoyed the film because of the humour and the occasional flashes of human dilemmas. I feel more of the people's dilemmas in this context would have made a less humorous but a much better film.

The highlighting of the media and public abusing the rule innocent till proved guilty is the only redeeming factor in this production. It would make a poor afternoon made for TV movie. This is not to denigrate all those who strive to achieve entertainment in that genre. In fact I have seen a few afternoon "real life dramas" that leave this overlong piece of overlongness in the bin The acting was formulaic. they must all be congratulated on keeping a straight face and carrying on with such a convoluted, preposterous plot. I felt most sorry for the female detective who starts out strongly and obviously in awareness of her legal obligations and then ends up dealing with an army of stupid plot twists that nobody in their right mind could give a care about. Which reminds me! What was the point of Ben Affleck returning his dad to a care home? Don't waste my time again!

I stuck with this to the end. Why? There had to be some thing here that made the enterprise worthwhile. There is a weird scene that involves the victim of torture asking the questions. The female with the torturing tools gives a brief history of torture. There is an element of philosophy here but I am sure fans of torture will know this stuff off by heart anyway and I can do without such education. The millions of employees on the cast list at the end spell out what this movie is about. See The Producers. All will be clear. Don't watch this movie. It is spell blindingly dreadful and you will hate yourself at the end for watching it.