Reviews

Good movie. After researching, I am very pleased they stayed true to the real life story. This was mainly due to the involvement of Johnny Depp. They did want to take a lot more liberties with the narrative and imprint that typical Hollywood touch on it before he stepped in. That is ok if you are changing this partially for dramatic purposes. However, I, personally, hate it when they change too many things, as it doesn't do the "true story" any justice. So, a big thanks to Johnny Depp and his insight and professionalism that contributed to this being 95% accurate.

Diego Delgado (the character they based on the real life Carlos Lehder) did force out Jung, but this made Jung's own ties and deals with Pablo even closer, as the cartel never liked Lehder. Jung was busted for possession of several pounds of cocaine, that actually was at a birthday party (not sure if it was his?).

However, not shown in this film was the details of his deal-How Jung was instructed to testify against Diego (Carlos Lehder) in real life in exchange for a reduced sentence. He refused to rat because of the repercussions he would face from Pablo after witnessing a man get shot in Colombia for his betrayal to Escobar (when Jung met Pablo-depicted in the film at the start). He then changed his mind and was encouraged to testify against Carlos Lehder (Diego) by Pablo Escobar himself as Lehder was negotiating his own deal and going to rat on Pablo and the cartel, hence Jung testifying would destroy Lehders credibility. After his release for testifying, he in the end got screwed over by a former friend working with the D. E. A.

A truly great story and film that deserves credit for sticking to the truth. Great performance by Johnny Depp and overall, it was a well directed movie. An interesting snapshot of the crazy life of George Jung. It is mental to see how drastically different people's lives can be, I find stories like these to be fascinating, true story movies done right are often up there as one of the best genres in film. Certainly, one of my favourite genres. A stellar effort!

Great movie. Not quite at the level of Ford vs Ferrari (Le Mans '66), but it was close. This was an excellent effort, in the portrayal of Niki Lauda's roller coaster life and fascinating Career in Formula One. It is a great insight into his rivalry with James Hunt and portrays the dangerous levels these guys took themselves to, in their efforts for success.

Chris Hemsworth's performance was outstanding, he played the part of James Hunt brilliantly, but the star of the show for me was Daniel Brühl. His performance was truly exceptional! He deserves a lot of credit, and he isn't your typical A-list Hollywood actor either, so that makes his performance even more special. Even Niki Lauda himself loved the guy who played him. They became close in real life as a result of this movie and the time they shared during its production. Niki was impressed with Daniel's professionalism and the effort he went to portray him, as he did it in such a meticulous way.

However, when Niki saw an uncut version of the film with no music etc. He wasn't impressed at all. Furthermore, He was angry that there were errors showing some of the technical aspects of Formula One. He insisted that they were to be rectified, in order to match real life, as it was important for the audience to get a true perspective. Niki also wanted to make the audience aware of all the struggles and skills it takes to be a Formula One driver. This was so imperative to Niki, he threatened to walk away if these issues weren't resolved. Luckily, they were resolved, and he was delighted when he got to see the audience's reaction to it when it premiered in the cinema.

He also said in an interview that 80% of the movie is true and all the main and critical parts of the film were included. The technical aspects were corrected, and the other 20% of the film was necessary and acceptable from his perspective. He understood it was needed in order for the narrative to be as entertaining as possible for the audience, as well as factually correct.

This movie was fantastic, and for me, it was so close to achieving an 8/10, and who knows upon watching again in the future, I may update my rating. A very entertaining story that I otherwise wouldn't've been aware of, to be honest, as it was before my time. I, personally, think Formula One has gone majorly down hill with each decade that has passed. This was a snapshot of some of the more interesting times of the sport. Overall a professional film with good acting, direction, production, cinematography etc. And it was a very enjoyable and fascinating film to watch.

Finally! After all these years, I've managed to find the time to give this highly rated movie a try. For a movie lover, I suppose that's shameful, hahaha. One of the reasons is just a matter of not being alive when it was released..... I mean it was made over 60 years ago, and although I do love the classics. I've just never got around to this particular one.

I didn't know what to expect, really. Its reputation precedes itself, so on one hand I had high hopes and on the other, I had a feeling I wouldn't like it for some reason. Maybe that's why I have held off on watching it all this time. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised and actually enjoyed it. Especially considering my mindset is different from those who watched it upon release back in 1960.

My generation and others have been spoiled by this genre. What I mean by that is we have seen it all, in terms of narrative, special effects and modern approach. Sound effects / Special effects are at the forefront of thriller/horror movie production, even to this day. They have come a long way since 1960. Imagine watching any of the classic horror movies over the years without all the sound effects that come with them. They say we are all born with two fears. The fear of Falling and loud noises. Production companies have obviously caught on to this years ago, but Alfred Hitchcock set the standard and did the best with what he had at his disposal.

I always think directors and filmmakers back then deserve way more praise for what they achieved under the circumstances. Producers have an easy job with all the top spec computers and a boat load of other tricks and technology they have to create the scare fest's we see nowadays. That said, It is getting harder and harder for producers to scare people easily in this day and age. This film in a way proves how much easier it was to scare people back then, as one of the reasons Alfred Hitchcock filmed in Black and white was to tone down the shower scene because it was too gory.

So with that in mind, I approached this with the perspective of judging it by the era it comes from. The outcome was still impressive, and I can see why this would have been such a hit back in the day. In any case, if I hadn't been spoiled beforehand by the genre, I would probably have rated it higher. I like its originality, and I can see where some modern psychological thrillers/horrors got their influence from. I found it to be more creepy and tense rather than scary, though.

Furthermore, I thought Anthony Perkins performance as "psycho" Norman Bates was excellent, and he probably deserved more recognition than he got. The cinematography ironically added to the tenseness and creepiness of this film, and I didn't mind it being in Black and White as it contributed to the film. Alfred Hitchcock was ahead of his time, and you have to admire his genius. With its massive reputation and my modern outlook tainting my view of it, I found it to be slightly overrated for me, but I can truly see why it is so valued. I am so happy I have watched it and finally ticked it off the movie bucket list, and I certainly wouldn't rule out watching it again.

Awful! With this notable cast, I had the delusional thought that this would be somehow America's version of Shawn of the Dead. It doesn't even belong in the same breath! I'm all for zombie films, realistic or comedic in style, It doesn't matter for me, I love them. However, this was neither.

It's almost as though this came about from some crazy, messed up party where all the potential cast and crew met, and they all got drunk together. The aftermath was the morning after when they all saw the legally binding contracts and had no choice but to proceed. That's the only way my little brain can make sense of this rubbish.

It was such a stupid story, especially the U. F. O part. It was snail paced to the point I almost switched off. Also, it was not funny whatsoever, I didn't laugh once. It is shockingly bad! I gave it an extra point in respect to the great cast and hope this is just a blip on their CV. Let's just pretend this never happened hey, because they must feel regret after this rotten movie.

This was stunningly original. The story was modern and refreshing. Fantastic idea and very well written. The concept is very realistic. Octavia Spencer played the lead role of Sue Ann "Ma" extremely well. Her performance was outstanding. Whoever cast her for the role deserves a medal, She portrayed the role of a "psycho" brilliantly, but it wasn't just that, there were layers to her character like and onion. There was a lot of trauma, loneliness, and spitefulness embedded in her character, and on top of all that she added a lot of humour to the role as well. It had me laughing, shouting "WTF!" out loud, and it also managed to make me feel really empathetic, as most people aren't born evil. There is no excuse for her actions, but they are created from the scars and trauma of her life. It is surprising how deep-rooted traumatic experiences can affect your mental health and perhaps accelerate or even cause mental illness. This is how much her character made an impact on me, not many film characters invoke emotion like that. I was really impressed.

I actually never expected much from this movie beforehand. Not only that, I thought it would be just another cheesy teen horror movie straight off the production line. As that's how it is nowadays, it is like they use the same template, churning out film after film, similar to the last, just with a different topping. Don't get me wrong, It isn't a spectacular movie, as the story is fairly simple and all the other actors are unremarkable. However, it was purely the originality and the superb character of "Ma" what won me over. I wasn't expecting much, but it delivered for me and if anything, I think it is slightly underrated. I am delighted that I watched it and I would definitely watch it again.

A simple but powerful story. It is a decent effort, but not spectacular in the category of war movies. The cinematography was outstanding. Some of the best I've seen. They ticked all the right boxes there. Realism to the max... It really immerses you in the action, and you feel as though you are going through all the drama with them.

This film is partly fictional, but there are plenty of truths and realism throughout the movie. For example, the Germans really did pull back to the Hindenburg line tactically and the British thought they were retreating. There were messengers who risked their lives in pairs going through no man's land and, In fact, the film was inspired by fragments of stories from director Sam Mendes' grandfather. The town Écoust-Saint-Mein was, in fact, also real, where the villagers ending up having to abandon. Also, the scene with the lady and the baby was realistic. Something similar happening could've been a possibility, as pockets of civilians were hunkering down hiding from the Germans.

Even though the characters and plot are fictional to a degree, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility, and I found it overall to be a good representation of World War one and highly plausible. The one scene that truly puzzled me, though, is why did they save the German pilot? But apart from that, everything else fit the narrative. Most people don't know this (including myself) a lot of Indian and Africans helped in the war, and it was a truly global conflict. This was due to the vast reach of the British Empire back then.

It was also refreshing to see a movie based about World War One. There are not many produced, and I would love to see more. I also think if they did produce more, keeping them historically accurate is so important in honour of the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. On a personal note, World war one intrigues me due to having a great-grandfather who fought and died in this war. I appreciate movies like these as it gives me a brief idea of the horrors and feelings he could've endured and a glimpse collectively of what everybody was going through during that period of history.

This isn't a movie I would typically go for, but I am so glad I decided to give it a watch. It is based on a true story and a portrayal of all the hard work and backstory of the Oxford English Dictionary. Sounds boring right? You would be forgiven if you were put off reading a brief description of this movie. It just proves we sometimes we need to leave our comfort zone and take a leap into the unknown, in terms of what we think we normally like. I suppose that goes for life as well.

Regards to the history of the Oxford English Dictionary. I certainly had no idea of all the problems, hard work and dedication it took. The scale of the task was enormous and the length of time it took to complete was never ending. This is due to the continuous evolution of the English language that still goes in to this day and beyond with all the new words, slang and trending sayings etc. It is beautiful in a way how complex language actually is and how adaptable we are as a species. It definitely gave me awareness to the story that I would probably never have if this wasn't made into film, and there's the beauty in it. Film making is such an art, and the world would be a sad place without it.

It gives well overdue credit and appreciation for all the scholars involved and coveys the total dedication they had for their jobs. This especially applies to James Murray, who was a highly intelligent, self-taught man. However, the main man is the mad man himself, Dr. William Chester. More than anyone else, he almost single-handedly made this project a success whilst it was on the cusp of failing. These two men found a connection to each other through a common goal. There is also an emotional aspect to this story as it portrays all the struggles of the mad man, his victim and a powerful statement of forgiveness and human connection.

Mel Gibson was brilliant as always, however the star of the show here was Sean Penn, who played the mad man extremely well. Phenomenal performance. I love being pleasantly surprised with a movie like this, especially when it is fact-based. I am so glad I watched it, and although it isn't one I would watch repetitively, it certainly merits another watch in the future.

This movie is a timeless classic. R. Lee Ermeys performance as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman was Iconic and truly phenomenal, outstanding and faultless acting. A wonderful fun fact; Ermey was actually a drill instructor for the marines in real life and initially joined Stanley Kubrick's team as a consultant on the realism of military procedures depicted throughout the film. After being unimpressed with the actors not living up to real life military standards. He asked Kubrick if he could play the part of Hartman himself and was refused. When Kubrick refused, Ermey yelled an order at Kubrick to stand up when he was being spoken to. A shocked Kubrick instinctively jumped to his feet. This earned Ermey the role of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. I find this truly astonishing and adds to the legendary status of this gentleman and the reputation he has is the world of film in this iconic role.

Furthermore, to keep the scenes more authentic, Kubrick limited the time that Ermey fraternized with the actors playing the recruits. Ermey also improvised with a lot of the dialogue. That's true professionalism from both Kubrick and, Ermey, amazing. This is what people don't see, the effort and passion of what goes on behind the scenes. I am so happy Stanley Kubrick took this historically important decision in the world of film to cast him as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. It truly wouldn't be the same movie without him. His outstanding contribution made this movie. It also shows what such a great director Stanley Kubrick is to have an open mind and modify the script and also open up and allow input from Ermey.

Another fun fact is Denzel Washington was under consideration for the role of Eightball and Arnold Schwarzenegger was offered the role of Animal Mother, but he turned it down to play the lead role in the running man. Gutted! Arnie and Denzel? Wow! Imagine that. Also, Val Kilmer auditioned to play the part of Pvt. Joker and reportedly confronted Mathew Modine in a restaurant, threatening him physically, as he felt that Modine stole the part from him. Oddly enough, Modine didn't even have the role yet. Ironically, this was how he learned about it and subsequently contacted Kubrick and ended up landing it. Unreal!

But you never know, maybe things were meant to be, as all the actors who played the roles mentioned above did an impressive job. D'Onofrio's performance as Pvt. Pyle was breathtaking and a close second to Ermey. In preparation for the movie, Vincent D'Onofrio broke the record for most weight gained by an actor for a film role. The record was previously held by Robert De Niro, who gained 60lbs to play the part of boxer Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. D'Onofrio gained 80lbs to play Pvt. Pyle. It took him seven months to lose all the weight again after filming was complete. Now that's dedication!

This movie is outstanding, it isn't your typical template for a war film, as the ending almost comes out of the blue unexpectedly. The cinematography was phenomenal. The battle scenes were brilliantly shot and overall this film was extremely well directed, unique in the style of Stanley Kubrick. It is also very well written. I like the fact they touched upon it being a pointless war because it was. Yes, the film isn't end to end action and the ending does seem slightly unfinished, but I like that style because it is original, especially back in then, and to be honest, it doesn't need any more footage. We can imagine what happens next, and we also know what the bigger picture is, as it is history. Great movie!

This movie is poor! M. Night Shyamalan is a great director, and I am a fan of his. However, I thought this film was unremarkable. It wasn't even scary, more creepy if anything. The two kids were really annoying, and the idea of Blair Witch style cinematography is outdated now. I could even forgive the way it was shot if everything else worked. Even if the style of filming is outdated, it does sometimes suit a particular type of movie depending on the circumstances. However, the self documentary style didn't work and was rather boring.

I saw the twist coming a mile away, and it failed to deliver, especially considering M. Night Shyamalan is well known for delivering a good twist. It was very predictable. Also, what I didn't get - If I was thirteen years old and saw my so-called grandparents whom I've never met acting like that, especially when Nana had the knife. I almost certainly wouldn't be making jokes of the situation, I would be straight out of there immediately.

The rapping as well? What was that about? Especially at the end...yeah, I've just nearly been murdered by two psychopaths, but I'll make a jokey rap about it? WTF! Absolute Trash of a movie!

Wow! This film was a total surprise for me. I came across it when searching for the latest movies and I hadn't noticed it or seen it anywhere before. After reading all the rave reviews, I thought I must give this a try albeit with a skeptical mindset as more often than not you find out after watching it, that it was way overrated.

Boy was I surprised! It truly blew me away and way surpassed any expectations I had, It was Brilliant! As with all true story based films, I always research afterwards to see how much they stuck to the real life events. I found out that creative liberties were taken (like most true story movies). However I get why they have to do this to an extent as the narrative does sometimes need to be altered for dramatic purposes. I found out that the liberties taken in this movie were entirely acceptable to create the narrative as a whole. The main one being Enzo Ferrari not attending Le Mans 66. However, is inclusion makes sense. The brawl between Shelby and Miles never occurred...but who cares? Shelby never took Henry Ford the 2nd on the wild car ride...ok I did suspect that one never happened. Firstly; because they would never risk the safety of their employer and secondly; A hard top dog businessman like him crying?....I don't think so! But this inclusion didn't bother me as It added comedic value to the film. Also, whilst Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles did contribute a lot towards GT40. There were many other engineers who also contributed, including members of the Ford team.

One other point I would like to mention is Leo Beebe was more than likely a bit of a jerk, but the portrayal of him was over the top and exaggerated for dramatic purposes. He did order the one, two, three finish for publicity reasons and robbed Miles of the win. It was also true how Miles died. It was such a tragedy how he lost his life and was denied another chance in Le Mans 67, however an interesting fact what isn't in the film was that he actually participated in the 65' Le Mans, but lost because of gearbox troubles.

Regardless of the points mentioned above, It doesn't take away anything from how awesome this movie is, and it should be truly applauded. Matt Damon and Christian Bales portrayal of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles retrospectively were phenomenal. Also, the portrayal of Leo Beebe by Josh Lucas as the villain was very professional and believable. In fact overall the acting, writing, directing and cinematography were all outstanding. It is a truly enjoyable film to watch. Great job all-round, especially from the great director James Mangold.

This movie lets the true story do the talking! As it very well should have done! I am happy they didn't tweak it or try to Hollywood it up in the typical over the top fashion. It didn't need to be tweaked or tinkered with, as the true events alone were enough to make an epic movie. Heck, you would be forgiven thinking this was fictional as it still astonishes me that this actually happened.

This story had to be honoured in movie format, not just for historical purposes but for all the passengers and anyone else who was involved on that day. Also, it is for those who remember, those too young to remember, those who were unaware of it or just movie lovers in general. Whoever watches this film can surely appreciate it in one way or another.

It was appalling how they tried to do this guy over implying that he could have made it back to the airport. He saved every soul on board with his decisive actions. He is probably in the 1% club of pilots that truly love their profession and have the skill to land a massive passenger jet safely (ON WATER). Never in the history of aviation has anyone to my knowledge landed a passenger jet on water, let alone without any loss of life or serious physical injury. Most planes flip on contact with the water, he managed to land it almost as smooth as some pilots would've done on land. Amazing!

Captain Sully and not forgetting his co-pilot Jeff Skiles are both heroes. To stay so calm and professional in that situation where most would crumble is to be commended. The skill and intuitive actions Mr Sullenberger took like skipping part of the emergency landing procedure saved every soul on board.

As a movie, it was a tense and took me on an emotional journey to the point I almost felt like I was on that plane with them. That in essence is the pinnacle of what movies are all about! I felt numb at times watching this and empathised completely with them. Credit to the production team, cast and all those involved for creating such a gripping drama. Tom Hanks was spectacular as per usual and not forgetting Aaron Eckhart in his role as co-pilot. He was also excellent. Overall the film was well directed, well acted, stayed loyal to the truth with quality cinematography as a bonus. Had this been fictional, I would've given this a 7/10. However, it is fact! That's what makes it so special.