Change Your Image
regan1300
Reviews
The Sweeney (2012)
Not bad...
I bet these folks had a real laugh making this film. I went to watch it with my teenage son and we thought it was OK - pretty much none stop action. I remember the old TV series but this is not the 70's. (God knows how the real flying squad conducted themselves in the 70's - I'd bet it was worse than this - but not so many guns!). The 2 main characters played by Winstone and Drew were excellent (and some of the villains). The story was a bit suspect though - and maybe the script..
I bet most of you end up having a look at this on DVD/etc (meaning illegal download) - get your trousers on your nicked).
I wonder if they will do a Sweeny2?
Valkyrie (2008)
Desperate bravery by the conspirators
I saw a discussion of this film by a bunch art/culture critics on a TV show. They all said the film was poor (or words to that effect). The following day I had agreed to go to the movies with my 13 year old son in the afternoon. When the appointed time arrived he checked the theatre's film schedule. Valkyrie was the only film available at that time and that he was old enough to watch. So I had him check IMDb (in an attempt to dissuade him (thinking Valkyrie would be trashed by IMDb reviewers). To my surprise it got good reviews (as well as bad ones of course). So off we went. Now for some reason I was never really a huge fan of Tom Cruise although I'm not saying all his film are rubbish he's been in plenty of good ones and I believe he is a very good actor but I wasn't really expecting to enjoy Valkyrie because TC was staring
Anyhow the film turned out to be very good. Cruise was very good. The rest of the cast was very good. Oddly, it did take a few minutes for me to come to terms with none of the actors making any attempt to affect a German accent!. One of the other IMDb reviewers said something about the film should have been a 'made for TV' movie. But, it looked absolutely fabulous on the big screen. The thing that really came across was the bravery of the conspirators and the despair as they realised their beloved Germany was doomed and they were being lead by a man who was close to insanity. I can usually tell when a movie isn't holding the audiences attention people start shuffle around etc. Valkyrie seemed to have the audience enthralled. When the credits came on everyone just stayed in their seats for a good 30 seconds (normally folks get straight up when the credits appear). My 13 year old thought the film was fantastic - he was really surprised when it because obvious at the end that the film was based on true events. Maybe this type of film is not for everyone but for critics to say it was rubbish is beyond understanding. Roll on IMDb reviews professional film critics are no more qualified to pass judgement on film than I am (or any other member of the public).
Eden Log (2007)
Oh dear...DIY films...
I watched this on DVD. The best part of the film is the first 5 minutes - before you realise that the film makers have got a load of stuff from your average building suppliers and bolted and taped it all together in a warehouse and then got some electricians to bung in a few lights. To cover their tracks they have done some reasonable camera work. Apart from the main actors (2 people), most of the rest of the cast appeared in some sort of industrial sewage protection suits - although these looked a bit home made. The message is not very profound of course. I have some sympathy for any one who watched it at a screening because they would not have had the luxury of the fast forward button. As for the special effects these have been done on a low budget (if not then the producers of the film have been cheesed).
Sunshine (2007)
Reingnite the Sun??
Even though the premise of the film is beyond belief, once you get over this hurdle, its a pretty enjoyable. If you cannot get over this one it's probably no go. However; I liked the acting - the characters were believable. Visually its impressive. The hostility of space comes over well. I like the HAL 9000-like computer homage thing. As for the strange Icarus1 crew member character - towards the end of the movie - this just warped things even more, causing further mayhem for the already stricken crew and so brings the whole thing to a final crazy climax. If you are a bit undecided when you first watch it, leave it a few weeks and try watching again.
Soldier of God (2005)
Not "Kingdom Of Heaven" - but..
It's well acted that's for sure. Not bad to watch at all.
It doesn't compare to Kingdom of Heaven in the shear scale of modern film making, but it's an interesting critique on the madness of absolute belief some warriors may have lived by, at the time of the crusades. I noticed a previous comment mentioned that a member of the crusading knights would not have acted in the way depicted in the film - I wonder how you would know that of every knight. It's an interesting take on the ambiguities that could beset devote individuals of any faith.
I doubt we have come that far since the time depicted in the film, but I'm sure it will all turn out all right in the end.
Oh dear...