Reviews

I saw a trailer of this and made the adult(without children) mental note: "won't bother"! So glad I saw it when visiting my niece and her two young children. We had a movie outing together and I chuckled more than the rest of the audience, in between trying to figure whose voice was "Humber Hornet". Too distracting from the sheer pleasure of this action-packed animated frolic. It was Paul Newman! I like to think I am a movie buff, so going to a kid flick I brace myself for being dumbed out. Not so here. I loved every second of the masterful fusion of human emotions,and believable characters, with mechanical objects.

It is still good to get into the child in all of us - but probably most of you know this already? I am a convert to this genre. Next stop will be "Over the Hedge".

What a strong story this was! Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you appreciate British films which hold you captive by their excellence in direction and acting craft, check it out. I was totally enthralled by Imelda Staunton's superb performance as the plain woman who just "wanted to help". She was the maid in "Shakespeare in Love". She stood out then as a talented actor. In this role, she was more than convincing. There was a 45 second scene when the camera focused on her while she went through a range of emotions (already written about by another person on this site). Like that writer, this was a defining moment for me in the film. We the audience, looked into the soul of this wretched character, and felt for her. Imelda Staunton deserves official recognition for this work.

A heartwarming story of a man from Invarcargill, down the end of the South Island, New Zealand. Anthony Hopkins once again shows his genius as an actor. He unfolds his character, the real Burt Munro, as gently and perfectly as the unfolding of a hot muffin from a linen serviette. The man is released into his dream - to ride his Indian motor-cycle on a salt lake in Utah, U.S.A.

Apart from the overall excellent acting, the journey with Burt from New Zealand to America, and home was a delight, from go to finish. It remains with me, 3 days later - with a challenge beckoning - a "Follow your Dream" message.