Reviews

Maybe if they cut an hour out of this film it would have been quite good. Too much Hamlet-like 'oh, what should I do?' and the stuff of lowbrow family dramas: 'I love you mother, but...'.

As it is, I felt I was watching some daytime soap opera rather than a superhero movie.

Some good action scenes the acting was fine and the special effects are pretty awesome, but oh it dragged.

As a dad, I really appreciated how 'clean' the film is - no bad language and no sexploitation.

Not many other viewers when I watch this with my 13-year-old sons and their friend, but the boys all enjoyed it. Perhaps I am just too old for modern superhero films.

Not an easy watch at times, as the characters display motives and behaviour that are hard for us to identify with.

Some viewers may find it a challenge to be immersed in a world that is so different from their own.

However, if you are looking for something completely different, I suggest you give this show a try. I find it thrilling and visually stunning. Mother is a femme fatale writ large and her main protagonist, Caleb, is truly disturbed and disturbing. The plotline is twisted and unexpected, but a real rollercoaster ride.

If you like your sci-fi with a twist of crazy, give it a shot.

Probably too slow and uneventful for most sci-fi fans, as this has drama and violent events, but is hardly a thriller.

Instead, it is a thoughtful and thought-provoking meditation on fatherhood, obsession, intimacy and purpose.

Well worth a watch, if only for the beautiful cinematography and spectacular imagery.

Brad Pitt proves himself a mature and serious actor, while Tommy Lee Jones does not disappoint. But then, when does he?

Truly the age of great television has passed. I got 25 minutes into this and was completely unconvinced by every character and every line.

Maybe there is some post-modern crap going on here, where everyone is suppose to be fake, because, you know, it is TV about TV, and how drama is more real that the news....zzzzzz

There was a kids' show when I was young that had the opening line, 'Why not turn off the TV set and do something less boring'.

Indeed.

Well worth a watch if you like a good classic thriller. A little slow in places and unconvincing in some parts, but overall it is stylish and very watchable.

It kicks off on a taboo note for the time with pre-marital pregnancy, and the immorality goes down fast from there.

Another unusual element (for the time) is the sociopathy of the central character, played with chilling believability by Robert Wagner.

The cinematography is lush, but I found the music disconcerting. The jaunty theme tune and romantic strings when the killer is having his twisted way does not convey the underlying menace of the plot - is this some post-modern joke or was the director just tone deaf?

Overall, worth a watch, if you enjoy a good 1950s thriller.

Perhaps one of the most overrated films on IMDB.

This Spaghetti Western is a jumble of violence, some fine cinematography and a few good scenes.

As a whole, however, it lacks depth, coherence and substance.

Hardcore fans of the genre will find all they need here, but for most, there is too much bad acting, unbelievable shootouts and a meandering plot that seems like it was made up as the film went along.

By all means, if you like your spaghetti, eat up, but there are better pasta dishes on the menu elsewhere.

OK Lil' Miss Film Major, your professor hates this film, but I reckon most guys will find it exciting.

The dialogue lacks the polish of Oscar Wilde or Noel Coward, and this is, as they say, very plot driven, but the action is tense, the landscape awe-inspiring and the guys, well, you get where they are coming from.

Basically, five ex-military rob a drug lord. Things start to go pear-shaped and I won't spoil the rest for you.

A sharp action movie, done with some style, panache and beautiful cinematography. Not a date movie, not a philosophy seminar. It is what it is, and all the better for that.

Something of a cross between The Lady Vanishes and Shutter Island, though inferior to both.

Set mostly inside a hospital, it might not have been the best thing to watch before a bypass operation, but still an enjoyable little thriller.

The ending is well signposted and will not be a surprise to most, but you can't say for sure which way it will go. It goes keep you guessing, but everyone is guessing right.

Where the film is interesting is its take on the action hero. To say more would be a bit of a spoiler, but I think this one is worth a go.

Supposedly based on the Philip K. Dick short story, Sales Pitch, this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the story. Indeed, it is so far removed from it, I suspect the writer had some heist movie all written up and, with a few tweaks, passed it off as an adaptation.

Steve Buscemi plays a down-at-heel worker at a factory that makes artificial people. He is drawn into a conspiracy to steal from his employer, and things get twisty and violent.

Moderately distracting as a sort of sci-fi noir, but most people will have something better to do with their time than watch this.

Hey, here's an idea - read the Philip K. Dick story - it is actually quite good.

Not many thrillers are as stylish, tense and compelling as this.

A little slow in places, perhaps, but the story builds to a satisfying climax and everyone keeps you engaged.

Viola Davis really is the star, but Farrell, Duvall and everyone else do not disappoint.

My favourite scene is where there is a real-time short drive from a poor neighbourhood of Chicago to an upmarket one. It seems to have been done (although it could be a trick) all in one shot, and without really noticing, you realise we have gone from one sort of American life to another in no time at all.

McQueen really keeps the politics low-key and subtle, but it is there; more as part of the setting than centre stage. It really shouldn't put anyone off.

Definitely worth checking out if you like a good thriller.

Reeeeaaally slow and ponderous. The makers seemed to have a message, but not quite sure what. Maybe they are hoping AI will take over soon.

The film mostly consists of one actress in a room arguing with a computer. I guess there is a market for that, but it is not a big one.

The only thing I can compare it to was a party I once went to and after half an hour I wanted to go home, but someone else was driving. You wait and wait, hoping something will happen, but not much ever does.

Truly one for the geeks only.

This might have worked if they had laid off the virtue signalling and sermonising. It is so woke I think it ate a jar of coffee and then some.

Starts off well as a creepy thriller, but gets too caught up in its own righteousness.

Basically, the message is, just kill people who seem a bit right-wing, because you never know where their ideas will lead.

The Doctor Who team really created a high point in the series with this one. Everything, from the script, tothe acting, the costumes and the sets are fantastic. It is odd looking back at this kids' Saturday teatime TV and realising the monumental talent and effort that has gone into it. Madoc as the crazed Solon is an obvious highlight, but the rest of the cast are terrific. Sets, costumes, music, characters - all of the highest calibre - created for just four episodes.

It is often said that we live in a time of uniquely high-quality television, but let's not forget just how good some earlier TV was.

Do give it a watch. You might find it dated, but I found it tremendous fun.

A bit of a clunky start; both sentimental and cliched, but improves as it goes along.

Hey, it's not arthouse and won't win any great awards, but if you enjoy sci-fi, it has some good scenes and keeps you watching.

Fine acting, a twisted plot, gorgeous cinematography and a tight script all combine to make as near-perfect a thriller as you could expect.

Zulu is a fantastic, if brutal, thriller. It would not want you to hop off to South Africa in a hurry, but as an expression of underlying tensions with post-apartheid 'truth and reconciliation' it could not be better.

On one level, this is a straightforward tense thriller and you can come away with just that. However, the film is deeply imbued with politics and angst about how many evil men got away with suppression, murder and lies.

I loved it. Perhaps some people do not like an ounce of intelligence with their thrillers. Don't let their reviews put you off. If you like a good cop drama, this is for you. If you like something a bit deeper, this is for you too. If you like a bit of both, then this is definitely for you.

Well done to everyone involved in this film — and thank you for making such a fine piece of work.

This film is crass, stupid, offensive, childish, crude, and very very funny. It is if Team America and There is Something About Mary both got drunk, ended up in bed together and this is their brat of a kid out in the streets of New York running wild.

There is something here to offend everyone, but it is especially offensive to anyone from the Middle East or Muslim. You could argue that Sacha Baron Cohen is making some point about the West's regard for Middle Eastern dictators, but I suspect he just wants to make the audience laugh and so produce a box office success.

A guilty pleasure.

Three police officers one problem - how do you deal with the job? For one, how does he get through his last week when he is far beyond caring; another can't make ends meet on a police salary; and another is so embroiled in the machinations of his uncover character he starts to forget he is a cop.

None of these themes is unfamiliar - ever since Hill Street Blues tried to inject some realism into cop shows, TV has been full of 'ain't it a shame for cops'. More recently, The Wire made such good television, one began to wonder just why anyone would go to the cinema to see a police movie when you can get something so real and high quality at home.

But the strength of this film is not its originality, it is the atmosphere it creates and the portrayal of people trying to get through the day. Some have given up, others have turned to crime, and some others have become so committed that their dedication has gotten twisted and out of control.

Maybe because television has raised its game so much, thanks to HBO, we judge films by a more demanding yardstick. Nevertheless, Brooklyn's finest is a top-rate film. The acting is wonderful and Richard Gere is simply superb as the cop who has somehow lost his soul.

I would urge anyone to give it a shot. It is saddening to see how little revenue the film has made at the box office; its director Antoine Fuqua deserves greater recognition and I for one look forward to his next project with great anticipation.

I don't think this fill garnered much critical praise, but going by the voting on IMDb and the estimated gross earnings of this film, it certainly seems to have been a popular success.

How surprising this is, considering it is such a dark film with a modernist approach to cinema.

Normally, I am with the critics. Most blockbusters (fair enough, this is hardly a blockbuster, but you get my drift) are just dreadful films, but they pull in the punters. And why not, as the Man says. Everyone has to make a living, and turning celluloid into profit is what Hollywood has been doing best for almost a century. Well done Hollywood, I say.

To those who knock the studios all I have to say is: most of the time when you sit down to watch a film, you have some idea of what to expect and if if you don't like blockbusters DON'T GO AND SEE THEM!

But I digress; Shutter Island is hardly a blockbuster. But it was and is popular. It has a strong following but few (if any) of the reviews I have read of the film were impressed.

Well, in this case, the critics are just wrong. This is one of Scorcese's best films. Yep, I mean that. For the maker of Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, I would rate Shutter Island as among his best.

Let's make a prediction - long after Scorcese has gone and the film historians of the future are considering his work, they will regard Shutter Island as his most profound. I know, you scoff. I am and idiot. Yeah, yeah, maybe so. But look, watch the film and let me know, eh?

As close to perfection as one can possibly imagine. This film is simply stunning — an incredible artistic achievement, which is shocking, thrilling and totally absorbing.

Daniel Day Lewis gives a brooding, mesmerizing performance as the deranged prospector who rises from near broke to major oil baron through sheer force of will. He is not alone, however, in making the acting exciting, believable, intelligent and highly watchable — nearly every spoken line, gesture, look or presence in this work is thoughtful and bold — he just happens to give one of the best screen performances ever in cinema.

All other aspects of the film are of the very highest quality, from the music to the cinematography — they hardly matched in even the very best pictures made throughout the decades of cinema.

The story evolves slowly, but surely and the situation becomes increasingly tense. The characters unravel, not because the plot demands it but because of their central weaknesses, while the central character, played by Daniel Day Lewis, remains steady, largely because he is already calm within his own insanity, until the terrifying finale.

In short, one of the best films ever made.

This is not a professionally made film. The acting, the direction, the story, the script, the lighting — everything is just a mess.

There is an underlying condemnation of the use of drugs (which seem to initiate much of the trouble in this odd story) but I suspect you would need to be on something to get much out of this incoherent jumble of sound and images.

It is hard to think that The Stepmother was ever released and shown in mainstream cinemas and quite astounding that it got an Oscar nomination; it seems little more than random that the theme song is quite sweet.

At least aspiring film-makers can watch it and feel they could do a much better job.