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dwalmsley9-2
Reviews
Pirate Radio (2009)
"Love Actually" but all at sea - in every sense
I can't believe this film is getting so many high votes on IMDb. It is truly terrible and what's even more sad is that it could have been so much better. Richard Curtis has written some reasonable comedy in the past but someone needs to edit what he does. Another reviewer has said something similar. This film is an hour too long, with too many unnecessary scenes and not much plot. There are some little sub-plots that are undeveloped and some that are over-cooked and pointless. The whole thing is a mess. Curtis has used the usual suspects from his other films but frankly it's getting rather nepotistic and rather boring. The cast try their best with the script but it's a losing battle. Sadly this will be a box-office success and Curtis will be let loose on another turkey. If you haven't seen it, don't waste three hours of your life.
PS: If you're someone who suffers motion sickness in some movies, this is one to avoid. Every scene on the boat (most of the movie) has the camera swaying, so you might want to take some sea-sickness tablets if you are determined to see it.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
The first fild that actually made me sick..
I watched the Bourne Identity on DVD the night before going to the cinema to see this. I looked forward to it but...
Twenty minutes after the start I had to leave the cinema. I felt very ill and it wasn't the curry we ate earlier. I am sometimes a bit sensitive to hand-held camera shots but this was aweful. EVERY frame was jumpy - and it wasn't the guy in the projection room dancing.
My teenage son went with his mates to another cinema the same evening and had similar problems - though he stuck it out to the end with his eyes closed several times.
By the way: my son and I watched Matrix Revolutions from the fourth row ona big screen. We had no probs with that.
Producers please don't do this again.
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
It felt like 40 days and 40 nights passed while I suffered..
Some films (eg Schindlers List) add something to your life. They stay with you and change you for good. Then there are films that are just entertainment. After that come the turkeys, and finally there are a small number of films that are in the opposite category to the first. You just wish you'd never seen them, not just because they are so bad, but because they take something from you. You feel almost damaged by them. 40 Days and 40 Nights is one of those films. The sad thing, is that it could have been better. So much better. There are good ideas waiting to be used... but they are totally wasted. Is the film maker making a serious point here? Obviously not because the humour makes Carry On movies seem ultra sophisticated. Is there anything approaching a story line? Well... no, not really. I saw a poster that said "Romantic Comedy". I took my wife to see it for our anniversary. She closed her eyes after half an hour and tried to go to sleep instead. Enough said. Don't make the same mistake as us. Not even if it's free on the box. Not even if they pay you. Or hold a gun to your head...
Enigma (2001)
The film felt undemanding but I couldn't take my eyes off it!
Interesting: the film felt undemanding but I couldn't take my eyes off it! (SPOILERS AHEAD) I must confess there were good reasons why I wanted to see this film (see below), but thought it would be more boring than it was. It felt undemanding to watch (perhaps because we know how the war turned out!) and yet somehow the characters draw you in and you realise that the real Enigma is a woman not a machine. Refreshingly free of "glamour", made on a small budget, this is actually a little gem. I hope it's not over-hyped when it comes to tv because it would disappoint. It's one of those films that if you stumble upon it, then you find it to be a real joy. My main frustration is that it wasn't filmed at the real Bletchley Park. I used to be a clergyman at the church next door, St Mary's, - which isn't used in the film either- and know the park still exists as a museum and could have been used. Now people who see the film will go there and be disappointed. Shame....
U2: Rattle and Hum (1988)
Miles better than its given credit for
This film was over - hyped at the time of it's release in the USA - it was supposed to make the biggest band in the world even bigger. But rock documentaries (Spinal Tap excepted) rarely work. It's not like seeing a film with a story line. Nevertheless this is a supurb documentary of a supurb band. Filmed mostly in black and white, it suddenly turns to colour two thirds of the way through - and it's like seeing colour for the first time. It's also the momonet we see "Where the Streets Have No Name" played live. Wonderful. Get the video and play it loud with the bass turned up. You'll love it....
The End of the Affair (1999)
Have those who hated this film missed something?
Have those who hated this film missed something? Looking through the comments it seems as though this is a film people either love or hate. Maybe the later went with specific expectations. I have read nearly all Greene's novels - but not this one and thought it was brilliant. I must get the book...
The Matrix (1999)
Brilliant film... specially if you know the key....
Brilliant Film For the key to interpretation, check the words of the guy at the start of the film who knocks at Neo's door. Listen to his response when Neo gives him the computer disk....