Change Your Image
waynea3
Reviews
Babylon (2022)
Wished it was better
I was so looking forward to seeing this. The cast is great and their performances were very good...but it's overlong and has superfluous scenes of gross-ness that do not add anything to the story or it's quality. I believe an hour could be removed for the better; but the movie still won't be great. It didn't engage me as a viewer, the story in the main is not about likeable people, which should not really matter if the story is good. And that is probably what is the most wrong with it: the story is just not good enough. Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" is so much better in character development and story even when it's gone into the realms of fantasy...because it's so well written. I hope Babylon inspires someone to write a better, shorter film about the transition from silent to talking films (no not Singing in the Rain) and I wish I enjoyed this film way more than I actually did - which wasn't very much.
Everly (2014)
Comic Book "Non-Credible" type of film
Too far fetched to be taken anywhere near seriously. Always love seeing Salma but this film becomes predictable and boring way too soon. Kill Bill does it so much better and its a shame. Salma needs more parts that give her a chance to really act. Frida is an excellent example. Hope later opportunities are better for her than this.
La La Land (2016)
Yes, they can still make them like they used to!
My wife and I heard good things about this film and went to see it this evening. We loved it. Emma Stone sings, dances and acts her part to perfection. Ryan Gosling is brilliant; and actually plays the piano in this film damn well, especially if you consider he reportedly didn't play at all and practiced 2 hours a day, 6 days a week to provide such a convincing performance. The wonderful music and score, the extensive use of primary colours, the great romantic story; all of them prove that they can make them like they used to. La La Land doesn't get too soppy but it does get under your skin in a nice feel good kind of way. We cannot recommend it high enough and hope it cleans up at the Oscars, especially for the lead performances, writing and best film. I'm looking forward to adding the Blu Ray release to my movie collection.
Jack Irish: Dead Point (2014)
Excellent Drama
These "Jack Irish" dramas are top quality drama. They never take themselves too seriously and are always entertaining. The ABC gets it right where the commercial stations don't. Solid production values and excellent acting: local work to be proud of. Guy Pierce is certainly one of our finest actors and Peter Temples "Jack" fits him like a glove. The use of the raw Melbourne suburban streets give this film tons of believability and realism. I understand there remains one more novel and another currently being written. I look forward to seeing them both: I also hope that the team producing them remains intact and stays together throughout this series. If you have not had the pleasure of watching any of them I suggest you do yourself a favor and catch up. The supporting cast of actors is the cream of the Australian crop. You would find it hard to do better.
The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964)
I remember this one too!
I can remember this being shown on Melbourne TV a few times in the 60's, and the 70's; always very late at night. It was the most effective ghost story I can ever remember seeing: it scared me stupid as a kid. Surely this still exists in someones "vault" of movies. I hope it one day sees the light of day on DVD. If Martin Landau does have a copy perhaps a copy can be made of this, then it can be digitally restored for us all to enjoy. At the very least it would make an excellent addition to a "decent" classic Outer Limits DVD set (presently they have no extras at all) as a tribute to Joseph Stefano. A few years ago I contacted TV stations, particularly our ABC in Australia but sadly no memory of this film exists with anyone now.