I will say Leslie Manville is excellent and plays her character of it's time. Stoical with a steely rod for a spine when it comes to social mores. That is the only bright spot. It loses all credibility when a fighter pilot nursing his shot down plane, at treetop height, cuts to the next scene, on the ground with a cut face in his parachute harness. Even a five year old would understand if you bale out at 60 feet, it's not going to end well. As is typical with any BBC production, there is a long list of "MUST BE INCLUDED" Gay guy check, etc etc. So much so that plots bend over backwards to include them all and feels so false. Apparently it has a big budget but it's difficult to see where they spent it. The CGI is of a standard they would have been ashamed of in the 90's. As a soap, it's fine but if you are interested in the period, almost anything else that has been produced is better.
Reviews
20 Reviews
Girls of the Sun
(2018)
It may not be a true story but it's true story for many.
20 December 2020
This is a great film that tells the story of the war on ISIS from a Kurdish perspective. The casual viewer may think American, Iraqi and Russian forces were solely responsible for the destruction of the scourge known as ISIS but the Kurds were predominately the boots on the ground with minimal resources. One mistake was to have the French journalist with an eye patch, caused by the bombing of a media centre in Syria. This is where the real Journalist with an eye patch, Marie Colvin actually died. Perhaps it was a misguided tribute but for me proved a distraction. If you are looking for a neat bow that ties up the beginning, middle and end so that you can put it on a shelf, you won't find it. The stories of war unfortunately, are never ending sequels. What they serve to remind us is, that we are a lot better off than we think.
The Liberator
(2020)
I don't buy it
20 November 2020
Is the animation overlay to save on budget, may be. Or is it so that it can't be compared to Band of Brothers. May be. I think it could have worked either way but as a composite it is an unnecessary distraction. So much so, that I can't watch it and I'm a big fan of all things WW2. To me the two stylistic aspects jarred against each other rather than being greater than their parts. If your delivery of the message has been dissipated, then you have failed as a story teller in my humble opinion.
Ex Machina
(2014)
A milestone film
30 October 2020
Surely destined to be a classic movie, that will hold up as time goes by and I'm sure will become even more relevant with the passing of the years. What is it to be sentient, are we not the product of biological code? Is there a difference between that and a mathematical code if the end result is the same? Questions not for our generation, perhaps but when one becomes a God, what kind of God do you become, is a question we have pondered for millenia.
The Devil All the Time
(2020)
The story tellers art
9 October 2020
It's great to see a film written, without both eyes on the bottom line. An excellent script, well paced by an ensemble cast who all deliver their A game. Like any great film, each viewer may take a different message. I leave it to you to decide what it is but any film that makes you think after the credits roll has done its job. It's sad to think, that perhaps the only other outfit to be given funding for such a project are the Cohen brothers. We need more films like this, we deserve more films like this.
Gangs of London
(2020– )
Pretty poor fare
26 April 2020
Granted, I have only watched the first episode but if this was a hook to draw you in and salivate your interest buds, in my opinion it is a miserable failure, given the time they have to do it. It does feel rather forced to tick boxes on the criminal front, we have the Brits, Gypsys, West Indian extraction, Asians, Pakistani/Indian, Eastern European but we are missing the Americas. There is a convoluted story strand and it's not clear what side of the fence these characters are. It feels like they have taken every gangster trope and thrown it up in the air, hoping that it will fall into a cogent story but it doesn't. Lets face it, the central thrust is crime boss gets killed - find killer. All there is is confusion and obfuscation, rather than incremental building of story and drama. They really have forgotten the story tellers art. I'll give it one more go, just to check if the Emperor is wearing anything at all!
Joker
(I) (2019)
Great back story
18 December 2019
Joaquin Phoenix is with out doubt at the height of what he does. Like Daniel Day Lewis or Johnny Depp, he can play five different roles and you could be fooled into thinking it was five different actors, such is their talent. Why De Niro and Pacino are at the top of the acting pyramid, for playing themselves for the last forty years is beyond me. That aside, Joker is a brave concept in film making, in filling in the back story behind the Joker. One feels who is, an essentially good guy, who falls between the cracks of a nonchalant, under funded system and that perhaps that we reap is what we sow. The greatest service this film provides, given it's takings, is that there is a strong appetite for thoughtful films that don't necessarily have a beginning, middle and end, all nicely wrapped up within 128 minutes with A MacFeelgood factor at the end
Code 8
(2019)
Highly recommended
17 December 2019
Perhaps X-Men for grown ups would best describe this film. Tight acting and a good story line. The films budget was $29 million but I couldn't tell the difference in production values from film costing five times as much. It could have done more probing, with the differences between people. It does start that journey but abruptly halts further exploration. Perhaps a missed opportunity of social commentary but there's only so much you can squeeze into 98 minutes but unfortunately, unless your name is Scorsese, that's how long the suits decide your film is.
Chernobyl
(2019)
Chilling
5 June 2019
I think in the years to come, this will be considered to be the definitive telling of the disaster that was Chernobyl. One only has to read the many reviews here, from people who lived within the USSR and had personal contact with the disaster. Masterpiece is an over used word but in this case, it is appropriate. Everyone involved, Director, actors, Cinematographers, crew and props department have crafted one of the best dramas there has been for years. Perhaps it's no coincidence that it is an HBO production...Game of Thrones...Band of Brothers...They are the world leaders in definitive. You can almost feel the weight of the stultifying bureaucracy and petty officialdom jockeying for position; all of which strand together to create this monumental disaster. The true consequences of which, we will probably never know.
A Simple Plan
(1998)
Extremely good
22 October 2018
This is basically a story of slow, corrosive corruption. Most of us, the masses, assume corruption of sorts with those with their hands on the levers of power and finance but what would happen to us, if given the opportunity to take a life changing amount of money, with no witness, nor repercussion, save a moral mirror. For those that have seen Fargo, this is definitely a kindred spirit, yet sixteen years before. Both the pace and cinematography are masterfully done. (The Cohen brothers know a good thing when they see it.) Billy Bob Thornton, who starred in both (Can't be a coincidence) does a sterling job in playing the simple man, wishing for a simple life that money won't be able to buy him and I think that's the true message of this film. Don't burn all that you have, for what you could have.
The Passion of the Christ
(2004)
A stylistic treat
16 October 2018
Regardless of your belief system, a great film. Using no name actors is a strength for this film. Having a recognizable lead would have actually undermined the story itself. Granted they paid lip service to the idealised version of Jesus. Long haired hippy, white guy but strangely the use of authentic language bolstered the idea that you were actually witnessing a historical event, though of course, quite rightly that is up for debate. You could do worse.
Mission of Honor
(II) (2018)
A poor movie
11 September 2018
A great story of the heroism and skill shown by Polish pilots deserves a much better telling. In fact it has already been done by channel four with their docudrama, "Bloody foreigners" which tells the story more concisely in half the time, with personal recollection of some of the pilots themselves and dramatisation. Hurricane is so low budget, in fact I suspect more of the budget was spent on sandwiches than the CGI. A lack of characterisation of the principal players and of the very, real hurdles put in front of talented but "Foreign" pilots, make this a very lazy effort at best. The only upside, maybe, that the viewer who's interest in this story has been piqued, will probe further elsewhere and may, more fully, appreciate the sacrifice , talent and bravery of our erstwhile Polish allies.
Empire of the Sun
(1987)
A forgotten corner of war
7 August 2018
This a a story of loss. Loss of empire, both British and Japanese and of innocence, of the character played by a young Christian Bale, who turns in a superbly nuanced performance, uncommon amongst thirteen year old actors. Born of empire but not of England we see the main protagonist, Jim played by Bale admire, what is the Japanese war machine, mostly their airforce. This does make one feel somewhat uncomfortable but due to the complete lack of British or any other allied military power in the region, it is the only military role model he has. Perhaps this underlines, that we are products of our immediate experience and not some codified ideal written in tablets of stone. The film is long at two and a half hours; though directed by Spielberg, I doubt very much that even he, would get away with that today and it would probably benefit from some judicious editing as many of the latter scenes add little value to the message of this film. Seeing this film at the cinema, thirty years ago as a callow youth, I would have been surprised that the young actor Bale, would become an international super star but having seen it for the first time since, tonight; I wonder with such a performance, how could it have been otherwise.
Shock and Awe
(2017)
A story we all need to be reminded of
28 July 2018
As you would expect with such a stellar cast, fine performances all round. I think the message of this film is even more pertinent today. It is beholden on us all, to look with a critical eye, at what those in power are saying; is it true, where is the evidence? If each of us can take some measure of skepticism, as shown by the journalists portrayed here, our society will be all the better for it. This film does truly crystalise, the criminal actions of the leaders of the time and the abject failure of the leading media organisations, whose primary function, is to hold those very same, to account.
Gotti
(2018)
Tells it how it is
8 July 2018
There is a difficulty, because there are true mafia stories and fictitious ones; both buy into the true machismo that is the mafia but the biopic has to be true to the facts, which this film, largely does. Why it has been slated by the critics is beyond me, as I think John Travolta does a very good job of portraying John Gotti over the years of his primacy and during his illness and ultimate demise from cancer. It maybe that the true John Gotti story is so over the top, it would never pass muster for a Hollywood script and that's why this film has been slated but it is a matter of historical fact.
Big Mouth
(2017–2025)
Definitely for adults
1 October 2017
All power to the Netflix executive, who put pen to paper and gave this the go ahead. It was certainly a career making or career ending decision; You will go far in my opinion.....Whatever industry! As the title says, this is definitely for adults, as with that great lens of hindsight a lot of the jokes hit the mark. I would think they would put the fear of God, in anyone coming to this from the opposite direction.It superbly depicts the gaucheness of the almost teen awakening that we have all gone through and at the same time, sticks two fingers up at decorum and political correctness, that just get in the way of portraying what it is to be afflicted by the hormone monster.No parent watching this, will ever wash their twelve year old son's socks again, without complete Hazmat protection!
Dunkirk
(2017)
Hype train that hits the buffers
23 September 2017
It's hard to imagine where the $100million budgeted for this film was actually spent. Perhaps on the stellar cast, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy to name a few. All superb actors but in this, are completely muted and devoid of impact. I couldn't tell one floppy haired actor from another. To be fair, it wasn't their fault as the script was basically a lazy copy and paste from everything that has come before, just that it was the abridged version. Whilst the scenes aboard ships were tightly packed with personnel, when the camera panned , the beaches were clear from horizon to horizon, interspersed with some burning oil drums to give the timid illusion of a war zone rather than Margate in November. Though some subscribe to the idea that less is more, in this instance, less is less. Compared to the BBC's 2004 three part series Dunkirk, this fails in every quarter. Like wine, sometimes it's crap even if you paid £80 for the bottle, despite how much you want it to be good.
First They Killed My Father
(2017)
Definitely worth a watch
17 September 2017
What happens when all the norms of civilization implode. Filmed from the perspective of that of a child, superbly played by, first time actress Sareum Srey Moch who puts in a stunning performance. Perhaps we as adults forget the skills we had as children, like "Let's pretend" and those that relearn them are endowed with great wealth and honour. Angelina Jolie must be congratulated on her lightness of touch, definitely no Hollywood here. The cinematography is well shot, mostly at the height of a child which helps reinforce the helplessness of the protagonists in the dystopian, year zero world that is Cambodia in 1975. There have been many other films that give a more rounded interpretation of this period but none to my recollection, from the perspective of a child, and this is something that all of us can relate to given the special talents of Sareum Srey Moch, who magically takes us back to how a seven year old sees the world, for better or for worse.
An epic toshfest
12 September 2017
This is a desperately sorry, true story of a once indomitable force, torpedoed below the waterline but enough of Nicolas cage's career. This film is truly a disservice to those that served on the Indianapolis, a heroic story that deserves far better than this trite effort in the telling. The CGI is actually worse than many solo efforts that you can see on YouTube. It is shockingly bad, even compared to films of thirty years ago. That, allied with a script, written in an afternoon by somebody completely disinterested in film making, make this a perfect storm of ghastliness. Perhaps it is not my place to publish a review, as I must confess, I hit the Esc button halfway through, with far more vigour than it is accustomed to. On the upside, the Japanese characters fulfilled their roles admirably, in fact I found myself cheering their efforts to send this whole, inglorious abomination to the bottom.
Tell Your Friends