Reviews

Your "Check for other user comments" was down on the night I intended watching this on T.V. so I never got to check it out. When I finally did, (after watching it) it seemed to split into, love it or hate it, as so often happens with this Genre. I'm afraid I'm with the latter. I thought it was another Curtis Grant movie, where the most redeeming feature was the soundtrack. Actually it was nice to see Gregor Fisher (love him) get tarted up for a change, and get the best line, "ten minutes with Elton...." Bill Nighy as always, was great, as was our Emma. As in all Curtis movies, there were some "funny situations" and a few "clever touches." There were some awful ones too. The "American Chicks, ("American Pie?") scene, was ugh. And, as with all pies, you can have great ingredients, but if the cook messes it up, it leaves an awful taste in the mouth. My recording of this film actually cut off before it ended, and I didn't mind actually. Except that perhaps somewhere near the end you got the answer to " Why did they call it Love Actually? " O.K. marks. One for some funny situations. One for some clever touches, and one for Gregor, Bill and Emma. Go on then, one for Christmas. I'll give it four.

Romantic Comedy is one of those Genres that will always have a wide spectrum of opinion. More love it or hate it variations, than other genres.

This film came 92nd in the IMDb category for Romantic Comedy. Seems about right to me. I found it quite tedious, and the humour, apart from a couple of good one liners, rather juvenile. Great cast, apart from the guy who played Zeta's Spanish lover, wait for it, called, Hector Gorganzolas. The movie needed this character, and the actor, Hank Azaria, to be real competition for Cusack, but he never was. Mind you, which top actor is going to play a character who, allegedly, has a tiny pee pee, one of the running jokes, along with a doggy licking Billy's Crystals (that's cockney rhyming slang). And that's the level of humour folks. Having said that we needed a better actor to play Hector, I don't think that even the great Boyer in his heyday, could have have saved this one. You'll love it or hate it

If you are preparing to watch this film, and, If you are fortunate enough to have never seen the film, or only read a little about it, be prepared for a classic 60's film. It made number 23 in the ratings, but I rated it much higher, probably top 10.

Enjoy everything that this genre is about. Suspense, horror, fear, etc.etc. This is obviously a film of the 60's, but I reckon that, as a classic it stands the test of time. For me, the best scene isn't the famous shower scene, It is the scene where Arbogast sweats some answers out of Norman. The less you know about this film, the more you will enjoy it, so I've kept this comment to a minimum.

Many of today's younger viewers probably won't know too much about the James Boys, and The Youngers. So they can enjoy this for what it is, "a funny, bullet dodging romp, through the wild west. ". However the older generation should probably steer clear of this one. The Goodies are Baddies, and the Baddies are Goodies. Some of the one liners could have been written by the writers of Joey or Friends, with additional material by Mel Brooks, who might have called it "Men in Strides" I notice that the stunt men and special effects (which seem mandatory in today's films,) got all the awards. Figures about right. Jesse's escape from the train is strictly Van Damme. So, if you've never heard of Bob Ford, watch this, you'll probably enjoy it. However, if you are old enough to remember Bob, and Tyrone Power, I have a feeling that you won't.

Another TV midnight movie that I enjoyed. It had likable characters and horrible characters. On one level, it was every day stuff, about a mother trying to deal with the after effects of a poor marriage, and subsequent divorce. (She was well rid of George). As well as having a few bad hair days with her boss, at the psycho unit. Then it was about another family that was being destroyed, as a result of mental illness, suicide, and remarriage. Then it was about a lovely person, Gogol, a computer genius, and his involvement with the intelligence agencies. The intern and the cop give us the love interest, albeit from a distance. I just felt that some of the family scenes could have been dropped, to allow a bit more time for the ending, which seemed to be over too quickly. But with three story lines, and enough suspense to keep you interested, you should give it a watch. JoBeth Williams, the working man's Susan Sarandon, looks terrific as usual.

This was one of the slowest films I've seen. I get the idea that this was intentional. It was? Oh. O.K. then. I'll take your word for it. Shot in Black and white. Yeh that was clever. Well not really. This was always a black and white flick. Suspense ! What suspense? I must have missed that, Was it when he was messing about with the time shift? The ending? Great. But does the ending justify the means. Almost. But not quite. Great for a first movie. This guy will get better. He does? Oh yeah. Memento. Really weird, but better. Insomnia? Yeah, now he's cooking. I await his next film. Batman Begins, is it? Wow, there'll be no " Holy haberdashery, Batman! "in that one.

I hadn't read anything about this movie, and just decided to watch it because there was nothing else on T.V. and of course Pacino was in it. If you are reading this before any other reviews, then don't read any further. Get the Video or DVD and watch it late at night, with the phone switched off. If you are still reading, I would merely prompt you to really take in what is happening. This isn't a detective solves a murder film. This is much more. I thought that the title was a bit off-putting. But having watched it, I do understand why it is called Insomnia. Pacino, in my opinion has never been better. My only change would have been to swap roles for Swank and Tierney, but then again I'm a big big Tierney fan. I'm not a buff, so hadn't heard of Nolan, but I shall be looking out for his earlier stuff, and checking on what he is making.

I caught this on late night TV, and missed the beginning. After a few minutes I was sat up in bed. This had caught my attention. At the time I thought it was a TV production, similar to Cold Feet (one of my favourite series). Not as much 'warmth' as Cold Feet, but this was funny, sad, tragic, etc. All the ingredients needed for a black comedy. Comedy appeals to a wide spectrum, and this won't please everyone. But to me it is one of the funniest 'black comedies' since No Surrender (1985). I'm from the North East, and found the accents quite believable. In fact, I thought that the main actors were Geordies. Never heard of either of them, but I'll be looking out for them, especially Justine Waddell, who was a bit of a dish. I shall go out and buy the Video or DVD, and give a copy to those friends of mine, who are on a similar comedy wavelength to myself.

Jimmy Nail's Spender had already shown that the North East had some great locations, so I wasn't surprised at some of the great outdoor shots in this film. I have a feeling that there will be more to come from this area, and from Justine Waddell.

Nobody does it better than Hollywood.

Just watched this Glitzy production for the first time. I shall watch it several times hereafter. Famous, yeah, very famous, faces, could have spoilt this for me. Just the opposite, I thought they were mostly excellent.

(Friel's voice got to me a bit) but Tucci fascinated me, Kline was marvellous, (great one liners) and Pfeifer was delightful, as ever.

I have read several reviews. Matthew Ignoffo got it right six years ago. "Charming Fairy Dust" I can't believe that this film got no Oscar Nominations

You don't have to have a great Male lead, and a thousand extras to win the Oscar, but it helps. "It's a depressingly masculine world, Dolores". Vera Donovan (Judy Parfitt) had most of the best lines in this powerful Mother and Daughter film, which had a cast list in single figures, and was mostly shot on one location, unlike Oscar winner Braveheart. Not a coming of age film, but a story of a mother (Dolores / KathyBates) and daughter (Selina / Jennifer Jason Leigh) who should have been so together, but were so far apart. (I see too much of this in life.) Flashbacks are becoming so common in films nowadays that I'm beginning to think they are compulsory. However, in this film,they are very relevant to the story line, and are done extremely well. A film that I wasn't expecting much from, turned out to be a very good film. The last ten minutes, when Leigh is at her best, beats many of the great court room dramas that I have seen lately. Many of the one liners are brilliant, but I just have the feeling that this should'a been a contender.

In the fifties we were all slightly paranoid. I can remember a period when I was watching the skies, expecting them to come. So The Body Snatchers, The Thing, and other fifties sci fi films used to scare me rotten. I remembered having seen this seventies version many years ago, and the fact that I couldn't remember much about it, made me think it can't have been very good. However I have just watched it again, and have to admit it was a well made sequel. I call it a sequel because It didn't seem to be a remake, but a continuation of the fifties cult film. Even though the plot was the same, there was enough going on to keep me entertained. Another good performance by Sutherland, and all the extras were quite good. The big difference in the two, was that I wasn't afraid to go to sleep after watching this one. Perhaps it's just a sign of the times. Maybe we are not so paranoid nowadays. Jeff Goldblum didn't look so Tall in this one.

A group of teenage schoolchildren go on a school trip to Salisbury Cathedral, and behave like a bunch of school children. Mr Happy / The Incredible Sulk / Mr Harvey, (played by Timothy Spall) is actually revisiting the place where he proposed to his wife, and then went on to visit every Cathedral in England, whilst on their honeymoon. Mr Happy has his wallet stolen by one of the kids, and this becomes fundamental to the plot, because it contains a link to his tragic past with his new wife. This drama, like Carrie's War, and Goodnight Mr Tom, will probably be used for GCSE students, who will no doubt, do it more justice than I am able. It has the usual cross section of kids, most of whom are faithless, selfish, and uninterested in anything slightly educational ( a bit like many of today's kids in England) It is a journey for Mr Harvey and Helen (Natalie Press, who does well with the role of a depressed school kid). However, it's just a day out for Miss Davies (Celia Imrie) and Mr Cole (Ben Miles) and the opinionated bus driver (David Bradley) again doing a great job, as a character actor

This is a very English film, (although some of the religious undertones are a bit wider), and will have its supporters. I can't remember seeing Mr Harvey light his candle, but as I suggested earlier, this is a "made for schools drama," so the title is probably a metaphor. I almost feel like apologising for my lack of English Grammar in trying to comment on this film. However, we watch drama to be entertained, and I'm not sure that I was, even though it was thoughtful, thought provoking even.

This, in my opinion, is a good film that could have been a very good film. I don't agree with the pundits who say it is too slow. The negotiation part of the film, was an integral part of the film. We needed this, to understand the mentality of the hostage takers. Where I think it could have been improved, was to have had the leader of the guerrillas portrayed as a stronger Castro type of character, possibly discussing the rights and wrongs of his actions with Bowman, who seemed to be an altruistic type person. I loved the scenes in the Colombian jungle / mountain areas. Every time the film cut to these scenes, I felt as though I was there. The interaction of Bowman and his captors was riveting. Even the interaction of the captors and their leaders was great. I loved the indiscipline of the captors, especially the scene where the main captor went crazy after a night on the "cocoa", and shot his own man in the leg. He didn't face a court martial, but an instant decision, downgraded to look after the pigs. Great stuff. David Morse's performance as Peter Bowman, an every day guy stuck in the midst of this "hostage game" was brilliant. The way he was transformed into a mud spattered , beard growing wreck, trying to keep his sanity, by remembering his wife and lost child, knowing that he was just a pawn in the game, who could be shot at any time. I think that he, more than Crowe is the reason that this is a good film. Like most good films it establishes the character of the protagonists early in the film. We see how good Terry Thorn (Crowe) is at his job of hostage negotiator, with the ability to turn into a "Jim McClain Character". Bowman is being **** on from a great height by his employers, and his wife (Meg Ryan) is feeling the strain of being dragged around the world to follow her husband's job, possibly more than just her husband. I can't understand why the director / writers didn't allow Thorn and Alice to get it together. After all he was a red blooded male, who didn't appear to be getting much prior to their meeting. She was a frustrated wife who's husband had been neglecting her for his job. They were thrown together for a very long time. This might have established the fact that Thorn wasn't the perfect English gentleman, and allowed us to think he might have second thoughts about bringing Bowman back. The final Rambo type scenes are done really well, with all the discipline of an S.A.S raid. Not a great film but a good almost very good film. I don't know why Alun Armstrong was in this film. Meg looked gorgeous in this film.

Peter Coyote was the only name that I recognised from the cast list, so I wasn't too keen on watching this film. The only comment on IMDb was positive, so I watched it on late night T.V. I would recommend this movie as a good late night viewing. It's better than a lot of this genre. The plot is excellent, the acting isn't brilliant, but it's not bad. I don't usually like flashbacks but in this film they work. As I've stated, I didn't recognise any of the cast by name, but I recognised Michele Lee, who gave a decent, hard working performance, as the woman wanting to stand by her man, who is lying to her. (Was it Knots Landing?) Anyhow, she's wearing really well. Note: You may enjoy it more, if you miss the first few seconds of the credits. I did and it helped me. When you see the end credits, you'll get what I mean The Wayne Kennedy character, who is really weird, takes this to a 7 rather than a 6.

Sarcastic TV weatherman, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is mysteriously forced to relive the same day over and over again---Sarcastic TV weatherman, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is mysteriously forced to relive the same day over and over again---Sarcastic TV weatherman, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is mysteriously forced to relive the same day over and over again---Sarcastic TV weatherman, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is mysteriously forced to relive the same day over and over again--- Sorry about that, but if you get over this premise, you'll enjoy Groundhog Day, where Sarcastic TV weatherman. Phil Connors is mysteriously forced to relive the same day over and over again---It presents this situation to the audience, on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. He could rape all the characters, and even impregnate some of the female ones (he doesn't by the way), but it wouldn't matter because "tomorrow is not another day," it's the same day. He could actually apologise for raping them, and they wouldn't know what he was talking about. We have to believe that he is prevented from permanently touching anyone else's life, that he is in the world, but not of the world, so to speak. So to speak!! Many people seem to have got a message from this film, Some even quoting Socrates. Wow! O.K. I'll forget the "message", and the rest, and give it 6. Some of the very humorous, situations deserve a 10, and I had a few great laughs, but I just couldn't get away with the stupid idea. I found that the best way to watch this film, is to watch it on tape, and every ten minutes, rewind the tape five minutes. and press play. I think the film has had its day.

"We got ourselves a fugitive." Go git him Tommy Lee. Only this time the fugitive (Snipes as Sheridan) ) is a cross between Rambo, Houdini, and Superman (he actually flies). Unless you've got the I.Q. of a pigeon, you should be able to work out where this one is going. There's a lot of action, as expected, with the good guys dodging bullets, and the special effects are great. The team are still full of great one-liners, but the plot is complicated by Robert Downey Jr.(Royce), and the F.B.I. You've probably seen it anyway, so maybe you just need to decide if it's worth a second viewing. It probably is, if you're a Tommy Lee fan. The French bird is gorgeous in this.

When I was 14 or 15, I sneaked into our local flea pit to watch this film. Billy the Kid was every kid's hero in those days. But the posters of Jane Russell was the main reason that I risked getting caught. She didn't let me down. Her first film, and it showed, but wow, she was a creature from another planet. I'd certainly seen nothing like her. Having been brought up on Johnny Mac Brown, the Durango kid, and the like, this film was, at the time, a revelation. My pals all wanted to know how fast Billy was. Did he shoot Doc Holliday? Did Pat Garrett shoot him in the back? All I wanted to do was describe Jane Russell.

I watched The Outlaw on TV this week, and was disappointed. Time had done it no favours. The background music, which I hadn't noticed the first time round, was truly dreadful (Tchaikovsky was it? mixed with cartoon type sounds) I still found myself admiring Russell, who for most red blooded males of my age has been a great inspiration. Like Shane, and others, I think this was a film of its time, and probably doesn't deserve to be judged by this generation, who are seeing it for the first time.

This movie tackled closure, which is probably the hardest part of grieving, especially after a disaster. I will never again be able to watch a disaster on the news, without thinking about this film. Much of the film deals with the trauma experienced by families of the victims. Even though it followed the grief of just one of the families, you just new that it represented all of them. We also see the heart wrenching effect it had on one of the fishermen and his family, and once again can sense the effect that it had on the whole community. But by involving the residents, rescuers, medical examiners, and even the media, it broke away from the usual corny disaster movies. If this had been Crowe and Winslett I don't think I would have respected it so much. Not knowing any of the actors helped me appreciate it more. I just couldn't see Nelligan worrying about her makeup or hair. I thought Thomson must have been a fisherman before turning to acting. I really respect this film. Everyone involved should be proud of it.

I bought this DVD for a friend, as a present after reading various reviews. " Phenomenal." "Funny" "Magnificent". Thought I'd better watch it first. Glad I did. I'll take it to a charity shop. Perhaps I lost something in the translation, (there was an awful lot of Japanese language in the film.) A better title might be, "Ten good reasons not to visit Japan". The two main characters seemed bored with everyone around them. Actually they seemed bored with themselves. Charlotte, the girl, had a degree in Philosophy, but Bob, the guy, seemed to do all the philosophising. I kept thinking that I might be missing a subliminal message in this film. Perhaps a lot of lonely people might watch the DVD. Or, better still go to the movie, meet another lonely person and bore each other to death. Reading the reviews, it seems that the intellectuals have enjoyed, but "the man in the seat" wasn't too keen. One reviewer suggested we watch it for a second time, so I did. I watched it in "double time" and yes it did seem better. It only took 20 minutes to show how bored the two lonely characters were. Sorry, as Lennon might have said, "No more lonely people", for me anyway. 3 for the acting and story, and 8 for the cinematography. Bill Murray looked taller in this film.

The producer should have been given nine months with no time off for good

behaviour for this most unfunny film. The Praying Mantis should have eaten Grant, adapted Woody Allen's voice,

claimed to be the father, married Moore and devoured the child factory. We would have had a funnier film. Another Grant film where the soundtrack was the only redeeming feature.

A very British film. In fact, a very Liverpool film.

Can't see many Americans liking this black comedy, but most Brits with a half decent sense of humour should love it. I first saw this in 1986 and loved it, as a follow up to `The Blackstuff'.

Writer Bleasedale had great success writing for T.V. and I'm surprised he didn't do more films (this was his only film). This was one of my favourite films of the eighties so I bought the video to see if it had stood the test of time. I gave this 10 / 10 in 1986, and even though it is dated, the gritty humour shines through the underlying theme of sectarian divide, that still existed at the time.

Bernard Hill plays a " Yosser type" bouncer, at a Liverpool social club. Michael Angelis plays the laid back new manager, as a typical scouser who's seen it all. Joanne Whalley plays the club's dogsbody, with ambitions to be a singer, and does a great job. The film is loaded with great character actors including the marvellous Joan Turner.

A delightful story about two evacuees, has been turned into a nice little film, by the BBC. Most children who like a good story will enjoy this. The characters are played really well by a very good cast. Not sure whether our American friends will appreciate it, but they do get a mention, as Aunty Lou runs off with a gorgeous American soldier.

F*** F*** F*** Forget this, Four Weddings sequel without the F*** word. Hugh Grant is in danger of being typecast as Hugh Grant. Four dinners and a Funeral would be a better title. Hopefully there is a funeral at the end, but I stopped the video well before the end. I got this video because of the good reviews. Real life Roberts fits the character, but this wasn't one of her better performances. Romantic it wasn't. Comedy? A few funny moments. (the T shirts being the best). Writers tend to get away with murder in sequels. Perhaps they don't need to try so hard once they've made it. The soundtrack was the best part of this tedious film.

I nearly gave this a miss because of its inane title, poor reviews, and unknown (to me anyway) actors and Director. Thank god I didn't.(Brody was Brilliant). This wasn't a "buried alive movie". The lack of Oxygen aspect was a sub plot to what was happening between Tierney and Brody, Tierney and Kinney, and Tierney and her... Friend??? Until reading other users comments I didn't realise it was a "small town production". In the hands of the Silence of the Lambs crew this would have been a big psycho thriller. More would have been made of the "Alone" interview, which could have been a precursor to a much more masochistic violent ending. This film was a few rewrites short of being a very good film. If it had been made in the fifties we would be calling it a classic.