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Reviews
The Incident (1967)
Congratulations you've stumbled upon a tense and edgy gem!
Here is confirmation that annoying, aggressive idiots are nothing new. We all know, that when going about our business, we may encounter those who seem intent on our discomfort. I write this in 2023 and this 1967 film does not seem dated at all in its exploration of. It is edgy and taut with a brilliant cast with a jerkily, audibly authentic, rattling train setting. It's as tight as a drum with a brilliant cast of unknowns who would become greats. You can smell the alcohol breath and feel the cheap vinyl. Brilliant cinematography and acting way ahead of its time. Every frame could be your cool hipster iPad wallpaper! Excellent.
The French Connection (1971)
A masterpiece as relevant a piece of cinema today as it was when it was made
This film is stock full of great performances, fantastic cinematography and a bulletproof plot. It's earthy and complicated, nuanced and beautiful. Each character appears to have a fully lived life. The film was made in 1971 yet it looks like it was filmed on an iPhone. It's got a 'fly on the wall' documentary like feel, as if your observing a version of reality. Gene Hackman carries this movie effortlessly. The terrifying car chase was done on the fly and would result in a health and safety enquiry today. I was thirteen when this came out and couldn't understand all the fuss about its apparent brilliance. How ignorant I was. So ignore those who say it is slow. It's not the film that's slow, it's those who don't get it. A gritty masterpiece that defies time, as fresh today as it ever was.
SAS Rogue Heroes (2022)
It fails on the basic principle when depicting war
Anyone who knows anything about war films knows that the best war films are, at heart, ant-war films. Okay this is TV but the principle still applies. The childish machismo and male toxicity on display in the opening scenes of the first episode do their best to discourage further viewing from anyone who doesn't think war is a jolly good jape where one can break all the rules and British is best.
There is a lot of talent on display on screen and in the production but if this first episode is anything to go by it lacks any sense of moral purpose. It simply shows an assortment of thuggish Brits demonstrating how tough they are by being insufferable, arrogant gits. The soundtrack of modern rock music only emphasises the shallowness of the project. Peaky Blinders got away with that because it romanticised a small almost mythical group of gangsters in a largely fictional setting. War is real and present. Which is another point about the tone deaf timing of this series. There is currently war in Europe and each night we see on the news how ugly it is, it's no game.
What Did Jack Do? (2017)
Loving surreal homage to 40s film noir by a master
David Lynch plays an interrogating cop quizzing Jack, a monkey clearly with something to hide. They each speak in cliches and banal phrases. Each trying to deflect the other. The monkey seems tragically careworn with a philosophical world view. Filmed in grainy black and white and set in the cafe of a railway station it has the same pervasive dreamlike quality as Eraserhead. Haunting and darkly funny. If you don't know David Lynch, spend seventeen minutes wisely and watch this, it's a great introduction.
Aftermath (2021)
Well made solid thriller
Well acted, whip smart plot. It takes its time but it keeps you gripped. More of a thriller than a horror and it keeps you guessing. The relationship dynamics are played out very well and provide a firm basis for all the weird stuff. More plausible than most horror/thrillers.
The Green Knight (2021)
Beautiful and mysterious
This is an amazing piece of cinema, a beautiful poem that keeps you mesmerised. It's what a film made by people in the twelfth century would look like.
The Underground Railroad (2021)
Telling a vital story, good even great in parts but patchy.
Beautifully shot with some fine performances, this production uses elements of fantasy or magic realism to illustrate America's history of brutal slavery. This series works best when it focuses on the real plight of black people striving for dignity and freedom in the face outrageous ignorance. It's hard to watch at times but it engages.
It fails when it over indulges some of the white characters and their existential conflicts re: slave owning. A little of that would be fine but in some episodes it's never ending. For example; Joel Edgerton's character just mutters on and on and on to illustrate how conflicted he is and still comes across as despicable. On the subject of muttering, some tracts of dialogue are barely audible under the soundtrack, eerily beautiful though it is. It's worth sticking with but it's hard work following what's going on because of the flawed sound design.
Let Him Go (2020)
Sorrowful but gripping tale of the power and destructiveness of love.
Those who have written bad reviews of this film should just stick to watching Spider-Man or Paddington or whatever it is they're capable of understanding. Make no mistake this is a solidly made thriller based on all too real issues that many families have to deal with. It's sombre and dark but shot through with the beauty and light of what we all need and value; to be with those we love. If you want to see a grown up film that takes you on a wild ride: Watch this!
District 9 (2009)
Still a peerless masterpiece!
Watching this again on TV in 2021 after seeing in the cinema back in 2009 it is still a phenomenal piece of work. Savagely entertaining whilst thought provoking; it's great that it's a South African film that can explore racism and raise apartheid and post apartheid issues so well without you even noticing. This film is up there with the best intelligent SciFi: Bladerunner, Alien and The Man Who Fell to Earth. It projects things that are beyond belief as if grimy, solid reality. Fantastic.
Home and Away (1956)
Of its time but has depth and comedy that still works
This is a well observed and tightly scripted piece. Yes it probably is more suited to stage than film but this is beautifully performed and a masterclass in comic timing. One reviewer here felt it necessary to describe it as misogynistic. The women here don't need defending from today's woke, revisionist perspective thank you very much. They are the ones in charge.
It is a comedy of manners, a social document illustrating class and gender rolls of its time and it shouldn't be dismissed or devalued because things are different today.
Who Dares Wins (1982)
Unsophisticated, British flag waver - Army Dreamers
In the wake of one or two real life successes by the Special Air Service (SAS - British black ops) at the time, this film was something of a quick cash-in on a little wave of national pride. Seeing it now in post Brexit Britain it serves to remind us that there is nothing new about 'Little Englanders' who yearn to take back control. Some bits look like a cheaply made army recruitment video you'd see in secondary school, while other passages read like Pound Shop Bond. Lewis Collins, our hero here fared better on TV. Here he's trying too hard to be cool and convincing.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
For once the negative reviews here are generally right
I've always taken user reviews on IMDb with a pinch of salt. Too often people have watched a film that is not up to their taste or intellectual interest. They then post a destructive and equally misleading review out of annoyance. Before watching Da 5 Bloods I had quick look at the downbeat opinions of this film and thought, yes more of the same uninformed trashing, or even trolling, of what should be a smart and thought provoking movie. Sadly, on this occasion they were right.
Like others here, I too have great respect for Spike Lee and was expecting a film equal to his honest and outspoken political views. But this isn't it. As has already been said, it's a mess. It is entertaining in parts but there are too many ideas, at least two too many subplots and a lazy expectation that the viewer will accept weird concepts such as the main protagonists looking exactly the same before and after fifty years have passed. Or that a war-baby daughter born circa 1970 would be around twenty-seven years old now in the time of President Trump. That along with the all too obvious ad-libbing going on between the otherwise brilliant cast underlines the kind of lack of discipline that the younger Spike Lee would have scoffed at.
Earlier Vietnam War films were referenced in criticism or homage; Rambo, Apocalypse Now. But a prominent, and completely unnecessary, plot twist actually reminded me of Tropic Thunder; a film which blatantly satirises Hollywood's sidelining of black actors (in the shape of Robert Downey jr's character's outrageous use of black face). In that film and this a remnant if the past is triggered in exactly the same way and the cast are sucked into a mini re-run of the Vietnam War complete with bloodthirsty Quasi-Vietcong stereotypes on their tail. I don't feel good making that comparison this is a Spike Lee film after all!
There is a good movie in there, it just needs a really good re-cut!
Tiger King (2020)
Lurid tale of some very unpleasant people
I've seen a couple of episodes and although it draws you in, it doesn't really take you anywhere. It is supposedly a documentary but nothing is properly researched or verified, it simply gives air time to the kind of people anyone with intelligence or moral fibre would go a long way to avoid. What you get is a look into the world of a bunch of self-serving charlatans (one or two of those featured might be excused that term as they are simply moronic). We see them slagging each other off or parading around their "wildlife parks" man-handling big cat cubs. We get to hear their slender, duplicitous excuses made in the name of conservation. But they are just exploiting big cats, which, in a way this series also does. We get to see the ludicrous, out of control situation that is the American gun culture ie a constitutional right to prop up some pathetically insecure masculinity. There is no real constructive concern for conservation or animal welfare here only endless shots of overcrowded tigers and the genetically damaged creatures that are tiger/lion hybrids. It's one of those shows that people will enjoy because it makes them feel better than the people featured.
Watch David Attenborough instead.
In the Tall Grass (2019)
Trust me, ignore the I'll informed negative reviews!
This is a highly original, hugely efficient horror. It starts off by giving you the impression that this is another 'out of one's element' thriller where the protagonist has to work out how to solve a series of problems in order to survive. But then as a result of a disintegrating narrative and disorientating temporal shifts you're swirled into a fevered nightmare to the sound of whispering elephant grass. There are moments of real terror balanced with flashes of highly camp humour. There are even a few directorial flourishes the equal of Kubrick's version of Stephen King's the shining (King and Son being the writers here). Impeccable performances by the cast who brought more depth and characterisation than the average horror warrants. Smart horror. Well above average!
6 Underground (2019)
No plot, no morals, superficially enjoyable two hour advertisement
About twenty minutes in you realise this isn't the action packed intro; al la Bond. This IS the film. It's ok, it's fine, just leave your brain at the door as they say. To be more specific leave any kind of ability to appraise even the most basic human entertainment at the door. I love a dumb action film and, honestly, I'm not comparing this to Saving Private Ryan. Everyone is on good form including the director. It's just a bit vacuous, there. No one or their motivation to care about. There's a warning at the beginning about gratuitous product placement. It really didn't need it, at any pint I was expecting a meeting to take place involving a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Not terrible to look at but rather pointless.
The Love Witch (2016)
Loving homage to early 70s European horror
If you appreciate the craft of film making there is so much to love about this movie. It's a beautifully rendered pastiche or homage to those late sixties or early seventies horror films of the kind Roger Corman set the template for. The time, effort and cinematography that has gone into making this film look and feel right almost makes the completely loopy plot irrelevant, just looking at this film is enough if you're a cinephile! The cast play it straight, tongues firmly in cheek, the edit is deliberately clunky the musical soundtrack perfectly in period. If you don't love film for film's sake, if you don't get irony, if you don't want to see a lot of talented people showing that playful absurdity is an art in itself then maybe it's not for you. For the rest of you it's a joy. A respectful bow to the old school art of low budget, independent film making.
The Open House (2018)
Where's the Scooby Doo moment?
Starts well and a promising set up develops in the first act. Well acted with characters that engage then it all becomes a bit juvenile and unpleasant in the last third with no pay-off at the end.
Calibre (2018)
Very well calibrated
This is a very tight thriller, it's not an unusual premise for the protagonists to find themselves out of their element when events go beyond their control. But what sets this film apart is the weight given to how the two men, out for a laddish hunting holiday, deal with the horror of a situation in which they find themselves. Remorse and regret is often treated lightly in dark thrillers of this kind, but not here, you feel yourself being dragged down into their personal nightmare! If you've ever spent time away in a small remote community and felt ever so slightly as if you're the subject of suspicion then you'll get exactly what this film is about. Brilliant performances all round and excellent production values. A gem.
Remember (2015)
Absolutely superb slow burn thriller
This modest film is really worth your time. Very unusual in the way it shows very elderly people from their point of view as they struggle to remain empowered despite age and dementia in a world that's a bit too fast and noisy. But this isn't some life affirming parable, it's a dark and tense thriller with a brutal truth at its heart. Christopher Plummer is mesmerising as Zev the man on a very grim mission. Brilliant!
Downsizing (2017)
Excellent set-up wasted.
The first half hour of this film was very promising; great cast, great premise. The idea of exploring consumerism and its costs to our planet and our misguided solutions via a science fiction satire was completely trashed as the film suddenly became a different film with a different tone. As others have said the 'downsizing' element became irrelevant all the clever special effects present in the first section, simply evaporated. There was so much potential within in the premise that any group of writers worth their pay should have been able to mine this for comedy, horror, insight but no, it sadly failed.