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Reviews
The Dark Knight (2008)
It's good, but let's not get carried away
The second Christopher Nolan batman movie marks an improvement on the first but only just. The film, like so many other comic book adaptations and action movies just tries to pack too much in. And also suffers from the same Achilles heel of a lot of modern films conscious of sequels: it doesn't know where to end. What ever happened to two guys having a fight and one of them dying? The Heath Ledger performance rightly gains all the plaudits, but his was the easiest part. The supporting cast are strong, with Gary Oldman particularly strong. The film tries to introduce too many villains, the original Tim Burton movie got it right, one film = one bad guy. As a result all scenes without Heath Ledger seem like a distraction from the main attraction. And for some reason Christian Bale puts on a Dirty Harry-esquire rasp while donning the black cape. The real same of the movie is that we don't see more of the Bruce Wayne character, when Mr. Bale puts on the stiff rubber suit his acting becomes stiffer. Great comic book movie, yes. Great movie, no.
Barry Lyndon (1975)
This is a fantastic film
For years I had deliberately avoided this film, the thought of Ryan O'Neal with a clunky Irish accent and bad period acting had scarred me away but what a delight it was when I finally bit the bullet and watched it.
Firstly I normally hate to watch period pieces particularly those adapted from English literature of the time, the unrealistic characters and sentimental plots make my skin crawl. But here we have the story of Redmond Barry lovable(?) Irish rogue and his adventures through Europe. The acting is superb throughout, O'Neal even pulls off a believable enough accent and is well cast as titular character, portraying his initial naivety and ultimate world-weariness with aplomb. As with all Kubrick films it is beautifully shot, the period setting allowing sumptuous costumes, scenery and backdrops. Each scene looks like an oil painting, add to this a fantastic selection of classical pieces for the movie's score and you have a feast for your ears and eyes. But, crucially, this film in held together and driven along by a witty, dark and realistic story. It is long, but your patience will be well rewarded.
Nobody's Baby (2001)
Worst Film Ever made.
This is a terrible Film...Why is Gary Oldman involved? i can only imagine he was doing someone a favour. Don't watch this film at all costs: plot is ridicules, script is terrible, acting is poor. Only the Sweetest Thing can rival this as the Worst Film Ever Made. I struggled to keep my eyes open watching this one. I really don't see how this film got made in the first place, it is neither a charming tale of an abandoned baby or a gross-out comedy, though it tries to skirt between the two. Some of the scenes seemed to be in bad taste the others were pointless. This should be straight-to-trash-can rather than straight-to-video. Never watch this film. Don't be fooled by any positive reviews on the cover, this is a terrible film.