Reviews

With all the talk of lack of diversity in awards ceremonies... another group could be overlooked. Young Actors. Roman Griffin Davis is handed a huge role here with heaps of screen time and dialogue. What a great performance. He nails it.

A young boy endures the end of the War in Europe whilst the war puts an end to his childhood. Befriending a Jewish Girl who has been hidden by his mother. His choices, friendships and key moments are guided by the imagined friendly guidance of Hitler (aptly the Director - Taika Waititi - casting himself in this mode of Direction).

Great supporting acting from Stephen Merchant, Rebel Wilson and Sam Rockwell... but Roman Griffin Davis steals the show in this heartwarming, tear-jerking, beautifully written black comedy. Recommended.

This was a great movie which lived up to the hype... mainly based upon the single continuous shot technique which puts you right there with the action. The staging and journey of the film makes it gripping, engaging and almost relentless. Sam Mendes deserves the praise for this unique directorial approach.

The only criticism is the rather lame way that each of its top billed cast are introduced to the audience in identical fashion.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays, Mark Strong and Colin Firth all have bit parts but appear from the back or slightly out of shot until you get the reveal ... it makes you want to wait for a someone to grab an arm from a trench and on the end of it is.... wait for it... drum roll... that bloke off of The Greatest Showman (he isn't in it by the way).

Otherwise great casting and cinematography and a really good cast of extras. Certainly a must watch movie. Probably more of a 12A than a 15 but there is a bit of gore. My 13 year old daughter liked it and learned something about the pathos of WW1

Hulk's glasses appear and reappear routinely from shot to shot without any shots of him putting them on or taking them off. In any event, with so many magical superpowers floating about ... one would think that Bruce Banner shouldn't have myopia or need to go to the opticians (on a buy one get one free basis) to get two sizes of glasses.

This is a 182 minute movie... that's 3 hours and a bit in old money. It's a long one. In the first 30 minutes it was threatening to be the slowest start to a movie since three hobbits went on a long walk but it turns a corner and keeps on moving forwards leaving the audience captivated and riveted. By the 2 hour mark we are back to the future past and there wasn't a moment to pop for a toilet break. The packed Cinema had fallen silent with all foodstuffs consumed and everyone glued to the action. This is Marvel on steroids.. Massive cast, stunning visual effects and some great funny dialogue (with very satisfying other movie references) ... there's no typically resounding finale as the action switches to tug gently at the hearts of movie goers who have invested in these characters over the years. There were several teary eyed people in amongst this audience beyond the end-game... I thought they might be tears of tiredness but my initial cynicism was rewarded by a sentimental and charming conclusion. That said I would doubt that this really is the end-game ... but if it was then it was a good one.

This should be a satisfying watch for UK audiences. Beautifully shot in the Cornish coastal fishing port of Port Isaac. Sometimes corny and a little hackneyed (with a few too many references to what locals were up to in the 1650s), it's a good fable about not letting modernity get in the way of tradition, friendship and soul. David Hayman (aka Pavel the servant from The Boy in The Striped Panama's) puts in a solid performance as Jago while Daniel Mays, and Tuppence Middleton help this trot along very nicely. Some of the references to outsiders and London knobs are a little clichèd but the theme is a good one set in a charming landscape and seascape of the Cornish coast.

A story about friendship, characters, reflection and lamenting the past just became a movie which is magnificently made by wonderful acting and casting. It's a beautiful film which is endearing in it's touching explanation of enduring friendship and mournful of the end of an era. It's no slouch though... the story is pushed along with a good rhythm, fun and great direction. John C Reilly and Steve Coogan absolutely nail their performances to take the audience through a riveting, entertaining, charming and ultimately tear-jerking tale. As the credits roll you just think about the importance of not letting reticence and reservation get in the way of true friendship. No need to be an expert in 1930s double acts as the film warmly creates its characters making a very satisfying and hopefully award winning work.

A lovely, artistic and stylishly green movie. Recommended.

Shapes that are green: Water, tiles, walls, doors, sprouts, lights, floors, key lime pies, pipes, uniforms, machines, signs, chairs, desks, CCTV cameras, glass, the map of the world, signs, clock-in-cards, hairbands, salt n pepper, jewellery, hand bags, cabbages, bath towels, kitchens, candy, dimitri's luggage, electric golf carts, shadows, reflections, jelly, books, lockers, flock wallpaper, trees, neon, cardigans, the creature from the black lagoon, chalk boards, liquid soap, telephones, various cars but the Cadillac isn't green (it's teal).

Things that are red: blood, shoes, a coat.

The acting performances of the three female leads Olivia, Rachel and Emma are engaging and impressive along with Nicholas Hoult who nails his part superbly. Hatfield House is showcased very well albeit the entire film seems to have been shot in one week of very overcast and bleak weather between the death of Daffodils and the first flowering of Wisteria during the coldest Spring on record. The drab light adds a wonderful authenticity to the lighting which seems either genuinely natural or candle lit. The costume design is very well done from the peasant and servant garb through to the gentry fineries. Sadly this is neither the Madness of King George nor the Draughtsman's Contract as it becomes ponderous and at times dull while it dawdles to its puzzling and unsatisfying conclusion. It's the first 15A film that I ever knowingly attended. Your average accompanied 15 year old might not thank you for stealing 2 hours and 1 minute of their youthful lifespan.

This is certainly the best Animated Feature of 2018 and will be a shoe-in for the Best Animated Feature Oscar and is very much deserving of its Golden Globe nomination. The rendering of the animation is literally game-changing in this genre ... much as Toy Story wowed it's first audiences over 23 years ago. This is a true masterpiece in animated visual effects which makes you literally marvel that it's essentially a movie by SONY. Great story-telling and characterisation throughout. This movie has a pulsating visual and audio beat supplemented by a great urban sound-track. It's a deserving 10 out of 10. As a final tip, be sure to watch the credits to the end.

The Jamie Foxx character finds himself clapped in irons (handcuffs) twice... but, given he has just one hand, seems to fail to realise that he could just slip them off his handless wrist!

Went to see this today... and it was really bad. A real stinker. They have just 5 sets. The town, the church, a kind of bow and arrow Iraq war, the mine with random flares (what are they mining?) and a place for doing speeches to the peasants. The costume department clearly raided primark and you keep thinking how did a man with one hand get handcuffed twice in this film? And when are Blake's 7 going to turn up to ask for their footwear back. There is a scene with dialogue from most English speaking accents... Irish, Cockney, American, Australian but none of this is meant to be funny. The best bits are the super unrealistic close combat bow and arrow shooting... and then end after the excruciatingly bad "false ending". Help.