Film Reviews by JR

I really loved this film. Bit sad, gentle, mournful, but I like that. Olivia Colman was good. People seem too fast to nit pick and find fault with films,. but all I can say personally is, I liked it and would recommend to anyone who likes the same things as me.

A lovely film centred on a forbidden gay romance set against the background of the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War of the 1970s and 80s.

The two leads are dashingly beautiful and the film is tender, poignant and memorable. If you're gay and a romantic this is definitely for you!

I first read "Decline and Fall" at school 40 plus years ago and saw this TV version when it was new in 2017 and have just seen it again on DVD.

It is a great adaptation and the characters are drawn very well and are faithful to the book. Jack Whitehall is so good as Paul Pennyfeather, it 's a pity he doesn't do more acting . David Suchet is so funny as Dr Fagan as is Douglas Hodge as Mr Grimes who has what can only be described as a "gay limp"! Lovely characterisation.

Great costumes and sets. Amazingly the scene supposedly meant to be in France were actually filmed in my home city of Bristol!

Throughly recommended.

Like everything, films are very much an individual taste. Contrary to most of the above reviews I really liked this film. I was alternately irritated/annoyed./sympathetic towards the parents characters, and I thought Josh O Connor as the son stuck in the middle was great. Although there is a lot of negativity about the film some people seen to "get it" and i happen to be one of them! At the end of the day it depends on what you like and what you relate to. 100 people could watch the same film and you'd get 100 different reactions. I thought it was calm, quiet, very British and seemed true. I've never been in a marriage break up or been a child in one, but to me this seemed realistic.

I've watched quite a few disappointing films recently so it was nice to watch something I found rewarding and worth watching.

Personally I liked this film , and i like much of Xavier Dolan's other work, such as "Heartbeats". It basically focusses on the fine line between long term friendship and love between two men who have known each since childhood. If you love another male friend does that make you gay? ( I loved the scene where Max discovers the old childhood drawing in a drawer) The ending ( without giving it away) is ambigious but i like to think positive, but not in a glib "happy ever after' way. At the end of the day, it depends what sort of films you like, and find satisfying. For me this was a good watch, and well acted, particularly by Xavier Dolan himself.

Good film, very well observed with high production values, set during the 1916 Easter Rising and in 1969 at the start of the "Troubles".

Don't want to give away the plot but some characters appear in the 1916 scenes and as their older selves in 1969.

Sad, hard hitting, period drama. Recommended.

I must agree with the previous two reviews, this film is a gem and a must see for those who like slow paced, lyrical , moving cinema.

It's sad, moving, heart warming, heart wrenching and beautiful. All the actors are so good, even the very small role of the grandmother was so well observed, particularly in a small scene reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain. The central title role is so understated, yet so powerful. The worst thing was i couldn't eat the cakes. they looked really scrumptious!

In essence this is a lovely film about love.

As the previous reviewers have said this is a powerful, atmospheric and sensitive film. A story of teenage love and friendship powerfully portrayed by the two male leads. The fact the story is played out against the bleak background of rural Iceland makes the the production pack an extra punch. Totally believable and utterly compelling and moving without sentimentality.

Well worth watching. Good acting all round, particularly from the young Jonas. The past and present sequences are done well and although you slowly realise something bad has happened in the past the realisation is still a shock. The ending was clever , and not too glib. Throughly recommended.

The story behind the iconic Tom of Finland drawings was OK, but could have been better. The story of the killing of the Russian airman in WW2 was told well in the extras features but did not come across so well in the film itself. The background and reasons why the artist began to draw the images of leather clad men with bugling muscles and attributes was not really covered. Overall the film was well done in many ways but could have been improved . Definitely worth a watch though.

Wow! This really took me by surprise - a beautiful and tragic love story with believable and brilliant performances from the two leads.

Without giving anything away , be prepared for what happens in the end! Unless you have a heart of stone this film will totally churn you up! You have been warned ! That said, it is very good.

In some ways this is a very simple film. It is a love story, of a very beautiful , tender and loving relationship. It just happens to be between two men who are half brothers. If that offends you then best to avoid, if not you're in for a treat. The two leads are wonderful and totally believable in the roles. It is funny and sad and ultimately uplifting. I really enjoyed this very film. Hope you do too.

I really enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone interested in history and/or just good drama. The period detail and atmosphere was spot on and very detailed. The characters were all totally believable and the connections between them all were complex but rivetting. It gave a very human face to a slice of Irish/British history. Without giving the story away - be warned it is very sad at times!

I feel ashamed to say my grand father who despised the Irish was sent in Ireland in WW1 after the rising to put down the rebels .

A great TV series - pity it wasn't on BBC!

I really enjoyed this film telling the story of the King of Norway's defiance of the Nazis. It was compelling, very moving a traumatic.

The relationship between the King and his son Crown Prince Olav was beautifully portrayed and very poignant , as were the scenes with the King and his young grandson, now the present King Harvald. The scenes introduced about the teenage soldier ( Frederik Seeberg, also a real person) were inspired. The whole film captured the horror of war on a very personal level. I would not hesitate to rate this film very highly.

This is a sad little film, cleverly and simply done, of two guys very much in love. Not a lot happens, but it doesn't have to. I liked it a lot.

It was different , moving and just very sad.