Film Reviews by JD

The genre is feel-good escapist action. The acting is superb (especially Malkovich), the plot is complex enough to carry you through, though it is a bit super macho at times.There is the odd joke (bosses car tied to a plane), the romantic angle covers all target audiences. Pretty much an all round film (for all except sophisticated).

The special effect of blood spurting with great force out of every injury inflicted starts to grate on the nerves after 10 gallons. There is definitely an audience for this style of film which seems to be common in video game violent genres. How much cutting and hosing of blood can an audience manage? I don't think films are as good a setting as games.

The Swedes really can do far out humour. This is so strange that you have to get in the mood before it starts. Some of the rise and fall of reginald perrin approaches it but no British comedy has matched it. As an example there is a traffic jam through which winds a protest rally of students whipping themselves. They are only ever however in the background, it takes most of the film to realise what they are doing. Some of the humour is done so dead pan that you need to adjust the contrast setting. Not for mainstream audiences but highly recommended for a more experimental enthusiast.

Very very slow. Even more arty than slow. Allegedly 4 stories about love, I can see drama students desperately trying to compare and contrast them. The comparison is they are matter-less, the contrast they involve different people. The long uninterrupted camera work can work for me but only if it is an emotion worth dwelling on. This was not.

Bruce Willis has become his own genre. Very funny, machismo, super hero spy / detective in a feel good (leave your brain at the door) escapist high budget film. Lots of explosions, lots of funny bits. There are plenty of films that try to do this combination but for me they underestimate how difficult it is to do well. Malkovich, Hopkins and Mirren give it that touch of class to make Willis work his magic.

Not a fan of Jolie but an admirer of Eastwood I was uncertain about this. At its worst it is a film about a lost boy (lots of young child actors who are unconvincing) and a child murderer. At its best it is a period piece (San Francisco 1928) featuring police corruption. I think this film is probably aimed at a female audience but there is enough drama in it to keep most people wondering if it is really all true. The SF police officers are quite brilliantly detestable.

The beginning is quite shocking with parallels to meet joe black. The plot then gets a lot more unusual. Duris is not an actor I have noticed before, in this he is pretty convincing as a mean businessman and callous ex-husband, but still manages to bring you round to his viewpoint. Plot, acting and strong emotion. Worth 104 minutes.

This is a film adaptation of a play. I would suggest not nearly adapted enough for me. The style of rapid conversation and argument is very theatrical, like an intense farce. It has the feel of a true classic and a high class of cast but is just too arty for me. The plot is very ordinary but that is its strength for me. A man at the end of his career feeling that he has achieved so little. Sad and pitiable. Hoffman and Malkovich are great and worth a watch, put your kaftan on for this one.

Christian Bale has become a reasonable actor as an adult but as a boy he was not exceptional. To have a film in which a boy actor is rarely out of shot results in a seriously dull portrayal of the Japanese occupation of China. The over-privileged Brits in the middle of Shanghai is a little awkward. But that is about as moving as it gets. Malkovich is good as an American chancer but the character is a little unbelievable, taking clubbings in his stride. Although there are plenty of celebs in the cast the direction is amateur and does not do them justice.

Series 1 was great. Series 2 still has plenty of plot. Lots of interesting observations, detection by critical reasoning and close scrutiny. Some of the character development is a bit clumsy, some of the peripheral characters not great. Jonny Lee Millar does the eccentric Holmes well. For purists a recovering narcotic addict is an unnecessary adaption and is overdone but makes it stand out among the Sherlock portrayals.

This feels older than 1998, the colour is in bland hues (not as depicted above). The characters certainly are not. They are so extreme that it is difficult to engage with them. The family is comprised of viciously mad, depressed and neurotic children an evil controlling father and a stupid gullible wife. Not easy watching. The family come together for the father's birthday party but there is no joy in this film. This is the sort of film that deservedly gets awards for originality, quality of acting and artistic merit but is watched by few.

I wasn't really in the mood for a gentle Disney film about a rich woman who owned a horse. It would be ideal if you are in a calm and peaceful frame of mind. For a U certificate it is quite good, Malkovich plays a very eccentric character which gives it some momentum. Not for everyone.

Although the main plot line is unlikely, the film is so much more. A member of the congregation in a tiny catholic village goes into the confession box and tells the priest he is going to kill him in a week's time because he was raped as a boy by another priest and the listening priest is going to be the target of his anger. The priest would obviously recognise the voice and at one point says he knows who it is but then retracts this. No one in their right mind would not mention this to the person concerned when they met again. But they don't. In this and a few other lines of plot there has to be some momentum of trust with the writer. The cast is incredible. The intense love between the priest and his daughter is brilliantly played. Some of the dark humour is laugh out loud. There is a lot of genuine dark drama and it is in my opinion mainly a drama around a remote Irish village. Brendan is totally charismatic and well worth watching.

This ultra low budget (I imagine) film about the tough upbringing of a family in Siberia is pretty grim. The rules of survival are learnt at grandpa's knee at other low joints. Malkovich is great as grandpa but the main story is the life of two friends. It does flick freely between the ages of the boys/men and this borders on annoying but it does eventually settle on the final phase of their disasterous relationship.

This tedious pile, has a few redeeming features. Oscar Isaacs is in it, except that he is not at his best. The scenery is interesting, lovely shots of Greece and Crete and .. no that's it. The plot is boring and the characters are not engrossing. The direction is aimless. I watched until the end so there must have been something about it but I can't remember what.