Film Reviews by JD

I completely agree with the sentiment of the review entitled very average but think too many stars were awarded. I thought Raging Bull was too raw but at least it was passionate. Rocky was too formulaic but at least it was exciting. This is dull and dreary.

It is a gamble doing computer graphics for natural history as it could be either unbelievable or too childish. I thought it was great. I don't have 3-D, and I imagine that would be even better, in 2-D just to imagine the colossal size of some of the flying lizards is wonderful.

A biography of a British dope peddler was not a film I felt sympathetic towards. The acting is, however, absolutely brilliant and the plot does not try to endear you to a man smuggling industrial quantities of marijuana. Rhys Ifans and David Thewlis are outstanding and deserve more distinction. Like most biographies there are ordinary bits between the moments of extremes but this keeps it real. Not for everyone but a great triumph of British film making.

This biography of Joan Jett is an insight into rock and roll in the 70's. Naive teenagers with modest talent but a huge amount of energy burst into the music scene and get damaged in the process, some more than others. Very sad as it is a true story. I didn't enjoy it that much, I think it would appeal to teenagers, particularly those of a rebellious nature.

The Harry Potter cast was in my opinion divided into brilliant adult actors and the worst child actors I have ever seen. The disappointment that they have chosen to continue in acting is huge. Rupert Grint unfortunately plays the lead role in this film. Julie Walters plays her usual role of a mad but totally funny old lady. She is brilliant, her character is witty and interesting and I wish the rest of the film had been edited. Worth watching just for her.

This is characteristically British humour. The only outright joke is when the elderly landlady guesses the transvestite is a man. Understated and quirky. A bit too much pathos for me. I like only enough to set up the humour. There is a transvestite being beaten up, a funeral, a son as a bitter disappointment and a couple breaking up. The dance at the end does not make up for 60 minutes of depression. The last quarter is very formulaic and unbelievable. The rest is true and interesting.

The second best of the trilogy, the first being the best. I was completely drawn in to the feeling of helplessness after an epic battle which does not ease up at all. I enjoyed the battle scenes immensely. Some of the Star Wars type mega-committees were a bit dull and the walking with elders I could have done without but the machine world was amazing.

This is definitely the least impressive of the trilogy. Having built up a very imaginative plot in the first part the plot does not develop as quickly in the second. There is a massive emphasis on the romantic bond which culminates in a difficult decision but isn't really worth sacrificing the drama and action for. Overshadowed by 1 and 3 but still OK.

The viol looks pretty much like a cello and this film shows how a French viol player developed techniques for improving its sound in the mid 18th century. Do not be fooled that Gerard is pictured on the front, his part is central but not the main character by far. The miming of viol playing is absolutely appalling. It would have been better to leave the arms out of shot. As you might imagine for a film about a viol, the pace is slow and the story pretty thin.

This is one of the 20 films that you have to watch. It is as much of a sci-fi classic as The Good, The Bad and the Ugly is a western classic. The plot is so original and so complex that any description would both spoil it and be inadequate. If you haven't seen this already this is compulsory.

There is such a step up from Mission Impossible 2. The plot is more fluent, the stunts more believable and more memorable. The most awesome of which is the fulcrum swing from one tower to another. You will most definitely be holding onto the glass roof for him. My sofa will need reupholstering. Even the little stunts are great, like running up the Vatican wall. Having a bomb up your nose made me wince, still not sure how the defibrillator works in stopping it but it is a very memorable moment.

Despite his best attempts to portray an unpleasant, unlikeable, bad guy he fails. I am sure Michael Palin would have been the same. They are incapable of playing the bad guy. The plot generally is pretty unbelievable and there is too much of the super hero stuff which is neither awesome nor amusing. Surprisingly average for a Gibson film.

Of the almost random scenes, some of which finish in mid-sentence, some feature a man practising table-tennis, most are pretty dull. Some of the clips of news presentations are pretty grim (most notably the rotting corpses in the Yugoslavian ethnic cleansing era). The excerpts are of the lives of several characters most of whom are either dull or unpleasant. These people are all in one place at one time at the end of the film. As a narrative or story or piece of entertainment it is poor. As an alternative way of directing a film it is outstanding. If you want an arty experience get this one. You will remember it for a while.

The problem with a series that runs to a certain formula is that it is bound to invite comparison. I think that it is not the best of the MIs. That honour goes to ghost protocol which is close to perfect. MI2 has much more of a romantic interest and employs many more silicone masks than the others. Possibly a few times too often. It is never clear why sticking a semiconductor on your neck changes your voice to match another person's voice. The motorbike chase is not well shot and feels unconvincing. Having said that the series ranks as one of the best in the genre of action / spy / adventure, none of them are poor.

This takes slap-stick to the furthest point. The stick does not get slappier than this. Despite the chaos being full on throughout it does not hurt any less. My sides split, my tears spilt. For me the 2 moments of ultimate ecstasy were when Simon Pegg is lifted off his bed by his nipple ring and when the hose intercom from kitchen to dining room is used as a pencil gun.