Film Reviews by JD

I saw this film a few years ago and wanted to review. Strangely in the second viewing I could not remember what happened next. I think it is because the plot is quite complex. Another reviewer has mentioned that Mel was not his best. Possibly so but there are no weak actors in the cast and many scenes are very tense and involving. I'm glad I saw it again.

This is minority/cult viewing. A morbidly obese chef who watches waitresses and befriends one and her Down's syndrome daughter with a chocolate cake. The father of whom eventually beats him up and tries to destroy him. The acting is not captivating but the weirdness of the plot strangely compelling. The topless bierkeller and the visceral way in which the chef enjoys his food I found particularly Germanic, I'm not sure why.

Even if you have seen this before, if it was not less than a year ago, see it again. It is extremely funny and has brilliant action. For maximum feel good escapism there is none better, even Bruce Willis cannot beat them (OK maybe he's close).

Unlike the other reviewers I have not seen the original. It is really good fun. I did object to the claim that it starred Ben Affleck. His cameo is possibly the briefest since Hitchcock. A bit of a goof-ball (I don't use the phrase endearingly) but the characters mix well and when everyone dances together to Michael Jackson I defy you not to smile. The scene with Kelly the animal eroticist is hysterical.

Starting as a 6 year old with so many flash forwards and flashbacks that time becomes a blur, this is a beautiful depiction of a small Italian town pre- peri- and post- WW 2. The main theme is the divides between the communists and other political parties which cause Peppino's strife. It is not so much a story as an account of a life. Quite an interesting life but with little other continuity or interest. The cinematography is outstandingly good. The editing abysmal.

Utterly captivating. Looking at historical and pre-historical art which we have all seen many times before but now with a completely different explanation and much more plausible viewpoint. My slight criticisms would be that it goes on a bit about how dominated we are by modern images and there are some long linking scenes with no little repetition. Maybe they could have said it all in 3 episodes. Nevertheless very thought provoking analysis.

A war time story of a submarine crew sent to torpedo North Atlantic convoys. The difference from the usual war story is that it is told from the German perspective, it is touchingly sensitive about humanity and empathic to the British navy and it is much more about how terrifying being underwater is, than about excitement of warfare. I am so glad I have never been in a submarine with a destroyer overhead. The difficulty of staying sane was made plain. The twist at the end is agonising pathos.

There is some seriously good acting, apart from Depardieu I thought the lawyer was very interesting. Most of the plot was pretty dull and although some of the war scenes were memorable I wouldn't otherwise recommend it.

A pretty accurate view of a teenage daughter and her father. She does not seem to get on with him but in fact loves him very deeply. She seems to have a thing for lying which creates some amusing scenes although for me the best part is the relationship between the dad and daughter which ducks and dives in a real and comic way.

An entire film about piano tuning in Vienna. This has got to be the most cult / niche film I have seen. This piano tuner is so absorbed with tone that it becomes slowly more and more amusing. At the end I was really fascinated as to whether he was genuine or sad or mad or brilliant. There are some pleasant interludes by piano geniuses to make it very watchable.

Reading the official synopsis above I can recognise the plot. It may be that the translation doesn't do it justice but I couldn't follow it during the film. At one point Depardieu shoots himself or at least a double of himself through a window. I thought that was important but it seems it was just a way of getting him to play two very similar parts in the same film. Too confusing. The political smearing does not obviously bear any relationship to the boxers fame and why should it?

This is pretty random in places with quite a lot of loose ends. The plot is held together by a thread, but the editing has to be seen to be believed, great chunks hacked at illogical points. At first I thought it was for censorship reasons but other times it clearly is not. Anyway it sways from violent to erotic to comic in a pleasant way and is eventually compelling. Some very silly moments that you will remember for a while.

If you did the French Revolution at school or at least know the key players, I bet it is very interesting. It was a bit lost on me I'm afraid. I had heard of Robespierre but couldn't remember anything else. Depardieu of course is brilliant, dramatic and charismatic, but I just didn't get caught up in it.

Some of the acting has a panto style. I'm not sure if this is intentional. The princess of Spain in a dialogue within a prison has an accent that fluctuates from Spanish to posh English to Estuary English. The female musketeer is at least consistent with her Essex dialect. The sword fights are pretty lame. If you are expecting period drama / action adventure you will be disappointed. If you have in mind a comic panto / amateur drama you might be laughing heartily.

The hatred between these two detectives is awesomely acted, it is very delicately poised and utterly involving. Considering the drama of much of the plot their incredibly tense relationship remains constant and exhausting. The climax of the film (not to spoil it too much) is almost a relief. Acting doesn't get better than this.