Film Reviews by CD

The actors and director do a great job with this superior Stephen King novel. The plot is changed slightly but this does not detract from an excellent vampire horror film. David Soul is just right for the lead role and James Mason is great as the sinister antique dealer. The horror effects, while quite basic in modern horror terms, are well done, and the New England backdrop works well (as it does in a lot of Stephen King novels). The film is very well paced and never drags. Highly recommended.

The sky-diving action sequences in this film are stunning and the link in the plot to the surfing world adds to the interest of this film. Unfortunately the casting does not work that well with Keanu Reeves and his fellow cop, although the chemistry is much stronger between Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. The plot is rather unbelievable (the surfers make 30 bank robberies before hitting serious problems), but the action sets with car chases, quite a lot of shooting and the sky-diving and surfing make this movie more watchable. It seems a long film and suffers a but from being a bit of buddy movie, a police movie and an action thriller. The music is good in a 1990s way. Overall worth a watch.

This film gets great reviews and I can see why. The casting and acting is great, and the film has a sadness and emotion running though it that reminds me a little of the 1990 Film "Ghost" (starring Patrick Swayze). It's not particularly scary but is certainly unsettling. I found it an engrossing watch, well directed and superbly paced. Highly recommended.

The quality of the lead actors compensates for some issues in the casting of the supporting roles and the plot. This film does not get great reviews but with Walter Hill directing and Christoph Waltz, Rachel Brosnahan, and Willem Dafoe making the most of the key scenes, it is very watchable. The plot is to its credit not predictable, but is not very credible. Altogether worth a view with the added fun of seeing most of the filmset aiming to look like Mexico.

This is a poignant and sad film with enough action and drama to make it a good watch. The casting is good and action is sufficient to keep it all moving. It seems to stay true to many of the reported real events but Ridley Scott also brings out the relationship that Getty jr. develops with one of the kidnappers, Getty sr.'s interest in Roman civilisation, and a few of his business principles that had an impact on how he dealt with the crisis. Michelle Williams is fantastically determined as the mother and is the real hero of the story. Overall well worth an evening's viewing.

This film is highly rated by many critics and I can see why.  Brilliantly directed, great acting, intriguing storyline and wonderful screenplay with amazing shots of Chicago especially at the start and the end of the film.  Underneath is a moving story and some ethical and human questions that make this much more than an action thriller on a train.

this is a very well acted but dark tale of singlemindedness, with little thought from the lead character to the consequences. The real success is in the creation of mood and atmosphere, as the plot and  dialogue are minimal and we learn little of the characters.  The filmset in the house is great but the film casting is odd - it sometimes works but in several cases does not.  Why cast an actor in the husband role who has such a significantly different regional accent to his father?  I cannot say that it is a great film but Florence Pugh gives a great performance and it is a worthwhile watch. 

This film steadily gets better.  It’s a good cast although it takes time to get used to Nick Cage’s character.  The actor playing his daughter is excellent and the lead baddie and the lawman put in great performances.  Quite an old style type of western with pleasant scenery and plenty of rifle shooting.

I enjoyed the start of this film and the mediterranean backdrop, but I found it hard to engage with the main characters or the plot so gave up after 30 mins.  It seems to be a  well rated film applauded for the performances of the leads, so I may give it another view in the future.

This film has some great actors and acting but the plot is so hazy that it is difficult to get any real satisfaction from watching it. The balance between real and imagined is in doubt for much of the second half of the film and this becomes tiresome after a while. If you like films which slip between reality and unreality then "Angel Heart" (Mickey Rourke) or "Shutter Island" (Leonardo DiCaprio) are much better options. This film has an added Conspiracy theory angle but it adds little and unfortunately does not explain much of the plot.

Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent in this quite violent but implausible cop thriller. The body count and gratuitous violence at times devalue the film and the credibility of the plot. It is fun to see Jack Nicholson and Ray Winstone enjoying themselves so much as mobsters, but Matt Damon seems mis-cast and too clean cut for his Machiavellian role. Vera Farmiga puts in a glamorous performance as the police psychiatrist who seems to break all the rules with her clients but at least does not kill anyone, unlike almost every other leading character in this strangely unsatisfying film.

I found the plot pretty wacky but the space bits are fun especially a great scene where a giant wave hits the spacecraft. The acting and casting is good and the robot astronaut that travels with the crew is entertaining and has a few tricks up its sleeve. As several other reviewers have mentioned this is a deeply US-centric view of the world and space, and the science about black holes and relativity seems to be tossed around liberally, but applied with ease by the astronauts. Michael Caine is given an odd boffin scientist role and delivers some Dylan Thomas poetry with gravitas, but there is really no very likeable character in the film. It's a long film so be prepared to take a couple of breaks during it.

Having watched disc 1, this is a well acted, lively, action packed set of western scenes loosely based around a simplistic plot with some interesting characters, especially amongst the baddies. The scenery is great although the picture quality is not always great, and the soundtrack is classic from the late 1960s. It is a relaxing and fun way of spending a couple of hours, but do not expect anything very deep or unexpected. The whole series runs to 6 discs but I think the first 2 will be enough for me.

Disc 2 was unfortunately not as good. For example, In the first episode there are great actors such as Telly Savalas but the plot is so limited and the script so incoherent that one is left without any real story. At that point I stopped watching, so cannot comment on the other 2 episodes on the disc.

I was not expecting a classic having read a few reviews that were less than fully positive.  Judged by the core element of the story and the way loss of a parent is handled, in my view it is very well done.  There are some funny and quirky moments but it drifts into a rather general “magic and wizardry” theme that is tiresome after a while.  It could do with some stronger characters in addition to the two brothers and less cliches around what motivates young people.

I quite enjoyed this film, although it is slow moving. For me, there was a missed opportunity to explore much more the character and background of the most interesting character, played by Burl Ives. The action comes to life a bit when the character played by Robert Ryan leads the motley crew out into the wintry landscape with the promise of an escape trail. The actor playing the young renegade "who sees the light" and ultimately sides with the townsfolk delivers a fine performance. Otherwise this is more of a mood film in a cold and desolate landscape - well worth a watch.