Film Reviews by CD

This film has many pluses including the joy of seeing Carey Mulligan and Ryan Gosling acting together, the driving chases, classy camera work and overall good casting.  I would have rated it 4 stars but dropped to 3 stars due to the excessive violence in the second part of the film, which was a real negative for me.  Well worth a watch though for all the other good things about this film.

The early dialogue, and the difficulty in hearing it, does not fill one with hope: co-pilot to pilot - example (paraphrased)  “I assume you are English?”; pilot “I would not lower myself to that level - I’m Scottish”.  However, Gerard Butler’s pilot character develops well after that to be an interesting person who cares for his passengers (who are a real mixed bag of personalities).  The scenario of the crash on the Island is not altogether unrealistic and the action sequences on and off the plane are excellent.  The baddies are suitably bad and the momentum of the film is well maintained till the end - altogether a satisfying film to watch.

Bruce Willis puts in an excellent performance in this quite high action “shrink” film involving the psychology and therapist world.  I enjoyed the 1990s low technology LA setting (with Bruce Willis making calls from his car with a large corded phone).  There is also a good car chase and the famous sex scene which goes on so long you may be tempted to press fast forward.  The characters and plot leave a lot to be desired,  but if you like 1990s style cop films and TV serials, you might like this.

This film really exceeded my expectations. Excellent casting in all the roles and great acting by Clooney in particular. The storyline moves along well and at no stage compromises the characters. Clooney's character remains quite inscrutable throughout but the onion is peeled sufficiently for one to be able to glimpse what drives him (beyond the air-miles). A really worthwhile film that leaves you thinking.

I am not sure that the trailers really prepare the viewer for what is in store, which is quite sad and poignant. The photography is brilliant as is the way the focus is on the donkey's view of the world. The scenes are sufficiently strange to keep the film interesting. The lack of really developed human characters works well and keeps the sentimentality out of the film.

I was not expecting too much of this film, but from a slow and low key start it grows into quite a creepy and memorable film.  The acting is very good and the music score and arty film shots add a lot to the atmosphere.  The creepy cameo roles of the priest and the visiting young neighbour contribute to the film’s strangeness - well worth a watch.

A disquieting film which hangs together around the superb acting.  The flashbacks, hallucinations and dreams come thick and fast but the storyline hangs together okay  - psychological illusions and reality become blurred, but it is much better done than in many films.  An extra bonus is the superb filming of the landscape around the cliffs.  Recommended but rather dark, and perhaps best to take a breather half way through.

I was in two minds as to whether watch this film as the subject matter sounded grim.  I am glad I did because the actors are superb and the scariness and disorientation of dementia is really brought out both by Anthony Hopkins’ character and the family and helpers around him.  The tensions created by a person suffering from dementia are well shown as are the battle between being compassionate to the sufferer, acting is their best interests and carrying on with one’s own life.  The final scene is really transformative and very moving.  Hats off to the director, actors and everyone involved with this great film.

This film had good characters and fine acting, but the storyline is not strong enough and it moves at too slow a pace. It is pleasantly unpredictable, but unlikely and rather unconvincing as a result. Worth watching for the interplay between the two main characters and for the interest of the Russian train and its arctic environment. The culture difference between the Finn and the Russian is also interesting. Overall I would tentatively recommend but prefer many other "journey" films.

I enjoyed this film for its 1990s backdrop (with almost no technology in view), a chain smoking MD, and glimpse into small town America of the time. As a sci fi horror film it is a bit silly, not so much for the underlying plot but for the silver hair and behaviour of the children which varies from the mundane to the scary. The actors are sound even though many characters are hardly developed in the film at all, and the pace of the film is good. Overall quite entertaining and worth a watch.

I was not sure about the casting of the actors playing the young and older David Copperfield, but in the second part Hugh Dancy does very well in the title role. The support actors are very strong, in particular the actor playing David C's Aunt Betsey Trotwood, who introduces a kind of Mary Poppins energy to the role which works well. The adaptation is well paced over the two parts and the Irish film locations work well. The actor playing Uriah Heep is suitable "humble" and obsequious, and Micawber is given an interesting comic uplift . Overall a good watch.

I found this film very well acted with a good plot, but ultimately a bit unsatisfying. Having built up the characters well, the second half then moves into a rather bewildering set of hallucinations and flashbacks (a bit reminiscent of the 1987 Micky Rourke film "Angel Heart"), including some gruesome scenes. Interesting alone for the 1990s low tech far eastern context and the very fine acting and direction on display, but not a truly great film in my view.

I really enjoyed this film which has brilliantly created characters and a lot of dark humour amongst the cannibalistic goings on. The 19th California setting is a good one to choose, and the lack of any clear heroes is a plus. There are also some clever moral dilemmas and twists, and more than one surprise in the plot that keeps this film going strongly to the end.

It takes time to work out the context but the film seems to revolve around Iranian emigres in a US city.  The characters and actors are good and the hotel and manager are suitably creepy.  There are some stock horror moments, but through the film there is a more subtle creepiness that makes it quite absorbing.  My only criticism it that it seemed rather long and could have been reduced by 15mins to tighten it up at the end.  Overall worthwhile and recommended for those who like hotel based creepy films.

The period of the 100 years war is a good one to choose for a bloody tale of rivalry and misdeeds. Matt Damon seems a little miscast as the rough hewn knight facing a much more charming rival to his wife's affections. Jodie Comer is excellent as the wife. I agree with some other reviewers that the mix of accents grates somewhat, and also that the film is a bit long due to the technique of showing three viewpoints of the same event. This can work well if those viewpoints are very different, but not so well in this case where they are not. The film brings out the sheer brutality and chaos of the age well, but could have provided a much clearer historical context for those not so familiar with the events. It is never very clear as to who is fighting who and why, especially in Scotland. The Trial by Combat at the end is expertly done and with a great cameo role from the actor playing the young French king, it's a satisfying if very violent film. 3.5 stars for ambition.