Film Reviews by MM

From the opening scenes knew this would be a great ride. It tackles loneliness, isolation, friendship, AI, and bullying perfecting and yet almost every scene just makes you want more. It seemed to go by so fast. the acting is flawless. David Earl is outstanding. The premise is so wonderfully quirky that it just keeps you laughing. What actually works is that the robot is simply so bizarrely put together is steals the show. (of course you know its a man in a suit) it reminded me of Zachary Smith and the robot in Lost in Space, but this works better. we need more films like this. Watching this made my day.

Untouchables is really a marvellous film about the friendship that develops between the wealthy French aristocrats and his carer, and how different cultures and backgrounds are no obstacles, in the bonds of friendship .

It’s one of the few films I would give 10 marks out of 10. 

A lot has been written about this film. For me it really reminds me of Italians I have known and their ways. This film exudes style and feels as if you are ambling through the lives of a group of people, from the pretentious to prostitutes and on to saints. This observational style takes precedence over the storytelling and it really works. The sets and attention to the point of view and camera angles are phenomenal. If you can watch a film where the first 15 minutes is simply a rooftop dance party and enjoy the spectacle, then you will love this film. I really think it is one of the best films I've ever seen: something that would not work well as a book or any other format, and its this use of the film media that is the great beauty.

A peek inside the world of private finance and those that will do whatever it takes to ascend. This is a very different and engaging film. It commands your attention and the plot moves in this direction then that leaving you ever so slightly unsure of where it's going. There are some remarkable performances and the cast pulls it off effortlessly. Do't let your attention stray because you'll struggle to keep up with the nuance of it all.

Filed in B&W, the cinematography of this film recalls classic Kitchen Sink Realism of the 60s and in some ways seems to be a modern-day equivalent. The camera work really works so well in B&W, capturing the nuance of shadow very well. Camera angles, and perspective leave the viewer unconfotably close to the action. Gritty, dark, uncomfortable, with seething emotions and a level of sexual explicitness that adds to the brooding atmosphere ( on the Blu-ray release)

  I found the extras very interesting and reveal a lot about the development of the film and the character development, and well worth watching. 

This is the second time I watched the film. What we have are incredible performances by Zellweger worth of a tribute band. Sadly, the story shoring these performances up is rather weak. You don't really get to know about the character or like them enough of the film to matter as the film only focuses on a few weeks of her life, so you don't really get to see any character progression. Still, it felt like I was peering back into time to a lost London. Zellweger is phenomenal, but is let down by the storytelling.

At 3 hours long this is a comprehensive and well put together documentary divided into manageable sections. It is extensively researched and very well put together. it covers the impact of pre-christian folk lore and its impact in the genre of Folk Horror in film. There are interviews with directors and experts on iconic films such as Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man and 200 other films. It also acknowledges the impact of writers such as Nigel Kneele and his influence upon storytelling. There is also an interview with Geraldine Beakin from the Atlantis Bookshop. This is the most comprehensive study on this genre and manages a feat of being comprehensive, informative, and absorbing. Highly recommended.

I won't focus on the story of the film which I quite agree changed cinematic history. (I attended the preview of its first night. i will never forget it) I'll concentrate on the $k remastering

Content

The Blu ray 4K contains 2 versions of the film and two commentaries, both are worth listening to. There are also 2 film score tracks. the film made interesting watching listening only to the score which actually works well. There are also so brief deleted scenes , which honestly are so short they are not worth mentioning and were honestly disappointing.

4K Film quality

The film has been remastered 4K in HDR10. This means black is truly black! What this means is that there is a lot more visible in the film than before. Corridors stretch into far distance, giving a much greater impact to the interior visuals. there is more to see on each frame than previous versions which seemed largely black ! The remaster if from film and there is a lack of sharpness because of it so I'd probably say the sharpness is not greater than non 4K.

Sound

The sound is Dolby digital 5.1 remember that the original film was only Dolby surround so what we have is largly a remix to 5.1 which does the job.

Conclusion

This groundbreaking film has been lovingly remastered for a new generation. The film has not aged a day. the 4K is probably not much better than 2K because it is a film transfer but the high contrast gives it a whole new feel. It is a masterpiece. this disk is only worth watching if you have a HDR screen or a fan of the commentaries of film score.

I began watching it in Madorin with English subtitles but they shot by too quickly so i watched the film with English dub. it was a mistake. The dubbing is very poor quality with ridiculous American accents. The first half of the film plods by, great costumes but hammy drama. towards the end of the film we have some beautiful imagery of sweeping mountains,, dark craggy valleys, armies sweeping into attack, rain, and an interplay between music and black and white and elemental forces. By this point one did not really care. I really wanted to like it, but could not.

This film it like a glimpse of a world gone by, from the opening scenes of a postwar British kitchen, to the images of London. Feisty yet subservient women screaming when upset, to the stoic British gentleman all having a wacky race to Brighton and back through pastures green.  It is a film of a certain Britishness that is now lost forever, a golden glossy imagined past.

The extras are interesting and detail how the film was made, and well work viewing. 

This film is quite remarkable and hightly atmospheric. The shots are a mixture of the wild untamed Damish marshlands and clautrophic interiors that arte beautifully framed and illuminated. It is a slow evolving film so those used to a modern fast plot will be frustrated. The atmophere for forboding and a kind of ominous spirituality thatr seems like a breeze throughout the film catches hold of you. Look closely at the end shots of the face of Inger. Is this amasterpiece of magical realism or somethign spiritual? that 1/2 second shot makes all the difference to the interpretation of the film. the performance by Johannes is as stunning as it is wierd. The attitiudes to death are also fascinating and the morality is of a different era and fascinating to see it laid out.

I had never seen this film before so was keen to see it in a 4K master. The transfer is a little disappointing and I wonder if that would really be much to see in terms of improvements in quality over standard Blu-ray. The film detail was fuzzy and lacked definition..

The film itself Seems to be the archetypal prison movie. Well I can appreciate that in its day it was probably groundbreaking by today’s standards The film less so. The film of innocent man going to prison and through a series of ordeals becomes a different man has been well trodden and maybe this film is the grandfather of all of those films but it followed a parcel already trodden by films like Cool hand Luke . you can virtually protect every plot point in the story and maybe that that’s because it’s been copied by everyone else. I think however the subject matter has been finally polished by subsequent movies and done a little better. I did find it very engrossing And it held my  attention. Are usually watch all the extras as I often find them very interesting. This film had an audio commentary but I didn’t listen to it. Hope that’s because I didn’t want to watch the movie a second time and was not that interested in it. For that reason I give this film four points. I certainly wouldn’t put this in a list of the best films of all time And scratch my head towards the way it has such a reverential status.

Wonderful. Paul Thomas Anderson puts his characters under an observation glass in minute detail. Just when you think you know the characters, it gets wonderfully dark!

This is an in depth look at the birth of electronic music from Stockhausen to Roedelius (One of my most loved artists) through to Kraftwerk and onwards. I think anyone who likes Krautrock and the German electronic music scene will be fascinated ( as I was)

There’s a fondness in the documentary towards the subject matter that is sincere and respectful. Time is taken to explore the lives of some of the artists as well as their work and the interview with Karl Barton is very revealing. It is joy that artists such as Roedelius are given such recognition as pioneers in the genre.

Well I've read the negative reviews and feel they are unfair. I'd agree that you have to get past the first few opening scenes, but I found this film very enjoyable in a pop-opera style. Those familiar to Sparks will know they are very accomplished lyricists and musicians. "we love each other so much' where the only line delivered is this line is try to their humour where rather than use lines of romantic dialogue or cheesy songs to describe character progression , they strip the song down to its function, that is to show us they love each other very so much. IF you understand what they are doing with the lyrics, you come to enjoy this approach as it really is innovative. I enjoyed the story and the unexpected move into death, supernatural revenge, is Macbethian. For me, it's one of the best films in the last year! Of course if you enjoy the music of Sparks this is a masterpiece.