Film Reviews by CW

Flawless. Excellent script, casting, acting, sets, filming. Gaspingly good. I am totally addicted to this series. As good as any movie or series I have ever seen. I highly recommend. 

Gaspingly good in every way. Thrilling script, excellent cast, acting, filming, costumes…everything as good as it gets. Compelling. I can hardly breathe as I watch. Am on series three and looking forward to series four and five. 

I found all three series totally compelling. Everything well thought out. Excellent writing, directing, casting, acting. Believable, at times made me gasp. TV drama at its best. I highly recommend.

I like movies based on true stories. I thought that Matt Damon and Christian Bale were well cast and believable in their roles. Both totally wired on adrenaline at all times. I felt as though watching the real races. Loved the scene of Henry Ford Jr in the race car on his one and only time experiencing the speed. 

Beautifully done. Real depiction of someone going through chemo and someone taking care of her. The suffering. The mood swings and physical changes.  Never giving up on love and life. Kindness. Empathy. Integrity. Plus Liam Neeson being drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt...

I was expecting more but still I try to see any movie with Annette Benning or Bill Nighy. In the special features I learned that William Nicholson, writer and director, based the story on that of his mother, father and himself. That was interesting. In the movie, Annette Benning plays a totally self absorbed woman named Grace. She has been compiling her favourite poems for an anthology which later her son puts on line for her. She entitles it Sudden Light after the very famous poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  Towards the end of the movie she recites this favourite poem to her son. As spoken, some of the words and lines are out of order! I couldn’t believe this. Surely director, fact checker and actress would have done a bit of homework. I looked at a few reviews on line and did not see mention of this glaring mistake. A shame because it is such a marvellous poem.

I loved this. Philip Seymour Hoffman is totally convincing as an OTT drag queen. He takes care of everyone, the grand dame and mother of his band of flamboyant friends. He hides his loneliness. Robert De Niro is also excellent in his depiction of a once strong policeman who suffers a stroke that leaves him barely able to talk. He struggles to walk. Both PSH and RDN nail these brave roles that a a giant departure from other characters they have played. There is a powerful scene when PSH is dressed for once in a suit. He has returned from his mother’s funeral. De Niro sits with him as PSH in a long monologue, reveals his incredible skills as an actor. The characters learn about friendship and love. I was delighted that they became friends. 

I throughly enjoyed Series 1 and 2 and Series 3 continues the excellent humorous drama. Great cast of recurring and new characters. Michael Sheen a despicable corrupt attorney. He steals every scene he is in. This Series bashes Trump.  Uncannily predicts the corruption of US Republican Party prior to 2020 election. I already have Series 4 on my saved list. 

My gosh this was brilliant. First I watched the special features, and am glad I did. I learned about how the stories of the book and then the screenplay were developed. The author and director grew up in the Miami neighbourhood depicted. This is not the expensive stylish white Miami usually shown in movies. I could rave about every aspect of this movie. Directing, casting, story, acting, sets, music, colours. Major themes of identity, despair, acceptance, forgiveness, compassion. It is a very brave story and felt true. I am so glad that it won awards and recognition. Some people have complained about not understanding some of the dialogue. I understood almost all, but a few words I missed but in real life I don’t get every word. This all felt very real to me. It is a movie I want all of my friends to see. 

Absolutely marvellous. 

Obviously great cast. I saw series one and then just had to see series two. Characters are further developed in series two as their friendship grows. They are linked by a secret. I loved watching Meryl Streep gleefully play a twisted vile manipulative woman. I liked that the series is based on a book by a woman who co wrote the screenplay. Directed and produced by women. Totally addictive. 

I have been wanting to see the two incredible actors - Harrelson and McConaughey together to watch them play off one another. True Detective gave them this opportunity. Excellent script, directing and acting. At times the role McConaughey plays is Shakespearean in depth. The other reviewers have described the series much better than I can. Moments that are wonderfully scary and I had to watch through my fingers. Yipes. Throughly enjoyable. Deep and dark. Loved it.

Chilling thriller. Sometimes had to watch through my fingers! Isabelle Huppert plays a deranged elegant monster. Great roles played by excellent actresses. Satisfying ending too.

Watch this first, then Turks and Caicos and finally Salting the Battlefield. Bill Nighy is marvellous as always. Subtle, wry, elegant, intelligent and ethical. Ralph Fiennes seems to have fun playing the ruthless Prime Minister. Judy Davis is also such a delight to watch. Great cast, directing and acting. Sounds silly but I love watching Bill Nighy walk. Such a commanding presence. He is spy for the Secret Service. I throughly enjoyed watching the trilogy filled with intrigue. 

I wanted to see more movies or TV shows with Maggie Gyllenhaal & found this. At first I thought, no, why would I want to watch a series about prostitution and the mafia in NYC in early 70’s? Watched the pilot and then looked forward to each episode of series one. Excellent scripts, casting, acting, directing. James Franco plays very different twin brothers. Everyone in the show does such a good job. Compelling, sad, stark, well researched. Looking forward to series two.

Years ago I saw Commissar at a  Russian film festival. I was stunned by its brilliance and bravery. Thanks to Cinema Paradiso I was able to see it again. This is a vast story of war and the effect on the lives of the soldiers and people trying to survive. It is a story of profound love, empathy and kindness. The woman commissar is soon to have a baby. She is lodged with an extremely poor Jewish family with 6 young children. They are forced to and then willingly, lovingly share their cramped home and meagre rations with her. All she knows is military life. She sees their struggles and watches them laugh and dance. They are survivors. There are shocking memorable scenes of what happened to Jews. This was the only film made by Askoldov, the writer and director. Because he refused to change the ethnicity of the Jews and because he showcased the hard life of women, the movie was confiscated and banned. He was not allowed to make another movie. What a loss. There are marvellous long shots of riderless horses symbolising soldiers killed in battle. Heartbreaking and gorgeous. This classic immense story certainly does not feel like a first film by a director. So after years since I first saw it, I watched it again and will watch it once more before returning. Thank you Cinema Paradiso.