Film Reviews by TB

After the first fifteen minutes of this film I was finding the cheesiness, stereotypical high school and almost American-esque path the film was taking, becoming unbearable.

However, as the film started to spread its wings it grew better and better and dragged you in with a fascinating and unlikely relationship forming between, what at the time seemed to be two totally different individuals. This mixed in with a great soundtrack, a voice over to compliment the story being told and a desire to make the viewer feel for the characters and will them on, kept you attached as a viewer.

Yes the cheesiness remained throughout and that, along with some questionable acting (not from Fionn O’Shea) was hit and miss at times but the film did enough to get you involved and made you feel like a cheerleader on the side, who was not just cheering on certain individuals but were also cheering on the team and the final acceptance of those involved.

A worthy watch, without being anything spectacular.

I won’t describe the premise of this film as that can be discovered from reading the film synopsis on here.

This is a film that’s a complete triumph for modern Korean cinema and a film that’s incredibly brave in tackling multiple evocative subjects such as alcoholism, child abuse, homosexuality and illegal immigrants.

A beautiful and tender relationship is gradually built between Young-nam and village outcast Dohee but is tested as Young-nam at times is battling against the whole village and their ways, while tying to deal with her own demons.

The film makes you feel heartbreak, frustration, anger and a huge amount of pity and empathy for both lead characters (who both put in sensational acting performances). The film takes several twists and turns at the end to give it impressive depth and despite The actions of Young-nam being totally innocent she gets tangled in a web of cultural differences and misunderstanding.

However, I won’t ruin the ending but urge you to watch his fantastic film to find out if the truth comes out and if the good win the day.

A simply stunning film about an abused and cast out little girl who just wants a normal, unbroken family and to know how it feels to be loved. Such an incredibly sad and thought provoking, yet rewarding film!

A gay coming of age story that has the same elements that most gay coming of age stories have with the whole anguish of coming out and the reaction of friends, family and homophobics. However, this film also throws into the mix the addition of a road trip and a great bit of humour provided by the hilarious ‘Grandma’.

Not a must watch by any means but an enjoyable one, especially with the very fun ‘Grandma’ of the main character, Rocco.

It’s a fairly simple story but at times is poetic in its telling, with poignant moments that explore issues that have larger implications on the individuals lives. The father and son have a complicated relationship that also adds to the strain of a love story that’s threatened by cultural differences. A complex tale that is told well and delivered with good cinematography but ultimately just came up a little short for me, with an ending that left little resolved.

The camerawork immerses you into the world of Pio and the daily life and skills required to survive and get by on the streets in a small Romani community. The use of people from this real life community adds to the realistic feel of the film and the sensational performance by Pio takes you deep into his world, his feelings and his desire for adulthood and to be the man of the family.

This frank and honest portrayal doesn’t resort to violence, action or over dramatising the situation that the film is based on and in all honesty, it doesn’t need to. The acting, camerawork, pace and whole structure of the film is what makes this film stand tall in delivering a fantastic insight into this way of life.

A real cinematic triumph!!

Not as good as the first unfortunately. It wasn’t as funny, it didn’t have as good a storyline and the novelty factor of the first film started to wear a little thin. The first 15 mins and the last 25 mins were pretty good action wise but would only score this a 2.5. It’s watchable but nothing more than that!

As you’d expect from a film based on the holocaust, this is harrowing viewing in places; especially during the rounding up of the Jews into camps. What makes this stand out though, is that in parallel with the harrowing historical story is a journalist trying piece together the sad story and events for an article. This clever and almost (two films in one) way of bringing across the story of Sarah work really well and is boosted even further by some sensational acting throughout. Tough to watch in places and a reminder of the awful atrocities that humans continue to inflict on their own race.

Well....this would have gotten a five star rating but the ending wasn’t what I was expecting and didn’t really conclude what otherwise was an excellent film.

However, the ending aside this is still a very good film. Frances McDormand is incredible as a character that literally doesn’t give a toss about anything, which at times is rather hilarious. The film engages a range of human emotions and has a couple of surprising moments, along with a bit of a twist. Very enjoyable but still left miffed by the ending!

A wonderfully enjoyable and colourful animation about family, dreams and culture.

The storyline is very good and is added to with laugh out loud moments and heartwarming scenes.

A great watch!

Three short films, with the first being much longer than the two that followed.

Cas was honest and believable with acting that was good enough to make the film work and to make you feel the temptation and tenseness between the couple and the third wheel that they both desired.

Bed Buddies and Tri-Curious were both truly awful. Dreadfully acted and all rather pointless with no real meaning or conclusion.

A very daring film considering that at the time homosexuality was illegal.

It was good to see that it presented homosexuality in an honest way and showed that it existed in a cross-section of society from barristers to shop owners. So a brave role indeed to take on for Bogarde, who was excellent in portraying a homosexual who must of had to hide their emotional feelings during that time due to being scared of being found out, persecuted for who they were or in this case blackmailed.

I liked the way it focused on the love that Farr had for Barrett, and despite now being married and having a high level career he was willing to put it all on the line due to the obvious guilt he felt towards spurning Barretts cry for help against the blackmailers who were holding not just Barrett but many other homosexuals to ransom.

A groundbreaking film that not only was a good thriller but highlighted the horrible persecution of homosexuals in a film that must have pushed and questioned the social consensus at the time towards homosexuality.

Answers on a postcard if anyone knows what the film is about or meant to be. I’ve seen some fairly odd films down the years but that can only be described as three escapees on a road trip, on acid.

What and why?

This is an enjoyable and easy to watch film, and is something slightly different from the norm with it being set in the near future.

It’s relatively funny in places and easy to follow with a storyline that isn’t taxing but is effective. The relationship between Frank and the Robot is endearing as it builds to an end that is rather touching in a way.

Nothing amazing, just a good film with a different plot, that’s worth a watch.

This film didn’t quite have the same level of plot or action as the first film and gave some of that up to spend more time focusing on the background and character of Jack Reacher. However, it was far from just being two hours of a character assessment and still had a good enough plot, along with enough action and humour to make it another enjoyable Reacher film.

Marked the first film as a four and would certainly give this a 3.5 if possible.

I’m not a big fan of Tom Cruise and can easily count on one hand the movies of his that I like (Collateral being the best) but in these I really think he plays the character well. However, I’ve not read the books and have been told that he’s an odd choice in stature to play the character from the books but don’t let that put you off.

Without doubt the most completely bonkers film that I’ve ever seen. I haven’t got a clue what or why!! Couldn’t turn it off though as it was so bizarre it puts you in a trance.

No drugs needed!!