Film Reviews by TB

You wouldn't think that a story about the beef hormone black-market could make such compelling viewing. But this foreign film, made in 2012, really stays with you.

It tells the story of Jacky (Matthias Schoenaerts) who is an absolutely stacked, muscle-bound enforcer within the mafia and who controls a large section of the black market in hormone treated beef. The film is really set in two parts: the present day where things go badly wrong after a botched deal/the murder of a policeman, and the past and showing what happened to Jacky. There is in particular an unbelievably traumatic & horrific scene within these flashbacks, which gives the story immense heft.

The best thing this film does is the tension that runs through every second of it. Every character is on edge and the threat is so heavy in the air you can almost feel it hit you. And at the centre is Schoenaerts. This is a staggering performance and he richly deserved the plaudits he got for it. Apart from his physical transformation, his ability to be able to show the intense vulnerability & fear he has is amazing.

Whilst this may be a slow film, it is never a boring one and I was hooked throughout.

After Gladiator, Ridley Scott was the go-to guy for historical epics. So it was only a matter of time before the legend of Robin Hood landed on his desk.

But despite casting his muse Russell Crowe and bringing back the vast majority of the crew he worked with on Gladiator, this film doesn't really work. As you'd expect, there's extremely well shot action & it looks gorgeous, but it's unbelievably long and there isn't much fun to be had.

But I did enjoy parts of it, hence the 3 stars. But after so many of these films, all focused on the same legend, can we please stop making them now and actually find a new source material to adapt?

When Fifty Shades was released and went on to massive commercial success (but definitely not critical...) there would always have been many people lined up to cash in on the phenomenon. To me, this film was the result of the producers looking at that situation and going "How can we spend the least amount with the lowest-charging actors and production team, to try and strike gold?" But even with that goal, this barrel-scraping exercise breaks new ground.

This film is terrible. Awfully shot, atrocious acting, just garbage. And it's actually embarrassing to watch. You can hear the terrible acoustics and echoes in every room. The cameras are literally only slightly better than the standard ones you would use to shoot your holiday with.

But the worst thing about this film truly are the performances. Whether it's the delivering of lines so flat & unenthusiastically that listening to someone read a gas bill would be more interesting, through to the scenes of intimacy. The whole point of acting, especially in sex scenes, is to lose yourself & "be in the moment." And everything collapses the second you look awkward or uncomfortable. So when you are the lead starring in a film about extreme sexual transgression, and during the intimacy you either look awkward the entire time or even worse, have a surge of confidence that literally vanishes on camera, it is toe-curling to witness.

There is a scene a little way into the film where the photographer Felix first seduces Elise. And literally halfway through the scene, you see the uncomfortableness suddenly appear on the actress's face/body language, as if the penny has dropped and she's thinking "I'm involved in a sleazy Fifty Shades knock-off on a cheap set, whilst degrading myself in front of a load of film crew and the finished movie will mainly be watched by dirty old men."

As much as I appreciate that Becca Hirani signed up for this, I do feel quite sorry for her in one way: hardly anyone goes into acting to star in a terrible film. And especially when it comes to these types of scenes, of course they aren't easy. But when even you yourself look embarrassed to be starring as the lead in this film, it's time to either fire your agent or try your hand at something else.

This is a decent attempt to make a film about love and attitudes to relationships, set in the modern day.

4 different people interact, falling in love and breaking up, all whilst searching for meaning. There are some interesting moments, plus this film is unusual in that there is much more explicit sex than a normal film like this, which does give it an interesting edge.

As much as there was some interesting parts, for me it was very much a case of sometimes really being gripping, but then within a few minutes, going back to not particularly caring. The most interesting character was probably Lucie Zhang's Émilie. It is even more staggering when you consider that this is her first film. She gives a very natural & spiky performance, which often gives the film the boost it so desperately needs. Noémie Merlant is also great, showing both an angry & vulnerable side. Her story arc is good as well, although it does come to rather an abrupt & strange conclusion which I didn't really buy.

The other thing I liked was that it was shot in black and white. It may have seemed like a gimmick, but it actually really works well.

Certainly this is more than a standard romantic film, but I just wished it had had a better story

Julianne Moore can't really do any wrong. Everything she is in, she is great in, even if the film itself is not good. But here, as much as she brings the star power, the result is nothing but a turgid mess.

This film was a remake of a film that was also shot by Sebastián Lelio. The original version was extremely successful, so he was given the money after the huge success of A Fantastic Woman to remake it for an American audience.

But it was just boring. Nothing in it made me want to keep watching. And whilst I stuck with it for around 40 minutes, in the end there was nothing to keep me watching. But I also accept I may be the wrong audience for it. Either way, for me it didn't work.

This film is the touchstone in many ways of the modern action film. It's staggering special effects which still stand up today, blended with incredible storytelling and performances, are legendary.

The cast is perfect. Keanu Reeves, who had starred in a series of successful action films leading up to it, is perfect as Thomas Anderson/Neo. Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity matches him in every way, a bewitching & lethal woman who can tear down buildings with ease. As the indestructible enemy Smith, Hugo Weaving is just awesome. And giving his usual gravitas and power, Laurence Fishbourne is flawless.

This film, the stunts, the themes, the soundtrack, is all perfect. A masterpiece and one of the best action films ever made.

This film is perfection. It takes a well-worn story (social outcast finds another outcast and they bond before showing everyone how just because you're different, doesn't mean you aren't also deserving of the same respect and love,) and takes it in the most unexpected and wonderful places.

The animation is flawless. You feel like you are actually flying up in the clouds with Hiccup and Toothless, whilst the magnificent score acts as your guide.

The voice acting is also great. There isn't a better voice for Hiccup than Jay Baruchel. It just works in every way, as does the rest of the cast. Special mention must go to Gerard Butler & Craig Ferguson, really using their Scottish accents to magnificent effect.

And the script is phenomenal. Every character feels real, like a genuine person you would meet. And the life lessons & precious moments aren't forced. Unlike today where there has to be an almost hammerblow attitude to things, it is so light but yet so powerful.

I love this film. It is everything you would ever possibly want from a movie, along with magnificent production values. Movie magic

When this was released, it was hailed as a throwback to a proper whodunit, with story and mystery. And whilst it has an incredible cast, plus significant pedigree in the writer/director, for me I was never particularly gripped. There are some funny moments, interesting twists and Daniel Craig is clearly having a whale of a time as the Southern detective.

But by the end, I was fairly meh on the whole thing. I will rewatch it at some point, to see if I do enjoy it more, but not a huge recommendation from me.

Released just before he was announced as James Bond, this was Daniel Craig's most high profile role. As the unnamed protagonist, he is an extremely successful & clever drug dealer who is wanting to cash out and leave the business behind him. He is also in many ways an anti-gangster, in terms of his deliberate avoidance of guns and flashing his cash, preferring instead to keep a very low profile.

One day at what is effectively a farewell lunch, his boss Jimmy Price gives him a task: find the wayward daughter of a friend of his. Despite no detection history, the protagonist agrees to search for her. This then kicks off a series events, involving double-crosses, extreme violence and psychotic gangsters. I did find Jamie Foreman's The Duke character extremely funny and a great satire of what the average person thinks a drug dealer looks like & how those idiots think they should behave.

The whole film is very well shot, acted and also has a great soundtrack. Matthew Vaughan, here making his directing debut, shows incredible confidence & mastery of his art.

The cast are uniformly great, especially Michael Gambon, who almost chews the scenery around him. And Craig is at the centre, owning the narrative. There is even a cheeky Bond-ish reference for your enjoyment.

Highly recommended

After their work together on Heat, Michael Mann and Al Pacino reunite for this explosive story about the first whistleblower from actually within the tobacco industry, Jeffrey Wingard, who then went to a journalist to tell his story, only for the news organisation to try to block it being reported on fully. In the end it took legal cases and huge pressure before they relented and reported the full facts.

The performances are great, especially from Pacino and Crowe. Crowe in particular was very effective at communicating his horror at how long he'd been effectively keeping this secret quiet and his mortification at his silence causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Seeing the torture mentally was also extremely moving, especially as his youngest daughter was extremely sick and the job he had helped pay for the advanced medical care she needed.

There are some good courtroom scenes as well. Sadly, Pacino isn't able to do a meltdown in any of them, but another character gamely takes this up.

The positive result of all this was the tobacco companies eventually admitted liability and paid out a multi billion record settlement.

A final funny bit of trivia is that Russell Crowe was preparing for Gladiator, which he started shooting a few weeks after he finished The Insider. So rather than being the actual look of Wingard (large, portly, not physically fit, someone who spent all his days either sitting or standing in a lab,) Crowe is absolutely stacked and built like a brick sh*thouse. The camerawork also does wonders in not showing this, but there is a slip-up at one stage during a late night scene and when I saw it, just burst out laughing. An unintended moment of amusement.

Christopher Nolan has developed a reputation for extremely clever & challenging blockbusters, which you really have to think about to enjoy. For me, Inception is probably the best of these, but also it has its problems.

The main one being that the whole film, despite having at its centre a man who is desperately trying to get home to his children children, is unbelievably cold and in many ways dour. The lack of warmth actually really affects the story and film experience for me. One of the reasons I adored The Adjustment Bureau so much was because it was similar in its story to Inception, but so warm & accessible. Inception seems to have the opinion that we are going to pelt you with coldness for 2 and half hours and at the end there is a moment of happiness.

But there are many great things about this film. The cast is excellent and front & centre of that is Tom Hardy. He really gives his character of Eames a humour and campiness mixed with a leathality that makes him a joy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also great as well. DiCaprio I thought was good, but whenever Hardy was around he was outshined. Whilst Leo does try his best and you do get a sense of his character's journey, I felt, like with Gangs of New York, that he was miscast.

One actress who was definitely miscast was Marion Cotillard. She was absolutely the fly in the ointment for me. Her role should have been given to Kate Winslet who, whilst it would have been wonderful to see the pair of them together again, would have done so much more with the material.

The other massive plus point with this film is the special effects, most of which were practical. The cinematography is also stunning (I have seen this in both IMAX and 4K,) and Nolan is a master of his craft.

So whilst there are many great things, overall I left feeling very cold. But still a worthy watch.

The future is bleak and horrific, according to Kurt Wimmer. You won’t be free, you’ll be chained to a cycle of taking medication to make the world inhabitable and be controlled in every way through the state. 

Christian Bale and Sean Bean police this state, making sure everyone is staying in line. Until one day, Bale catches Bean breaking the rules, causing him to question everything that he had held dear. Bale then has to start to fight back in order to keep his life and his sanity.

The film is dated and in places cheesy, but also great fun. And for a film of this budget (very small compared to others,) the action is great. Bale shows an early masterfulness of being able to perform this flawlessly, which no doubt helped him get the role of Batman. There is also a welcome amount of British actors cast alongside American ones. Emily Watson, Sean Bean, Sean Pertwee star with Bale. Taye Diggs is also great as Bale’s apprentice and then chief antagonist, chewing up the scenery for all its worth. 

Silly, fun and light entertainment.  

Joanna Scanlan has been a mainstay of predominantly comedy over the last 20-plus years.

Here, she finally gets a lead role worthy of her talents, with a meaty part dealing with extremely challenging and difficult subjects. And the sensitivity of how this is handled is absolutely to the film’s credit. The clashing in many ways of the different cultures is wonderfully and compassionately shown, all wrapped up in the unbearable grief of losing a loved one. Scanlan stars as Mary. She lives with her husband in what she feels is domestic bliss.

The opening of the film also perfectly builds to what is happening, the seeds of change set against the crashing waves. As Mary’s life is thrown into turmoil, she begins to suspect that her husband was unfaithful, before finding out about a whole other family which lives on the other side of the channel. I don’t want to say too much more, but the way the film moves at both a slow and also lightening pace, whilst still keeping you gripped, is masterful.

And at the centre of it all is Scanlan. She is amazing and richly deserved her BAFTA win. Please can she be given more of these roles in the future, so we can continue to witness this incredible actress break our hearts. 

I so clearly remember Sin City coming out. I was still at school doing media studies and this came out as a groundbreaking & totally revolutionary way of filmmaking. Not only did I love the look of the film, but also the total look and mise-en-scene of it.

Robert Rodriguez, with guest director Quentin Tarantino, created something amazing. Not one part isn't great or iconic. The performances of everyone, particularly Bruce Willis and Clive Owen, are great.

Now please can we have a 4K remaster?!?

I rented this film only because I had seen it topped the list on Empire of the 100 greatest film comedies of all time.

I started to watch it and very quickly realised this wasn't a film I was going to find funny. The humour totally missed for me. But, as with stand up comedians, I never think that they aren't funny. It's just not my sense of humour.

Gave up after about 40 minutes.