Film Reviews by TB

This is a relatively good film, especially with Naomi Harris's performance. Having first seen her in 28 Days Later, her ability to be able to hold the screen and act her heart out are incredible.

This film takes us on many twists and turns, from the initial witnessing of drug dealers being executed by cops, then a frantic chase to try and stop Harris from reporting what she has seen.

Tyrese Gibson is also very good, bringing gravitas to what could in many ways have been a thankless role. There is also a lot of focus on the complete mistrust of the police in the US, which Harris's character is trying to change.

As much as the film had some good points, to me it was never anything higher than "average." I wanted it to be more, especially with Harris in the cast, but unfortunately the limitations with the script start to become really noticeable as the film goes on.

But still a solid Friday night rental with a few curveballs.

The film that made Dennis Hopper, which I have seen repeatedly on various greatest films ever lists.

But it doesn't really do very much for me. The opening, showing Hopper and Fonda conducting a drug deal which then allows them to bike across America whilst taking lots of narcotics & mixing with random people, just didn't click. I do absolutely acknowledge that in 1969, this film will have had a very different and profound impact, judged not only by how it was received but it's box office haul.

The film however does go very very slowly. There is a welcome appearance from Jack Nicholson, who it has to be said seemed to be indulging in almost as many drugs in real life as the fictional characters. In some scenes, he is certainly flying high...

The other equally strange thing is the ending. It doesn't make sense and also is so random that after it happened, I remember thinking "Errr OK is that it?" and then seeing the titles come up.

As much as it will be a landmark for many film buffs, it was lost on me. Maybe will rewatch it again sometime, but not in any rush to

I was addicted to this series when I was younger. As someone who had certain teachers I detested, I was very easily able to identify with the group of kids battling against their evil headmaster.

Great acting from everyone, but especially Hardiman. Also, when looking back at it now, the level of production values for a children's TV series was amazing, hence why it is so good.

A brilliant and scary watch, with many memorable moments. Definitely rewatch if you remember this as a kid.

I was addicted to this series when I was younger. As someone who had certain teachers I detested, I was very easily able to identify with the group of kids battling against their evil headmaster.

Great acting from everyone, but especially Hardiman. Also, when looking back at it now, the level of production values for a children's TV series was amazing, hence why it is so good.

A brilliant and scary watch, with many memorable moments. Definitely rewatch if you remember this as a kid.

I was addicted to this series when I was younger. As someone who had certain teachers I detested, I was very easily able to identify with the group of kids battling against their evil headmaster.

Great acting from everyone, but especially Hardiman. Also, when looking back at it now, the level of production values for a children's TV series was amazing, hence why it is so good.

A brilliant and scary watch, with many memorable moments. Definitely rewatch if you remember this as a kid.

Following Ryan Dunn's tragic death, for many years Jackass vanished, despite huge fan clamouring for it to come back. Now, after a significant hiatus, the gang are back with some new blood as well, as well as one notable absence.

Sadly, following the death of his best friend, Bam Margera has had many significant addiction issues, which ultimately resulted in his firing from the film. Allegedly he does make an appearance in one of the stunts in the background, but this is blink-and-you'll-miss-it, so much so that I did. I didn't remember seeing him anywhere. I do genuinely hope that he can recover and sort out his personal problems, as he was always one of the funny guys in the group.

Knoxville is always great company and it is a pleasure to be with him as he sets up all manner of horrors for both himself and his fellow friends to endure. It's a bit samey, but still enjoyable.

We all remember our first loves and the pain that we felt when our hearts were broken. Everything happens in a dream: you think your life is set and then it fails and, in many ways, you never truly get over it. Then, if you are also experimenting with your sexuality, this adds another layer of hurt and upset. This is what Blue Is The Warmest Colour (BITWC) captures nearly flawlessly, with two stunning performances from Léa Seydoux & Adèle Exarchopoulos.

The film begins with Adéle in college, trying to fit in, fall in love whilst also wrestling with her burgeoning sexuality. After making a pass with a friend which then is used against her and becoming a victim of homophobic bullying, she one night walks into a lesbian bar and meets Emma, who she had briefly seen when walking in the street. The chemistry is immediate, and they fall passionately in love.

One of the best things about BITWC is how it shows this young love: we spend wonderful moments seeing them hang out, discuss their love of art, first kisses and then the passionate intimacy they have with each other. As is a running theme with my reviews, I refuse to buy into/join the hysteria about the level of sexuality shown in this film, which is done absolutely and completely unapologetically. The three beautifully filmed sex scenes are there to show the passion they have for each other and also add to the emotional sledgehammer of not only how their love progresses but also when the relationship breaks down.

And it gives me no real pleasure to criticise what for me is the worst part of this film: it is far, far too long. I mentioned above that it was wonderful to spend time getting to know Adéle and Emma, and this pays dividends. But then the film does something unforgivable, considering how wonderful it has been up to that point: there is one scene, set at a dinner party which takes up nearly half an hour of the narrative, where various characters just sit and talk to each other. It doesn’t advance the story, nothing major happens and it feels like the film literally slams on the brakes.

Then by the time the film moves on, so much momentum has been lost it can never truly be regained. But that isn’t to say there aren’t some staggeringly moving and upsetting moments, especially the meet-up in the coffee shop, which hit me like a sledgehammer.

Léa Seydoux & Adèle Exarchopoulos, as the two leads, are wonderful. Although Seydoux is exceptional, to me this film belongs to Exarchopoulos. From the opening moments, you cannot take your eyes off her. In the course of 3 hours, she shows us Adéle going from anxious and naïve, to open and free, then finally broken and bereft. To see those big brown eyes with tears pouring from them breaks your heart.

Credit must also be given to Abdellatif Kechiche. He masterfully directs this film and it would not be what it is without him. I will not shy away from also saying that the reports of unacceptable behaviour regarding working conditions should absolutely not have happened, but that I do not want this to detract from the finished product. For the interests of balance, Kechiche has felt the full force of this and extremely large amounts of negative press have been directed at him.

Despite the problems with length, this is still wonderful, passionate filmmaking. It is a wonderful and human story of love and heartbreak, so absolutely put this on your rental list.

The first series of Killing Eve was great, especially that we were introduced to Jodie Comer. This new series clearly has a lot more budget to spend, but is not as quick, nimble or enjoyable. By losing Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it also seems to have lost a bit of it's mojo.

But there is still much fun to be had with the various set-ups. Comer shows she can master even more accents and is again the stand-out star of the show. Sandra Oh is also good as well.

I haven't as yet seen series 3, but definitely will. Hopefully it will be back to the high bar set by series 1.

Back when there was a sudden resurgence of interest in the Western genre, multiple films were made, some great, some not so great. This firmly falls into the latter. Despite having an amazing cast, with Russell Crowe on anti-hero duties and Christian Bale as the disabled, impoverished ranch hand who is offered a massive payday to transport Crowe’s character to the 3:10 prison train, it never truly catches fire and takes flight.

The film itself tries to deal with many heavy subjects, some of which it does quite well. It is especially well-shown how painful it is for Bale’s character to not be the father he feels they deserve. But there are also many slow moments and as much as there is the big action scene at the end, it is in many ways too little too late. Crowe also gives in many ways an autopilot performance, which is a shame considering how good he can be.

But the film itself is very well-shot and the rollcall of actors means that it is never boring to be around. I just wished it had been more than this. However, it is absolutely a 3-star film and worth a watch.

After their deeply unsettling & disturbing first collaboration Tony, Peter Ferdinando & Gerard Johnson turn their eye to the well-worn police detective genre. But they have more than a few tricks up their sleeves to make this a memorable and at times extremely difficult watch, but never anything less than compelling.

The tone is set from the outset: we witness a drugs bust, but the level of violence & brutality used makes it hard for a while to discern who the actual policeman are. This is where we first meet Michael Logan: a cynical, burned-out but extremely clever narc, who is not only the law but taking a significant slice of the business as well. Then new Turkish & Albanian gangs move into town and they have a VERY different way of doing business, which doesn't include cutting deals with policeman. From there, the stakes rise, along with the bodies.

Ferdinando is electric. The intensity of his performance keeps you glued in your seat, genuinely feeling every twist and turn Logan has to deal with. Stephen Graham, welcomingly showing with this and other performances that despite Hollywood having come calling, he hasn't forgotten his roots in the UK, is the revolting and smarmy police chief who becomes a thorn in Logan's side. MyAnna Buring also wonders with what is often the thankless role of the partner/girlfriend.

This film also pulls absolutely no punches and really earns it's 18 rating. One deeply unsettling and horrific scene involving sexual assault is seared onto your memory.

A thoroughly incredible film and I cannot wait for the next collaboration between Ferdinando & Johnson.

This is an interesting film, made in 1985, way before Hopkins became famous for Hannibal Lector.

Bill is a father who has gone through a horrific divorce and is now allowed only short visits with his son. As someone who used to be an outspoken advocate for women's rights and empowerment, he has now been burned by the system he supported so virulently, turning in completely the opposite direction. But he is also a man who has significant wealth and when he meets a man going through a messy divorce due to his wife coming out as a lesbian, Bill sees a chance to "get even" using another man's pain which his wealth can potentially heal.

The biggest issue with this film, which obviously when looking back close to 40 years later shows how much times have changed, is how unbelievably homophobic it is. Roger's wife, who reveals she wants a divorce and is gay, is never treated as anything less than an absolute pariah and demonic figure. The scenes where her suitability for raising her child due to her sexual orientation is held up for ridicule are particularly revolting. There is however one ace the film has up it's sleeve which I hope was done deliberately and as a way to satirise this narrative: there are an enormous number of LGBTQI actors cast in the roles; Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Frances Viner and most memorable of all, Simon Callow.

As much as it does pose some interesting questions however, it never really transcends it's television film status. There is quite a soapy feel to a lot of it, although it is a solid piece of drama.

For me, the most powerful thing of all is quite simply that it shows how far we have come as a society from then to now. It should be a matter of huge pride that in a UK courtroom today, no-one would even think of referring to or treating someone of a different sexuality the way that some of the characters are treated. Thank God we have moved on from that way of thinking.

A beautifully shot and incredibly moving film.

The true story of James Braddock, coming up through horrific poverty and destitution to claim the world title is so much more than the standard boxing biopic. This is mainly due to the incredible performances from Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger.

The whole look of the film, as well as the choreography of the fights is exceptional. I loved it and was on the edge of my seat towards the end.

Masterful, moving and flawless.

I really struggled about what score to give this film. In many ways, it's a pointless addition to the Matrix world. And nowhere more is that evident than by the actions over many years of The Wachowskis.

After Revolutions, there were repeated offers/requests made by Warner Bros for another film. Repeatedly, The Wachowskis turned them down. This was probably down to partly the trilogy completing and coming to a relatively concrete conclusion and also the fact that the movies became more poorly reviewed/badly received with each installment. Certainly Revolutions, except for some moments of brilliance, was mainly an unbelievably bloated film which spent very long amounts of time and exposition to just spew words at the audience. And the final fight, rather than being the most incredible of the trilogy, just kept going and going and going until it seemed someone from the editing department said "You really need to bring this to a close!"

But years later, Lana decided to revisit the world, with Lily refusing to get involved again. And whilst it absolutely is great to see Keanu and Carrie-Ann back sharing the screen again together, the biggest thing for me was that there wasn't really much of a reason for the film to exist. But the film does have, amongst the long scenes of exposition, which didn't often make sense, some elements of brilliance.

By far the best thing about this film, eclipsing even Reeves and Moss, is Jessica Henwick as Bugs. She is such a good character, so well written and stealing every scene she is in. I could quite happily have watched an entire film based around her character. In a movie where certain characters have been recast and others not, it takes an original character to really make this film enjoyable. And it also shows that, when The Wachowskis want to, they can create amazing people.

There are other characters who makes appearances who I won't list so I don't spoil the surprises. Some are welcome returns, whilst others ridiculous and seem to have been shoehorned in to add to the retro-ness nostalgia. But as mentioned above, as much as there are certain standout scenes, this doesn't either right the wrongs of the previous entries nor do anything drastically different.

However, I did enjoy it overall, hence the 3 stars. There is also a notable change once we relocate to Io and the film, at least for a few minutes, settles down and actually gives us some decent backstory and interactions between characters. The action is also solid. Mercifully, the stupid green filtering which The Wachowskis insisted on shooting the first 3 films with is gone. This film looks gorgeous, the bright and popping colours actually making the Matrix and it's world come alive.

As I have seen from the reviews, as well as the feedback online, a lot of people hated this film. But I always look at films in a balanced way and there is a decent amount (if you're patient and don't mind sitting through exposition,) that I liked. Temper your expectations.

See it for a walk back down memory lane and a stunning Jessica Henwick.

Tomboy is a revelation. A stunning, perfect & deliberately un-provocative film. I first saw it the year it was released and fell in love with it. In that time, my reverence for it has only grown.

But one point which I do want to make, which especially today is more relevant than ever, is with regards to it's message. The issue of trans is so political, so highly charged & so toxic that in many ways to try & have a discussion is nearly impossible. Trenches are almost always dug deep on both sides & the vitriol exchanged is horrible. But Tomboy, to me so perfect for so many reasons, does one thing especially well: it takes the damn tension out of things.

For example, there is no mention of pronouns. There is no anger or upset when Laure is called Laure and not Michael by her parents or sister. There is a strong family unit around her and there is support and love.

This is a film which is so simple & delicate. It follows a girl called Laure who is masculine looking & moves to a new town. She is mistaken for a boy (not only for her looks but also calling herself Michael,) and becomes part of a new friend group. But what the film also does beautifully is show that this decision is also made to fit in. By having multiple layers to the character makes it so much more powerful. And the film goes to careful lengths to show that this isn't something which she feels forced to do. Her parents totally accept her looks. Although later on there is shock when the deception is discovered, there is never bile directed against her parents.

The film then shows Laure constructing her new identity & there is much amusement to be had in the various experiments that she does. The very close bond between her and her sister is beautifully played out. As are the interactions between Laure and the friend group. Amusingly, in real life, the children playing the friends are Zoè Hèran's actual friends, adding to the chemistry.

And speaking of Hèran, I cannot find the words to properly convey how perfect this performance is. She is incredible, flawless & heartbreaking. I loved being with her, following her journey. Over just under 90 minutes, we see her hopes, fears and triumphs. The tiny moves in her face, showing without words her feelings & emotions. To me it is a tragedy that we have not seen more of her.

And to Céline Sciamma, thank you. You have created a masterpiece, a beautiful looking, gentle & soulful work of art. This film will stay with me forever.

Finally, one reason this film has added power for me is because I also watched it with a trans-person recently. They were blown away by it and the meaning it gave them, along with the impact, added to the reverence that I already had for it. And they loved it for the same reasons I did: a simple film, without any of the tension that films about trans individuals seem obliged to feature today. This film doesn't minimise this struggle, it shows it clearly, gently and compassionately.

I love it and I hope you do as well.

Martin Clunes reprises his role as Colin Sutton for the final part of the Manhunt trilogy.

The Night Stalker/Minsted Man terrorised South London for decades until Sutton was brought in just before his retirement to try to catch him.

The investigation and how this disgusting verminous criminal was caught is gripping. I also massively appreciated the focus on the effects on the victims as well as the police offers. And a welcome amount of time was given to showing exactly how determined Sutton was to catch Delroy Grant.

A shame that there are only 2 series's, but absolutely worth a watch.