Film Reviews by PV

This is a hilarious collection of 5 short stories connected by a single theme: life in communist Romania in the 1980s. It made me laugh more than most Hollywood comedies, that's for sure!

They used to call these Portmaneau films, and companies like Hammer used to do them a lot, in films like Dead of Night, or with passengers on a train telling heir tales, or with characters connected by objects bought by people from an old antiques shop (which led to horror tales), and another one where people stared inot shears and had dreams.

Anyway, I loved this movie - and would happily watch it again. There are 5 tales for me - the strongest for me being the first (the Merrygoround (a great metaphor for communism), the second (about the photographer) and the hilariou penultimate tale about the pig.

Acting and direction are spot-on, and the scripts made me and those with me laugh: there are some real absurdities and paradoxes, which are all too often based on the almost surreally absurd realities to communism: things like this really happened back then.

Five stars.

I had high hopes for this film - which is perhaps why I am so disappointed.

Yes, it's adapted by a great writer - Tom Stoppard. But, as those finanical adverts put it, 'past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future success'. He messes with the novel something rotten.

The director too seems to think he's making a film for his luvvies down the local state-subsidised theatre, or perhaps for the Edinburgh fringe. This movie is strictly for theatre fans and luvvies - though I watched it with a theatre lover and she hated it! It's neither Arthur nor Martha - but half a film and half a stage play. In other words, a right royal mess!

This film is largely set in a theatre - for some incomprehensibe reason. Budget maybe? But hey - they budget on this movie was rather large: they could afford top actors and one of Britain's most famous writers!

How much better this would have been if it had been made as a traditional historical story - like Dr Zhivago (a superb movie) or a movie like the Danish 'A Royal Affair': now THAT Is good storytelling.

Not sure about Aaron Johnson or Macfadyon in their roles either - I kept thinking of John Lennon and Spooks! Keira Wotsit does her usual coy ting.

1.5 stars rounded down because I'm so disappointed!

This will pass 2 hours relatively harmlessly (though a little confusingly, seeing as there are so many characters and many look alike).

This film is a classic and fully deserved its Oscar in 1952.

The script is superb, with family feud subplots mirroring the conflict all around, as is the acting. The multi-faceted story is driven by character - and how characters psychologies cope - against the awful backdrop of the war. But perhaps this film is mostly about class - and how a middle class little girl from Paris fares in a French peasant family.

The music too is excellent ('La Source', I think).

This film is far better than most French films today, for sure! The same child actor (the boy) starred in Les Diaboliques, another Gallic classic.

One thing that stands out these days: the treatment of children by their parents in this movie would probably count as child abuse today, though - which shows how silly our culture has become rather than how brutal they were 60 or 70 years ago!

And the ending (which I won't spoil) wouldn't be done today, especially in Hollywood, which follows the boring template of structure for every single movie.

But this is a real classic, and if you haven't yet seen it, you're in for a real treat. 5 stars.

There are two great things about this movie: 1) the title; 2) the poster promoting it (a classic).

As for the film itself. Well, it's based on a stage play - and an American one. That means it's overly sentimental, and well as engaging in flights of fancy and fantasy, and also marinated in the sort of racial politics that seemingly hems in all US drama.

I found the story too plotless for my liking, and the characters way too rooted in pity party sentimentality.

No doubt this was made specifically to appeal to the Africa-American demographic too. But I kept asking myself: if the film were like this but about Norwegians or Finns, then would I like the film more? And the answer is: NO - it would be just as dull. Being set in the Deep South with black children does not make it better...

I was actually really disappointed in this, though I wouldn't say it's a bad film, per se. I would say it's a watchable, average, unreamarkable film - with a great title and film poster.

2.4stars.

I enjoyed this film. Yes, it's slow - so those who like shoot-em-ups and CGI-fests shouldn't bother. But anyone who likes the tension of Tarkovsky's Solaris (the original) or other tense, slow, spychological thrillers should watch it.

It's essentially a two-hander, about the mind-games between an older man and a younger one stationed in some awful artic monitoring station. Bleak landscapes, a sense of doom, and tense, unspoken drama really make this an interesting film for those will to stop fidgeting and fast-forwarding!

I found this thriller tenser then many in-yer-face Hollywood ones anyway. But you have to NOT expect a fast-paced thriller and let the tension blow like slow over the surface of the celluloid: then you'll enjoy it. I really was guessing what would happen right to the end - a good sign.

And it helps to understand Russian culture, history (of Siberia and the arctic), Nuclear issues there etc to fully enjoy this movie.

It could have been cut in places though, so 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I started to watch this film with low expectations, expecting the usual 2-star horror 90 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised.

This is a really good fun horror movie, with lots of effective twists and turns, and nice two-hander acting, writing, character and plot development. Also, it does not serve everything up on a plate - and it kept me guessing! The plot could have gone one of several ways at several points, which is always fun!

It's not one blood n guts CGI fans will find gruesome enough probably - but I really enjoyed its twists and turns, because ultimately this story and script is character-based. The writing works.

The ending works too, and was not what I expected.

And the snowy landscape looks great too!

Four and a quarter stars!

Very disappointing. I hoped this movie would make me laugh. No such luck. This film is a crude, unfunny mess. I turned it off aftger 50 minutes because I couldn.t stand any more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I rarely fail to finish a DVD - I watch even the most dreadful movies until the end. But in this case, I had to make an exception: 1 hour in and I could stand it no more - especially as I know there was another hour and a half to go.

This film is typical state-subsidised French rubbish. Very 'Thirtysomething' in its feel, with the usual pretenious French philosophy-spouting and the endless smoking and meaningful looks.

The film seems very quaint and old-fashioned in its attitudes to homosexuality too - with some really unbelievable polt twists and character arcs.

Nul points.

Watch this only to see how awful and boring the French film industry has become.

For an entertaining foreign film, watch The Wave, A Royal Affair, The Bothersome Man, or Les Diaboliques (either version).

This film is brilliant! It may be 2 hours long but I was never bored and never looked at my watch once! It knocks the spots of pretentious royal dramas like Young Victoria or Mrs Brown. It is the best foreign film of 2012, IMHO.

It is in Danish and occasionally German with subtitles (my ONLY criticism is of these - which are white, so which don't show up well whe a snowy landscape is on screen!) But it's only a minor quibble. In general, the subtitles do their job adequately enough.

This film is very well structured and written - unlike so many dull historical and royal dramas (which wallow in the sparkle of historical monarchs) - and the tension is kept up throughout.

The acting is first class - though the Danish actors are all unknowns.

The scenery is delightful too, and the direction captures the era well.

And the story itself is fascinating - and one I did not know (not being well-read in Danish history).

I would award this the prize for best foreign film 2012. I might award some of the actors Oscars too.

In a word: BRILLIANT!

Anyone who has missed this movie is in for a delightful surprise!

Five stars out of five.

This film is just dreadful: clealry filmed in studios mostly in close-up (justifiable for new directors who can't get funding for location shooting, but maybe not for experienced ones showered with state funding from Canadian taxpayers).

The novel is by a good writer who writes intelligent novels. It is such a shame that what is probaby a decent book has been ruined so much by an up-himself director who really is not as clever and talented as his thinks he is.

A turkey. Not even interesting in an arty way. Just pretentiouc and dull. You might as well turn the pictures off and juts listen to the repetitive tedious badly-written dialogue, because that is all the movie is: words words words, signifying nothing.

Watch MARGIN CALL if you want to see a really decent film about the financial crisis.

Nul points.

I really disliked this film. It starts OK - some nice scenes of Peter Parker discovering his powers - but after that? Oh dear. Just another CGI computer game for hyperactive teenage boys - and when the lizard man appeared and started talking, I really saw a 'jump the shark' moment.

It's a shame really, because there are some good lines in the script.

But I think the actor who plays spiderman is not a patch on Tobey Macguire.

The second half of this movie really is boring - I can almost hear the scriptwriters saying 'let's up the jeopardy again...and again...and again...' I was looking at my watch over and over again.

Watch through the credits to see a little snippet shamelessly setting up a sequeal - which I truly hope is never made.

And - typically - a Brit actor and accent signifies a villain. Racism, really, and lazy cliche.

This first half of this movie gets 3 stars' the second half less than 1. So 2 stars average.

This film gets 1.5 stars from me - and it would be lower were it not from the nice Utah scenery and the good performances by supporting actors (rounded up to 2 stars for that).

This film feels VERY long. That is because of a terrible performance by the ever-irritating Sean Penn pretending to be an aging goth pop star, but only partly. This also feels yawn-inducingly long because the script is a mess, there are too many insignificant characters (in the Irish scenes) who are just clutter and flab that should have been cut in the script edit, and generally it is amateur in its self-indulgence, like a vanity project.

What is very weird about this movie is that it's like 2 films in one: the first about an aging rock star in Ireland - which then morphs into the hunt for an auschwitz guard in the USA.

The simple fact is: this just does not work. It might have worked if one or the other. But as it is, it is shockingly bad - and Sean Penn deserves to be tied up and have his oscar melted in front of him for this atrocity of a lead performance. David Byrne also derves a slap for his silly cameo.

Far better to rent out Killing Bono or That'll be The Day - both great movies about the music business (the former in Ireland).

Then watch The Boys from Brazil or The Music Box - both superb films about hunting down nazi war criminals.

Watch this only to learn how not to make a good film.

The critic's review is wrong: this movie is more than adequate (and it is WAY more intelligent and memorable than the tedious Knocked Up).

It is original, funny, well-written, and moving at times though overblown and emotionally sentimental at others (I suppose some like the other reviewer would cry at these yawn-inducing moments - where the director gives his American audience the hugs and tears they love so much). However, this gurning sentimentality is countered by the arch and cynical dialogue elsewhere, rescuing the movie from its otherwise girly-girly movie emo-hell fate.

The weakest part of the movie is probably Seth Rogan, whose character doesn't need to be so crude either (the teen market is aimed for though) - the acting kudos goes to the key character actor and the women.

There are some killer lines which made me laugh out loud (the one about Frodo being one), and some well-drawn supporting characters, notably the chaotic tyro therapist and Angelica Huston as the mum.

And some refreshing male focus - where, for once, a man can't be sweet talked by a woman and instead does what he wants (the film is perhaps a typical female movie with male characters?)

A memorable and unusual comedy which rings true and has a nice resolution. Four stars and a bit.

I agree that this is a real girlie movie - well, it was directed and produced by Noro Ephron - but I enjoyed it WAY more than I thought I would.

The blending of the the biographies and stories of 2 women works wonderfully well, and Meryl Streep's performance is superb (it is just plain silly to call her 'annoying' for portraying an annoying real life woman! Or are we going to call all actors who portray Hitler, 'evil'?)

I had never ever heard of Julia Child before this movie - but then Americans have never heard of Elizabeth David, the British equivalent to her (NOT Fanny Cradock who was later and no elite cook either).

One major flaw here is that this film claims no book in English exists on French cooking and so Julia decides to write one. Balderdash! There have been such books since 19th century at least (Alexis Soyer onwards) and Elizabeth David beat Julian Child to it by a decade or more too! Still, we are all used to Hollywood rewriting history for American audiences.

I got bored with a lot of the girlie loss of confidence piffle of the modern character (Julie), and thought her rather wet and self-pitying: but the story was obviously trying to gain sympathy for the character amongt a female audience who were probably rooting for her and feeling her pain...

The revelation here is that a male audience can also enjoy this movie - especially those men who love cooking and food.

Anyway, this is a feelgood movie, stuffed with delicious food, and nicely paced, acted and directed. It won't knock your socks off, but it's a pleasant watch - and Meryl Streep's husband's character is superbly portrayed (though the director trying to make the upper class old money East coast Julian into a Democratic anti-McCarthyist heroine is clumsy and unnecessary: the movie needs food, not feminist or Democrat politics!)

Four stars easily.

This movie is the Coen Brothers best ever movie - it is a brilliantly realised tragi-comedy, where one man's decision leads to both his downfall and the demise of many others. It is straight out of ancient Greek drama actually - but none the worse for that.

The snowbounds scenes are beautifully filmed and make a great change for the usual Noo Yoik or LAla land settings. The Montana (?) accents show a little seen US Scandinavian ancestry, yah!

Superb acting all round; superbly structured unfolding of the tragedy; unusual and excellent music; intricate and believable plot. Everything in this film is spot-on!

The script is where it all starts and that is superb: the main plot is deepened by subplots - the police officer's pregnancy, her old mental friend etc.

The tragedy unfolds inevitably - like watching a car crash in slow motion: there is no way of stopping this juggernaut of consequences, not after the main character Jerry (who has money problems left unspecified) stars it rolling down the hill. You know people are gonna get hurt. Everyone in this movie is attempting to swindle everyone else, with tragic consqeuences. It's like Hamlet in the snow!

Those will small attention spans who want shoot-em-ups and car chases may be bored (but there are actually both in this). This unusual film makes a change from most Hollywood crime stories or TV series.

The acting and direction are brilliant throughout.

This movie well-desrved all its awards and probably should have won the best film Oscar too (I think that pile of piffle Braveheart beat it that year?).

I have watched this movie 3 times and loved it every time!

Highly Recommended. Maximum marks! Five stars with bells on and a sprinkle of snow on top!!!