Film Reviews by CSF

A husband (Bill Nighy) leaves his wife (Annette Benning) and son for another woman. However during the film you are less and less sure he is the bady. Another kitchen sink drama but enlighted by two famous actors. What is smart about this drama is that you hesitate before taking the side of one of the two main opposed characters. I wanted to be on the side of the wife but I could not. Also the story doesn't give enough 'information' about the characters. Emotion is missing in a situation where emotion occupies a large space ususally. I love this phrase of the other woman, "Before there were 3 unhappy persons, now there are one".

It is all about when good and truth can destroy your life and lies and bad can make your life great. This is the choice in this film. I am always pleasantly surprised how Allen can shoot an exciting thriller. I always imagine him in clever comedies but this film and Match Point are gems where thriller, comedy, drama, darkness blend beautifully together.

Not to miss.

I enjoyed the film to begin with, then I started to get a bit bored, then I got interested again! Maybe it is due to the slow pacing and the unecessary long length. However Lady Gaga was a very pleasant surprise. She was a professional actress, able to show a wide range of feelings through her attitude, her eyes and her diction. For a long time you don't know whether to like or dislike her. On the whole, all the actors were great, ...perhaps a bit too professional ! I thought it was the story of the designer but it is not, it is the story of the Gucci business.

Still I would recommend the film.

At last, more and more often, books and films tend to show the war (before, during, after) on the side of the Germans themselves. It is time to be reminded that these people suffered and were also victims. All the actors are outstanding. Heroism with 'little people' is always heart wrenching. The story exposes the feeling of million people who lost what was the most precious in their life and therefore had anything more to lose. However, as usual, it remains an enigma to see so many people submitted. The director should have shot one little scene at least, to show why people 'accept' horrible situations. Perhaps the reading of Baron Cohen's book, 'Zero Degree Empathy', would explain.

I was pleasantly surprised. I watched this film because of what I read in Michael Caine's self-bio. The film was simple, effective, moving even delicate despite the violence. But the violence was not complaisant for the sake of the show, it was necessary to expose it because this exists. My favourite quotations is:

Police woman : "Harry, you are not in Northern Ireland"

Harry : " That's right, in Northern Ireland, they kill for a cause. Here, they kill for entertainment.

Not to be missed. A little gem.

As far as science fiction films are concerned, Charlton Heston has done better. His best film is Soylent Green. It reflects our century a lot more than Omega Man. Because Omega Man is about the consequences of a virus, one thinks immediately about Covid 19. In fact it has little to do and I found the film weak.

The film is a little dated but it is a curiosity. The acting is ordinary and the special effects well done but a bit naive. Heston plays the part of yet another Prometheus.

Of course the film is very well made, the actors are more realistic than reality itself, the story is gripping but... But the film starts in misery, goes on in misery, no hope for the hero, he is doomed. The situation get worse and worse and one can imagine the ending. It is better to watch it if you are young, carefree or heedless; then it makes you more mature.

Why a man would suddenly leave his happy family and would not contact them before 40 years? Are his two sons right to hate him? Who's the worst one of them? At the end of the day, it is often the woman who is the real victim.

In this film, the men suffer for having only one life to live; the woman accepts the fact she has one life and tries to make the most of it but the men's aspiration is a major obstacle. The story is often cruel but never boring.

See it with friends and you would want to discuss it for a long time.

Maybe an old film and an old story but even today, we still have parents who crush their children. The subject of this old film still exist. It should be watched by children too. It is the story of a woman who has to build her life and her freedom despite her mother keeping her in a cage and making her believe that it is for her own good. The film is not the expected cliché. The so-called psychiatric residence is not a nasty one, the doctor is not the selfish money maker. It shows how compassion can transform someone's hell into a decent, and even a happy life.

Bette Davis is the usual outstanding actress. The actors are OK.

I am very impressed by the acting of the little girl. I wish one of my friends who was deaf and dumb could have found the same school. The film handles this handicap gracefully, showing all the clumsiness of ignorant people around her. It should be shown in every school, even today. Because of our ignorance, today we handle autistic children roughly. The cinema is a great and unique way to show some handicaps without teaching or judging.

This film also emphasizes that it is not a good idea to separate the children from their parents during their education.

A brilliant thriller. It in not that far fetched and, in any case, the plot evolves slowly so we have time to digest the complications. What I liked best is that the film goes beyond the ending. What I find very frustrated in French films is that there is no ending, the film suddenly stops. Here you have an ending then the film go on for a couple of minutes. I love it. The two actors are too good! They could make you believe that the earth is oval!

A brilliant study of a character but not like the French film "The Chambermaid" with Jeanne Moreau. A little too much like a document of one day in the life of..... I find it frustrating because I kept asking myself questions all along and then they are never answered or it may be too subtle for me. More eventful would attract more viewers.

Trying to be sober or basic, the director attempts to go to the essential but as slowly as possible. The cinema is not made for that. No emotion, incredibly slow and sometimes exasperating.

The Joan of Arc's story is everything except that. It is the story of an unusual passion: the passion of one's country and God. Even today it is difficult to understand what's happened and this film. By wanting to be intellectual, it bored me to death. All the films made before about Joanne of Arc are very good, especially the one with Ingrid Bergman.

In my opinion, the catholic Church is more guilty than the English for burning her and no film showed this ambiguity. The best part of her life, for a film, would be her trial. This must be read. That film doesn't bring anything new to the story and, most unfortunately, is offputting. Johan of Arc deserves so much better.

Dealing with a terrible loss and not believing in life and in the future anymore, Nathalie decides to just carry on without trying anything to relieve her from the pain. Then when she starts to take a turn in the most unexpecting way, it is difficult to find it credible but human being are a well of mysteries! The skill of the director is to find a way to convince the viewer that yes, it can happen. It is a lesson of optimism. It is difficult to find Markus charming compared to Nathalie late husband. And yet, it works but not without difficulties and that is the magic of the film.

Ah those who had militant parents will understand even better the feelings of the little girl! By the way she is a fantastic actress, so mature for her age. And more sensible than her parents. She asks them the right questions that force them to think twice but parents are stubborn. They don't appreciate that children can be much better philosopher than them. A great film where the tragic details are presented with humour.The subtility of the film is that the parents can't be blame. They want their life to be useful and they want the children to see real life.