Film Reviews by CSF

When actors are that good, the film won't date. I read a lot about Henry VIII and Richard Burton IS Henry VIII. Of course I can say the same about Genevieve Bujold. Not to be missed.

Marvin has everything to fail his life and very little expectations. His childhood drives him to suffering and lack of understanding. It would lead him to a life of crime. And yet, he manages to 'think', to endure and to resist. By listening and using the best of the people he met, he finds the right path. A magnificent story, so well written and so well filmed.

I loved the film. I was disappointed that it was just a side of Judy's life, I would have liked more. The film is realistic, emotional, intriguing. It makes you wish you would talk for Judy because she was often wrong but was it her fault? Well filmed, well directed, everything was perfect.

This film is a pathetic imitation of 'Gravity'. How can these people found money and producers to make such a useless film? The story could be told in two lines or 2 minutes. So most scenes of the film are padding. That poor Brad Pitt tries in vain, to say an empty text despite his air of profound philosophy.

As for the special effects, they are, at least, 20 years old and so repetitive. Pity I can't choose minus 3 stars.

I feel like crying when I think of two scripts I recently read and, because the writers don't know anybody, those brilliant scripts will probably stay in a drawer. The funeral of a talent is the most painful non event in Art.

In this film we learn very interesting info, we are very entertained and we can actually see what Compassion mean. We also can see human error at work. That what I expect from most films: entertainment and information.

I very much like the film. Quite original. The problem is that it has many references to ancient and modern History. And who wants to watch this type of film if one has that knowledge? Or if one hasn't got a clue about History? So many young generations never heard of Ancient Greek history and not even of WW1! It is not their fault if they were not taught about it since History is not compulsory in England.

Even if the story is childish, there is a lot of Psychology and even Philosophy for the youngsters. After all, it is a tale where the magic help the desperate ones to smile and relieves their frustration. For once there is also some kind of compassion for those poor Germans who have been the badies for decades.

The subject was great but the whole thing was clumsy. It looks as if it was made by a 1st year student. The actors didn't play, they pretended. Doesn't the director know that blood does not splash like that? If it was not so tragic, it could be a cartoon!. I put 2 stars for the idea.

Two mega stars in an uninteresting film. The whole film is a cliché or/and a déjà-vu. Lots of padding scenes and a sad waste of talent.

The topic was good, the idea was good. However I can't believe Clint Eastwood directed it. He made a disastrous attempt to be original. He should have tackled the story in the same style as the good old Western Spaghetti...perhaps. I did not recognize his signature or his style. I notice that when American directors try to make a so-called European film it is always a failure. Pity.

The film is slow with padding scenes, sometimes confusing. Quite often films going between the past and the present are a successful trick but not in this case. Perhaps it is due to poor editing.

An ideal film for the holidays. The actors are well known on the continent and they are often better than films. It's what British people call a 'feel good movie'. Rich versus poor, a classic cliché but with a lot of humour. Bound to be comic if you show that whether we are rich or poor, we have the same prejudices between social classes. Of course the characters are not like anybody, they are a bit special, let's say original. But that too is what makes the film enjoyable.

Tornatore's films used to be either a masterpiece or a cult film. This film doesn't show an honorable exit. Like Hitchcock's 'Family Plot', '1900' is the one too many. It is also a very frustrating story with the typical Italian ending; as if the happy ending was for cheap films only. The idea is great, the actors are great, the filming is great and poetical BUT the story leaves you as frustrated as in the beginning.

A sweet and sour film on mental illness (just madness). Very original. It is never what you expect next. The characters are endearing and very annoying. Is madness wanting to find happiness at any cost? To have a monstrous selfishness? The answer is in a film, not in the wind.

No characters react the way you would expect. Worse the way you want them to react! A great film made out of nothing or made out little things in life. And yet, 'badies and goodies' are so engaging that you are not sure who to support! A strange, strange film but worth seeing.

It is very interesting to compare Nanni Moretti and Pedro Almadovar's vision of their mother. I found it quite typical of their culture. I do recommend to see both film. 'About My Mother' by Almadovar with intense emotion and Moretti's My Mother, light, sweet and sour.

I am all the more disappointed by this film that I love Claude Lelouch and I didn't think for one minute that he could make such a boring film. Why is it boring? A great cast, a great director and a pathetic story. Even the actors seem to make an effort to play someone they don't believe in. The two main characters are spineless and... brainless; I could not manage to feel for them. Still I can't pinpoint the exact reason for being boring. All the ingredients are there but, as my gran used to say, the 'mayonnaise is not working'.