Film Reviews by AH

We got a bit fed up with the time flipping back and forth (more rapid than a Flamenco dancer's fan) and this was only saved by the charactrer played by Josh O'Connor having a beard growth in the "real time" which helped to resolve the otherwise invevitable confusion. None of the characters were particularly attractive and the stop-motion activity to prolong tension got quite wearisome towards the end - which in any case was a bit of a let-down! Could have been cut to under the 2 hours.

Sorry to differ from all the positive reviews, but we found this a rather boring production, despite all the sex scenes, which just seemed like a series of "bonking" events linked by a thin and uninspiring plot line. It seems as though most films submitted to Cannes get highly promoted if they are (a) French and (b) made in black and white. I have no objection to either of these, nor to the use of subtitles, but it just seems that sometimes these alone give a film a head start in the minds of the critics without the need for an engaging story or particularly outstanding acting by the cast. My wife and I persevered to the end more out of determination than interest.

I ordered this on the basis of the trailer, but now I wish I had been more careful to read the other reviews, all of which I agree with. The disorganised plot jumping around, the lack of subtitles, the lack of empathy for any of the characters, the unsatisfactory ending, etc. etc. The only plus points are the actors, Richard Gere and Steve Coogan in particular, gave remarkable performances, but sadly were let down by a poorly exucuted plot. My advice is don't waste your time on this highly disappointing film.

Considering none of the actors are well known, this production is very good indeed. So believable and engaging one feels drawn in and engaged with the characters, in particular the landlord of the pub who tries to help the plight of the Syrian refugees. The negative reaction of some of the local "regulars" is equally convincing and their highly negative reaction is a sad reflection of reality.

I liked the look of the trailer, but my wife and I found the actual film neither interesting nor entertaining. I rarely abandon a film totally, feeling I should at least give it the justice of seeing the whole thing before judging it, but as an old guy I don't have enough time left to waste on something I am really not enjoying. Consequently we switched over to Amazon Prime and watched something else.

Starting with an unusual scenario in which a couple of godparents are suddenly landed with looking after a baby, it was not unexpected that an obviously mis-matched pair gradually came to develop more affection for each other. Despite the rather negative review of the Paradiso critic, my wife and I found it quite an inventive plot which had a few amusing scenes so in general we found it quite entertaining. There were some welcomed extras as well, in particular a more than usual amount of deleted scenes, some of which we thought could have been a valuable addition to the film.

One of those films you think will come to a conclusion for all the time you have investined in it and then it just peters out to ... NOTHING! I rather wish I hadn't bothered. On top of all that, there were no extras - one of the main reasons I am sticking with hired discs instead of streaming.

This is two and a half hours of my life I will never get back. I stuck with it hoping it would improve later but was sadly disappointed. It just became a more indulgent arti fest of mixed images and uninteligible quotes from Bowie that defy any logical basis of interpretation. Don't bother unless you favour a Fantasia-like set of graphics to accompany the few really popular tracks of Bowie's catalogue. I agree with PD's review below except that I think should have given it less stars.