Film Reviews by RL

While I'm no naval historian, I enjoyed the dramatization. The real Black beard was noted as being of fearsome temperament, but he's played down a bit here. Plenty of twists & turns in the plot, plus nice Caribbean scenery & acting. Not a great classic, but well worth an evening.

A decade after the original, Van Damme had risen to great heights, but his successor is equally handsome, skilled & charming. His huge biker pal makes a repeat performance. We know it's about the kumite, but it's story & new characters make a refreshing re-take. Like all sequels, it somehow lacks the original atmosphere, but does what it says on the tin.

From the moment he catches a tennis ball between his rear cheeks on a beach, you know it's going to be unrestrained slapstick all the way. Everything he does with cool control, humour & zest. Unless you're a 19th century prude, his sexual antics with the customers will have you in stitches. His abandonment of war is inspiring: if all soldiers swapped guns for humour & became funky Zohans, the world could be paradise. In this age of moronic, serious, macho combat movies; take a breath of fresh air with this.

I remember being enthralled by the original 1980 series by Carl Sagan. I used to spend lunchtimes in the school library reading the lavish book that accompanied it. Now the legend is re-born, with up-to-date knowledge & computer imagery. Not that Sagan's knowledge was wrong, just that we can now peer deeper with advanced instruments. It's not just about astronomy: it shows how all science is woven together through geological & historical time. It's no nonsense truth about life, the universe & everything, with no time for mysticism or speculation. If you're the subjective type who doesn't care for science & nature, then watch it anyway & prepare to say "wow!!!"

It really isn't the epic it's described as. Zero CGI effects limit the graphic portrayal to theatrical costumes & props. The actors appear to be all over-actors from pampered backgrounds; no hint of the hard, earthy realism of a Russell Crowe. Good acting is when an actor prepares by living the role on & off set, then delivers with passion & conviction. These guys act like they were staying in a 5 star hotel during filming. Overall it would be lucky to score as an epic on daytime TV.

Good intelligent action flick in the usual Bourne style, but with very wooden actors. Damon's confident but unassuming charisma is sorely missed.

A woman spends time in Africa, then returns to Denmark after not acheiving quite what she wanted. Rather uneventful, but still very pleasant to watch, with great acting, landscapes & theme music.

He peaked in the 90's with Under Siege, On deadly ground & Fire down below. He showed total truth, conviction with his cool zen spiritual presence. Nowadays he's no longer slim & handsome, but still persists trying to make the same action flicks, with the grace & charisma of a 3-legged hippopotamus.

Although not brilliant, this film shows that he can still do it, given the right scenario. It's well filmed with just the right amount of plot, suspense, romance & action.

Hey don't look for any unwinding plot or moral values because it's by no means serious. Just a mish-mash of stunning visuals that pluck the emotional heart-strings. The depictions of 1910 & 1960 are theatrically marvellous. A couple of good songs thrown in leave you happy to have watched it.

It's not in the same league as Hollywood's Bourne movies, but is watchable if you like espionage. Saif Ali Khan plays the tough, ruthless agent well considering he normally plays spineless comic romeos. Some great international scenes. The catchy songs alone make it worth a watch.

An aerian looking kid touring with a bunch of black hip-hop performers & speaking their lingo looks pretty odd. But Ice blends in so well, you can't but help fall for his cool, streetwise charisma. Some say he's arrogant in real life, but in this yarn he's a loveable oracle of fundamental wisdom. Filmed in jazzy contrasting colours, without the usual rap gratuity, it's a real feel-ggod movie. His flambuoyant clothes & cheesy chat-up lines add a nice cartoon touch. Features characters of all ages, so is likely to leave anyone smiling; just flow with it.

I've given it max star rating for comedy value, nothing else. The accents are as equally fake as the black hair dye & spray-on tans. I was in hysterics watching a girl in a sari with a batman logo tattoo on her arm. In the 21st century it won't be that hard to get real indian porn actresses, so the makers obviously realise the 'accidental' humour of their work. Fair play: rent it for a laugh.

Not exactly an epic, but a warm-hearted yarn promoting that the whole world should speak English. You may disagree, but whatever, it's just run-of the mill entertainment for a rainy afternoon.

This original has the old world charm of the 20th century Europe. The buildings have arches, spires, antique furniture & character, before today's glass & concrete blocks. The actors have character, compared to the micro-chipped personalities of this century's movies. He communicates via landline phones & goes to the bank to sign for transactions, like we did back then.

The modern version I like equally for Matt Damon's un-assuming presence & the competent action scenes.

Opinions vary... this is well acted & colourful, with a top soundtrack. It conveys a noble message, about dropping pretences & coming back down to earth to be truly happy. Katrina Kaif's poor acting actually serves her well as the toffee-nosed Brit girl. Akshay Kumar is on top form in perhaps his most charismatic performance.