Film Reviews by Stefan

Not normally my dizzle, special fx-laden cartoon fests, aliens etc. I saw it in 3D at Glasgow Imax and was thrilled. My brain told me it was just a classic story (has elements of Pocahontas) dressed up for a generation that can't watch anything without CGI, but I was completely immersed in the film (the Imax format did help in this regard). Came out of the cinema feeling genuinely wowed. And the story is just a classic plot, moved to a different setting, so I'd say the criticism of a noddy plot is somewhat unfair. Good fun.

Not a patch on the likes of The Killing Fields, which dealt much more effectively with depicting the turmoil, despair and moments of hope in a far more convincing manner. Hotel Rwanda shied away from making a compelling film and glossed over much. The end result is standard Hollywood fodder. Avoid.

I enjoyed the cinematography and the evocation of various periods in Toto's life. The young Toto aged 4 is a great character, but as the film moved into Toto's young adulthood the magic somehow disappeared and was replaced by what I found to be a rather schmaltzy long sequence where Toto recalls his first and only (real) love. The kid Toto's fascination with cinema really came across, but the teenage Toto did not have this sparkle - the magic just wasn't there. I'm left wondering why this film did so well at all. The added scenes to make the director's cut detract from the film and make it even more schmaltzy than it already is.