Film Reviews by PR

I kept finding myself fast-forwarding in the hope it would improve, but didn't. Don't fall for the hype, avoid this pretentious twaddle. The desert is awesome enough, it does not need pompous pseudo-intellectual flannel to make it fascinating. If you want a good description of the desert, read some of Father Eusebio Kino's writings about Sonora instead. And in terms of photography, there are far better (and scientifically correct, hence much more interesting) "desert" films nowadays (though this is not Herzog's fault, the film dates back to 1969 and technology has overtaken him).

Guess the reason this film has no reviews is because it'd be like reviewing the Bible. But if for some quirk of fate you or your children have not seen this Disney classic, do not miss it. It is rightly regarded as one of the best films of all times and it was worth every effort restoring the damaged original. Keep trying to remember it was released in 1937; it still looks fantastic.

This just has got to be the most novel interpretation of the standard love story! Tragi-comic but uplifting, interesting without resorting to convoluted plots, special effects or excessive action scenes (in fact, quite the opposite, if it weren't so good it would be a slow film). Even the background music - though not necessarily to my taste - is unusual, unpredictable and very appropriate. Just goes to show that there still are people out there who can make original films.

One of the most interesting aspects is that you can detect the feminine hand behind it; with the possible exception of Almodovar, I don't think a man could have made the same movie.

And you'll love the cat.

This film could easily have been a cheap tearjerker but instead the intensely dramatic situations are handled very sensitively, elegantly even. Very good acting all round (including the swapped boys themselves) and genuinely tender moments. My only very minor complaint is that it seems to criticize the rich father's too-serious attitude without a mirror criticism being implied of the poorer family and their rather irresponsible lifestyle. Sadly, in real life, particularly in such a competitive society as the Japanese, a father demanding excellence is being every bit as loving and caring as one who flies kites.

I suddenly understood how my doctor must feel whenever he discusses my good health (everything qualified with a "for your age"). If this were just any old film, you would not give it the time of day, but you find yourself making massive concessions on account of the technical merit of the animation. So, if you are in it for the graphics, fine, but if you want a good plot, don't bother. This is the bane of all flashy technologies: the perceived need to choose between content and format. Personally, I prefer straightforward fun animations like Wallace and Gromit.

I felt the need to endorse this film as most reviewers gave it a low score - most undeservedly, in my opinion.

For a start, it does justice to the book (as far as I remember, it is a long time since I read it) in that its main theme is the very nasty, feral nature that lurks just under everybody's veneer of civilization. The casting and acting are excellent all round, with top marks to Hiddleston and Irons, and ancillaries like the music and sets really add to the sense of increasing detachment from reality.

The most scary aspect for me is not the violence as such, but its acceptance as a perfectly normal way of life and, as a result, the typical retreat into personal gratification at a banal (in this case mainly sexual) level, presumably because facing facts in all their horror is too much for the brain to cope with . Alternatively, many of the characters continue going through the motions of what was once their normal routine, even as civilization collapses around them.

My only qualm is the inclusion of Margaret Thatcher's speech at the very end, because that drags the film down into the realms of yet more clichéd rants about capitalism when, in reality, the class wars could easily have been instead about anything else: religion, age, race, which football team you support… anything people hook on to in order to belong to a group and hate others. In other words, this film is about human nature, not about a political or social system, and not a futuristic dystopia at all, but about an already too-real present. Somewhere in the world this is happening as you munch your popcorn.

Güeros is a film of self-discovery with many tender moments , but mostly it is a shockingly honest depiction of the grim realities of Mexico City - the complex monster it really is behind the thin façade of flashy hotels and stunning modern architecture of the main boulevards. This picture simply HAD to be filmed in black and white in order to convey what people have to live through from day to day, and the various coping mechanisms they develop, from drug addiction and alcoholism to self-defeating student protests....and a (pointless?) search for a long past-it musical hero.

Absolutely excellent film even if, sadly, many of the nuances will be lost on people who have not lived in Mexico ( or another Latin American city), much in the way that Mike Leigh's films can only be truly appreciated if you have lived in England. But I entreat you to watch it anyway, it is an exceptional film with many layers of interest and acute character observations.

A nice tale featuring a very likeable, cute even, lot of actors - if you can stomach yet more resentment about something that happened nearly 700 years ago. However, much credit must be given to the script writer and director for not portraying the English of the time as a bunch of oppressive Scot-hating tyrants, in fact, quite the opposite: this film will make you nostalgic for the days when the London bobby on the beat really was a fatherly figure with your best interests at heart. Good movie to watch when you want something acceptably well made and pleasant requiring not too much mental or emotional effort.

Everybody else raves on about it, so I must be missing something because, although I did admire some aspects of this film, I found it rather disappointing. Yes, it is unusual. Yes, it is well done. Yes, I see why many would regard it as a work or art. But at times I found it almost embarrassing. Too many peasants being folkloric in interesting outfits and singing repetitive local songs. And the story is hardly novel. But don't take my word for it, borrow it and decide for yourself, the very least you'll get are lots of scenes of anthropological interest.

Well, if you are looking for something different, this is it.

An illustrated book discarded at an inn narrates the adventures of a soldier as he journeys through a quasi-surreal landscape of Tunisian princesses, opportunist cads, treacherous women, hanged cut-throats , sorcerers, and men with an idiotic sense of honour. But it is most definitely NOT the usual silly adventure story, there is much more to this film once you get into the storyline. Or rather, storylineS, because this is a case of nested narratives and recurring scenes under slightly different circumstances.

I have not read the book, but I rather suspect the original was not meant as a comedy. All the same, the film is also funny, and in spite of its romps and caricaturesque characters, it has a surreal, almost sinister backdrop and a rather intriguing plot. Great black and white photography, and much effort put on the sets and costumes too. I'd call it a classic, and I am amazed it is not better known.

Just one warning: it is very long and demands a bit of effort on the part of the viewer.

Perhaps slow and not very dramatic (unless you read between the lines, the background story is dramatic enough!) but an interesting film all the same. Find out how the other half lives; just don't expect clear explanations, melodramatic catharsis or far-fetched scenarios, never mind car cashes. This film leaves you in a philosophical frame of mind, subtly so.

As has clearly been stated by all other reviewers , this most certainly isn't a comedy. But then it isn't good enough to make it as a drama either. At best it might be interesting as an anthropological curiosity - that is, assuming it accurately portrays Swedish attitudes. But for their sake, I hope it doesn't…

Refreshing change to your standard love story. Perhaps it tries a bit too hard to be "atmospheric" and although the landscape is indeed spectacular and awe inspiring, there is a bit too much of it, making the film rather slow at times. But I would still recommend it as a bit of a novelty, and it has some quite original touches.

Won't spoil the end, but you'll be glad you live in the XXI century.

What a fabulous film! Odd yet understandable, very well acted, surreal but not pretentious. And very funny. Don't miss it.

Previous reviewers have said it all: this a pretentious and patchy film which never quite gels together . Tries to be shocking, but ends up saying more about some countries' immature attitudes to sex and success than about the human condition. Even the choice of music is embarrassing (seems they have just discovered Tavener, Preisner and Gorecki 10 years after everyone else did) . Its only redeeming feature are the beautiful shots of the city of Rome - I detect a sincere love for the place there. But as for the rest…. come back, Fellini, we miss you!