Film Reviews by Swambi

Despite having all the ingredents that would make the kind of film I would enjoy (1950's nostalgia, country scenes, family interactions)I found that overall it came out half-baked and failed to give a convincing story. I think the Director was trying to pull all the heart-strings at once, and it didn't come off.

Probably the best aspect was a very honest attempt to look at aspects of a young teen becoming romantically attracted to an older boy, and of her relationship with her father.

If you do watch it, and you have ever tried DIY, you will be amazed at how the shed door virtually fixed itself onto its own hinges. Also, if you know anything about agriculture, you may wonder just what type of cultivation the tractor is attempting to carry out!

A good story, but movie making has moved on - just how far, you'll see if you watch this! It is not in colour. If you want to see a film about Malaya you could try "The Sleeping Dictionary" - a much more convincing film.

This exceeded my expectations, making good viewing. It is well filmed, well acted, and the music good. The plot is rather variable, with some rather unbelievable elements, but overall the quality of the film tends to compensate for this.

The plot revolves around the machinations of three people, who are evil in different ways: Frank Sutton, Harry Maddox and Dolly Harshaw. Frank is torn between Dolly and Gloria Harper, and his relationship with the two women progresses in very different ways. With Gloria it is an innocent romance, whilst with Dolly it is sex. Frank's propebsity for violent and immoral actions lead to a downward spiral, but the outcome is unclear until the end.

There are a couple of un-necessarily violent and unpleant scenes, which could be unsettling, but otherwise above average for this genre.

You may want to see this for the wacky comedy element, but don't expect to take it seriously - unless you are able to toatally suspend all rational thought! Incredibly 60's. & if you are expecting anything erotic, I didn't notice it. However, you may want to see it as an interestic piece of the history of film-making.

Although the film is obviously shot on a tight budget, in a minimum number of locations, Kieslowski's brilliant direction is evident. The cinematograhy and acting are excellent throughout, and there are various innovative and clever aspects. Although watching Polish dialogue through sub-titles makes the film more of a challenge, I still felt involved throughout. It cleverly depicts a whole range of different aspects of love, prompting the watcher to think about 'love' and right and wrong. The one element that struck me as rather strange was how readily the woman accepted having been harassed, watched and stalked - in real life most people would probably act in a very different way!

Some elements of a good plot - but that's as far as it goies. Suspend all critical facilities if you expect to believe this! A few good scenes, but mostly well over the top

A well made film that is follows 4 children on an epic trip in search of family to care for them. Good filming, a wide variety of different and interesting locations, an interesting range of characters, exploration of differing emotions, good acting and good music make this an entertaining and fairly undemanding film to watch. The story is fairly predictable, and overall it was above average for this type of film.

I was disappointed - there seemed to be a big budget, and Julia Roberts acted her heart out. However, this was a film where I never felt convinced or involved - possibly the whole exagerated caricature of 1950's aspirations was partly responsible for this.

This is a unique film. Whilst it retains the quirky commedy and romance of Amelie, it takes it to a far darker and more mature level, with brilliant direction and cinematography. It successfully combines a wide range film categories - romance, history, war, detective and mystery - it's imposible to pin it down to any single type. Audrey Tautou delivers an amazing performance as a determined girl who refuses to believe that her fiancee died in the war, and will stop at nothing to discover the truth. Shots alternate between harrowing and detailed depiction of life and death in the trenches, with stunningly beautiful scenes, centred on the atlantic coast. The story develops over an extended period, and involves multiple strands, so that getting a full understanding of exactly what's happening benefits from more than a single viewing (unless you are very fast on the uptake).

This is about as close as you will get to the passion of the Christ, without actually being there. Intensely and painfully moving, and a film made with meticulous attention to detail. It doesn't make easy watching though!

This is a unique film. The Director brilliantly combines a range of genres and a series of stories. Genres include road, romance, mystery and family, whilst the stories include a missing brother, restoring a father and finding a missing mother. The range of scenery, cinematography, story and acting are all of the highest standard. Sound is sensitively handled, and the music is mainly a bluesy steel guitar accompaniment, which is highly appropriate.

The mystery of why a man disappeared into the desert for 4 years is slowly uncovered as the film progresses, and some of the flashbacks and scenes between Travis and his son and wife are particularly moving. Without revealing the ending, although a lot of good things happen, it isn't all happy or simple.

Cleverly and professionally filmed and acted, against a backdrop of delightful coastal scenery. In this film about relationships the real stars are the children, but there is an adult message, and the film challenges us to think about how our behaviour affects others.

Films of this type rely on good direction, good character development and dialogue and excellent acting. Unfortunately Golden Pond fails on all these counts, despite the 'big name' cast. There was very little development of the minimal story, and the filming was restricted to a cottage and lake. The actors struggled to cope with the stereotyped and contradictory characters they had to play, resulting in 'wooden' acting that failed to engage or convince. The director used several incidents (accident, heart-attack, family conflict/restoration) to try to engage the viewer. I am usually very susceptible to any sort of emotion, but these were mostly so unconvincing that they were almost amusing.

Occasional beatiful shots of the lake, and reasonable acting by young Billy were not enough to make this worth watching. Norman Thayer's central character proved annoyingly unbelievable. At 80, he inconsistently oscillated between being totally confused and 'past it' and engaging in devastatingly erudite and witty repartee. Either extreme might be believable, but the combination was not. I much preferred other films of a similar genre - for example, Homecoming or Paradise.

Well filmed, well acted, good music. A nostalgic view of argentina in the 60's. However, I found it rather like looking at a friend's holiday photo's - even if the photography is good, difficult to feel a real connection with what you are looking at, apart from a couple of scenes.

The story line is very simple, just as shown in the film description. Oliver demonstrates a particular talent for alienating and upsetting others. The acting and filming are only average, and the conversation quite "American", and sometimes rather corny, if you think about it. Does love really mean 'never having to say sorry'? Despite sentimental and emotional scenes, I was not sufficiently moved to shed a single tear (although I am quite soppy)!

If you do watch it, there are some interesting aspects, particularly the few scenes of the couple's interaction with their parents. Jenny's Dad Phil is a Catholic, and there is an interesting inter-play with the couple who say they don't believe in God, and heaven is what we experience here. This makes Jenny's death more depressing, having no future hope. It is also interesting to see the enormous changes since 1970 including social expectations, marriage and family relationships.