Film Reviews by Swambi

An amazing & unique film, with a story that shouldn't be forgotten. Great filming, great acting, excellent Chinese music, sights and sounds, which seem very authenitic. If you are interested in history, people, other cultures and countries, don't miss this.

All aspects of this unique film are good - acting, scenery, cinematography and music. I am surprised it is not more widely known. However, the tigers steal the show, with the most amazing wild-life filming I have seen. The tiger scenes, particularly of the cubs in the wild are absolutely fascinating, and there is additional material on this which is also well worth watching on the bonus features on the DVD.

The film covers a range of genres, including wildlife, historical, international, comedy and adventure, and is not just a children's film. The story follows the lives of two tigers in the Far East (filmed on location in Cambodia and Thailand) in colonial times, with a wide range of very realistic scenes. Some of the scenes are sad, and the film poses serious questions on how we treat wildlife.

One of the tigers spends time as a pet for the son of a senior colonial official, with hilarious repercussions for family life. The human characters are well depicted with a blend of French humour similar in some ways to that in Amelie, which (unusually) had both me and my wife laughing out loud - particularly in some of the later tiger scenes. This story held our attention right through to the end.

Some good acting, but rather a weak plot, and the garden/animal scenes were unbelievable. (Do hedgehogs really have large ears?)

The film is set entirely in an attractive Tuscan landscape, involving a disparate set of characters that I found hard to identify with and lost patience following. The plot meanders on in a fairly predictable way, with little real direction.

I recommend this as a "must see" film. Well filmed and enjoyable - never dull. A very clever story told in intriguing flash-backs, in combination with excellent filming of the forming of a friendship between Evelyn and Ninny, and cleverly poking fun at some of the worse aspects of modern life.

The star is Roberta. This gives a compelling insight into the life of disabled people and their carers. It also tackles the topic of euthanasia. Watch the end carefully!

The film features some fantastic shots of the Chinese countryside, moving insights into the culture in pre-war China and a fair amount of action towards the end, as the Japanese invade. Well acted, although a couple of the action sections weren't that convincing.

Well filmed, although the cinematography is not up to modern standards. Meryl Streep turns in a stunning performance, and is utterly believable. It would be worth watching just for this. The flash-backs to the war are cleverly filmed, and very credible - but it's a sad story.

Although there is some clever filming, overall I found this depressing. Two people pursue ever more incredible dares, destroying each other and those around them. The director mixes reality and imagination sometimes without any real clue asto which is which, to the point that the viewer can become completely confused. Sadly the message seems to be that there is no real meaning to life, apart from selfishness and thrills.

Adrian Lyne always makes visually stunning films - even if you don't like them. I thought this was one of his very best. The actoing ws totally convincing, the scenes and story compelling, and following Alex's aspirations and striving as a dancer is inspiring - even if you have little interest in dancing and don't like musicals.

Potentially a good plot, but as it is all shot in Liverpool (a few contrasting scenes of Russia would have improved the film) and much of the acting very wooden, it did not live up to expectations - I wouldn't recommend watching this one. Only a few moments when the film "came alive" and then only temporarily.

This film is a combination of one of the most bizarrely unbelievable plots, with some excellent acting, music and filming. On their own the shots are good - but together they don't really make a good film.

There are very very few films as good as this - very well filmed, true & inspiring - you'll laugh and cry, and never forget the story (but watch the film before you get the book "Rocket Boys" as the book is even better if you've seen the film).

I didn't find this film living up its description, and really wonder why it won any awards. My predominant impression was boredom. The subtitled Spanish discussion of republican and other politics was not engaging, the acting was wooden, and I struggled to have even a small smile at any of the antics. I think it just failed to convince. Although set in the 1930's there was little trace of a war, it seemed much more like a holiday camp. There was no impression real feeling, and from the interaction between the characters it seemed they characters were sharing a brain between them. The scenery and cinematography were nothing impressive, and I didn't it sexy, heart-warming or funny. But it did seem long!

This film is similar to 'Life is Beautiful' but not so good. Roberto and Nicoletta make a great combination, the music is good, and much of the humour really funny, but at times let down by going over the top. The 18 rating relates to drug use, which the naive Dante is convinced is a new medicine. Otherwise I think this is similar to films rated around 12. The picture quality of the film on DVD was rather poor and fuzzy. Overall well worth watching, if you like Benigni's style, but don't expect another 'Life is Beautiful'.