Film Reviews by Swambi

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'.

You wouldn't expect a film depicting clearly the genocide in Rwanda to leave such a good impression - but it certainly did for me, despite my being totally averse to any gratuitous violence. This film was an accurate, and extremely well acted and filmed recreation of the moving story of a man of conscience and faith who saved over a thousand refugees, at great risk to his own life. It shows clearly the unwillinglness of the West to take any action to protect the innocent, despite airlifting troops in to rescue whites. To me it was a damning inditement of the lack of concern for the innocent victims, which we can see being repeated again in places like Darfur. The music is great, and the human interaction keeps you involved right up to the last minute - and without giving too much away, I do like happy endings!

The director says that she set out to make a "feelbad" moovie, and having seen it I agree that is exactly the feeling you are left with. So why watch it? It is not easy viewing, and involves religious themes, and consideration of abortion, and is based in a womens' gaol. However, despite the ending, the main story of the film is well crafted, and draws the watcher deeply into the characters' lives.

There are a number of story strands, involving romantic love, redemption, friendship, conflict between good and evil, the contrast between the power of God and formal religion, and a decision on an abortion. The director crafts these different stories skillfully together, generally building up hopes of a triumph of good - until near the end when it all unwinds to a depressing finish. Apart from the depressing ending, the main downsides for me were the extraordinarily abrupt ending, just as if the film had fallen apart, and the constant motion of the camera. Dogme films are okay, but this shouldn't prevent the camera being held steady. Even the credits were waving all over the screen. You also have to follow some fairly complex discussions through sub-titles (unless you are Danish).

That said, if the subject interests you, much of the film is really memorable - just a shame that it is only a build up to sadness at the end.

This film makes difficult viewing. It pulls no punches in depicting the horrifying brutality that occurred. It is shot in a very realistic documentary style, over a few days in Kigale, giving you the uncomfortable feeling of actually being there. It largely set in a technical college, under siege from militias, and involves soldiers from the UN, and a catholic priest assisted by a young volunteer.

The film is largely seen through the eyes of the volunteer and the priest, giving a backdrop of serious questions as to where God is in suffering, and indeed how professingly "christian" hutus could act as they did. Ultimately the priest follows the example of Jesus, in an inspiring act of redemption.

This film is very similar to "Hotel Rwanda". Both leave an uncomfortable feeling that the rich and powerful just ignored the plight of the weak. However, I felt that this was the harder hitting and more horrifying of the two films.

This film attempts to give a biography of Howard Hughes. Although a strange story, I didn't find it inspiring. It lasts about 2 and 1/2 hours (but seems longer)!

Despite being constructed as an epic, the filming and acting fail to engage. The focus is mainly on Howard's involvement with airoplanes - filming, flying, owning, building and crashing. Whether you enjoy the film is likely to depend largely on whether this interests you.

It also outlines his increasing paranoia, relating to obsessive cleanliness and isolation from others. In between there are a few sessions examining his relationships with others, which demonstrate how his wealth and obsessions wrecked any ability to relate meaningfully.

I found this heavy going. Old films just don't have the same standards as more modern ones. The scenery is much more static, and effects much more similar to a theatre.

There is an element of rather Biggles type British humour, antics between a very strange (black and white) version of heaven, with holes in the floor, and earth in technicolour. Otherwise there was nothing of note, or to engage the viewer, and no real reason to watch this, unless this genre (and vintage) of film is something you are really into.

Technically this is a fairly well made film, but it failed to engage. It takes quite a simple story, and turns it into a confusing and complex film, with a lot of scenes and actions that don't necessaily make sense when you try to think them through (particularly when relying on sub-titles). This isn't helped by frequent cutting and interposing of scenes, just when action is becoming interesting of beginning to make sense.

The key elements become clear with time, and you might grasp more if you watched it a second time - but that could be too much of an ordeal! I was left with the impression that the film had intentionally tried to confuse the viewer by incorporate incomprehensible elements, leaving an "incomplete" feeling. However, if you are a fan of detective/mystery type films this may be just what you want!

The production is not quite up to modern standards, but definitely better than average for 1979, and is still enjoyable if you like films involving human interaction (rather than adventures, shooting etc) - and don't mind dated haircuts! There are a lot of scenes of subtle humour as Ted struggles to look after his son and cope at work on his own. There is also an unintentionally amuzing section where Ted runs his son to the hospital, involving far more risk of death and injury as he hurtles across moving traffic. There is an element of redemption, as he realises that there is more to life than work - even if he suffers for it.

However, I felt some key elements of the plot weren't developed. It was never clear why Joanna left so suddenly, nor why reconciliation never seemed to be on the cards - although I suppose this would have brought the whole matrimonial dispute to a stop, and given a shorter film!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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).