Film Reviews by AER

Jane Campion's second film was also serialised in three-parts as a TV series in some countries. It's a spirited and very moving tale of a tragic soul who found her voice through literature. One of the very best films to come out of New Zealand. Certainly top 5! On the technical side - this DVD doesn't have subtitles for those that are hard-of-hearing.

Masterpiece.

This belated sequel to Coming To America was unexpectedly funny. I'd read reviews in the nationals and heard friends slamming it, so I was a bit worried that I would hate it. I saw the trailer a long time ago and it made the film look terrible, but I was wrong. I laughed all the way through and it had enough jokes for the new characters to make it fresh. The lion's share of the good material is given to Arsenio Hall and Wesley Snipes... It's a good for one watch and relies on the first film too much, but if you have a lot of affection for the first film, Eddie Murphy and co. haven't ruined my memories with a crappy sequel. This was way better than I was expecting - old jokes / new jokes. It was all great. It was good for one watch!

I'm a fan of Park Chan Wook's Vengeance trilogy and I've seen and enjoyed Stoker - however Thirst was an utter miss for me. I couldn't get a fix on the story or the characters. I found it neither funny, scary or intriguing after the first few scenes. I held on for 90 mins then saw I had another hour to go and gave up. It's so rare that I don't see film through to the end but this was a mess. It lacked bite. Fangs a lot Wookie.

Neill Blomkamp's first horror film is a small-scale outing that will probably fall down the cracks in future years as he resumes his career with District 9 sequels and other big-budget crow-pleasers. Always interesting District 9, Elysium, and Chappie had ideas, inventive SFX and looks to burn, so this tiny low-budget horror is a real curio. It's a shame as it is nowhere near as good as his famous films (and I love small films). It falls down because it's uneven pace, unsure performances and a very straight-forward conclusion. I did like the idea of the Vatican buying private medical companies to pioneer VR tech to track down demons. The SFX and visuals were unique and eye-catching too; so whilst it's great to see Blomkamp plodding on (in Canada) without Hollywood's support, next time I'd like to see a better script and better actors.

Fans of Wong-Kar Wai will find his debut interesting as it is packed with action and a ton of plot. It's a very predictable plot about family committments vs love. How far will you put yourself at risk for a loose cannon who doesn't value your safety let alone his own? Another criminal puts everything on the line and loses just like the anti-heroes of Heat, or Thief. You can still see an inkline of Wong-Kar Wai's style - mainly through his use of blurry slow motion camera work, a proliferation of rain-soaked neon streets, and his repetitious use of music (nobody applies music to a scene better than this guy)... This time it's a Cantonese version of TAKE MY BREATH AWAY by Berlin for the Top Gun OST....

Interesting and better (and much worse) was yet to come. Superb entertainment.

8 out of 10

Giving The Rocky Horror Picture Show a run for its money, the late socio commentator Alan Clarke took a break from the types of film he'd make his name with like Scum, The Firm, and Made in Britain. This bonkers musical imagines a snooker tournament between Billy The Kid and Count Dracula in a weird concrete complex set in the 'future' or an alternative present. It's at times very funny, very creative, but mostly it's very boring and was probably very out of touch with what the young people of 1987 were actually turned on by at the cinema, the clubs and at night. Mad and forgotten, I am happy to have finally found this true one-off.... It features the great Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia / Meantime / Outlaws (TV)), Alun Armstrong (Funny Cow / Get Carter), and Bruce Payne (Passenger 57) all singing their lungs out.

Not bad but lacks the bite to be a classic. 4 out of 10.

This down-to-earth action thriller based on fact contains one of my fave Tom Cruise performances, as he's not playing Tom Cruise. For the first time in a while Tom Cruise acts and convinces as an interpretation of Barry Seal, a pilot used to do deliveries to Central America, whilst simultaneously working for Pablo Escobar's cartel. It's good fun, and you know all the flying stunts were probably achieved without computer FX which makes it more thrilling. It covers similar ground to the Johnny Depp vehicle, Blow (which was cack), so this is a big improvement.

It's light and relatable but only good for one watch. 6 out of 10!

Haha, in a parallel universe this would have screenings at your local drive-in and have a call and response audio track. It's so horrifically bad with so many quotable lines that you won't believe what you've just seen and heard! How the hell did Cuba Gooding jr, Ray Winstone, Taryn Manning, and Ron Perlman end up locked in a nonsensical cheapo directed by Jason Connery alongside dreck actors like (musician) Henry Rollins and dustbin cult favourite Bill Moseley? Nobody knows...>>!>! Maybe it was a favour to Sean Connery, but this film was a deal with the devil. With a shocking script, really bad performance, special FX that aren't at all FX (baked beans as boils!???).... If you are looking for an accidental comedy, this is it. Never have you seen such a turkey as this!!! If you don't have a sense of humour about this, more fool you.

Astonishing documentary about the Egyptian people's uprising against military rule and then against the Muslim Brotherhood between 2011 and 2013... Shocking scenes of real sickening violence bolstered by underhanded political double-dealing make this a hard watch. An important film to see that demonstrates that crowd power works but also that these things happen constantly, again and again, all around the world.

This has very little to do with Mike Hodges' British gangster classic starring Michael Caine. The only thing in common is the reappearance of Michael Caine (during his hack period) and the Roy Budd score. Even the bleak ending has been dispensed with. Sylvester Stallone and his crew of creators have deemed it necessary to turn this into a soppy soul searching, trite, sentimental blob of a movie. It's badly edited and hard work to get through - Mickey Rourke gives the films sole good performance... otherwise this is a case of ForGET Carter.

1 out of 10

This is just about the best Irish film I've ever seen and one of the most moving portrayals about childhood. 10 out of 10.

If you would like to know what it feels like to be a non-speaking autistic person then this bright documentary will help you. It serves as a dynamic education for those that aren't all that aware of what it means to be neurodivergent. I learnt a lot, so for me it was a vital watch. Very interesting and gives the viewer valuable insights.

Chaotic, original and utterly mad, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once is a triumph in big concept entertainment. In Hollywood where everything is based on an existing IP, I am so happy that a unique film with an utterly fresh storyline has made it to the big screen. Hollywood, give us some more action films like this!!!!

8 out of 10

Australian police procedural made for TV which lacks detail or consideration for police procedure. Thin characters with a lack of depth make unconvincing narrative choices and the whole thing comes across as trite and too basic to engage. Shame as the subject matter called for a more interesting take. Noah Taylor was good but had very little to work with.

For every one great Paul Schrader film like First Reformed, Light Sleeper, or Affliction there are three damp squibs like this and Dying of the Light. Woody Harrelson's character as a 'walker' for high-society women in Washington DC is intriguing but we never get a sense of who he is because the story envelopes him into a labyrinth and pretty boring plot about blackmail, investment skulduggery, murder, and secret affairs. At first, it's hard to follow but then as the film continues and the plot comes to light, you just realise it's all badly rendered and communicated. Never mind.