movies

2006-10-09 indigènes (2006) oaky

nothing particularly special!

2006-10-05 perfume: the story of a murderer (2006) recomended

Very nice story and john hurts voice over gives the film what it needs. its hard to believe that the `13th note’ in this movie is only 16!

2006-10-02 the devil wears prada (2006) recomended

if only for anne hathaway! country, lowly, hard working girl becomes an important member of the fashion elete

2006-09-21 the wind that shakes the barley (2006) okay

can’t really say much about this as i’m still not sure if i like it or should like!

2006-09-18 paris, je t’aime (2006) worth seeing

interesting mix of things and cast!

2006-09-01 selon charlie (2006) worth seeing

all star french cast (in french) in this one. Well protrayed and acted but the story is mising some connections between the characters. apparently the original cut was 20 minutes longer. maybe the dvd will have a few more details.

2006-08-20 thank you for smoking (2005) worth seeing

i’m not sure why cruise got in a knot over this one. we don’t get to `see’ much of holmes in this one but maybe he objected to her voracious reporter type who will do anything for a story. more of a look at lobbyists than the smoking industry!

2006-07-22 la science des rêves (2006) worth seeing

charlotte gainsbourg is very nice in this one. she does that english accent thing! movie is a bit bizzare and strange but worth seeing.

2006-08-13 on a clear day (2005) okay

quaint, not very intersting. the male relationships are a bit odd.

2006-08-06 pirates of the caribbean: dead man’s chest (2006) recomended

depp does his pirate role again. but not as good as the first in my mind! though the movie and story look good.

2006-07-22 tideland (2005) okay

terry gilliam certainly does a wild and surreal job in this one! sort of shapes up as a completely nurotic version of alice in wonderland with many messed up characters, well played by the actors. jodelle ferland is brilliant as the little girl as is brendan fletcher as the epiliptic mad boy. not sure i really get the movie yet, need time to absorb it!

2006-07-21 stay (2005) worth seeing

a interesting take on a hamlet theme, with ryan gosling doing a very good job. is it a love story? probably in the same messed up way that dirty pretty things was. the story is interesting and the whole time mix up, existing between life and death is a new take i think. dont over analyses it, just watch it is the best advice.

2006-06-02 volver (2006) worth seeing

an interesting one and i can get most of it, even if it is in castellano. especially the supersticious catholic stuff, the similarities with the irish traditions are clear though we don’t tend to focus less on the person as as the things that the spirit does. because of this i guess i can accept the ending otherwise i would have been a bit annoyed! don’t see why it was so highly regarded for cannes, acting is okay and the story is fun but …

2006-05-13 the road to guantanamo (2006) worth seeing

if only part of the details are true its quite an attack on bush & blair! i could appreciate the telling of the story by very inexperienced actors but the abuse scenes could have been made much more convincing. there where a lot of pulled punches and faked reactions! but maybe that was the point, not sure on that one.

2006-05-06 la vida secreta de las palabras (2005) worth seeing

to follow

2006-05-02 v for vendetta (2005) must see

wachowski’s do it agin. what a fantastic movie! so much going on within it politically. they take a real (hidden) swipe at blair and bush and their respective limitings of peoples civil liberties. several psycologial games that go on within it are truly amazing and really really should make you think. portman does well as does weaving considering he’s behind a mask for the entire movie. the irish angle is a fun twist, considering that most of the main protaginists are in fact english/british and those fighting the establishment (portman, weaving, rea, fry etc) are not is an interesting comment on recent history and conditions within the`uk.’

2006-04-28 el aura (2005) okay

a slightly interesting movie. a film noir which looks at an epileptic who comes up with th perfect bank robbery. the idea gets hijacked by others and he tries to use them to his advantage. what is truly nice is the description of the onset of an epileptic fit. having had a friend slightly so, in her case, this is the closest description i have ever come across. the so called love story is pretty weak and i fell completely un-necessary. in spanish/hispanic

2006-04-16 inside man (2006) worth seeing

not a bad movie. one of those that you need to be competely awake and alert for from the opening credits and try an absorb everything that is being said. or go and see it again. can’t say anymore or i might give something away.

2006-04-07 ryna (2005) okay

a story about the loss of a 16 year olds virginity. not a nice story, but then i guess living as ryna does, in the arse hole of romania (which might be near didcot, uk) is not a very nice experience either. she makes the best of it until …

2006-03-15 capote (2005) worth seeing

the voice is annoying but the presentation of this truly egosentric, attention seeking, evil man is remarkable. personally i came away disliking capote intensly as a human being. i do not know enough about the man to comment on that but i have now read the book he wrote on which the movie is based and have to say it s absolutely amazing. he created a writing style all his own. just about deserve his oscar for it.

2006-03-04 syriana (2005) worth seeing

to follow

2006-02/03 jarhead (2005) okay

to follow

2006-02-19 walk the line (2005) must see

if you like cash you’ll like this. the music is good, well performed by the actors. the conflict within his life trying to fight his fame is protrayed very well adnbrings you along to the point where you are almost about to give up with him in the bottom of a bottle, pills or booze. witherspoon deserves an oscar for that.

2006-02-16 brokeback mountain (2005) nothing special

i didn’t get all the hype surrounding this movie. i certainly can’t see why it gets the oscar nomination. pardon the pun here but, the performances are very very stiff. nobody is relaxed and the relationships between characters are so without feeling it makes me think maybe that this is what i am supposed to feel. is ang lee that smart? sorry i don’t buy it. an unfinished life has a far better gay story behind it!

2006-02-10 good night, and good luck (2005) must see

an interesting movie to classify: not political, not sensational, not in your face. it is probably trying to have a go at the senator mccarthy trials and in trying to draw parallels with the current situation. but its not the main focus of the movie. very even handed given the possible information available, that could have been used!

2006-02-04 the constant gardner (2005) worth seeing

meirelles direction in this is very good! the choice of film and intensity of light and camera filters for the different moods in the movie is inspired: dark, grey, gloomy for the depressing; bright, white, intense for the intense outside sceenes in africa; soft, round,
clean for the more intimate moments. story is an almost clasic conspiracy theory type. does weisz best supporting actor? probably

2006-01-30 an unfinished life (2005) must see

an inspired choice of cast and is this that makes the film so strong and interesting. lopez is pretty good playing a so called abused housewife, the relationship between redford and freeman is genuine and real, the psycho husband by `keane’ (c.f. below) is good and the grand daughter does very well surrounded by such a cast. the story is real and belivable to a certain extent and the cinematography of the wyoming ranches, is very nice.

2006-01-24 lord of war (2005) worth seeing

so is it `lord of war’ or `warlord’. “i prefer it my way!”? not a bad film really, the running monolouge of cage gives an interesting perspective on what it is he does, how he does it, how he is allowed to do it, but never really convinces us why he does it. apart from telling us that he likes it because he is good at it, in my mind the movie is a little weak in that sense. the film takes one on a rapid tour of all the armed conflicts of the world in the last 20 years or so ending up in sierra leone, where eamonn walker plays a convincing president andre baptiste sr. bridget moynahan looks good but doesn’t offer much to the story.

2005-12-13 keane (2004) worth seeing

just about worth seeing. if you’re interested in seeing the prortrayal of a schizophrenic left to their own devices, `wild’ in a big city like new york. damian lewis actually does a good job at this and tends to be convincing throughout and teh irish accent isn’t toobad, while abigail breslin does brilliantly as the little girl. she has a lot of potential as long as she is protected from the system. if not she could end up like dakota fanning!

2005-12-04 le temps qui reste (2005) recomended

a suivre

2005-12-01 a history of violence (2005) nothing special

i don’t understand where the hype comes from on this one! as said above: its nothing special. i guess most of the reviewers are not half of a two brother family. the only thing i took away from it was to pay more attention to my little brother. in a throw back to mortensons earlier work you could look at this film as what the story of borimir and farimir, the sons of the steward of gondor, would have been like if the actual hunt for the ring wasn’t going on (c; the violence is a pretty tame and the love story is a joke, although maria bello is a bit of a cutey!

2005-11-28 tres entierros de melquiades estrada, los (2005) recomended

in english: the three burials of melquiades estrada. its a bit of a strange one this but really establishes jones, on his directorial debut, in the direction of greatness. movie jumps about a bit but the cutting together and the cinematography is fantastic. is tommy lee jones going to take up the mantle that will eventually be left by clint eastwood?

2005-11-24 joyeux noël (2005) recomended

interesting movie on an xmas eve truce that occured at the front in 1914 during WWI. actual scotish, french, german & english actors used. doesn’t show the hirearchy of the church in a very good light! does show their hypocrisy.

2005-11-23 lonesome jim (2005) highly recomended

excellent movie on dealing with the futility of life. afleck does a pretty good job on being a manic depressive, and who would of thought liv tyler could do hick town nurse so well!

2005-11-20 manderlay (2005) must see

a stronger movie than dogville in my opinion from lars von trier, but the bad press over the donkey and the loss of kidman as grace will detract from the power of the movie and reduce the impact where it is needed most, in the us. bryce dallas howard does a good job as grace and shows her future potential. stay till the end of the credits: the last photo before the dedication is powerful! waiting for number three: washington

2005-11-18 match point (2005) recomended

interesting one from woody allen. `irish’ is the strangest irisher that i’ve ever seen and i pretty much took an instant dislike to him. on an aside: why is johansson so god damn beautiful in everything she does?