Film Reviews by None

This moving film cleverly weaves fact with fiction. There are fine performances from the leading actors and some atmospheric scenes. Although the pace of the film appears slow to begin with, it carries a sense of impending doom, builds the tension effectively, and remains entirely credible. It works beautifully.

I had mixed feelings about this film. I found the build up with its credible account of the early days of the oil business fascinating. The dialogue was at times tedious and the story-line slow but the panoramic views of Texas and California and the plot driver - the search for oil - more than compensated for these flaws. The charm gradually wore off as an intense dislike of the central characters grew. At the end the tediousness took over in the increasingly pointless battle between the two central characters. I was left with the overall impression of a cruel and nasty film.

This film is very much in the style of a black-and-white photograph of the Old West - lots of bearded men in fur coats looking suitably weird. It is intriguing at the start but soon gets tiresome and its dream-like quality becomes irritating. The acting is wooden, and the characters have little appeal. The best scene is the last.

This has something in common with the film "Once" in that it follows the life of a singer who is trying to make a living and win a girl. There the comparison ends, however, since "Small Engine Repair" is the more compelling film, with its focus on the conflict between friendship and doing the right thing giving the plot more of an edge. And the music is better...

This film is intriguing. Its appeal lies in the way it challenges the viewer to work out what has happened - in reverse. Guy Pearce convincingly plays a man with short-term memory loss and conveys the sense of confusion and terror that goes with his condition. Whether the film raises more questions that it answers is something that the viewer will have to ask him/herself at the end, but overall I enjoyed it.

This was obviously funny in its time but I found myself yawning during the opening credits - not a good sign. It didn't get much better than that. The Pythons were incredibly inventive and some of their sketches stand the test of time but I do not believe that this film has aged well - despite some neat touches, the humour was rather tedious.

The plot is as confused and rambling as the film's main character, but that adds to its charm: if you can follow the plot, you have probably missed the point of the film. A likeable collection of misfits (not quite the bums one charcters calls them) is pitted against a various forms of evil, with dashes of fantasy thrown in. It's very funny in parts - I liked it.

"It's hard on the little people" as Bernie says in one epsiode, and his words could be the subtitle for this series. An epic story of ordinary people caught up in the sweeping changes and murky underworld of three decades, the series is generally true to historical events, which enhance the credibility of the characters and plot. Within this framework, the four principals work out their issues to a moving conclusion. Thoroughly recommended.

An old theme, man-v-machine, reworked. I guess I would have rated this film higher if I had seen it on release - I gather it was ground-breaking for its time. I thought it a trifle tedious and lacking in human warmth - the characters are secondary to the needs of the plot. The central love affair - if it can be called such - seems to be an after-thought. The special effects are impressive and the storyline keeps up the interest for most of the time but I shan't be watching the sequels. For me, this film is more of historical interest than memorable.

Nothing particulary bad about this film and the storyline is certainly engaging as the busker and Big Issue seller start falling in love. But I think there are two major drawbacks: the music is mediocre, certainly not good enough to persuade you that here is another Bob Dylan in the making; and the dialogue is difficult to follow at times. A shame, because otherwise I liked it.

I found this film intriguing. With its occasional twists, the plot manages to keep the viewer slightly off-balance - not enough to confuse but just enough to defeat one's expectations. The result is an unpredictable yet compelling film. Although in parts violent, these scenes are to my mind essential to support the theme of an old fashioned cop finding himself out of his depth in the ruthless new world of the drug trade.

For those who like court room dramas, this film will fit the bill. It drips the atmosphere of the deep south through the settings and characters. Although some aspects of the film are a little mechanical, as a whole this film worked for me because of the tantalising relationship between McConaughey and Bullock and their fight for justice in a small town. Kevin Spacey's performance as a politically-driven DA is superb. The legal arguments are at times outrageous - but then isn't that true to life in the American court room?

Donnie Brasco puts a unique spin on the gangster-cop relationship, which provides the engine for this compelling story. The way that the characters become dependent on each other is fascinating and leaves the conclusion up in the air until the finale. I found it well plotted, not overly dependent on violence, and credible. Above all it is a human story which engages the audience through the performances of the two central characters, Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.