Film Reviews by CD

A beautifully acted and scripted film based on believable characters. It is a gentle watch that shows the essential goodness of people, both the main characters and those that help along the way. There are some lovely unexpected scenes involving animals and the chance to pick up some good wilderness survival tips. Rated at !00% on Rotten Tomatoes last time I looked, and I really enjoyed it.

The film comes across as innovative, and the dry humour and witty script particularly in the early scenes are great. The characters and acting are quite striking, but it is not my favourite humourous part by Brad Pitt. Overall this was not a film for me - the aggression and masochism become directionless (no doubt one of the intended messages from the film) and one wearies with the overall fantasy after a while. I imagine that audience reaction will divide between love and hate.

The first 20 minutes gives little indication that this is actually an entertaining film. There is very little plot and a lot of unexplained violence. It gets going with Liam Neeson surpringly moving more into the role of a support character with most of the acting and entertainment from the rest of the cast in this Coen Brothers, Fargo-type of black humour and whacky characters. It is worth sticking at till the end.

It took 20 mins or so to understand where this film might be going. The characters and acting are brilliant. What could have turned into a predictable family control versus personal freedom story turns into a much deeper and more humane study of how people find a sense of belonging and are willing to sacrifice their wellbeing for that. The final scenes are truly great and ultimately believable.

This film has an excellent cast and some really great, corny dialogue. It keeps a good momentum throughout and is genuinely funny at times - think low budget horror film combined with a zombie film. I enjoyed it a lot .

I was hoping for sharper humour and a lot more laughs in this film. There is plenty of energy, the music numbers are good , and the main characters are well cast, but apart from the James Corden cameo it brought few’ moments of real mirth.

I really enjoyed this film although it is a bit long. The direction, acting and characters are excellent and it really gets into the emotional tensions within a family. The storyline hangs together well and the momentum of the film is maintained by the revelation of further evidence and the increasing involvement of the child in the drama, the actor for whom is brilliant. The French Court and its proceedings add some extra interest as does the defendant's relationship with the lawyer - overall highly recommended.

I first saw this film over 10 years ago and found it rather dull and shallow. Having walked the first third of the Camino now, I watched it again and took a lot more meaning and enjoyment from it. The cinematography is great with some beautiful vistas and there is also some good music in there from Alanis Morissette and Nick Drake that fits well. The characterisation, scripting and acting is however a bit mixed. Some scenes come to life really well and are quite moving, but the dialogue in others is either very unlikely or just plain irritating. There are simply too many caricatures and cliches especially for any Basque, Spanish or other non-American characters. Recommended as a fim more to those who want to reflect on the concept of the Camino rather than on any typical scenarios or characters on it, but still worth a watch. Also noted that Martin Sheen walks at a ridiculously fast pace - his Camino would have been over by Day 2 if he had really walked that fast up the Mountains.

I am a very keen Stephen King fan both of the books and the films. However, this was very disappointing and I gave up after Disc 1 and hardly made it through even the first part of this drama. It seems very dated and is very slow -moving with not enough special effects or scary action to hold one’s attention. There are many better Stephen King dramatisations than this one such as “Salem’s Lot” or “The Stand”.

Very impressed with this rather bleak tale from the Utah Mountains, re-imagined for filming purposes in the Dolomites, with English sub-titles. Klaus Kinski gives a brilliant performance but there are many other memorable characters, good background music and truly great photography of the snowy landscapes. I liked the uncompromising final scenes and the avoidance of speeding up of the pace as the conclusion approached. There is also a subtle injection of humour via the character playing the sheriff that keeps this movie from being totally dark.

After its accolades I was really disappointed in this film. It has stereotypes of bigoted men facing off against revolutionaries and neither DiCaprio or Penn can rescue the meandering plot. The humour is strained and largely unsuccessful and the action sequences are nothing special. Not a film for me although it is highly rated by some.

Having listened to the entire book on audio within the past 3 years, I was quite familiar with the plot and knew that the pace was going to be a bit stop-start. I was overall impressed with how well this production kept to the story, and the casting and acting are good throughout, and there is some great photography and scenic shots. The first hour is very gripping and then as with the book the pace slows. It then goes more into the characters and the post apocalytic societies that are emerging - it needs more action to really keep the attention. Steadily the drama then begins to increase and the last hour is great. I would give it 4 stars on many counts, but the length of the drama got to me and I would probably say a 3.5 overall, but well worth a watch if (as me) you like Stephen King's work.

I enjoyed this film. I was keen to see more documentary type horror films after being impressed with "Lake Mungo". This film is a bit different and more physical horror rather than psychological/ ghostly horror. The use of short scenes and multiple protagonists works well. The camera work adds a lot to the drama and the film really sticks to its storyline and themes throughout.

I was impressed with this drama. I expected a heavier emphasis on zombies but the movie takes a more profound and thoughtful tone. Daisy Ridley is great in the lead role and the phorography is brilliant and brings out the apocalytic themes very well. The film does go on a tad too long but it sticks to its storyline well and is well worth staying with to the end.

I was interested in seeing how a young Jack Nicholson would fare in this western. The plot is quite simple and the characters are not much developed but the filming of the beautiful Utah natural environment is exceptional, with a pleasant western style music score. Nicholson's character grows during the film and there is an interesting part where Nicholson and his fellow cowhand have to force themselves for shelter on a family with a homestead, now being cast as outlaws. Probably 3 stars for plot but overall 4 stars for Jack Nicholson and the cinematography.