Film Reviews by CD

This is the second time I have seen this film and I rate it very highly.  It’s a bit confusing for the first 20 mins as there are a lot of time shifts but the characters are really excellent and the lead actors are very strong.  The aspect I really like is change in the relationship between the two main characters as the story unwinds, the human and compassionate portrayal of ordinary Mexicans and the emotional transition of the main baddie.

This is described by some reviewers as "immersive". It certainly has almost no plot and the characters drift in and out without any real colour or identity. There are also experiments with the lighting that did not work at all for me - having minutes of darkness and other twilight scenes was not in any way compensated for by meaningful dialogue. Overall very disappointing.

I was expecting a lot more from this film given the reviews that I had read comparing it to Hitchcock's work. The acting is quite good and there is good attempt at a plot, but it is all terribly unlikely and the scenario of blind people being left alone in houses supported only when they asked for help is not very believable. It's all quite retro which is interesting and the motivation for the crimes makes some sense. The support characters are a real mixed bag which adds a bit of spice to the plot. Overall worth a watch but more a gory thriller than the horror film I was expecting.

A really superbly put together chiller documentary.  The documentary format works really well and quite apart from the ghost photography which keeps the suspense level up, the gradual revealing of the family context and pressures add considerably to the credibility and sadness of the film.  The plot resolves itself into quite a scary conclusion.  I watched the film in two sittings and it prompted a lot of thoughts, some unsettling.  It certainly makes you think twice about potential impacts of the supernatural.

This is a top notch thriller with excellent acting especially from Mark Rylance.  The backdrop of “cutting” suits works well as a counterpoise to the violence in the film and Mark Rylance gets to deliver some powerful lines in the face of extreme intimidation.  The baddies are interesting enough to give the film life, and the gradual revelation of the truth is cleverly handled - highly recommended.

There is plenty of great detail in the Dutch painting interiors, reminiscent of that other fine film “Girl with a pearl earring” (2003). The film takes a turn towards the dark with the arrival of the strange suitor but I like the way that the plot did not go an obvious route with the jilted young painter.  There are also some clever small details that add some extra mystery later on.  Good acting, good plot, scary at times, overall highly recommended.

I much preferred the 2009 film “Turn of the Screw”.  While the acting in this is very strong and the location beautifully filmed, it lacks the interesting finale of the 2009 film that ties up some loose ends.  If you want a classic British 1960s old style psychological horror film you may like this, but if you are more used to more modern direction and acting then the 2009 film may appeal to you more.  Still, well worth a watch and Deborah Kerr is great.

I was fearing the worst from reading other reviews but this was a very pleasant surprise.  The cast is excellent and the characters are sufficiently dark to make it a match for the original.  The mods and rockers do not detract from the plot and the whole film comes together well at the end.

The film is worth watching because of its brilliant cast, including seeing Brad Pitt in an unconventional “traveller” role.  It’s black comedy and at times quite amusing, but it is also very violent and as a film made over 20 years ago is politically incorrect.  The plot does not really hang together well and in my view there are much better films than this around in this genre (for example “In Bruges” and  “Sexy Beast”).

I have been reading “our mutual friend” and was very impressed by this BBC production.  Great acting and script which at times draws word for word from the original text.  Extremely atmospheric around the River Thames.  Rich with good characters and villains, the film moves at a good pace without undue sentimentality, leaving out some of the less interesting parts of the book.  Highly recommended (both CDs in the series).

Thoroughly enjoyed this production, having recently read the novel for the first time.  Dirk Bogarde is suitably laconic as the lawyer Sydney Carton.  The backdrop of the French Revolution and some creepy characters in Paris make this film dark and interesting. Christopher Lee is great as a sadistic nobleman.  Thoroughly recommended for the satisfying moral compass in the film and the action.

This film reminded me of Kirk Douglas’ other courtroom war film Paths of Glory, set in WW1, but this film is not nearly as powerful.  The warning signs on this film come early with a very wooden opening scene with the 4 infantrymen and the very clumsy lack of interplay between the music score and what is actually happening on screen.  Kirk Douglas does a great job to make the developing court case interesting and is well supported by the performance of the actress playing the German journalist.  Christine Kaufman playing Karin also does well in what is a limited role.  Overall only really of interest due to Kirk Douglas performance and  the strange atmosphere of post war Germany under allied occupation.

I have seen this film 3 times over the years.  Liam Neeson and Tim Roth are excellent and raise this well above the normal caricatures of good and bad in Anglo- Scottish relations.  The plot hangs together and the scenery is memorable.  There is also some good script-writing and Tim Roth in particular plays a fascinating character who really knows how to wield a sword.  Add to that great performances from John Hurt and Brian Cox and this becomes a highly entertaining film.

I was made aware of this film via a list in the BFI on best British rural horror - this one just missed the top ten but was mentioned in the suggestions from readers.  I thought it was very powerful and quite convincing.  Excellent acting and a truly evil ringleader coercing young accomplices.  The action sequences are good and the tempo is maintained till the end. Strongly recommended.

I came across this film in a BFI list for best British rural horror (although the film is set in France). The film is very 1970s ( which I generally like!) but the warning bells started ringing early on with the very brash music and the rather caricatured French characters. The atmosphere becomes more menacing and the film improves as it goes along, but the pace is slow and although not overlong the action drags and the tension is lost.  The actors do their best but the script is very limited partly because the English nurses cannot speak French!  One for the film buffs really but may not appeal to those who want a good yarn and action.