Film Reviews by CL

I didn't really know what to expect with this film, and was pleasantly surprised. AK47 comes across as a daft small-time criminal / chancer with occasional flashes of brilliance. He's clearly aware of how silly he is and plays up to it well, but he does have a funny and bizarre story to tell. The film takes the mick out of the street art world, itself and the audience. I found the reenacted sections are a little jarring and over the top, but they're meant to be. Recommended if you want to see something different and if you enjoyed Exit Through the Gift Shop and Spinal Tap (not that it's about music, but just for the daftness of it all).

The Greasy Strangler is a really bizarre, original film that is genuinely unlike anything else I've ever seen. It's the sort of thing that people are either going to love or hate, I'm the former, my girlfriend despised it and couldn't watch the whole thing. It's so different that it's difficult to say that it's a good film; it's a very interesting experience, and I found it very funny. Give it a go if you like the weird and different, and if you're not easily offended or grossed out! I understand that it's already becoming quite a cult-favorite, and I imagine that in years to come it will be considered a surreal comedy classic.

This film could have made a really good 10 minute short: it definitely did not need to be feature length. The slow, long shots came across as pretentious and boring. There is a bit of very mumbled dialogue early on, and a fairly interesting monologue in the second half, that is however nowhere near as profound as it thinks it is. There is also a song somewhere around the middle of the film, apparently performed by the main actor, that I really enjoyed.

If you manage to stay awake until the end (I did, just, but my partner didn't) a bit more does happen in the last 20 or 30 minutes, but it's barely worth waiting that long.

I was worried I'd be disappointed with this as I really love the original and have seen it many times. T2 is a bit more upbeat that the first, and does make many references and flashbacks to Trainspotting. Yet it manages to maintain interest, and is a pleasantly nostalgic look back for both the characters and the viewer. Plus the characters have grown and changed in their own ways. I was expecting the film to have more similarities with the book sequel, but the writers understandably wrote a mostly original story as I suspect the book was too racy to translate to a mainstream film. Thoroughly recommended for anyone that enjoyed the first film.