Film Reviews by KW

A slow film saved by the exceptional performance of Casey Affleck, with enough troubles of his own, he then has cope with the loss of brother and become the guardian of his nephew. Slow moving film but helped by a wonderful chunks of classical music that seemed to blend with the action.

this set I think was possibly the weakest I have seen in the series, with no real stand out film, but Chance and Signs were the two I enjoyed.

Lost interest halfway through, the acting passable, but for me the story line was so thin that the sexual encounters were what kept the film going but in the end I got bored with them. Not a film I can recommend!

An interesting adaption of Sebastian Faulks novel, switching from the desolation of 1916 and the world war 1 trenches to the earlier setting of Amiens in 1910, and the illicit love affair that consumes our hero whilst trying to hold together his squad in the trenches. In part the film works, but the switching between 1910 and 1916 was I felt poorly executed at times. The acting was good and special praise goes to Joseph Mawle as Jack Firebrace who sheds a sense of reality on the time and place.

Not a film I can recommend, if you like teenage anguish, not knowing what they want, bore with life then this is a film for you. The acting was minimal, but the story line did nothing much to extend the actors and in the end it was very predictable. There are far better films covering the anguish of immigrants into Australia and the issues it raises then this one.

Interesting film about a pair of twins, there mother, living in a rambling castle style house in Germany, and the coming to terms with puberty, first love's, not having a father figure, and a mother who adores men but seems reluctant to ever settle down. Add to the mix a strained relationship between mother and daughter, the son falling for a classmate and in the process has to learn that life comes with some hard knocks. Well acted by the principals but for me there was something lacking that stopped the film from reaching its goal.

without one stand out film that some of the other sets in the series have had. For me the cartoon Happy and Gay was the best of the films and took one back to the cartoons of the 1930's, and the best acting came from Alec and the Handyman and the precocious performance from Alec!

Interesting Bio Pic of the romance and marriage of Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams in the early 1950's when a mixed race marriage was not the norm it is today. Added to story is the politics of the time and the Apartheid stance being taken in South Africa added to the possible wealth of minerals that could be untapped in Botswana and the machinations of the British Government.

Very well acted by David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike as the Khama's and an excellent cast of British actors. I enjoyed this film and recommend it.

so I could use the fast forward option and shorten the run time of the film, Dire! It almost an insult to suggest it is doing a Mr Ripley even though there are similarities!

Interesting set of four inter woven stories in the space of one night in Philadelphia, of how a group of gay men each try to find that special something to make their life better and the results that achieve. Full praise to the actors having to deal with the mood swings each of the characters have to handle, but at times I began to get a little frustrated as they started to become too stero typed. Watchable but not a film I would readily recommend.

With no sub title option, these five films in Spanish were difficult to follow and only the fist one one for me which had a story line that was interesting of a resident in a block of flats having an affair with one of the gate keepers!

Interesting bio pic of the emergence of the Tom of Finland brand and the life of its creator Touko Laaksonen from his exploits in WW2, life after the war and the homophobic stance to life in Finland, whilst at the same time honing his art drawings of the muscular man especially those dressed in leather. The film evolves through the growth of his fame, his private life in Helsinki and the development of the AIDS pandemic, but does not cover his own death from emphysema, but the seeds were sown from the numerous occasions he is shown smoking a cigarette!

Enjoyable romcom with excellent performances from Ms Keaton and Mr Gleeson and a cast of British actors enjoying themselves in the supporting roles. My one gripe was that I could have done without the Heath Ukulele ensemble which was totally over the top!

Stephen Frears is to be saluted for his excellent control in shaping this marvellous film covering the period Queen Victoria had her Indian servant and like John Brown before him ruffled the feathers of the Royal Household. Judi Dench was outstanding as Queen Victoria for a second time and her relationship with Ali Fazal as the Indian servant was excellent. Special praise for the late Tim Pigott-Smith in the unenviable role as her her Private Secretary trying to please her, the Court, prime minister and the Prince of Wales. Humour, pathos, sadness it is all there, and for me time just flew by so much was I enjoying it!

I hope the denouement on disc2 provides some clarification to what I have watched on this disc, because at the moment I am lost as to what the underlying cause of any issue is!