Film Reviews by LC

Two girls travel through a post-apocalyptic city, occasionally encountering other survivors, robots or life-forms, and uncovering scraps of information about how their world became this way. In terms of pacing, this is very sedate, with little in the way of action or even incident for large sections, but it does have a certain hypnotic appeal. Ultimately, equally charming and boring, but if you are looking for something a bit different and more relaxed, this is not without appeal.

For me, Alan peaked with 'I'm Alan Partridge' - particularly the first season, where every character was amazing and pretty much every line was a quotable classic. This latest outing is pretty much in line with every Partridge-related outing since then - it's decent, and there are enough great moments to make it worthwhile (Alan practicing corporal punishment on a model schoolboy is a particular standout), but as a whole it's just too patchy and uneven to stand up to that all-time classic. Still, some decent laughs, so it's definitely good - it's just not great.

A solid film noir thriller, though the resolution feels very rushed and not particularly satisfying.

This is a difficult film to rate - I found the first half pretty enjoyable viewing, but the second half mostly lost me. Nothing much happens in the first half (other than some wild dancing), but there are lots of inventive camera moves, long takes, colour and sound, and I found it interesting in an 'arty' way. For the second half of the film, things shift more into horror mode as the spiked drink kicks in, but I couldn't really buy into the reality of the situation, and endless scenes of people wandering around screaming hysterically ultimately felt slightly boring. Despite that, there's enough visual invention here that I'd say this is still worth a watch if you appreciate more off-beat and arty films, it's just a shame the largely improvised narrative isn't stronger. (3.5 out of 5)

Whilst clearly low-budget, 'Mandy' is rich with style - dripping with psychedelic colours and a deliberately retro 80s feel that extends to the soundtrack. However, whilst Initially seeming to take inspiration from a bunch of Charles Manson-like crazies, it soon becomes clear that in terms of storyline this is a completely generic revenge thriller, with nothing original to say. Think 'Kill Bill' (and yes, this has cartoon interludes as well), only without either the budget or Tarantino's snappy dialogue. There is still enough visual colour and whacky performances for this to be an enjoyably off-beat watch, but by the end it's hard not to feel that it's all slightly empty spectacle. Still, fun in a knowingly retro 'Hobo With a Shotgun' kinda way.

I wanted to like this film more - the idea of a traumatised survivor fully prepared for Michael's inevitable return is a good one, but sadly it's not really explored in any great depth, with far too much time given over to the latest batch of disposable teens rather than Jamie Lee Curtis' character. The film also feels far too predictable and formulaic - rather than giving a breath of fresh-air to the franchise, this feels like any number of previous forgettable sequels. A shame. Works just about as a passable entertainment, but not a film I'll ever need to watch again.

This first half of this film, where we follow a family struck by tragedy, is pretty well done, with the supernatural elements being subtle enough that you are not sure whether they are real or just a manifestation of the lead character being overwhelmed by grief and mental illness. Unfortunately however the film plays it's hand way too early, and any sense of realism is lost as the second half descends into a cartoonish mass of horror film clichés. The underlying story is pretty solid, and there are some decent bits, but I can't help but feel that a little restraint would have gone a long way here.

Was terribly disappointed by this, and only ended up sitting through the final hour as I'd already wasted the first hour on it. Full of frantic but meaningless CGI action scenes, Spielberg at his most saccharine and schmaltzy, cheesy cliché-spouting characters, and a film who's ultimate message is 'nothing is as real as reality' - well, duh, thanks for that revelation! Younger children will find enough cartoonish spectacle and comfort to enjoy this as a mindless action romp, but confusingly it also seems to be stuffed full of 80's nostalgia aimed at 40-somethings, with a completely out of place detour into the world of Kubrick's 'The Shining', of all things? If you are older than about 14, avoid this.

It seems a real shame for all involved that the real-life controversy surrounding Woody Allen ended up making this a box-office bomb, with not even a UK blu ray release available, as I found it a surprisingly solid drama. It's not perfect - it's a little on the melodramatic side, and it feels quite 'stagey', but the central human drama is very engaging with a real mess of tangled love lives, and the acting is solid. I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan, so haven't seen huge swathes of his work, but I found this an interesting and worthwhile watch - even on slightly fuzzy low-definition DVD.

I was completely fine with the idea of casting a female Doctor, but sadly this series is a crushing disappointment. The source of the problem is new lead writer Chris Chibnall's scripts. Gone is the wit, invention and fun of previous series, replaced by a series of dull scenarios and dull dialogue. The Doctor shows none of the depth of previous incarnations, but seems to be stuck in 'cheerful mum' mode throughout, and the stories never examine the consequences of her pacifist philosophy (some of the ramifications of which are huge, and seemingly ripe for dramatic exploration). The crowded TARDIS doesn't work - of the three companions only Graham (a nice performance by Bradley Walsh) gets any emotional development, with Ryan (wooden, suffers from dyspraxia for a couple of scripts before this is forgotten about) and particularly Yaz (supposedly a policewoman, but essentially invisible for most of the series) barely making any impact. The cinematography looks nice, as the production team have splashed out on new lenses, but otherwise the sets feel mostly large and empty, making everything look a bit cheap and underpopulated (have there been budget cuts again?). Even the new TARDIS interior looks like cheap plastic.

Things do improve slightly in the middle the season, when we get a few episodes by other writers - Alan Cumming in particular is a hoot as King James in 'The Witchfinders', and 'Demons of the Punjab' is a sensitive take on the partition of India - but then Chibnall returns for the most underwhelming series finale ever, and puts the final nail in the coffin. What a shame.

I found this a frustrating experience. Divided into three clear sections, this film follows the effects of a love triangle throughout the years. The first two parts set in China are wonderful - moving, subtle human drama, well acted and with gorgeous cinematography. Sadly however, the final segment sees a switch to English language as we jump to near-future Australia, and suddenly it's all awkward, stilted dialogue, bad acting and unconvincing aging makeup. What a shame.

Doubtless the real life historical story is an important one, but sadly that doesn't mean it's going to make a great film. The first half is worthy but ultimately a talky and rather dull cinematic experience. However things actually get worse in the second half, with some hideously scripted moments of mawkish 'underdog makes good' and 'female empowerment' - neither of which are inherently bad things, but are handled so obviously they just seem like Hollywood clichés. Not entirely awful, but a disappointment.

There is a reasonably interesting set-up here, with the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda, and the dilemma between isolationism and opening the country up to outsiders. Sadly however, this soon gets side-lined in favour of bog-standard superhero action, with CGI cartoon figures punching each other, posturing and the usual cheesy dialogue. It's reasonably well-made, looks nice, has a few exciting action scenes, but it's essentially exactly the same cookie-cutter Marvel movie you've already seen a dozen times before - the only difference is most of the cast are black.

I was stunned at how inept this movie was, and only kept watching to the end to see what new depths would be plumbed. The plot is utterly ludicrous and unbelievable on any level, the dialogue frequently painful and cheesy, and the acting by the two leads is completely wooden. It's impossible to take seriously as a thriller, my only thought is that it must be some knowingly awful parody of the worst throw-away TV movies in the genre. Obviously, these things are subjective, but I'm seriously baffled as to why this appealed to anyone.

The set-up is very 'Twin Peaks', with a murder mystery uncovering dark secrets beneath the surface of a small US town. Ultimately however, this doesn't have any of 'Twin Peaks' depth or weirdness, but is played as a fairly straight teen melodrama/soap opera. It works OK for what it is, and some of the cast are attractive enough to hold the interest when nothing else is happening, but don't expect anything beyond surface melodrama.