Film Reviews by TR

Great visuals, great atmosphere, predictable and at times nonsensical story, rubbish CGI (reminder: don't make spooks "wispy", it doesn't work.) So, a mixed bag, but enjoyable for all that.

Except it doesn't match up in my opinion. Yes, we know life in the big city is tough, it's been done so often it's become a cliché. And why does the main character always seem to be cold, aloof and rude? This leads yet again to credibility being stretched to breaking-point as to why these friends of hers want anything whatsoever to do with her, and why her Mum hasn't given her a piece of her mind.

Drinking is highlighted as a symbol of her downhill spiral, yet the insane pursuit of smoking is only referred to as ruining her palate!

I couldn't believe this was less than 90 minutes. The very similar "Margaret" was twice as long yet grabbed my attention from start to finish, whereas here I'd lost interest, and patience with the leading character, long before the end.

OK, perhaps I need to be "edgy" and "with it" to get this film and sympathise with Daphne. But I'm afraid I'm not, so I don't.

Apart from the slow-mo and repeated shots of passing planes (a bit pointless and a waste of screen time), I found this to be an undersrated gem, with great performances all round.

Hackneyed werewolf fare done a million times before. Low-budget, so what looked like it might be the start of a transformation, er, wasn't.

Why on earth was Cynthia Nixon not even nominated for an Oscar? Her performance is brilliantly understated, as is the whole film.

No dialogue or camerawork is wasted in this little gem. The great Peter Ferdinando is the pick, and is ably supported by a good cast. The soft underbelly of the capital is well-portrayed.

The plot strains credibility, particularly what happens to the Dad towards the climax of the film. Body snatchers confined to a military base don't work as well as, say, a city. Hackneyed and stereotypical characters, and some dodgy special effects do not make for a convincing story.

When all too many films want to hurry, this is a perfectly-executed example of unhurried film-making, with not a shot wasted and a meticulous attention to detail, supported by outstanding performances.

Incomprehensible plot, smoking portrayed as "cool", tongue-in-cheek but also excessively violent in places. Not for me.