Film Reviews by None

I have not seen the Alec Guinness version or read the book, so I was coming to this "fresh" so to speak. I had expected more with the film being so heavily awarded and nominated for awards. Despite squeezing a long and intricate story into 2 hours, there were still times when it really dragged (I remember some bits which were just an excuse to play a whole song, to link it in to the era). Gary Oldman did well with what he had, but I don't remember any aspects of what he did that made me think "gosh he's acting this well". A host of british acting talent, all wasted as far as I could see.

Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep show their class in this heartfelt journey through a custody battle and a fathers relationship with his son and estranged wife. Their characters are certainly flawed, but this gives it a neccesary realism

As a Kevin Spacey fan, I thought I'd watch this. I didn't remember it when it first came out. The story verges on being a little frustrating in terms of the miscarriage of justice "why don't they believe him", but overall I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this more than I expected, and found myself really on the edge of my seat at times. We can all pick faults with all the bits that aren't shown like, "What happened to the prostitute he rescued" "Why did he not keep his ex-wife informed about what was happening, and why didn't they come over as well" "What happened to his daughters friend and how about her family" "Do the corrupt french police get their comeuppence" "How come he doesn't get any come back over killing dozens of people". But we can make a list of similar things about every film.

Given the number of characters in this gripping film, mostly played by well known skillful actors, a fault could be that the viewer simply doesn't get to know any of them that well. It feels a bit like it should be a 6 or 12 part drama which should return to the exploits of these loveable, and some quite unloveable persons each week. There's bits put in the film to deliberately tug at the heartstrings and make you question humanity... but why not. A great film, but whether it will be regarded as a classic in say 20 years time is questionable.

The thing about films where they are sci-fi or dreams is that the writer/director could have chosen any scene or effect. The fact this film is set mainly in a disused warehouse and a hotel corridor, or in a limbo land designed by Leonardo DiCaprio's character (which seems to me the dullest land he could have thought of) makes it seem a bit unimaginative. At it's heart, this film is a rip off of the Matrix and wants you to think if it could really be true (are we all living in a dream etc). I'm left with the feeling that it's a decent idea for a film, but I could've done a better job with the plot. Didn't deserve to be nominated for a best oscar.

Heard of this title on top comedy film lists so thought I'd give it a go. Expected more, but I suppose at the time it was quite a daring satire, but seems very tame now. I didn't laugh, and barely smiled at what was very gentle homour throughout. When modern audiences have experienced Airplane and Austin Powers, I was expecting more jokes.

Having chosen this film as it had been Oscar nominated I suppose I could say that I was disappointed. Clooney is good, but the has a depressing existence throughout the film, which although it is touched on, he didn't have a big enough epiphany for me. Great aerial shots of the US in this, although the story lacks a bit of depth.