Film Reviews by None

Oh really, this is so bad.

I really like the Coen Brothers output, but this? ...... this resembles a very poor attempt at farce by too-smart American film students, not the champions of left-field quirk.

Seriously, I've seen 'Carry-On' films do farce better - and with more depth and characterisation too.

Such a shame. I thought some of the actors did a decent job - I actually loved Brad Pitt, so far out of his usual field, Frances McDormand was great, John Malkovich supremely brilliant..... but there was just nothing there.

I reached the end and thought: "Oh"

Yeah yeah, I 'got' the references, I 'got' the (attempted) satire...... but sometimes we have to just accept that some great film makers create some really poor work. This is so for the Coen Brothers.

'Emperors new clothes' came to mind when I read some reviews post-viewing.

Two stars because I don't think all of the cast did a bad job, they were just given a clumsy, empty, characterless script.

Oh this was just awful.

I'm a big fan of music, just music in general..... I always get sucked into these things though.

"A new twist" , "Based on true events" ..... why do I bother?

Hackneyed characters in stereotypical 'Swinging Sixties' garb don't really set the 'Authenticity' to 10 on the 'Authenticity Meter' do they?

Basing this story on 'Alleged' events (With no reference to 'Alleged' in the credits).

It was just awful.

This film makes 'The boat that rocked' look like a work of almost Welles-ian quality.

Watch it and you'll expect to see the usual: Actors that have zero resemblance to their real-life counterparts, a style-over-substance dialogue where everyone in the country seems to speak like Downer ingesting dope fiends....oh, you know....... It's all very 'Austin Powers' but not meant to be funny.

It actually doesn't manage to tell us much that we don't already know. Brian Jones was a genius. Extremely flawed but a genius nonetheless - but even this doesn't come across. We just see the variably kind, variably petulant Jones that doesn't fully explain or describe his character.

Poor Paddy.... a fine fine actor - and the only one that comes out of this sad excuse for a movie with any semblance of pride intact.

The female characters are pretty much reduced to mumbling a few lines whilst parading around nude/semi-nude.........whilst the final few minutes add unproven 'controversy' to the story.

This ending has never been proven and, if the premise of the film was to expand on this theory, then it seemed a rushed and cowardly way to end. Y'know, "Oh, by the way......." Drop the bomb and run.

Utter twaddle.