Film Reviews by PR

Excellent film! It is a feminist film in the best possible way, and a fair description. No tear-jerking, no political messages, just…plain life with its natural drama. Of necessity, it will be much more poignant to the likes of me, who knew Mexico in the 70s, but plenty there to appreciate by everybody.

Oh my god, this film is so accurate it hurts! Grossly caricaturized and exaggerated, but the message is all too real, serious and valid. Half way through I stopped laughing and started feeling horror. Brave man indeed, this director.

This is one well-over-the-top film but you know what? It works. Saved thanks to not taking itself too seriously; if they had deliberately tried to make it a “cult” film or some social comment, it would have been terrible, but is so tongue in cheek that it is good.

Practically any film released by Artificial Eye is guaranteed to be good, unusual and interesting, and this movie is no exception. The core theme is: moral principles versus financial needs, the sort of challenge we all face some time. The action is a little bit too detailed at times as we follow the main character trekking to canvas support, making the film sometimes a little slow, but rather that than sensationalism, and the acting overall is superbly natural, hence well worth watching.

This is a bit like watching paint dry. Hand-ground oil paint on an exquisite Dutch Master, but slow all the same. And I could not help feeling a bit of, well, revulsion watching it, because in spite of the beautiful , almost crafted landscapes etc., it feels voyeuristic. It’s the sort of intimacy in crucial moments that one should not share with others, so it made me feel uncomfortable as a film theme. Still, a class act, I admit.

I very seldom cry at films, and even less so from happiness, but this story and the artist’s personality really cracked me! The man is the genuine article, a true poet, his music is simply excellent: sincere, haunting, moving, very, very special. Highly recommended.

WOW! What a story, what a documentary! It is tremendously moving, and worth decades of Food For Thought. This ought to be compulsory viewing for anybody with a political, agitating or campaigning agenda or anyone with black-and-white views. Proves no artificial thriller or spy movie can compare with the real thing. Thoroughly recommended.

I loved this film! This is the way to make you understand alternative lifestyles and leanings without the tedious indoctrinating lectures from the likes of the BBC. Great psychological/emotional insights brilliantly but subtly acted all round. As the director states in the "special features", the long, lingering shots (learn a lesson, thrill-a-second Hollywood! ) really give you time to savour and reflect upon the changing feelings of the characters. It has some quite funny interludes, too, and many truly tender (but not corny) moments. Fringe/Indie film at its best.

This film is meant to be funny, but fails dismally. It could have been an intriguing plot very relevant to our century but in spite of a token effort and interesting message toward the very end (won't spoil it), it fails dismally. I'm patently not in tune with Danish humour.

Why this excellent film is not more famous is beyond me, because it deserves to be a classic. It is very original, intriguing, tender, even funny. Makes you think about how our most cherished memories can be anything from the dramatic to the fleeting or even banal. A very good observation of different personality types, too. Thoroughly recommended. I have watched and enjoyed other films by this director but this must be his best.

Good Lord, whatever possessed me to hire this film? Answer: my growing admiration for Asa Butterfield, who indeed is about the only redeeming feature on it. I quickly admit that as a bit of a snob -intellectual I try to stay away from mainstream, special-effects-heavy Hollywood fodder, so for all I know this is actually good for the standards, I confess I am in no position to judge. But I better not start moaning about the clichéd (from a biological point of view) alien beings, unconvincing bullying, soon-to-look-embarrassingly-dated interstellar war effects and shoehorned moral lessons about overpopulation and human emotions because when I think that this brilliant young actor could have been used to make a really clever, multi-layered, subtle Sci Fi film along the lines of "Stalker" or "Solaris", I feel like weeping. So… 1 star to film, 4 stars to Butterfield.

Hasn't this film been rather too harshly judged by the resident critic? Whereas most of what he says are fair points, the same and far worse could be said of many films churned out by Hollywood , yet which are hailed as "gripping". It is a fantasy love story mixed with comments about not being adapted to one's environment, and as such it has some nice moments. The young man's reactions to Earth are indeed either exaggerated or, worse, under-elaborated , but he has a naïve charm. The weakest link is the personality of the girl, totally unconvincing as a tough orphan "know to Social Services"; she is far too well-groomed and polite (not one swearword, which I normally would applaud, but seems farfetched here). Still, give this film a try, in the knowledge that you are in for a light, inconsequential couple of hours. It really isn't THAT bad. At least it is not pretentious or gratuitously nasty.

Another reviewer has said it: the BBC just can't resist pushing the politically-correct message! Why oh why do they have to force the women into the plot? The original true story is fascinating and moving in itself, all it needed was a bit of glamourizing to make it a good film. The actor Asa Butterfield has certainly done his bit; apparently the (real) father of the (real) mathematical genius was amazed at how well the actor had emulated his son's personality and behaviour. His (real) girlfriend was indeed Chinese though not a gifted mathematician as far as I know, and her influence in getting him to express his feelings was genuine. He did also teach himself fluent Chinese in record time. What more do you need for a good film? Still, try to ignore the BBC's irritating habits because, in the end, it is worth watching.

This is such a funny film, not so much because it is about vampires trying to live a normal life (and that works really well, too), but because it so effectively takes the mickey out of several personality types, and of our clichéd reactions, especially when facing an audience. It is so well-observed and incisive it almost hurts! It is an eye-opener indeed to know in advance (almost verbatim) what the interviewees - vampires and humans alike- will say and what facial expressions they will put on for the benefit of the camera. And as icing on the cake, the film-makers have continued the joke throughout: make sure not to miss the DVD's "extra features", which normally includes (real) talks with the director and cast, but in this case involves yet more brilliantly crafted spoof interviews; highlights are the policewoman and the zombie. If this is typical New Zealand humour, I want a lot more of it!

This is NOT a vampire film, not really. The vampires are but an excuse, a vehicle, to criticize Mankind and its waste - persecution, even- of the occasional talented individual among the mediocrity (the aptly-named "Zombies" by the hero) and its disregard for what really matters, such as science, nature, art and historical perspective.

Relentlessly, Mankind walks into self-pollution, undervaluing the great potential of the human soul and intellect. It takes many centuries of experience and learning to appreciate that fact… and, unfortunately, only vampires have that scope.

This film is also about building a really long-lasting love relationship, and, for the coup de grace, the film also humbly recognizes that, ultimately, the biological imperative to survive overrides any philosophic-artistic niceties; even sophisticated vampires need feeding more than anything else.

A very original, well-acted film that deserves all the praise it got, even if occasionally for all the wrong reasons, in my opinion.