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jeremy-liebster
Reviews
The Path to 9/11 (2006)
Gripping, fairly objective stuff - so says a Brit
No this isn't factual history but since when has that particularly bothered US filmmakers?! The point is if you want an exact version of events read a book on the subject, it is very clear you cannot provide a full and 100% accurate account in the amount of time allowed by a film. Once you get over this point I felt that The Path to 9/11 was a well made drama which covered some very key episodes in the buildup to 9/11 and had some wonderful acting. The atmosphere of impending doom was beautifully handled and there is no doubt that one is left to dwell on some appalling mistakes made in the handling of terrorism prior to 9/11. What I find as a Brit remarkable is that so many on here are accusing the programme of rabid right wing bias. I have to say that I completely disagree. Yes the Clinton administration was made to look weak and irresolute, but I hardly think that the makers of the programme covered the Bush regime with glory either. The fact that the film ended with the lack of progress made since 9/11 means it is hardly a pro-Bush piece, but at the same time since it was the Clinton administration in power during most of the preceding events, it is only natural that it should shoulder its fair share of the blame. So why don't you lot get off your political bandwagons and just agree that the whole thing was one great big screw up (not that Britain would have done any better I assure you!)
Les égarés (2003)
Ultimately a waste of time
Before I discuss Strayed I should say that I am a big fan of French cinema and therefore don't agree with the sweeping generalisation that it is over-ponderous and self-important. Strayed however most certainly does conform to this stereotype. It all begins very promisingly with a family running into the woods to escape German bombs and encountering an almost savage seventeen year old youth. The children like him while the widowed mother (played by Beart) is a little more reticent. Unfortunately the film then peters out and the rest of it meanders along with no sense of tension or character development. It is as though the writer came up with what he thought was a good idea, and then after writing a few pages realised that in fact he still had writer's block. The sex with which the film culminates appears to have been added to give the film some spice, but there are simply no preliminaries (at least on the part of Beart's character) to make her sudden rampant desire in any way explicable. The acting is good as is the general mood set by the music and the scenery, but this does not excuse the fact that this film simply has nothing important or interesting to say.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
I was really looking forward to seeing this film
I must say that from the previews this looked like just my type of film - powerful, good acting, tense, maybe a bit slow but only in a smouldering-with-tension kind of way. Perhaps that is why I was so disappointed with the plot-less tedium that was Three Burials. A border patrol guard kills a Mexican and this prompts an hour and a half (it seemed like at least 3) of the guard being dragged across the country by the Mexican's friend. And it is revealed that the guard's wife had sex with the Mexican - but with no character development this is simply unfathomable. This utter lack of character development is the inherent problem with the film and it renders most of the characters' actions to be inexplicable. Moreover we are expected to sympathise with the Mexican immigrants yet without any of the protagonists in the film being any more than almost comic stereotypes I was left completely cold. I agree that the politics are sledgehammer PC but this would not have bothered me at all if the film hadn't been so lacklustre. Unfortunately, despite the excellent acting of Barry Pepper as the border guard, this film is as vacant as the Texan desert in which it is set.
Kidulthood (2006)
Good film - absurdly low rating
Like one of the other reviewers on this site I am going to vote 10 out of 10 for Kidulthood to try to redress the anomaly of its incredibly low score. Something is surely wrong with the IMDb system when most of the reviews on the site are positive yet the film has such a low rating. Anyway I thought Kidulthood was a very realistic 'urban streetkids' film which captured perfectly the style, speech and violence that happens every day around London's inner city schools. I thought the acting was absolutely fine especially considering the age of most of the actors - have those criticising the actors actually seen the way that teenage kids behave because I think they were all very believable. The film was tense, violent and gripping and is a nice London take on the issues of teenage gang violence.
Familia rodante (2004)
Oh my goodness
I honestly wanted to like this film. I love Argentina and I like quirky films where not all that much happens. But I am sorry to have to report that this is one of the worst, most excruciatingly dull films I have ever seen. There is absolutely no plot and absolutely no character development. What happens (to use the term loosely) is that a Buenos Aires Grandma decides that her whole family will drive up to Misiones for a wedding and the film shows us what happens on the trip. Which is nothing. Except lots of incidences where the van breaks down which means there are lots of shots of engines and carboretters. We find out very little indeed about any of the family who go on this trip except that one of the men is having an affair with one of the women. Sometimes with road trip films at least you get some lovely shots of the countryside, yet even here the film fails, making the pampas look about as dull as the subject matter.
I actually found it remarkable that this film is presumably a work of fiction. The fact that somebody would bother to make up a story where absolutely nothing of interest occurs and where there is no character development or humour is actually remarkable. And the fact that a film company thought that it would be a good idea to buy the story is equally astounding.
I occasionally have a problem on my machine with DVDs skipping. And whenever this normally happens I go hopping mad. I have to tell you however that when my copy of La Familia Rodante started jumping I was actually relieved that it meant I would have to endure less of the awful banality that was proceeding in front of me. Honestly, the only people who would like this film are mechanics and even they would get bored after the first breakdown.
Match Point (2005)
Started slowly but by the end I was riveted
After half an hour of this film I felt as if I was watching one of those awful one off Sunday evening dramas which seem to have been made only with the middle class housewife in mind. There were cut glass English accents, shots of tennis and the opera, meaningful looks across dinner tables and a rather obvious love triangle involving Scarlet Johannsen. But I have to admit that the longer this film progressed the more intriguing it became until by the end I was quite unashamedly shouting advice at the screen. Match Point was refreshingly unpredictable and also rather refreshingly had no particularly likable characters thereby avoiding moral judgements. As others have said this is far from your typical Woody Allen film - and I am normally a big fan. A slight disappointment for me in Match Point was that you can normally rely on Allen to produce scintillating dialogue yet the conversations appeared stilted and slightly humourless. I also felt that some of the details - such as Chris being a supposedly working class boy from Ireland yet with a posh English accent and a penchant for Dostoevsky were a little far-fetched. Overall though Match Point is definitely worth a look.
A History of Violence (2005)
Passes the time.... but a good film? Don't be silly!
It does irritate me on this database when people who like a film with lots of sex and violence claim that those who don't like the film can't deal with sex and violence. Now I have to say I love sex and violence and all in all the more I see in a film the better but I still didn't think that this film was any good (though the sex scenes were admittedly quite fun!). Don't get me wrong - it works as a perfectly entertaining mindless DVD rental on a Monday evening - but as a quality drama - you have to be joking. Let me first say however that the film started well. I enjoyed the buildup of tension, the slow realisation that Tom Stalls was not who he seemed, but then the film fell away and became silly. The fight scenes were preposterous which is fine in a martial arts film, but in a supposedly 'thinking man's drama' such as this one just appear very out of place. What is more the mob members are so absurdly clichéd in their accents, dialogue, even down to their black BMW with darkened windows that they cannot be taken in any way seriously. At some points towards the end the film seemed to almost descend into comedy which I am sure was not what the writer intended and as for that final scene around the dinner table when the little girl set her daddy's place for him while his eyes went all teary - the word nauseating doesn't even begin to do it justice. This film did have potential, but a crass second half really spoiled it for me.
The Proposition (2005)
The best film I have seen in a very long time
My all time top five favourite films is a list that has remained happily undisturbed for the past few years. I've seen some excellent films in that time but nothing that has had me scratching my head and getting ready for the problems of entering a new entry. Until last week when I came out of the cinema having seen The Proposition. This film is simply magnificent. The direction is stunning and should have won the director an Oscar - every scene feels as though it has been carefully thought about and this makes for beautiful and harrowing visions of the wild Australian frontier. The acting is marvellous with Ray Winstone putting in a career best performance (which is really saying something for Britain's best actor). Everyone else is also superb even down to the sinister locals who in their looks and mannerisms seem to have stepped straight out of the nineteenth century. Yes, the film is disturbing and the violence can make for uncomfortable viewing. But this is of course necessary to bring home just how dangerous and anarchic life on the frontier really must have been. The film's score helps to create a haunting atmosphere throughout and the story, though simple, is genuinely moving. I really am not used to using so many superlatives in a film review but The Proposition leaves me no choice. Anyone who enjoys cinema must see it.
Wolf Creek (2005)
Slow building tension followed by a gore fest
There were many good things about this film. The scenery was fantastic and the direction was perfectly restrained. And unlike some other reviewers I really enjoyed the first 45 minutes. The best thing about the film was the slow burning sense of foreboding that was built up very effectively and impressively maintained even when the youngsters meet their would-be killer whose character is so 'typical Aussie outback guy' that I was unsure he would be the source of their troubles. Anyway the mood turns very quickly and the final 45 minutes of the film is your average "Teenagers Hide From Evil Man In Deserted Scrubland And Have Horrible Things Done To Them" caper. That doesn't mean it's bad. It's certainly unpleasant and tension is always maintained right up to the end. The film does however seem to run out of time. While each of the two girls is shown struggling to escape the writer seems to have got bored by the time of the boy's efforts when the killer doesn't even bother to try to find him. Overall though this is quite a gripping film though certainly not for the squeamish.
The Aristocrats (2005)
Extremely entertaining
This is definitely one of the funniest films I have seen for a long time. It's completely inappropriate and repulsive but the fouler it gets the more I was literally crying with laughter. The ones which brought racism in at the end were especially hilarious as was the South Park scene. My girlfriend hated it (she is from Tunbridge Wells) but the fact that she was looking so disgusted actually made it all the funnier. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the editing could have been a lot better - I wished the comedians had just been left to tell the joke without interruption - but nevertheless I really enjoyed this film and would heartily recommend it.
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
Started well, but tailed off quickly into rubbish
After about twenty minutes of this film I was in heaven. The father setting fire to his hand, the old man in the shoe shop and the children writing about 'poop' on the internet were amusing, offbeat, almost Todd Solondz-like scenes. But that was it. I didn't laugh again and slowly got bored. The performance artist who I gather was also the film writer was just irritating and self-absorbed and every scene involving her made me feel that this film was trying to be quirky for the sake of being quirky. All of the children were excellent, but they had so little to do by the end that they were wasted. I am normally a great fan of films where very little happens and where the ending is anything but a conclusion. But an old man banging a coin against a post and then giving the coin to the small boy? Please. Either it went way above my head and I am just a boorish idiot or it was just another example of the pretentious, meaningless nonsense that pervaded the final hour of this very disappointing film.
Crash (2004)
I feared as much
I must say that when I heard that a powerful Hollywood drama about racial stereotypes had been released I didn't have high hopes. I've heard it all before quite frankly - 'turns racism on its head', 'really makes you think'. Yeah, whatever. But I read some great reviews so rented it on video. Now this film is not a complete calamity - it's nicely shot for one thing - but quite why people are feting this film as some sort of cinematic masterpiece is extraordinary. But no more extraordinary than the earnest, self-important view that the film sees to have of itself. The absurd life-affirming music at the end would have fitted perfectly a genuine epic where you have seen the characters change and grow. But the problem with Crash is that there are simply too many characters to care about any of them. And they are all so horribly clichéd - the wisecracking, funny blacks, the desperate Arab, the hard working Hispanic, the racist and overworked white - that it makes a mockery of viewing racism in a different way. The more I think about this film the less I like it so I'll stop now and leave my 3 out of 10 before I reconsider and give it a two...
Det sjunde inseglet (1957)
Genius. An unexpected treat
I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I rented this from the video shop. I'd never seen a Bergman film before and only knew that they came highly recommended. I went out for the night, came back very late, and thought I'd put the film on for a few minutes before hitting the sack. From the opening scene I was spellbound. An hour and a half later when the credits rolled I had the sensation that I had just watched something truly special. I was captivated by the beautifully constructed, hauntingly quiet scenes and the understated sense of foreboding that lingered throughout. I am pleased I had never before heard of the scenes of the knight playing chess with Death as for me they took me by surprise and were a delight. This is a wonderful film and I'm looking forward to seeing it again soon.
House of Wax (2005)
Hardly a masterpiece, but fun all the same
I started watching this film with trepidation - surely another boring high school horror flick with just some bloody bits to alleviate the tedium. I have to say though I actually really enjoyed it. High brow it's not, but the premise of the waxwork town run by psychotic brothers was quite fun and it's never unpleasant seeing pretty girls running around in their underwear! Once again, like many of these films, it's really a matter of guessing which, if any, of the high school kids survive but it's never too predictable. I must admit that my friends and I by the end were shouting at the TV and the girls were screaming at the scary bits. Heartily recommended if you're in need of a mindless afternoon in front of a video.
Angels in America (2003)
Absolutely fantastic
I will clarify something from the start. I am a white, straight male who has little time for wishy washy liberal propaganda. But this film is not propaganda. It is an epic of a quality rarely seen on the big or small screen. The film plunges us into a captivating opening scene of a wisened old rabbi giving a funeral oration about a Jewish grandmother he had never met, and takes us on some diverse and often surreal paths throughout the next 6 hours or so. The grand themes of politics, religion and sex have the time to be dealt with in a sometimes serious, sometimes very funny manner, and the acting is a treat. Every scene with Al Pacino is a joy to watch, and in particular his one-on-one dialogues with the gay black nurse played by Jeffrey Wright are superb. People who think this film is gay propaganda or an attack on religion should probably get out more and stop being so paranoid.
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Great acting, decent characters, but some of you should stay away
Quite a fun, original film about an interesting subject. Unlike others on here I thought the direction was spot on, and other than the fact that the film went on 20 minutes too long I thought it did well to hold my attention - especially as it was a Friday night and I wanted a drink! As many have said the acting was tremendous. The only problem was that this film merely adds to the paranoia that is currently invading intelligent thought throughout the world. Saying 'drugs companies' in the same sentence as 'AIDS' and 'Africa' seems to have normally clever people sagely shaking their heads in the way they do whenever George W Bush or Iraq come up in conversation. Please see this film if you want to watch a thriller and be entertained. But if you're the conspiracy-theory type who believes that the world is run by a cartel of drugs companies, oil conglomerates, serpents with big heads who suck blood and George W Bush I think it's better you stay away.
In America (2002)
Unremittingly bad
The 8.1 average for this film is almost as absurd as the film itself. I must say my girlfriend rented the video and I didn't have high hopes - it had a small girl on the front cover which normally doesn't bode well - but nevertheless I really tried to give it a chance. The problem was that while this film was intended to make me cry I have to shamefully admit that once or twice I actually found myself laughing at the sheer ludicrousness of it all. The desperate Irish family sneaking into America after the loss of their son - in the 1850s I might have believed it, but in 1985...why? How about the hilarious African music that played whenever Mateo appeared on the screen or the fact that this caged animal turned from lion to pussy cat after one knock on his door. And the fact that he was in the far advanced stages of AIDS yet had a strong, musclebound body that features in adverts for growth steroids. And I am not a medical man but I am sure that you can't get a brain tumour from falling down the stairs. I could cope with these absurdities if the film had been redeeming in any way, but the number of needless clichés in the film just ruined any hopes it may have had about trying to explore the nature and feelings surrounding the death of a child. Clichés like the smiling and cheery black waitress, the tramp with a heart of gold, the heartless hospital clerk clocking up the five figure childbirth bill, the idea of one life ending as another is beginning. At the end the family were even gazing wistfully at the moon. From start to finish this film was farcical. And while I have every sympathy with the fact that the film was made, that does not make the film worth watching.
Seres queridos (2004)
Great characters, fun script
I went to see this with very limited expectations as I had not read many reviews but I have to say I really enjoyed it. Its slight zaniness is recognisably Spanish while there were also elements of typically Jewish humour. Some of the set pieces in the film are laugh at loud funny, while the characters are superb - in particular the ex-Israeli army granddad, the ultra religious but very confused son and the nymphomaniac daughter. This is a family with real problems and the comedy is often tinged with sadness. In an albeit short argument at the end between the Jewish daughter and her Palestinian boyfriend the Middle East debate is given a very vocal hearing, and while this film does not attempt to delve into the subject too deeply, it is an amusing, feel-good take on family relationships and Jewish-Arab relations.
Anything Else (2003)
Some reviews are so predictable
The predictability of the reviews on this database is hilarious. Every Woody Allen film gets...'it's not as good as Annie Hall'. Over and over and over again. As though Woody Allen has committed a heinous crime in making a supposedly lesser film. Just as every Martin Scorsese film gets a run of 'It's not Raging Bull or Goodfellas'. Over and over and over again. I think that sometimes people sit down intent on wallowing in gloom, specifically to compare a film negatively with a director or actor's previous works. Probably the sort of irritating people who go back to the same place on holiday every year and complain that it was cheaper last year, much more fun and friendly and the place has become too commercialised.
Quite frankly I don't care if Anything Else is as good as Annie Hall. I loved it. From start to finish I laughed out loud at the fantastic dialogue, and unlike others I thought the acting was superb. Having heard next to nothing about it on release, this was one of the most unexpectedly funny, heart warming and intelligent films I have seen for some time.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Grrrrrrrrrr
Despite the comments of one particularly hilarious pseudo intellectual reviewer, I do understand subtlety. I would also rather practice agonising self-mutilation than call myself a science fiction fan. I was however appalled by the dross that was Lost in Translation. Nothing happened and I was bored. I am very very rarely bored in the cinema and no, I don't only watch films with explosions. Moreover the two characters were singularly unappealing and this more than anything else made the film difficult to watch. Bill Murray looked sheepish, Scarlet Johansson looked impassive. For the whole film. And we were meant to empathise with their apparently very human plight. What a lot of nonsense. I empathise more with patronising IMDb reviewers than I do with this rather selfish, unexpressive duo. Anyway so i hated it. And so did my girlfriend. So there!
The Station Agent (2003)
Wow
The sort of film you want to shout about and make everybody watch and then dive into your television set and sit outside the hot dog stand with the characters. Whoever likes this film because its so un-Hollywood is missing the point. I'm honest enough to admit that i loved Meet the Fockers - as Hollywood as you can get! To compare this to Hollwood films is like comparing carrots and nylon. It is absurd. By the same token those attempting to pick holes in the plot ought to be committed. This film has nothing to do with plot. Just lie back, open up a cold beer, and soak up the incredible atmosphere and beauty that it creates.
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
I blame my girlfriend
Last night I was feeling edgy. That fidgeting edginess that seems to arrive and then settle in for the evening. Then I pressed play on my video and half an hour later I was, according to my girlfriend, sleeping like a baby. Cue the jabs in the ribs that forced me to endure the remainder of this anaemic folly. I must say that I am often a fan of films in which very little of any consequence occurs. The previous night, for instance, I had loved every minute of The station Agent. This sort of film however can only work if it manages to engage. And in this The Girl with a Pearl Earring, for all its beautiful costumes and scenery, spectacularly fails. Colin Firth plays the same role we all know by heart, and Scarlet Johansson simply fails to bring any sympathy or life to her character. Tom Wilkinson is as good as ever, but his character is so one dimensional you wonder whether he has simply been copied and pasted from a comic book of villains. I was left rather annoyed by this pointless work. Firstly because I had been woken up to suffer it, and secondly because every time I see the beautiful painting that inspired it, I will be left with the painful image of a mute Scarlet Johansson and a mute Colin Firth in a room together, with not an ounce of tension between them.