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Reviews
Doubt (2008)
I'm in doubt and so its Hollywood
"Doubt: a parable" is the title of its original which is a Pulitzer-prize winning play. However, "a parable" is dropped for "Doubt", a rather simple yet thought-provoking title and its punch stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. The weight of the "Hollywood" treatment taints the solemnity of the film, which is one of its few faults. But everything else works: the simplicity that emanates, the explosive talk that concerns morality and religion. The film also "makes you think", which is always good, especially for a Hollywood film.
The acting I thought was quite "samey". Amy Adams is a good actress but after a while I thought she had what I like to call "saving expressions" which a number of actors have especially those who rarely star in "serious" films. But I give her the benefit of the doubt. Philip Seymour Hoffman I thought was just brilliant - I should mention that he happens to be one of my favourite actors. Meryl Streep, I thought she was good, and that's it. To be perfectly honest I thought Philip Seymour Hoffman was better but Meryl Streep's character made me feel uneasy and the ending of the film grounded that. On the other hand I thought Viola Davis was an absolute breath of fresh air.
The Pianist (2002)
Perfect
I have not seen many films that centre on the events of the holocaust, but I did approach this movie with a sense that it will portray its Germans in a light too poor and its victims in a light too necessary. So I had no high, or even low expectations for this movie that differ from the norm.
I sat for two and a half hours, and wept; the film is beautiful. At times ithad hurt to watch the most brutal scenes. But at most it was heart wrenching; the signature scene hit a raw nerve. The scenes in which piano music plays to dull the pain of the brutality Władysław Szpilman sees are pleasing.
10/10 stars, I recommend it. At parts it ired me, but most of all taught me something I never thought I would get in watching a holocaust movie, something I needn't state, which is what makes this film different from every other holocaust movie I have, and probably will, ever see.
15 Storeys High (2002)
Razor Sharp Comedy
I caught an episode of this on BBC Three a while ago and presumed, from it's six month banishment that it will never see the light of day again. Approxiamtly, 2 weeks ago I decided to purchase the DVD. It is amazing. Truly a subtly funny script, amazing acting and Sean Lock, well, although he plays a misanthropic cynical man, he is lovable. Sometimes i wish i lived in the same block amongst him and his surreal tenants. He, alongside the director captures the atmosphere of the goings on inside a dilapidated block of flats excellently. And its not what you'd expect! A man who secretes a horse in his spare room, the husband of a aspiring swimmer who claims to be "crazy", a guy who helps his friend win back his girlfriend by constantly smashing his fist against a wall and various others. No extravagance, if anything, a pretty banal depressive atmosphere with a razor sharp script. That's the true essence of this comedy. I don't understand why shyte comedies get more attention than this? I ponder over whether people tend to love the acclaimed overrated crap rather than a comedy that truly delivers and pleases. Sean Lock & Mark Lamarr are both extremely talented writers. End of.
Man Stroke Woman (2005)
Tries too hard
This comedy has potential and undoubtedly follows in the vein of "embarrassing situation comedies" dominating our screens nowadays, i.e., the office, curb your enthusiasm, extras; you catch my drift. Seeing as i'm a fan of all of these brilliant comedies you'd think I'd like this sketch show. But unfortunately, there is a fine line between imitating a popular style and using it, stretching it out so far that it becomes tedious and predictable. In short, this sketch show falls among the latter. There are some strong and pleasing sketches but the rest are clichéd. The "comedy" evolves from the actors after a few sketches, however after a while even their performances become tedious and predictable. The only plus side to their performance is their dominance over the script that fails to evoke any comedy. We tend to overlook the writing and focus on them. If anything, their performances save the poor scripts and without them I wouldn't have glanced at this show. If you pull out the actors and focus on the script, it is mediocre and poor. However, thinking back, I may sound self-contradictory because there was one highlight. One that stood out for me, was when Nick Frost woke up from a one night stand, trudges silently downstairs and comes across a picture of him and the lady he slept with, married, including another with a child. Eventually, he realises, it is another liaison with his wife. That, i found funny. But the rest slightly poor. However, i did have some expectations for the second series yet unfortunately, the second series failed to meet these expectations. It is rather inconceivable to know that the show's producer & writer is none other than Ash Atalla, the producer of The Office. Nick Frost & Amanda Abbington are great actors, and frankly they are the only great thing in this show.
Spaced (1999)
Perfect definition for "Comedy"
I remember watching this on Channel 4 years ago and remembered how much it made me laugh. Years later i decided to buy the DVD boxset and ahh...the memories. This is the best slice of British comedy i have ever seen, and the good thing is i can watch it again and again and again...and never get bored! It is fast-paced, surreal, clever and imaginative. It's one of those unique shows that producers, directors and writers of comedy can learn from. This is a fine, fine show and i truly admire the genius brains behind it. The characters you can relate with, the situations you can relate to. It doesn't go too far and out of context and it remains entertaining even in it's bleakest and emotional moments. If you love comedy, watch this...
The Cable Guy (1996)
Jim Carrey delivers an outstanding performance
i am a huge jim carrey fan, so any movie he is in I'm guaranteed to watch. this movie is by far one of my favourites. jim carrey passes of as a cable guy desperate for a friend who stalks a customer steve covacks (matthew broderick), who also plays a fine performance. this film uses dark comedy well, and as a fan of comedy film's this is one of my favourite dark films. jim carrey's neurotic character, with his lisp and need to hide his true identity under the false names of television characters is great. i love how he plays chip douglas, or whatever his real name is. if you love jim carrey, you will be surprised with the performance. it is unlike his others, he plays a dark stalker unlike the jolly crazy characters you usually see him play. if you love jim carrey, watch this film :).
I, Robot (2004)
Too much hype, a little overrated
i was recommended this movie on DVD and i wasn't that impressed with all the hype and critical acclaims of this film. it wasn't the best, it wasn't Oscar-winning but it had potential. the plot was decent enough to interest me, a simple storyline of robots trying to take over humans. it didn't appeal to me that much, i didn't feel excited over the movie and to me, it wouldn't be considered unforgettable or memorable. characters played are convincing, and the CGI effects are amazing, making the robots look almost lifelike i liked. one of my favourite scenes is the car scene in the tunnel where all the robots attack del spooner's car. oh, and i liked the hidden secret of the main character being half a robot although he is extremely against them. and the story about the drowning of the girl i thought was interesting, and the fact he hated robots from there because the robot saved him instead of the little girl. apart from these positive points, i thought the movie was average. i have to admit some of the "slow motion" effects seemed a little useless, and a little out of place for me. it felt like a "wannabe-maxtrix" dropped in tiny parts of the movie, but then again that is my point of view. it is watchable, if you are interested in sci-fi and you are a fan of will smith's biceps then watch this movie. but if you are looking for an intense sci-fi thriller, i'm afraid this movie doesn't really deliver, and the cgi effects and the idea of creating robots that are similar to a human, crowds the actual plot and theme.
King Kong (2005)
Average Movie, Unconvincing Characters
This movie was average. That's it. There is an increase of classic remakes, some great ones, such as "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" and others that i think in my opinion have ruined a cult classic entirely, such as, "Bewitched". When i heard of Peter Jacksons latest instalment, putting the classic king Kong on the big screen, and the fact he was getting paid £20 million for directing the movie, i was excited and looking forward, and even hoping they wouldn't turn it into a flop. I have to say, i was pleased with the end result, however slightly disappointed. I have to say. Yes, the CGI effects were fantastic, actors i thought were good, except unconvincing. They can act, but i don't think they portrayed the characters in the original well enough. The romance between Ann and Jack was very unconvincing. The subplot stories were just useless to the movie. Period. It was too long. Especially for a movie with such a little plot. A girl wants to be a movie star, bumps into a guy who gives her the opportunity of becoming an actress but then as they travel to an island they discover a secret, hence King Kong. That is it. Some of the scenes were too stretched and kind of lost the plot a bit. They were mostly the CGI scenes. I think that is why i was disappointed with this film because the duration was mostly filled with the CGI scenes and effect, to be honest. Some scenes, although this is a fictional film, were very unrealistic. One scene was the stampede of the dinosaurs and when Carl, Jack and the other members of the ship were running from them. The fact they didn't die, just tells us how unrealistic this is. All in all, average movie. Average characters.
Parineeta (2005)
A very touching Bollywood film
My friend recommended this film to me the other day and i watched it, first time, i did not understand the plot although it was explained to me, but when i watched it the second time i was blown away. This is a very good film with an interesting plot, dialogue and very well- written. Not only does it portray a love between two characters who are already married but the flashbacks from the beginning and the way it unfolds from how they met to how they finally reunited, is very powerful. I enjoyed every moment of this movie it was gripping and it was brilliantly acted, with a good cast. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Bollywood or Alternative cinema.
Family Affairs (1997)
Family Affairs No More
I took a glimpse at this soap last night on Channel 5. The last time i had watched this show was when it was interesting, when Pete Callan was wicked as the villain and Benjamin, a school boy had the affair with that teacher. Well, when i took a glance yesterday, i nearly cried. No, it wasn't the drama included, it was the lack of dialogue and how utterly dull this show is becoming. The script says it all, the conversations the characters have are similar to the ones i have to myself...pointless. It's just doesn't have the knack it had before, there was action, there was drama there was something there for me to watch but yesterday i had to suffer watching this. I only watched it because i wanted to know what was happening, plus i was bored out of my skull. And oh dear god how i regret spending half and hour watching this soap. Card-board characters i could make within 5 minutes, dialogue my brother of 6-years-old could write. Also, the situations does not interest me. For example, one of the characters i found yesterday is gay and his father is currently in hospital nearly dying. So of course before the program started they showed what happened on the previous episode, so i got a general idea of what this episode was going to be about. All the conversations between this character and his mother and all the other people in the show included, "How is your father,"..."He's still in hospital," next scene, "I don't know what to do about my father, " next scene, "Oh what am i going to do about my father," something along those lines. What was worse was the other story that was happening, a lady is currently selling her pub and her friends are not entirely happy about it. "I'm selling the pub, i've made my decision"..."There is nothing you can do about it i am selling the pub," next scene, "Nobody is going to stop me selling my pub," next scene, "The pub is in my name, so i can do what i like with it, i will sell the pub," and her friends, "Why are you selling the pub," next scene, "Sell the pub to someone else, " next scene, " i am angry about you selling the pub, " next scene, "Why are you selling the pub, what about your friends," Thats why i nearly cried, thats how bad it was. If only they could improve on the script maybe they might scrape some more viewers, but at this rate, they will see the light at the end of the tunnel...or in that case...a flop.