Film Reviews Blog

This page only shows films that have a review. By default in date order of reading with newest at top

Saturday 14th June 2025

UK 2009

Running time: 123 mins

Fish Tank

Director : Andrea Arnold

Synopsis extract :
14 yo angry Mia lives with single mother and younger sister in a towerblock flat in Essex/East ...

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 14 Jun 2025

Slice of life towards the bottom

Not quite as good as the director's later film Bird but totally believable and a stunning performance from Katie Jarvis in the lead role in her first film.




Saturday 24th May 2025

USA 2018

Running time: 82 mins

Echo in the Canyon

Director : Andrew Slater

Film Summary :
LA Laurel Canyon music scene 65-68 presented by modern musicians

Rated by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 24 May 2025

Review Summary :
Interesting but a bit limited, Part archive, part interview, part rehearsal, part concert - a bit of a mish-mash



Saturday 10th May 2025

UK 2023

Running time: 141 mins

Poor Things

Director : Yorgos Lanthimos

Synopsis extract :
Set in a steam-punk faux victorian fantasy world where a scientist manages to reanimate a girl by ...
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Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 10 May 2025

Surreal masterpiece

Starts in b&w and then when she 'escapes' bursts into colour with a steam-punk aesthetic. As she moves through the world carving her own way and overthrowing conventions and social mores as she goes we come to realise that the poor things are the men (mostly) who are enchained by their roles. Hailed as femist masterpiece it is more of a humanist film.




Wednesday 7th May 2025

Average rating from 2 reviews

France 1974

Running time: 133 mins

Nada

Director : Claude Chabrol

Synopsis extract :
French leftist revolutionries kidnap US Ambassador in a brothel and then discover the state is ...

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 07 May 2025

Seeing it again for at least 3rd time

Watched again. Had forgotten twists towards end. Greatly enjoyable and possibly more nearly topical than ever - it is coming.




Tuesday 6th May 2025

UK 1968

Running time: 111 mins

If...

Director : Lindsay Anderson

Film Summary :
Dreams of revolution in the public school

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 06 May 2025

Review Summary :
first seen in 1968 and not lost any of its power

If..(only really it was just like that)

Not only a stunningly accurate portrait of life in a public school in the 1960s, also and exploration of the tension between convention and rebellion - what makes a rebel and why do 90% of the victims of the public school system end up as damaged hidebound drones and 10% become unknown brothers n arms.

First seen when it came out in '68 in the cinema in Horsham (we were banned from going, but rules are made to be broken...hey ho) and watched again when I got it on DVD a few years ago and most recently now and again with David Taylor and Jane a couple of days later.

Clearly elements of fantasy - telegraphed by the use of b&w - and the school is more military than I remember, but the ethos and day to day were exact. Travis acted out my fantasy - tear it all down - I guess I was lucky to be a loner and not have a group of close freinds to build a revolution with.

Watching with David was an eye-opener for Jane as we provided a running commentary  on how "we had that" and "that really happened" and "yes in our place too".

I have a probably false memory of cheering in the cinema at the end of the film. One for the "One Solution Film Club"