Film Reviews Blog

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

Sunday 26th January 2025

USA 2024

Running time: 141 mins

A Complete Unknown

Director : James Mangold

Film Summary :
Dylan, the folk years

Reviewed by rogerco, Carlton Okehampton on 26 Jan 2025

Review Summary :
Rings true in all areas, even if the truth might have been bent a little.

Fantasticly Good

For anyone older than late 60s you will remember some of these events and the music and this'll take you right back and put you there (where you almost certainly weren't, but were in spirit)

For anyone over 40 you will know some, or many, of the songs and have heard of some of the events - this will give you a real context for the music and a feel for how it was, and just maybe help you realise that not much has changed and that those 'protest' songs still have real resonance today.

For anyone under 40 you might think he is just some old singer your grandparents were into - you show definitely see this film in the same spirit as in the open scenes Dylan pays a visit to the dying Woody Guthrie (an even older american folk protest singer). Go to the movie to get inspired by the continuity of history - you are facing the same stuff they were in 61, find your voice and tell the old generation to get out of the way  if they can't lend a hand to change the times. You have the potential power - please rise up and use it.

The film is excellent as a piece of film making - first class performances, direction, lighting and camerawork, sound, set design - everything seems true.  And then the story is compelling, but not in the starry eyed usual bio-pic way. It moves rapidly through the period 1961 to 1965 and then stops - these are the very years and songs you need to know about to understand why Dylan is so important




Saturday 18th January 2025

Korea 2016

Running time: 118 mins

Train to Busan

unlisted director

Film Summary :
Zombie apocalypse set largely on a train.
Film Category
Film Tags

Rated by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 18 Jan 2025

Review Summary :
Quite simply dreadful. Makes Snowpiercer look like a masterpiece (which it wasn't being the worst film seen in 2024) this make an early bid for the worst of 2025. Absolutely nothing to like or admire about it.



Saturday 4th January 2025

Finland 2023

Running time: 81 mins

Fallen Leaves

Director : Aki Kaurismäki

Film Summary :
Ansa works as a shelf stacker, Holappa in a metal factory. They fail to meet and then meet and fail again. Drink, sackings, ennui, shitjobs, life and romance blossoms.

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 04 Jan 2025

Review Summary :
Withthe directors unique sparse and allusive style a love story for modern times.

Review of "Fallen Leaves"

Excellent acting by Ansa and Holappa and others. Life in the menial class in Helsinki - zero hours shitjobs, propoganda in the media, drinking and movies going, total alienation.

Shot in the same style as The Other Side of Hope  and is other films




Saturday 21st December 2024

Palestine 2024

Running time: 92 mins

No Other Land

Film Summary :
Citizen documentary about life in a West Bank village

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 21 Dec 2024

Gobsmacked

I was left absolutely speechless at the end. Documents the daily struggle to hold on to their land over 50+ years of aggression and violence by the Israeli state's politically motivated theft and destruction. Film closes at the end of 2023 with the coda informing us that the filmakers have not been heard from for some time...




Friday 13th December 2024

Average rating from 2 reviews

2014

Wild Tales

Director : Damián Szifrón

Synopsis extract :
Six connected (by theme) stories of disconnected lives. ...
Film Category

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 13 Dec 2024

Watched again by mistake but still good

Watched this again by mistake but still enjoyed it. Took until a few minutes into the second story before I was sure we'd seen it before. Thereafter the knowledge of what was about to happen somewhat reduced the enjoyment but still a good film.