Film Reviews Blog

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

Wednesday 24th August 2022

USA 2022

Running time: 125 mins

Where the Crawdads Sing

Director : Olivia Newman

Film Summary :
from the book of the same name - child grows to adulthood alone in the N.Carolina coastal swamps.
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Reviewed by Roger CO, Plough Arts Centre Torrington on 24 Aug 2022

Review Summary :
An excellent film realisation of a good book

Languid at first but compelling

Inevitably there are scenes and connections from the book which are missing, the story has been compressed to fit into a 2hr film, but it is visually and feels very like my imagination when I read the book. Since I greatly enjoyed the book this is high praise. Ultimately it comes down to a courtroom drama, which is well told and the jumping between time frames in the novel is handled well.

The visuals are excellent and Daisy Edgar-Jones is very good as Kya (although perhaps a bit old for the teenage scenes). Jojo Regina who plays 7yo Kya is also very good.

I can't comment as to whether it works well if you haven't read the book, but if you have you wont be disappointed.




Saturday 13th August 2022

Average rating from 2 reviews

France 2010

Running time: 88 mins

The Illusionist

L'illusionniste

Director : Sylvain Chomet

Film Summary :
A French music hall magician travels on tour to a Scottish Isle and then on to Edinburgh with a young scottish lass in tow.
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Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 13 Aug 2022

Whimsical

I had no recollection of having seen this before when it came out (I've updated the synopsis and other details which were missing) but it still retains its charm and gets the same rating 12 years later. 




Saturday 6th August 2022

USA 2021

Running time: 128 mins

Licorice Pizza

Film Summary :
15 year old Gary meets 20 something Alana at the school yearbook photo-shoot and they start to hang out together.

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 06 Aug 2022

Review Summary :
A simple tale of friendship becoming love. Not a lot happens

A Charming Tale

Moments of slight comedy, although the humour is more in the situation. The unlikely relationship between Alana (25 or 28) and Gary (15) becomes believable through Cooper Hoffman's portrail of Gary as 15 going on 30.




Saturday 30th July 2022

USA 2019

Running time: 97 mins

The Farewell

Director : Lulu Wang

Film Summary :
A family gathers ostensibly for a wedding but really to say goodbye to Grandmother who has terminal cancer without her knowing she has cancer or the real reason they are there.
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Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 30 Jul 2022

Review Summary :
A simple story told with subtlety and richness to make a charming film

Charming

The centre of the story is the relationship between Nai Nai and Billi, which provides us with a way in to come to understand, as Billi does, some of the cultural differences between the individualistic american way and the Chinese social family. From being initially appalled at the lie that is being collectively perpetrated, Billi comes to accept and even embrace it.

The key scene is where she is with her father and uncle at their hotel in Changchun just before the wedding and they explain the difference between living in America and in China is that in America people believe their life belong to themselves, whereas in China people's lives are part of a whole, of a family, of society, and therefore it is the family's duty to carry the emotional burden of the cancer knowledge FOR Nai Nai.

The whole film is an illustration of this point, and it works really well.




Saturday 9th July 2022

UK 2021

Running time: 112 mins

Last Night in Soho

Director : Edgar Wright

Film Summary :
Eloise, first year design student in 2020, in love with 60's London finds herself going there in her vivid dreams and uncovering the darker side of swinging 60's

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 09 Jul 2022

Review Summary :
A potential modern classic, well made and well told.

Classic British horror/thriller

The character of the naif Eloise requires a bit of suspension of disbelief (not because of the acting which is fine), but if you can accept that, this is a well crafted and cleverly told horror-thriller. Neither very horrific, nor very thrilling, but an enjoyable ride through the stresses of both modern life for a young person in the city, and of the dark underside of the swinging sixties with it's deeply embedded sexist and mysoginistic attitudes.

A couple of good twists towards the end - the first to enable you to think "I knew that" and distract you from seeing the second until it is upon you.

All in all this is up there with the very best of the genre and thoroughly modern to boot.