Film Reviews Blog

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

Saturday 12th February 2022

Italy 2013

Running time: 145 mins

The Great Beauty

La Grande Bellezza

Director : Paolo Sorrentino

Film Summary :
writer Jep wanders through high society Rome
Film Category
The 2010s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 12 Feb 2022

Review Summary :
Sumptuous to look at, but to what end?

Not a Great Film, but not bad

The photography and mise-en-scene is excellent, luxurious. The story, such as it is, is slightly confused (whose funeral was it, what happened to Ramona). Some laboured comedy - the cardinal more interested in his food recipes than spiritual matters. No hints of the dark side of the face of luxury and privilege.

 



Sunday 6th February 2022

Average rating from 2 reviews

South Africa 2006

Running time: 101 mins

Catch a Fire

Director : Phillip Noyce

Synopsis extract :
Based on true story of an apartheid era black man who gets terroristed by a white investigator and ...
Film Category
The 2000s (the noughties)
Film Tags

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

Review Summary :
Watched again and rated the same

Still pretty good

Wasn't sure if I'd seen it before when I put it on but eventually started to recognise it. Still worth seeing again



Thursday 3rd February 2022

filmed in New Zealand 2021

Running time: 126 mins

The Power of the Dog

Director : Jane Campion

Synopsis extract :
Two brothers running a successful ranch - Phil (Benedict Cumberpatch), the man's manly one, and ...
Film Category
The 2020s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 03 Feb 2022

Review Summary :
Four wonderful performances from the leading cast, and first class direction.

Looks good, performers good, story good.

Some acceptable changes made to Thomas Savage's book to fit the story in to a filmable timeframe means some loss of nuance. Fantastic locations and camerwork do justice to the first rate actors.

The book was notable for its exploration of Phil's repressed homosexuality which wasn't as much to the fore (barely present) in the film.



Saturday 29th January 2022

Denmark 2020

Running time: 89 mins

Wildland

Kød & blod

Director : Jeanette Nordahl

Synopsis extract :
17 year old Ida's mother dies (possibly of a drug/alcohol od) and she goes to live with her aunt's ...
Film Category
The 2020s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 29 Jan 2022

About criminals but not a crime film

Ida (Sandra Guldberg Kampp) was amazing from the outset. We are seeing the story from her point of view as a withdrawn (understandably owing to the death of her mum and what we inferred about her mother's life - probably alcoholic, possibly prostitute) teenager thrown into a new life with relations she barely knows since childhood (again we infer no love lost between the mum and the aunt).

The moral compass for the film is set by the family who clearly care for each other even as their relations with the outside world are pretty toxic. No moral judgement is made by the film about the business of the family - it just is.

The centre of the film is the gradual mutual acceptance of Ida and the family

 



Wednesday 26th January 2022

Italy 2019

Running time: 129 mins

Martin Eden

Director : Pietro Marcello

Synopsis extract :
A poor but handsome young sailor stumbles into a wealthy family by saving the son from being ...
Film Category
The 2010s

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 26 Jan 2022

First rate Italian style film

Just misses a 7th star by being a bit too long towards the end, but otherwise first rate.



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