Film Reviews Blog

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

Saturday 22nd January 2022

USA 2009

Running time: 86 mins

When You're STrange

a film about The Doors

Director : Tom DiCillo

Film Summary :
Documentary about the rise of The Doors

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 22 Jan 2022

A bit of a mess

Interesting for the archive footage. The footage lifted from HWY is not given any context and makes no sense at all - not being aware of the film I thought the footage was some random fictional bits added as padding or for effect.

The chronology seems to get a bit mixed up with external events referenced out of sequence and/or out of context. 




Saturday 15th January 2022

Canada 2013

Running time: 99 mins

Tom at the Farm

Director : Xavier Dolan

Film Summary :
Macho gay power games after Tom's lover dies and Tom visits the family for the funeral.

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 15 Jan 2022

Why on earth did he stay?

After a promising start I found it completely implausible that Tom, even allowing for his grief over loss of his lover, would hang around being abused by the repressed homo brother. It just didn't add up. The story about the homo-erotic repressed relationship has been done far better elsewhere (Brokeback Mountain and Power of the Dog spring to mind for starters)




Saturday 8th January 2022

UK 2013

Running time: 83 mins

Locke

Director : Steven Knight

Film Summary :
Building site manager drives to birth of his child whilst on the phone (handsfree on the M6) fielding problems at work and telling his wife about the other woman
Film Category
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 08 Jan 2022

Review Summary :
Might have made a passable half hour radio play

A boring drive down the M6 at night

A boring half story about a boring man.  There was nothing interesting about the character, why make a film about him? An attempt to make a technically clever film - only one person in shot and only one location with the story told through the medium of phone calls - but frankly what was the point. Might have made an ok half hour radio play, but has no merit as a film.

Gets a second star because I briefly worked as a concrete engineer and so knew some of the technical stuff he was talking about and met someone a bit like him.




Thursday 6th January 2022

UK 2020

Running time: 103 mins

Limbo

Director : Ben Sharrock

Film Summary :
A group of refugees billeted on a Scottish Island awaiting results of asylum requests.

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 06 Jan 2022

Review Summary :
The gentle end of the refugee experience

Humorous, but slow paced and how true?

Well acted and beautifully photographed and well written - but at times a little pointlessly slow. Alright so they are in Limbo where time does pass slowly, but sometimes the photography of scenery seemed to delay the narrative.

It is gently funny, not laugh out loud, and comes across as somewhat truthful - although how many asylum seekers are billeted on a remote Scottish island rather than in detention centres with prison like condidtions.




Saturday 1st January 2022

France 1995

Running time: 98 mins

La Haine

Director : Mathieu Kassovitz

Film Summary :
A day in the life of three young men from the Paris suburbs in the aftermath of a riot
Film Category
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 01 Jan 2022

Review Summary :
No surprise there was a riot, and no surprise that the victims of the riot are largely the community that rioted.

No surprise there was a riot

Slightly reminiscent of the (20 years later) Victoria. The B&W presentation feels right, the camerawork is quite fluid matching the edgy feel of the action. Perhaps it fails to delve into the pressures that the protagonists are under, and there 'hate' seems to be ust between the pigs and the kidz - but why?