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 November 2023

Russia 2020

Running time: 113 mins

Sputnik

Director : Egor Abramenko

Film Summary :
Returning cosmonaut survives an incident on re-entry but with a passenger.
Film Category
The 2020s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 26 Nov 2023

Review Summary :
Somewhat derivative (Alien) but very competently done

Good Psycho Sci-Fi

The narrative develops well as Tatyana, and we, uncover the truth of what is going on and has to deal with it. Special effects of the Alien (reference intended) very good. As often with aliens HP Lovecraft has a lot to answer for - tentacles and slime! The three lead characters all very solid.

Also interesting to see a Russian film looking back to the late Soviet period - bare corridors and lightbulbs, paranoia and little rebellions against pervading authority - so different to Russia today, and more like England today.



Saturday 18th November 2023

UK 1980

Running time: 133 mins

Rude Boy

Director : Jack Hazan

Film Summary :
Drama doc about the Clash and a wannabe roadie
Film Category
The 1980s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, Streamed proj @ home on 18 Nov 2023

Review Summary :
Part artificial drama, part documentary, part archive - a bit of a mess

Rude Boy makes a Mess

Although interesting and entertaining it somewhat jarred in the conflict between documentary and scripted storyline, with contemporary news and street documentary, and fake documentary, footage thrown in.

The treatment of young black kids was unsympathetic - one wonders if Ray's racism was actually a reflection of the director/screenwriters opinions.. On the other hand the National Front was not sympathtically treated - although not critical either.



Sunday 12th November 2023

Bhutan 2019

Running time: 110 mins

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

Director : Pawo Choyning Dorji

Film Summary :
Trainee teacher gets assigned to remotest school in the world
Film Category
The 2010s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 12 Nov 2023

A simple story with scenery

A seemingly simple story with some hidden depth and amazing scenery. 

A slice of a real life that is probably completely outside your experience, but with a strong moral compass to relate to.



Saturday 4th November 2023

UK 2013

Running time: 103 mins

The Staurt Hall Project

Director : John Akomfrah

Synopsis extract :
Documentary made up largely of clips of various Staurt Hall programmes and appearances for the ...
Film Category
The 2010s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, on 04 Nov 2023

An Unstirred Mixture

The archive footage used to illustrate was fascinating but the film didn't really give a clear exposition of what its subject was about - unless it is true that he was just a confused intellectual thinker. Much of his talking head seemed to be spouting high sounding high falutng ideas that were not very clear.

Cultural Studies seems to me now to have been a middle class construct (I somewhat dipped into that stuff as a young man) that didn't really produce any understanding of the sub-culures that merge together to create our society's overall cultural identity.

For me it is more like lixing different colours of pain in a pot - when you add a new colour at first it maintains its identity as swirls and lines in the body of paint but as it gets strirred or shaken it merges in to adjust the overall tone. Hall, and cultural studies ingeneral, seemed to be more about trying to keep the mixture separated.



Saturday 21st October 2023

USA 2022

Running time: 97 mins

Emily the Criminal

Director : John Patton Ford

Synopsis extract :
Emily (Aubery Plaza) is stuck in shit job, laden with debt, Gets involved in credit card fraud. ...
Film Category
The 2020s
Film Tags

Reviewed by rogerco, DVD proj @ home on 21 Oct 2023

A tight little thriller

A very well made and acted and paced thriller following Emily's (Aubery Plaza) odyssey into life as an independent crime boss.  From a wholly believable presmise - young woman saddled with student debt and a conviction that prevents her getting a better job, finds a way to make a bit of extra cash - and then some more. And why wouldn't she.

Partnering with Youcef (Theo Rossi) they start to build a business, until Youcef's partners find out what he is up to and Emily pushes back.

Very enjoyable, nice to see a strong female lead character in a thriller. Aubrey Plaza is excellent and the story is well written by director John Patton Ford.



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