Carmel's Reviews

Great movie, John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins work well together. Based on the true story of a man who was born with a genetic disorder primarily known as neurofibromatosis. He was forced into a freak show in the circus, when he was discovered by a doctor who wanted to help and research his case. Inspiring and courageous young man who was accepted into the rich man's society.

Great movie about young men in an exclusive all boys boarding school and the pressures of their parents' influences on their futures and how one teacher's creativity and attitude help the boys through their final year.

Interesting to see 9/11 with this perspective and seeing the discrepancies that the American government have issued to the public. I wonder how much more they are hiding from the public about that day.

WWII movie about a family who attempt to cross the border in a home made hot air balloon. Their first attempt is unsuccessful, but they are discovered by the authorities. Their second attempt becomes dangerous as authorities are hot on their tales. Based on a true story.

Who wouldn't want to get into bed with Olivier Martinez? But who would cheat on Richard Gere? Hmm dilemma, do them both. Liked the movie, both endings still leave you wondering what he will do

Not as scary as I thought, but great thriller. I usually predict the endings and am always a party pooper (predicted the sixth sense), but liked this one, didn't see it coming. Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning are great.

Is anyone really there? Didn't like the movie, didn't get past the first 20 minutes, couldn't handle it at all

Bad bad movie. Don't watch it

Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson were fantastically paired. Two dying guys decide to befriend each other and create a bucket list of all the things they want to do before they die. Funny and sad and inspirational.

Classic Western, not one of the better ones out there, but it wasn't bad.

Should I really comment? Don't watch unless you want to go to sleep without taking a sleeping tablet

Great start to Che's life as a revolutionary and how he met Fidel Castro and started his life to helping others within South America. Shame that his hunger for a better South America has not continued into the 21st century.

Bad acting, bad script, bad altogether

Remarkable how different Mike Tyson is now compared to when he was much younger. He talks slower, and moves slower. I truly wonder if boxing has done that much damage to his brain. Interesting to hear about his upbringing and his downfalls. Good watch for any boxing fan

Great documentary into the life of Anna Winter, Editor In Chief of Vogue magazine. Many women envy her, many despise her. She's classy and has so much control over what goes in the fashion world. Interesting that Meryl Streep got her character so right in the Devil Wears Prada

Could Meryl Streep be any more annoying as Julia Childs? Movie was okay, but that shrill of a voice was so annoying that I could not work out why anyone would love Julia Childs after listening to that voice. Arggghhhh

Wonderfully cast, written and acted, a young rich woman is placed into a psychiatric hospital after attempting to harm herself. There she befriends a group of other disturbed young women, who she relates to One being the dominant force to her not wanting to make a recovery. After a year being admitted to this hospital, she escapes and goes into hiding with another psychiatric patient who had been discharged some weeks prior. She witnesses her suicide which disturbs her so much so that she returns to the psychiatric facility. Angelina Jolie is fantastic, so is Winona Ryder and Britney Murphy.

Dustin Hoffman is brilliant in this movie portraying the older autistic brother of Tom Cruse, he is believable and loveable and frustrating all at the same time. He is the brother that he never knew he had, and when he discovers that his father has left all his inheritance in a trust to some unknown person, he sets out to get his hands on the money to clear his debts, but gains a lot more than he bargained for.

Part two of Ernesto "Che" Guevarra's life as a revolutionary. Sad to see how he was used by Fidel Castro. His courage and determination to make South America a better place to live. Giving healthcare, education, economics, etc to the people of this continent who have so long been deprived of the basic necessities of life.

What an epic classic! I can now honestly say this is one of my favorite movies. Charleton Heston was brilliant and given the age of the movie, the effects were great.

A woman's revenge after her daughter is raped and murdered by a serial rapist/murderer. Not the greatest of acting but good story line. Many parents would relate to this movie, and many people if they had the courage would do what this woman does

Not my kind of movie but Peter Sellers was a brilliant character actor who could portray any character you asked him to.

Fantastic movie, great plot, brilliantly written and cast. Is a movie you could watch again and again

Not a bad movie, have watched better. There were a few twists that were a bit unexpected.

Would love to review this movie, but managed to watch about 15 minutes of this DVD before it froze and could not watch any more

In one word....... YAWN!

Great movie, thoroughly enjoyed it. Although the movie tells of who the real Jack the Ripper was, truth of the matter is, to this day, Jack the Ripper's identity still remains a mystery. Brilliantly acted great cast. Would enjoy to watch it again

Getting to the end was a tedious task. The movie was all over the place, it started with one story and ended with something totally different. Don't bother with this one

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Although the special effects were good and a special appearance from an animated Arnie, it doesn't match up to the first two movies.

Based on the novel by Stephen King The Secret Window and The Secret Garden, Johnny Depp tries to convince an out of towner that he is the true author of a book he wrote in 1994. He is given an ultimatum that if he doesn't prove he is the writer within three days he will start to hurt the people he cares about, but is not allowed to go to authorities. As the movie progresses, the cracks start to show. Great movie with a great Stephen King twist. Good watch

Another typical movie about teenagers and getting to explore their sexuality. Wouldn't recommend it.

Not a huge fan of Sci-Fi but thought it was an okay movie but wouldn't watch it again.

Bad acting, bad plot, laughable substandard script. Wouldn't recommend unless you had nothing better to do than paint your nails

I'm still melting with this beautiful movie. I think many schools could do with a teacher like him. Awesome movie and story

Al Pacino is magnificent, a bit repetitious at times. but nonetheless a great movie about crime and corruption within the NY police force and how one mans mission to bring down the system which is there to protect and fight crime. Based on a true story

Enjoyed this movie, Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie heat up the screen with their steamy love scenes. This love story, come love tragedy is beautifully set in the early 1900's

Great cast, great acting, Geoffrey Rush is amazing. Growing up watching Peter Sellers on TV, it was amazing seeing the private man who struggled within himself and his insecurities.

Liked this movie, recommend it. It's a realistic approach on what life is like for some in their 40's who find it difficult to get their life back after a divorce and another who is losing his freedom by getting married and what they get up to.

I didn't know all too much about the person portrayed by Hilary Swank in this movie, but it's amazing how someone's sexuality can cause so much hatred by so many. Although I don't agree with same sex relationships or transgender etc., it doesn't give people the right to do what these people did to her. Very well told story and very well acted by all the cast.

Great movie without the high budget actors. Never knew Colditz POW prison existed until now. Great story

I found it quite funny, send up of quite a lot of movies in this. Robert Downey Jr just keeps proving himself to be such a brilliant actor

Don't bother. Struggled to stay awake.

Bada bing, bada boom, talk about Mafia movies to top all mafia movies. The true life story of a mafia hitman and his rise and fall in the mafia world. Starring Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino.

Although I was not a big fan of the TV series I loved this movie when I first watched at the cinemas and enjoyed it even more on DVD. The movie takes off when the TV series left off and where the four women are now in their lives five years on. The movie shows the closeness and bond that four women share, during good and bad times. Great cast, great movie, fun and fresh.

Starring Sophia Loren, Mira Sorvino and Gerard Depardieu, the movie revolves around the lives of three women who are struggling with their lives. Each of them battling with their lives trying to realise their dreams. Story line is okay, a little slow but enjoyable.

Tommy Lee Jones is a tracker, his father fighting in the Korean war, he decides against joining the army, but teaches soldiers to become the elite fighting force. One recruit (Benicio Del Toro) turns bad after the Kosovo War in the 1990's and kills two deer hunters in bush land. He now becomes the Hunted, and the only person who can track him down and bring him in dead or alive is his teacher. Action packed from beginning to end. Great cast and acting.

Pretty much a similar concept to The Great Escape but not as grande. Not such great acting, but great soccer skills by some of the worlds former lead soccer players such as Pele'.

A movie which shows the three different lives of three people. A career criminal (Benicio Del Toro), a reformed drug addict (Naomi Watts), and a man dying of chronic heart failure (Sean Penn). Three lives connected with each other when a man with his two children are run down and killed by Benicio Del Toro's character. A man with a guilty conscience, he turns himself in despite his wife's best efforts to persuade him not to. Sean Penn receives the heart of the run down father who is the husband of Naomi Watt's character. All three struggle with their lives, all three feel guilt about their pasts, all want a new start.

Slow, boring, monotonous. Sorry to say it's not one of Kevin Spacey's greatest movies. Don't bother watching this one unless you want to go to sleep.

Kevin Spacey at his best. Tag line: "The greatest trick the devil evil pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Spacey pulls off the greatest con, convincing four other thugs to pull off a drug heist without ever giving away who he really was. The biggest trick of all, convincing the police and FBI that the person they were looking for, really didn't exist. Great cast, great plot, great movie

Heartwarming movie about two sisters who get the opportunity to start life over again after Juliette (played by Kristen Scott Thomas), is released from jail after a long sentence which she had served for killing her young son. Her sister was only a young teenager at the time, who was manipulated by her parents into believing that she no longer existed.

Based on the true story of two white and an African American civil rights demonstrators being killed in the heart of Mississippi. The FBI are called in to investigate their disappearance who do battle with the small town, the community, the KKK and the police force. Brilliantly acting by Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman who's characters are at odds with each other, but manage to get the job done. Would love to have a part two of this brilliant movie with the school girls who completed an American Modern History assignment who found the true ringleader over 40 years after the murders took place.

What a beautiful magical movie about Beatrix Potter and her fairytales which still live in the hearts of millions of children today. Her imagination never faltered and her believable charecters who lived in her mind since childhood. Lovely English scenery, a story well told.

Brilliantly acted by Helen Mirren who so deservedly won the Oscar for Leading Actress. Set around the time of Diana, Princess of Wales' tragic death, the controversy set around the Royal family and how the public perceived them after Diana's death. A must watch for any royalist or republican alike.

Hilarious, fun and entertaining. Geard Depadieu and Jean Reno play the part so well of an idiot and a moron who escape from jail by fluke. Lots of laughter all the way through.

Edith Piaf brilliantly portrayed by Marion Cotilard, touches all bases of her sometimes tragic, but successful life as Frances greatest export. It talks about her humble and poverty stricken start in life, raised by her drunken mother who neglects her, taken by her father and then raised by her father's mother who runs a brothel, to living with her father who works with a traveling circus. She is discovered by one of Paris' most famous club owners at the time which launches her career.

Funny and touching story about the life of a single and recently widowed father attempting to raise his three daughters on his own. A newspaper columnist by day, giving total strangers advice based on their own problems, it seems he finds it more difficult to take his own advice. Unbeknownst to him, he falls in love with his brothers new girlfriend whom everyone loves.

Based on the true story of a kidnaped American journalist with a Jewish background working in Pakistan. His captors claim that he is initially working with the CIA and then Mossad. His wife, brilliantly portrayed by Angelina Jolie along with Pakistani Police, intelligence and some of his colleagues from the newspaper he is working for attempt to discover who his captors are and why he was kidnapped. Moving and touching story with a great cast.

A documentary based on Norma Khoury who wrote the book with the same title. The documentary starts in Australia where an Australian journalist working with the SMH, discovers some discrepancies with Norma's so called Non-Fiction book. Doing some research of his own, he opens up a can of worms and the documentary goes from Queensland, to the United States and Jordan. Even Norma gets caught within her own web getting tangled in her own lies. Interesting and an eye opener.

The story of the attempted escape of over 75 Military POW's from the UK, USA and Australia from a newly built POW camp in Germany. Their early success, then their recapture proves that freedom comes at a price when 50 of the 75 are killed by a firing squad instead of being returned to the camp. Based on the true story of many men who served during WWII against Germany and their allies.

Every parents nightmare becomes a reality for a rich family who's son is kidnapped at a science fair. They almost pay the price when they fail to pay the ransom requested when the father of the kidnapped boy goes on TV and requests that the ransom will not be paid, but instead be given up as a reward for any person who will find and return his son safely . The twists and turns and the suspense will bring you to the edge of your seat. Great acting from Mel Gibson and Gary Sinese.

Set in the 1980's, The Lives of Others is a story about communist East Germany and the Stazi (East German Secret Service). An East German writer is placed under surveillance as are many other writers during the time of the Berlin Wall. Unbeknown to him, the Stasi follow his every move and determine if he is the writer of an anti-East German communistic letter which is smuggled across the border into West Germany. Brilliantly written and well acted, this move is an eye opener of what a development two countries have made to be reunified back into one. Germany has certainly had its downfalls in the last century, but has picked itself up to be a powerhouse nation.

Typical Bean style, not many words, but hilarious in action. Great for all the family

Set in the latter years of WWII, the story is set in Holland and follows the life of a beautiful young jewish woman who was a singer prior to the war. She places her trust in a man whom she believes is part of the resistance and witness the execution of her family and other jews as they try to escape occupied Holland. She befriends a group of resistance fighters who take her under their protection and goes undercover in Nazi Headquarters and falls in love with a German Nazi commander. The lies and deceit that she uncovers could cost her her life. Great movie, highly recommended.

The story of a family torn apart after the death of their son in an accident. The father who is a psychiatrist, tries to deal with his guilt after he is called to an emergency the day of his sons death. He places the blame on himself and the family drifts further apart. The discovery of a girl who the family did not know existed holds the key to keeping the family together. The film is a bit slow and repetative at times, but the story line is good.