Chris's Reviews

The best Australia film I've seen in a long time.

One of the most ridiculous movies I've seen in a long time. Should never have been made.

A political incarnation of The Office.

Surprisingly good.

Should have known better than to watch a movie starring Hugh Jackman.

Forced and predictable.

Gratuitous Gaudity. The real star of this film is Barcelona. Woody Allen exploits every opportunity to sneak a Barcelona landmark into the background, and if like me you love this city then it can't be overdone. However, the characters and plot aren't up to scratch, and there's little of the wit and humour you'd expect in a Woody Allen film. Wealthy Americans abroad are tiresome, and fiery Spaniards are a caricature but there's enough here to make it worthwhile.

Terribly disappointing. How this movie got to be in IMDB's top 250 list is beyond me. It's over-acted and melodramatic. The characters aren't believable and the plot is too incredible to be taken seriously in what I take to be an anti-war movie. The battle scenes are grisly and horrifying but so implausible as to lessen their impact. The film is too long and only morbid curiousity got me to stick it out to the end.

Depicts the exploits of Christopher McCandless AKA Alex Supertramp. The film presents a somewhat romanticised version of events but it's not excessive. The acting is good, the scenery stunning and the events interesting. The film doesn't present events in chronological order which I found a little confusing.

An interesting film showcasing Clint Eastwood's directing skills. It depicts the battle for Iwo Jima from the point-of-view of the Japanese soldiers defending the island. The letters referred to in the film's title are those written by various soldiers to their families. I wondered whether these letters were real but apparently not. I also wondered about the historical accuracy of the film. Some of the Japanese officers are based on real people but most of the cast are fictional.

Well worth seeing. A great plot with lots of drama, action, romance and humour. SPOILER ALERT The ending is a bit too Hollywood (and as the credits roll its very Bollywood :) - I would have preferred that Jamal incorrectly guessed the final question. After all, his ultimate prize was Latika - the money was inconsequential - and by the end of the quiz he had found Latika...

Downfall is the film with the Hitler dummy-spit scene, which has been redubbed many times on YouTube e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y35Lewh-LM. It depicts Hitler's final days in his Berlin bunker. The Red Army is closing in and the only prospects are death or surrender. The situation is hopeless and pathetic and the film-makers convey this mood effectively. However, it's impossible to feel any sympathy for the architects of the Holocaust as they variously suicide or become increasingly desperate. I was left wondering how accurately the film portrayed the last few days in the bunker. It's based on the recollections of Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary but there are some scenes she would not have witnessed personally. When the film was released I remember a spokesman for Australia's Council of Jewry saying that the film served as a reminder that Hitler was not a deranged maniac but rather he and his fellow senior Nazis were perfectly sane and knew exactly what they were doing.

Dreadful. Overacted, florid, saccharine rubbish. If you think Steve Irwin's "Crikey!" is tedious imagine hearing it uttered every few minutes by Kidman and Jackman - it's not satirical, it's not a caricature, it's idiotic. The film's only redeeming feature is the cinematography and landscape but even the latter was unnecessarily digitally "enhanced". Nauseating.

What you'd get if "Dead Poets Society" was set in Yorkshire. The film's main theme is "art for art's sake" (vs. gaining entry to a posh uni). The boys are a bit too wise and worldly to be believable and there are some unnecessary plot devices used to heighten the film's drama. Nevertheless, it's very enjoyable, not least of all because the soundtrack features lots of pale, northern English bands that I listened to in the 80s: The Smiths, New Order, Echo

An outstanding performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman, for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. The film focuses on the events surrounding Truman Capote's research for his "non-fiction novel" In Cold Blood, in particular, his interviews with murderer Perry Smith. It's a fascinating (true) story that when combined with Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of the flamboyant and eccentric Capote makes for an engrossing movie.

Highly entertaining. Some very black humour, a lot of gratuitous mediaeval architecture and art (surely the Belgian Tourist Board bank-rolled this film), and a midget (I mean dwarf). Also good to see Ralph Fiennes break his earnest Englishman stereotype. It's quite violent and it gives "The Departed" a run for its money with it's F-word frequency - my wife hated it.

Just say, "Yes" to this movie if you're a Carrey fan. Jim Carrey up to his usual antics. If you enjoy his goofball comedy then you'll enjoy this film. There are plenty of cheap laughs and it doesn't get bogged down pushing the "say 'yes' to life" message.

A film with great potential ruined by incomprehensible dialogue. This film has all the right ingredients to make a great film: a complex, intriguing plot, strong performances by its actors and cinematography of New Zealand's bucolic scenic. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue is rendered incomprehensible, not by Kiwi accents, but rather muttering, whispering and mumbling. If only the DVD release came with English subtitles.

Unfortunately, not Mike Meyer's best effort.

Surprisingly good - my expectations had been lowered as a result of the posthumous hype surrounding Heath Ledger's performance. Howerver, much of that hype is warranted. Credit is also due to whomever devised The Joker's character (Bob Nolan?) The rest of the film is OK - I prefer the more gothic Gotham City settings of earlier films in the series.

Not as good as Ice Age 1

Not as good as the UK version but still very good.