Danny's Reviews

I’ll have to admit that I initially put this DVD in my queue because the film was directed by Madonna, I remembered that it didn’t get much of a run in the cinema when it was released. I was pleasantly surprised that it is such a good film, particularly given that it is Madonna’s directorial debut. The film shifts back and forth between two stories involving women named Wallis; the historical one and a modern one named after her. There is not much of a plot as such but the film very cleverly moves between the stories (and in some points they intersect) and it makes for quite interesting viewing. The film is very well-constructed in that it looks good overall and very skilfully blends a multitude of sources; modern day, recreations of the past and even some real historical footage. The casting of Andrea Riseborough as Wallis Simpson is fantastic, firstly because she looks so much like the real person but also because her performance is so convincing. The story essentially revolves around her (the film is not made in the way of a traditional biopic nor does it use the more conventional flashback to the past style) so her performance is critical to the film’s success. Other actors in this movie give good performances, even if most of them only have short scenes and/or minimal dialogue. Finally, the music in this film is also worth a mention. Surprisingly there is only one contribution by Madonna herself and the song only makes it in to the closing credits. The film score is very good, not too intrusive and is also worked in to one of the film’s storylines.

The start of this film is very challenging to sit through & follow but fortunately I was prepared for this from the movie's reviews when it was in cinema release. I was glad that I managed and presisted with this film because it was really good - it had emotional impact to match the visual impact. The chaotic style does ease up a bit in the latter part of the movie but you realise that this is deliberate because it reflects the state of mind that the protagonist is feeling from dealing with (or not) his grief. Highly recommend this but not for a casual viewing - heavy going but rewarding.

This is a really good horror film, very creepy indeed. The plot is fairly basic and there is hardly anyone else in it besides the traumatised girl and her limp parents but don't let that put you off. The atmospheric setting of the house is very well done (check out the extras about the house/set), the dim lighting adds a feeling of dread and the sound effects are really good. I've read some negative comments about the little "monsters" being revealed too early but I disagree - the digitial fx for them is really well done and being so small makes them more terrifying (in the way children in horror movies can be).

This movie was ok (ie. well-made) but on the whole was not very engaging. Clearly it is based on a complex piece of writing and so it does not translate very well to the screen despite excellent acting and direction. It comes across as too "stagey" and ultimately fairly flat. NB: Really big fan of Aust films so don't take this negative review as knocking it on that basis. Also haven't read the novel or any of Patrick White's writing either.

This series has such amazing production - it's incredible the levels of production that TV series now have. I'd read a lot about this series and it has definitely got me absorbed in to it. The number of characters and intricate storylines is incredible, thankfully the extras on the DVD has explanatory notes! Can't wait for more as there's only 2 eps per disc.

Can't believe that I managed to get disc 2 sent out pretty much straight after I received disc 1, so watched eps 1-4 virtually one after the other. Now I want more.....this series is so good!! Can't wait for disc 3.

This is a really good movie with an inspiring story. However I agree with another review posted here - there are some scenes showing violence and torture which is a bit confronting, so don't expect this to be an entirely heart-warming viewing experience. Also it is worth looking up more info on the Mau Mau rebellion on Wikipedia as this film shows only small grabs in a rather superficial way - the history behind it is far more complex and some more background will help make sense of some other aspects of this film.

The title of this would have been better as "Meek and Meandering"; this is essentially an aimless movie that goes nowhere. It does a good job of creating the obviously harsh conditions endured by the pioneers on the trail and you can't fault any of the acting but this does not make for interesting viewing. What little dialogue there is is hard to understand and while you may feel what the characters in the film are going through from the environment/their actions, how would you know? It won't be spoiling much to say that this very slow film winds up with no resoution at the end. If you actually finish watching this film and end up confused & disappointed, try doing a search on Wikipedia for Stephen Meek or the Meek Cutoff (not Meek's Cutoff) - it will give you some interesting facts that will prove more satisfying than the movie.

This movie was interesting but not terribly enthralling viewing. The main problem is the lack of narrative drive, at the end of the film you'll remember parts of it but won't know the point of it all. You can't fault the acting or the direction (especially being Vera Farmiga's first directorial effort) but that doesn't make for a very satisfying movie.