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Reviews
WarHunt (2022)
Complete pile of trash
Dialogue in the earlier part of the film is exposition heavy, particularly where establishing who the characters are. This breaks the first rule of film making: "show, don't tell". Every character is a one dimensional stereotype. The action in the first two thirds of the film is entirely driven by every soldier in the platoon behaving like an absolute moron impatient to get killed off. We are supposed to believe these guys were hand picked?
The action sequences at the end of the film are unwatchable due to the lighting being so bad that you have no idea who is doing what to whom.
I have tried but I am unable to find anything to redeem this film. Apart from the actors, who clearly tried to make the best of a bad script, there is no sign of anybody else involved possessing the required level of competence to be trusted with making a motion picture.
The Play on One: Obituaries (1990)
Very entertaining
Two posh old codgers in a retirement home constantly attempting to one-up each other. To amuse themselves over breakfast they regularly play a game where they take turns reading out obituaries from the broadsheets, and the other has to guess whether the newspaper says the departed passed away "peacefully or "suddenly".
One day they receive news that Princess Diana will be visiting the facility soon and one of them may be chosen to meet her. High jinx ensue as they vie against each other for this honour.
It must have been good because even though it's just a short TV play with a very small cast (essentially Ronald Fraser and Ian Carmichael), and a production that wouldn't be a stretch for an am-dram budget, AND I only saw it once over thirty years ago, I nevertheless remember it very very well.
No Time to Die (2021)
One of the few Bond films made for adults
We haven't had many James Bond films that ventured beyond comic book tropes; too many ventured in the other direction and even became comic as in comical.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service was an early example of a grown up depiction of Bond as a genuine, emotion-afflicted human being. We didn't see this kind of thing again until Timothy Dalton took over the role. And after that, not again until Daniel Craig's portrayal.
But even considering those previous exceptions, Daniel Craig's Bond has been less two dimensional than that of any of his predecessors. For the first time there has been a genuine sense of continuity between successive episodes. In his world, as in ours, actions have consequences and people have mixed motivations. It was only fitting in my opinion that the final film in this sequence had Bond sacrifice his life for someone he cared about. I actually felt something at the end of this story and overall, for me at least, this was the best film of the franchise since it first began back in the 1960s. There seem to be lots of people here who didn't like it but it's clear from what they've written about it that the problem lies with them. They only want spectacle, they care nothing for drama.
The Beyond (2017)
Was the screenplay written by a ten year old?
Complete drivel from start to finish. The scientists don't think, talk or act like real scientists - and you really have to nail that if you're doing it documentary style. The ludicrous technobabble is jarring for the same reason. The characters are not even likeable, probably because they're not believable. I was constantly aware that I was watching actors. Honestly, I felt insulted watching this.
Contact (1997)
Triumph for Jodie Foster
This film is a winner.
Not so much because of the script though; in the first place it was dumbed down a very long way from Dr Sagan's reasonably intelligent novel. And then on top of that it was given the usual schmaltzy, cheesy Hollywood treatment so as to hit the usual demographics.
No, the reason the film made such an impact on me was the absolutely stunning performance from Jodie Foster. At any given moment you knew exactly what she was feeling, even when ambiguous or conflicted.
The scene when she enters the capsule is particularly precious. She looks and sounds absolutely terrified even when desperately trying to keep a lid on her panic and sound professional on the intercom.
You rarely see acting of that quality in a Hollywood movie, especially in an "effects" movie intended for big box office.
The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)
A great movie for kids
A simple fantasy tale, mostly animation with some live action at the beginning and end. Milo is a "latchkey kid" living a somewhat isolated life in an apartment block in the big city. While complaining on the phone to his friend that he is bored stiff, he is startled by the sudden arrival of a strange package which, when unwrapped, unfolds into a gateway into a magical world...
Like all of Chuck Jones' work, this movie is great for children and doesn't seem dated at all. My two kids aged five and six were enchanted by it just as I was when I first saw it at the age of ten.
The characters are colorful and entertaining. Milo is easy for any child who has ever been bored or lonely to identify with. The avuncular "Watch Dog" Tock will look fairly familiar to any regular viewer of Chuck's work on Warner Brothers' short cartoons. The Humbug and the Spelling Bee are reminiscent of Dr Seuss characters; Officer Short Shrift is somewhat more surreal but that only makes him stick in your mind all the more. The songs are lots of fun and you'll probably be humming them for a long time afterwards.
All in all a great movie for kids, and Mums and Dads too. Pass the popcorn!