jed-82 Reviews

The Sweeney (2012)

Bad Direction

[2/10 · 24 January 2013]

This was ordinary to say the least, put the moral of the story aside, this is simply a badly directed film with a horrible script. The acting was good for the content they were given, the film broadcast the plot twist a mile away. I really think they didn't know what they wanted to do with the film gritty British law or glossy American buddy film. Either option they failed miserably, about half way through I thought it had become a parody film. Saw it at BIFF opening night and the laughter throughout the film hinted that everyone else felt the same way. this is not a good lo fashion entertainment film, don't get me wrong I love the Die Hard franchise, likewise I loved Layer Cake, and a heap of other great British crime films. this is just not one of them and there is nothing here worth watching...

Rescue Dawn (2006)

made the mistake of seeing it digitally in a cinema

[3/10 · 2 December 2007]

I saw it in a cinema which was screening it digitally, was it just the projectionist or was the quality of the sound really bad? From the offset I struggled with this film, as the sound in some area's made it hard to comprehend, I even heard other people in the cinema asking the friends beside them (what did he say?) Aside from that I thought translation from script to screen was undeveloped, and really missed a lot of potentially strong moments, I thought the prison camp could have been way more developed. As much as he is a legend I think Werner Herzog really missed it here and in a lot of ways was quite lazy in his approach. Maybe this criticism is a bit off as, mentioned before I did see it digitally in a cinema, with the right sound mix all things above could have been a lot stronger with good sound. The ending was an absolute cop out and I couldn't stop myself from laughing (was it supposed to be funny?). why didn't he just stop the film on the pick up!!! The strong point were the performances they were great from all involved particularly from Steve Zahn who I have not seen have so much freedom with performance before, and of course Christian Bale (dam his good) and although I am engaged, I do have a man crush on him. I won't rate it because I am not sure what the quality should have been, and to be quite honest unless the quality was supposed to be much stronger I don't intend on revisiting the film.

Modern Love (2006)

A visually stunning film

[7/10 · 20 September 2006]

This film really used its locations well with some amazing shots, dark and disturbing the film moves very slowly, but constantly keeps you watching. Modern Love worked well in the Gold Coast Film Fantastic program this year offering audiences a glimpse at an Australian Cinema that is usually neglected. Most importantly it is refreshing to see Australian cinema not taking on the cliché Aussie characters and story lines we have seen done to death over the years. This film would compliment any festival and will open debate after its screenings. The performances and characters are well developed, and the cinematography is fantastic. An interesting exploration into family relationships, and environments.