elspethkrichardson Reviews

Road to Perdition (2002)

A Simply Beautiful Movie

[9/10 · 16 June 2007]

Not being a fan of the gangster genre, if I like a gangster film, you can be guaranteed that there's more going for it than 'coolness' and violence... this film has far more going for it. When trying to explain it to a friend, i came up with the phrase a 'classy Gangster movie'. I have even bought this film on DVD, a sure sign that this is a film worth seeing...

The first time I saw this film, I was blown away by the beautiful cinematography. The one stand-out scene being the 'massacre' on the street towards the end of the film - the silhouettes, the rain, the soundtrack - it just creates a near perfect scene overall. This scene aside, the plot and acting are strong... in fact I can name very few negative points about this film.

In summary, it's great from all aspects... watch it!

Color Me Kubrick (2005)

A masterful performance from Malcovich

[7/10 · 13 June 2007]

Having just seen this movie, the most striking thing for me was how impressive Malcovich's performance was... that man can act. his accents were hilarious, his comic timing was impeccable, his blatant homosexuality was wonderful. it's really of this which carries the movie through, as the plot itself doesn't really have much substance to it. the entire film revolves around one character, and it is only really malcovich's character which gains any development at all, so it's just as well he does it well.

personally, i enjoyed the film immensely, but came away with a great appreciation of malkovich, rather than for the film itself.

Zodiac (2007)

Started well.. Deteriorated thereafter

[6/10 · 20 May 2007]

I've got to say, when I came to look at the reviews after having watched 'Zodiac' tonight, I was very surprised to see so many positive reviews. Having watched it with a few friends tonight, I was very disappointed. The film started off very promising, with some rather brutal scenes filmed intimately for maximum impact - had me squirming in my seat and I was set for an hour or so's worth of engaging cinema. But the film deteriorated steadily from that point onwards, having me fidgeting in my seat until I was too lethargic to move. The pace appeared to disappear from about 1 hour in and never returned from that point onwards. I appreciate this is a movie recording over 20 years worth of actual events, but at some point the director must use some 'artistic license' to introduce some entertainment...

Robert Downey Jnr. was fantastic portraying a drunkard spiralling towards his own self-destruction...perfect casting from that point of view...

All in all, a little to serious and slow-moving for my liking... but hey, each to their own