seanhayes1 Reviews

Annie (2014)

Seems it was an effort to cash in on the originals appeal though lacks it's authenticity

[4/10 · 10 February 2024]

Jamie Fox is a great actor & always does his best with the resources he is given.

Although not one of the worst remakes, I think many of the negative comments are because it deviates too far from the original for most people. Unfortunately It also seems the producers insistence to tick all the boxes & their focus to appeal to black audiences, lost many of the elements which made the original more superior.

Another common gripe is it's lack of authenticity e.g the orphans simply looked like well fed and well cared for, Hollywood stock actors, rather than real street kids.

Though there were some pretty good scenes, mainly with Jamie Fox holding the film together & there's even a cameo with Michael J Fox.

Additionally, Jamie Fox actually has a pretty decent set of singing pipes, despite some of the adverse criticism.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

One of the most underated crime thrillers of this century

[8/10 · 20 November 2023]

Not only is it one of the most underrated crime thrillers I've seen in recent years but the lead actor McConaughey is also one of the most underrated actors of his generation.

The film explores many themes that the modern justice system encounters all two frequently & leaves it open to the viewer to peruse it's merits and flaws.

Matthew McConaughey plays the lead, a lawyer defending somebody that he knows guilty although bound by duty to client confidentiality, struggles with his conscience whilst he defends the murderer and tries to free a man he helped convict for the same murder.

The end has many plot twists and turns and McConaughey does a superb job in keeping you glued to your screen throughout the whole movie.

The Misfit Brigade (1987)

The only Sven Hassel book ever committed to film.

[6/10 · 10 August 2023]

Sven Hassel, a former German soldier, wrote about 14 books after ww2 that were translated into many languages.

The first book 'Legion Of The Damned' was regarded as a true account of his experience in ww2 and a fore note at the front of the book describes it as his autobiography, though later like many autobiographies(Pappilon etc) was claimed to have used excessive artistic license.

It quickly became a cult classic inspiring another 13 books, loosely based on his own experiences but largely thought to have used much material based on other German soldiers stories.

This Movie, titled The Misfit Brigade was based roughly on his book Wheels of Terror.

I've read nearly all of Hassels books and found them greatly entertaining.

Even though the book is not entirely factual you get a fairly decent idea of what it was like from the German soldiers perspective during the war for a change. Filled with plenty of dry humour yet also quite brutal at times.

Although the movie doesn't do the book proper justice & it would have been a little less off putting not to have used the strong American & English accents, its good to know at least one of Sven Hassels books has been recognized & committed to film.

There are a few class actors Keith Caradine, David Patrick Kelly,Bruce Davison. Even Oliver Reid plays a cameo role as the general, albeit briefly.

Worth a look if your a Sven Hassel fan though hopefully someday a worthier tribute will be made to his books.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Still one of the greatest Sci-Fi movies ever made

[9/10 · 19 March 2022]

I saw this around 1978 in my early teens and was extremely impressed .

As far is im concerned the planet of the apes 1968 still holds top spot against the modern remakes.

The basic premise: Taylor, played by Heston, is the captain of a small spaceship which crash lands in a great lake with only two other crew members. Before the ship sinks a brief glance at the ships calendar says they have been transported into the future thousands of years and they are not certain where they are.

They chance upon a group of dumb humans that are believed to be the sole occupants although they are attacked and hunted down by talking apes and Taylors crew are all either killed or lobotomised except for Taylor himself who escapes & eventually manages to befriend a pair of ;friendly' apes who try to protect him at their own peril.

The film won many awards including an Oscar for special effects mainly for the use of cutting edge prosthetics to create the ape masks.

The ending is still extremely powerful with its anti war message (it was made during the Vietnam war and at the peek of the Hippie movement.) A must see for every sci-fi fan.

Bad Boys (1983)

A forgotten gem from Sean Penns beginning days.

[8/10 · 12 November 2021]

Kinda the American version of scum though much less depressing.

Even though I only watched this movie once when it first came out on VHS in 1984, the film stuck with me & I clearly remember much of the story line and scenes. That's generally a strong sign to me of a good film. I am actually watching it for the second time now as i am writing this review and have found its even better than i remember.

A very young Clancy Browns plays a great villain as usual & Sean Penn is surprisingly believable as the troubled teen.

Capricorn One (1977)

Features one of the most dangerous stunts ever committed to film!

[7/10 · 28 July 2021]

If a movie is good enough I don't mind suspending my disbelief at plot holes and continuity issues(in every other scene more or less)and can forgive some of the poor special effects-Goulds characters high speed car drive is blatantly the camera sped up and a prefilmed backdrop.

The character building is good and although theres a couple of drawn out scenes where you must try not to fall asleep and the ending is a little daft, its a very memorable and half decent movie.

Watch out for the famous air stunt scene that sees Brolins character, Brubacker hanging off the wing of a biplane while chased by helicopters. BTW The biplanes a Boeing Stearman 75 (Max speed 200kmh)& the copters are Hughes oh6 'Cayuse' (Max speed 282kmh) It seems the biplane and copters are matched pretty reasonably as what the biplane lacks in speed is made up for in agility.

Elliot Gould is good & though Brolin steals a few of the best scenes Hal Holbrook is fabulous as the single minded crackpot.

The Aristocrats (2005)

An hour and a half of the same joke repeated 100 times!

[4/10 · 11 November 2020]

Features some great comedians/comediennes including Robin Williams, Eric Idle, Billy Connolly, Sarah Silverman etc. Some of the ladies were really quite funny although a hundred comics telling the same 'traditional' toilet humor joke is bound to see much scrapping at the bottom of the barrel and wallowing around in the gutter as they dig the depths of depravity. It did seem to me too many of the comics inevitably felt the need to rely too much on shock value rather than content when their imaginations were running dry.

Dark Blood (2012)

Visceral road movie

[7/10 · 28 January 2019]

I never really took much notice of River movies at the time he were alive but this film had me feeling a good connection to the character and story. The pace of the movie felt similar to No Country For Old Men. The missing scenes did not seem to subtract from the movie as the main story is there and as stated the director gives us a voice over. Certainly a film to watch again.