gaelforce10 Reviews

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

great biopic

[2 February 2016]

I agree with the poster that said that something weird was going on, I could not and still cannot understand the disparity between the IMDb rating and the reviewers. For my part I give this movie 9/10, It's very well made much better than I expected. I also must mention the superb acting talent,from Cubes son to the actor who played Snoop flawless! great chemistry between the actors as well. The music / lyrics I know have been the subject of the moral majority in years gone by, these guys were/are a product of their surroundings, IE they were moulded by their experiences where they lived. I remembered the same grumbles raised about the lyrical content when Stiff Little Fingers released "Inflammable Material" back in the 70's.

As far as the Oscars go, I agree with Ice Cube when he was interviewed on the Graham Norton show two weeks ago when He said the he makes movies for his fans, and that winning an Oscar is the icing on the cake however it isn't that important. well said Cube!

The Fallen (2008 TV Movie)

very very moving

[10/10 · 16 November 2008]

I thought that this was one of the moving documentaries that I have ever seen. It focuses on the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last number of years. It shows how different families cope with grief and loss and each family has a story to tell.

The film names every British serviceman and woman to have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since those wars began in 2001 and 2003 respectively. It also features interviews with the families and loved ones of many of those killed.

As Morgan Matthews the film maker says "In this country, there's a strong cultural tradition of remembering people with humour. But underneath the humour there is an incredible sense of pain." For me it is some of the most moving and poignant TV that I have ever seen.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)

a very turbulent time

[9/10 · 25 June 2006]

I suppose it's easy to look back and pontificate on who were the "goodies" and who were the "baddies", OK, the likes of the Black & Tans came from the dregs. However, this was a very brutal period in Irish history and so people were not nice to each other. In my own family, my grandfather and his brothers were in what we call the "old" IRA this organisation should not be confused with the criminal scum that call themselves the IRA over the last forty years. The old IRA were men of honour who were fighting for the freedom of our country, chances are, not all of them were nice people I'm sure. It must be said on the British did not conduct themselves with gallantry during this period either, it was a fight to the death with no quarter given. The difference been that since then Irish people are fully versed on this period in history,eg the reasons why, for how long and who was involved In the UK however, this period is sanitised or removed from history, maybe because it's too close to home. This is the greatest tragedy of all, because to understand this piece of Irish/UK History is to understand the situation in Northern Ireland over the last thirty five years

Nothing Personal (1995)

interesting bit flawed

[7/10 · 28 April 2006]

Some of the acting was a bit suspect. I remember that asswipe Alexander Walker (Evening Standard critic, yeah OK, he's now dead) launched into a rant about this film saying it was a disgrace portraying NI Protestants as murderers. Now with respect to all NI protestants, this film was loosely based on the Shankill Butchers (who were loyalists)and who roamed Belfast in the 1970's. Believe me, they were not called butchers for nothing. my main moan about this film is the it shows no ray of light or hope, it's all doom & gloom, i mean did the little girl at the end have to die. Maybe this sounds corny but it could have taken the tact that not all Prods & tiags are bad or wholly good either.

Rainbow Six: Lockdown (2005 Video Game)

major catastophe

[14 March 2006]

What a disappointment, how could Ubisoft have got it so wrong. They had a winning formula with the Rainbow series that put it ahead of it's peers. The other Rainbows were interesting and tactical. This one however is a dud. Gone are the preset way-point selections and no longer can you switch teams. The result is a gung ho linear shootout clearing out room after room. Midway though I wondered "What was the point" The graphics are excellent, but the physics are rubbish, you can't jump or duck either. The beauty of the previous was that if the main person was killed you then became the next player and carried on, now if the you are killed it's game over.

UBISOFT,you've just killed the golden goose! I just hope that you haven't screwed up Splinter Cell "Double Agent"

The Courier (1988)

One for the bargain bin

[1/10 · 3 February 2006]

I first saw this film, when it first came out back in the 80's. Ireland was still very much a backwater in those days and Irish actors had yet to make it to the A list in Hollywood. So to see an Irish film on the big screen was a novelty. It wore off quickly, It still comes across as very amateur, some of it is still cringworthy. Sometimes it feels as if the actors are straight out of acting school despite having actors such as Gabriel Byrne, who in fairness carries off his character with aplomb and who was still very much a household name in those days. Back then I thought of it as mediocre, now this film is embarrassing. Interesting, only, for the views of preboom Dublin and the soundtrack.

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

what a crap & disjointed film

[2 October 2004]

Ben kingsley was great as usual, this film could have been great, but somewhere, the producer, couldn't decide whether he was making a serial killer movie or historical thriller, and as a result the film became garbled. What was the purpose of this film? for Holly wood to preach to the American people, that Iranians are human too? Did Kingsley have to kill himself in such a grotesque way, I mean it wasn't exactly family viewing, and once again (with Hollywood films) what was with the sex scenes, they weren't relevant to the story. The whole thing with the "physco/dysfunctional cop" was irrelevant & unnecessary.I am surprised that Kingsley put his name to this crap. What a turkey! (to use a US expression).