Change Your Image
jimclarke-3
Reviews
Stan & Ollie (2018)
A must for all Stan & Ollie fans
I don't think I have ever laughed and shed tears so much in any one film. Admittedly as a lifelong L&H enthusiast, I was prepared to be hyper-critical as so many biopics are frankly terrible.
No need to worry, the depiction of each by the superb John C Reilly and Steve Coogan was immaculate; sometimes you could think you were watching the originals. Matched by true authenticity and camera work, this is the best film I have seen for years. It will be very interesting to see if it receives the awards it richly deserves as it does not fit the usual description of recent Oscars etc
Ambassadors (2013)
Great wit and comic acting
I cannot understand the odd really rubbishing reviews that have appeared here and there of Ambassadors ; almost as if there is a hidden agenda. There are so many 10 star reviews, of which I agree, that to give 1 star is really perverse. For myself (and my wife) we found Ambassadors the wittiest, most original production we have seen for a long time. It was interesting to read a former member of the British Diplomatic Service stating how near reality it was; I suspected that it was and it was good to have this underlined. Both Mitchell and Webb were superb here; I have not always been a fan of their skit shows, but this was clever comic acting at its best. I would love to see a further series, but if that is not forthcoming then another Mitchell and Webb production using this characterful and entertaining format would be a winner.
The Ladykillers (2004)
What a disappointment
As a devoted Coen Brothers addict and a great admirer of Tom Hanks I was devastatingly disappointed at their damp squib production of this cinematic classic It may be the difference of us Brits underplaying as usual and the over-the-top American interpretation, but do try to see the original if you can. Alec Guiness acts Tom Hanks off the screen as the creepy Professor Marcus and the supporting cast including Herbert Lom and a young Peter Sellers in one of his first feature films are a very different cup of tea.
I may also be somewhat biased as the location of the old lady's house and the railway bridge was just at the bottom of my street and as a little boy I witnessed some of the making of it.
Miami Vice (2006)
I feel cheated
It was good to read all the negative comments about Miami Vice on this website from our American cousins. I watched the film last night in the UK with incredulity that such a bad movie could be made on purpose. I thought I would be out of step with the rest of the world and MV would be a box office smash. However most of you seem to agree with me and hopefully we can prevent any more unsuspecting movie fans wasting their money. Why was it called Miami Vice? It bore no resemblance to what was a great trend-setting classic TV series of its type. It would not have been so bad if a little of the original's humour had been injected now and then, but all we got was 2+ hours of glowering looks at each other. I can just see the production meeting before shooting where they ticked off all the usual ingredients of this genre (they obviously missed the 'humour' box) and piled them into the film regardless. I had higher hopes of Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, but this is one they will want to forget and so will I. Like so many of the comments here, I was tempted to walk out before the end, something I have never done in any film.