ardenners Reviews

Ironclad (2011)

Good old fashioned sword fencing film worth catching.

[7/10 · 22 July 2014]

Like some other reviewers I do not understand why this film has taken a knocking.

I admit it is not Kingdom of Heaven or Gladiator but it still worth seeing and definitely much better than the 6 IMDb viewers have so far given it. It is because of this that I decided to review it as it is far better than that.

The soundtrack is also a major plus and has an old middle eastern feel, the overall mood, historical setting and costumes also look pretty right. The story is clear, exciting and the fight scenes look pretty authentic too. Most of the acting performances are also very good...go on have a look.

Inception (2010)

Feeling the need to review......

[6/10 · 22 July 2014]

When Inception was released my initial feeling was that I ought to see it as it seemed to be well thought of. I delayed, as I always do as films today are invariably over hyped, and in the end decided not to waste my hard earned cash. Recently, I decided to buy some cheap dvds and among them was Inception.

I have now seen the film and it confirmed all my previous suspicions about it. I fail to see how it has gained such a high figure (8.9) with the IMDb audience and wish to alert prospective buyers that it is not a Sci-Fi classic by any means. I found it to be too clever by half, far too complicated and definitely too long. Special effects were very impressive but there were not many of them and they did not save the film.

Thale (2012)

Don't be fooled...this is not Troll Hunter!

[3/10 · 3 August 2013]

I was encouraged to buy this DVD on the back of some of the reviews I'd read here and at amazon.com. I also really enjoyed Troll Hunter which compared to this "effort" is an Oscar Winner.

I found Thale to be a total disappointment. The "special effects" are not special and look like they cost less than £500. The plot which is incredibly slow and at times hard to understand must have been written on the back of a cigarette packet. The characters, apart from Thale, speak and move at a snail's pace adding to the shear frustration felt in trying to follow the story. My advice is not to waste the 1 hour 15 minutes of your life in watching it.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Fabulous for 15 minutes then...........

[4/10 · 24 March 2011]

I watched this film longing to be entertained, although I do admit however that this was something I had not experienced previously on any Tarantino film. The first 15 minutes was a revelation, the hauntingly beautiful ( but pinched!) theme from The Alamo, the spaghetti western flavour, the John Huston photography were matched by acting of the excellent Christophe Waltz. Alas this height was never reached again.

The film then fell into a long, tedious, slow,drawling and sometimes painful tale that didn't seem to want to end! But it had to and did so in a Sam Peckipah type flurry of gratuitous slow- mo gunfight and explosion! Totally over-rated.

44 Inch Chest (2009)

Powerful, darkly funny and most definitely Not a chick flick........

[8/10 · 3 May 2010]

I watched "44 inch Chest" on a friends recommendation after a little persuasion as it was pitched on being set mainly "in one room" which was not entirely appealing. However, because of the strong performances, especially by John Hurt, Ian Mcshane and Ray Winstone for me the film works and could have been a classic.

The "fruity" language was very strong and not usually my cup of tea but without it this film would have been tame,the language had to portray the world these characters inhabited worts and all. In fact at times I found it quite lyrical and occasionally very funny in that "Pete & Dud and Ian dury" sort of way. Good but it could have been great.

Paris (I) (2008)

A warm depiction of Parisian life

[8/10 · 14 March 2010]

I simply enjoyed this film. It was a treat to see a modern film that was warm, intelligent and and at times very funny. Most of the characters were a joy,although perhaps one or two were a bit lame. The photography was crisp and occasionally beautiful in certain situations. The soundtrack was terrific including classical, rock and roll and modern music.

The film could have been a masterpiece but it was slightly flawed as it tried to do too much with too many characters. However, I would recommend it highly and class it as one of the best foreign film I have seen.

Children of Men (2006)

Again a Clive Owen disappointment...

[6/10 · 14 March 2010]

Having read a lot of the reviews of this film, which were fairly glowing in their content,I decided,against my usual judgement, to watch it. The look of the film is good as is some of the plot and music, however the acting of the main characters and a lot of the script is weak. You could tell it was a British film because of the times the f word was uttered...I counted 20 times in about 5 minutes at one point, this is just sloppy,lazy directing and for me detracted from the story. There are many more adjectives in the English language.

In essence this film could have been great but alas it's just OK with the second half being more accomplished than the first.