Movie Reviews for Nov 20, 2009

Newcastle

Newcastle [3 clips]

While I've seen some over-the-top homophobic comments of two 'reviewers'. This is not a "gay-themed" film. There's a small, but bright facet that is gay-themed. Family, sibling rivalry among brothers, loss, teenage high-jinx, and a lot of surfing overshadows the fact that one brother is gay. The few PG moments of sex are between two older teen boys and their girlfriends. If seeing a male butt, (in a non-sexual context), makes you squirm, you better stay away from a ton of "regular" movies and museums too. Anyway, "Newcastle" is the story of how a tragedy enables a family to overcome nagging internal tensions. There are no villains, just victims of their own fear and disappointment. The performances are all topnotch. A minus for US viewer: occasionally the Aussie accents are a little hard to understand.

Horne & Corden

Horne & Corden [1 clip]

Matthew Horne

I quite enjoyed Gavin and Stacey, so I was looking forward to seeing the two boys with their own sketch show. "What could go wrong?" I asked myself. And the answer, was nothing. From the joke where the fat one wobbles his belly to the joke where the thin one rolls around on the fat one, I was in creases for the entirety of the first episode. By the time second episode came around, I was a little cautious - could they have lost their touch? Would the material have gotten stale after the first, mindblowing, series of sketches? It was a worry, to be sure! Once again, however, I was not disappointed. This time around, the fat one and the thin one were being superheroes, with an hilarious homosexual subtext as the fat one hugged the thin one for a clearly uncomfortable length of time, and touched his leg as well. But, even should this prove a little too "close-to-the-bone", as it were, for some viewers - fear not. There were still some classic moments, such as the sketch where the fat one wobbled his belly again, or the camp news reporter getting into all sorts of sticky situations - much to the dismay of his boss back in the studio!! I'm four episodes in now and I can't wait until next week's. I hope the fat one and the thin one do some dancing again, because that was just the bee's knees of comedy. The only complaint I have is that I could not be in the audience for the studio section - Fingers crossed for a season 2!!!

The Insiders Guide to Happiness

The Insiders Guide to Happiness [1 clip]

Fraser Brown

This offbeat, strange and yet very appealing TV series is one of the better small screen products to come out of New Zealand in some time. The tracking of so many different, converging story threads, all with their own ample measure of quirkiness, challenged me as a viewer and made it so much more enjoyable that the usual linear story based series we have been subject to. The mystic elements were never over-done and just added to the drama (and comedy). My favourite character was easily James, the slightly dopey insurance adjuster who undergoes a supernatural experience and spends most of his time trying to figure out what is happening to him. I congratulate everyone involved with producing a superior TV series and hope we can see lots more from the same team.

Rich and Famous

Rich and Famous [1 clip]

Jacqueline Bisset

Matt Lattanzi

Recently I saw this movie again (after 25 years). In the original there is a scene in the bathroom of an airplane during the landing between Jacqueline Bisset's character and Michael Brandon's character. The rented version did not have this scene in it. Did I imagine this? Or, is this part of the "clean up" of movies where some are altered to exclude portions some people think are not "appropriate"? I love this movie -- it is exactly like the friendship between a friend and I and we've been friends for 25 years and saw it together. Her husband thought it was us as well.

Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks [1 clip]

James Redmond

Stephen Beard

Hollyoak's is the brainchild of Phil Redmond. Redmond has provided the British public with some of the best cutting edge drama in the last 30 years. Beginning with Grange Hill in 1978 he established what has now become a legendary national treasure depicting the trials and tribulations of teenagers in their G.C.S.E and A-Levels. He then created Brookside, which changed the story lines of British Soaps forever with its continuous devotion to depict gritty, real suburban live. A programme set in Redmond's native Liverpool that revolved around a community of adults. Then in the 1990's came Hollyoaks. This was Redmond's project to depict live of the twenty something's in Chester. On its release in 1995 it was considered typical Redmond's style. Its depiction of real live issues was sometimes relentlessly hard to watch but in other areas it was terrifically funny. It's cast were wonderful with the emphasis was on a naturalistic performance. The writing was crisp and fresh and very inventive. It dealt in a very mature fashion with the issues depicted and its sensitive approach meant that the soap was held very high in both the public and industries eyes. But as the old cast began to move on and replacements were drafting in it became clear that the previous hard work was being replaced by glamour and over the top story lines. The new actors were looks friendly and not very talented and the acting descended from well thought out characterizations to populist acting. This consists of over the top performances throughout the episode. It is quite frustrating to see this considering whatever went before them were genuine actors and actresses. This is not helped by the over the top story lines. Since January 2006 there has been a kidnapping, incarceration of a rapist who then escapes and commits mass murder. It is now Sept 2006 and the big action packed story lines are still coming. This is not helped by the cheesy camera direction that is employed in some of the scripts. One particular sequence involved a tomato ketchup mustard shoot out involving two girls. This was shot to the style of a John Woo. Some people say this is inspirational but to me its just rubbish and it quite clearly pisses upon what Phil Redmond set out to achieve in 1995. What was a good British Soap full of characters that you would genuinely care for have now been forsaken for a more Americanised product full of whining wannabes. In it's time it has tread some ground that has met Phil Redmond's brief of Realism. The most powerful storyline to date was the male rape of Luke Morgan. This was the last time that Hollyoaks generated such a response from the public. Many of whom welcomed such a topic that had until then been swept under the carpet as a taboo issue. Since then the cheese has been processed weekly and distributed on a daily basis. In the film The Insider the Christopher Plummer character says in relation to media " You will only be remembered for what you did last night ". If this statement is true I really hope Phil Redmond has another ace up his sleeve because at the moment it looks like Hollyoaks current mediocrity will be remembered. 4 out of 10.

Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks [1 clip]

James Redmond

Stephen Beard

Footballers' Wives

Footballers' Wives [2 clips]

Travis Oliver

A show like Footballer's Wives could go very wrong in the wrong hands. Thanksfully that is not the case with this classic British series. It's one of the few dramas on television that does not take it's audience for granted. It's sort of female centric and with good reason -- it's produced, directed and written by women. And it shows. The characters are well drawn and the male leads are wickedly positioned from the feminine point of view. Don't miss this show! It's one of the best soaps opera dramas ever on TV. Unfortunately U.S. citizens can only see it on BBC America or by buying the DVD sets. If you go the DVD route, try to buy the UK versions, if your player can handle it. Those contain juicy extra disks not on the American versions!! I heard this show may have been canceled. If that's true it's really too bad. it then 5 years is a good run by any standard.

Underbelly

Underbelly [1 clip]

Peter O'Brien

The connection between Sopranos and this series is not far-fetched. Like that show it shows a life of crime and how these gangsters deal with their family. After having seen five episodes more depth is shown and it gets real clear that things will get very nasty indeed. The acting by the cast is superb. And it was good to see Calvan Mulvey (Heartbreak High) return in a much more mature role. What I liked especially in this show that it doesn't exactly choose sides. It is not just about the police getting the bad guys. They also show that even the gangsters have their morals and aren't entirely evil as most people would have us believe. But it doesn't glamorize the life of crime either. When necessary it does show the impact of the crimes committed. Excellent show!

Burke & Wills

Burke & Wills [1 clip]

Oliver Torr

This is the first film made by the young Australian directing-writing-acting team of Matthew Zeremes and Oliver Torr, who are also the founders of the Sydney theatre group Cake. Boasting brilliant moments of awkward realism, sharp, imaginative dialogue and a rich, tightly focused line in dark humour, this low budget wonder announces two very exciting talents to watch. As the lazy but spirited Wills and depressed loner Burke, Zeremes and Torr, respectively, give dynamic performances, while both their script and direction are top notch. And no, it has nothing to do with the famous Australian explorers.

La venexiana

La venexiana [2 clips]
The director Mauro Bolognini has some experience of historical movies and you can see this in this late-Renaissance movie set at the canals of Venice and he has also experience with love-stories. This movie written with the help of Massimo Franciosa lacks the grandeur of a Luchino Visconti but at no moment one gets the impression of being bored. Laura Antonelli is very good as Angela and she looks like an angel just as in the other movie L'Innocent (1976) but why is she closing the windows of her apartment when her lover (Jason Connery - he has no name in the movie!) is throwing stones into her room? The mores of the time when the doge is allowing the prostitutes to show their breasts, and the young noblemen throwing fish at them, are explored and the question remains what the life of an older (but still young), rich widow must heave been in Venice at the end of the 15th century. It is not surprising that such a woman is glowed with fire when she can see from her room a young man p***ing in the canal. The sex-scenes in the movie are good and made with taste; there is even a scene where Angela is near of having a sexual affair with her servant who tries to console her mistress. This story of a one night, two lovers affair remembers me of the Decamerone because of its freshness and sweetness.

Skins

Skins [1 clip]

Jack O'Connell

I disagree with all those who say this is a teen-only drama. When I first saw the trailers and accompanying hype, I steered clear of it as it looked like yet another teen programme. But then I watched the second episode, about Cassie the anorexic, and was hooked. It managed to be both funny and touching - so much so that I cried at the end. It's a lot like Teachers in its sense of humour, and it has its location, Bristol, in common with Teachers. It's a shame it isn't on at an earlier time, as the script is wonderful and the characters so well drawn. Plus the performances by the young cast are extremely professional. I think good drama appeals to all ages, and I'm light years outside the target demographic for this. So I'd like to encourage the more mature viewer to give it a go - especially if you were a fan of Teachers - and you won't regret it. 9 out of 10 as it's the most entertaining and, unfortunately, realistic youth drama to appear on the telly since As If.

Free Agents

Free Agents [1 clip]

Pascal Langdale

After a one night stand between colleagues Alex and Helen, thinks immediately get awkward, not helped at all by Alex's uncanny ability to say the wrong thing or suggest the wrong motivations for his actions. It doesn't help that he is going through a divorce and needs somewhere to sleep or that Helen is grieving on the one year anniversary of her husband's death. Helen offers Alex her sofa if she helps the actor boyfriend of her mother and, with the only other option being the spare room of his pervert boss, Alex has little choice. Shown as part of the Comedy Showcase films on Channel 4 recently, this film is considerably darker and more foul mouthed than many of the other films. The plot is a complex adult situation that draws its humour from the extremity of Alex and Helen's lives with those around them. I would compare its awkward style of humour with The Office but it is not really grounded in reality in the way that and other comedies of its ilk are. This doesn't mean though that it isn't funny though because it is rather thanks to the writing, which puts flesh on the unlikely scenarios. In this way it is enjoyably crude and adult – not the smartest or cleverest thing you'll ever see but it is funny nevertheless. The cast do help a lot because their reactions and performances are key in making it work. Mangan is solid in the title role and he works well with Horgan, who has a harder character to work with but does well to keep it reasonably convincing within the world of the film. Tomelty and Barber are OK but the film is rather dominated by a well-observed "pervert boss" turn from Head who gets more foulmouthed as the film goes on. Not that inspired as a comedy but it is still funny if you let yourself be taken in by the exaggerated sexual and foulmouthed sense of humour.

Home and Away

Home and Away [2 clips]

Simon Baker

Ryan Kwanten

Kain O'Keefe

I used to love that show all the time. I even used to watch that show all the time as well. This was a great show. I knew that it reminds me that Australian was my favorite nationality. I should buy the VERY 1st season on DVD. Since earlier before it was released, I was watching Fame. The theme was great. It should be on TV again. I could always remember that show. And back in 2002, I even watched the newer version. Just before I moved to BC, when I lived in Manitoba, I even discovered the first season of Home & Away. I should get the first season of Home & Away, just like that I got the first season of Fame on DVD. I always love home and away. I used to find that show MOST ADORABLE! It's been a perfect show.

Home and Away

Home and Away [2 clips]

Simon Baker

Ryan Kwanten

Kain O'Keefe

A Fatal Inversion

A Fatal Inversion [1 clip]

Jeremy Northam

Douglas Hodge

Now that we have your attention -- yes, there's actually quite a bit of attractive, hippie-ish, naked romping in this film, which flashbacks a lot. The same actors play themselves at 30-ish as well as ten years before -- quite authentically, it's not just lighting, their very movements say "young". A haunting tale, full of the carelessness of youth and the fear of discovery now that middle age, pride of place, and self-created family have begun to appear. Twists and turns, ending in an unjust but completely believable finish.

A Fatal Inversion

A Fatal Inversion [1 clip]

Jeremy Northam

Douglas Hodge

I want Candy

I want Candy [1 clip]
This film is a bit like those American 'sex' comedies of the mid-sixties, the kind that featured Rock Hudson or Natalie Wood. They often featured the word 'Sex' in their title, and that was about as close as the movie – and its pretty leads – ever came to the actual act itself. I Want Candy is the improbable tale of a couple of film students (Toms Burke and Riley) from Leatherhead who are so desperate to get their psychological love story onto the big screen that they somehow end up turning it into a porn film for a crooked sleaze merchant (Eddie Marsan). In keeping with the passing similarity to reality, Marsan's porn merchant is about as frightening as a jack terrier, but he's always worth watching anyway. The film itself is pleasant enough, although it's easy to see why some might feel cheated by the mild sexual content, but it begins to feel increasingly rushed as it approaches what is, frankly, a completely daft conclusion. There are a few laughs along the way though, including a typical two semi-naked men trapped in a bathroom stint reminiscent of the British sex farces of the early 70s, an amusingly worked case of confrontational mistaken identity, and a woman who can perform incredible tricks with what seems to be an endless supply of ping pong balls. In the midst of all these tame laughs is one gross-out moment that is totally out of keeping with the tone of the rest of the film and an attempt by one of the lads to bed the glamorous porn star they have hired that seems to be shoehorned in to the plot so that that hoary old cliché of 'lecherous man caught by numerous bystanders as he waits in his smalls for the lady who is never going to turn up for their rendezvous' can be revisited. Apart from these shortcomings, Burke and Riley make a likable pair of leads and Carmen Electra looks beautiful. The film will painlessly see you through an hour-and-a-half, but you will be hard-pressed to remember much about it in a very short space of time.

Liquid Bridge

Liquid Bridge [1 clip]

Ryan Kwanten

The lead actor Ryan Kwanten eats up the screen. I also loved the performance by his French lover (Simone Kessel). The story really moved me, a young man with issues with his dad wants to conquer the waves...it was directed with flair and the movie is great entertainment . 5 stars.

City Rats

City Rats [1 clip]

Kenny Doughty

Quite simply, everyone who is a fan of the works of Danny Dyer and Tamer Hasan should be warned that this is NOT in the same mould. Personally, i found Football Factory and The Business highly entertaining, so imagine my optimism when i saw City Rats on DVD, with Dyer on the front cover holding a revolver. The film basically tells a series of mini-stories about various characters and their everyday struggle through their respective lives. Thrown into the mix are a recovering alcoholic, a prostitute, a mentally challenged man hiding homosexual tendencies, two depressed people on the verge of suicide, and various other people who don't appear to be enjoying life all that much. This is without doubt the least enjoyable movie i have ever seen. I found the plot dull, the various characters' sub-stories uninteresting and the dialogue tediously slow. I spent the whole 94 minutes waiting for something interesting to happen. It never came. In short, there did not seem to be any actual point to this film. The fact that the back of the DVD (UK version) draws comparisons to Pulp Fiction is verging on criminal, in my opinion. For me, the only plus would be that the standard of acting is decent and the British cast is strong. But the storyline, subject matter and script just don't do it for me i'm afraid.

Dangerous Lady

Dangerous Lady [2 clips]

Jason Isaacs

Owen Teale

Rene Zagger

This was the first vehicle in which I remember seeing Jason Isaacs and his treatment of his character left a lasting impression on me. To me, it's a testament to his talent that he could make such an unpleasant individual sympathetic and, at times, vulnerable. As mentioned in an earlier crit, the unusual presentation of a drab and colourless sixties really creates an atmosphere of sordidity and the authentic sets added to this (...don't you just HATE it when you mumble under your breath '..and that wallpaper's wrong for the time too...'). The impressive cast guaranteed excellent performances all round but, for me, Isaacs took the gong. (I was particularly pleased to later discover he is a fellow Scouser!) Dangerous Lady is available on video at Amazon.co.uk. Buy it. It's good.

Shameless (2004)

Shameless (2004) [1 clip]

Jody Latham

Ciaran Kellgren

Definitely the best series i have ever seen on TV. Non stop Laughing all the way through. the realism of the program is great and allows a lot of people to actually relate to it. i would recommend everyone should watch this and hopefully enjoy it as much as i have. the characters are fantastic, frank is hilarious! there are also the characters who you befriend throughout the series, like Lip and Ian. the story lines have been fantastic and each one has left you wanting to see what happens in the next episode. this program is a definite 'thumbs up' and hopefully there will be a second series with all the same characters, because i am sure people would welcome the return of the show.

Shameless (2004)

Shameless (2004) [1 clip]

Jody Latham

Ciaran Kellgren

Moll Flanders

Moll Flanders [5 clips]

Alex Kingston

Tom Ward

colin buchanan

A British TV serial show.

All About Anna

All About Anna [5 clips]

Adrian Bouchet

Gry Bay

I saw a bit of this last year and all i can say is this. I hope they can afford a tripod next time The miserable acting is barely saved by the hard porn This is not a film IT IS porn There is no lighting. I am one for the old films and i do not think a movie needs all the bells and whistles like CG and effects but this has nothing and i mean the porn is so unnecessary and it is meaningless like in that stage version of cabaret. This film is like the mind of a teenager with no imagination. The inexperience is so clear though with practice a couple of the cast could get good but this... Well i don't real know what it is... a cross between the ground shots from Miami vice, the talent of the child between enter Sharai and son of dork and sex like you-porn.com Though the blond girl is quite pretty she should have a career if she took the time to research the other contributers like the director and camera man for a school rec it might pass as appalling but as a film there is a long way to go sorry.

Moon

Moon [1 clip]

Sam Rockwell

Moon is an auspicious debut from Duncan Jones (née Zowie Bowie), a talented new director who happens to be the son of David Bowie (let me officially be the first person to predict that every review of this film in the mainstream press will have the tagline "SPACE ODDITY!"). Sam Rockwell gives a truly remarkable performance as Sam Bell, a lunar miner who is nearing the end of his 3-year contract at a single-man mining outpost. His only companion is the station computer, Gertie, a straight-up HAL homage that tantalizingly suggests how a culture informed by decades of watching 2001 might choose to design a companion robot. To say too much more about the plot would be to spoil its central conceit, and while I'm sure many reviewers will talk openly about it, I want to preserve the surprise if at all possible at least until the film gets its theatrical release this coming June. Suffice it to say that Jones admirably mixes together stock genre tropes, paying tribute to a number of classic science fiction features while retaining his own idiosyncratically dark vision. Familiar filmic concepts of the "clean future" and the "dirty future" are mixed together to create a unique atmosphere; the milieu is suitably claustrophobic, the cramped quarters of the mining station serving the film's conceptual purposes while masking the shoestring budget. In fact, it may be hard to spare a glance at the meticulously designed sets with your eyes glued to Rockwell for the duration of the picture. His performance is utterly mesmerizing, inhabiting the role so completely that it is impossible to imagine any other actor having the chutzpah to pull it off. Which is not to say that Moon is without its problems; the pacing is hardly consistent and Jones' reliance on Rockwell tends to undersell his direction. Parts of the film veer dangerously close to identical thematic elements in Steven Soderbergh's recent adaptation of Solaris, without being as emotionally potent. But what it lacks in originality is mostly compensated for by the sheer audacity of its central performance and the careful economy of its direction. Moon may be dressed in familiar clothing, but it is a singular experience, a clever, darkly funny and genuinely moving journey into the nature of individuality. Jones is already at work on a second science fiction feature, and it is welcome indeed to see such a promising new talent continue to develop his voice by working in genre film-making!