Screen
Monday 01 June 2009
Star Trek
J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie gets a big thumbs up from me; much to my surprise I actually enjoyed a Star Trek film! Chris Pine (who I’d never heard of before) was an excellent Captain Kirk.
— Andy
Tags: chris_pine, hollywood, in cinemas, recommended, sci-fi, star_trek, usa
Comment [1]
Saturday 23 May 2009
Mark of an Angel
I recommend Mark of an Angel staring Catherine Frot, a great performance in an unsettling thriller based on a true story. Why are the French so good at making thrillers?
— Andy
Tags: drama, france, in cinemas, recommended, thriller
Monday 11 May 2009
In the Loop
In the Loop is f’ing hilarious! I was sceptical of the television to big screen transfer of the sitcom The Thick of It, but it works incredibly well and I was laughing all the way through.
— Andy
Tags: comedy, in cinemas, recommended, uk
Monday 26 January 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is superb! The narrative has lots of depth and colour and the cast of children are really good. The hype over this film is actually well placed for once. Definitely go and see this if you haven’t already.
— Andy
Tags: in cinemas, india, recommended, uk
Thursday 08 January 2009
Wall-E
Wall-E is superb; a truly mature offering from the geniuses of Pixar. The minimal amount of dialogue seems a daring move for a family film but works brilliantly, allowing one to really take in the beautiful visuals. The characters have real heart and emotion making them extremely likeable (Pixar have a real talent for this)!
— Andy
Tags: animation, hollywood, pixar, recommended, sci-fi
Comment [1]
Sunday 21 December 2008
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
An amazing film with a superb performance from Romain Duris; his character is so complex that you can’t help but be gripped by the movie. The soundtrack, mixing classical and electro music, is excellent too. This is easily one of the best films I’ve seen in a while; it is a shame I missed it when it was originally on in cinemas.
— Andy
Tags: crime, drama, france, paris, recommended, romain duris
Saturday 20 December 2008
Monster's Ball
Monster’s Ball is the film that saw a spike in Halle Berry’s career; her performance is really good, particularly in the hospital and the scenes thereafter providing a very convincing portrayal of someone in grieving. Well worth watching.
— Andy
Tags: drama, halle berry, recommended, usa
Sunday 16 November 2008
Children of Men
This film is amazing! It’s depiction of a grim and horrific future look and feel terrifyingly realistic. Throughout the film I found myself thinking that this could happen to society. The appearance of the film and the superb cinematography ensure that it looks real. I really appreciated the way that the future didn’t look ‘fantastic’, but rather like it had advanced by a few years but then begun to fall apart; it made it easy to connect to and as a result empathise with the characters. The single-take shots also made a powerful impression of realism.
The themes of Children of Men are incredibly depressing, but the film’s overall message is surely of one of hope. Much like Alfonso Cuarón’s previous movie Y tu mamá también, Children of Men is about the journey rather than the outcome.
— Andy
Tags: 2006, alfonso cuarón, clive owen, recommended, sci-fi, uk
Thursday 06 November 2008
Belleville Rendez-vous
An excellent film; a beautifully rich and original animation with a Stomp-like soundtrack. Belleville Rendez-vous is a very funny movie playing on French and American stereotypes such as the French love of frogs legs and Le Tour de France, and American’s obesity and poor manners. I just love the dog whose characteristics are so real.
Director Sylvain Chomet’s second animated feature, The Illusionist, should be out next year and is based on an unproduced Jacques Tati script.
— Andy
Saturday 25 October 2008
TV: Battlestar Galactica 4.1
Possibly the fastest-paced season of Battlestar Galactica so far, and full of twists and revelations. It really made up for the rather poor second half of the previous season which I hadn’t really enjoyed all that much. I’m not going to say much else about it as it would be too easy to give plot details away that would spoil it for anyone reading this who is yet to watch the episodes. The last thing I’ll say is that I am a little disappointed that my theory on President Roslin was wrong. If you haven’t watch this season yet, go watch it, and if you haven’t even seen Battlestar Galactica you are really missing a great show!
— Andy
Tags: 2008, drama, recommended, sci-fi, television, usa
Sunday 04 May 2008
Persepolis
A funny, and at times sad, true story of an Iranian girl growing up through the Revolution and wars in Tehran, and attending French school in Vienna. The animation, mostly in black-and-white, is beautiful and a refreshing change from the usual Disney/Pixar look of animated films these days. Persepolis challenges ones perceptions of life in Iran and highlights some of the unpleasant attitudes of religion, particularly towards women. It is well worth a trip to the cinema to see it (if it sounds too serious don’t fear as it really does have many laugh-out-loud moments).
— Andy
Tags: animation, france, in cinemas, iran, recommended
Comment [1]
Monday 28 April 2008
Happy-Go-Lucky
Mike Leigh’s latest film is a feel good movie that takes the daring move to put a somewhat dislikeable character at first as the lead. There are plenty of laugh-loud-moments, particularly the first driving lesson and the Flamenco dance class. Happy-Go-Lucky lacks a clear plot, but makes up for it in the comic moments and well drawn characters.
— Andy
Tags: comedy, drama, in cinemas, recommended, uk
Saturday 26 April 2008
Mio fratello è figlio unico
Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child) is one of the best Italian films that I’ve seen in a while; beautifully acted and a compelling story of two brothers divided by politics but united by blood in the 60s/70s. Interestingly it is the Fascist brother that is easiest to warm to, highlighting the intelligence of the script of this film.
— Andy
Tags: drama, in cinemas, italy, recommended