Trent_ Reviews

Sugar (I) (2004)

Better than the reviews state.

[8/10 · 20 February 2005]

I don't understand the people who say that the movie has no depth. The most in depth character portrayal was of Butch - the hustler who seems like a really good guy underneath. I don't think it is a requirement to have any backstory to actually get this.

The movie is also very amusing in parts - you just have to get the humour that is going on. At the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Film Festival showing that I saw, the majority of the audience got the humour and laughed along.

In actual fact, you're dosed with the nice and amusing and even heartwarming, and then you get a complete smack in the head when Butch does something to his best buddy. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling it.

I didn't rate this film higher because of a couple of implausible things, such as the little sister (a complete laugh and a half, but implausible nonetheless), and how the film opens. From birthday bash to the streets in minutes. However, I did get the symbolism of the skateboard, which no-one else seems to have noticed or mentioned, and which I thought was rather good.

Overall, I enjoyed the film very much, and would recommend it to just about anybody.

Birds of a Feather (1989–2020)

Absolutely brilliant!

[22 April 2004]

Birds of a Feather has just began airing on cable in Australia, so we're getting to see the series right from the beginning again - and it's just as funny as the first time around!

Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson are two wonderful actresses that do a great job with the series. They noticably get better as the series progresses as they get more comfortable with their roles. They do a great job as sisters, and actually come across as being sisters as well!

However, a lot of the real laughs come from Lesley Josephs character, Dorian Green. Recently an episode aired where Sharon (Pauline Quirke) got into the finals of a karaoke contest and got too nervous to sing. Her sister Tracy (Linda Robson) wasn't going to be singing either.

To their surprise, Dorian gets up on stage and sings. Now Dorian is a complete man-eater, and the song she sang was Like a Virgin. It was the funniest thing I've seen in years - especially the part when all you can see are her legs above the crowd!

The husbands are really quite linear and are always doing the same thing - they're really only there to keep the plot moving along at times.

One of the best sitcoms to come out of Britain - and I hope it's put on DVD sometime soon!

ABBA: The Movie (1977)

The movie itself and its significance in Australian culture

[18 September 2002]

ABBA - The Movie... a movie that gives a snapshot of ABBA (one of, if not THE most influential group of 1970s pop), and more importantly, a snapshot of Australia in March 1977.

The movie opens with dialogue setting up the premise that a country music DJ is given the next to impossible assignment of interviewing ABBA during their March 1977 tour of Australia. Next, a shot of a Qantas 747 flying above the Sydney Harbour Bridge and on to their arrival and tour.

Throughout the rest of the movie, the thin plotline shows the DJ Ashley's (Robert Hughes) attempts to get an interview with the group, generously interspersed with footage of the group on stage in the major Australian capitals, back stage, at their hotel and so on.

Fledgeling director (at the time) Lasse Hallstrom puts it all together and makes it all come across as charming.

The lesser known delights - interviews with members of the Australian public, an absolute charming segment with Australian children in a ballet school, and footage from their first Australian press conference. The movie is virtually a documentary of the tour, with the story line woven in for effect.

A lot of fun, well put together, and certainly worth a watch - definitely transports you right into Australia, March 1977, accompanied by some of the most timeless music ever made.

Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (1984 TV Movie)

General movie overview, focussing on actors performances, writing, and realism of the movie vs. the actual event.

[9/10 · 9 December 1998]

This movie is one of the best of its genre as far as I am concerned. Though made for TV, a fair amount of research and money has gone into its production, evident from how close to the actual facts the movie is. Being a well documented true story, it's good to see the movie adhering to this. The writing and characterisation is very realistic - nothing two dimensional or superfluous here. It also follows the characters through a little of their day before and why they're travelling on this particular flight. You become emotionally attached and care about them, wondering who is going to live and who is going to die.

Brilliant performances from the cast only raise the picture further. Barry Corbin and Dinah Manoff both went on to successful sitcoms (Northern Exposure and Empty Nest respectively), and it's not surprising from their acting in this film. The on screen chemistry between Jamie Rose and Kate Vernon (as flight attendants) has to be seen to be believed. It's enough to make you think they were actually friends in real life, not just actors brought together for a movie. They truly become who they're portraying.

What really adds to the film is the detail. The same airline that actually crashed is featured in the movie, the same aircraft type, and the details as to why the plane crashed are added in a way that you'll notice without it being in your face or detrimental to the story flow. Impressively, the actual cockpit dialog from the flight is repeated almost verbatim in the movie. Finally, actual news footage of the rescue that day is incorporated into the acted out footage, adding a deal of realism rarely seen in "crash movies".

The only bad marks I can give the film is for the total unrealistic "crash" scene. Obviously there was no special effects budget. Also, the "cars on the bridge" are obviously not real and shot in a studio, another downfall for a movie that is otherwise virtually flawless.

Flight 90: Disaster On The Potomac - definitely worth watching, and not one to miss - for plane buffs and movie buffs alike!