jack-310 Reviews

Swept Away (2002)

terrible

[1/10 · 19 May 2003]

I really wanted to like this movie because the critics have been unkind

to it (to say the least)... but it was terrible. Really terrible. Badly

acted, a witless script, cack handed direction... Watching this film was

like watching a car crash- you want to look away but you keep staring

because you want to see how messy it's going to get. Well, the car is

wrecked and there are no survivors. On the plus side, the cinematography

was nice, made me want to go on holiday, if only to cleanse myself from

this unholy

The Last Great Wilderness (2002)

pretty good

[7/10 · 17 February 2003]

A good attempt to do something different. Has a weird, off-beat feel to it, and the community hidden away in the highlands is well drawn. The cast do well in fleshing out their characters, and there is a sense of foreboding and melancholy that slowly creeps up on you. At first I wasn't totally convinced by Charlie (Alistair McKenzie)'s journey as a character, until he's wondering through the woods and finds an old rusty trampoline. With nobody around, he's free to bounce up and down on it like a kid. This sounds a bit dumb, but it was really quite effective - you really got the sense of a guy finally being able to open up and enjoy himself. Good stuff all round, well directed, moody cinematography, deserves to be seen by a wider audience. .

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)

disappointing

[9 January 2003]

This might have worked okay as a tv drama, but as a film I have to admit

I became pretty bored within half an hour. It's neither realistic enough

to be moving, or funny enough to be a comedy. Maybe it's just me, but I

found my sympathy lying with the Jimmy character- he wants to make a

fresh start with his family. Shirley seems to feel the same way, but at

the end makes the decision to stay with Dec based on her daughter.

I didn't understand the connection made to Westerns either. Although the

music was excellent, it seemed more of an excuse to use the title "Once

Upon A Time..." rather than anything else.

I felt if the film had been trimmed considerably then maybe I would've

have enjoyed it more, as it was it seemed to drag to a conclusion that

could be seen a mile off. There wasn't nearly enough substance to make

the viewer want to continue watching. I don't mind if films don't have

substance as long as there is some kind of wow factor to keep you

watching, but in this case that was sadly lacking. I don't think Ritchie

is a bad director and I still rather see any of his films that his

namesake Guy's, but this was a case of too little, too long.



That said, the actress playing Shirley's daughter was excellent, and her

performance was moving. And Rhys Ifans on his hands and knees in front

of James Cosmo saying "Please don't do anything sexual" did make me

laugh out loud. It's just a shame the rest of the film didn't

Grace of My Heart (1996)

There's no justice in this world...

[9/10 · 11 February 2002]

That Allison Anders film wasn't seen by a wider audience is a real

shame. The film is excellent, it has a real heart to it, and the

soundtrack is possibly the best I've seen in a film about making music.

Illeana Douglas is totally convincing as songwriter 'Denise Waverly',

the support from Turturro is both amusing and weirdly moving.

It's hard not to have the suspicion that if this film had been made by

a man, then he would have been widely feted as THE next big thing.

The moment where Douglas sings the song "God Give Me Strength" to Matt

Dillon in the studio makes my hair stand on end even as I type this. And

I'm wearing heavy duty wax in my hair

Late Night Shopping (2001)

warm, funny, and well worth a visit

[9/10 · 28 June 2001]

I had a lot of trepidation about going to see Late Night Shopping, especially as most UK films are unfortunately terrible. Late Night Shopping stood out from the crowd though, as a stylish, amusing and very likeable picture. There's something nicely old fashioned about the film, it reminded me of times as being Billy Wilder-esque. It doesn't insult the audiences intelligence, rather it builds slowly, so by the time you are in the third act, without even realising it, you've developed a real affection for these characters. The jokes are amusing- especially the car radio gag, which you'd have to be made of stone not to chuckle at- and the performances are uniformly good, especially Kate Ashfield as the cast-out Jody, and James Lance as lothario Vincent. He manages the feat of being slimy, charming and entertaining all at once.

It's not the perfect picture, but it's so good natured and fast moving that minor quibbles about the plot seem pointless. Yes, the premise is a little rocky if you think about it, but it's a very British thing to concentrate on these things and seem them as faults. Like good American cinema, Late Night Shopping grabs you by the collar, takes you on a ride, and doesn't let you worry about the details. For once, UK cinema has produced something contemporary, relative and FUN.

Some of the dialogue is overwritten, and for the first 20 minutes the film seems to hesitate about putting it's cojones on the line. There is a convenient plot coincidence 60 minutes in, although this is totally forgiveable as a) This is the movies and b) It leads to the film's funniest sequence, on a freezing cold crazy golf course. All around me the cinema was erupting in laughter. The direction was fluid, the script (in most) worked, and the cinematography was excellent, giving the picture a refreshing gloss. As for the music... what can you say about 80's Power Ballads? They rock. Late Night Shopping is a funky, hip little movie that provides 90-odd minutes of entertainment before kicking you out with a smile on your face.

Orphans (1998)

Surreal and brilliant

[9/10 · 6 April 2000]

What starts out as simple film about four siblings trying to cope with their mother's death, soon becomes a surreal tour-de-force. Peter Mullen pulls off a very tricky script and several changes of mood in the film to create something quite unique. There are some marvellous set pieces in here. It's a brave choice to use black comedy to highlight the pain of bereavement, but Orphans triumphantly pulls it off.

It's just a shame the film company buried the film, as this is one of the great British movies of the last few decades.

Diner (1982)

Effortless and magic

[10/10 · 28 October 1999]

Barry Levinson's film is one of the great dialogue movies. What is almost unbelievable about the exchanges between the characters is the little amount of improvisation going on. The whole beat and style of their conversations in the diner are what is so effortless and magic about this film.

It's also a movie which, in retrospect, suggested that Steve Guttenberg could have had a much stronger dramatic career.

If you like movies where nothing much happens and where life just happens to people as their killing time, but strung together with killer dialogue and very likeable characters, then Diner rates up there with the best.

Boy, do I like this movie.