wdonovan-3 Reviews

Rocky Balboa (2006)

Inspirational

[9/10 · 3 August 2007]

I rented Rocky Balboa on DVD last night as it had been about 6 months since I saw it on the big screen. My initial review, having seen it in the cinema, did it a disservice. At the time, I reckoned that both the acting and script were very poor, although I enjoyed the film immensely and loved the nostalgia of it. Now I have to confess that they were just pure ROCKY through and through. This has been a fantastic franchise with all bar one (No. 5) legendary stuff. I even clicked to the Special Features on the DVD to get some of the insights of Stallone and came to be fully convinced that he is not given enough credit for his intelligence and talent as both a director AND actor. The scenes in Philadelphia during the making of the film epitomise the legacy of Rocky worldwide. People everywhere love an underdog and this character has been able to transcend what is essentially fiction to become more real than any other movie character in history. For all Rocky fans this was a fantastic way to leave the series and a masterpiece of film making. Rocky- you are a living legend.

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Very disappointing

[5/10 · 1 August 2007]

I firstly have to balance my following statements by saying that I have read some of the other reviews on this website and they are largely positive, so maybe this is only my opinion and you have the right to ignore it.. However, as a massive Simpsons fan, I would have to say that this was very disappointing stuff indeed. When the closing credits came up, I was left sitting in the movie theatre feeling cheated, and yet knowing that I have no right to feel that way as the Simpsons has given me years of pleasure. But this is actually the first time I have had to directly pay for the privilege, and it was simply not worth it. I am amazed to see so many self confessed Simpsons fans saying that they loved this film, because at the heart of classic Simpsons is a great script, one with legendary one-liner quotes, mainly from Homer, that last in the mind for years. And yet this was totally devoid of that fundamental ingredient. By all means go, but please be prepared to be let down

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)

Was it worth it?

[10/10 · 20 July 2006]

"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" is a fantastic film, and extremely apt given the current socio-economic climate in Ireland. We seem to be losing part of our heritage everyday, once again slave to foreign influences (both sides of the water) and willing to lose sight of our past to embrace the future. I left the cinema in Navan, Co Meath, wondering to myself "are we really as free as we think we are?". We have the highest debt ratio per capita of any country in the EU, a cost of living that is spiraling ridiculously out of control and criminals that make the Manson family look like the Partridge family. So what did we fight for in the rising of 1916, the War of Independence and the Civil War? To be more like the British? The day of real patriotism is gone, it has been replaced by cash hungry capitalists willing to sell out in the name of progress. Back to the film! This was probably the first "war film" that I have seen that did not over step the mark in terms of taking sides. It was extremely objective and a credit to Ken Loach for the accuracy of his research and the depiction of the times. I would liken it, in some ways, to Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" as it was really devoid of any sustained periods of levity and stayed constantly true to its theme, unconcerned by commercial considerations. A masterpiece of film making and a credit to the superb cast, particularly Murphy and Cunningham. Film of the Decade so far