fullthundermoon-36564 Reviews

Fight Club (1999)

Iconoclastic Classic Cult

[10/10 · 19 December 2021]

A film to make you rethink your life. And reconsider the clubs you patronise. Norton, Pitt, Bohnam-Carter have never been so annihilating... a cult classic for sure.

The Serpent (2021)

Genius script

[10/10 · 19 December 2021]

Watch this drama closely. It will grip you. The attitude of the main characters is extremely believable. This is screenwriting at its very best. The other characters are given equal depth and/or discarded accordingly. The best TV of the year for me for sure. It deserves attention.

1984 (1984)

Nightmare viewing

[10/10 · 6 December 2021]

This is not a happy film. The cast, especially Suzanna Hamilton and John Hurt are superb in this adaptation. A multi layered nightmare. Some truly sad and frightening imagery. Eurythmics were so clever, and Julia is a favourite track.

Feud (2017–2024)

Feast for film buffs

[10/10 · 5 December 2021]

A phenomenal portrait of Hollywood. Acting, script, costume, make up. Everything is on point. A really entertaining drama that had me hooked. Sarandon and Lange add to their catalogue of 10 star reviews.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Twisted sister

[10/10 · 5 December 2021]

Everybody's guilty pleasure. This cult classic maybe a little camp, but it's great acting and a storyline as old as the hills: jealousy. Reminds me: I must watch this movie AGAIN...

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Burned out teacher seeks lesbian companion

[10/10 · 5 December 2021]

Dench and Blanchett deliver superb performances as spider and fly. Brilliantly observed and fascinating to the end. The downward spiral into lunacy and destitution is dramatic; but chess always is. You don't like these characters, but they're great to watch. Aside from the toxicity from the protagonists, the consequences of Blanchett's affair is all on point.

Gilda (1946)

Oozes Noir

[10/10 · 5 December 2021]

Rita Hayworth stars in this classic film noir. The plot line may demand a little leniency, but let your imagination run wild and you'll get your film noir fix.

Shallow Grave (1994)

Tales of the unexpected!

[10/10 · 4 December 2021]

Okay, so there are no likeable characters; and the storyline is about dismembered bodies and violence and greed. It's uncomfortable and yet it's completely compelling viewing. Packed with competitive performances. These characters cannot keep poker faced for long, but unravel in front of us...

All the President's Men (1976)

Watergate

[10/10 · 4 December 2021]

There is nothing I can add to the history of reviews. This is an intelligent drama, superbly acted. The seventies produced some amazing cinema, and this is one of the best.

Taxi Driver (1976)

You're a walking contradiction

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

Gripping acting make for a gripping viewing experience. Shepherd and Foster offer good support, but this is De Niro's film. Some of the greatest cinema was released in the 1970 - a great decade for film-goers.

Annie Hall (1977)

Allen's best

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton are New Yorker's in love. And this is a sweet and nostalgic love story. The couple share their shortcomings and Freudian slips as they natter and chatter and sing in the old-fashioned way. Along with 'Another Woman', this is Allen's finest.

Anna Karenina (1935)

A doomed fairytale

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

A great film adaptation. Sumptuous black and white viewing. Gracious performances. Captures the epoch well. Garbo, as the eponymous heroine is vitally cast. This is the best version I know about.

Thelma & Louise (1991)

On the road to hell

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

A necessary mistake pushes two soulmates into the fast lane and challenges them in every direction. Not a happy tale of freedoms and adventure; but an epic road movie about friendship and the struggle to stay afloat, ahead, alive. Explores themes from gender stereotypes to capital punishment; misogyny to suicide. Many memorable moments and scenes and repetitions. I love that Thelma takes off her rings to have sex; and, later, Louise ditches the silver as she prepares for the endgame. At times operatic, this movie keeps pace and uplift. Texas has never been as scary a place for a woman.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Glenn close should have won an Oscar

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

Easily, the best adaptation of book to film. Witty, daring, opulent and compelling. Visually stunning; and shining performances. Read the book, for sure. But film-going doesn't get much better,

Playing for Time (1980 TV Movie)

A survivor's Story

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

Very moving retelling of an autobiography. The endless horror of The Holocaust has necessitated the most harrowing films. This one documents the lives of the orchestra ushering new arrivals into their final destination.

The Grey Zone (2001)

Unforgettable film

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

A biographical account of mutiny amidst the Holocaust. Captivating, somber, traumatic viewing necessitate to bring this nightmare to screen. Must see, and must learn from cinema.

Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)

Dirty low lives

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

Perhaps over stylised or over choreographed. But this theatrical technique works to bring out the poetry and grit in these hustlers and hanger ons. Underrated drama.

Map of the Human Heart (1992)

It'll end in tears

[10/10 · 1 December 2021]

A sad and poignant observation of racism and inter racial relations. A love story. An intricate look at outsiders hoping to pass off/deny unfashionable aspects and so to dream of success. To dream of succeeding in a white persons world. A look at the roles minority groups played during war and upheaval. It is easier for some minority groups than for others. But what hell it must be to atrophy yourself because you are given little alternative. Because your heritage (Inuit; Native American; Aboriginal etc), is unwanted and misunderstood. So, this film is of great socio-political importance. Alas, it is not a happy ending - but it stays all too real... Excellent cast, soundtrack and unforgettable images bring the story to life.

Vampyr (1932)

Film history

[10/10 · 30 November 2021]

Superb fright night footage. A must see, must read about, art house film. Dreyer was a mastermind and pioneer on film. The images linger forever. The vast catalogue of vampires on film is very well explored. This frightener stands out in the crowd.

Ed Wood (1994)

Fetishised classic

[10/10 · 30 November 2021]

An absolutely brilliantly talented film. The characters are lively, likeable, loony and lush. I laugh and forget everything in front of this movie. Encore....

Big Eyes (I) (2014)

Success has made a failure of our home

[10/10 · 30 November 2021]

A very watchable film, telling a remarkable story. Gripping until the end. Along with Ed Wood, Burton examines the eccentricity of genius. The exploitable and those that exploit.

Secret Ceremony (1968)

A dark codependency

[10/10 · 28 November 2021]

A disturbing and dark psychological thriller. Art house meets mad house. The tale of an (abused and wayward) little rich girl who transfers all her yearning for homely maternity onto a prostitute who resembles her deceased mother. Taylor is creepy and vulnerable and marvellous as the penniless harlot who is oblivious to her responsibilities in this relationship. Farrow is equally bizarre. This is an intriguing film that you never completely forget. Joseph Losey explored similar themes in the far superior film, 'The Servant'

Death of a Salesman (1985 TV Movie)

Brilliant performances

[10/10 · 28 November 2021]

A very evocative and provocative play; staged for cinema. Hoffman and Malkovich give Olympian performances. I have only seen this version and it is perfect.

Dance with a Stranger (1985)

L'homme fatale meets femme fatale

[10/10 · 28 November 2021]

Holm and Richardson, as always, give riveting performances. Everett has never been cast as good. A slow paced, intense drama capturing the final days of Ruth Ellis, the last woman in England to hang. 50's etiquette are nicely detailed. This is good costume cinema; fine script and score.

Yield to the Night (1956)

A very British noir

[10/10 · 28 November 2021]

Dors brings an entourage of acting repertoire to this, her only, major role. Black and white has never been so effective. The glimpses of London life are historical cinema, but the prison scenes of a woman-on-Death-row are filled with an intimacy rarely seen. This is the film which challenged society to stop capital punishment.