baconballs1969 Reviews

Stardust (2007)

Pfantastic!

[8/10 · 26 May 2008]

Thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish even though I didn't think I would as I am not a fan of fantasy films. The reason I watched this was because my wife wanted to see it and I'm really glad she made me watch it with her.

The whole thing was very well done - the story, production, acting, cinematography, score and special effects were all spot on. Michelle Pfiefer was excellent and still looking as gorgeous as ever. Lots of good gags too, especially with the goats and the inn. It was also the first time ever I had seen a goat-drawn carriage! This is a great family film which I will be adding to my DVD collection.

Thanks to my missus for an excellent choice.

Inside the Smiths (2007 Video)

A Great Insight Into A Great Band

[9/10 · 29 December 2007]

Loved this documentary, and the extras were fantastic too.

The DVD provides an excellent insight into what it was really like to be in The Smiths as seen through the eyes and in the experience of Andy Rourke (bass player) and Mike Joyce (drummer).

Filmed over a period of two years, following the two guys on a trip across the States, this "movie" is a must-see for all dedicated Smith's fans and others simply curious about the greatest ever band of all time.

I have been a Smith's fan since they emerged in the 80's but this DVD taught me a lot that even I didn't know.

Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke are great guys and it was obvious throughout this movie that the happiest days of their lives were spent during their time in the greatest band there ever was (and ever will be).

If you are expecting to see any performances or music from The Smiths in this DVD then you will be disappointed - it simply is not that. Morrissey and Marr would be suing for even more royalties if anything like that appeared on the DVD I am quite sure of that.

Very funny in places too, but be warned, quite a bit of bad language, especially from Andy Rourke (but that's how we all know and love him anyway).

Great input also from other well-established rock/pop stars like Peter Hook (New Order), Buzzcocks, Mat Osman (Suede), Mark E Smith (The Fall), Kaiser Chiefs, Preston (Ordinary Boys) and many others.........

EXCELLENT!!

10 Rillington Place (1971)

A Study in Sickness

[9/10 · 23 July 2007]

I grew up with this film and have seen it many times. It will be shown again later this evening and this has prompted me to write this review.

If anything this film goes to demonstrate the moral wrongs of capital punishment. Timothy Evans was hanged for a murder he didn't commit, while Christie stood back and let it happen. Yet another example of an innocent man executed in the name of "justice". Evans was pardoned after his execution - but what kind of consolation was that to the poor man? Attenborough creates a sinister and disturbing portrayal of the behaviour and mind of a very sick and twisted man. It would appear in the film that the sex life he had with his wife died a death many years ago so he took to preying on innocent women - those that had the misfortune of renting a room in his seedy, dark and creepy house.

Through the film it is clear that Christie's wife had at least a good idea as to what her sick and twisted husband was up to and this is why she went to stay with her family in Sheffield - she simply couldn't face up to the horrific truth of what her husband really was while at the same time she couldn't bring herself to bringing it to the attention of the Police through loyalty to her husband, no matter how sick he was.

Nothing gave me greater joy to see Christie captured by the Thames and then to go on to suffer the same fate as the innocent Evans, even though I am against capital punishment.

It goes to demonstrate that, back in those dark days it was quite easy to con the Police if you had a decent intelligence and let an innocent take the flack for your terrible crimes.

The film is deeply disturbing, upsetting and tragic. I have been against the death penalty all my life and this film is one of the best examples I have ever seen as to why this terrible punishment should never be re-instated in a civilised society. Even if there is no doubt whatsoever to the guilt of a murderer, even on his own admittance, it should not in any way justify the murder of a human being. The Ten Commandments clearly state it is wrong to kill, no matter what the circumstances - two wrongs definitely don't make a right.

I am pleased this barbaric punishment is now outlawed here in the UK and only hope and pray that other countries will follow suit.

Christie was a very evil man and this film put this fact across excellently - but at the end of the day you have to ask why a man should feel he has to take such dramatic action against fellow human beings - surely it must be a result of sickness - and who can be blamed for being ill? I will stay up and watch this film again tonight content in the fact that the evils and inhumanity of capital punishment have never more been better portrayed in film history.

Excellent.

Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)

Nothing Special But Still Fun.

[6/10 · 3 July 2007]

I watched the first instalment of this and after giving it a moderate rating (see my review) I thought this was worth a look.

I never had too many expectations for this film, having been put firmly on my guard after the non-events of the first and watching it with this attitude made me appreciate and enjoy this film more.

What can I say? Basically it just follows the pleasures, the trials and the tribulations involved in the life of a professional footballer who has just hit the big time after signing for the greatest football team in the world.

The story was very predictable but the football action scenes were excellent with appearances from the likes of greats such as Beckham, Zidane, Raul and Ronaldinho. Reuteur Haur took a good part as the team coach.

As usual the incredibly sexy and gorgeous Anna Friel provided the eye candy - especially in the bedroom scene wearing the frilly knickers (calm down lads), with parts of the film focusing on the emotional conflicts involved with her job as a nurse at Newcastle hospital.

Nothing too major happens but the film is enjoyable if looked upon as an accurate insight into the life of a professional footballer. All in all I would say this film was slightly better than the first, simply for the glut of football stars on view and the amount of on-field action.

This film should appeal to the football fan and non-fan alike - a good movie to snuggle down on the sofa with your beloved whilst cracking a few beers and the popcorn.

Goal 3 perhaps? Who knows?

Bordertown (2007)

Money -v- Lives

[5/10 · 22 June 2007]

As a massive JLO fan I was keen to watch this movie regardless of the subject, I would watch anything with my beloved Jennifer in.

This film was shocking and is yet another classic example of the appalling world we live in as regards money being seemingly more important than human lives and human suffering.

It sickened me to see innocent women treated in such a way just so big business and fat cats can get their hands on yet more cash while people suffer as a consequence. It demonstrated everything that is wrong with this horrible world we are forced to live in.

I found the movie quite slow going at first and the second half was much more entertaining than the first. It made me pleased that the murderer/rapist was banged to rights - if only they could get all the other evil people too.

I thought Banderos was rubbish in this film and was somewhat below him in respect of the material he was given to work with. Jennifer Lopez fits any type of movie and as usual I found her acting and part to be spot on (but then I am somewhat biased of course.) It's nice to see JLO do this type of film and I hope very much that she agrees to do other movies in a similar vein.

There was not much eye-candy on view - those horrible slacks JLO wore throughout the movie did nothing to show off her fantastic booty and hips and made her look so damn plain.

I enjoyed the movie and place it about halfway in my league table of favourite JLO movies.

Definitely worth a watch by everyone.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Bit of a let down.

[4/10 · 14 June 2007]

I was itching like crazy for this new instalment of Spiderman to be released but didn't get round to viewing it until yesterday.

The first remarks I want to make is that although I did enjoy this film, I didn't enjoy it as much as either of the first two films. I think the reason for this is that I realised on viewing that I am becoming tired of Spidey now and they should lay it rest before they damage the reputation of what all in all has been a great trilogy. I feel there is nowhere else for them to go now.

I didn't think much to the special effects in this film either - many of them looked rather amateur and didn't seem to "flow" along properly with the action - kind of jarring and some even looked cartoon-like rather than real. I suppose me being a critic of CGI may explain that last comment but I can only write what my eye sees.

The new villain, the Sandman was good and an exception to the dowdy special effects in that all the action sequences in which he was involved in worked very well indeed and looked real.

The on/off relationship between Parker and MJ continued throughout the movie and I found myself wondering why Parker kept bothering with such a moody young woman - obviously it must be down to the stunning good looks of Kirsten Dunst, one of my all-time favourite sexy chicks.

All in all it was the usual mix of action/romance/thriller/comedy that we have come to expect with Spiderman movies and I feel sure that fans will not be disappointed with this film. A bit of a tear-jerker too towards the end.

Just one last word about the middle portion of the film when Parker was infected by the black stuff and was trying to act cool: RIDICULOUS!! And not one bit funny - they could have used the time much better with maybe another fight scene.

I will buy the DVD on release simply because I own the other 2.

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Much Better Than The First Film

[7/10 · 15 May 2007]

I saw this last Friday on release day. I was very disappointed with the first film but thought I would give this a look mainly because Robert Carlisle was in it.

In every single way this film was much better than that pile of rubbish 28 Days Later - and I enjoyed it very, very much.

I was scared all the way through it and the action started just moments into the film and never let up until the credits rolled.

Carlisle was excellent as the father of the family that was the main focus of the film and took his part very well. His transition after being infected by The Rage was both violent and very shocking, especially with what he did to his wife straight after the transition was complete - it was gruesome and had me looking away from the screen in terror.

What sets this movie apart from other zombie flicks is the speed the zombies move - instead of plodding laboriously along at a snail-pace, these babies could really shift at break-neck speed.

Sometimes the attacks happened so quickly that it was difficult to see clearly what was happening - the camera seemed to be unable to keep up with the speed of the action but I suppose it was filmed in this way just to demonstrate how fast and ultra-violent these deadies really were.

The twist at the end of the movie has left it wide-open for a third instalment - more than likely to be called "28 Months Later" I expect! No matter what your thoughts were about the first movie, if you are a horror fan I am sure you will not be disappointed with this movie. I am not a horror fan but still enjoyed this very much - well worth the entrance fee.

I will definitely be purchasing it when it is released on DVD.

Great Gory Fun!

The Evil Dead (1981)

Scariest Movie I Have Ever Seen

[10/10 · 10 May 2007]

I first saw this film when it was first released on video back in the 80's during my final years at school. It was the "in" thing - the movie to watch and the most talked about movie amongst us teenagers who were scared to death watching it.

When I watched this the first time, I made the huge mistake of watching it alone. Right from the beginning, with the eerie, spine-chilling music and the sense of dark evil in the woods I knew that this movie was going to be unique in the amount of atmospheric terror it would strike into my very soul.

Nearly every single scene scared me to death - the most frightening moments for me were when the camera was zooming around the steamy swamps, through the woods and approaching the cabin at break-neck speed, only to retreat quickly back when the poor soul running from the darkness made it to safety and slammed the door behind them.

The zombies were excellent - the best I have ever seen (or ever likely to see) in any horror movie and their voices were deeply disturbing.

After viewing it I told my friends at school how I felt about it and they all agreed that they were deeply disturbed by the whole experience and to me, this will always be the ultimate in scary horror - no other film before or since has come anywhere near the mark for heart-striking terror for me.

Even to this day I have to pluck up the courage to spin this disc in the DVD player - the effect it had on me back on the 80's lies firmly planted within me and even when I hear anyone mention the title of this film today it strikes me full of terror.

It just goes to show that you don't need a huge pile of cash to make a fantastic, chilling movie.

Evil Dead is the best horror film of all time, and with the rubbish they produce today I think I can confidently say that no other movie could ever scare me again as much as this one does.

Excellent!

Borat (2006)

Poor & Unfunny Movie

[3/10 · 30 March 2007]

To start with I will make it clear I have never been a fan of The Ali G show or Sacha Baren Cohen either, but I hired this movie on the strength of finding various trailers for it quite amusing and the recommendations of my friends.

What I saw was just your general, run-of-the-mill gross-out toilet humour movie. Nothing more spectacular than that.

Some of my friends said they found the movie to be rather offensive and vulgar and I can see why they might say that. However, I wasn't once offended by anything in it and took it for what it was.

There has been a lot of talk on this website about how much of this movie was a set-up and how much was actually real. I can't believe anybody has to even ask that question!! To me it appeared that every single scene was a set-up job and in no way spontaneous. How could anyone think any other? Yes, it was a little OTT in parts and to be honest I never laughed once - not at the movie anyway. The only part of the DVD that made me laugh was one of the deleted scenes - in the supermarket with the cheese.

Movies have to be something really special to make me laugh - my sense of humour is very deep indeed and extremely complex. All in all this movie was a disappointment to me - I expected to laugh at least once but as usual, a movie has turned out to be something well below my expectations.

I will not be bothering adding this to my collection or even viewing it again for that matter. At least I can say that I have seen it and managed to sit through the duration.

Not good.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Average Action Movie

[6/10 · 29 November 2006]

I saw the first Mission Impossible film many years ago and don't ever recall watching the second. As somebody bought me this film as a gift I was inclined to watch it. I was pleasantly surprised.

I will make one thing clear from the start - I am not much of a fan of Tom Cruise. Basically, that is due to Tom Cruise as a person and not for his acting abilities. However, this is not the place to get into that, I want to talk about the movie.

This film is your usual run-of-the-mill action thriller. I adore action thrillers and I would place this one about average - I've seen worse and I've seen better.

The fact that I am not familiar with the second film didn't prevent me from enjoying this film at all. I didn't think it was necessary to have seen the others to get entertainment value out if this.

The story wasn't very original but the action scenes more than made up for this. I took an instant dislike to the villain and was very pleased to witness his demise at the end, especially in the manner it happened - the guy deserved nothing better! The ending pointed strongly to the making of a fourth movie, something I eagerly anticipate and has also given me the desire to watch the second film.

All in all, not bad at all but don't go expecting anything too special.

Beware of three-footed rabbits by the way!

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

A Nice Piece of Fiction

[7/10 · 29 November 2006]

As an extremely devout Catholic I had to think long and hard before deciding to watch this film for fear of being offended.

I needn't have had my fears - none of them were realised. I viewed the film for what it is - a piece of fiction and another angle on the story of Jesus Christ.

Nothing could rock my solid faith and this film didn't even raise a speck of dust. At the end of the day it's just a ludicrous story and in no way should be taken seriously.

I enjoyed it very much indeed and was amazed that I'd sat through 2 and a quarter hours by the time the credits rolled. It is rare that a film grips me enough to prevent me from continually clock watching but this film did just that. It was entertaining from beginning to end and I though everyone played their part very well indeed, especially Sir Ian McKellan.

Several of my church friends refuse to watch this film but I can't think why. Probably their faith isn't profound enough and they fear this film may make them re-think their beliefs. I was much the same when I first heard about the film and the associated controversy with my church but after time I realised my faith was strong enough and was in no danger whatsoever of being swayed by the screenplay of a fictional book.

I can honestly say, as a devout Catholic, that I enjoyed this film very much and, ironically, it has helped to deepen my faith even further. If anyone starts to question their faith after watching this film then I would advise them to watch The Passion of the Christ and get the true story of Jesus Christ.

Thanks.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Enjoyable and Fun

[8/10 · 29 November 2006]

I watched this several nights ago with my wife and we both really enjoyed it very much.

I think it is better to the first film in almost every way and from every angle, the acting, production, direction, screenplay, special effects - everything. Having said that I thought the first film was good too.

This film contained a lot of "monsters", far more than the first film and to be honest, I was surprised that the film didn't have a higher classification than it does. When I was a kid I would have had nightmares for weeks due to some of these horrific creations but it seems that kids are much more tougher nowadays. The special effects were great, especially the tentacles on Bill Nighy's "octopus" character.

If there is one criticism to be made then it would be, for me, that the movie went on a bit too long. I'm not a very big fan of long movies and it has to be something extremely special to hold my interest for more than 100 minutes or so and this film only just managed to keep me watching to the end. I'm glad I did though. It's not that the film was boring, it's just that I find it really tough to sit still for so long and hold my attention.

On this evidence, I strongly hope that there will be a third film.

Great!

Jarhead (2005)

Not what I expected.

[5/10 · 5 August 2006]

If you want to see a tough, blood and guts war film then this movie certainly is not for you.

To be honest, that is exactly what I was expecting to see when I sat down to watch this movie. However, what I did see did not disappoint me in the least and it turned out to be a really nice and enjoyable surprise.

The story follows a young American marine (a "jarhead") from his time in boot camp through to and during his time in the Gulf War.

There were some very powerful scenes in the movie - one of which was quite sickening which portrayed the aftermath of a massacre in an isolated encampment in the desert.

The film did a very good job of portraying the stress the young marines were under - with tempers boiling over and the true desire and red-blooded appetite to get out into the action and experience the harsh realities of battle and war.

This film reminded me of the reasons why I would never have joined the armed forces. The stick and abuse these young kids got from their sergeants and other superiors was terrible, and definitely would not be something that I would be able to tolerate in any way, shape or form.

I would recommend this movie to anybody, but like I said, don't go expecting a movie full of battles and blood-shed because this ain't it.

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Interesting And Good Entertainment.

[7/10 · 5 August 2006]

I saw this movie a few nights ago and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

The movie is aimed at a young audience, but as an adult there was plenty of detail and content to keep me watching through to the end and I am very pleased that I did.

There is also a lovely little "twist" towards the end which would bring a tear to the eye of many a person - young or old.

I thought the cinematography was excellent, as were the special effects. It's just like Jumanji, but this time set in outer space and without the annoying, rubber-faced Robin Williams.

** SPOILER ** One thing did bug me though. When the kids and the astronaut hurled the burning sofa out into space to deter the attack from those lizard aliens, where did the flames get the oxygen from in outer space to keep the sofa burning? << END OF SPOILER >>

However, this is just a minor quibble that I have in what is mostly a very entertaining film - one which both kids and adults should equally enjoy.

I highly recommend it. Great extras too!

Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

In A Word: Brilliant

[10/10 · 5 August 2006]

I've just finished watching this movie on DVD. All I can say is, what an absolutely amazing and brilliant movie experience I have just had.

This is a film I will never forget - the plot was ingenious and even right at the end it still had me puzzled.

I think for anybody to write a spoiler about this film would be totally unacceptable, and really spiteful - never would the word "spoiler" be more apt. I would advise anybody interested in seeing this movie NOT to, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES read any spoilers for this film. It would totally ruin the whole thing and deprive you of a movie experience which would be hard to match in any film you have seen or are ever likely to see.

Sit through it, watch it, and see before your very eyes a fantastic and fascinating plot slowly reveal itself in what must be the very best movie I have seen for quite a few years. This is quite a statement considering I much watch 100s of movies every year.

If I could award 11 out of 10 then I would. Unfortunately I can award only 10.

Excellent.

The Omen (2006)

Carbon Copy Of The Original

[3/10 · 19 June 2006]

In a very rare venture into the cinema,I sat through this film due to the fact that I am a fan of the original Omen trilogy.

I was expecting something a little different but this film was almost identical to the original. Apart from a few differences in the details, for example, when Damien was getting on his mum's nerves with the snooker balls in the original, - in this version, he was getting on her nerves with an electronic game. The scene when Damien's mum fell off the landing after the goldfish bowl had come crashing down; - this time the goldfish bowl was replaced by a pot plant and Damien was riding a micro-scooter instead of the kiddie's bike he was riding in the original.

I'm not a fan of remakes, so I shouldn't be surprised that this film failed to impress me.

I thought the decapitation scene was very well done though, but it did make me question the 12A certificate rating as it was rather gruesome.

The Damien child didn't look half as evil as the kid in the original either and Mia Farrow was terrible as Damien's Satanic nanny, Mrs Baylock.

I'm pleased I have seen this film but a bit upset over losing £5.50 to watch this poor relation of the original.

I definitely will not be buying the DVD and will stick with the much more superior original.

Poor.

King Kong (2005)

Not Bad But Over-Long

[5/10 · 30 May 2006]

It took me two sessions to watch this movie because it has to be something really special for me to sit almost three hours watching it.

I found the first hour of the movie to be totally tedious but when Kong does eventually appear, after 1 hour and 7 minutes things started to get interesting.

I'll say from the start that I am not a fan of CGI, I hate it and that is quite a statement coming from a computer graphics designer! I just think that the CGI effect looks just too perfect - too crisp an image and the animation doesn't seem to run smoothly.

Having said that, I thought the CGI in this film was very well done, in fact I would go as far to say that Kong was the best CGI character I have seen up to yet.

I know a lot of reviewers have gone deeply into the criticisms of this film so I won't mention them here. All in all if you can suspend belief for several hours and take this movie at face value then you will not be disappointed with it.

I felt really sorry for Kong and I had a tear in my eye when he was gripping on for grim death on the top of the Empire State Building - he had some sort of "cuddlyness" about him.

This is a film that I will not be adding to my DVD collection until it is on offer for £3 or less - to pay anymore for this film would not be justified in my opinion.

Not bad all in all.

The Constant Gardener (2005)

A Great Movie

[9/10 · 25 May 2006]

I loved every aspect of this movie - from start to finish. I suppose that being a big fan of Rachel Weisz helped but even if another actress had taken her part it would have been just as good.

In my opinion, this is what I would call a "man's film", as I felt it would have contained little interest for my wife or any other women that I know.

Both Fiennes and Weisz were excellent and the film portrayed one man's struggle to find the truth behind his wife's murder in Kenya. The film also demonstrated just how corrupt Governments and Secret Agencies can be and goes to prove that nobody can be really trusted, not even your next of kin.

I was sad when the movie ended as I was enjoying it so much and the fact that the movie had a sad ending didn't do much to help matters.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone (especially the guys) and I plan to add it to my DVD collection in the near future.

Superb!

The Legend of Zorro (2005)

Swashbuckling Fun!

[7/10 · 8 May 2006]

I don't really know what made me decide to hire this movie as I am not a fan of Catherine Zeta Jones or Antonio Banderas and I never liked the Zorro TV series either. I suppose I just thought I would give it a whirl and see what it was like.

I was pleasantly surprised with the whole thing. It was a lovely combination of action, humour and romance and I enjoyed the whole thing, especially the second half of the movie.

The gags were really funny, especially the visual ones involving the horse and the guy who fell into the cactus. The action scenes were all very well done and acted out and the movie had a good pace to it, I was never once bored.

A few things did spoil it however. Firstly, there was CZJ's terrible Mexican/Spanish accent and she can't act to save her own life. Secondly, how come Zorro always turns up in the nick of time to save the day? Is he telepathic or something? And the kid, I have a few issues with the kid. The first is how did he not realise that Zorro was his father until he removed his mask near the end? I mean, come on, the mask only covered the top half of his face and with features as distinctive as Banderas's, even a blind man on a galloping horse (get it?) would have realised who he was. The scenes with the kid and the catapult were great - he was a little hotshot with it and he really demonstrated how effective these things can be as weapons.

Another bad piece of production to note was during the scene with the fight and the fire in the barn. It was blatantly obvious that the child was only a doll when CZJ picked it up, it was very poorly done in my opinion.

However, apart from these few discrepancies, this movie is well worth a look - especially for the great ending and the spectacular death of the villain.

An all-round enjoyable action adventure. Watch it!

Take It or Leave It (1981)

Total Nuttyness

[7/10 · 7 May 2006]

Its strange, but I have been a Madness fan ever since they emerged back in 1979 and yet I only get round to viewing this movie in 2006.

I thought it was great and is a MUST for all Madness fans. It tells the story of how the band got together and has a nice mixture of comic moments and dark, serious scenes.

Of course, all the lads looked very young but they were back in 1981. This movie goes to prove all along what I had suspected - that Lee "Kix" Thompson, the sax player is a total nutter!! I laughed at this film, especially the antics of the aforementioned "Kix", but I thought there wasn't much need to show the violent scenes involving the skinheads - I feel this marred the film in some way.

I just wonder why it has taken me so long to watch this film. Maybe it is because it was never all that widely available before.

If you are a Madness fan then watch it. If you aren't a fan then this film will interest you if you want an insight into what is involved in putting a successful band together.

There is also a great soundtrack featuring some of Madness's greatest hits along with some other lesser-known songs.

Flightplan (2005)

Fantastic Foster

[8/10 · 7 May 2006]

I suppose I am a little biased as I have been a big Jodie Foster fan ever since her debut in the delightful Bugsy Malone.

I thought Foster was great in this film and it had me glued to the screen all the way through. I am not going to spoil this film in any way by giving away the plot but all I will say is that I found it hugely entertaining from start to finish and it certainly had me confused on several occasions. I may be thick or a little slow but I never guessed what was going on, I just had a few suspicions which turned out to be hopelessly wrong.

This is a film that I had been anxious to see ever since its release and I am pleased to say that it lived up to (but did not surpass) my expectations.

One last word: I thought Sean Bean was very good as the harassed pilot as well.

All in all a must see film - one which I will be adding to my DVD collection.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Not Really My Cup Of Tea

[3/10 · 3 May 2006]

As I liked the first three outings for Wallace & Gromit I was really looking forward to this feature-length movie.

I must say that I was quite disappointed with the whole thing and I didn't enjoy it at all. I never laughed once and didn't even manage a smile, mind you it does take a damn lot to make me laugh, but this movie was not my kind of humour at all; maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have an extreme phobia of rabbits - I'm petrified of the things and a giant one out on the loose is the stuff of nightmares for me, no matter how cute it looked.

What really cheesed me off was that on many occasions you could see fingerprints in the clay characters, especially on Gromit and I thought that made it look very amateur. You'd have thought the film-makers would have worn rubber gloves to avoid such a thing happening. And Wallace's inventions were extremely OTT and ridiculous.

I think this movie was very damaging for the good reputation the Wallace and Gromit features have made for themselves in the previous outings. If this is the best they can come up with now then I would say the best thing they could do right now is call it a day before they damage their reputation any further.

I can see how it would appeal to many people but it just wasn't my kind of thing and was a huge let down.

Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

Average and Predictable

[5/10 · 24 April 2006]

I must say that after reading the reviews on here I did expect something better when I watched this movie last night.

Don't get me wrong, the film was enjoyable enough but it was just so predictable.

** SPOILERS ** I am pleased everything worked out for Santiago but it was certainly a little more than a coincidence when his taxi had to do a detour to pick up his colleague who then went on to get him a second chance.

What I found unusual was that Santiago's dad and then later his mother and grandma where watching his game in a bar in Newcastle. Surely, if they had contacted Santiago and told him they were going he could have got them a seat in the box? What warmed my heart most was when his dad was in the bar and the Geordie lads made him welcome and bought him a drink - a typical example of good old Northern hospitality. Somehow I don't think people would have been so friendly and hospitable down in the south of England! Like I said, I enjoyed the film but it wasn't anything special and I will not be adding this to my DVD collection, not even bothered about watching it again either.

5 out of 10.

Bewitched (2005)

Surprising and Twee

[6/10 · 12 April 2006]

I hired this movie simply on the basis that I am a Nicole Kidman fan, nothing more. I never really saw much of the series which was aired on TV when I was a kiddie but had a rough idea of what things were all about.

I liked this film right from the start - Kidman looked so cute, especially in the opening scenes and when she twitched her nose I just could have eaten her up for my supper. Yummy!! I thought Michael Caine took a good part, especially funny in the supermarket scenes. There were plenty of laughs in this movie for me which is quite unusual as I find very little to laugh at these days. Sometimes things got a bit too silly to laugh at but as usual Kidman shone through as the strong actress she is and I respect her for.

The only let down was the sugar-flavoured snot ending which I half expected anyway.

All in all it is one movie which I will be purchasing in the near future.

Breaking Glass (1980)

Pure 80's Nostalgia

[10/10 · 11 April 2006]

I acquired this, one of my all-time favourite films on DVD recently and as usual, during viewing, the whole thing just blew me away.

I am a massive fan of Hazel O'Connor and the soundtrack to this film just has me in tears, especially the "Will You" track. It's a pure nostalgia trip for me back to my youth. This rates second best to Quadrophenia (which also starred Phil Daniels).

A great soundtrack and a great view of Britain in the Thatcherite years of the grim 80's in which I grew up. The ending is so sad, for hours after the end of the film I am like a blubbering baby.

I expect to wear out this DVD from repeated viewing, I can watch it over and over again and never be bored, simply for the soundtrack alone.

Hazel, sorry to hear about your dad darling. God Bless you all. xx