ellybendi Reviews

Shining Girls (2022)

If you like time bending thrillers, this is for you

[10/10 · 19 October 2023]

Elisabeth Moss is incredible once again & so nice to see a special guest-starring role from her Handmaid's Tale co-star, Madeleine Brewer, who didn't disappoint.

Elisabeth was also an executive producer along with Leonardo DiCaprio among others. Both signs of a quality production.

I was so gripped by this that I stayed up until 3am binge-watching it. And when I finished it, I wanted to watch it again.

It's a thinker & certainly keeps you on your toes. Reminded me of films like Time Lapse, Mirage and The Butterfly Effect series, so if you like those, this one is for you.

I can only imagine the 1-star reviewers aren't intelligent enough to follow the non-linear plot. I mean, one of them takes issue with Elisabeth Moss spelling her name with an S. Hardly relevant to the film, is it?

Dead Man's Shoes (2004)

Powerful, harrowing, must-see gem

[10/10 · 26 September 2020]

This is easily in my top 10 films of all time. I'm astonished the average rating is only 7.6. I can only assume it is too dark for some. It really does hit you where you live.

The story is non-linear, with the current happenings interspersed with flashbacks, which are revealed at just the perfect times to explain the status quo.

I lend this DVD out to so many people as no-one I meet has ever seen it until I persuade them to give it a try. It's such a shame more people haven't seen this hidden gem. The acting, story & storytelling is spot on. It just shows you don't need a huge budget to make a 1st class film. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Scary Movie (2000)

Spoof of a spoof = plagiarism?

[5/10 · 23 September 2020]

Scream was a spoof. It constantly poked fun at the horror genre, mainly through Jamie Kennedy's character's narration. Very cleverly done it was too. Even subsequent Scream films poked fun at its preceding films in the series.

Although Scary Movie is mildly amusing, it always bothered me for this reason. They clearly missed the tongue-in-cheek attitude of Scream so what we ended up with here was an exaggerated remake.

I just don't see the point. Why spoof a spoof?

Lazy Susan (2020)

Quirky comedy

[8/10 · 24 June 2020]

The male playing a female thing I didn't get at first. By the end you kind of forget about it as it really is irrelevant. I'm glad I didn't let the reviews put me off.

Although not a belly- laugh type of comedy, it has a good mix of funny, poignant and philosophical elements. There isn't much of a story, but again, the point of the film is Susan's journey and growth as a person.

I recommend if you like quirky & unusual films with an interesting message.

The Hustle (I) (2019)

Pointless remake

[5/10 · 5 January 2020]

I'm not averse to remakes and cover versions as a rule, but just as reading a book will ruin many film adaptations, seeing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels first will ruin this film.

The Hustle is pretty much scene-for-scene remake but with genders reversed and hilarious, sophisticated cons switched out for worse versions.

Anne Hathaway takes on Michael Caine's role, with Rebel Wilson taking on Steve Martin's. It doesn't add anything artistically or comedically. It just falls short.

It gets a 5 for the fact I sat through the whole thing, I like the actresses and I laughed twice. I gave Dirty Rotten Scoundrels a 10. If you're going to see both, watch this first. If you're going to see one, watch DRS.

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Poor 1st part cheapens well-made 2nd part

[6/10 · 1 January 2020]

The preamble to the incident scene lasts over half the film. It goes completely overboard trying to paint the victim as a saint, which cheapens the well-made second part of the film.

These 2 parts could have been written by 2 different people. The fact that the victim made all these grand resolutions around new year is completely irrelevant to the crime. I found it hard to swallow and made me question the integrity of the second part. Internet research confirmed the incident part is true to life and the chaos of the scene captured well when compared to actual cellphone footage.

The fact is, all this day-in-the-life stuff could have been reduced to 15 minutes and instead had the film continuing beyond his death. Whether the victim was still a criminal doesn't matter. It was an unlawful killing either way, so trying to make him look like Mother Theresa was pointless and takes away from the rest.

American Pie (1999)

Classic 90s coming-of-age drama

[9/10 · 22 April 2019]

I don't often leave reviews but I had to comment how this film is clearly lost on some people. I was 18 when this film came out. Obviously those leaving bad reviews are a lot younger and don't realise the contemporary movie landscape.

The American Pie formula has been used a lot since its release but in its time, it was fairly original. It has humour, some of it cringeworthy toilet/sex humour granted, but it still makes me laugh out loud and turn away in disgust.

Then there are the poignant moments, the coming-of-age stuff that makes watching it worthwhile. The superficial pact the friends make is superseded by the various realisations each of them has by the end of the film.

When rating a film I always ask myself: does it present itself the best way it can? do the actors do their jobs well? does it tell the story? does it evoke emotion or thought? And the answer to all of these is a resounding yes. Ergo, it deserves a high rating.

Plus, it coined the term "MILF" and many of these unknown actors went on to have fairly successful careers afterwards. That is testament to this film's quality.

Gran Torino (2008)

Pure genius

[10/10 · 23 July 2018]

I'm not a fan of westerns, nor have I watched any other Clint Eastwood films so I came to this one with an unbiased mind.

Our protagonist (or should that be antagonist?) is not the most likeable fellow. His constant racist/offensive comments are more comical than malicious but I certainly wouldn't recommend this film if you are easily offended (like the reviewers must have been that scored this film anything less than 8!).

This film is so well-made, well-paced and there are some life lessons along the way. Not your typical revenge film but definitely has that feel by the end. It reminds me of 187, which is an extremely underrated film starring Samuel L Jackson. If you like that film, you will love this I'm sure.

I laughed, cried and reflected a lot. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

Most Beautiful Island (2017)

Pointless film

[1/10 · 21 July 2018]

Very one dimensional. A very unlikeable poor foreign girl mooches round New York ripping people off for an hour. Another unlikeable foreign girl tells her she can be well paid to go to an underground party. Both girls go, each has a spider walk on them while naked for 2 minutes. The end.

There is no hidden meaning, no depth or dimension and I am an experienced film viewer that finds a reason to appreciate most films, even the crap ones. I felt compelled to write my first ever review to warn people. It is beyond me why this film has a 5.6 rating. I can only assume it is the film-makers' families and friends plus the 2 minutes of nakedness at the end of the film that has upped the average.

Hillsborough (1996 TV Movie)

The truth

[10/10 · 21 April 2018]

This film is as close as you are going to get to the real truth. When you watch real-life interviews the families, it is like they are quoting right out of the film so you know Jimmy McGovern gave a faithful representation. And yet, it took another 20 years following this film for the cover-ups & truth to come out in a court of law. Scousers knew the truth the whole time & never stopped fighting.

Outstanding performances by all involved. Such a traumatic subject matter has been represented with the utmost respect.

Hopefully there'll be a sequel in the future where Duckinfield & the whole corrupt lot go down for manslaughter.

Ramona (1988–1989)

Timeless stories

[10/10 · 31 March 2018]

I loved this program as a 7/8 year old when I first watched them in the 80s and 30 years later, I have just bought the DVD from retrotvmemories website & re-watched them as an adult. They still make me laugh a lot & even though there are sad elements like when they bury the cat, they are so heartwarming how the family love & support each other. I will give the DVD to my 2 year old niece when she is a bit older, I'm sure she will get the same enjoyment that I did. Ramona is not your typical kid so unique & eccentric kids will definitely identify with her. I've not read the books but given they were written from 1955 onwards, they are surely timeless, given that they are so relatable over 60 years later. They just don't make them like this anymore.