jhseeker Reviews

The Go-Between (1971)

A poor interpretation of the story and a wasted opportunity.

[3/10 · 11 February 2014]

I am amazed at the positive reviews of this film! I was really shocked by the way it seems to have been thrown together.The first jarring presence is the theme by Michel Legrand, whose score though being enigmatic is completely out of place and mismatched to the country home setting, it sounds like a spy theme and is reminiscent of the era's John Barry/Iprcress File. This main theme is irritatingly repeated over and over at the expense of badly needed expository dialogue. Where is the dialogue? The great Harold Pinter must've taken all of an afternoon to write it all - a pitiable effort for such a great book. We are instead treated to endlessly repeated shots of Leo running back and forth through he fields in long shot. Joseph Losey has used no supporting players, opting instead to use what looks like Norfolk locals (why?) who are hopeless in delivering the simplest of lines and so are in many cases, dubbed. There is no atmosphere! The actors don't inhabit the house at all- the sound and lighting is terrible! Unfortunately the bulk of the story requires child actors, Leo just about gets away with it but the actor playing Marcus is awful, many scenes are botched and left in the edit I can only assume they ran out of time. The big scenes of cricket match and party after, so important to the story are completely ruined by terrible editing. Why is Leo's song not more imaginatively realised? It would have helped the story so much. Also Trimingham is meant to be repulsive, making him handsome kills one of the most powerful motivations for Marian's behaviour. The major cast are good but lack direction and a decent script they loo lost half the time! Honestly, I could go on I am so disappointed in this treatment of an amazing book which everyone should read (hopefully they haven't seen this first). And yes, please, someone do a remake! Even Michael Bay could do it better.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)

This movie is better than its audience

[8/10 · 31 March 2009]

Oh dear we don't like it when our super-hero love interest develops a brain do we?

Something has happened to people, they have lost the ability to enjoy, a simple feel-good, love story/comedy? Kirsten Dunst is a revelation - funny, sexy and real. I laughed out loud ooh at least five times and I'm not ashamed to say had a tear in my eye a couple of times too. The cast, acting and script is great, I watch a lot of films right across the board and I haven't seen one in this genre that has been as successful. Those who disagree please tell me where I can find some! I'm sure the book is good too but I think you have to judge it on its own merits.

The Sacrifice (1986)

some stilted acting - but still a masterpiece

[22 February 2006]

In my view the interior scenes with the family are highly awkward and the movements they are directed to make, although ambitiously designed to mirror Renaissance painting or a dance, seem just very pretentious, whereas the exteriors seem more successful to me, I don't know, maybe it's just because there's more space. I also found Susan Fleetwood's crying fit unconvincing and I found her erotic dishevelment embarrassingly contrived. I think this is his most overrated film, maybe due to it being his last, I still think it has some incredible scenes and themes that make it stand head and shoulders above most in modern cinema.

I have seen them all quite a few times each -I think my order of merit would be: 1.Andrei Rubylev - for sheer majesty of vision. 2.Solaris - amazingly weird. 3.Nostalgia - the most accessible - similar theme to Sacrifice but more effectively told. ...the rest are all incredible dreams 4.Stalker 5.Sacrifice 6.Mirror 6.Ivans Childhood.

They have all changed my life and are never far from my mind.