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a.north
Reviews
Fight Club (1999)
Strange Days!
This is a mystery of a movie which I found slightly irritating at times in the early parts, however it steadily improved until the big shock point which led to the feature last half an hour when you found yourself replaying early bits in your mind.I won't tell you why else it would spoil it.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2 (1996)
Poor sequel
This is nothing more than a series of badly staged violent scenes base around the perpertrators situation with his unfortunate house friends and the wider community.
Apart from reasonable photography at times this picture has no merit which was annoying as the local T.V. guide gave it 5 stars!
The Swimmer (1968)
Rare American study exploring the downfall of the succesful!
This film draws you in from the first moment. It provides you with the opportunity to experience a truly great acting performance from Burt Lancaster.
It is in some ways comparable with American Beauty but this was made at a time when this sort of movie was not at all fashionable.This probably explains why I had never heard of it before watching it today.
Its kind of weird but it will keep you watching till the end which if I have only one criticism is signposted slightly too strongly during the preceding 30 minutes of the picture.
Nevertheless great unknown find for my collection.
In Dreams (1999)
Fairly decent psycho-thriller
Annette Benning puts in a good performance playing a tortured soul whilst being pursued by her nemesis!
Decent screenplay with clever editing and direction makes this a worthwhile watch. The special effects and photography are worth a mention too.
A very strange story which does rely on the traditional slasher movie at the end.
8MM (1999)
Dark Film
This is the dark side of human nature exploring sexual perversion to its horrifying conclusions in this case.
Reasonable acting performances add to a chilling subject which, if I have one criticism only about this movie, is rather rammed down the viewers throat incessantly throughout the picture.
It only gets a 6/10 because of occasional inconsistent direction perhaps designed to throw the viewer but ends up just being annoying in the final analysis. However if you can stomach it this is worth one viewing.
Boys from the Blackstuff (1982)
Brilliance!
This series is being reshown on T.V. at the moment and it reminds one on how drama should be made. True the subject matter about poverty and unemployment in 80's Britain was a strong one for the writer,producer,director& actors to rise to. But they do it with the peak of professionalism,realism & creativity, seldom seen in more recent T.V. ( or Film for that matter ) output.
All the episodes which make up the series really move the watcher even today and it sends echoes out to everyone living in 90's Britain towards the turn of the century where some similar themes as explored in this piece are still more than ever relevant today.
Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)
Good start
This is a mystery that keeps you hooked until the last third of the film. At that point it falls into formulaic Hollywood Action fodder. But despite this the acting is very commendable and the pacing is excellent. Julia Ormand deserves special praise for keeping the whole thing together despite the odds.
The problem is the story is very convoluted as it tries to combine a number of genres at once....sci fi, thriller, mystery. This tends to leave the viewer in a state of anxiety and confusion leaping into absurdity during the last half an hour of the picture.
What saves this into a worthwhile afternoon watch however is a good cast trying their best to keep you guessing.
Child's Play (1972)
Good 70's mystery
Sidney Lumet manages to engender great tension in this curious tale about a group of satan like kids and one of their masters. Reasonable acting with an intelligent script produces satisfactory results.
The only thing missing here is a lack of focus on the mechanics of how the boys behaviour is merely down to a local cult or if something more sinister is at work; however it may have been the writers intention to leave us in two minds regarding this aspect.
Definitely worth watching
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
Brilliant low key drama exploring loyalty and relationships
This is a superb film mixing great acting performances with brilliant writing. It was so refreshing to revisit this masterpeice recently, especially comparing it aginst recent Hollwood standard fodder.
Pfeiffer and the two Bridges sizzle on screen without going over the top.
If you want to see an everyday story about lives, loyalty and kinship in America then this is one for you.