lawriekelly Reviews

In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)

Though provoking film that doesn't pull any punches.

[7/10 · 4 March 2012]

If I had read any of the reviews for this film it would have put me off watching it so I'm glad that I never. Watch this film and forget about politics,forget about religious or sectarian divide,see this film for what it is trying to convey, human emotions and how people are affected by war and the atrocities that invariably come with it. The conflict depicted in the film could be taking place in many countries throughout the world today but little is done soon enough to stop or hinder the perpetrators from carrying out such inhumane deeds. The film is not without it's faults but as a directorial début it was delivered cleverly and yet in some ways quite naively. Hats off to Miss Jolie for taking on such a subject as this and delivering a thought provoking and hard hitting piece of cinema. I for one thoroughly enjoyed this film and look forward to the director's future projects.

Brando Unauthorized (2010)

Should have gone straight to DVD.

[4/10 · 6 July 2011]

The life and loves of Marlon Brando as told through the drug fuelled ramblings of his son Christian ( Ricco Chapa) to a group of his fellow junkies who unfolds the story in chapters for the price of his next fix. Director and main lead Damien Chapa should have left the legacy and legend that was Brando alone,this low budget movie has some notably cringe-worthy moments and will certainly not win any awards for best make up or costume.It really does feel like a badly made for TV biopic with Chapa totally out of place as a young Brando starting out on his movie career and gets even worse as the character ages throughout the film. It feels like a movie made by a graduate of film school on his first project who has yet to grasp the fundamentals of cinematography and the rudiments of shooting in black and white. Many Brando devotees may not like some of the questionable accusations the film throws out about him and true admirers of the man will not,in my opinion enjoy this film at all.Overall a poorly shot,poorly acted movie which certainly leaves a lot to be desired.

Ghosted (2011)

Gritty prison drama well worth a look.

[7/10 · 5 July 2011]

Great acting by John Lynch and Craig Parkinson make up for the slight overtones of a low budget drama in this gritty but unrealistic look at prison life and how people's life's can become interwoven in the strangest of ways.On the downside Martin Compston adds a touch of tedium to the film with his slow acting method and the drawn out delivery of his lines. Art Malik's character Amhed the wise guru type delivering words of wisdom is somewhat cliché and can be seen in nearly every American movie of this genre.To me the film looks slightly dated but that does not detract from what was a good and interesting movie which kept me intrigued right till the very end.

Jack Falls (2011)

poor man's sin city

[1/10 · 23 March 2011]

This is so not the way to adapt a graphic novel to the big screen, it does not work on so many levels,take half the actors from an old Guy Ritchie flick, an unbelievably bad supporting cast, throw in a dire script, mix in some cheap production values and your half way there to describing this low budget, made on a shoestring British gangster movie.It is so full of clichés and annoying effects especially the filming in black and white with the touch of "Schindler's list" using the hint of red to denote danger and death.This is what happens when a director tries to emulate a film like Sin City without a budget, script and most of all talent.Total waste of one hundred minutes of your life.