jamie.medhurst Reviews

Shiner (2000)

Caine shines but the film fades away.

[17 September 2001]

A powerhouse performance from Sir Maurice is ultimatly let down as the film begins to fall apart in the second half. A very promising set up is wasted as the plot gets more convoluted and handicaped by a very weak finish, you will literally cry out "Is that it then" when the reason for the whole catalogue of events becomes clear. It's a shame really as there are some very good performances in this movie. Both Frank Harper and Andy Serkis as Caine's henchmen are excellant and Claire Rushbrook shines (no pun intended) as his daughter. Violence and fights galore, in fact even Caine's daughters, Rushbrook and the very menancing looking Frances Barber have a lively dust up in the Kitchen. it's all to easy to believe Barber as Caine's daughters as she duffs up Rushbrook, grabs her by the hair and menacingly looks down at her screaming abuse, this is not a pleasant family! But at the end they can't save you leaving the film feeling it's a wasted opportunity, still probably worth seeing if you want to see Caine at his most powerful.

Sin (1971)

tedious

[30 May 2001]

***SPOILERS*** A pretty tedious film enlivened only by Raquel welch looking a million dollars as a greek peasant girl. Richard johnson is okay but everyone else is sleepwalking. The way the two stars end up trapped on the island by the locals was an idea that could have provided better tension. Spoiler alert!The whole ending is rather confusing though, and poor raquel really suffers, her lover duffs her up, she is seemingly raped by a bunch of kids (all we get is close ups of Raquel tossing her hair around, cut to her with all her cloths torn) and then stabbed to death at the end.

Skinheads (1989)

Bloody (but tamely) awful

[16 March 2001]

**SPOILERS**Pretty terrible movie that must have been a carear low point for barbara bain (I'm sure Conners has been in just as bad). They are the two mature leads who help the kids battle the skinheads. The acting is universally bad and the plot as dumb as it gets. It's quite tame really and the deaths are all a bit "naff". Spoiller alert!The heroine, the in her fifties but still lovely Barbara Bain, I thought might save the film but her tough cafe owner soon becomes a "please don't hurt me" wreck when confronted by a 16 year old skinhead girl and when she is killed off by the girl, who slitts her throat, it is possibly the least realistic death scene in the movies, it looks like she's just drawn a red crayon across bain's neck!And hey this isn't Physco, what are you doing killing off your female lead after half an hour. All round awful and you'll look back and think what a waste of an hour and a half of my life!

Operation Crossbow (1965)

Gritty war film

[30 November 2000]

Suspenseful wartime drama with not the outcome you would expect, plenty of star names in big and smaller roles, an underated gritty war film, SPOILER ALERT! Sophia Loren fans don't be foiled by her top billing, she appears for about 15 mins and is then brutally murdered by another of the lead characters, in fact the only one who is still alive at the end!!

Quills (2000)

Funny, sad and at times horrific

[6 November 2000]

A very thought provoking movie about censorship and what we should or shouldn't be allowed to read, along with being a funny,sad and at times horrific movie. Geoffrey Rush as the marquis gives a virtuoso Oscar deserved performance. The rest of the cast is excellent particularly Joaquaim Phoenix. The violence is mostly in the mind but still a strong stomach may be required. The final conclusion a year after the events we watch is deeply ironic and says a great deal. Good direction and a lucid script, expect this to feature strongly in next years Oscars.