D_I_Sammi Reviews

Vertical Limit (2000)

Emotional in Parts, Meaningless in Others

[4/10 · 13 July 2024]

Martin Campbell is an excellent director, but here he struggles with the basic concepts necessary for 'Vertical Limit. One of the reasons for this is a lack of visual spectacle and the skills to visually capture the harsh environments in dynamic scope and flare.

The cast do what they can with the material and they act well, with credit to Scott Glenn who brings a big heart to his character and Chris O'Donnell who tries to bring spirit to the movie.

However the script is poor, and the ideas behind it seemingly fumbled by haphazard realisation and clumsy execution. There is a lot of action, but the hard adventure to care about when it looks like a movie made for TV.

Aliens (1986)

A Huge Bucket of Thrills

[8/10 · 10 July 2024]

Significant and groundbreaking, 'Aliens' is pure beauty from director 'James Cameron'. The entire film is a comprehensive example of how to take something that was mediocre, design it properly, photograph it better and thrill the audience with every short scene.

Sigourney Weaver is again incredible, with multiple edges to her character. Carrie Henn carries herself well as a young actress. Lance Henriksen is fairly okay but could have better material. Bill Paxton brings in necessary comedy to remind us this is a movie. Paul Reiser's character is the only flaw in the movie with his two sidedness feeling farfetched.

The overall presentation is A Tier throughout. The sets and lighting, combined with physical props is some of the best Sci Fi I have ever seen - it's a testament to a talented and well looked after crew that were given excellent direction with great vision.

Alien (1979)

An Elementary Rendition of Horror

[4/10 · 10 July 2024]

'Alien' is a dated movie, and it shows. Ridley Scott is a director I've always struggled to like. Here he demonstrates a penchant for atmospheric horror, and for the most part the movie introduces a mesmerising environment with intriguing, if a little too greyscale, set designs.

Sigourney Weaver is fantastic as the lead character, intelligent but realistically frightened. However she isn't given any strong supporting characters that match her cleverness and they do stupid and brainless actions throughout. This is ultimately the movie's big downfall, it's once again Ridley Scott's inability to communicate with his cast and direct his characters to be believable and convincing, and the consequence of this are pure moments of annoyance instead of sympathies and caring for anybody's demise.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

An Extended TNG Episode

[4/10 · 7 July 2024]

Lacking the movie quality that cinema goers may expect, 'Star Trek: Insurrection' is enjoyable but somewhat cheap and lacking marvel. This is due in part to director Jonathan Frakes's boring screenplay and uninteresting set designs.

The cast are largely unremarkable, but boosted slightly by decent performances from Anthony Zerbe and F. Murray Abraham.

The overall feel of the movie is mediocre, as if its a mid two part season episode of the TV show. The cast move slowly with little energy and don't seem to be energised or enthusiastic. The final act of the film redeems the lacklustre efforts a little, but overall it is boring and unfulfilling.

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Well Directed, but with Shallow Character

[6/10 · 7 July 2024]

A bridging of sorts between The Original Series and The Next Generation, director David Carson does a good job with 'Star Trek: Generations'. He brings in a freshness that the series really needed.

The cast throughout are acceptable, with credit to Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh as fantastic secondary antagonists. Credit also to Malcolm McDowell who brings a sense of mania to his role.

The overall production values and set designs are strong, with the movie flowing; wasting little time with idle banter. However the two captains don't get emotional enough in the final act leading to a lukewarm ending.

Batman & Robin (1997)

Underrated Popcorn Movie

[6/10 · 7 July 2024]

Heavily criticised for being a mockery of a series of movies already in mockery, 'Batman & Robin' is a film that knows what it is doing and double downs on its insanity. The result is that, in the right mindset, the film is actually quite good fun in parts.

George Clooney is fairly generic in the role of the main protagonist, but the film isn't really about him this time around. Chris O'Donnell is having a lot of fun and continues to impress. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a beast of a man and ice cool throughout. Uma Thurman is immaculately poised and copes just about with her awfully written character.

If your movie is going to be over the top comic gimmickiness, then do what this movie does and make it look good, embrace your own vibe and make entertaining one liners. There is also some real heart here in places that many choose to ignore.

Batman Returns (1992)

Strong in Atmosphere, Poor in Story

[5/10 · 7 July 2024]

Weirdly childish and needlessly outlandish in parts, 'Batman Returns' shows Tim Burton at his best and worst. The film tries to be adult in its initial acts, but dissolves into a contrived plot that doesn't come together despite interesting character moments.

Michael Keaton is fantastic but seems largely confused by the whole affair surrounding how his character is supposed to care about saving Gotham. Danny DeVito is hilarious and is having a great time despite feeling like he is in the wrong movie. Christopher Walken feels miscast and is badly implemented in the script. The star of the show by far is Michelle Pfeiffer who is gorgeous, captivating and enticingly neutral.

The landscapes of the city are attractive, and there is a tasty colour palette throughout that feels warming despite its cold wintery embrace.

However its second half deteriorates into underdelivered and ill conceived action scenes and obnoxious animal nonsense that undermines the more intriguing Plot B that, in its own movie, would have been far more enticing.

Batman Forever (1995)

Badly Characterised and Miscast

[4/10 · 7 July 2024]

Largely lacking the darkness and the degree of sophistication, 'Batman Forever' seems to want to target kids and be more child friendly, and with its ease of watching brings silliness and awkwardness.

Val Kilmer is actually quite good and tries to delivers a solid incarnation of the character despite very shallow writing. Nicole Kidman is cliché and comes across a sex symbol rather than a meaningful character. Chris O'Donnell is full of spirit and brings energy to the screen.

However both Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey are terrible and provide two completely misdirected and inappropriate performances that hurt the movie.

The film dabbles in some dodgy CGI and set design that lacks quality and eye catching detail - it's a generic forgettable movie.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Diabolically Stupid, Despite good Dialogue

[3/10 · 7 July 2024]

Director Christopher Nolan struggles significantly with the final arc to his trilogy. 'The Dark Knight Rises' is a difficult film to invest in, largely because the first act is a confusing continuation and the overall script is absolute nonsense.

Christian Base is fantastic, but is given a harder character to express and even he makes it look difficult. Anne Hathaway is miscast and looks completely out of place with a shallow and poorly written heroine. Tom Hardy is plays a potentially interesting villain, but is given one of the worst antagonistic plot I have ever seen play out in a movie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt adds unnecessary running time with a pointless character.

It's long as hell, tiring, and delivers only marginal amount of action. The location choices are baffling and the look of the movie is nowhere near as good as the previous films, plus it has a very unfriendly feel that breaks too much from the style of Batman.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Competently Twisted

[7/10 · 7 July 2024]

Filled to the brim with content and degrees of sophistication, 'The Dark Knight' is at times stunning, despite it not entirely holding much believability.

Director Christopher Nolan is in the zone when it comes to dialogue and here he has a tremendous cast that bring top tier performances. Christian Bale is great as always, but it is Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart that deliver outstanding performances with entertaining makeup and costume designs.

The major criticism is that the main villain is overplayed to the point where it becomes silly and untenable, destroying every foundation possible to believe that anybody would serve him or that he could finance any of the complex schemes present. However there are some jaw dropping moments of real emotional depth elevating the movie.

Batman Begins (2005)

A Breath of Fresh Air

[8/10 · 1 July 2024]

'Batman Begins' is one of Christopher Nolan's best movies, and is the best Batman movie ever made. He brings in a new and enlightening arc to the central character with interesting new perspectives and huge emotional depth.

Christian Bale is exceptional as Batman, helped by his awesome Grade A tier acting. Liam Neeson brings a cold and calculated, if a bit too plain, approach to his character. Cillian Murphy is beautiful and haunting, charming the screen with every soft voice line. Tom Wilkinson feels like a true scumbag that's pushing above his station. Katie Holmes is the only weak link with a mediocre performance.

The screenplay and cinematography is awesome and the pace is brisk and excellent - nothing is left to idle which is exactly how a comic action movie should be played. It's a darker but also fun take on Gotham which has multiple chapters and a lot of content.

Children of Men (2006)

Grounded, but Failed in its Ambitions

[5/10 · 28 June 2024]

A very unique and stylish movie, 'Children of Men' has many hallmarks of a greater film that could have been if a better script was presented to director Alfonso Cuaron.

Clive Owen can be a good actor, but here he looks bored playing an unlikeable and shallow character. Julianne Moore fares a lot better but isn't given enough screentime. Chiwetel Ejiofor feels miscast with a character that resembles almost nothing. Michael Caine makes a strong impression with a dose of much needed humour. Clare-Hope Ashitey is fantastic, witty and has huge emotional range.

The overwhelming one shots and screenplay choices are niche, but executed very well and I enjoyed the one take cinematography. However the overall plot and story is unrealised, and whatever interesting world building that its initial acts set up ultimately snap off completely by its final poorly thought out conclusion.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

An Offensive Shame to Sci Fi

[1/10 · 27 June 2024]

The worst movie that I have ever had to dish out physical money to a cashier in a cinema complex, 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' is disrespectful to all the fans that had been loyal to the series and especially to one of its main cherished characters.

Rian Johnson is one of the worst directors. I have witnessed his ignorance and abuse of established characters when he was a guest director for Breaking Bad. He tears away any pretence of character and instead just spews out manic and twisted 'alterations' that causes serious harm to the overall story - it's incredibly destructive.

Daisy Ridley continues to perform well, and she looks great in the outfits and costumes she is given. John Boyega is trying hard but fails in every scene he is in. Adam Driver's character is more involved, but despite his attempts to bring sincere emotion, all that is left is cringe. Oscar Isaac looks angry and frustrated at the whole thing. Kelly Marie Tran got a lot of abuse from critics, but surprisingly I found her performance the most relatable to the spirit of the original series.

An enormous number of character and plot abuses are conveyed with no consideration as to the audience's intelligence, with raw comedy of the lowest denominator mixed within this spiral of insanity that dares to brand itself as a Star Wars movie.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

A Difficult Movie to Grasp

[3/10 · 27 June 2024]

Somehow carrying on from the original trilogy, the story of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is conveyed in an alien and unfamiliar way, largely ignoring what made it predecessors so successful.

Daisy Ridley is actually very good and brings in an abundance of energy, but her character is given too much unfathomable power without training or cause. John Boyega is awful and arguably the worst casted in the entire series. Oscar Isaac is an outstanding actor but gets messed around a lot. Harrison Ford is the only true character that receives a lot of undeserved abuse.

The entire movie is confusing. On one hand its clearly a retread of 'A New Hope' which should make sense, but on the other it's this weird establishing of a new world that feels like a parody of the world it is supposed to live in. Many scenes contain dialogue that come out like dribble and the writing pulls the movie apart.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

A Ponderous Final Voyager

[4/10 · 27 June 2024]

Objectively good in places, and reasonably coherent, 'Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country' feels like a relic from an aged past, and with it demonstrates that the original series had stayed around for too long.

Director Nicholas Meyer makes similar credits and mistakes from his previous contribution to Star Trek. The positive being an easier to understand and sensibly cultured inspired story, but the negative being a sense of averageness from the cast, especially from guest secondary characters, and in addition having most of the film shot in dimly lit enclosed interior rooms which overall makes the movie a bit boring.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

A Fresher but Flawed Outing

[6/10 · 27 June 2024]

With real heart from Leonard Nimoy's second director outing, 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' succeeds somewhat due to its better realisation of the comedy and sense of family, coupled with real warm and comfy Star Trek shenanigans done with innocence and charm.

The entire cast have a lot more energy and enthusiasm and genuinely appear to enjoy themselves. There are also a lot more sets and overall chapters to the movie that create more content.

However its hard to ignore that the movie effectively cheats from the consequences of its two previous movies, and the premise for the main antagonist of the story is incredibly stupid that makes the experience enjoyable only if one is in the right mood.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Far-fetched, even for Star Trek

[4/10 · 27 June 2024]

A necessary film to make due to a reckless decision in the previous movie, 'The Search for Spock' is passable and fun in some places, but overall it suffers from some of the problems in the previous outing.

William Shatner is more likeable in this third instalment, and emotionally resonates as a father and friend. DeForest Kelley has fun with an unusual persona. Merritt Butrick and Robin Curtis feel miscast and stale the fun in the scenes they are in. The best contribution comes from Christopher Lloyd who is mesmerising.

There is a sense of amateurish to the overall direction at times, and this is has to be attributed to the inexperience from Leonard Nimoy. In addition however the script is really unconvincingly, and only set designs and emotional outpourings save the film from disaster.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

A Serviceable Space Fare

[5/10 · 27 June 2024]

Improving on its predecessor by changing the formula, Director Nicholas Meyers clearly understands the basic principles of movie making, and creates a better paced and occasionally engrossing Star Trek tribute that is firmly grounded in the storytelling and style of the TV Show.

William Shatner is an okay actor, and although he is given a better script, he still lacks the authoritarian grandeur of the classic Kirk. Leonard Nimoy has more to do and is given important key scenes. DeForest Kelley is largely a supportive role and doesn't drive the story much. The star of the show is the amazing Ricardo Montalban who is charming and well built for the role.

Although its watchable with some charming Sci Fi entanglements, the majority of the film is shallow, especially for Star Trek, and some of the overacting combined with the large degree of underacting creates a movie that has only small layers of discernible exposition.

Scarface (1983)

Terrific Dialogue and Feel, But Runs out of Bullets

[5/10 · 15 June 2024]

Astonishing in parts with expert writing, 'Scarface' has all the markings and makings of a great movie. Director Brian De Palma puts a huge amount of meat and grit into the character arcs, but by its ending the movie becomes tiring due to it manic and unfocused screenplay.

Al Pacino is excellent for the most part. He brings in a confident, nothing to lose thrilling persona that is likeable until the script changes him into a psychotic freak in which he does what Al Pacino normally does - go into long rambling monologues and shouts around the place.

The crime world, their bosses and how they operate are the most interesting parts of the movie. The second half however feels as if it didn't understand what the first half was all about, and we are left with a lot of argumentative and unfunny romantic adult debacles and cheesy chase/action sequences.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Unbecoming and Difficult to Attach To

[4/10 · 15 June 2024]

Although interesting in parts, director Morten Tyldum fails to focus sufficiently on what is interesting and instead creates a character drama that drags too much and looks like an amateur college production in parts. This is due to an unnecessary dullness and darkness to try and artificially date the locations and visuals.

Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing as always, but his character comes across inconsistently, sometimes overconfident and arrogant, while other times childish. Keira Knightley is an actress I've always struggled to engage with, and again she comes across more annoying than compelling. Charles Dance is the best of the cast, and the absence of his character in the second half is detrimental to the movie.

Overall by focusing almost solely on the main group involved, 'The Imitation Game' fails to create a sense of world building on how these events here mattered to their superiors and to their families. This not only made it hard to stretch the running time, but dampens some of the impact the key scenes create. It's a shame because most of the dialogue is very good.

Monarchy by David Starkey (2004–2007)

Indulgent and Presented with Gravitas

[8/10 · 13 June 2024]

Highly interesting, and comprising of the emotional as well as the factual, 'Monarchy with David Starkey' is a deep, meaningful and thought provoking insight into the life of nobility and the effect on their families and counsels.

David Starkey is a phenomenal historian, who takes life seriously and gives the material he covers the deepest respect. When the speaks he uses his eyes to communicate as a king would.

Complimenting him is fantastic editing, wonderful enchanting music, and an array of actors/actress portraying the figures. The location work is incredible and really captivates you into the world of greatness and grandeur.

Troy (2004)

A Complete Triumphant Story

[8/10 · 11 June 2024]

Engaging and emotionally driven, 'Troy' is a great film directed by Wolfgang Peterson who puts his heart and soul into the characters and the action.

The casting is perfect. Brad Pitt is phenomenal, and his keeps his sometimes overconfident ego in check and produces a grounded and likeable champion. Eric Bana is sensational and proves once again that he means what he plays. Orlando Bloom surprisingly plays a role perfect for his frame, timid and weak, instead of the brave strong characters he would later mistakenly be cast for. Peter O'Toole for me has the best scenes with his voice reaching deep into my soul.

It's a huge story that should be complicated, but it is told so masterfully to the point that you really care for the events and for the characters. Contributing to this are competent sets and well scaled battle action. It's a mighty movie that gives you a lot for its running time.

The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995)

Nasty and Sickly, but Gripping in Parts

[5/10 · 11 June 2024]

A hard film to really make, director 'Benjamin Ross' creates a horrifying and unsettling psychological horror that is, during its first half, gripping and mentally disturbing to the point of nearly making you want to vomit.

It's an odd cast. Hugh O'Conor is a quite splendid in the roll, managing to remain confident and certain in the character's decisions. Ruth Sheen transforms quite grotesquely during her screentime. But Roger Lloyd Pack feels out of place.

There are effectively two films here. The prior being a certain horror and the second being an investigation. It reaches high levels of tension and suspense, and there are injections of comedy that are actually sometimes to its credit, but overall it really struggles to balance the two and it's a difficult film to digest without your stomach turning.

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

The Wrong Film for the Wrong Audience

[4/10 · 11 June 2024]

Abundant in quality CGI and great cinematography, 'Where the Wild Things Are' is a strange and somewhat non child friendly animated movie with an unexpected amount of angst.

Max Records is a great childhood actor with powerful eyes, and he brings in the necessary reactive element to the array of arguments held by the 'monsters', all of whom are voice acted well.

The big gripe with the movie is that it is at war with itself. One side wants it to be a light-hearted kid friendly show, and the other side a triggering emotional breakdown drama. The result pulls it towards being geared for adults instead of children, and young children in particular are going to be bored and confused. It's a shame, because there is a huge sense of caring, and the dialogue is very good in the last two acts.

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)

Awkward Direction

[4/10 · 9 June 2024]

With stunning performances from all the cast, 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc' is a powerhouse of energy and madness, thanks to the amazing Milla Jovovich who commands the screen with both fury and anguish. The way she moves and conveys emotion cements her as the big carry for this film. In many ways its her defining movie.

The location work for the most part is great, but the film places itself in a difficult position as the writing and emotions of secondary characters lends them to be unlikeable, and despite it being an historical film, feels more poetic than insightful, with the political entanglement and religious bigotry not being executed with sympathy or excitement.