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Reviews
Oliver Twist (2005)
The only film version of the Oliver Twist story I would recommend
I never liked Dickens writing style (we were forced to read Dickens in school), and I'm not a big fan of Ben Kingsley. I am, however, a big fan of Roman Polanski and that plus my son's enthusiasm for the movie finally wore me down. From the opening credits on, the film drew me in and kept me in the movie until the closing credits. It really is that good. One of Polanski's best and the child actors, Barney Clark as Oliver and Harry Eden as the Artful Dodger were superb. This is NOT a musical. But it's an excellent version of a story that going in I would have said had been done to death. Watch it...
Don't Look Up (2021)
All that talent and money - a complete waste
I don't understand how the producers were able to convince all those A-listers to join this project and use their real names. Don't Look Up is not science fiction, it's not a comedy, and it's not a drama. It's more like a high school play. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence had brief moments where they manage to remind of of their talents despite the embarrassing amateur script but then the movie lapsed into dross. They had a cast of talented supporting actors but they couldn't save this movie either. I made myself watch this to the end just in case it managed to redeem itself somewhere along the line. It didn't. It just carried on being incredibly stupid. Don't waste your time on this.
Flight World War II (2015)
Not good at all but fun to watch just once
Flight World War II aka Flight 1942 (2015) seems to be a low budget indie sci-fi time travel film. Story idea interesting and fun though implausible. Screenplay mediocre. Acting mediocre to plain bad. Special effects not good. Score lame. Sound effects mediocre. Overall rating 3.5 stars. Fun to watch if you like cheesy sci-fi flicks but only once and only because of the basic story outline and only if you keep your expectations low. :)
A.I. Rising (2018)
Irritating. Poor attention to detail. Too many errors and inconistencies.
To start with, they are traveling to Alpha Centauri. But is the human in cryosleep? Nope. Fully awake. On the AI control panel, they didn't even bother to spell check. "Intellectual" is spelled "Intelectual". At one point, the AI is floating in zero gravity but her hair falls down toward the floor. Just three examples. The movie is slow moving, presumably in an attempt nto generate atmosphere or suspense; it fails miserably in that respect. Ultimately, it is just boring and it lacks credibility or anything to hold the viewer's attention even for just 85 minutes. I gave up after about 30, maybe less.
Hereditary (2018)
Engrossing and intense, the kind of film that will stay with you after it finishes
Everything about this movie is well done. All four of the principal actors play their roles professionally and convincingly. The story, the direction, the lighting, the music - all excellent. I was drawn into the characters and the movie almost immediately. This is not a traditional "shock and scream" horror movie but the intensity builds steadily and is relentless. The negative reviews are surprising and I have to wonder whether they watched a different movie and posted their reviews in the wrong place or whether they were just hoping for another teenage slasher flick - if that's your expectation you will be disappointed.
Swimming Pool (2003)
Intriguing and worth watching
A writer in rural France trying to find and complete her next novel... not everything is what it seems.
Zoe (2018)
Excellent variation on the AI theme
This movie is absolutely worth watching, probably more than once. Excellent story. Excellent performances. Just a beautifully done film.
Ruin Me (2017)
Much better than I expected
I wasn't expecting much of this movie - I didn't know much about the actors or anyone else involved in making the film and to be honest I wasn't sure I'd bother to finish watching it at the beginning of the movie, but it did grab my attention pretty early and kept it right to the end. Not going to give anything away but there are some interesting twists. Overall, I found it quite good. Watch it. :)
Dark River (2017)
A bleak story but an excellent film with excellent performances
It's a sad story of family trauma and an attempt to go home many years later. The photography is superb. The acting is powerful. It works very well as a film overall. I don't want to say any more at the risk of spoiling it for you if you haven't yet seen it but it is well worth watching.
As for the negative reviews, I suggest you ignore them. This was never intended to be a super-hero action movie. It's a drama and it does what it sets out to do very well.
Retina (2017)
Ignore the low ratings - worth watching
I enjoyed this film. Intriguing and puzzling with several plot twists. Reminiscent of Jacob's Ladder in some respects. It's a mystery/thriller/suspense film, not horror.