Posted on November 2nd, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Quantum Of Solace – Marc Foster Daniel Craig’s is a ‘cut-to-the-chase’ Bond in every sense. Solace begins where Casino Royale left off and opens with a car chase. A bit of plot; then cut to the sea chase; a bit more plot and cut to the air chase. In between, a couple of Jason […]
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Posted on October 21st, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet The Hunted – William Friedkin The Hunted is a nasty little film. Brutal and brutalising. Because it displays considerable mastery of many aesthetic techniques of film-making, the way in which is it bad raises interesting philosophical and aesthetic questions. It is what one might call an aesthetically immoral movie. The attribution of moral concepts […]
Filed under: 1 star, Action, Film Essay, Hollywood, Philosophical, War, William Friedkin | No Comments »
Posted on October 19th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Lord Of The Rings – Return Of The King – Peter Jackson As the Laud of the Rings industry gears up for the Oscars, let’s get real. It will be a travesty if the Return of the King, the third and last in the Tolkein trilogy to be filmed, does not win a technical […]
Filed under: 3 star, Action, Fantasy, General, Hollywood, Oscar Winner, Peter Jackson, Philosophical | No Comments »
Posted on October 18th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Collateral – Michael Mann Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider) can’t make a bad movie: but with Collateral he spoils a good one. His claustrophobic, intense style is there but he’s ‘blockbustered’ it with a pounding rock score which underlines most dramatic moments into oblivion. After the absorbing, atmospheric opening it’s a hack job. Neat […]
Filed under: 3 star, Action, Detective, Drama, Gangster, General, Hollywood, Michael Mann | No Comments »
Posted on October 14th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet The Proposition – John Hillcoat A new genre – the reductionist film. Everything reduced to the essential. Intelligence, coherence, credible artistic purpose – out. Who needs ‘em? Real characters with credible motivation in purposeful action that engages? Forget it. Superfluous. Distil to the essential. Consistency in tone and authoritative direction? Too cliched. Obvious. Let’s […]
Filed under: 1 star, Action, Drama, General, Hollywood, John Hillcoat, Philosophical, Western | No Comments »
Posted on October 13th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Vantage Point – Pete Travis Is he raw about the rugby, chagrined about the cricket; morose about Manchester United, mourning Middlesbrough or even cheesed-off about Chelsea? These are heavy blows in the masculine game of life so perk up your partner and treat him to a good night out. This one even runs a […]
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Posted on October 9th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Munich – Director Steven Spielberg “Inspired by real events” opens this movie. And it troubles me. Do we owe the 11 Israeli athletes murdered at Munich anything less than the truth? Not the absolute truth, that may not be known to anyone. But if we are to put their story at the heart of […]
Filed under: 3 star, Action, Drama, General, Hollywood, Philosophical, Political, Steven Spielberg, War | No Comments »
Posted on October 7th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet 88 Minutes – John Avnet It isn’t hard to catch Al Pacino over-acting: but it is very hard to catch him acting. The best proof of the first is that after seven Oscar nominations for several of the best character portrayals in movies – Michael Corleone (twice), Frank Serpico, Sonny Wortzik (Dog Day Afternoon), […]
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Posted on October 6th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Mission Impossible 3 – Director JJ Abrams It’s a toss-up – a day at Alton Towers or MI3? Both will offer you a series of white knuckle rides with no other purpose than to pump adrenaline and make your knuckles white. True Tom Cruise runs a lot; emotes a lot; and plots a little. […]
Filed under: 3 star, Action, General, Humorous, J J Abrams | No Comments »
Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet The Kingdom – Peter Berg It’s the sub-text that sucks. On a superficial level this is just an averagely competent action movie with performances better than it deserves. The only difference is the Saudi Arabian setting of the title. The film opens with a well choreographed, strongly edited, only-too-real atrocity committed in one of […]
Filed under: 2 star, Action, Drama, General, Hollywood, Humorous, Peter Berg, War | No Comments »
