Posted on July 9th, 2011 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Larry Crowne – Tom Hanks For my money Julia Roberts is the best romantic comedy actress working today. Unfortunately this can be a 2-edged sword as she can flatter to deceive by adding a touch of class to relatively modest material and make it play. She rarely gets the quality of writing in […]
Filed under: 3 star, Comedy, General, Hollywood, Humour, Romance, Tom Hanks | No Comments »
Posted on May 31st, 2011 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Hangover Part II – Tod Phillips (Twitter Review) Moronic dick-led barfbuddy drunk guys, charming as farts in a lift, lost in Bang Cock. Thai Muffball, Pretty Boy assf**ck. Ho Ho. H2=H1. H3? No. I Beg.
Filed under: 1 star, Comedy, Hollywood, Todd Phillips | No Comments »
Posted on November 2nd, 2010 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Embarrasssment defines and divides Americans and Brits. Movies reveal this. For Americans embarrassment is funny: for Brits embarrassment is, well, embarrassing. Films like Meet The Fokkers or any comedy with Robert de Niro in it demonstrate this perfectly. Ben Stiller is the patron saint of embarrassment humour. There is an instinct for schadenfreude in […]
Filed under: 2 star, Comedy, Director, Drama, General, Hollywood, Humorous, Lisa Choldenko | No Comments »
Posted on August 17th, 2009 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino The penny finally dropped: Quentin Tarantino simply has no imagination. He can’t create characters so he borrows bits from characters in films he’s seen. He can’t create a believable setting or narrative, so he echoes, parodies, de-constructs those of others. He is either passive or unaffected by reality or […]
Filed under: 2 star, Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, General, Historical, Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino, War | No Comments »
Posted on May 7th, 2009 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Is Anybody There? – John Cowley Is there a nation on earth more contemptuous or contemptible about the old than the British? Politically and socially we under-resource shamefully large numbers of the elderly literally to the point of starvation; or we freeze them to death. Politicians with a toxic self-serving sentimentality exploit them. We […]
Filed under: 1 star, Comedy, Drama, John Cowley, Philosophical | No Comments »
Posted on February 22nd, 2009 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Vicky Christina Barcelona – Woody Allen Woody Allen doesn’t simply film women: he makes love to them with the camera. I don’t really know how healthy this is or even by what criterion of health one should judge it. Cinema is irreducibly voyeuristic so we are complicit. If you doubt me consider this: by […]
Filed under: 3 star, Comedy, Fantasy, General, Hollywood, Humorous, Romance, Woody Allen | No Comments »
Posted on January 17th, 2009 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Slumdog Millionaire – Danny Boyle Slumdog Millionaire is like a shot of bad tequila – feels great as it goes down then begins to burn at your gut and eventually makes you feel queasy. ‘Slumdog’, for it already has an abbreviated nickname; is a nice, naïve, pacy little romantic fairytale knocked up inexpensively by […]
Filed under: 3 star, Comedy, Danny Boyle, Europe/World cinema, General, Philosophical, Political, Romance | No Comments »
Posted on October 18th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet The Terminal – Stephen Spielberg Consciously or not, this is Spielberg’s homage to Frank Capra, with all the mixed responses that engenders. It is deftly made, with wit, heart-warming humour and charm. It offers a 40’s soft-hearted idealism in a modern setting. The good guys are very good and the bad guys are really […]
Filed under: 3 star, Comedy, Drama, General, Hollywood, Political, Steven Spielberg | No Comments »
Posted on October 17th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Where The Truth Lies – Director Atom Egoyan Casting? How hard can that be? I used to think in my blissful ignorance. Then you compare say Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with this not dissimilar noirish mystery movie and it hits you. Kilmer/Downey was high risk but inspired. Shouldn’t have worked but it did. Bacon/Firth […]
Filed under: 3 star, Atom Egoyan, Comedy, Detective, Drama, General, Hollywood | No Comments »
Posted on October 13th, 2008 by Zettel Film Reviewer
Tweet Sideways – Director Alexander Payne Colours to the mast. I hated About Schmidt (Review in Archive). Sideways is much better, but its spirit and emotional tone make it very much a companion piece. Both pose the question: is pathos enough to drive a movie? I’d always thought of pathos as a bit like happiness: […]
Filed under: 3 star, Alexander Payne, Comedy, General, Hollywood, Humorous | No Comments »
