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Reviews
Sound of Freedom (2023)
An emotional heart stopping roller coaster
Gripping and often heartwrenchingly ugly. The darkest side of mankind exquisitely balanced with the most tender. Jim Caveizel delivers a nuanced performance that is almost out performed by his emotional plee at the end of the film. This is a film that NEEDS to be seen. See it. Make your friends and family see it and then get them to do the same. The most shocking thing about this movie is not the premise for the story; it's not that it's based on a true story; it's the people who are trying to shut it down. See this film and spread the message. Tens, emotional and absolutely gripping. A really great story at a time when Hollywood couldn't write an original word if they created a new language. SEE IT NOW!!!
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
The sequel that should never have been made
There was NOTHING about this film that brought anything positive to the Matrix universe, instead, it stands alone as a parody in so many ways. Fun if you don't care about the original trilogy; painful if you do.
12 Years a Slave (2013)
The Rarest Of Movies
Very occasionally, a movie comes along that outshines anything else released. This is one of those movies. 12 Years A Slave is in a different class from any other films I have seen in a very long time. The storytelling is rich in characterisation and emotion, and once again, Steve McQueen pushes the viewer (and cast) beyond their comfort zones. But it is with such great directorial skill, he compels us to watch even the most brutal of sequences. People find it hard to watch, and some find it impossible to watch, but I challenge you to watch it without becoming emotionally attached and to ignore the beauty of this modern masterpiece. Once again, McQueen brings out the very best of Michael Fassbender like no other director has yet achieved, and he produces equally performances by all the cast, especially Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano and Paul Giamatti (I could easily go on to name most of them!). But it is Chiwetel Ejiofor who steals your attention and forces you uncomfortably deep into the depths of your seat as he turns in the best performance of his career so far - by far. He is a revelation on screen that makes me want to watch Dirty Pretty Things, Kinky Boots and American Gangster all over again. It deserves Best Picture, Director and Actor at the Oscar's, lets hope it wins them!
Earthbound (2012)
Sci Fi Comedy Romance, an unusual mix that works well.
EARTHBOUND (2012 - Ireland) Raindance Film Festival review by Matthew Solo
On these little islands that sit somewhere off the coast of mainland Europe and a long way from mainstream America, we do things quite differently. Our comedies are different, our romantic films are different, and when we combine the two, the results are often quirky, usually touching and invariably funny – to us at least.
EARTHBOUND is exactly that combination of results. Now before I go any further, we are not talking Four Weddings here, our feet are firmly strapped to the ground of low budget independent cinema. However, throwing science fiction into the mix, this film is a charming and ambitious debut by Alan Brennan. Made in Ireland and shot in a mere 20 days, EARTHBOUND never sets any false pretences of what you can expect. It's easy to empathise with Joe (Rafe Spall), who is convinced he's an alien from the planet Zalaxon. And we sympathise with Maria (Jenn Murray), his super cute girlfriend who breaks the news to him that his intergalactic fantasies are nothing but just that. And the supporting cast is equally strong, including David Morrissey who was attracted to the project by the story.
The special effects are obviously constrained by budget, but you don't care! The whole film works due to the interplay between the leads and the humour of the storyline. The script really is fun and the cast deliver it well. It's not often you get to see an independent sci-fi film that embraces comedy and romance as well (if at all for that matter), but EARTHBOUND is an easy to watch excursion through all three. It's also not often I laugh out loud in the cinema, but I found myself not alone in doing so.
Hearing the director and cast talk about their adventures making the film, you can see their comic chemistry in action and wonder when they'll be back. Let's hope it's not too many light years away.