Reviews

I found this on Foxtel after a few whisky's on a Sunday afternoon. After watching for a while, I was surprised that I laughed a lot - I wasn't expecting to laugh at an AI comedy relief. Perhaps it was the 12 yo scotch, but I had fun with this movie. If you are looking for something light, I'm sure you will too.

I just watched Krull for the first time and all I can say is wow, that was fun!

I remember seeing this movie in the video store years ago and I simply got turned off by the learning from the cover that it was a mix of fantasy and scifi, a mix I foolishly thought could never work (or would work badly).

I venture to guess maybe other fantasy (or scifi) purists might think the same, but if you do, you will be denying yourself a really entertaining adventure film.

The fact is, this movie is really 95% pure fantasy adventure. Gather a party, overcome obstacles, save the world from a powerful foe and get the girl. Some of the fantasy scenes were really inspiring - for example, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole "woman in the web" scene. If you're a purist, just think of the big bad guy as a Demon Lord or some such thing and the whole mixed-genre problem melts away.

The cinematography was mostly A class with a few obvious B-grade sets, but on the most part, it helped make this film as a sweeping epic adventure. That and an entertaining storyline of course.

The action, actors and acting started off quite B-grade, but things seemed to improve in the first half hour. The later addition of some classic young faces such as Liam Neeson and Alun Armstrong was a pleasant surprise that increased my engagement with the movie. In fact, it really did get better and better as the story progressed. At least it helped in the odd weak moment when the dialogue didn't quite work.

By the middle of Krull, all the way to the end, it developed into a sweeping fantasy adventure that was really a lot of fun to watch. It's now an easy addition to my list of top 10 family fun (adventure) flicks.

So do yourself a favour, watch this and enjoy Krull with the family. I'm glad I finally had the chance to do just that.

An architect, Paul Carver, loses his family to a car accident in which he was the driver. Questioning his survival, he wanders aimlessly a while trying to deal with the guilt of their death, until the search for distraction has him flying to Morocco. Here he meets an Archaeologist (Otto) and his young assistant (Chantal). Before long strange events begin to conspire against him, forcing him to make a life changing decision, to choose between the "light" and "dark" forever.

This is an entertaining and quite different light horror flick, unusual in that the vampire is a beautiful female without the typical "vampire" feature of sucking blood, although she still is the living dead. In my mind Marissa is more of a succubus, attempting to seduce her victims into a life of darkness, culminating in a death that would probably have them being her slave forever. Nonetheless while different, her demise is pure vampire tradition.

The movie leaves little time for subtle development as Carver experiences some unusual situations and deep conversations pretty early on. After leaving his hotel to find a party being held by archaeologist Otto Gunther, Carver meets the mysterious Omar, who poses some deep considerations to him before disappearing. Then at a party the beautiful Marissa makes an appearance, but is gone all too soon. Carver is distracted by her to the point of having some very strange experiences, until finally their encounter is all to real.

The first half of the movie works well, holding all the mystery as Carver's friends (and perhaps even the audience) wonder how much of his odd experiences are actually real.

The lucky Carver gets to have his way with the beautiful Vampire and lives to tell the tale, although the pretty Chantal is keen to convince him that she is the safer choice for love. After a romp at the beach with her he feels better, but seeing the mysterious Omar again, he is distracted back into thinking about the deadly Marissa.

Before feeling too conflicted though, Marissa puts Chantal in danger, and not having any of that Carver finally decides to put an end to their impossible relationship once and for all. Omar also gets his comeuppance in quite and entertaining scene.

I thought the ending scene was a little odd, although the final line was a good one.

All in all this was an entertaining and different light horror film that I enjoyed watching. This is hardly a masterpiece, but if you catch "The Hand of Night" late one night and you can afford to stay up to watch it, grab some snacks and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Film Noir is an entertaining action mystery that I really enjoyed.

It is interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the broad range of surprising reactions reviewers had to it.

For example, one reviewer says the world never looks believable - yet the cityscapes used are actually filmed, so is reality itself. Others say the animation is amateurish, whereas I thought it was quite well done.

As a fan of comics and animation from way back, I enjoy animations that are unique and characteristic, even if it is a little less than perfect in some aspects. In fact, the lack of "realism" is the whole point of animation and comics - it is art, and the more unique the better.

As for the story, again there are conflicting opinions - one reviewer calls it unique, but I thought it was a mix of so many clichéd plot devices that it would be laughable if you thought about it too much.

Yet the writer does a great job of making something entertaining and reasonably unique from the grab-bag of clichés. He has spun it, wrapped it in noir and set it in a modern context. This is daring and well done considering the genre usually works best with the look and feel of 60+ years ago.

Being an animation is the saving grace and the most entertaining part of this movie. If this was done with live actors it would be so unbelievable as to be laughable and hopelessly B grade; but as an animation, it's easy to allow it to be over the top.

Because of this I settled into the story and quickly let the animation be what the animators and script writers tried to make it, a noir flick with all the elements of the classics spun into a modern day action/mystery/drama. As such it did its job well. What would have failed as a film worked as an animation and I enjoyed the ride. In fact the story had me genuinely surprised once or twice, before resolving the plot twists nicely and at a good pace.

So what of the plot? Well, let's just say a main character with amnesia has been done so often it's not just old, its dead with bleached white bones. But this storyline is not going away any time soon - it's just too darn compelling, and nothing beats it as a kick-starter for getting straight into the action. To come up with some other reason for a protagonists confusion would waste too much time in set up, so you might as well just accept amnesia once again and go along for the ride.

The trade-off of course is that you get quickly into the character's head - and as you share his confusion, you share his thrill ride, too... and this story does provide quite a thrill ride! The main character has to investigate meager clues to find himself, all the while while suffering unexpected dangers, with every revelation brings him one step closer to the invisible monkey on his back. Does he get out alive..? Well I won't spoil it for you, but the expectations of a story like this are well know - dangerous, sexy hard-edged entertainment. For me, Film Noir delivers.

Overall, I enjoyed Film Noir - it kept me genuinely engaged - I did not want to be disturbed while watching it. It is a gritty noir mystery with lots of sex, plot twists, ugliness and violence, but done it a way that was not too gratuitous, and as a result I enjoyed the ride and had a lot of adult fun along the way. To me it's a solid 8/10 and I'd happily watch it again.

On the surface, Observe and Report looks like the sort of cynical black comedy your parents would love to hate. Yet to my surprise I found it to be a movie of genuine substance. Rather than just giving me another reason to laugh at the chaos of life, it sneakily suggests an uncomfortable truth - that maybe everything is not meaningless, and maybe, just maybe, there is still something of value worth fighting for in this superficial pre-packaged life.

When you "get" this movie, you realise it's not the post-modern mental chewing gum kids want, but rather a twisted but moral tale that parents should cheer... and it's this fact that made me laugh the most. This is a clever, interesting movie that betrays the expectations of the modern liberal audience - and I think this is why so many critics have panned it. They just wanted mental chewing gum, but got mental All-Bran instead.

Observe and Report is a smirking, cynical tale about a typical "white trash" guy that few people have respect for, someone altogether forgettable and easy to mock - the mall security guard. Ronnie is the typical mall security guard supervisor, someone we know and generally dislike - a jumped up pseudo-cop who's modicum of power gives him a sense of excess, undeserved pride.

Ronnie starts off as the fairly pathetic nobody we expect him to be - and we laugh at his antics. Yet despite his weaknesses, obsessions and sad life, Ronnie slowly proves himself to be someone bigger than he should be, and it's all because he believes in something genuinely good and real. Regardless of his borderline insanity, by the end, his stand for what he believes in earns him something we all want - respect and meaning in life.

This movie cleverly takes us from using our own prejudices to laugh at Ronnie (as most movies do), to uncomfortably realising that maybe we suck for having these prejudices, because Ronnie, despite his own prejudices, limitations, and crappy life, actually believes in (and acts on) something good - and this alone makes him a valuable human being. So what if his achievements are small. So what is his life has its crappy parts. So what if he's borderline delusional. Ronnie has a belief in something that valuable to others... and in the end, he wins.

There are enough reviews out there giving details of this movie's plot, so I won't get it that much. I just wanted to let you know that Observe and Report is on the surface a black, post-modern comedy, but underneath it's a story using a theme we all love, delivered in its own quirky way - the little guys overcomes adversity, takes up the challenge and in the end, wins the girl and the respect of his peers.

I really enjoyed this movie and look forward to watching it again. If you like black humour and character-driven drama that doesn't pull its punches then you will really enjoy Observe and Report.

This is a great example of the movie makers art. I had no interest in the subject matter, but within minutes I was interested, and within the half hour I was hooked. By the second half I was engrossed in the characters and the story line. The ending cleverly became a self-fulfilling prophecy - The Man want's to put you in your place, and you'll fall for it every time.

There is a lot of profanity in this movie but Richard Pryor is in his element. This is the world of the blue collar worker, warts and all. This movie does a great job in highlighting the best of the life these guys have, but worse, it shows the quiet desperation these men are forced to endure every day and how easily they can be manipulated. These deeper themes do not bog the movie down, fortunately, its depth is hidden behind a good story and top performances from Pryor, Keitel and Kotto.

A great movie will keep you intrigued while viewing it and thinking about it afterwards, regardless of the subject matter. Blue Collar is just such a movie, and I recommend making the effort to watch it if you get a chance.

Many, many, MANY moons ago, I watched a deliciously weird movie from our Russians friends. I loved it, because the Russian bent is so unusual to the western mind. It was strange and exciting, although I never knew the the name of it. I have thought about it a number of times since, hoping I would catch it again, but never have.

Still, this English overdubbed Russian movie has all the elements of that deliciously strange movie - strange cinematography, little snippets of weirdness so easy to miss and story elements that makes no effort to explain itself so you are forced to pay attention. I have finally found another wonderful piece of Russian weirdness that I haven't seen the likes of for years, and it was great fun. Something like what you would expect to see in an alternative cinema like the Dendy.

What is even better is that this is a sequel, so I still have the original to look forward to. It's a little bit more sexual than I would prefer but such is the world of movies. The introduction of the beautiful Alyssa in the red sports car will blow you away! And the Russian penchant for realistic alternative history is also there. Great fun.

Oh, and what is about? I guess you could call it a spy thriller or crime drama in the world of vampires. 'Nuff said. So if you are a fan of action and don't mind it mixed in with the strange and unusual, this is a must see.

This is not an A-list movie and it doesn't have A-list actors. But you know what? I thought it was a lot of fun! Likable good guys and despicable bad guys. A good story line with side line stories and a nice twist here and there. Great stuff.

I'm guessing it was based on a comic book, because they always make great movies. And the comic book flashes kinda made it obvious... But the best part of this movie? Well I've watched some A-list movies and they off the bad guy really poorly. But the offing of the bad guy in The Losers was worthy of appreciation! Once again, great stuff.

I really enjoyed this movie and I reckon if you accept it as a comic book action flick, you'll enjoy it, too. 8+/10

Watching all these wonderful actors in their prime, the great storyline and the great cinematography for the first time has had me enthralled. This is a really enjoyable film with considerable depth. In my mind it is an exploration of the competitive nature of the flyers themselves - whether friends or rivals, one soon becomes acutely aware of their constant need to push their limits, not only amongst themselves but also within themselves.

For some reason this film is only averaging a rating of 6.4, and it deserves much more than that, so my vote will hopefully help to reflect a more appropriate rating for what is a really enjoyable movie.

Even if you are not into aviator flicks, you will enjoy this movie - it is an excellent example of the filmmakers and scriptwriters art. I give it my heartiest recommendation.

No need to go on about the noir quality and decent story line of this film. Already been done.

I merely make a comment from the feminine aestheticist in me. Near the start of the movie, there is a scene in a bar where an underage girl asks a drink, but instead gets kicked out by the cops. This young women is beautiful - she could be the near perfect film noir femme fatale IMHO, but unfortunately was only cast so minimally. I haven't been this surprised by a screen beauty since the first time I saw Joan Collins in her prime.

I wish I knew the name of this actress, she had the look - long shoulder length hair, sultry dark eyes, a voice that belies both innocence and cynicism. The first thing I thought of when I saw here was the "who framed roger rabbit" cartoon beauty (jessica), without the obvious exaggerations. To me she exemplified 50's feminine beauty to that extreme!

Anyone who could name her for me, I'd appreciate it greatly. Worth keeping an eye out if you are a fan of the B&W movie beauties.

This movie is one of my personal top 10 movies of all time. It deals with great themes of humanity: the influence of fear, courage and compromise on the destiny of a single person. Those who don't "get it" probably only see a simple story about the life of one boring, ordinary man. It is sad that so many people miss, or are oblivious to, its deep beauty. This movie is the rarest of delights; it is visual literature, performed with heart and beauty rarely seen in our modern age.

Joe is a long-suffering factory worker that leads a life of quiet despair. One day opportunity finds him, one so overwhelming it allows him to break out of this hateful life and live a new, amazing one, even if it is only to be short-lived. This opportunity comes to Joe in the form of a wealthy businessman, who wants to reward him handsomely for jumping into a volcano, in exchange for which the businessman will get land right in a primitive island for a rare material he needs for his superconductors. Joe then learns he has a fatal disease that will soon take his life; so in typical "victim of life" style, he simply goes along with the idea. Yet behind his decision we can see that Joe realises that this will be his last chance to break free from his sad life, and like the strange businessman said, go out in a blaze of glory.

As Joe steps into his new life, he finds himself emboldened to chase after what he desires, true love, because he knows his time is short. But he is rejected by the object of his affection (the office worker Meg Ryan) and is rocked by the experience. Now, totally alone and with so little time to live, he faces a roller coaster ride of self discovery. The little steps in Joe's growth are wonderfully portrayed and occur with the support of some wonderful characters. Yet at each stage of his growth, Joe encounters fate in and around Meg Ryan characters – symbolising his lost desire, temptation and the elusive true love.

The "rebirth" of Joe into his new life is probably the key theme of the story. In eventually getting to the volcano and facing his greatest fear, Joe gives up his life as he promised he would – proving the depths of his honourable character. But out of certain death Joe receives a miraculous reprieve - all at once Joe conquers all the events of his life that conspired to make him ordinary, and in giving himself up to this "honourable death", he is rewarded with a miraculous survival and everything he could ever want for a truly happy life. He is reborn into a new man! The implication of the new life, though, is not that of a fairytale, but rather a gift of new knowledge and experience that is only achieved after his remarkable sacrifice. Joe is gifted with a mind-expanding awareness and experience of exhilaration. It all works as an effective allusion to the fundamental truth in life that every major achievement derives from sacrifice, and the reward is a new set of privileges and challenges. Wonderful.

The fact that such deep truisms of life are so effectively intertwined with a simple story of an ordinary man is one I love a lot. I get totally absorbed into Joe - all externalities are almost non-existent in this movie - the movie is about a single reality, that of the life of Joe. This is a truly rare achievement, as most movies use actors as vehicles for external, rather than internal action. But this movie is all about the growth and change in Joe, one he does not even fully appreciate is happening. Hanks' genuine portrayal of innocent and kind spirit makes the experience desirable and the conclusion genuinely surprising and worthwhile. Meg Ryan and all supporting cast members are also brilliantly effective. This movie is a mountain brought to life from a molehill by the breath and breadth of acting talent, direction, editing and writing skill.

To view this movie without perceiving its deeper meaning would be to ignore its true value and hence make it easy to dismiss. Yet the humble observer who can accept the influence of things greater than themselves will perceive the true nature of this remarkable movie, and as a result engage in a truly beautiful, emotional and thought provoking experience.