Tag Archives: drama

Night of the Hunter 5/5

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Mark

Superbly crafted movie directed by Charles Laughton, and it’s a damn shame it was its only directorial effort. It looks great, with some very stylised scenes borrowing from German expressionism, and reminds me a lot of another film that similarly … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Night of the Hunter 5/5

We Need to Talk about Kevin 4/5

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Mark

What would it be like to have to raise a kid who is a psychopath? To live among people who vilified you for the actions of your child? To blame yourself, and be in fear that people will confront you … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on We Need to Talk about Kevin 4/5

Filth 4/5

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Mark

Wow, a real tour-de-force with McAvoy as a complete asshole, who we get to see as a tortured, lonely man in this Scottish comedy version of Bad Lieutenant. This film is funny, repulsive, tragic in turns, and it did feel … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Filth 4/5

Pygmalion 4.5/5

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Mark

Terrific movie based on the play by George Bernard Shaw (and later adapted into the musical My Fair Lady), with funny, sad, angry scenes all mixed up together, and a great performance by Wendy Hiller as the brave, put-upon Eliza. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Pygmalion 4.5/5

Hitchcock 2.5/5

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Mark

Whilst we get great performances from Hopkins, Mirren and Johansen, the story is like a final stage heroin junkie – thin, unfocussed and more than a little frustrating at times. Whole sections seemed to be injected into the main narrative … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Hitchcock 2.5/5

Shock Corridor 4/5

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Mark

Crazy, fun exploitation flick about a reporter faking insanity to investigate a murder in an asylum, but then finding faking madness and being mad are kind of a bit too close to each other for comfort. It also actually says … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Shock Corridor 4/5

The Place Beyond the Pines 3.5/5

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Mark

A rather overambitious movie that actually chops its 3 acts into 3 related, continuous but distinct stories, looking at fatherhood, and how absence and presence of a father (both literally, and absent by not paying attention) can affect the son, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Place Beyond the Pines 3.5/5

Life Story 4/5

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Mark

The discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick… I haven’t seen this since the first (and only?) time it was aired on the BBC, and there were whole scenes I remember quite distinctly. It takes the great … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Life Story 4/5

Bad Day At Black Rock 3.5/5

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Mark

Solid drama with a quite outstanding cast (noticeable as town toughnuts are Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine!). As I watched it, it seemed quite wordy, and I became convinced it was based on a stage play, though searching the intertubes … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Bad Day At Black Rock 3.5/5

Wolf of Wall Street 4/5

Posted on February 19, 2014 by GoodBadAndOdd

The 3 hours just flies by for the most part, and even though it is baggy in places, the scenes that play out remain pretty entertaining. Leo is doing great work here, as is Jonah Hill, and it’s kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Wolf of Wall Street 4/5

The Bad Seed 4.5/5

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Mark

This is a startling movie about psychopathy. The acting is stagey and melodramatic (it’s based on a Stage Play, with most, if not all, the original stage cast), and there’s a lot of monologues, but hell, does it work. Central … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Bad Seed 4.5/5

Saturday Night Fever 3.5/5

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Mark

Travolta is absolutely terrific in this, giving the reasonably complex script his all by an excellent portrayal of a conflicted, trapped, working class young guy. He’s helped by the pounding soundtrack, especially the BeeGees tracks, which add several points of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Saturday Night Fever 3.5/5

Movie Review: 25th Hour – excellently made drama about a failed life 8/10

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Mark

25th Hour 25th Hour examines the last day of freedom of a man before being sent to jail for 7 years. The main character is Monty Brogan, a drug dealer in New York City. He is played by Ed Norton … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Movie Review: 25th Hour – excellently made drama about a failed life 8/10

Movie: The Elephant Man – Beautiful, mesmeric study about beauty and redemption 9/10

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Mark

The Elephant Man ——————————————————————————– Dr. Fox: Have you ever mentioned his mental state? Dr. Treves: Oh, he’s an imbecile, probably from birth. The man’s a complete idiot. I pray to God he’s an idiot. ——————————————————————————– The Elephant Man is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Movie: The Elephant Man – Beautiful, mesmeric study about beauty and redemption 9/10