Title |
Rating |
Comments |
Fire |
|
From 1996, an Indian film about how tradition wrecks human behaviours - marriage. Religion is such a destructor of lives. |
The Corn is Green |
|
A touching story of a school teacher and a bright pupil, set in Wales. Hepburn is her usual self. |
Baby Mama |
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Silly, but Tina Fey. Business lady wants a baby, but can't concieve. |
Mean Girls |
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Why did I watch this stupid highschool girls movie? Tina Fey. |
Far from Heaven |
|
Julian Moore and Dennis Quaid are very good, as is Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson. The period production is extensive. The difficult themes of a gay husband and the racial chasm back in the 1950s. |
Goodnight Mr. Tom (1998) |
|
A made-for-TV production set in WWII about an evacuee. Not very well acted and the script was a bit predictable. I remember John Thaw as a policeman. |
Ice old in Alex(1958) |
|
A quite dated war movie with some pretty poor acting. I found it dragged and the "romance" scene and story line was atrocious. John Mills - of course, Antony Quail, Silvia Syms and a very good character actor Harry Andrews. |
Hector |
|
An low-budget film about a homeless man. This is very well made and acted. I especially enjoyed the main character and the lady running the Xmas Home, Peter Mullen and Sarah Solemani. |
The Winslow Boy |
|
An exceptional period movie. Strange how good plays endure. I much enjoyed the performances by Rebecca Pidgeon, Jeremy Northamand and Nigel Hawthorne
|
Max |
|
A less than good movie. The dog did well and I support working dogs. The acting was poor.
|
The Hunger Games (Part 4) |
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OK, but not brilliant.
|
My Old Lady |
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This was not on my radar, what a mistake. Maggie Smith, Christine Scott Thomas and Kevin Kline. Set in Paris, a feud around an appartment. Sweet.
|
The Dressmaker |
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A really good film with a lot of wierdness set in a small Australian twonship. Kate WInslet is excellent. Recommended.
|
Mr. & Mrs. Smith |
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Oh dear, the two beautiful people featured in a crap movie. How did this happen - taxes?
|
La Femme Nikita |
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An impressive secret service story. Very well done. From punk to killer to breakdown, and then a twist.
|
Proof of Life |
|
A thriller set in South America. Not drugs, but the kidnapping of an oil executive - one without insurance. Russel Crowe and Meg Ryan. Well done. I saw this when it first came out. Love not money.
|
The World according to Garp |
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A bit weird but good acting. Too much violence for a "usual" New England life. Glenn Close and Robin Williams.
|
True Romance |
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Why have I never seen this? A wild ride, well done. Tarantino at his gunslinging best.
|
Narcos Season 1 |
|
Excellent series based on the true story. Looking forward to the next season. Drug lords in Columbia.
|
Straight Otta Compton |
|
The NWA story, but missing the violence towards women which was an intricate part of the whole deal. Classic boom boom music with the violent dialogue.
|
Legend |
|
More or less a character study of the Kray brothers. Nasty is how I would summarize them. When I was a lad the school organised a trip to Holland. We went over the Chiswick floyover in London - rumoured to be the last resting place of several people who resisted their activities. This flim has a lot of stuff in it.
|
The Sapphires |
|
Made in 2012, this film is loosely based on a true story of 2 aborigine women who went to Vietnam to sing for the troops. Not well made, some good soul music though, and a surprising story.
|
The Martian |
|
Great pictures, CGI but the story is too predictable and because of the lack of time becomes much less credible.
|
Love and Mercy |
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A pretty disturbing account of Brian Wilson's life. Well acted. Of course his music was seminal.
|
Last Cab to Darwin |
|
A very enjoyable film around the theme of assisted suicide. Woven into an Australian story with the Aborigines. Well acted by all concerned. Recommended.
|
The Smartes Guys in the Room |
|
This is the story of what happens when a corporation does the ultimate - making money above all else. Enron is still the biggest bankrupcy in economic history. The main characters were jailed, but this didn't help the workers and small investors who lost their pensions,
|
The Hunt for the Arctic Ghost Ship |
|
A documentary on looking for and finding one of the ships in the famous expedition in search of the Northwest Passage which was a disaster. The leader Franklin was the best Navy captain at the time. I read the book last year. Interesting.
|
Ricki and the Flash |
|
Not Meryl Streep's best at all. The story line is weak but the gutar playing by Rick Springfield is pretty good.
|
Vacation |
|
Oh dear.
|
Begin Again |
|
Cute flick set in New York about a singer/songwriter making an album with a has-been music executive.
|
Trainwreck |
|
A rather puerile flick with a few good one-liners. Interesting too are the appearence of real sports personalities.
|
Elysium |
|
Matt Daemon saves humanity. Smile!
|
Twenty Feet from Stardom |
|
About backing singers. Interesting with some great tracks.
|
Mordecai |
|
Interesting, off the wall and fun. A number of stars who play manage to keep a straight face.
|
Jurassic World |
|
Awful story, graphics OK.
|
Die Wand |
|
Mysterious film with Martina Gedeck and a dog called luchs. She become isolated in a forest with a few animals. The words she uses to describe how she misses her dog I find easy to comprehend.
|
The Fog of War |
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A documentary about Rober Strange McNamara the US Sec. of Defence under Kennedy and Johnson.
|
Humans |
|
A short TV series supposedly about making PCs. Some good ideas and characters, but it was made in the US of A. Oh and the main man drives a 944. Recommended.
|
Halt and Catch Fire |
|
A short TV series supposedly about making PCs. Some good ideas and characters, but it was made in the US of A. Oh and the main man drives a 944.
|
The Dish |
|
Aussie film about the receiving dish used to relay the TV pictures from Apollo 11's moon walk. Amusing.
|
San Andreas |
|
Major CGI movie, not all that good, but soem grand scenes. Still, it did have Archie Panjabi.
|
Mrs Henderson Presents |
|
Sweet story of the Windmill Theater (We never closed) With Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. A good movie based on real life.
|
Two days, one night |
|
Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione in a film about a factory worker who has lost her job and the boss gets her co-workers to choose between her getting her job back and a bonus. A social film as used to be made in Franch in a bygone era.
|
Die abhandene Welt |
|
A family drama set in Düsseldorf and New York. Entertaining but missing that spark to make it a great film.
|
Mad Max - Fury Road |
|
I didn't go for the dialog: just as well. They must have spent a fortune on simulation and CGI. Not an extensive storyline.
|
Conducta |
|
Well made flick set in Cuba - with all that entails. A touching story with several threads set around a school teacher and some of the more "difficult" children.
|
The Cider House Rules |
|
A touching film with Michael Caine (who really can't do an American accent) Charlize Theron and Toby Maguire about an orphanage and an apple farm. Based on a John Irving novel. Enjoyable.
|
One Hour Photo |
|
Robin Williams in a serious role as a mis-treated person who ends up processing photos in a shopping center. He was so versatile. He is missed.
|
Kingsman: The Secret Service |
|
This film is simply fun. So many take-offs. Well worth a look. Recommended.
|
Soylent Green |
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Very dated and very poorly acted (it is charlton heston after all) but a quaint story which sort of fits into the pattern of possible events the next few generations.
|
A Most Violent Year |
|
Set in the 1950s, with some huge cars of the period. This is a good story, well told. It leaves sufficient holes to get one's own imagination going.
|
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel |
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Amusing, but not an in depth expoloration of each storyline. Nice and bright, and you have to love the Bollywood music, feet tapping.
|
Still Alice |
|
Not bad, but a Hollywood film, not into too much depth. Good performance by Julianne Moore.
|
Magic in the Moonlight |
|
Like the setting. Colin switched a bit too fast. Got to love those happy ends. Great music too.
|
Kapgang (Speedwalking) |
|
Set in Jutland 1976, mum dies and Martin has to deal with a grieving bother and his dad who is keen on skirt. Includes the lovely Sidse Babeit Knudsen in a blonde wig. (Borgen)
|
Page Eight |
|
Bill Nighy in a most enjoable political thriller Rachel Weisz ain't too bad either if you like brunettes.
|
On The Beach |
|
In spite of a good cast and a background story of its time (based on the book I read many years ago) the film is quite dated.
|
Borgen |
|
A most enjoyable, 3 season TV series. Love those Danes.
|
White Palace |
|
Mr Spayder sure did some wierd films. 44 and 27 - sounds like a match. This story has feet and I remember a similar relationship many years ago in Geneva at the Squash Club, but this one ends differently. Very well acted. Max - what a great name!
Quote: "Honey I got everything you need!"
|
The Riot Club |
|
I couldn't finish watching this. Infantile behaviour in young men is pathetic. It played to my dislike of elites.
|
Red Dog |
|
Neat film about a dog in a mining community in N. Australia. Aparently based on a true story.
And later in ABC news.
|
The Imitation Game |
|
Very well acted. Some dramatisations I didn't care for, but the story of Alan Turing is one of genuis and destruction. Must go to Bletchley Park. Recommended.
|
Quartet |
|
Nice house, with some talented musicians. An enjoyable flick with some superb actors. Entertaining.
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