Change Your Image
Frame-By-Frame
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Funny Games (2007)
Engaging but far from perfect
An unusual film that borders on art house horror. Experience almost 2 hours of an innocent family being tortured by 2 psychopaths. Much of the violence is off camera but the associated drama is still disturbing. Without dropping spoilers, the video rewind scene and the film ending might infuriate some vanilla cinema goers but a certain audience will celebrate this unique German horror drama.
My rating 7/10
The Cakemaker (2017)
A unique and highly engaging drama
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie. At just under 2 hours of superb non stop drama it kept me on the edge of my seat watching the story unfold. The movie begins in Germany and then moves to Jerusalem. I don't want to have to hide my review under the spoiler banner so I'll tread carefully and just defend one possible criticism. Without Thomas's obsessive behavior and his controversial lie there wouldn't be a movie at all here so just go along with it and enjoy.
This looks to be Ofir Raul Graizers first full length movie. I hope we get to see more from him in the future as his screenplay and direction was superb.
My rating: 9/10
Highly recommended for drama lovers
Isn't It Romantic (2019)
A few laughs but overall disappointing
The movie was based on a clever sketch idea but the script and material was only really adequate to fill a 30 minute comedy episode. There were a few good laughs, most of which can be seen in the trailer. The casting and acting and production values were good but the final product was boring. So the film is basically poking fun at romantic comedy. Ironically this just leaves us with a film that lacks romance and after the novelty of the idea wears thin, it isn't even very funny. I think if the writer had pushed the boundaries a bit more at the risk of being less PC then it could have been a hit. Sadly it was restrained so it will only appeal to a smaller audience that prefers a cute movie.
Bent (2018)
Boring and passionless
An ex cop out for justice, its all been done before only much much better.
The main character played by Karl Urban is framed for a murder and gets jailed. On release he must make the connections to piece together what really happened.
I found the movie a disappointment. I don't really care that the plot isn't particularly original. It's how it plays out that counts. It's whether it's engaging and suspenseful. Unfortunately, this is neither.It almost plays out like a documentary of events. The acting and script lack passion. Karl Urban bared plenty of chest during the 96 minutes but very little expression or emotion. Was he
miscast or was this just a bad script?
I did watch it to the end and whilst there is a minor twist in the final scenes, even that didn't rescue the boredom.
My rating 4/10
Passes the time but not recommended.
Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk (2017)
Not what it seems from the title.
I was expecting to see some sort of mocking religious comedy that would entertain on a comedy level only. This film is not that at all. It's actually a well crafted drama and more a coming of age film. Saying that, it does have its funny moments and I think the writers achieved a good balance between showing the faith and discipline whilst not knocking it too much. Personally, whilst I have no interest in what Jehova Witnesses preach I do have a lot of respect for their choice and determination. As long as I can say NO to them at the door. The only problem I do have is when they force their belief on people unable to make a proper choice and it leads to misery and tragedy. Some of that misery and tragedy is touched upon in this film. There are a few dialogues during the film from older Jehova Witnesses about why they joined the religion. This is an unusual twist in film making but it does seem to fit in ok. Overall the acting and production standards are excellent. The lead character is well cast and gives an amazing performance.
Don't be put off by the religious element. The film neither ridicules or promotes the religion, rather it shows what growing up in a strict Jehova Witness family environment during the Reagan years could be like. An unusual film that held my interest right to the end.
My rating 7/10 Recommended
Terminal (2018)
stylish but mediocre
Despite some excellent acting performances this film didn't do much for me. I felt like it was trying too hard to be too many things.
Using a mixture of various film makers styles it just didn't seem to provide anything fresh. The story telling method used too many twists to work successfully. If stylish visuals and multi layered stories are your main thing then give it a go. Otherwise you may find some of the negative comments and low scores this film has attracted to be justified.
My rating 5/10
Dark River (2017)
Powerful drama
SPOILER: A welcome change from the British film industry away from lame comedies and its obsession with the plight of minorities and urban dramas to this excellent but disturbing Northern masterpiece. You certainly won't leave the cinema uplifted but if you're a drama fan you'll be well satisfied. I was more shocked than I thought I would to see the lasting effect of child abuse. This is really the foundation of the film which shows how the effects of a dark family secret can resonate for ever. Some excellent strong performances by the actors. This is a very visual film and the use of audio to enhance the impact of the scenes is well worth a special mention.
My rating 8/10 Highly recommended if you like powerful dramas
The 15:17 to Paris (2018)
A story worth telling
This movie follows the events of the 2015 thwarted terrorist gun attack on a passenger train from Amsterdam bound for Paris. The assailant was prevented from carrying out a potential mass murder on a train of over 500 passengers by the actions of 4 brave men who managed to overpower the gunman and seize the weapons. A shooting and injuries took place but a potential major tragedy was avoided.
The movie 'The 15:17 to Paris' directed and produced by Clint Eastwood dramatises the events by focusing on 3 of the heroes who happened to be best friends since childhood.
To make a movie solely about the action on the train would have only lasted about 10 minutes. So this 94 minute work includes the background drama of the 3 friends showing incidents from their schooling and how 2 of them eventually joined up for the US army. A European holiday tour was the reason the 3 of them happened to be on the train at the time of the incident.
I didn't realise until after watching the movie that the 3 heroes who took part were the actual people in real life and not actors. This was a very ambitious and risky thing to do by the film makers. It's easy to spot that these 3 are not professional actors, however they did pull off a very commendable performance. I think this movie is probably quite unique in what it has done here. When I analysed the movie retrospectively I came to the conclusion that one of the problems of casting real everyday people is that they lack the expertise to fulfill what viewers expect of characters. Even if the 3 of them had acting experience then ironically they may not have been selected for the casting. Professional film making involves character driven casting to add drama within drama. It's not always natural. It's rather like how professional lighting is staged to increase the impact of a scene and how the natural lighting we all live with and take for granted just doesn't hit the mark.
All that said, this is definitely a movie well worth watching. Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite directors and whilst this isn't his best work, he's still delivered well. The action on the train at the end is superb and the best part of it. The drama leading up to that is reasonable. The drama does go a bit flat during the holiday sight seeing scenes but the beautiful photography almost makes up for that.
My rating 7/10
Recommended
Madame (2017)
Starts well but then disappoints
The premise of this movie appealed to me and as usual the trailer drew me in.
The cinematography was superb and most of the acting spot on. So what was the problem?
In my opinion this was not a good movie. Initially I put this down to the very unsatisfactory ending. It's as if the writer couldn't decide how to end it. Had a few ideas and picked the worse one. However, retrospectively I can see a small justification for that ending and I now think the real reason I didn't like the movie generally was because it just wasn't funny enough to warrant being a comedy. Neither was it interesting enough to be a good drama. Not one laugh out loud during the entire 91 minutes, just a few subdued smiles.
My rating 4.5/10
Not recommended
Den of Thieves (2018)
A well executed crime drama.
This is what I call a Saturday night action movie. Switch off brain and enjoy. It delivers in all respects. Well paced, some intrigue, car chases, plenty of shooting and a satisfactory ending. It's basically about a dangerous bank heist and how a cop goes to extreme lengths to try and outwit the criminals, almost to the point of being a bad cop. At 140minutes it's long for this genre but there's more than enough going on to maintain interest and make it very satisfying watch.
My rating 8/10
Highly recommended
Sun Dogs (2017)
A disappointment
Sun Dogs is a quirky Indie film that whilst is above average in terms of acting, direction and production standards, it just isn't very interesting. The story focuses on Ned who since the events of 9/11 has become obsessed with wanting to help In the war on terror. He wants to and tries to join the marines. Ned is mentally challenged which causes him unusual and immature behavior. He is delusional. I suppose this is the heart and soul of the movie. Watching it unfold I hovered between pity for him vs. his immaturity creating amusement. This makes for an awkward watch where to get the most out of the drama you need to admire his drive and persistence despite his disadvantage. I found the whole thing to be preposterous.
Worst of all I don't think I could drop in a spoiler on this one as there's nothing to spoil. The story is weak and the movie ends fairly abruptly without a satisfying ending. I was drawn into viewing it by the five positive imdb reviews at the time. Unfortunately I see retrospectively that 2 of those reviewers have only ever written 1 review each which I find suspicious.
My rating 4/10
Not recommended. Time is precious and there's far better movies to watch out there.
The Great Buddha+ (2017)
Taiwanese arthouse film
Watching this in the UK probably meant most of the subtle Taiwanese life references went over my head and whilst there is humour in the film, I didn't laugh once. The story centres around 2 struggling lowlife misfits where one is a night security guard at a Buddha statue factory and the other a refuse recycling collector. It's a sort of bizarre snapshot of a series of events. There's a theme of vulnerability and exploitation, references to faith and local culture. It's mostly filmed in Black and White and is unusual in having the director intervening occasionally with a narration. The film manages to hold a certain mood, it's filmed in an interesting way and is as they say 'different'.
My rating: 6/10 and only that high for it's absurdity.
Recommended for the art-house crew. Beware there isn't much of a cohesive story to this and the trailer is made up from some very carefully selected scenes.
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Stylish movie that will provoke both praise and criticism
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Joe, a traumatised gulf war veteran who tracks down missing sex trafficked girls for money. His past has made him unafraid of violence. This makes for an almost Tarantino like unstoppable hammer yielding contract killer. Things start spiraling out of control when he takes on the case of a New York Senator's missing daughter. This is probably sounding like a typical action movie so far but it's far from it.
Joe is also caring for his elderly sick mother. All through the movie the writer plants clues through flashbacks and scenes that the viewers may interpret differently. Look out for the clues about family abuse. Sometimes it's hard to know whether scenes are real or whether Joe is hallucinating. This style of cinema makes the viewer have to work hard.
The soundtrack is fantastic with excellent use of atmospheric music to emphasis what is actually a visual movie with very little dialogue. Though that's not something you necessarily notice whilst watching it because the movie is also highly engaging. I particularly liked the way some of the sounds were elevated to an almost neurotic level. It gave a heightened sense of realism to the focus of the scene through a kind of detachment.
If the movie succeeds then it's because of Joaquin Phoenix's stunning performance in what could be described as an artsy neurotic film.
My rating 8.5/10
Can I recommend it? You'll see the reviewers are split on this. It's far from a movie where everything's handed to the viewer on a plate. The viewer has to work hard to make sense of it. It's violent. It's visually engaging with not much dialogue. Consequently some may find it boring. Movies like this can make you feel cheated by the end if you've misinterpreted or missed the clues throughout. But that can be a joy and make you want to watch it again. Strangely I think if you're a fan of Mulholland Drive then you'll enjoy the style of this one.
The Commuter (2018)
A day at work and the regular commute home. What could possibly go wrong? ...... EVERYTHING
This is definitely a Saturday night movie treat.
Liam Neeson plays an ex cop now working as a successful life insurance salesman who's life gets turned upside down one fateful day at work. The majority of the movie takes place on the train commute journey after work. To enjoy the experience it's best not to know too much about the plot as the suspense and story unfold as the movie progresses and knowing too much would ruin that. There's plenty of action, fights, trying to guess who the baddies are, this has it all. Very engaging and thankfully no disappointments at the end.
My rating 8/10
Highly recommended
Outside In (2017)
A real Gem of a movie for drama lovers
The story is focused on Chris, a likeable guy in his late 30's who has just been released from prison after a 20 year stint. He was jailed for a crime he didn't commit and his early release is down to his former school teacher Carol who has spent practically the last 20 years supporting and working on his case to prove his innocence. Carol is much older than Chris and their time together has created a bond. Carol is married and has a daughter. Carol's marriage and home life is problematic, not helped by the amount of time she has spent fighting Chris's case in addition to her regular teaching job. That's the background to the movie but the real joy is seeing how Chris integrates back into small town life in Granite Falls, Washington State. His relationships with those around him. The stigma associated with his imprisonment His innocence attracting the attention of potential lovers. Then there's that bond between Chris and Carol and where that might lead.
There's a lot of love and thought gone into the story. The 2 lead characters are superbly cast and absolutely carry the movie. I was very impressed with the camera work. Some really nicely composed shots and direction that helped to portray the atmosphere without being 'in your face different'
My rating 8/10
Highly recommended if you like a good drama
Bad Day for the Cut (2017)
An Irish Farmer out for revenge
This is a quirky action comedy thriller. A middle aged irish farmer, Donal still lives with his mum. One night assassins turns up at the farm and kill his mum. Donal is in the garage at the time and sees one of the assassins as he leaves but only before discovering what happened to mum in the house. Donal goes on a journey of revenge with a van and a 12 bore shotgun. The reason for the assassin unfolds as the movie progresses and it isn't fully revealed until very near the end. This adds to the suspense but it does bring with it some confusion.
The inclusion of the comedy allows some, what would otherwise be implausible situations to arise and so lead to a more eventful and entertaining film. The movie is quite tense in parts and the bits of comedy don't spoil that. I was going to rate it at 6.5 but I'll round up to 7 for it's refreshing change to the usual Hollywood take on this genre.
My rating 7/10
Recommended
Re:Born (2016)
Throat slitting knife action like no other I've ever seen
Fast paced martial arts film with enough originality to be worthy of a recommendation. This is worth watching for the superbly executed fight scenes. The one in the phone booth sums up the style of the movie and is the most memorable for me. As the movie progressed I wondered how the pace could be held to the end, my mind can only take so much, but it just got more and more tense. I found myself almost holding my breath in the final scenes.
OK so there is a background story to justify the high octane killing but the strength of the movie is mainly the action. Toshiro nicknamed the legendary Ghost was a former special ops soldier and unstoppable killer. He's now given that up and living as a shopkeeper but is still haunted by his past. His former commanding officer is seeking revenge so Toshiro has to return to killing and deal with what seems like an unlimited number of 'fight to the last' assassins.
My rating 6/10
Highly recommended if you're into exciting martial art knife combat with lots of blood. If not then this may seem like 115 minutes of ridiculous gratuitous killing.
Beach Pillows (2014)
What ever floats your boat
This is a sort of a late coming of age flick with bro banter. The main character Morgan Midwood is a likeable no body who seems to drift from one mishap to the next, not helped by his mischievous friend Nick. Viewers will probably see something in here that relates to people they know in real life or even themselves. The cast and acting are ok and you may spot a few familiar smaller part actors. I've got to say I didn't enjoy this movie but I'm not going to trash it. I think it will appeal to a younger audience.
One thing that drew me to try it was the average IMDB rating of 6.7. This was when the voter numbers were 107. Lesson learnt here. Looking a bit deeper at IMDB rating trends I see that a lot of new movies seem to receive a quick flurry of voters that give a rating of 10 out of 10. I could be cynical about this but read on. This artificially elevates the rating average. I know IMDB calculate the average using weighting to try and eliminate vote stuffing but I can't see how this could be guaranteed to work. Provided the movie attracts a reasonable number of voters (lets say over a thousand) then things settle down and the average rating becomes a reasonable indication. Now for my top tip: when evaluating votes. If the Movie hasn't attracted many user ratings (like Beach Pillows with 107 votes) click on the number of votes (107 currently here) and you will see the rating demographic data page. Look at the bar graph. you'll probably see more than one major peak in the voting. Here the highest votes are at 10 so ignore that one. Working up from the rating 1 I would say the first natural peak is at 5. It's very subjective but this tells me that critical viewers on average rate this at 5. One thing's for sure is that that the ratings on this one are all over the place.
My rating 4 out of 10
There's an audience for this one but it's not me.
Abe & Phil's Last Poker Game (2017)
Its merit is its bluntness
This is an unusual movie that I know will provoke a very mixed response from fellow reviewers. Some will just give the movie a wide berth due to it's subject.
First of all, I've just watched it and really enjoyed it. On one level it is my favorite movie of the year, partly because it was so much better than I expected.
The Movie was written, directed and co produced by Howard Weiner. A Professor of Neurology by career and a pioneer of some treatment of multiple sclerosis. Wow, so we're talking a very intelligent man with an artistic ambition to create a good movie.
He's just done it.
I think his knowledge of real patient behavior and human interaction shines through in this story and sets it apart from the usual Hollywood take on life.
There's lots going on here enough to more than fill the 85 minute run time with interest. The acting and direction are superb. Martin Landau and Paul Sorvino handle some very cringe-worthy and awkward scenes really well. Sadly this movie will never get the acclaim I think it deserves due to a limited number audience and viewers that are just too uncomfortable watching seniors discussing and doing the things that they themselves think and do. Thank you Howard Weiner for an enjoyable 85 minutes and for cementing my memory of the late Martin Landau as a wonderful talented actor.
My rating: 9 out of 10
Highly recommended - Be open minded and give it a go. We're all human and unfortunately are going to get old along with all the changes that brings!
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Top notch film that deserves its praise
This is a film about anger and determination and much more. There's a deep heart in there too and the production is top notch.
No clock watching with this one, just a roller-coaster ride beginning to end.
My rating 9 out of 10
Highly recommended
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Probably the best screen adaptation so far.
The production, direction, acting all superb. Problem is the original story, it's just ridiculous. Despite all the acclaim this story gets, I don't think Murder on the Orient Express is Agatha Christies best work. Just my personal opinion (I like to be controversial). Worth watching, even for me.
My rating 6 out of 10
Worth Watching
Tom of Finland (2017)
An excellent biopic with appeal
This film played out far better than I imagined it would. As a production it has a very solid and creative feel to it and over all I can't fault it. Of course it's based on a true story and for me who knew of Tom's work, I never knew the dramatic background behind it. To cram so much story into 2 hours obviously meant sacrifices but I think the writers did well there. The film gets over to the audience the sense of gay oppression in Finland around that period and the dangers that practicing gays had to live with. That all sets the scene in the first half of the film which is dramatic but downbeat. In the second half of the film which is mostly based in America it all opens out and in contrast to the first half has a real feel good about it.
My score: 8 out of 10
Highly recommended
Warm Bodies (2013)
Turned it off after an hour!
I rarely give up on a film midway because I do my research before watching. Unfortunately with this one I just had to. It may have been a different take on the zombie theme (a zombie with feelings) and starred a couple of credited actors but sorry, it just did nothing for me. The story was ridiculous and took the zombie theme to a new higher unbelievable level. The usual display of intelligent people doing stupid things. After an hour the film seemed to be going no where and by then I'd put it in the category of pointless movies. Off button pressed.
My score: 1 out of 10
Not recommended.