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Saw (2004)
Director: James Wan
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 20/07/06
Two guys awaken in a filthy, disused men's room (just to make you feel queasier), both are chained up with no clue how they ended up there. Soon they discover that they are involved in a serial killer's macabre game.
Although there are many good points in this movie, there are plenty of twists and stomach-churning gruesome surprises along the way with the cast playing their parts well. Unlike Seven, Saw doesn't challenge you with the nature of society's evils or the nature of good and evil, it just presents a series of more inventive tortures and deaths without any underlying reasoning. See this as the opposite of Prozac, a bitter pill it is too. Saw is unsatisfactory in that it has nothing to say for itself and is ultimately depressing.
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 20/07/06
Two guys awaken in a filthy, disused men's room (just to make you feel queasier), both are chained up with no clue how they ended up there. Soon they discover that they are involved in a serial killer's macabre game.
Although there are many good points in this movie, there are plenty of twists and stomach-churning gruesome surprises along the way with the cast playing their parts well. Unlike Seven, Saw doesn't challenge you with the nature of society's evils or the nature of good and evil, it just presents a series of more inventive tortures and deaths without any underlying reasoning. See this as the opposite of Prozac, a bitter pill it is too. Saw is unsatisfactory in that it has nothing to say for itself and is ultimately depressing.
Schindler's List (1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 15/03/05
A masterpiece by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story about Oskar Schindler and how he saved more than 1200 Jews from the Nazi Holocaust by dealing with the Nazis and bribing them. Schindler was a very charismatic character and shrewd businessman who saw the opportunity to make money with the help of Jewish slave labour, but later shielded the Jews working for him at great financial cost to himself.
A harrowing movie of man's inhumanity against his fellow man and how a single person can make a difference under such overwhelming odds. Schindler's List has an excellent cast that includes Liam Neeson (Oskar Schindler), Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern) and Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth). Not to be missed.
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 15/03/05
A masterpiece by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story about Oskar Schindler and how he saved more than 1200 Jews from the Nazi Holocaust by dealing with the Nazis and bribing them. Schindler was a very charismatic character and shrewd businessman who saw the opportunity to make money with the help of Jewish slave labour, but later shielded the Jews working for him at great financial cost to himself.
A harrowing movie of man's inhumanity against his fellow man and how a single person can make a difference under such overwhelming odds. Schindler's List has an excellent cast that includes Liam Neeson (Oskar Schindler), Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern) and Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth). Not to be missed.
Screamers (1995)
Director: Christian Duguay
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 09/04/07
Low budget sci-fi has produced some of the worst movies in cinematic history, fortunately Screamers is not one of them. There are heaps of clichés, the dialogue is not that great and there are plot holes scattered here and there, but I think Screamers also has plenty going for it.
Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick called Second Variety, Peter Weller plays Col. Joe Hendricksson who is given the mission to broker a peace deal with an opposing faction. What is more to the point is that to do so he has to come out of his bunker and avoid the Screamers, which are nasty robotic weapons equipped with circular saws that home in on humans. The other problem is that the screamers have the ability to re-create themselves and Col. Hendricksson does not know what the next variety will look like.
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 09/04/07
Low budget sci-fi has produced some of the worst movies in cinematic history, fortunately Screamers is not one of them. There are heaps of clichés, the dialogue is not that great and there are plot holes scattered here and there, but I think Screamers also has plenty going for it.
Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick called Second Variety, Peter Weller plays Col. Joe Hendricksson who is given the mission to broker a peace deal with an opposing faction. What is more to the point is that to do so he has to come out of his bunker and avoid the Screamers, which are nasty robotic weapons equipped with circular saws that home in on humans. The other problem is that the screamers have the ability to re-create themselves and Col. Hendricksson does not know what the next variety will look like.
Signs (2002)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Certification: 12
Reviewed: 29/12/05
Signs is a tepid tale of alien invasion, basically War of the Worlds (1953) badly retold with added plot holes as big as they come. What could have been good was the way the movie concentrates tightly on the family and how their lives are being affected by events past and present, rather than action; the trouble is even this doesn't come across very well because the family act slack-jawed, retarded and wooden. The aliens, well, I'm having a crisis of faith too, could they really be this dumb? There were some good moments but mostly all this movie is held together with is faith and it's not enough.
Certification: 12
Reviewed: 29/12/05
Signs is a tepid tale of alien invasion, basically War of the Worlds (1953) badly retold with added plot holes as big as they come. What could have been good was the way the movie concentrates tightly on the family and how their lives are being affected by events past and present, rather than action; the trouble is even this doesn't come across very well because the family act slack-jawed, retarded and wooden. The aliens, well, I'm having a crisis of faith too, could they really be this dumb? There were some good moments but mostly all this movie is held together with is faith and it's not enough.
A Simple Plan (1998)
Director: Sam Raimi
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 14/06/06
Also Known As: Ein Einfacher Plan (Germany), Un Plan Simple (France)
You find $4 million of future happiness that isn't strictly yours, who really owns it anyway when it's lost? Finders, keepers, right? This is the kind of thinking that gets two brothers and a friend into a whole heap of trouble, from deceit to murder as their simple plan spirals out of control. This really is an excellent thriller that shouldn't be missed. Stars Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda and Brent Briscoe.
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 14/06/06
Also Known As: Ein Einfacher Plan (Germany), Un Plan Simple (France)
You find $4 million of future happiness that isn't strictly yours, who really owns it anyway when it's lost? Finders, keepers, right? This is the kind of thinking that gets two brothers and a friend into a whole heap of trouble, from deceit to murder as their simple plan spirals out of control. This really is an excellent thriller that shouldn't be missed. Stars Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda and Brent Briscoe.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Director: Tim Burton
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 05/02/06
Rebellious constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp), is packed off to a remote village called Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of grisly murders by the hands of a headless horseman.
Tim Burton again shows his outstanding talent at realising grim fairy tales and fantasy worlds. Based on the classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, it is an entertaining watch from beginning to end. Also stars, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon and Christopher Lee.
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 05/02/06
Rebellious constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp), is packed off to a remote village called Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of grisly murders by the hands of a headless horseman.
Tim Burton again shows his outstanding talent at realising grim fairy tales and fantasy worlds. Based on the classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, it is an entertaining watch from beginning to end. Also stars, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon and Christopher Lee.
Snatch (2000)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 30/11/05
Dark, violent gangster comedy set in London which is especially funny if you get the dialects. You need your loaf of bread screwed on though to keep up with the plot. Brad Pitt shows again how good he is at playing crazed characters, in this case an almost unintelligible pikey. Snatch also stars Jason Statham as a hapless gangster trying to stay alive in the middle of the complicated goings on.
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 30/11/05
Dark, violent gangster comedy set in London which is especially funny if you get the dialects. You need your loaf of bread screwed on though to keep up with the plot. Brad Pitt shows again how good he is at playing crazed characters, in this case an almost unintelligible pikey. Snatch also stars Jason Statham as a hapless gangster trying to stay alive in the middle of the complicated goings on.
Spider (2002)
Director: David Cronenberg
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 27/04/06
After many years of institutionalisation Dennis Cleg is released into the community to live in a halfway house for the mentally ill. Spider tells the story of how he became a shadow of a man from his addled recollections of childhood.
Ralph Fiennes, who plays Dennis stunningly, and David Cronenberg weave a slow paced, disturbing and gloomy view of mental illness. Not easy to watch and not a mass appeal movie for sure, but if you want a challenge this is in my view a very good movie. Care in the community, don't make me laugh! Nurse!
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 27/04/06
After many years of institutionalisation Dennis Cleg is released into the community to live in a halfway house for the mentally ill. Spider tells the story of how he became a shadow of a man from his addled recollections of childhood.
Ralph Fiennes, who plays Dennis stunningly, and David Cronenberg weave a slow paced, disturbing and gloomy view of mental illness. Not easy to watch and not a mass appeal movie for sure, but if you want a challenge this is in my view a very good movie. Care in the community, don't make me laugh! Nurse!
Spookies (1987)
Directors: Thomas Doran, Brendan Faulkner & Eugenie Joseph
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 27/04/06
A sorcerer uses the souls of others to keep himself alive and resurrect his bride. Many die in various ways by various monsters when they are ensnared by the sorcerer in a large old house.
Spookies borrows heavily from classic movies such as, Phantasm, The Evil Dead, Alien, The Thing and Night of the Living Dead etc with some scenes looking very similar indeed. Originally to be released as Twisted Souls directed by Thomas Doran and Brendan Faulkne but was never released due to problems late in its production, instead half the footage was combined with other scenes directed by Eugenie Joseph to make Spookies an incoherent and tedious mess. There are a couple of good moments one of which is the farting muck monsters in the basement, but that's about all.
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 27/04/06
A sorcerer uses the souls of others to keep himself alive and resurrect his bride. Many die in various ways by various monsters when they are ensnared by the sorcerer in a large old house.
Spookies borrows heavily from classic movies such as, Phantasm, The Evil Dead, Alien, The Thing and Night of the Living Dead etc with some scenes looking very similar indeed. Originally to be released as Twisted Souls directed by Thomas Doran and Brendan Faulkne but was never released due to problems late in its production, instead half the footage was combined with other scenes directed by Eugenie Joseph to make Spookies an incoherent and tedious mess. There are a couple of good moments one of which is the farting muck monsters in the basement, but that's about all.
Stalingrad (1993)
Director: Joseph Vilsmaier
Certification: 15
Reviewed:
Amateurish acting, ludicrous dialogue, hardly any plot and every war cliché in the book. With the DVD you most likely will get a bonus though! Awful dubbing, without the option to select the original soundtrack and subtitles.
Certification: 15
Reviewed:
Amateurish acting, ludicrous dialogue, hardly any plot and every war cliché in the book. With the DVD you most likely will get a bonus though! Awful dubbing, without the option to select the original soundtrack and subtitles.
Stand by Me (1986)
Director: Rob Reiner
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 28/11/05
As the title suggests Stand by Me is about friends being there for one another. After overhearing a conversation, four kids set off to find the body of a boy who reportedly has died but has not been found. By finding the boy and reporting their heroic discovery they think this will gain them glory, but on the journey they discover more important things about themselves. Stand by Me is a coming of age drama that I wholly enjoyed from beginning to end.
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 28/11/05
As the title suggests Stand by Me is about friends being there for one another. After overhearing a conversation, four kids set off to find the body of a boy who reportedly has died but has not been found. By finding the boy and reporting their heroic discovery they think this will gain them glory, but on the journey they discover more important things about themselves. Stand by Me is a coming of age drama that I wholly enjoyed from beginning to end.
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Director: Bryan Forbes
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 25/08/05
Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) moves to a town called Stepford with her husband. It's not long before she suspects there is something iffy about them there locals especially the women who are acting up a treat. Joanna meets a woman who suspects something is up also, so they team up to find out what is going on.
The Stepford Wives comes across as feminist propaganda (that ironically seemed to me more like anti feminist propaganda) to devalue the role of the housewife and promote their view of what a 'free' female should be. Aside from this the movie was badly acted and in many parts irritating as the message was overstated.
Certification: 15
Reviewed: 25/08/05
Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) moves to a town called Stepford with her husband. It's not long before she suspects there is something iffy about them there locals especially the women who are acting up a treat. Joanna meets a woman who suspects something is up also, so they team up to find out what is going on.
The Stepford Wives comes across as feminist propaganda (that ironically seemed to me more like anti feminist propaganda) to devalue the role of the housewife and promote their view of what a 'free' female should be. Aside from this the movie was badly acted and in many parts irritating as the message was overstated.
The Straight Story (1999)
Director: David Lynch
Certification: U
Reviewed: 03/01/06
Also Known As: Une Histoire Vraie (France)
Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) finds out that his bother has had a stroke and is determined to visit him, despite his bad hips requiring him to use walking sticks and his failing eyesight. The only option he has is to ride his lawnmower to his brothers 320 miles away. So off he sets on his own odyssey across country to the amazement of those he meets along the way.
Every once in a while a movie comes along that makes you think and feel more of what life is all about, for me his is just what The Straight Story delivers. David Lynch has got the pace just right and given the story enough time to develop leisurely, rounding off with a perfect ending, making this a journey to remember.
Certification: U
Reviewed: 03/01/06
Also Known As: Une Histoire Vraie (France)
Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) finds out that his bother has had a stroke and is determined to visit him, despite his bad hips requiring him to use walking sticks and his failing eyesight. The only option he has is to ride his lawnmower to his brothers 320 miles away. So off he sets on his own odyssey across country to the amazement of those he meets along the way.
Every once in a while a movie comes along that makes you think and feel more of what life is all about, for me his is just what The Straight Story delivers. David Lynch has got the pace just right and given the story enough time to develop leisurely, rounding off with a perfect ending, making this a journey to remember.
Switchblade Romance (2003)
Director: Alexandre Aja
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 12/11/06
Also Known As: Haute Tension (France) High Tension (U.S.A.)
Two young women drive out to stay at one of their families homes in the country, then people start to die at the hands of a greasy Frenchman...
Slasher movies aren't my favourite genre at the best of times but with this amount of morally vacuous, sadistically violent guts and gore, I felt this was just too vile to be called entertainment. The bottom line for me is that I didn't enjoy this at all, so all bets are off.
Certification: 18
Reviewed: 12/11/06
Also Known As: Haute Tension (France) High Tension (U.S.A.)
Two young women drive out to stay at one of their families homes in the country, then people start to die at the hands of a greasy Frenchman...
Slasher movies aren't my favourite genre at the best of times but with this amount of morally vacuous, sadistically violent guts and gore, I felt this was just too vile to be called entertainment. The bottom line for me is that I didn't enjoy this at all, so all bets are off.
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