1996 19thC war drama. I can see it is a good film and Sean Bean is excellent but a lot of the acting is woody and the script awkward. I just could not care enough about the characters so did not really get into it and enjoy it. The angle with Sharpe's wife does not really happen or get going so although this ingredient is promised in the description it is grossly exaggerated so there is no real love interest.
5
Sheltering Sky (The)
1990 Debra Winger, John Malkovich. Two American young men and one of their wives go travelling in north Africa. They go deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar. The husband gets sick and dies. The wife goes native and goes off on safari in the desert with a tribe and spends a period as a willing captive locked up satisfying the local Arabs! Weird and bizarre.
5
Shine
1996 . Based on true life moving story of pianist genius dominated by authoritarian father. Boring. adequate at best. A bit pretentious and lacklustre.
4
Shutter Island
2010. I thought this film is overrated. It starts well and promises a lot and for a while you think you might be watching something very good but the plot and ultimate twist is just far too contrived . It uses more and more gory flash backs and predictable horror film ploys to try to make is scary. In the end disappointing especially after the buildup.
5
Side Effects
2013 Thriller. Drama about a young New Yorker wife who suffers from depression and out of desperation trials a new experimental drug. A complicated plot unfolds, of deception, and subterfuge, and all is far from what it seems. A plot with many twists , that keeps you guessing but in the end is so elaborate that it lacks credibility. It is a scam / big con story that has gone overboard in trying to be clever. Has a great cast and in particular Jude Law is excellent, but overall the plot is just too complicated and farfetched.
6
Siege (The)
1998. Bruce Willis, Anette Bening-somewhat visionary plot about Muslim terrorism in New York but improbable all the same. Made pre twin towers 9-11. Good in parts, bit confusing and not credible.
5
Silent Light
2007 Another arty farty French film made for the Cannes film festival shot in Mexico. Sub titles but I never worked out what the spoken language was! Father with 6 children is having affair with local woman. The slowest pointlessly long (over 2 hours) film I have ever had the misfortune to watch. There are numerous very long scenes in which there is no activity whatsoever. Film start with 20 minute slow motion sun rise! Actually more boring than watching paint dry. Lots of people on the internet love it! Rubbish!
1
Silkwood
1983. Great film about leaks at nuclear facility, Meryl Streep, excellent cast, script, acting. Bit like Erin Brokovitch. One not to miss.
8
Silver Linings Playbook
2012 Romcom with some depth which deals with a relationship between two people (played by Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Tucker) struggling to recover from mental illness. The story is based on the couple building an unlikely relationship through working together to enter a dance competition. An unusual film which is hard to get into, but grows on you, and gets better as it progresses. In the end it is well acted, and a very good moving film with depth.
7
Singer (The)
2006. French pretentious romance with sub-titles . Ageing love story crooner falls for young beautiful single mother. Slowly explores their relationship and what they share and give to each other. Typical slow moving French film that could be half the length.
4
Single White Female
1992. The ultimate thriller about deranged psychotic. Sets the gold standard for the genre. Stunning. One not to miss. Thrillers do not get any better than this.
9
Six Days, 7 Nights
1998. Light entertaining very good Rom Com with Harrison Ford on desert island as a result of a plane crash. Easy watch
7
Sixty Six
2006 film Based around a Jewish family and younger son plans his bar mitza on the same date as the world Cup Final . England get through to the final and no one wants to come to his party, Much footage from the tournament. Utterly ridiculous finale. A poor man’s Fever Pitch. Disappointing. The 1966 world cup offers such great potential but this was a wasted opportunity
5
Skyfall
2012 James Bond Drama. The 23rd Bond film and the third of the Daniel Craig era. Skyfall is nearly as good as Casino Royale but not quite. Casino just set the bar so high. Daniel Craig is outstanding as Bond and is without question the best casting in this role. The Adele theme tune is stunning and arguably the best ever for a Bond film in a hotly contested category. In fact the Skyfall theme is actually better than the movie it promotes! So how good is Skyfall- it is still a great film with some amazing action scenes. My problem with it is that the plot and the film generally goes downhill and loses its way. It is clearly a classic moment when Bond gets the old Aston out of his lock up but after that the rest of the film gets a bit silly with Bond taking refuge against an army of villains in his remote Scottish home. Why did he not call in the SAS-that would have been so much more realistic. But the main characters are much more real in these latest Bonds and Skyfall is still a great film and a must see for all Bond fans.
8
Sleeping Beauty
2011 Drama. A strange and bizarre mildly erotic story about a young impoverished student (Emily Browning) who makes an income from sleeping with sad old men. However it is different from the run of the mill soft porn in that she is always drugged and comatosed at the time and no actual sex is permitted or desired by the clients! Most watchers do not like this film as you can see from the other reviews but I actually liked it more than most. It is a bit different from the usual soft porn predictable fare and Emily Browning is excellent and makes the film. Also for you buffs it is much better than the similarly themed Japanese film-The Bedroom. The ending though is weak and disappointing.
6
Sleeping Dictionary (The)
2003. Love story about English Colonial governor who falls in love with Malayan girl who was teaching him the language. I really enjoyed it. Nice pace to it with some twists and turns. Very Good.
7
Sliver
1993 Erotic thriller , Typical Sharon Stone fare. Pervy voyeur in block of flats murdering the owners! Great soundtrack. Plenty of nudity and sex as you would expect.
5
Slumdog Millionaire
2009. Simply a great film. A lot of originality, great yarn, captures India mayhem, something for everybody and a lot of fun with a hard edge.
8
Social Network (The)
2010. Overrated. Could have been better. Good story theme about the invention of Facebook social networking , and the geek / nerd inventor is convincing but generally the film does not really develop characters and is boring in parts. It is a good film but does not achieve its potential from the fascinating theme.
6
Solas
1999. Spanish film with sub titles. Poignant and sad story about an abusive father , and the lives of a mother and her alcoholic daughter who both lead down trodden hard lives in poverty. A study of how in the suffering there can be optimism and how modest aspiration can give disproportionate pleasure.
7
Somethings Gotta Give
2003. Superb cast, excellent script, very enjoyable, and amusing, and pleasant love story. Jack Nicholson as loveable womanizer. Simply a great RomCom film.
8
Sons & Lovers
2003 period drama. DH Lawrence. Have finally finished the whole loooong 191 minutes. I would have preferred it if it had been half the length. The sets, costumes, scenery and photography are a good representation of the period but the story is dour and grim and just not enjoyable to watch. I found the acting stilted and wooden and find it hard to believe that any man could be quite as unfeeling, hard and insensitive with his women. Hard going and tragic throughout and I deserve congratulations for actually getting through it.
5
Sophie Scholl-The Final Days
2005 WWII war drama. A very good film that is shocking, haunting and unsettling as well as extremely moving and sad. Has there ever been a film that so effectively brought home the message of the importance of freedom and free speech? And this film portrays how in a totalitarian regime like Nazi Germany most ordinary people understandably conform, comply, and keep their heads down while doing the dirty work of the regime. This is a heavy film with a profound message well acted and produced. It's never going to suit for a fun night in with your partner-best watched on your own I think
8
Sophie’s Choice
1982 WWII drama. Unforgettable haunting classic, in one film embodies the blind hope and optimism of youth with the total insanity , and evil of the Nazis. I first watched this film over 25 years ago and it is one that never leaves you. An absolutely stunning performance by Meryl Streep. If you have never seen this film then you must but make sure you are in the mood for something very heavy, upsetting and shocking.
10
Spread
2009 Romantic drama. This film is better than many of the reviews suggest. It is unusual in that it actually gets better as it progresses. A vacuous womanising waster whose only merit is his cute looks but that is enough to enable him to drift from one wealthy woman to another as a gigolo. A depressing portrayal of a LA society that is totally decadent and hedonistic without any love or morality. Ashton Kutcher is totally credible but I never knew whether he was just playing himself. The ending is a surprise but ironically on reflection also probably the most credible ending. This film has more depth and the acting is better than many in this genre and is watchable
6
Spy Who Loved Me (The)
1977 James Bond drama. The 10th Bond film and the third of the Roger Moore series. I have never been a fan of the Bond films where Bond is played by Roger Moore. I could never take him seriously as a hard , cruel and dangerous agent. This is however the best of the Roger Moore bunch . In fact some say this is the best Bond film of all but I do not agree with that at all. This story is mainly a thriller but all the action is highly sanitized and suitable for a young child. This Bond film has the Jaws character over and over again and this character rather than being funny has always made me cringe. During this period they could not decide if they were making a thriller or a comedy.
This film does however have two big sets; the megalomaniac’s floating / under water home and the oil tanker that eats nuclear submarines. In fact the plot of this one is very strong and could have delivered a much stronger movie.
This film is memorable for its stunning beginning with Bond skiing off a mountain edge and into free fall and then his parachute opens up with a union jack on it. It is also memorable for the Lotus car that goes under water. Bond falls in love with another agent called XXX but unfortunately she is not credible and looks more like a primary school teacher.
6
Stand By Me
1986 Drama. A coming of age film. Four twelve year old boys go on a long hiking journey together in the 1950s and grow up through their experiences and discover themselves as well as laying down lifelong bonds. It is a good film but not a great film. It seems quite tedious at first but does improve but takes a lot of getting into. The film is spiced up by a continual stream of 50s hits.
6
Starsky & Hutch
2004 Action comedy spoof based on the original series. Great cast with Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller who are both superb. Very funny. A great satire on the 1970s. The Gran Turismo is awesome.
8
State Of Play
2009. A very good political thriller about senator who’s mistress is murdered. Keeps you guessing. Plot is credible and relevant to modern age.
7
Stealing Beauty
1995 mildly erotic romantic drama. Based around an open house in Tuscany where a huge extended family seem to hang around doing very little for an entire summer. Ponderous, arty farty, pretentious and slow. The film seems to go on forever. Only redeeming features are the beautiful Tuscany scenery and excellent photography and a stunning early performance by Liv Tyler. I wouldn't bother with this unless you are an avid Rachel Weisz or Liv Tyler fan. It is just toooooooo slow
5
Step Brothers
2008 Comedy. Typical Will Ferrell but an original plot with two waster near 40 year old step bothers dueling with each other and eventually forming an alliance. I found it very funny for most of the film. Towards the end it lost its way a little and they did not seem to know how to end it but do not let that put you off. It is not supposed to be deep-just light hearted silly fun and it does achieve that. It is absolutely a very good watchable comedy.
7
Stepford Wives (The) 1975
1975. Still a classic thriller , well cast, and hugely superior to the remake. Still very watchable and not dated. I so remember the first time I saw this back in the 1970s and what a shock it was when the plot was revealed. Better than the remake. A serious thriller rather than a comedy
7
Stepford Wives (The) 2004
2004 Comedy. A remake of the 1974 original based on the same book. This version attempts to turn the original suspense thriller into a comedy. The classic plot is dumbed down and jazzed up, and uses slapstick humour to try to make the film popular and light hearted for a modern audience. There are some amusing moments, but the major plot change from the book is hard to tolerate. This being that instead of the wives actually being eliminated and replaced by robots, they are merely adapted and controlled; a process that is apparently reversible at the flick of a switch. Much inferior to the unforgettable original.
5
Story Of Us (The)
1999 Michelle Pfeiffer, Bruce Willis, Excellent romantic drama about the stresses of a mature marriage, in difficulties, a trial separation, and the dialogue of husband and wife who want to make it work but fear that cannot and that it is over. This is a highly underrated film.
8
Stranger Than Fiction
(2006)
2006 Fantastic cast (Thomson, Hoffman) but ridiculous plot of person who’s life is being controlled by author writing a novel. He realizes he is the hero of the novel and there is no escape from a tragic ending. Tries to be deep and meaningful at the end.
3
Straw Dogs
1971 Dustin Hoffman . Saw this at the time and thought it was an amazing film that broke new ground. I think I was probably dazzled by a young sexy Susan George as we are the same age. So I was disappointed when I watched it today 41 years later to find it has not stood the test of time. It is very slow but I can forgive that because it was attempting to build tension towards the violent climax. However the acting seemed poor and the plot lacks credibility. The village idiot is a parody and all the workmen are playing country yokel stereotypes. Even the infamous rape scene now looks poorly acted and unbelievably she appears towards the end to be enjoying it. How did they get that past the censor? Dustin Hoffman is still playing Ben from The Graduate. Sadly now very dated.
5
Strayed
2003 French film with sub-titles. France 1940. Following the German assault on Paris a beautiful widow and her 2 children try to escape in a convoy of refugees which is later attacked by a German plane. They survive but many in the convoy do not and their car is destroyed and they flee to take shelter in a remote country house having been joined by a mysterious resourceful 17 year old boy. The three of them all form different relationships with the 17 year old culminating in some desperate physical comfort between the widow and the boy against the backdrop of the unfolding horror. Sad and poignant.
7
Stuck
2009 Low budget Canadian gruesome thriller. Quite shocking and actually quite good-if you can get through it without hiding behind the sofa.
7
Super 8
2011 Disaster action drama. Sorry to all you Spielberg fans but this is a formulaic Spielberg fare. It is Alien meets Close Encounters but it has all been done before. The usual excellent special effects involving lots of light but underneath it's a family / kids disaster movie with alien monsters. I found it boring and predictable. Where was the family puppy? It starts well and you think it is going to be good but it degenerates.
5
Suspect
1987 Political thriller starring a competent Cher as a defence lawyer. Also features a very young Liam Neeson as the suspect murderer. The film improves as it progresses, and packs a few surprises and ends with an unexpected twist. Credibility is stretched but the end result is a reasonably good watchable thriller typical of the 1980s.
6
Swimming Pool
2003 Drama about a single mature female author who goes to stay in a remote house in France in order to find a favorable environment to write her next novel. Things take an unpredictable turn when the owner's free spirited and promiscuous daughter suddenly arrives to also share the house. An underrated film that is well acted and quite good. French with sub titles in parts. Charlotte Rampling stars.
6
Taken
2008 A great fast moving action thriller. Typical Liam Neeson. He rescues his kidnapped estranged daughter from the sex trade. A must see movie
8
Taking Lives
2004 Drama, thriller. Angelina Jolie is an FBI special agent investigating a serial killer. Film drifts in and out of attempting to be a psychological thriller. The plot has the Jolie character forming a romantic attachment with a witness of one of the murders. The film contains a number of twists, most of which are predictable, and is fairly gory. I am never going to be a great Jolie fan as I do not believe that she can act but in this one she is tolerable. As usual she does more pouting than anything else. The film is watchable, and quite good, but the plot is fairly implausible so do not expect a great movie.
6
Taking Of Pelham 123 (The)
2009 Remake of the 1974 classic , with lots of internet technology. John Travolta playing John Travolta. Watchable but not as good as the original.
4
Tall Guy (The)
1988 RomCom . Reading the other reviews tells me just how different we are when it comes to taste in films. I absolutely hated this film and could only get half way through it. I cannot believe that Richard Curtis wrote it, or that Emma Thomson got involved. Jeff Goldblum was as useless as ever; cannot think of anything he has been in that I have liked. It is inane mind numbing slapstick rubbish. OTT farce. Not subtle in the slightest and NOT funny.
2
Tamara Drewe
2010. Seductress returns to a small village dominated by a famous womanising author. She creates mayhem with three suitors. Author’s wife (Tamsin Greig) is excellent. A good yarn and a bit of a comedy.
7
Tell No One
2007 French film with English sub titles. Takes a lot of following . A complicated plot which thankfully is mostly explained by one of the characters in the final scenes. Some baddies pop up from time to time who you never really know what their part in the plot is. Potentially a very good plot with some big twists. Highly acclaimed film but I did not like it that much.
5
Terms Of Endearment
1983 Romantic drama classic. This film is a timeless classic. One to watch every few years or so. Personally I do not think movies come any better than this. Real credible characters, a great script, and breath taking performances from Debra Winger and Shirley Maclaine.
The exploration of the mother - daughter relationship is just perfect. It nails so many family and people behaviours so wonderfully, the shallow womanising hubby, the superficial New York friends, resentful children the lothario playboy neighbour; the list goes on. A masterpiece that makes you laugh and makes you cry. Easy to see why it won 5 Oscars. If you've never seen it, have a hanky ready and get watching.
10
They Shoot Horses Don’t They ?
1969. Not the great 60s Classic that I remember but memorable nevertheless. The main film is fairly uneventful, but memorable for its portrayal of the hopelessness and harshness of the Depression. The film is a classic and a cult film because of the way it delivers it’s shocking deeply disturbing finish.
6
Thirteen
2002. Shocking teen movie about extreme teenage rebellion. To be accepted and shock these skinny rich Californian girls launch into sex, drugs and thieving. They gather more and more outrageous piercings and tattoos. Be glad they are not your daughters. The dialogue is often hard to decipher . Ends on a high with the unconditional love and unending support of a Mum when her daughter's life implodes.
6
Thirteen Days
2000 Drama. Captures the terror of the Cuban crisis , and puts the spin on it that Kennedy resisted the hawks in his team and resisted the temptation to leap to war. Kevin Costner is excellent in this , but Bruce Greenwood as Kennedy whilst he looks the part , comes across as a bit quiet and lacking in presence. He is portrayed as a very thoughtful cerebral man rather than a strong leader. His script was a bit lacking too. The overall film though is still very good, and very watchable although a little long. Recommended.
7
Thousand Acres (A)
1997 drama. Great cast (Pfeifer, Jessica Lange, Colin Firth). Set in USA mid west, a father passes his farm on to his daughters whilst he is still alive but problems emerge and cause the breakup of the family. A good bread and butter watchable film but that is all.
6
Thunderball
1965 James Bond Drama. The fourth in the series. Villain steals two atomic bombs. Great villain . Only criticism is that the underwater fight scenes are too long and boring. Otherwise another gem in the series at a time when Sean Connery was still playing Bond and the film was a thriller rather than a comedy.
7
Time Travelers Wife (The)
2009 Sci fi romantic drama fantasy. Cannot believe all the rave reviews on Lovefilm. Obviously I am missing something. I have not read the book so maybe that helps. I found it unwatchable and hated it. What on earth is it about? I just could not get into it. Not for me!
3
Tin Men
1987 Comedy. Comedy based on early 1960s high pressure salesman and a yarn about a war between two of them that breaks out following a car accident. Has some similarities with Glen Carry Glen Ross. My favourite aspect is the fantastic collection of early 1960s American cars with enormous fins that feature in the film. But somehow the story as a comedy starts well enough but runs out of steam especially as the latter events which beset one of the duelling duo are more tragic than funny. 5 is the most I would give it although I gave up on it 3/4 the way through as I found it got boring.
5
Toast
2010. Helena Bonham Carter. Story of young Nigel Slater and how he came to being a chef. His mother dies and is replaced by newly divorced cleaner who is herself a prolific cook who inspires Nigel. But Nigel never likes or accepts her.
7
Tomorrow Never Dies
1997 James Bond drama. The 18th Bond film and the second of the Pierce Brosnam series. News mogul megalomaniac starts to manufacture the news by trying to start a war between Britain and China. Features the remote control BMW. A more cohesive plot than most Bond films. Easy to follow. The usual predictable action stuff. Opening scene-the Arms sale scene is the best bit of the film. The story is mainly a thriller rather than the embarrassing mix of thriller and comedy favoured during the Roger Moore era.
6
Topsy Turvy
1999 Unknown genre. Unwatchable twaddle about Gilbert and Sullivan. Self indulgent and boring. I cannot believe that Mike Leigh was the director. I hated it with a passion . Torture.
1
Tough Guys Don’t Dance
1987. Good erotic thriller. I liked the characters and plot. A lesser known and underrated film.
6
Tourist (The)
2010 romantic drama. if you ever want proof that Angelina Jolie cannot act to save her life watch this. Just walks around pouting with an enigmatic smile. This film is boring and appallingly acted. It is totally not credible and the only redeeming feature is the photography of Venice. Awful.
4
Town (The)
2010 Ben Affleck thriller. Ruthless bank robbers gang based in Charlestown, Boston. Ben Affleck forms a relationship with bank manager/ hostage (Rebecca hall). Intense fighting with machine guns resisting arrest by the FBI. Watchable.
6
Trade
(2006)
2006 Spanish (Mexican) with sub titles. Hard hitting violent dramatization of the trafficking of very young girls from Mexico who are then sold into the USA often through internet auctions. Very brutal, gritty and harrowing tale .
6
Trance (2013)
2013 Overrated and pretentious psychological thriller drama. The hype has been deafening mainly as the result of Danny Boyle being the director. Yes there are some innovative use of hard rock and heavy beat to build suspense rather like being back in the Olympics opening ceremony. But beyond that the film contains a lot of gratuitous violence and nudity much of which is just to shock . And the plot gets increasingly surreal and confusing and jumbled such that for much of the time you are deliberately prevented from knowing whether what you are watching is actually happening or is imagined through being in a trance under hypnosis. Confusing the viewer does not make a mediocre film more sophisticated. I agree with the comment that film is not as good as it thinks it is!
4
Trauma
2004 Psychological thriller. Colin Firth. Might be brilliant, but lost on me. I did not understand it, or enjoy it. Firth’s character’s wife is killed in a car accident at the same time as a famous pop star is murdered . Surreal , and confused, incomprehensible plot. Lots of spiders-not sure what they were doing in the plot!
3
Trespass
2011 thriller. Thought the other reviews are a bit harsh. It is a reasonable home invasion thriller with a good cast. Yes it has all been done before and Panic Room for example was much better. But this film just does what it says on the tin. It is not deep and the characters are not developed but is an easy watch routine thriller with Nicholas Cage playing Nicholas Cage. It is watchable but not a memorable film.
6
Trip (The)
2012. Two comedians, Steve Coogan, Ron Brydon, playing themselves make a tour together of the North of England. Comes across as a clever unscripted romp ad libbing throughout. Witty and drole, dry humour throughout and lots of impressions. Entertaining
7
Tropic Thunder
2008 Comedy. Spoof copy based on Apocalypse Now. With the all star cast that this film has including Ben stiller, Jack Black, Steve Coogan , Robert Downey, to name but a few , this film should be fantastic, but it does not reach its potential and is just a good bread and butter watchable film. It is definitely funny in parts but not as funny as e.g. Stiller’s Starsky and Hutch spoof. It starts well enough but the plot ties itself in a knot as it is about shooting the comedy rather than being the comedy itself, but then supposedly the war action becomes real while on set. Confused? So was I!
6
True Grit
(2010)
2010 Modern Western remake. Jeff Bridges. I don’t do Westerns. Boring and predictable. Yawn Yawn. But this is a Cohen Brothers film with Matt Damon so some will like it. Not for me.
2
Tutti Fruiti
1987 Drama. Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson. Coltrane is an aged rocker in a Scottish rock band who replaces his brother after his sudden death. Similar to but not of the same quality as Still Crazy (Strange Fruit) as the characters do not make you care enough and in the end the film is irritating , the dialogue unintelligible and goes on too long. The relationship with Emma Thompson is not credible.
4
Twenty Eight (28) Days Later (2002)
2002 Horror rubbish about apocalyptic viral infection released from animal research laboratory. Gratuitous violence and cheap predictable disgusting horror and death. No redeeming features or merit except the soundtrack.
1
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