danielspink Reviews

Saltburn (2023)

Entertaining, shocking but ultimately flawed.

[5/10 · 13 December 2023]

This film starts off well with a good cast and interesting premise. As things darken and begin to twist it handles things well with some OTT. Characterisation but still remains entertaining. Unfortunately once the main reveal happens it then continues to hit the viewer over the head with a hammer constantly and the ending and subsequent explanation seemed twice as long as it needed to be and brutally patronising. Shame, with more sublety was promising and worked like a decent enough horror / class commentary film. Not a film you are likely to forget, just not for all the right reasons. Weak female and secondary characters didn't help, although the main character is pretty androgynous. The sister ( or one of the servants) could have been so much more interesting and been a good saviour near the end. Not sure why we needed the last scene and if this is a class commentary, what about the servants at the end? After watching with a friend who hadn't seen Withnail and I, decided it to be a much better proposition.

PhoneShop (2009–2013)

Nice surreal and edgy comedy

[10/10 · 8 July 2011]

Phoneshop is a edgy and often hilarious black comedy. It has some very strong characters and some very surreal moments full of energy and often psychotic moments. Whilst superficially it appears to pander to a young demographic though slang and sexual references, don't let this put you off as it in fact has some very well written characters. I believe any fan of Green Wing or any Chris Morris production should check this out. The episode in which new boy Christopher has to go out into the street dressed in a bear costume stands out with some hilarious slapstick and surreal comedy moments, along with another episode in which various characters end up locked up in the basement. Can understand why people may not like it and also I guess the humor is very British so may not appeal to any non UK viewers. Glad to hear a second series has been commissioned.

Excellent.

Volcano (1997)

Made me laugh a lot even though not a comedy

[1/10 · 10 February 2007]

Hahahahah Probably one of the funniest movies i've even seen. Obviously this isn't intentional though. It takes about half the movie for the main characters to realize what the big hilly thing is in the middle of the city is spewing hot red stuff, and the other half spent diverting the lave flow through the city using fire trucks (yer right). It certainly made me laugh. The acting makes Arnie look like a RSC thespian. It is amazing that films like this get commissioned. A more interesting version would be someone going near an active volcano and filming it, and would probably cost about £20 to make. ($40) I can see some guy pitching the film to a film company "well there's this big VOLCANO and it erupts in a CITY....pretty radical hey" If you can find it in the dollar bins, maybe worth buying as after watching this most other films would look good.

Baraka (1992)

stunning piece of cinematography, a must watch for everyone

[10/10 · 4 February 2007]

What a breath of fresh air this collage is. From the opening scenes the viewer is submersed in scenes that seem to be from a different time and place. The piece has no narrative and no plot, but just interweaves amazing cinematography and music. Some of the shots are so beautiful, they make me want to cry. The film helps remind you of that things still exist in the world that we seldom see, or maybe notice.

Baraka does try to put across a moral standpoint, though, and this may be a little hard for some viewers. As well as showing the beauty of nature and man, you can also see the madness and destructiveness. There are some admittedly dark points in the film. Even so there is no excuse to watch this epic piece. The music is a highlight of the film, as are the rich colours and depth of photography.

I believe the director, Ron Fricke, is a work on a sequel at present. If you liked the similar pieces Koyaanisqatsi or Powaqqatsi then you will love Baraka.

The Departed (2006)

Looks good but weak plot

[6/10 · 22 November 2006]

From the beginning, the departed looks like it's going to be a great film. It has a star studded cast, great director, and is well filmed. The film certainly has all the right elements to push every button. So why do I not rate this film highly? Well for starters the whole plot is rather clichéd. Throughout the film you want to scream "its him" with regards to Matt Damon. The number of clues ignored by the rest of the department seem to point to a pink panther film rather than a Scorsese classic. On the other side of the plot Jack Nicholsons character and henchmen seem to be similarly dense. "Hmm we're being betrayed by someone wonder who it could be? Surely not that recently enrolled ex-cop"

You feel for Leonardo di Caprio's predicament, but wonder if he is in so much trouble why he can't just skip town. There are so many better written films around nowadays, particularly by the likes of Scorsese that you wonder why more money couldn't have been spent on the storyline of this film. If you're looking for a hammy Scorsese film why not try the Godfather Part 3 instead.