mj_togher Reviews

The Pier (I) (2011)

Father and son try to reconcile after 20 years apart.

[8/10 · 12 February 2017]

Jack McCartney gets a phone call in America asking him to go home to see his dying father. They have been estranged for 20 years and had a difficult relationship before that. He returns to his home and things are still difficult between them but slowly they reconcile. Having had a difficult relationship with my Irish father and losing him just over a year ago,the film touched a nerve. Both characters are emotionally stunted with each other and have to learn to speak to each other without losing it. There are bright moments too involving 2 local kids and a horse (rosy) and a splash of romance with an American divorcée.

It's a film I think I would have enjoyed with my father who could be as grumpy as Larry Mcarty in the film.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

a stinker of a movie

[3/10 · 26 December 2006]

I hadn't read the book so didn't know what to expect. An 18 century serial killer, I was expecting Hannibal Lector in period dress, what i got was a mixture of a Carry On film and a Lynx ad. The acting was hammy, although to be fair, the film looked lush, I just didn't engage with the main character, apart from the opening sequence when he was growing up.

I read somewhere that the main character was supposed to be offensive, he was a pretty boy actor so that ruined it for me, I wanted a repulsive slimy murderer, he wasn't.

The killings had a comedic element to them, the killer dragging women into doorways and leaving the bodies all over the shop, the killings were incidental really.

All in all, a stinker of a movie...literally.

Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle (2006)

90 minutes of Zidane

[10/10 · 8 October 2006]

90 minutes of Zidane playing football, the camera on him mostly, hardly any dialogue, and the football is sort of peripheral. It was hypnotic and absorbing, like a modern dance (quite a good sound track) Zidane watching, Zidane bursting with suppressed energy and anger, Zidane running, Zidane arguing with the ref, Zidane smacking other players, Zidane being fouled.

The sound track changed constantly, the raw of the crowd, Zidane scuffing the grass with his boot, Zidane yelling, the thud of 22 pairs of football boots. He hardly talks, smiles rarely, seems to not care about the game, then suddenly does care passionately, maybe a little bit too much, as that got him into trouble at the world cup.

Partners (1995–1996)

quality comedy

[9/10 · 29 April 2006]

I enjoyed this show, it was on in the uk, but not at peak time, and they seemed to move it all over the schedules so I wasn't able to watch them all. I was surprised when it didn't return and had no i idea why, still don't know, but i guess that's not important.

Great performances from the two leads, they were very believable as friends. The two supporting actresses also added well to the mix. I guess it was part of a whole load of shows that were lifestyle centred, Friends being the obvious main one, but sex in the city came along a few years later.

The characters, get take out coffee, they drink at nice bars , that sort of thing, a little woody allenish in a way.

To Have and to Hold (2001)

dilemma in a short film

[7/10 · 18 December 2005]

Difficult to write a long review about a short film, but hell I'll have a go.

It's a two person short movie, set entirely in a remote forest. A man and a woman are driving along, they are in love, and making the sort of conversation we all do when we are alone together. He annoys her and she snaps at him, he is upset and tries to make up with her. They touch hands , then grip each other's hand. Thew whole making up thing however, means she isn't concentrating on the driving and suddenly a deer pops up, and she has to swerve to miss it.

The movie the concentrates on aftermath of the crash, and a dilemma faced by one of the characters.

I enjoyed it, difficult to build up tension and drama in a short film, and I think the director achieved that.

Bombón: El Perro (2004)

fine Argentine film about a dog, an out of work mechanic and libido issues

[10/10 · 25 September 2005]

A beautifully made film about a down on his luck out of work mechanic (who specialised in "simple mechanics") and a pedigree dog he is given after rescuing a woman who had broken down 150k from home. Her mother decides to give him a pedigree dog left to her by her husband, despite being broke, the man accepts the gift and then has to work out how he can support himself and the dog

Set in Patagonia, the film focuses on the man, the dog, and both of their libidos - neither seem at all interested in sex (the man hasn't seen his wife in 20 years) together they set off on an adventure, of sorts, involving dog shows, a drunken dog exhibitor, stud fees, and a cabaret singer.

funny and touching in parts, well worth checking out.

The Beach Boys: An American Family (2000)

surprisingly good bio pic of the beach boys

[9/10 · 12 June 2005]

This movie just happened to be on when i came back home on a Sunday afternoon, and initially I thought it was going to be awful. But I was so wrong, I really enjoyed it, they could have shortened it a bit, it lasted nearly 3 hours with ad breaks, but in the main I found the performances very good, the writing credible, and I discovered stuff about the beach boys that I hadn't known before.

It doesn't just focus on the music but also the somewhat strained relationship between brian Wilson and his father, his relationship with the rest of the band, and the various screw ups that seemed to afflict most of the members.

Nick Fury: Agent of Shield (1998 TV Movie)

how the hell did this get made?

[1/10 · 28 May 2005]

a truly awful film, from start to finish, no redeeming features at all, i hate myself for having wasted 90 minutes of my life, 90 minutes i will never get back on this unmitigated howler of a film.

i know it was based on a comic book character so is supposed to be tongue in cheek, but they just didn't manage to purvey this on screen. I can take ludicrous plots if i feel that anyone involved actually wants to be there, it just seemed that they were all "mailing in their performance"

The plot, if it can be described as one, involves a deadly death virus about to be unleashed on the world by the offspring of a nazi officer who has been preserved in some gas. They are part of a terrorist cooperative called hydra, and the goodies are part of an international agency called the shield. Baywatch star hasselhoff is the cigar chomping hero.

Mondovino (2004)

long rambling film, would have been better, shorter

[4/10 · 17 April 2005]

i was looking forward to this, and to be honest there were some bright spots, but it would have worked better if it had concentrated on one story rather than shooting all over the world. The many dogs were a lot of fun but i got bored of the wine fascists pompously whining (;-)) on about their achievements.

I felt it would have worked better as an hour long TV documentary, concentrating on one of the many different issues it explored. The most interesting being the french town near montpelier fighting off a an American wine company's campaign to get rid of the historic forests. A socialist mayor agreed to a deal, a nicely timed election arrived, and a communist mayor was elected, who turned it down, much to the exasperation of the American wine execs...

hopefully the director's cut will be shorter than the original..

The Owl (1991 TV Movie)

truly awful film

[1/10 · 15 March 2002]

this film was truly awful, it was a mess, I can see why it was credited to Alan Smithee, the fictional name of a director of a film when no one wants to take responsibility for a film.

main character, the Owl, you are subjected th flashbacks which went on for up to 10 minutes, replaying the car explosion that killed his wife and daughter....we got it the first time, yes we know why you're tortured and out for vengeance.

these flashbacks also include scenes of him doing his martial arts training....again they laboured the point.

One of the baddies is a rapping gangster who gets one of his henchmen to play his ghetto blaster so that he can rap his dialogue...and truly awful rapping it was.

And you hardly see the real baddie, except in this repeated flashback scene when he is driving away from the explosion

the little girl...typical american girl....you want her to die...

it went on for way too long...

and you find yourself watching it to see how bad it can get, and it never disappoints you...