les6969 Reviews

The Infidel (2010)

Couldn't watch it

[1/10 · 30 September 2013]

I was looking forward to this having found Omid Djalili funny on TV. But I switched off after 5minutes because of the vile language. I am not a prude and don;t mind the odd word, but it seemed to be almost every other word was a curse and the use of the C word totally unnecessary.

It seems David Baddiel cannot do comedy without foul language or hiding behind a much funnier partner.

So give this film a miss if you are offended by crass, gutter humour as I am.

Awful, terrible, silly waste of good acting talent by Mr Baddiel I say!

All in Good Time (2012)

Very Funny Film

[8/10 · 30 September 2013]

I found this laugh out loud film by accident. Truth is it was at a reduced price at the DVD shop. But I am so glad I found it. You don't have to be Asian to find this film funny as it is just so well acted and written. But the Asian wedding is probably different to many western ones in that the bride is actually a virgin and it is this that makes it so workable.

All the acting is brilliant but the guy who acts as the boys father was really funny.

This is a film I could definitely watch again and would recommend to others.

Oh also hardly any bad language if at all which makes a change.

J. Edgar (2011)

Watchable

[4/10 · 5 August 2013]

Very well made that got my attention from the very beginning. But it does go on a bit too long and becomes a gay love story. Was J Edgar gay? No one is really sure, he most probably was, but this film emphasises that too much. The rest of his life is sort of skimmed over. Having said that Leonardo does an excellent job of portraying the man with all his faults. He comes across as a very capable man who is totally incapable of relationships. The make up was interesting as on Hoover and his secretary the ageing was very well done but on his assistant it looked like.. well make up.

So glad I watched it but not a film I would particularly watch again.

Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006 TV Movie)

Great Biopic

[8/10 · 5 August 2013]

I enjoyed this film as it showed a story of Fantasia I was unaware of. I watched her win American Idol and thought she was the best winner ever! I had no idea about her story and watching her singing on idol her background was irrelevant to me at the time. All i knew was that she had the most amazing voice, comparable to Aretha in many ways.

In this film she came across as a naive misguided girl who although she seemed to have a supportive family, she chose to live on her own in poor conditions.

I thought all the supporting actors did an amazing job also. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes biopics or films about music or about black people in general.

Taken 2 (2012)

OK But Not as good as the first film

[5/10 · 5 August 2013]

This is watchable but it is hard not to compare it to the first film which was outstanding. I won't go into all the plot holes as everyone else has mentioned these, but there was a lot of 'as ifs' coming from my lips as I watched this. The first one was very clever and kept you guessing but this one was not very believable as many have already said. All the acting was first rate but the director and script writer let the film down. The fight choreography was really bad and the final fights particularly badly done. Over all it was a wasted opportunity to build on an excellent first film. All too often Hollywood seems to push out sequels without much care. Sherlock Holmes, Iron man etc all had awful sequels In fact only the Bourne films seemed to get it about right.

The Round Up (2010)

Amazingly Good FIlm

[10/10 · 28 August 2012]

I bought this film because it was a cheap DVD and it sat on my shelf for sometime until one night with nothing else to watch I selected it and spent the next couple of hours transfixed by this amazing tale of just about every human emotion. The film shows how prejudices come out during such times as previous neighbours turn on those they have lived with for years. Sadly nothing has changed as we have seen in more recent conflicts. Also France itself is still very ant-immigrant in it's attitude, in fact against anything that isn't French. Udo Schenk perfectly captures Hitler with his conflicting personalities, loving children at the same time exterminating others just because they are Jewish. Hugo Leverdez as Jo Weismann will melt even the hardest heart and this brilliantly shows just how heartless those involved must have been. Jean Reno is excellent as the Jewish doctor who worked amongst the prisoners doing whatever he could. Melanie Laurent is also brilliant as the nurse who slowly comes to realise the full extent of what is actually going on! As others have said all the actors who portrayed children were really good. This film should have won Oscars but sadly did not. I believe it is much better than Schindlers List as it does not really on graphic depictions of violence (although there is some) it rather shows the horror through the eyes of those involved. If you have the DVD watch the making of to be moved yet again.

Jackie Chan Presents: Wushu (2008)

Sammo is a star

[18 August 2011]

Not a brilliant Kung Fu film by any means but still a very watchable and enjoyable one. Sammo Hung is a real star who even at his age can still fight with convincing skill. He has come a long way since his role as the fat boy losing to Bruce Lee in the opening fight in Enter the Dragon. He also shows in this film what a great actor he is and steals every scene he is in. The supporting cast are all very good and clearly very highly skilled in Martial Arts. The bad guy is suitably menacing and has one of those faces that can change in an instant from innocent looking to totally evil. In all a very enjoyable film although I am sure die hard Kung fu fans may feel it is a little light weight.

The Hurricane (1999)

Denzel Deserved an Oscar

[2 August 2011]

I am not going to get into details regarding how true an account this is or not. I have read a lot that seems to indicate he was guilty and others that he was innocent, both accounts seeing to contradict themselves. I guess we may never really know, but as someone who believes that racism infects a lot of society including organisations like Sporting bodies and the police I can well believe that being black would not guarantee a fair trial. However I also find it hard to believe that Mr Carter was as peaceful a person as depicted in this film. But this is down to the way the film was written and directed and in no way detracts from a truly remarkable piece of acting by Mr Denzel Washington. It seems in every part he plays, you believe that he IS that character and this film was no exception. In the boxing scenes or the prison scenes and in every scene you believe that you are watching Rubin 'The Hurricane' Carter. A truly outstanding performance.

Ichi (2008)

Beautiful film

[2 August 2011]

I read a lot of the negative reviews in here, most seem to be around comparisons with other movies but I saw it as a movie in it's own right. In doing so I was not disappointed. Ichi is a goze who is travelling Japan in search of her mentor, who was the actual Zatoichi. She was born blind. As an infant, Zatoichi rescued her and left her in the care of a group of goze, visiting her and secretly teaching her the techniques Zatoichi had mastered. After being abused, she is exiled by the goze. She pleaded to the man who had abused her to say nothing happened, but he refused and she killed him. She wanted to see her mentor one last time before she died, so she began searching for him. While on her search, she gets involved in a war between residents of a small village ruled by a yakuza gang and a group of bandits, Banki-to. It is all beautifully shot and acted. The main character has been criticised in here for no personality, whereas I saw lots of personality and emotion, subtlety done as is often the case with Japanese women. And Haruka Ayase as Ichi herself is stunning and beautiful and at the same time a convincing swords-woman. Also the film is not as bloodthirsty as some in this genre such as the Azumi series. Overall I would definitely watch this again.

Creation (I) (2009)

Awfully made film

[19 July 2011]

Sorry but I must have watched a different film from the one others have raved on about here. Stupid script, poor acting especially by the lead character who I could not believe in one bit and a storyline that lost me after the first 5 minutes. Was this drug addict emotional wreck really responsible for writing the book 'On the origin of species?' I doubt he could hold a pen the way he was portrayed. I found this a self indulgent film where the director was trying so hard to make it Gothic and current and in my view failed miserably. Some of the support characters were just weird, Huxley for example was a midget??? The only good thing about the film is it showed that Darwins motivation for disbelief in God was not scientific but personal. The death of his daughter and the cruelty of the clergy as well as the false teaching that God is the cause of everything good and bad as it is all his will. But this could have been lost as it concentrated too much on his apparent madness. Darwin was obviously an intelligent man but the way this was acted he came across like an incompetent fool. Nothing about him in the Galapogas islands, nothing about the Finches? What he discovered was certainly controversial and revolutionary whether you believe it or not but you would not know it from this film. Just wish I had not bought the DVD which will now go immediately on ebay.

Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (1989 TV Movie)

Surprisingly Gripping

[6/10 · 29 June 2011]

I watched this one night on TV when there wasn't much else on and wondered how they could make this film last nearly 2 hours? You get taken in by the emotion of it all, I found myself shouting at certain characters, like Mother for being so stupid to leave kids that young near a very deep well only covered by a plant pot? And the guy in charge who refused to listen to the guy offering him new water jet drilling ( maybe Jessica would have gotten out sooner? ) And then there was the guy sent to pull her out who was not strong emotionally. The only downside was the ending, it would have been good to have known more about what happened afterwards? All the acting was very good especially the actress playing the part of the mother.

Bruce Lee, My Brother (2010)

Could have been so much better

[4/10 · 21 June 2011]

This is NOT a martial arts film so if that is what you expected steer clear. It is the story of Bruce Lee's early life as told through his younger brother. At times it is over sentimental and at other times just silly. Having read much about Bruce Lee I was disappointed that he was portrayed as an emotional wimp. Also in his early fights as a boy in Hong Kong he is shown he using the famous Bruce Lee scream yet from what I read he only used this for films. I had also previously read that he was regularly in street fights, some quite dangerous ones and it was for this reason that his Father sent him off to the U.S.A but in this film it was to do with him destroying some drugs when trying to rescue a friend from the pushers grasp. Is any of that true? There are some really good acting performances in this film, especially the actress playing Bruce's mother.

Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010)

Poor Sequel but has it's moments

[3/10 · 13 June 2011]

Nowhere near as good or as funny as the first one. The characters were likable in the first film but in this one they are annoying and the whole thing is over dramatised for no apparent reason. The Janet Jackson character is particularly annoying in this one and over acts in just about every scene she is in.

ALL the marriages seem to fall apart at the same time in this film and the characters that were created in the first film seem to have become the complete opposite type of people in this one.

The final scene was just silly and made a mockery of both films in one moment. This was especially so since by the end we didn't care much for the Janet Jackson character whose childish behaviour had caused her husbands death. So her finding another possible victim to have a relationship with was supposed to make us feel what? That said there was one good point to this film. It should make most married people think about what they have not what they could have!

The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer (1999 TV Movie)

A well made and very gripping lilm

[7/10 · 31 May 2011]

I found this film gripping considering it is very long and the lead characters were particularly well portrayed. In fact it would be hard to find any bad acting in this film and it is directed in such a way that you want to know what happens. The ending might be disappointing to some as it ends in 1999 when the killer was still in France. He has since been extradited and is in Jail. The real killer wasn't as good looking as the actor portraying him and it is hard to imagine why so many girls fell for him. I guess he really was charismatic and could use mind control techniques, but even more amazing is how many intelligent people got taken in by him. That older rich woman was apparently sending him money while he was on the run ( she should have been arrested as far as I am concerned ). However great little film and well worth a watch.

Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III (1994)

Majoy Disappointment

[1/10 · 31 May 2011]

After watching the first and second series of this excellent story, I hated the third. It was a mess from start to ... well I never stuck with it to the end. Just everything about it is awful. The acting isn't on a par with the first two and the director seems to think he is directing a stage play most of the time. As has been said by others, the story is confusing and often implausible. The killing of Georges wife was a big mistake and as for Bent surviving two attempts on his life, well that was just laughable. George marrying Orie's wife and not long after his wife had died? What happened to the honourable George of the first two series?

This was one series that should never have been made and if you really enjoyed the first two I would recommend you avoid this one like the plague.

Female Agents (2008)

Gripping film

[8/10 · 26 January 2011]

There are many positive things about this film that for me anyway make any negatives irrelevant. I know it isn't 100% accurate but the acting of all the cast is quite superb in my opinion.

Sophie Marceau as Louise stands out in this film, her acting is superb and although she is clearly a beautiful woman she does not seem to mind looking less than glamorous throughout. Her range or emotion was truly gripping. Julien Boisselier as her brother Pierre is a tortured soul who has a coldness about him that was probably necessary to carry out the tasks they had to. Julie Depardieu as Jeanne, Maya Sansa as Maria,are all good as is the stunning Marie Gillain, but Déborah François as Gaëlle,did an amazing job showing her characters naiveté and youth and some really strong and convincing emotions especially when captured. Colonel Heindrich is played by Moritz Bleibtreu who has had some criticism on here but in my opinion he carried it off perfectly. Many SS were ruthless and clinical and yet at the same time gentlemen and family men. A lot of this film is unrealistic and no doubt done for dramatic effect but the more you watch the more you get drawn in. I would highly recommend this film and would watch it again I am sure.

The Rosa Parks Story (2002 TV Movie)

Very Good Film That makes you think!

[7/10 · 4 January 2011]

Angela Bassett really does an excellent job of portraying this strong yet gentle woman who stood up for what was right. She was not the first to refuse t give up her bus seat but hers was the one that got things to change. America should be rightly ashamed of their history and how they treated black people in the not so distant past ( those vile attitudes still exist in the minds of many, especially in the southern states )

Just what goes through a mans mind to expect a woman of any colour to give him her seat is beyond my thinking ( fortunately ) And the way she was treated when trying to get to vote is shameful ( some would say that still happens today, look at the illegality of what happened in Florida when Bush Jr stole the Presidency )

Americans you should hang your heads in shame. Watch this film and learn from it.

The Karate Kid (2010)

Don't Listen to those who criticized this great film

[9/10 · 4 January 2011]

This is one of those rare occasions where the remake is much better than the original. This is mainly for two reasons. 1. Ralph Macchio was never convincing and no one could really believe he could beat anyone. His so called Martial Arts skills were useless and looked even worse on screen. He looked like a scared little girl and it was obvious that any of his opponents would have whipped him easily. Jayden Smith is annoying throughout the film and I didn't like his cocky attitude, but he looks convincing enough to win his fights and contrary to what some others have said I do think he can act. The scenes with Jackie Chan near the end are particularly good, 2. Not to take away anything from the late Pat Morita who was a great Mr Miagi and the best thing about the original, but Jackie Chan makes this film. He is a 'real' martial artist and totally convincing. The only negative is we don't see enough of his skills, the one fight he is in is as amazing as ever. But we also get to see Jackie Chan the actor and what a great actor he really is. All the supporting cast are really good and the ending was much better than in the original. The young Chinese girl was perfect for the role and can clearly act. I was in fact convinced by all the supporting actors. Also the scenery of China is spectacular. So don't listen to the negative comments ( I am sure many who criticize it have not actually watched the film ) just see it yourself and enjoy.

Wide Sargasso Sea (2006 TV Movie)

Gripping version of this tale

[8/10 · 1 September 2010]

Excellently filmed in Jamaica this adaptation gripped me throughout not least because Rebecca Hall who plays Antoinette is so beautiful and caries off her part as a mixed race fairly wealthy Jamaican lady who is being used by the man she marries because she will provide him a solution to his money problems.

This really is multi-layered, moving, gripping, the scenery and music add to the drama and we really see each character come to life on the screen. The racism of white visitors and settlers in Jamaica's early days is not overlooked and neither is the immorality and it's double standards that existed among the so called better classes.

This version contains a fair amount of nudity and fairly graphic sex scenes but it all seems very necessary to show the good and evil side of the characters.

Honeydripper (2007)

Good but not Great

[6/10 · 31 August 2010]

This film has it's moments and there is a lot going on. It is an incite into early Rock and Roll and the fact that it was black singers and musicians and not Elvis who started it all off. It shows the racism and corrupt attitudes of the deep south and there is a little love interest. Danny Glover is outstanding as is Stacey Keech but all the support roles are also really well done. My only criticism about this film is that it doesn't really go anywhere. At the end I was left with an empty feeling with so many unanswered questions. What happened to the young guitar/singer after that weekend? Who was that blind man exactly? ( if he was blind, he gave the Danny Glover character a knowing nod at the gig ) Whay didn't the Stacey Keech character expose the boy as not Guitar Sam? ( Money I am guessing? ) I think this was a good film and it kept my attention but it could have been grittier and a better ending.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Big disappointment

[4/10 · 23 August 2010]

Sam Worthington was the wrong person to play Perseus in this awful remake. He is wooden and has no screen presence but worst of all why did he keep his hair like that? All the other actors made an effort to look the part, but he looked like a modern soldier who had been sent back in time. Added to that the fact that his accent was clearly Australian or New Zealand, ( I don't care which ) he really stood out for all the wrong reasons in my opinion. The CGI was outstanding but the sequences themselves surprisingly boring. I didn't care about the outcome too much and the only one that was remotely good was the Gorgon sequence near the end. A lot of the monsters were over done, especially the scorpions, it was a bit unbelievable that they could have been so easily defeated. The way the story was shown in this remake also lacked humour apart from the golden owl send up ( always hated that owl in the original anyway ) But as I said the main failing was Sam Worthington's totally unbelievable performance. This could have been a better film with a stand out character in the lead role.

The Betsy (1978)

Worth it to see Kathleen Beller's nude scene

[3/10 · 16 August 2010]

When another reviewer here wrote 'There's only one reason to watch this film. It's not the quality of the acting or the strength - or otherwise - of the plot. Rather, it's a study in excess, and my favourite excess in this film would have to come under L for lust. Kathleen Beller is extremely photogenic and I absolutely love the swimming pool scene !' I felt a whole lot better as this is the ONLY reason to watch this awful film. Kathleen Beller is one of those incredibly beautiful women with an amazing screen presence, who never really made it in films, she is a good actress but doing dross like this probably didn't help much. Oliver is just awful, how he can be so highly rated when he cannot even carry off an American accent is beyond me, it has been said he hams it up, but if you ask me he is just a bad actor who just happened to be in some great films directed by great directors and written by great script writers. This film just shows him up for the ham actor he always was. Just why Robert Duval ( who really is an excellent actor ) did this film is a mystery. Tommy Lee Jones just doesn't fit the role and didn't really become much of an actor until he was much older. This film is one of those that is so bad you watch it because you cannot quite believe how bad it is, but the Katleeen Beller pool scene will make any normal guys pulse race I can assure you of that!

The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)

One of the most under rated films

[9/10 · 16 August 2010]

I have fond memories of watching this on Video ( yes remember video ) back in the late 80s or early 90s. It is worth watching if only to see the incredibly beautiful Kathleen Beller in all her glory but the film itself is pure escapism of the type that thrilled me when watching Zorro or some other swashbuckling film on Saturday mornings as a kid. Lee Horset hams it up and the action just keeps on coming. The film is something of a mix between the Conan films and older Errol Flynn type films but it is very enjoyable with what at the time was a shocking end fight. ( I won't spoil it if you have not seen it already ) This is hard to find on DVD but if you can get hold of a copy and like this sort of film I would highly recommend it.

Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley! (2009 Video)

Disappointing

[1/10 · 16 August 2010]

I really like Michael McKintyre and I was really looking forward to this but I have never been so disappointed. When he first started to become popular he was genuinely hilarious, his live and laughing and live at the Apollo routines will always be remembered as genius comedy. However I turned this one off after a few minutes because almost every other word seemed to be the F word. Why he feels it is necessary to do this is beyond me as he can be really funny, but he has now alienated a large part of his original fan base with this type of so called adult material. He is also becoming a parody of himself and seems to have resorted to shouting more, this becomes grating after a while. If he could get back to the genius comedian that he was then he may win me back, but based on this performance he has lost me and no doubt many others.

A Raisin in the Sun (2008 TV Movie)

I film well worth watching

[7/10 · 16 August 2010]

This film start slowly and at times is a little dull but this is mainly due to the lacklustre performance of Mr Combes, P Diddy, Puffy whatever. Every other performance is superb and this is what carries the film, however as others have already commented, what could have been an excellent film, with someone else in the lead role, becomes just a good film and I would still recommend it for anyone to watch. Combes performance is just not believable, sure he is moody and unlikeable but you get the feeling that he struggles to move away from his real persona and slips too easily back into being a 90s rapper rather than a black man struggling in 1950s America. It might be worth noting that if you hate the modern trend for films to be littered with foul language, sex and violence then you will love this film because it stays true to the original play in this regard and has resisted the mistake many remakes have made of modernising it and alienating the family audience. So for many reasons I would recommend this film and just think it is a shame another, much better lead actor was not chosen for the main male role.