Change Your Image
zn1-58-147766
Reviews
Der letzte Zug (2006)
4 train crews, one loco. one inhumane job...
688 jews are herded in to boxcars to rid berlin of jews....its as raw as it comes...100 humans of all ages struggle to survive..life, death, courage. I put this film up with the same cadence of realism as Schindlers List...this creation is made even more realistic by the lack of english spoken..not a film for children. this is one of them films i would recommend be watched in history lesson in secondary education...a superb ensemble have created a masterpiece in my opinion..the portrayal of Nina is amazingly done by Lena Beyerling an actress who i hope is now doing great things...just watch...reflect...we today are very very lucky humans..this production has reinforced that to me today..
The Interrogation (2016)
a account of the interrogation of an SS Officer
having just watched this, I'm unsure what to say about it, its a brief insight in to the mind of the Commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Hoess, all i can say is its sobering stuff, the only problem is you start to get in to the mind of Hoess and its all over, Its too brief a confession, Compared to Schindler's list where one can see warped and savage Goeth is, this is purely a deathbed confession. simply i was this man, I ran a savage regime saw that was vile, but i took an oath of total obedience, that's my get out clause..
its all over before you realise, but then this is an account of a confession via interrogation.
the two players are superb, very believable...Albert gets what others had failed to get from Hoess, both are award winning performances worth watching
U-571 (2000)
U571 - a good story - thats all it is a story
as a Man who was bought up and lived in Bletchley for Many years , I am very very proud of having lived very close to the Bletchley Park, I know its history, even worked with some of the people, when they were older and i was a young man just starting out.
When the Movie came out i made it clear to everyone i knew NOT TO WATCH IT, as it was derogatory to the men and women of the British armed services and the park who got hold of the enigma and cracked the codes As a Story this is great adventure, steal an enigma and hopefully shorten the war...with some great set pieces and superb cast.
Watch it if it comes on as its a good film, and thats all it is a film as already said its not historically accurate, but thats the point, there are lots of war films out there that are not, and are boys own stories, with out stories of guts, guns and Glory, there would be little to film.
One final Point - I have to point out - The real U Boat story DAS BOOT, is considered one of the most accurate movies made, its also a rare POV from the German side, One where i actually scream at the Scumbags who sink the boat, all they went through to get that happen ..and they are the RAF...but im British...
Naked and Afraid (2013)
Survival.....OK..I'm pixelated and really afraid
Saw this Last night, the premise is interesting, two "survival" experts thrown in to a situation sans clothing...nothing pervy about that...we all seen the bits of a human body....its nothing special to look at.. The naked part dissipates within seconds...its not about that its about adaptation to a situation..the though of a pixelated human amused me...
Each gets an item to take in....now me - id take fire making kit. not a pair of swimming goggles...
First thing i was hoping to see....assessment of the area...then the three items to stay alive - shelter - fire - food...
I felt for the 1st pairing...she knew what she was doing, not afraid to get in there and go for it...her companion - was a typical butch bloke who had no idea and only listened as a last resort.
So instead of hours making Fire it takes days...and they paid for it with being the meal of the jungle insects..i did feel for them and was looking at dry tinder in front of their eyes and shouting at the telly...the best part was our lady who had made her lobster pots...eaten and then had the last laugh with her lobsters..id have eaten em myself and made him suffer...then the chase at night with the camion..and matey leaving his partner behind...wuss came to mind
This series has promise...shows the weaknesses of the pairings and the failings and successes..it shows the viewers NOT what to do if you ever lose ya clothes and get stranded deserted with only a machete and a pair of swimming goggles to use...
id give a higher score if it hadn't been for part ones male idiot as a survival expert...maybe in the towns of outback USA not in the jungles of panama or even New York..
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)
daleks - ON EARTH!!
made at the height of "dalekmania" this was 2nd time we get to see the daleks in colour, the plot follows the original TV version, but in a bigger scale, i always find it a creepy movie, maybe because of its desolate smashed apart look - made more effective by the mass abandonment of buildings dilapidated in London, Peter Cushing plays an effective version of the doctor and is often criticised for his portrayal, the supporting cast work well, with Bernard cribbens Jennie linden and Roberta tovey a fine group, other actors who would appear with later versions of the doctor such as Philip madoc and Bernard cribbens also star. The big stars are the Mk3 travel machines, they steal the show and London, and I for one am glad that this movie is shown reguarly. I wonder what Peter cushing would make of it now....with the doctor, his tardis still running around 50 years later....
Domino (2005)
domino's
amazed to see this film is a keira knightley failure, it will i hope become one of those "cult" Classics and it will get the ratings it deserves.
Its a fast edged film i think, is punchy, it has it all, guns, a bounty hunter who is the last person you would if you saw her in the street would be the last thing you would expect. It has a great cast, A shame the star of the show Domino died before seeing her film, as she said heads you live tails you die.
this film doesn't need much of a review - i would say to anyone watch it, give it a chance and watch it the whole way through, and then make a conclusion....
i have and I its one of them movies that some critics love to hate..they are wrong...
The Bedford Incident (1965)
the Cold war game of chess.....
this was billed as a C4 afternoon movie - a hard nosed cold war captain, now patrolling the oceans for Russians, with a crew that works to its captains every word, all working 100%, with no relapse something is going to go wrong, picked up by poitiers journalist and the doc, the journalist can see what is going to happen, the old German U boat captain with Eric portman doing his best to tell his friend to stop this game or will end in tragedy, this it does, and in a mistake by the weapons officer this game of chess is ultimately won....Its a superb film from shepperton studios, one of their many best, its one of them films that once you have watched it, you will want to see it again, a superb piece of work by the actors, and all the other people involved....I wont forget Finlanders face when he realises this game is over....
Fierce Creatures (1997)
fish 2
this film is an underestimated masterpiece in the British comedy film file...cleese, Curtis,palin and Kline lead a British cast of legends....including the wonderful Carey Lowell(bond girl) and most of the cast from Wanda all making returns.
Set in a zoo that needs to make money brings on lots of set pieces that could be so easily lengthened..but they are tight and funny.
Ronnie Corbett, Robert Lindsay and Derek Griffith's lead the Brits with their usual aplomb and this works seamlessly with a bunch of people really enjoying their job and this shows.
it didn't get the acclaim that Wanda got...that is a shame... because its a different movie and i think the critics were expecting a sequel of Wanda...what they get is something even more original, even funnier and in keeping with British farce with a plot...we get good comedy, beautiful ladies and brilliant performances from the animals...
one of the funniest scenes is the hotel spider set always makes me laugh.
If u ever need to introduce a fierce creatures policy - watch this film on NOT how to do it.....its an education
Hope and Glory (1987)
Britain at her best
one of my dads favourite films, this always gets watched when it comes on. a small capture of a boys experience of his war, the triumphs and the tragedies he and his family faced, from losing lead soldiers to grandada shooting rats. from scoffing German jam to the war kids and their sacred word that is only said for something really special - ill let them tell you, to the ultimate joy of catching fish on the river and the supreme irony of school being closed thanks to Hitler bombing it i can see why dad loved this film, and its one of my favourites too !! some superb acting from the kids to the supreme hamming up of ian bannen.
one of them films that should be shown in school, as a this is how i remember the war from the viewpoint of a child to a child..
District 9 (2009)
docudrama, good movies don't need millions spending
Not much to say about this only its a highly original docudrama, take it is as it is, being filmed in Jo-burg makes it all the more real with the apartheid and relocation forced on "aliens". if it proves anything forced relocations don't work...in the end...it matters not race, colour, species we are....at the end of the day we all have rights... the main character is only doing his job, by doing it he becomes a part of the relocation with all the horrors that go with this. a film that you just need to watch, it has its faults like all movies, but treat it as a story about a bloke being in the wrong place at the right time and his small part in a small victory against the establishment where he was the establishment and you will find a good little movie.
Medicine Man (1992)
medicine man
this often missed film is a simply a classic in the Connery library of greats.
touching upon the destruction of the Amazonian and their way of life, the rainforest's and their secrets, it is a magical tour in to a way of life long long forgotten by so called civilised man...that in this chaos of the rainforest a cure for the modern killer cancer is alive and kicking....and could be lost...
for the scenery, the superb dialogue i would recommend that if it comes on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon matinée get the kids sat down, get some popcorn and enjoy a modern classic....
i wonder if they real versions of Bronx and Campbell are out there...if they are then let us hope they can save what is left of an undiscovered country and still give us "civilised" people the cure for modern plague...
Sunday Premiere: Tumbledown (1988)
tumbledown -
When the BBC want to be daring and be uncompromising and have the nerve to do it they do it very very well.I last saw this in 1988 and remembered aspects of it, it was shown on BBC4 (27092012) I had the pleasure of again viewing this docudrama of Robert Laurence's time in the Falklands campaign and the consequences of the aftermath.It shows in my view how hard it was in the Falklands, as Laurence's says it wasn't all about yomping, there were some hard battles fought, his descriptions of killing made me think about things, Robert is a hard man, he is a soldier and he loves his job, he is uncompromising in his recovery, with pure determination he shows that despite the sniper injury he isn't beaten, in a film with few laughs there is a "humourous" scene on the Uganda when he has his BO since tumbledown, but it shows that despite these men doing the jobs the polictians send them too they were soon forgotten, what do we do with them, what are my next moves now I'm battle injured, it asks the questions that are relevant today as they were in over 30 years ago.... I don't know of any other films that has dealt with the Falklands like this has, the Falklands was wet, cold and was a hard fight, Tumbledown shows this, as Laurence himself says there is some artistic dramatic licence , "he never shouted isn't this fun". For a unique insight in to one mans actual view of his battle on and off the battlefields Tumbledown is a superb narrative and i would recommend it watched for its modern history aspect, and as it was politically the thatcher eras finest hour !!
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
one ping only
as the first of the Jack Ryan movies Alec Baldwin will always be jack in my mind, red October on the big screen was as i remember as big as the cinema screen, with the cynical American approach to the matter in hand, the Russians hoping they can pull it off, and keep their crew safe at the same time, whilst knowing they will be hunted by their own people to the death, when this movie comes on its one of them movies thats always watched by me, its still full of tension and even though you know the story you still wait for the twists and turns and love em. Scott Glenn plays Captain Mancuso cynically listening to Ryan, then there is a mutual respect between them, the end fight is a superb climax to a chess game that ends in the natural conclusion. AS said in other reviews it seems more like a factual film that fiction, but then so many things that have happened that didn't happen and vice versa will stay locked secret and in legend for years
Im always intrigued as to what happened to marko ramius and his crew, it would have been nice to see ramius and Ryan working together again.. perhaps thats another story to be told on the big screen.
Appointment in London (1953)
a testament to the Many who didn't keep their appointment !!
this is one of them films that really shows what the Bomber command boys were really at. we all get taught about the Battle of Britain and stuffy dowding, we rarely hear about how hard it was for those working for Bomber Harris, aircrews flying long jobs, the Squadron & wing commanders being pushed to the brink of destruction and beyond. but we also see the human side, WC mason is near the end of his tour of 90 jobs and is trying to keep his boys focused on the job both on the ground crews and in the air crews ,keeping their minds on the flying & Maintenance and not the women, which he thinks after one fatality and meeting the widow makes him realise he may be wrong, still he completes his tour and keeps his appointment. made in 1954 there were plenty of Lanc's still flying, today in 2011 there are 2 left in world flying and not many of the crews are left neither, My late neighbour was a Lanc Pilot, i didn't know till after he had died he never spoke of it, My grandfather was a hero in WW2 and so this neighbour..
if anything when ever this movie comes on MAKE SURE THE KIDS WATCH IT.. we always remember the few of fighter command, this films makes sure we remember the Many....and is a testament to flyers like Guy Gibson and his many many comrades who died for us..today...WATCH THIS MOVIE
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
why ?
i saw this movie on virgin TV movies 24 last night, i was intrigued by the title and the write up and was prepared for what i thought would be typical straight to DVD trash.
How wrong i was - I'm not a squeamish person, but this really did scare me, only in the way the surgeon was so cold in his experiment, in a Dr mengele sort of way, however i kept watching as although horrified that such films like can be made, they are allowed to be shown on Television. I was in complete shock for the three victims, in a way that i felt ashamed to be a human and for watching. the doctor - i agree with all the other reviewers is lance henricksons double is superbly cast as the villain. The three actors of the centipede very very brave in doing this, the intimate contact it involved showed courage and the actor and actresses deserve awards for their roles.
the end of the movie left me dumbstruck and thinking what the hell was that all about and why - the very point the director and writer of a movie like this wanted to make !!
for being 100% medically accurate - its is total rubbish - its core value is to shock the viewer to extreme.
my problem with this film is its material and it giving mad men an idea - indeed I have just seen on IMDb that the sequel deals with this very issue.
i am ashamed to have watched this movie and hope it is never allowed to be shown on any British television channel again !!
Star Trek (2009)
what really happened before the legend started
i wasn't expecting much from this movie, however the trailer enticed me to go (the appearance of a skeletal enterprise)and see it one Sunday afternoon, and i am so glad i did see it...
Lots of actors not trying to emulate their future selves work but trying not alienate a familiar audience must have been hard work. Wonderfully, messers Pine and Quinto show two people at loggerheads over how things must be done and how they should be done start on what is now known. A young Leonard Mccoy and his mannerisms was very spooky, Simon Peggs interpretation of Scott and of course the star of the show a shiny new ncc1701 in the shipyards and being shook-down in a big way on its 1st job... The acting skills taken on by those others taking on roles that will be examined by millions and millions of people - brave people who pull it off with style...the new generation can watch the TOS and this film paves the way for a journey that started a long time ago.
JJ Abrams done his research and made this production of the new way of the franchise very well..it stands in my opinion as of one of the top 3 in the franchise - those being wrath of khan and first contact...
I look forward to the next installment of this refreshing new outlook on the early years of the senior staff, the crew and journeys of the Enterprise...long may they continue and woe betide any remakes of classics such as these !!
The Meaning of Life (1983)
do we reincarnate
once again the Monty python ponder on life......starting with the classic crimson permanent assurance a movie in its own right with some wonderful classical actors of the yesterday era - including the legendary and nearly always unseen Dr who star Mr john Scott martin - dalek operator, this deviates from watcher and starts you thinking whats going on ere ? then once its over we start to ponder whats it all about and with the fish watching the world go by we now start an exploration of life in a way no one else could do it.....we get get classic songs such as every sperm and a noel coward inspired song...we find a leg missing, a tiger...the realities of war, sex, all is covered with some classic characters - the legendary Mr creosote and we meet death....ending with Christmas in heaven..it can be a heavy going film for some..but go with it...it is an ultimately funny ponder on life the universe and everything, it shares technology designed for hitchhikers, and i suspect Douglas Adams loved this film....
at the end of the day your film collection has to include at least life of Brian and really must include the meaning of life...with this in your collection you cant go wrong as this film contains humour and though for everyone in the family......
Donovan's Reef (1963)
Donovan's reef
if ever this movie comes on - i always make sure i watch it - its a movie that can be watched again and again - it has all the ingredients that make it watchable - the duke and wonderful lee Marvin and a young jack warden. a delightful comedy that is made all the more watchable by the sights of the south pacific, customs that carry on even in the modern age..a deception so as not to offend the visitor, 2 wonderful kids who are in on the deception as are the rest of the islanders...a great start - great middle and a nice ending make it a family film that in my mind isn't made anymore.
if ever there is a real Donovan's reef i would hope it is free of tourists and only family, friends and the occasional boat would stop there...if only life was really this idyllic ....
When Eight Bells Toll (1971)
when eight bells toll - a superb Hopkins vehicle
watching this film for the first time, I'm enjoying this flick enormously, Philip Calvert as a hard man who gets the job the done, isn't afraid to disobey orders and with the wonderful Robert Morley as his boss.
as i write it its all very James bond, Hopkins handling the job very well, Morley hamming it up as only he can.
like all Alastair McLean films - I'm finding it very watchable, a pity no more films about Calvert's exploits have been made, as he is everything James bond is, without the gimmicks, and its all home based, no flash locations - just a man with a job to do and he ain't afraid to bend the rules to do it.
I'm half way in to the film - i don't want it to end ..