keith_williamson Reviews

The Merchant of Venice (1980 TV Movie)

This was the program that first got me interested in Shakespeare

[8/10 · 5 January 2005]

I remember this play very fondly, and, while it is over twenty years since I saw it and I may be more critical of it now, any program that can turn on a cynical youth to Shakespeare can't be all bad.

I have read the comments about Warren Mitchell and would disagree, his is one of the two performances I particularly remember. Yes, it is a very unsympathetic performance, why should it be other? It is also very anti-Semitic, why should it not be? Shakespeare was amongst other things a product of his age and the politics of his age. Why do we feel that we have to tinker with the past to sanitise it and to make it what it wasn't? Surely, A lot can be learnt from looking at things as they actually were and to learn from that.

I only wish it was available to purchase now.

Eating Out (I) (2004)

The overall effect was a very funny and enjoyable film!

[9/10 · 16 September 2004]

I saw this film as part of the BFI's London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival on tour and was very glad I went to see it. No one in the audience seemed to care that this film was a little (or more than just a little) cheesy in places. The overall effect was a very funny and enjoyable film.

I recently watched the actor comments that went with About Adam and the point was made then that there had been many a film set in Ireland about the famine and about the troubles and that About Adam was refreshing in that it was a comedy set in Dublin which the young people of Dublin would recognize.

The same can be said about this film. There have been many (and many worthy) films about HIV, Queer Bashing, loneliness, exploitation etc. There should be room for both sorts of film but I feel that the output to-date has been rather out of balance.

It is good to go and watch an enjoyable up-beat film, which actually had the audience laughing out loud. There have been other comedies but this was better than most I have seen.

Lantana (2001)

A great film that makes you believe that 2+2 = 5

[14 September 2004]

A great film that makes you believe that 2+2 = 5 I thought this was a very interesting idea – a plot that gives you all the clues and lets you add them all up if like me you got 2+2 = 5 then you are not alone.

Very well played by a cast lead by Anthony LaPaglia, thought most of the cast were very good.

I really enjoyed this film – a lot – it lead me down all the wrong paths in a totally believable way. It has great intelligence and depth.

I highly recommend you watch this film I may have found this film (3 years) late but I am certainly glad I found it – it is one of the best films I have seen for a long time.

Cold Mountain (2003)

An extremely good film with some superb acting

[16 July 2004]

This is an extremely good film with some superb acting and while Renee Zellweger got a lot of plaudits I have to say that for me it was Nicole Kidman's acting that stands out as she expertly portrays a women changing with the prevailing circumstances. She give a performance of outstanding depth and subtly but which is nonetheless powerful, and totally believable.

I also liked the stories of the two characters and the horrors of war that they both face, one on the front-line the other equally affected by the war back home. The meeting, the parting, the equally hard journeys that they both face and both overcome and the characters that they both meet along they way.

The cinematography is also superb; if film had just been edited a little more prudently then I would have had no qualms giving this film top marks.

Lost in Translation (2003)

The film was all right but has been dreadfully over hyped!

[12 July 2004]

In my opinion this film just goes to prove how biased the Oscars are towards the American film industry. I have no idea how Murray's truly appalling one-dimensional performance came so close to wining an Oscar when there were innumerable better performances from superior actors all around the world.

I am glad that I had previously seen Scarlett Johansson in the superb `Girl With A Pearl Earring' where she gave an outstanding performance because again I didn't find her convincing or anything other than average in this film.

The film was all right but it too has been dreadfully over hyped, the study of loneliness is hardly a new one but is so much a part of our modern lives that it was certainly worth revisiting. I could not say that I laughed out loud once (I did smile a couple of time but that was about it) neither did any of my friends who were watching it with me. This may not be entirely the fault of the film or of Coppola though. British humor doesn't always export well to the states and I guess this proves that the reverse is also true.

Elephant (2003)

An alien world (to me at least) of boys with toys - that kill.

[28 June 2004]

This film is interesting but offers no explanations for what happened (surely they weren't trying to suggest that because two lad played first person shoot'em games it made them want to kill all the pupils at their school).

To people (well me – and I don't think I am being totally naive here) in the UK this seems a very alien world (and surely a clarion call to radically alter gun laws in the USA) where guns are so commonplace and that (the film appears to suggest) they can even be ordered over the Internet. It may appear that law and order is getting worse in the UK but they have a long way to go before they gat as bad as this. This does not mean that there is room for complacency, but…

Perhaps because it does seem a very alien world or perhaps because the film does not spend enough time with any single character to form any kind of empathy to have any real interest in them, this film left my rather cold and bewildered and wanting more explanations but then again perhaps that was the point of the film.

The Trip (2002)

Touching and Funny and not full of stereotypes

[28 June 2004]

I have no doubt that this film would not have been shown at my local cinema which is why I have only just seen it. This is a shame because I thought that this was a very good film.

It is both a very touching film and also a very funny film with some very sensitive acting from Larry Sullivan and Steve Braun who receive some very good support, most notably from Sirena Irwin and Jill St John, but also from Alexis Arquette, Ray Baker and Dennis Bailey.

It was also both interesting and a very elucidating idea to show the various stages of the life of their relationship against a backdrop of the (gay) politics of the time.

I think that it was a shame that I missed it but a much bigger shame that my local cinema would not have run this type of film as it was of a much higher caliber than some of the pulp that they do show (and I don't refer here to the type or genre of the film but to the acting and production values).

Unconditional Love (2002)

Very good acting spoilt by typical Hollywood schmaltz

[3 June 2004]

I thought that the acting of the three leads was extremely good (I must be honest here and admit that I am a very big Rupert Everett fan, ever since I saw him on stage many, many years ago) and in the case of Kathy bates truly superb. The idea of the core of the film is interesting and worthy of exploration, which this film does with wit and the film is, enjoyable but everything is just too light which makes the film feel out of balance. I can suspend reality with ease (well I can normally) but I thought this was just too much, there was no light and shade.

It was an enjoyable enough film but the happy ending so typical of Hollywood was rather too over the top and too sweet and left me feeling rather thirsty for something a bit more savory, if you know what I mean.

I felt that this could have been a great film, instead of just being a good film.

Autumn Sonata (1978)

A tremendous film but it left me feeling wrung-out.

[26 May 2004]

The acting of Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ulmann is absolutely spell binding and while Katherine Hepburn may have been accused of portraying the emotions for A to B there is no doubt that these two actors can portray the emotions from A to Z and beyond. When I watch a film in a foreign language I find myself studying facial expressions and body language very closely, not surprisingly as, with the lack of understanding I am more dependant of visual cues. However such scrutiny often uncovers failings and weaknesses – not here.

The cinematography id also first class, the colours, tones and lighting are all superb and enhance, never detract.

This is only the second of Bergman's films I have seen (the first being Fanny and Alexander) and what I have noticed is that while many films give to the viewer and I feel as if the emotions are a natural response, I felt with the Bergman films, particularly this one, as if the films have taken something out of me, as if the emotions have been extracted against my will. This may sound over the top and rather florid but is a genuine statement. I also have to say that what the two films have in common is that they were both spellbinding and like a good book that just can't be put down, the films gripped me and wouldn't let go even for a minute.

Bright Young Things (2003)

Stephen Fry has proved is a much better directory than he is an actor.

[24 May 2004]

I have always thought that Stephen Fry's acting is mediocre at best and that his acting tends to be over the top and Hamish. With this film he has proved that he is a much better directory than he is an actor and in fact that he is a director of real talent.

The film is a very good representation (apart from the end) of Waugh's `Vile Bodies' and if some of the characters are rather two-dimensional with a whole class of people not have one single redeeming quality between them that has to be down to Waugh's writing rather than the film, but he always seamed to use such characters as a sort of short-hand. Despite this, the film, like Waugh's writing, remains very witty. Not that everything is all froth as the shorthand is used to make some very striking points.

Paycheck (2003)

A riveting and exciting thriller

[19 May 2004]

There may be inconsistencies in the story and in the effects (our hero stands planted firmly on his feet while baddies can hardly stand up against a man-made gale), however this is a riveting and exciting thriller.

The basic premise is interesting and the envelope, of seemingly everyday items, that holds the key to much more, is also a good idea. The special effects are limited and we rely on the story for the thrills, which to my mind is always much better.

Affleck is better than I have seen him in a long time and while he may not be a great actor this performance is at least good enough.

Thurman is unfortunately under used but lights up the screen.

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

Though this may not be typical of his work I am now keen to give others a try

[19 May 2004]

I have always been put off watching Ingmar Bergman films in the past because of the images of utter doom and despair. Though this may not be typical of his work and reportedly not a heavy as most others and more accessible, having seen this I am keen to give others a try.

Though quite long, I could not stop watching this film, it is truly spellbinding, and I watched both DVD's back-to-back. The acting is extremely good but it is the cinematography that is excellent. The contrast in colours to match the film is most noticeable (but not in a bad way) mirroring the story, rich deep reds, browns and gold with touches of deep green velvet, for the first two acts, then a change to chrometone with touches of pale blue and pale green for the next two culminating in a return to the warm pallet but lifted with refreshing white, pink and yellow. The film occasionally highlights everyday objects, which also gives emphasis to particular parts of the story, acting as exclamation marks.

I highly recommend this film. If you have always been put off Ingmar Bergman by all the hype and all the tales of utter gloom and depression then watch this film.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

A truly wonderful film

[13 May 2004]

I thought that this was a truly wonderful film, on many levels.

The animation is outstanding, truly art (but not arty).

The characterization is amusing and whimsical but with a light touch and yet with a depth that would put many of your average films to shame.

The story too is very humorous and it kept my attention throughout.

Yes it may be eccentric, but it is also an absolute joy to watch, full of finely honed wit I recommend this film very highly.

The Magdalene Sisters (2002)

Excellent if harrowing

[15 March 2004]

The acting in this film is superb (the only actor I knew before was Geraldine McEwan) and I challenge anyone not to be moved and shocked by this film. The Catholic Church should be ashamed of itself and its sadistic sisters, but it shouldn't be alone, so should the Irish government and anyone who knew this was happening and didn't raise a voice, let along a finger, to do anything about it.

I know similar things happened elsewhere, in England, women and girls considered to be loose women were often locked up in mental asylums right up to the first half of the 20th century but one of the most appalling facts from the film was the line (printed right at the end of the film) that the last Magdalene asylum did not close until 1996. Don't be put off by the harrowing tale (which certainly deserves to be told and to be seen), the acting is of a very high quality.

Edge of Seventeen (1998)

Extremely sensitive and thoughtful film

[9/10 · 10 March 2004]

Captures the feeling so well of one young man as he comes out and seeks love.

Not all gay men QUEENISH (but who's to say there is anything wrong with that anyway) or PROMISCUIOUS (but who's fit enough to judge).

Many gay people experience being taken for a ride when coming out. Many gay people desperately try to fit a preconceived mold (either gay or straight) and only learn to break free when it all goes wrong. The trying to be straight, the hurting the best (female) friend through thoughtlessness, rather than intentionally, chasing monogamy from bed to bed, the yearning to love and be loved.

I know so many people that will recognize this story, Which is sensitively portrayed in this film.

Not everyone will have experienced this, but a lot will and their story deserves to be told as well.