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keithdonald
Reviews
Standoff (2016)
Avoid
Dear oh dear there seems to be a lot of easily pleased reviewers here. My eyes are sore, rubbing them so hard reading the praise this film is getting. Granted, everyone has their point-of-view but for me this film was poor at best.
At the beginning of the film the assassin (Lawrence Fishburne) kills four people at the side of an open grave at a funeral; this of course spikes interest for the viewer wanting to know why such a dastardly deed has been undertaken. You will be waiting a long time as no explanation is ever given. Adding to your frustration is the four are then tipped into the open grave and the assassin feels the need to fill the grave in the middle of the day in broad daylight. Hardly, rule number one in the assassin's handbook. If this is not implausible enough a young girl happens to be taking a photograph just when the assassin looks up. He gives chase, killing another person in the process, to a lone farm house, where a veteran soldier (Thomas Jane) is standing on the veranda. So if you were the assassin what would you do? Well rule number two in the assassin's handbook is to take a pot shot at him with a handgun from about 200 metres! Absolute nonsense. The rest of the film is rhetoric between the two men, one wanting the girl and the other not wanting to give her up. Quite why Lawrence Fishburne didn't figure out to set fire to the property is a mystery.
So there you have it, a film full of clichés, no sense of reality and for me wooden acting all round. Ella Ballentine's acting was so twee as the little girl I felt like killing her myself. The only positive is that the film only runs for 100 minutes so you are not 'climbing walls' for too long.
The Legend of Barney Thomson (2015)
Oh Dear!
Firstly, I have immense high regard for the four principal actors in this film; namely, Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtennay and Emma Thompson. Their resumes' over the years have been the envy of any aspiring actor/actress. That said, why on earth did they subscribe to this dire movie?
Granted Tom Courtenay played the irascible Chief Superintendent well but I'm getting a little tired that the boss is always depicted this way. The world over film makers do the same thing, wouldn't it be refreshing if the boss was portrayed as a kind, supportive human being for once? Emma Thompson did well taking off the Glaswegian accent, Ray Winstone did well playing Ray Winstone and Robert Carlyle was just OK playing the guy where life just isn't being nice to him.
For me the film lacked direction and fell between two stools, it wasn't particularly funny so at best was a very poor comedy and it certainly wasn't dark humour, so it basically fell short on all counts.
Do not be seduced by the cast like I had been. Avoid.
The Revenant (2015)
Classic
It never ceases to amaze me how very different people's views are regarding the same subject. Some of the reviews here regard this film as boring and a waste of nearly 3 hours. For me, I just looked on in awe from the first minute to last. Yes it is long with slow parts between the excitement, yet this for me adds to the overall structure of the film. The despair and anguish displayed during these periods were almost palpable, oozing from the screen, due to the superb job of cinematography employed.
This review will not touch on the plot as it has been more than played out in these reviews. For me, although the plot was obvious by the title, what set it into orbit was the marriage of brilliant acting set within the harsh wilderness in which it was filmed.
In my opinion this film will go down as a modern day classic. For generations to come it will be looked back on with admiration for the superb acting and sheer enormity of its production with great special effects. They will also look back and believe it was a worthy first Oscar for an actor named Leonardo DiCaprio.
Burnt (2015)
I Was Burnt
The problem I had with this film was it lacked substance.
From the outset the main character, Adam played by Bradley Cooper, tells us how he raise to fame in Paris and how he fell from his pedestal through the use of drugs and alcohol. So the movie is set purely on his rise again back in London. If the movie had encompassed the 'rise, fall and rise again' parts it would have been a lot better for the viewer as they would share the roller coaster ride of his career. The viewer feels cheated that the meatier parts of the career, which would give a modicum of excitement, simply weren't there.
Now for the positives - The acting throughout the cast was simply fantastic. I've been in Gordon Ramsey's kitchen at his flagship restaurant in London and almost felt I was back there. Even the slightest mannerisms and techniques were spot on.
Foodie types will love it and it was certainly watchable, but if you are looking for any action or suspense, look elsewhere.
Exposed (2016)
The Big Yawn
The makers of this film probably think it is a film worthy of immense merit...It is not.
The movie starts slowly and keeps this pace until the credits begin to roll. After 10 minutes I began to think, 'is this film for me?' At the end of the film I really wished my initial worry had prevailed.
It is not a clever plot; it is stupid and completely irritating as it is stop start, moving through two story lines at the same time.
One good thing is that the plot is so poor and amateurish, no one is likely to follow suit.
Keanu Reeves was so stilted and wooden in this film I hardly recognised him.