Category Archives: FilmReview

1997, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Redemption, Religious Theme, Wonderful acting

The Apostle (1997)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

When charismatic but troubled Pentecostal preacher Euliss “Sonny” Dewey (Robert Duvall) discovers that his wife (Farrah Fawcett) is having an affair, he promptly puts the other man in a coma and flees his home state of Texas for Louisiana. Once there, he takes on a new name, renovates an old church and brings new life to a congregation. Written and directed by Duvall, the film also earned an Oscar nod for Duvall’s complex, captivating performance.

All the excited Pentecostal preaching, praying, shouting, curing, etc. at the start of the film almost turned me off immediately. But that is the intense atmosphere of this entire story. Although the Bible Belt style of religion might not appeal to everyone, the attraction here is the amazingly energetic performance of that actor’s actor Robert Duvall. Once he gets going in a charismatic fury, there is no stopping him. Could he have actually memorized such a flood of words from a script or was he ad-libbing?

If you can divorce yourself from all the commotion (or SHOULD you?), try to answer my question: was the Apostle insane? Alternatives are:

  • He lived in a culture where such behavior was considered normal.
  • He lived in a state of sane self-delusion.
  • He was perfectly sane and a consummate huckster. This same alternative has been voiced
    against the founders of certain (all?) religions.

And will you recognize Farrah Fawcett as his wife, Billy Bob Thornton as a trouble maker converted in a scene whose probability I had trouble accepting (but again it is a question of that culture), John Beasley as the Reverend Blackwell, or Walton Goggins as the young man crying at the end (Goggins plays Hunt in “Cowboys and Aliens”) ?

Maybe not your cup of tea, but certainly one of the more memorable performances in film history.

2009, Drama, Grim, Military, Suspense, War

Lebanon (2009)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

In this claustrophobic drama by first-time director Samuel Maoz — a veteran of the early ’80s Israel/Lebanon conflict in which the film is set — four Israeli soldiers command a tank in a situation that becomes increasingly tense and chaotic. Like Das Boot before it, most of the action is confined to the stark interiors of that tank, as the men wrestle with fear, anger and their own consciences in the face of possible death and worse.

As soon as you finish watching this grubby film which takes place entirely in an Israeli tank, you will probably rush to take a shower.

It might help to read some background on the first Lebanon war. Probably all you need to know is that Israel was aligned with the Phalangists (Christian Arabs) in their fight against Syria. And even that does not really matter. Essentially this is a study of a team of Israeli soldiers manning an old, unreliable, filthy dirty, and leaking tank which may or may not start when needed. These men start out with clean faces and by the end of the film their faces are black with grease, dirt, grime, and sweat. Your only view of the outside world is through the sight lenses of the gunner-driver. Inside this bleak world the men argue, tell jokes, become psychotic, make mistakes, and perhaps die.

As film-making goes, this was well-done. For me the personal interactions were riveting. But it is easy to see that this intense film is not for everyone.

2011, Horror, Imperfect, Mayhem, Mediocre, Supernatural, Suspense

Insidious (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

After moving into a new home, Josh (Patrick Wilson) and his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) confront terrifying tribulations when their son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) falls into a coma and his body starts to attract malevolent forces from a mysterious netherworld. But when the family decides to move again, hoping to leave the evil spirits behind, they realize that their problems are just beginning. James Wan (Saw) directs.

“Blair Witch Project” meets “Ghostbusters”. Patrick Wilson must be desperate to be in a film, any film whatsoever. What value could there be in watching this poorly made farce? Answer: it is so bad, it is funny. Perhaps the filmmakers ran out of money when it came to creating Chief Devil. To cap off the damage, the ending is somewhat daring. You would do better to shop for some other film.

2010, Bad high school, Drama, Drugs, Flirting, Gloomy, Love Story, Mediocre, Sad small town, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes

Daydream Nation (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

City girl Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) feels like she’s spinning her wheels when she moves to a small rural town, where she’s got nothing in common with anyone — except her disarmingly handsome teacher, Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas). But when Caroline tires of their clandestine affair, Mr. Anderson isn’t ready to let her go. Andie MacDowell co-stars in this humorous dark romance from writer-director Michael Goldbach.

One more entry in the list of films with the two characteristics “sad small town” and “bad high school”, this film you have seen before with different names. Unpleasantly realistic, you can only feel sorry for the characters.

As unexciting as this film was, the acting was good. Unfortunately the girl played by Kat Dennings just could not make up her mind what she wanted and dragged us along in her uncertainty. Josh Lucas did a good job as a lonely, mediocre, confused, writer wannabe, somewhat clownish high school teacher who is stupid enough to have an affair with one of his students.

Reece Thompson (22 years old at time of filming and without many credits in his resume) did a good job as a sad, drug using, insecure high school student who has lost a friend and searching for something solid to hold onto. Are our high school students (at least the males depicted in this film) really so drugged out?

While not a complete waste of time, you could find a better film to watch. In this category of film you might choose the classic “The Last Picture Show” from 1971.

2010, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Mayhem, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Salt (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

After she’s accused of being a Russian sleeper spy, rogue CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) goes on the run, using every tactic, accent and disguise she knows to elude her pursuers, clear her name and protect her husband. Her supervisor, Winter (Liev Schreiber), buys her story, while counterintelligence officer Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) decidedly does not and will do anything to stop her in this fast-paced, intrigue-filled spy adventure.

When I started to watch Angelina Jolie (age 35 during filming, daughter of Jon Voight) prove she is still a kick-boxer, I groaned and thought I was not going to make it through all the mayhem. But for this film the story line is full of amazing twists and turns that I just could not predict. Try and write down in advance where you think the plot will lead and see how well you guessed. Then send me your results, especially if you even came close.

Violence is just lots (and lots!) of punching and shooting. Our Angelina pulls off physical stunts that are probably not humanly possible. But does it matter ? And is that cleft in her lower lip real? Even in her many disguises, there’s that telltale cleft !

Jolie and Schreiber are well known. Chiwetel Ejiofor (age 33 during filming, born of Nigerian parents in London) played Jonah Gabriel in the TV series “The Shadow Line”.

You will not be bored!

2011, Clever Plot, Disturbing Image, Drugs, Love Story, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Limitless (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

With his writing career dragging and his girlfriend casting him off, Eddie Morra’s life turns around when he takes a drug that provides astonishing mental focus — but its deadly side effects threaten his future.

Seemingly slow at first, this imaginative and clever plot takes off and the suspense never ends. While the acting is nothing special, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro are acceptable. But it is really the roller-coaster sequence of action scenes that make the film fun to watch. Without spoiling anything, you can expect separate situations for Cooper and for his girlfriend Abbie Cornish in which they are cornered by one or more of the “bad guys” and they swallow a pill containing NZT and “Shazam!” they escape with a wonderfully contrived solution.

Of course there is a lot of violence and some possibly disturbing scenes.

Although the ending seemed too good to be true, I really recommend this film as a fun few hours of escape.

2008, Acceptable for children, British Mystery Series, Car Chase, Corny, Drama, Flirting, Love Story, Made For TV, Melodrama, Mystery Film, Old-Fashioned, Plot Twist, Suspense, Trains, Wonderful photography

The 39 Steps (2008)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Richard Hannay (Rupert Penry-Jones) has his holiday interrupted when secret agent Scudder (Eddie Marsan) bursts into his apartment, staying alive just long enough to deposit a notebook. Pegged with murder, Hannay must decode the book and nab the culprits — before they find him first. In this nimble BBC update of John Buchan’s novel, German spies and British police give chase as Hannay races to deliver the coveted code and avert a world war.

Rupert Penry-Jones and Matthew MacFadyen take turns starring in the excellent British TV series MI-5 . That series started in 2002. Since this Masterpiece Classic was made in 2008, I assume these two actors rotate in order to give them time to do other acting.

Think of “The 39 Steps” as a Harlequin Spy Romance with possibly its tongue in its cheek. Penry-Jones is accidentally thrust into an effort to prevent Germany from attacking the British navy just prior to World War I. He gets to run up and down hills, run through woods, drive vintage cars in exciting 20 mph car chases, solve encrypted messages, discover spies, and woo a winsome maiden, all the while remaining a presentable handsome Brit with a flare for witty comebacks.

If you can stand not having digital special effects enhance the performance of the actors, then you might enjoy this melodrama, despite a few “aw shucks!” moments.

2009, 2010, 2011, British, Child Molestation, Complicated, Crime, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Lawyers, Made For TV, Rape, Suspense, Wonderful acting

Law and Order: UK (2009)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

Dick Wolf’s long-running “Law & Order” franchise expands across the pond in the first season of this gritty police procedural that’s set on the streets of London and based on scripts from the American series. The first case finds detectives Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) and Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) teaming up with prosecutors James Steel (Ben Daniels) and Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) to get to the bottom of a baby’s untimely death.

Don’t get me wrong, Kathy and I love all the American “Law & Order” shows. But I find that this British version is better, more intense, and offers more courtroom drama. Beginning in 2009 the series ran into 2011. And then one of the lawyers, James Steel, used some plot excuse to leave the show and as far as I know the series ended at that point.

If you like “Law and Order”, DO NOT MISS THIS TV SERIES!

2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, British, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Cynical, DO NOT MISS, Flirting, Love Story, Made For TV, Political Suspense, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Torture, TV Series, Wonderful acting

MI-5

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

This award-winning series dramatizes the professional exploits and personal lives of the “spooks” of MI-5, the British equivalent of the FBI. No-nonsense head officer Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) guides a band of dedicated spies who risk their lives every day. The team includes expert and junior members who must balance real life with the job’s requirement for complete secrecy, no matter the cost. Matthew Macfadyen and Richard Armitage co-star.

Beginning in 2002 and continuing at least to 2010, this British TV-series is “utterly smashing”. Intense, sometimes hard to watch, but incredibly exciting in just about every episode. What makes some episodes difficult to watch is that the members of MI-5 are forced at times to make hard decisions that involve “collateral damage” (meaning some poor soul dies), so much so that those members are often damaged themselves and actually leave MI-5 (i.e. leave the show). In fact, be prepared for many, sometimes disappointing cast changes. For example Rupert William Penry-Jones (the character Adam Carter) started the show and then disappeared for awhile to be replaced by Matthew Macfadyen (the character Tom Quinn) who then leaves the show and is replaced by Rupert William Penry-Jones.

There are too many wonderful characters to even mention them. You can find them all listed in IMDB.

In addition to spook plots, there are also many romances. But any romance for a member of MI-5 is next to impossible because even their significant others cannot know what these spooks do for a living.

2010, Based on true facts, Drama, Made For TV, TV Series

Any Human Heart (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Riding the waves of the 20th century to two continents, Logan Mountstuart tries his hand at writing, the art trade and espionage, brushing shoulders along the way with a stunning assortment of iconic personalities. Jim Broadbent, Matthew Macfadyen and Sam Claflin pool their acting talents to portray one multifaceted man through three different seasons of his life in this sweeping British drama based on William Boyd’s best-selling novel.

Matthew Macfadyen seems noticeably older in this 2010 British two-DVD TV-series than he did eight years prior as Tom Quinn in the part of MI-5 made in 2002-2004. But that is as it should be because he plays the middle age part of the three ages of Logan Mountstuart.

Jim Broadbent as usual does a good job. This time he is the aged Montstuart.

For what it is worth, you might recognize the actor who plays Ernest Hemingway as the same actor who played the son of Inspector Foyle in the British TV series “Foyle’s War”.

British Masterpiece TV series should be your cup of tea in order to enjoy this pair of DVDs. Although there is a minimum of royalty involved, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson play a significant role in the story. Every British drama that I have seen that involves Edward and Wallis has in one way or other condemned the couple. In this regard “Any Human Heart” is no exception. Logan is sent to spy on the couple because it is believed that Edward is war-profiteering by dealing in currencies. There is also the suggestion that Edward had a man burned to death in his bed. If this star-cursed couple interest you, then there are even more lurid facts in the Wikipedia article.

For a good discussion of the book by William Boyd see the Wikipedia article.