Reviews

Every now and again you come across a film that just makes you think.... This is one of those. Recently upconverted to 4K and back on a big screen, it's quite simply a joy to watch. Jimmy Stewart is "George" - a man who has spent his adult life tirelessly trying to help those less fortunate to make their own way in life - and his savings and loan enterprise is the lifeline for many of them. When that all goes pear-shaped though, he feels a degree of despair that leads him to wish he had never been born. Enter the wonderful Henry Travers as "Clarence" - the visiting angel who grants his wish and demonstrates just how life would have looked had he, indeed, never been around. Lionel Barrymore is superb as his domineering competitor "Mr. Potter" who wants his name on everything in "Pottertown" that he doesn't already own. Donna Reed also shines as his wife, especially towards the end of this...

Lovely film. 'It’s a Wonderful Life' is enjoyable, hearty and well crafted. It takes longer than I would've predicted to get to 'the event', but it's very much worth seeing the journey that comes before - as we see the arc of James Stewart's George. It all crescendos with an ending that you can't help but smile at. Stewart is excellent in the lead role, you really do see every single emotion that his character goes through. He is, by far, the standout performer, but there are of course good performances from the likes of Donna Reed (Mary), Lionel Barrymore (Henry) and Henry Travers (Clarence). I did notice a few weird cuts in there, not that I hold that against it or did it affect my enjoyment - it's just noticeable. I see, via other reviewers, that there's a colour version - Channel 4 showed the black-and-white version over here in the UK. I can't say I felt the need for colour,...

Oh my goodness, I am not going to spend much time describing this gold standard of Christmas movies. If you have seen it, you know what it is. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and watch it now. It is funny, tense, sentimental, romantic and downright Capra-esque. I have liked Jimmy Stewart in everything I have seen him in. Was he that good, or did the camera just plain love him, like I heard said once about Steve McQueen. But it doesn’t stop there. If you notice the ensemble cast, you see represented some of the finest character actors out there. Between them it’s seems like we have seen one of them in every great classic movie. I don’t watch this every year any more - there is just too much to see out there this time of year. But I watch it every two or three years and besides, if I have some time to spare, I can practically review every scene in order in my mind. It is part...

It's practically an American tradition to watch this film with family at Christmas time each year. I just saw it for the first time myself a couple weeks before last Christmas, and I loved it. It's an uplifting, inspiring, dramatic, and at times laugh-out-loud funny story, with a cast that probably couldn't be improved upon if you tried. And, of course, it's directed by the superb Frank Capra, whose work I greatly admire. James Stewart gives a raw, totally honest performance, as the unforgettable George Bailey, who on Christmas Eve is shown exactly why the world, or at least Bedford Falls, can't do without him. And, there is my favorite line in the whole movie, out of so many memorable quotes, delivered perfectly by Lionel Barrymore, as the evil Mr. Potter: "And a happy new year to you. In jail!"

Forever great, forever relevant as dictators and dictator-wannabes do their best to deprive the humans of their humanity.

In September 1939, six days after Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, Charlie Chaplin began filming his next feature. Drawing on the public perception of the similarities between himself and Adolf Hitler - not just his toothbrush moustache but also their upbringings - Chaplin sought to directly parody and attack the German führer and fascism. In The Great Dictator, Adenoid Hynkel (Chaplin) rules Tomania and sets about his conquest of the world. In doing so, he persecutes Jewish people, including a former veteran of World War I who is now a barber (also Chaplin). Unsurprisingly, the film was a hit on release, resonating well with the anti-Nazi sentiment in both American and British public. Chaplin understood that delivering his political message was so important that he forewent his usual desire for a silent film in order to get his message across. Sound is used to great effect in...

It's interesting that Scream 7 came out the same year as this movie. Both are very tired franchises that have been retreading the same ground for a long time. However, Scream 7 still manages to be engaging, at least up to a point. This movie does not manage to be funny. A horror movie has to be scary, and Scream manages that adequately. A comedy has to be funny, and scary movie does not attain that. These are jokes meant for an earlier audience that try to be offensive in the same way that worked more than two decades ago. And it simply does not land. It is boring, incoherent, and disjointed. It is best to be avoided.

1/10 stars rating. A total drop. Its not funny and the whole story line is trying so hard to imitates the originals .. but sadly even as a parody movie its just so boring and gross that cant even get pass half an hour of the movie time. There is not even a single moment where the punch line is originaly funny and yeah just waste of time. Its definitely a total drop.

If you're a fan of the "Halloween", "I Know What you Did..." and "Scream" franchises, then you'll probably appreciate many of the parodies here - as well as it's comic critique on some of their more repetitious production techniques, as we watch "Ghostface" going on the rampage again. Marlon and Shawn Wayans act as the anchors as the story moves along quickly for a ninety minutes that pokes fun at the formulaic predictability of so many of the horror film genres; of the racist and sexist tropes that feature all too often and of the almost "Scooby Do" nature of the supernatural that usually confers the culprit(s) with a degree of invincibility and immortality. There are a few chuckle moments, but it's trying to do too much in too short a time and I didn't feel either Wayans nor Anna Faris's "Cindy" really shine. Dave Sheridan's "Doofy" is just plain annoying and though the writing is...

I am so disappointed. This piece of trashis unwatchable. Just a cacophony of loosely tied bits, gags, throwbacks to old movies just to cashgrab this one. This vaguely resembles a movie in it's form, not like the first three Scary Movies (the OG ones). It's a shame. A damn shame. It's Epic/Disaster/Date Movie or Meet the Spartans all over again. This makes Superhero Movie look like Citizen Kane.

Isolation is difficult to commit to film because without dialogue the action can sometimes feel like it's dragging. This movie suffers from this during its first half and once it obtains enough characters to actually hold conversations, it turns out that they are somewhat dull and that the characters are difficult to engage with. Your point of view is very set and it's difficult to engage with any of the other characters. Overall I felt that this was an overly slow depiction of a poorly realized end of the world. For instance, an impact like this would have made the air unbreathable but everyone seems to be doing just fine and that breaks the immersion of the story being told.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/dune-spoiler-free-review "Dune sets the new standard for epic cinema with eyegamic visuals, powerful sound design and score, and a compelling story told surrounded by an absolutely massive scale. Denis Villeneuve adds yet another audiovisual masterpiece to his filmography, despite some narrative-pacing issues due to the heavy exposition and repetitive yet crucial dream sequences. Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson stand out in a stellar cast, where everyone delivers performances no short of impressive. From the remarkable character work to the constantly captivating interactions, without forgetting the spectacle of the riveting action/war scenes, the extremely layered screenplay is beautifully translated to the big screen, where every viewer should definitely go to watch this movie. Finally, don't forget that...

As a child, I remember catching David Lynch’s “Dune” on TV. I was too young to really understand the plot at the time, but I didn’t care, all I knew was that the worms were awesome. When I got a little older, I read the book for my first time. It was the first “adult” book I read on my own, and I was in love with it ever since. I read it many more times growing up, and when the miniseries came out, I watched and recorded it every night, then re-watched it time and time again. When “Children of Dune” aired, I again devoured it happily. In the case of the Lynch film, as I grew, I of course began to see more and more of the flaws, though I personally hold the “Spicediver Edit” in quite high esteem. That particular cut of the film manages to make the Lynch version into what is a genuinely good film, but still imperfect. The miniseries has, up until now, remained my preferred adaptation. Now...

The worst movie I've ever seen. Don't waste your time.

FABULOUS 🥇🥇🥇🥇 . . . . And , Oh , Yes . . . . Hans Zimmer's Score's Already Got "OSCAR" Written On It 😉 ; & EXPECT A WHOLE " HOST OF OTHER MAJOR NOMINATIONS - AS WELL " This Is A - B I G - Screen - MINI - Review. Picture Viewed Oct. 07, 2021 ; At Vox Cinemas , U . A . E Paul Atreides : " Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear, and I will permit it to pass over me. When the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain ". 1. If you're  one of the -Millions- of people around the world who loved Denis Villeneuve's hauntingly riveting 2015 thriller 'Sicario', ( yours truly included ) ; then strap in for 'one hell of an Interstellar ride, with an -{ EQUALLY }- " INTERSTELLAR 🌠 " CAST . . . . that -literally- presents itself like a Who's-who of Hollywood's "Best, And Brightest". This time around, the...

Cillian Murphy offers an assured and considered performance here as the man who is credited with developing the bomb that hastened the end of WWII in the far east. He is the increasingly acclaimed, eponymous, physicist who is made aware by Admiral Lewis Strauss (another strong performance from Robert Downey Jr.) that it just possible that the Russians have the A-bomb. Now Oppenheimer already suspects that the Nazis are also well on their way to weaponising the atom - his earlier education and career had introduced him to some of the prominent minds in the UK and in Germany who were quite capable of taking the theory forward; so he begins to pressurise the American government to begin it's own programme - and the "Manhattan Project" is born. Motivated/goaded/galvanised by the ambitious "Col. Groves" (Matt Damon) he assembles a formidable collection of scientific minds at a purpose built,...

Telling the story of a larger-than-life individual truly calls for a larger-than-life film, and that’s precisely what writer-director Christopher Nolan has come up with in his latest feature outing, handily the best work of his career. Nolan’s three-hour opus about the life of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), director of the Manhattan Project (and more commonly known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb), provides viewers with a comprehensive biography of this brilliant and thoughtful yet often-inscrutable and naïve physicist who took on a patently dangerous venture that left him morally conflicted about the nature of his creation. The story, which spans several decades of the scientist’s life, chronicles his development of “the gadget” and the fallout he suffered as a consequence of his left-wing political leanings and his efforts to keep the released nuclear genie from getting...

OPPENHEIMER IS "NOT FOR EVERYONE" AS STATED BY CHRISTROPHER NOLAN BEFORE THE RELEASE OF THE FILM HIMSELF. But those who have ample knowledge of physics and chemistry, this film is a masterpiece. The film takes the viewer into the mind of the "Father of the atomic bomb" how he thinks, how he feels with much accuracy. Nolan beautifully explains his life both on a private and professional front. The music, the sounds with each scene are top notch. The visuals of QUANTUM PHYSICS, FISSION, NUCLEAR EXPLOSION are mind-boggling. If possible, watch it in IMAX. THE MOVIE IS FULL OF DIALOGUES, CONVERSATIONS MOVING BACK AND FORTH IN TIMELINE. It's a historical biography with fantabulous acting by C.M., E.B., R.D.J. and more. The scenes with ALBERT EINSTEIN are just wow. A plethora of scientists(BOHR, FERMI, TELLER, HEISENBERG) of the age can be seen throughout. There are no action scenes if...

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-nolans-oppenheimer-is-a-harrowing-tale-of-one-mans-life/ "Oppenheimer is a true masterclass in how to build extreme tension and suspense through fast, detailed dialogue, an insanely powerful sound production, and an equally explosive score from Ludwig Göransson. Words cannot fully describe Hoyte van Hoytema's gorgeous cinematography. It's a harrowing, disturbing, genuinely frightening story about how one man's compulsion and political power changed the world. Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt shouldn't miss any awards ceremonies… they're absolutely superb, as are the rest of the exceptional actors involved in the movie. Pacing, structure, and runtime, in addition to its quasi-documentary style and its narrative complexity, make this a difficult, heavy watch that will, for sure, leave some viewers...

It is impossible to imagine a world now, in 2020, that does not include these characters from the fantastically creative imagination of JK Rowling. That she worked closely with Chris Columbus in the creation of this adaptation of her introductory story featuring the boy-wizard means it stays broadly faithful to the book but allows the imagery to replace, rather than duplicate, the narrative. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson validate the best in the casting director's art as we set off on this wonderfully enjoyable fantasy adventure. The supporting cast - Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Zoë Wanamaker et al all add richness to this as young "Mr. Potter" and is friends begin to realise their magical potential. John Williams works his wonders creating a score almost as recognisable as his "Star Wars" theme and the special effects are gentle, yet sophisticated....