"Another excellent performance from Sean Pertwee!"
“Runaway Jury” B
It’s a great example of acting talent elevating an average movie to something enjoyable. Some of the scenes really crackled with energy, and the twists worked in a logical and uncontrived way. Top scenes were between the leads in their face-offs.
“Dog Soldiers” B+
The blood did flow, the guts did splatter and the acting was top class. I love a good horror movie, and a good horror movie is a rare thing. The best bits were the Matrix reference, the level of character definition and the clever use of the limited budget. Yes, you know who’s going to get it and how, but it’s fun to watch. There was plenty of good stuff with accents too.
“The Big Blue” C
Long. The fact that it was lovingly crafted with great attention to detail and to conveying character in many subtle ways does not forgive it from needing to be trimmed by a good hour. The dubbing choices are odd - Jean Reno does his own dialogue for both the English and French versions, and is nigh incomprehensible in the former, while other actors are dubbed by clear speakers or exaggerated hams. The story is simple and would be elegant if given less room to sprawl in. The whole effect is a mixed bag: a great piece of cinema or a slow piece of French indulgence? I can’t decide, but my overall boredom knocks it down a grade or ten.
“Jutrznia” (The Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gospel Sunrise and Wroclaw University of Technology Choirs) B
As expected, it was a bit tiring thematically. In Polish, gospel becomes a great deal more devoted and a great deal less joyous than in English. There were moments when it had an almost conversionally aggressive tone. But musically it was very enjoyable; there was a great range of sound, and a tangible energy in some of the sections of the choir. Unfortunately, the people from the University of Technology refused to move with the rhythm, so the choreography was spoiled, and the lead female singer couldn’t hide her total and complete boredom when she wasn’t singing, which was a little distracting.
“The Maxx” Volume 1. C
I should have left this in the past. Just as Sam Keith says in the introduction, it’s a flawed piece, an early attempt at what he would do better later on. It’s unnecessarily confusing, a bit too teen angst and fuzzy logic-filled, and doesn’t have the impact I remember from its MTV/Image days. There are some great ideas, and some atmospheric art, but this was a bit of a disappointment. On the “Longshot” scale of things, a minor disappointment, but a disappointment all the same.
It’s a great example of acting talent elevating an average movie to something enjoyable. Some of the scenes really crackled with energy, and the twists worked in a logical and uncontrived way. Top scenes were between the leads in their face-offs.
“Dog Soldiers” B+
The blood did flow, the guts did splatter and the acting was top class. I love a good horror movie, and a good horror movie is a rare thing. The best bits were the Matrix reference, the level of character definition and the clever use of the limited budget. Yes, you know who’s going to get it and how, but it’s fun to watch. There was plenty of good stuff with accents too.
“The Big Blue” C
Long. The fact that it was lovingly crafted with great attention to detail and to conveying character in many subtle ways does not forgive it from needing to be trimmed by a good hour. The dubbing choices are odd - Jean Reno does his own dialogue for both the English and French versions, and is nigh incomprehensible in the former, while other actors are dubbed by clear speakers or exaggerated hams. The story is simple and would be elegant if given less room to sprawl in. The whole effect is a mixed bag: a great piece of cinema or a slow piece of French indulgence? I can’t decide, but my overall boredom knocks it down a grade or ten.
“Jutrznia” (The Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gospel Sunrise and Wroclaw University of Technology Choirs) B
As expected, it was a bit tiring thematically. In Polish, gospel becomes a great deal more devoted and a great deal less joyous than in English. There were moments when it had an almost conversionally aggressive tone. But musically it was very enjoyable; there was a great range of sound, and a tangible energy in some of the sections of the choir. Unfortunately, the people from the University of Technology refused to move with the rhythm, so the choreography was spoiled, and the lead female singer couldn’t hide her total and complete boredom when she wasn’t singing, which was a little distracting.
“The Maxx” Volume 1. C
I should have left this in the past. Just as Sam Keith says in the introduction, it’s a flawed piece, an early attempt at what he would do better later on. It’s unnecessarily confusing, a bit too teen angst and fuzzy logic-filled, and doesn’t have the impact I remember from its MTV/Image days. There are some great ideas, and some atmospheric art, but this was a bit of a disappointment. On the “Longshot” scale of things, a minor disappointment, but a disappointment all the same.