Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Rachel Getting Married - One Sentence Review

Though, admirably and stylishly realised with a genuine sense of atmosphere, whilst managing to point out that the cultural and familial identity of an American wedding is fluid and not fixed, this is a deeply unsatisfying film, featuring extremely unlikable characters with almost no redeeming features, who fail to even manage to be compelling in their unpleasantness and ultimately, this utterly charmless movie cops out and leads an interesting set-up into an unfulfilling dead end full of artificial and un-earned hints at redemption.

2.5/5 (The extra half is for style and atmosphere)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Reader - One Sentence Review


Whilst this may look like the same old, sombre, Nazi drearathon, from oh-so-worthy director Steven Daldry, it's actually an affecting and better-than-expected tale of guilt, what if anything we can learn from it and how story telling can help, though some (not us) may view the deliberate withholding of catharsis as disappointing.
4/5

Monday, January 19, 2009

One Sentence Review: ‘Slumdog Millionaire’



Danny Boyle has fashioned a ripping escapist yarn out of the bleakest of settings, harnessing wonderful performances and using the camera like it’s a bullwhip yet, oddly, it’s the slickness and lightening pace of the opening ten minutes that may be one of ‘Millionaire’s fundamental flaws which left this viewer slightly apathetic to our central character’s quest.

3.5/5

Thursday, January 15, 2009

One Sentence Review: ‘Defiance’



This well produced true life story of three brothers who defy the Nazi’s, by not dying, gets off to an enjoyable start but quickly gets stuck in its own mud by, surprisingly, lacking enough tension within the compound scenes and whose bland characters feel like they were written by Edward Zwick to be in an Edward Zwick film, which they were.
2.5/5

Sunday, January 11, 2009

One Sentence Film Review: Role Models


With a funny-as-hell trailer, Rodel Models has little more to offer once you watch the movie; relying too heavily on comedic improvisation and the novelty of a swearing ten year old, this weak scripted film enters yawn territory thirty minutes in.
2/5