Reviews

Anna Panquin carries this film: It is a workmanlike film, with good production values, dialogue and pacing, but she transforms it into something great. Not the finely polished major studio work of 'Schindler's list' but deeply credible and moving. She expresses so much, so well, it i shard not to cry at the story around her. I found it of a similar quality to the 'Pianist' but a bigger, much more important story.

This is a story of an ordinary person, in an extraordinatry time. This is a story of the little way, one for everyday people. I am glad Irena Sendler's story is known: It is a story that deserves, no, needs to be remembered.

This is slow but well paced, clever and thoughtful but credible. It is set in wartime London but not gory or action packed. It is artistic but real, moving but not soppy, mostly set in small scenes but has great production values. It is gripping, covers big issues but all the important little details are captured nicely.

It is character driven and the script finds the voice of each person. The all-star complement are well cast and really shine with such geat dialog to work with. Some lines (not just a few) are inspired. Everything is done just right. There are enough narrative twists to keep you interested but none are artificial or forced.

I was hugely impressed and have rewatched with pleasure!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

No spoilers as it is a fun plot you will enjoy discovering for yourselves.

All star cast, great script, well paced, lovely scenery, clear camera work and excellent production values for the time. All the right ingredients: Good clean fun, suits all ages, a charming romantic interest, many well drawn, credible and interesting characters. Comedy as natural as the air you breath.

I loved this and am sorry the rights seem tangled up, preventing a re-release on TV or DVD. It deserves both! I confess to having a rosy memory of it but think it will age as well as I recall. Heard vague rumours (as much as you can as an outsider) that it may get out again one day soon?

The founding of the USA with all the main characters present and well described. From well before the declaration of independance, showing the copntext develop.

The main events and developments are beautifully recounted. HBO invested in fantastic production values, an all-star cast at the top of their form. The dialogue is incisive, the narrative set at an engaging pace, mixing historical accuracy with an enlightening presentation of how US independance unfolded. It is very clear and informative but hugely entertaining also. I was blown away.

David McCullough's bestselling biography is well served with this work.

Prize winning (51 awards), 7 long episodes (8 hours), 3 DVDs.

Highly Recommended.

This is not a vain, sumptious, glorious, bollywood affair but mature and topical film making. It is no simple fairy tale but a finely drawn tale of people in a polarised society. The leads are well known and top class. Some of the supporting cast (the fashonistas) are peripheral to the story and the producers can be forgiven for casting weaker actors. The dialogue is good and the characters are finely drawn, credible and engaging. The music and sound are excellent. The narrative pacing and density are brisk and build up nicely.

A lovely film that shows the subcontinent has a world class cinema that they can export anywhere.

RECOMMENDED.

No hollywood smash hit but very respectable drama, mostly of a much better quality than Hallmark. Strange that it gets more hate than it deserves, but I see that comes mostly from the UK.

This is a good solid production, reasonable acting (though some smaller roles use weak actors), a true story credibly told, some intelligent insights and overall nicely paced narrative. The dialogue is not anywhere near the class of 'The Crown' but engaging. I was pleasantly surprised. If you want to know more about Harry and Meghan this film is more reliable than tabloid newspapers!

Solid 6.5 stars - If you have not already decided, then I do not hesitate to Recommend this.

This has a sequel 'Becomming Royal' (some different key actors but same sets and prcoduction team), but this stands comfortably on its own merits.

This was very poorly received outside USA and was withdrawn for several years. This semi-documentary format propaganda film shows the US 'leading' the way in Burma. When the London Premier audience heard the 1 million Commonwealth forces in Burma described as 'some outposts in the south' the audience got up and walked out. The Commonwealth deployed ~2.5million in the whole South East Asia. The film had to be renamed when the studio reissued it a few years later.

In terms of film making it is a stereotypical b/w propaganda film of heroic jungle aggression and endurance. It came out at a time before any reliable Jungle war accounts had been published, and as the US Navy was obstructing Dutch, French and UK reoccupation of pre-war colonies.

It is dated, overlong, has poor narrative pacing, but it is Errol Flynn at his best, good Warner studio production values for the time and several other recognisable faces, who do a workmanlike job of acting. Perhaps above average for the genre, but is best skipped over now.

This is a rather stereotyped Hollywood story. It is obviously inspired by Tom and Katie's life but does not try to be biographical. It explores the way of a sect (methods, intelligence, impact, value and risks) as well as the work to build hollywood 'image', in a very refreshing way.

It has an intelligent script, an insightful story, is well paced, is engaging, has a fluent narrative with surprisingly good acting perfomances from a less well known cast. The cast are given good dialogue and do alot with it. I found the characters altogether credible and sympathetic. The production values are top notch and the overall effect is very satisfying.

I am sorry it is haerd to find to buy (DVD or stream) as I thought this one would have a place in my collection.

RECOMMENDED.

A clever premise, well produced, good cast, smart dialogue, nice narrative pacing and density, a few twists to keep it interesting, nice breadth of characters. The fiction invites comparison with reality and borrows a few stereotypes without overusing them. I liked the 'cult' angle and how it explores some real human psychology applied to an 'image engine'. It skirts uncomfortable issues in enough depth not to be simple fluff. It is well above the Hallmark standard, perhaps just below top award winning quality TV. Looking for the weakness that made me say, that I realise it was the acting of the lead, playing 'Kyle West' a wisker off the mark. Nothing much to grumble about.

I enjoyed this, it is great entertaiment: RECOMMENDED.

I liked the 1956 black and white film 'The man who never was' covering the same WW2 deception operation.

This all star, lush production is a modern reimagining, with all the modern politically correct and international marketting requirements filled. Emotive, sensationalist, confrontational, with lots of indiscrete conversations in public, on steps, in pubs and clubs. A romantic interest of course and many new keys roles for women. Lots of careless meetings, indiscrete maps and open doors for triumphant shouting about highest level decrypted interecepts.

OK, if you know no better. Childish if you do.

This is a 1959 film that feels modern. It has an all star cast, great directing, intelligent script, good production values, narrative pace, density and sublety to satisfy a modern audience. There is no search for clear good and bad. There are twists but not overelaborate. There is no pointless gambling, womanising and drinking; This is about fighting for peace, not justice. It explores the weakness of justice and, ultimately, its importance. It is hard to find on disc or to stream. I was surprised to find it on Youtube, as it seems much too good for that!

RECOMMENDED.

The starting premise is a private christian high school running team. It is much deeper that I expected and I found rewatching rewarding. It has multiple narrative lines, is personality driven, has a morality focus, and it finds some useful technical running ideas.

The moral dilemas are interesting the personalities are credible and engaging. The production values and acting are Hallmark+ quality. The music is well matched to the story. The plot pacing is nicely developed. The climax is was exciting and satisfying. The polarising issue is the openly christian theme. The examples and scripture is unmissable but appropriate. It is clearly not be to everyone's taste but you do not need to be any kind of runner or christian to understand and enjoy this film.

Free on Youtube at the moment. It got some of the recognition it deserved. A good independant film. The (stand alone) sequel 'The Perfect Race' is also very good, similar flavour, perhaps even better though.

I recommend both.

The simple joy of clever dialog, a large number of well drawn and varied characters, was great. I loved discovering an interesting new sport. I liked the challenges set and credible character driven narrative. It continued to impress me all the way through. I kept being suprised and lovd the attention to detail in the production. RECOMMENDED.

I approached this as a light/ fun/ sweet/ easy rom-com. It has all the elements, some 'Hallmark' characteristics, nice trailer and, hey, a bit of good music. It is not a Hollywood top rank production, but it is good workmanship. Someone invested in good writers and they nailed the dialogue. In the plot layering too there is a higher quality. Together they make the film rise to a higher level than hallmark; much higher.. On rewatching, I noticed had a second later edit: That was an improvement.

I really liked how the script twines so many narrative angles in parallel with the main plot. That it is brave enough to Include a couple of harsher storylines is a credit. This results in a deeper more real and human tale that turns what might have been thin syrup into something that works and is well worthwhile .

So it is a hit! And I really like the fiddle, though they don't go overboard on the music, though sound track has some classics. Recommended: Yeah!

This is a modern social drama in thin disguise as a regency drama. The dialogue is vulgar and unsubtle. The behaviour is quite careless of propriety, protocol and credibility. It has high production values and its lush opulence and modern narrative pacing has some attraction. So of all the stars it loses if one hoped for Austen like depths, or even Disney charm, it regains a couple as modern entertainment. Social dramas need an intelligent script and engaging characters. I am sorry the production invested so much but not in the writers.

This is in the same style as the christian cross country film 'Remember the Goal'. You will like it as much whether or not you have seen that. Runners will love both for the detailed insight into running. Christians will like both for the nicely balanced and relevant way the christian values are brought out. Here the race is the 800m at the college level. The prepration is shown here in alot more technical detail. The narrative is well paced, the acting is solid Hallmark standard. It is a very nice, rewarding film whose title is beautifully appropriate.

Here is the Whedon flavour, just as there is a Nolan or Ritchie signature to their films. Victorian England steam punk fantasy is the genre. Top flight acting, intelligent dialogue and polished production values, with an original premise, lots of high concept and elegant narrative. Nice effects but nothing extreme, some good fight scenes, a panoply of rich characters, some verging on the parody but well suited to the milieu, and well seasoned with straight players and a deeply detailed world building to impress the most jaded palate. I was wonderstruck after just the first episode.

As docu-dramas go, not bad. It is very hard to find 'region 2' DVDs of any US athletic champion's biopic, even to stream.

I barely knew anything about Simone Biles (I've since seen the Gabby Douglas story and was impressed by both films). I was interested to see how a bonafide mega-champion came to be. The story is well told with lots of impressive gymnastics. You have to admire her, her parents and her coach. The practical challenges, discouragements and whole psychological journey are as interesting as the physical development. And I liked how the gradual improvement was so well shown: The final scenes showing Ms Biles' olympic performances surprise, as a spectacular step-up from all that went before; delightful. The journey though all the build up this film offers, earns the viewer a much deeper understanding of what those final amazing feats really took to achieve. I've not been in such awe since Nadia Comaneci (and she had less height and complexity in her moves)

If I had to pick Oscar for 'Best film ever', out of all the many greats, this would be on the shortlist and probably winner. It is great on many levels and consistently wonderful, original, intelligent and perceptive. It makes a rich and diverse multiverse and weaves the complex tapestry with a coherence, perceptive and incisive narrative. The result is not just a work of visual and narrative art but truly and deeply meaningful.

It is about character, values, truth, beauty, love, endurance, triumph-in-adversity. It uses classic formula with innovative energy, wit, and is without stereotypes. The historical and technological strands, side by side are unforced and feel perfectly balanced: The production values are gorgeous. How to adapt such a book, how to marry so perfectly, so many disparate narrative strands and contexts, was a work of genius. The use of 3 directors for separate epochs was very effective.

This is a film for all: Superficially it's as good as an adventure yarn, as a deeper meaningful study in human nature. It makes you sit up though: No one can miss it's quality or ignore it's originality. GREAT stuff. A top 10 of all time film, without a doubt

This is a wonderful film, very well put together and it tells a great true story. It has a big cast of rich characters, well played by great actors. Both Sam Neil and Teresa Palmer are global A list stars and they really shine. The story is full of heart and expresses it vividly and emphatically, well paced all the way through. It is full of lovely fine detail and thoughtful touches. The music is well matched thematically and moving. The work, challenge, strife, upsets and character are finely drawn and utterly credible. This feels like a top rate fully polished film, without a hint of any corners being cut at any level of production, yet it has none of Hollywood's excess. It does not feel, at all, like a directorial debut: Hats off to Rachel Griffiths, this one I want a copy for my library and to loan out to friends. RECOMMENDED