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bunnymunro
Reviews
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
"Fear can hold you prisoner, Hope can set you free"
"The Shawshank Redemption" takes a look at life behind bars from a whole, new perspective. Rather than your basic break for freedom plot, this film focuses on the cost of adapting to prison life and how some convicts, once they conform, lose the ability to survive beyond the iron bars and barbed wire. The story takes place between the years of 1947 through to 1966 and follows the struggle of one-time successful and promising banker Andy Dufresne. Dufresne was convicted of the murder of his wife and lover when he is sent to Shawshank State Prison and sentenced to life behind bars. It is in Shawshank where he forms a friendship with Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, the "Sears and Roebuck" of Shawshank and uses his "hope" to get through life behind bars. It is he ("Red") who narrates the film which, rather than interfere upon the story, sustains and facilitates the film to make for an incredibly powerful and moving account of life inside prison. Director, Frank Darabont directs a magnitude of remarkable performances. Most notably from Tim Robbins who gives an exceptional performance as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman who's performance as 'Red' makes for a fascinating and intriguing film. Fine supporting performances also come from Bob Gunton (Warden Samuel Norton), William Sadler (Heywood), and Clancy Brown (Captain Byron T. Hadley) but remarkably, one of the first-class performances comes from James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlen. The scenes with him attempting to cope with life outside of Shawshank make for one of the film's most moving, effective and powerful sequences. "The Shawshank Redepmtion" is a truly remarkable film and is utterly unique not just in the prison drama genre but in the history of film its self.
My Rating : An Outstanding 10/10
True Identity (1991)
Zzzzzzzzzz...Oh sorry was I snoring?
I have one word to summarise this film...Boring! A boring plot, boring dialogue, boring gags.
The plot of a black actor trying to disguise himself as a white man? I mean who came up with this utterly tedious storyline. Remind me again why it was he was being chased by a mob? Exactly my point! Pointless so-called entertainment.
Charles Lane made a shambolic attempt to piece together the film and its plot. I mean it's hardly rocket-science to work out what exactly was going to happen in the next scene. The only thing that kept the movie going was Lenny Henry's ability to play three...I think...different characters, each with contrasting characteristics, extremely well.
In my opinion, a lazy attempt at comedy.
My Rating : A poor 3/10
Goal! (2005)
Yet another feel-good, dream story...but a creditable attempt to say the least.
From here on in there are a lot of spoilers. You have been warned!
"Goal" is another one of those feel-good, dream stories. Young kid with a special talent aims for something that every other kid could only ever dream of...and eventually gets there. In this case the young kid is Santiago Munez played by Kuno Becker. His dream is to become a professional footballer and make it big. Though there is one problem - as there always is in films like these - he lives in the Barrios area of East Los Angeles, an area of gangland which is the heart of the Latin community in ELA where Mexicans have been living ever since the time when California was part of Mexico.
When Santiago crossed the Mexican Border at the age of 10 he took only two things with him...his football and his old, tatty picture of the World Cup. Whilst growing up in LA he worked basic jobs but his mind was always set on football. He had tried time and time again to convince his father that he could make it big on the International football scene but his father was adamant that people as poor as them could never become anything other than servants to those who have a lot of wealth. But it was all about to change. Whilst playing for the local non-league football team, Santiago is spotted by former football player and part-time scout Glen Foy (played by Stephen Dillane). He sees a brave, quick and skillful young player in Munez and feels that he is exactly what Newcastle United need. The rest of the film follows Santiago's journey from training on muddy football pitches, struggling to adapt to English football and to scoring the winner that seals the victory for Newcastle Utd in an all important match.
I am led to believe that this is just the first in a trilogy of "Goal" movies with the following two concentrating on his progression through even bigger clubs than Newcastle. This movie had a lot of characteristic to it which unfortunately led to a highly cheesy film after the introduction of Roz Harmison (played by Anna Friel), the club nurse.
Becker's character has tried to come across as a role model to all the youngsters who aim to play football professionally by avoiding the temptations of life's surroundings and concentrating on the job in hand. In a way this has seemed to work as Utd's big - fictional - signing, Gavin Harris (Alessandro Nivola) is portrayed as the big-headed footballer looking for as much money as possible and who brings a lot of trouble to himself with his cocky mannerisms.
Overall, "Goal" was a creditable attempt at yet another football movie and was certainly worth near enough two hours of my time.
Not the best film I have seen but all credit to Danny Cannon at a reasonable attempt.
My Rating : A Creditable 7/10
7 Seconds (2005)
An average film
I'm not too sure if this comment contains spoilers so you have been warned anyway.
I rented "7 Seconds" on DVD today. As I inserted it into the DVD tray, grabbed the remote control and layed back on the sofa I was anticipating an hour and a half of high octane gun-fights and car chases, a movie with an exhilarating storyline and some sublime stunts from the great Wesley Snipes. Is this what I got I hear you ask? Was it heck! From the very start of the movie it looks like a decent action film but I was hoping for a lot more. Amongst the midst of things there was - I think - two exciting car chases and some good gunfights...but nothing fresh and new. Just the same old. The plot of this movie seemed to be quite bland and again it seemed like your basic everyday action flick. Good cop (or in this case military officer) turns bad and runs off with the bad guy for them to live happily ever after with everything they could ever want...blah de blah de blah. So £3.50. Was it worth that amount of money and an hour and a half of my time? Well...yes as a matter of fact. There isn't many modern action movies around which could offer a lot more and I have seen worse! For a DVD Rental...yes. To buy...no, unless you like building up collections and see it lying in a bargain bin somewhere. An average film...average plot and average acting but I know Snipes can do better than this. So until he does then rent this and you can moan about how bland this film was later.
My Rating : An average 5/10
Snatch (2000)
British Comedy at its Best!
Guy Ritchie's done it again! As was "Lock, Stock...", "Snatch" is everything you could possibly want in a British Comedy and more. With it's quick-witted one liners and its hilarious plot it really brings out the best in the likes of Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones. But the best performance of the whole movie has to go to Brad Pitt for his portrayal of Mickey O'Neil, the hard-drinking, bare-knuckle boxer who could knock out even the largest of fellas with one deadly punch. Pitt proves that he isn't just a pretty boy of Hollywood and that he can vary his performances in accordance to the film that he is starring in. Take for example his performance as O'Neil in "Snatch" to his performance as Achilles in "Troy". OK "Troy" may not be the greatest of films but there is a big, big difference in characters. "Snatch" is the perfect lads movie. Guns, money, bookmakers, boxing, stolen diamonds, robbers, gangsters and to top it all of...it's a comedy and it's British! With its snappy dialogue and side-splittingly funny, villainous Londoners I highly recommend this movie!
My Rating : A Brilliant 9/10