Brandi Carlile, Bruce Springsteen, Lenny Kravitz, Jonatha Brooke, Apocalyptica, Kishore Kumar, Eric Clapton, David Gray, U2, Roxette, Sara Bareilles, Def Leppard, Nelly Furtado, Enigma, Beck, R.E.M., Beth Orton, Alicia Keys, Matchbox Twenty, Seal, Tori Amos, Velvet Revolver, Holly Brook, Silversun Pickups, Queen, Lata Mangeshkar, Led Zeppelin, The Smashing Pumpkins, Dire Straits, Alana Davis, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duffy, Gemma Hayes, Alanis Morissette, Annie Lennox, Fuel, Bush, Guns N' Roses, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Meat Loaf, Everlast, Rob Thomas, Paul McCartney, Joan Osborne, Green Day, Staind, Rihanna

Edward Norton, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Cusack, Jodie Foster

Nick Hornby, Pat Barker, Neil Gaiman, Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, J K Rowling, Matt Ridley, Agatha Christie, Frederick Forsyth

All reviews - Movies (105) - TV Shows (28) - DVDs (14) - Books (35) - Music (49) - Games (24)

The Artist review

Posted : 2 weeks, 6 days ago on 9 January 2012 01:45 (A review of The Artist)

Jean Dujardin gives a absolutely masterful performance as George Valentin, a silent movie star unwilling to adapt to the "talkies". He *is* the character, it was impossible to pick even a single false moment in his performance. Overall, the movie feels like an exercise in proving that a silent movie can be made in the 21st century and it can be fairly entertaining. The focus is firmly on the character of Valentin rather than on the story, which while entertaining is fairly run of the mill.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The Adventures of Tintin review

Posted : 3 weeks, 3 days ago on 5 January 2012 12:12 (A review of The Adventures of Tintin)

I can't view this as anything but a disappointment. It was a reasonably entertaining movie, with some great moments but as someone who knows the Tintin books inside out, it was a rather jarring experience. The movie started off as a modified version of 'Secret of the Unicorn', then jumped into the story for 'Crab with the Golden Claws', then back and forth for the rest of the movie.

We got all the familiar Tintin motifs and characters (except for Professor Calculus) but the result is less than the sum of it's parts. It was as if it was song made by mixing a Led Zeppelin song, a Pink Floyd Song and a song by Sarah McLachlan... despite all the beauty of the individual songs, the result will be something ugly.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The Descendants review

Posted : 1 month, 2 weeks ago on 10 December 2011 11:05 (A review of The Descendants)

A man deals with the aftermath when his wife slips into a terminal coma after a boating accident. He is suddenly thrust into dealing with the care of his two daughters, neither of whom he has a great relationship with, not to mention dealing with friends and family, even as he struggles with his own conflicted emotions about his soon to be dead wife.

The movie is beautifully directed and acted. George Clooney is always superlative and the director had extracted great performances from the two actresses who play his daughters. The low key nature of the proceedings works in the movie's favour as well, keeping the audience engaged without going over the top. This movie had better nab a few Oscars next year.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

In Time review

Posted : 1 month, 2 weeks ago on 10 December 2011 11:04 (A review of In Time)

Another movie with lots and lots of retro-futuristic black cars. Filmmakers really need to give up this obsession with the look that The Matrix pioneered more than a decade ago. Surely, they must have the imagination to come up with a dystopia that doesn't feel like a rip-off of that movie, yet again.

Other than that, mediocre sci-fi thriller based on a reasonably interesting concept that really could do with better actors. Justin Timberlake with his wooden visage was clearly not meant to be an actor and he isn't. The story is also fairly generic with more than one plot hole, but it keeps moving along at a fair clip regardless.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Scream 4 review

Posted : 2 months, 1 week ago on 18 November 2011 06:52 (A review of Scream 4)

The scariest thing in the movie is Courteney Cox's botoxed face. Seriously. What has she done to her face??

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The Swell Season review

Posted : 2 months, 2 weeks ago on 14 November 2011 10:56 (A review of The Swell Season)

A documentary about the first tour undertaken by band, The Swell Season, the romance and the ensuing breakup of the two members of the band.

I've been a fan of their music for over 3 years now and had the sketchiest of ideas that the two member of the group were romantically involved as their fame exploded after their Oscar win. Next thing I heard was that they broke up quietly, but not much more than that. They delivered their second (absolutely fantastic) album, which was basically a breakup album but it could have been about any romance. For the first time, the movie gives fans some idea of what went down during their marathon world tour and the aftermath of their Oscar win.

The movie is shot entirely in black and white, adding to the intimacy that already exists. I'm really curious as to how the film makers managed to shoot such intimate moments without being intrusive. Did they hide their cameras or use shoot from a distance? It would be fascinating to know the details of how this film was made.

I'm not convinced that someone who doesn't know the music or enjoy it would appreciate the movie as much as I did. More than half the movie is musical performances by the duo, which I enjoyed immensely. Even if there was none of the drama surrounding their relationship, this footage would have made for a great concert/tour DVD, such is the power of their performances. I'm hoping a soundtrack makes it way to me soon.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Puss in Boots review

Posted : 2 months, 3 weeks ago on 5 November 2011 08:28 (A review of Puss in Boots)

Taking classic characters and putting a modern spin on them is always good for a laugh, so we have Puss, Humpty Dumpty, Jack & Jill, Jack of the Beanstalk and the Golden Goose. It's fun to see their new avatars and personalities, but all them also have no common mythology or character trait to tie them together. Completely dissimilar characters can work, but the writers need to be inventive enough to take advantage, but unfortunately for this movie the writers barely have anything cohesive or original to tie together all these elements.

Overall, some really funny moments and some good ideas too, but overall this is a confused mess of a movie and a wasted opportunity. It feels like, and is, a tired summer money-grab summer movie for the pre-teen and early teen audience. The rest of us who were suckered in my the trailer should really just have stayed away.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Lolita review

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 23 October 2011 05:28 (A review of Lolita)

The movie (like the book) is an interesting study of obsession and desperation. Jeremy Irons plays his part well, but overall it's not great going, largely because the director doesn't really know where to go take the movie. He opts for the gray and gloomy period piece route and the result is that the film has no urgency and tension. We only get the occasional glimpse into the desperate mind of Humbert while the story meanders along the rest of the time. Could (and should) have been much much better.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

Five against One review

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 21 October 2011 01:17 (A review of Five against One)

One of the few (only?) books that delves into the the mysteries of who and what Pearl Jam are. It's not an 'authorized' biography of the band which tend to be fawning, in fact it's not very complementary of the band for the most part. As a huge fan, it is a fascinating read just for that reason.

Just keep in mind the following when you do read the book, fan or not:
1) It ends in 1998, so much of their journey is not documented
2) It focuses a lot on the personality of Eddie Vedder. Maybe it's justified because he's the emotional core (if not the musical core) of the band, but to get a really balanced look at the band, focusing on the rest of the members is a must.
3) There's no participation from the band itself or people who seem to like the band. All the contributors seem to have some axe to grind, which doesn't make for a balanced view of the band, it's largely negative.

0 comments, Reply to this entry

The Mask

Posted : 4 months, 1 week ago on 18 September 2011 05:16 (A review of Drive)

What a wasted opportunity this movie is. Tons of style, great soundtrack and Carey Mulligan, all three things are totally wasted on a script that is utterly void of an interesting plot. The opening sequence is pretty stunning, with minimal dialogue yet plenty of tension, which raised my expectations quite a bit. From there, it was mostly downhill and the movie never moves beyond the style to any sort of substance. I wasn't bored by any means but I just kept waiting for something to happen till the end, and it never did.

The lack of plot is compounded by the fact that I had no clue about the motivations of the main character - the driver. He's two-dimensional and is not developed either as the movie progresses. While the lack of dialogue and the tension makes for reasonable viewing, to be truly engrossed in the movie, I have to empathise with the characters to an extent. The wonderful Carey Mulligan engaged me a little better better with her fluid and expressive face, but unfortunately she didn't have much too work with. As for the driver, in a few scenes he's wearing a mask, and the mask managed to do a better job than Ryan Gosling.

All in all, an absolutely wasted opportunity to pull off something spectacular. Instead, all we got it a mediocre action thriller with a dash of unexpected blood and gore.

0 comments, Reply to this entry