Review: The King’s Speech

Bafta nominated, probably Oscar nominated in the near future, since opening at the Toronto Film Festival in September The King’s Speech has garnered several nominations/awards and a healthy critical and audience reception. It’s an earnest and deceptively simple film full of delightful characters and a central pairing that really makes the film sing. The film has received effusive praise; this review will probably function along the same lines.

As much as I had misgivings about The King’s Speech (and still do) they’re nothing to do with the film, its construction or the entertainment value it offers. It may sound prosaic but the King’s Speech, to me at least, still presented the image of Britain and perhaps in further analysis British film that I had hoped we were starting to leave behind. It’s a film that (quite rightly) we’ve been known for, for quite some time.The mixing of upper and lower class; the poise and eloquence of the dialogue: the emphasis on drama: actors imbuing the persona of the character and quite frankly how relatively straightforward it all appears. There’s no fuss, no need to insert some pointless CGI or requirement to ‘appeal to the masses’. It’s all about the dramatis personae as it were, never taking its eyes off of what’s important and what’s important here is the interaction between the characters.

Belated Review: Monsters is a curious alien flick

When you’re trying to write a review of something the first thing you shouldn’t do is look at reviews written by other people. It’ll influence your writing and may even change how you felt about the film. With Monsters I couldn’t help myself but read reviews as I was writing this one and I couldn’t help but feel as if there was something I was missing with this film. Something that didn’t quite click with me and despite all the praise that’s been given(quite a bit of it is well deserved), I felt underwhelmed for the most part and despite wanting to love it, I can only say that I liked it.

4.3.2.1 DVD Review

4.3.2.1 stands for four girls, three days, two cities and 1 chance. It’s a British film that stylistically is totally different from any other Brit flick I’ve seen this year (then again I don’t watch British films too often). It is also a bat-shit crazy film. It’s outrageous, improbable and at times just plain weird but oddly enough it manages to entertain in fits and starts. It’s not a particularly good film and if you don’t judge it straight away then it’s a fun if completely stupid kind of film.

A review of Wild Target

I tried to go and see Wild Target in the cinema earlier this year but as a result of a cock-up from my friend we missed the screening altogether. A couple of weeks later I thought I’d try again and catch it on cinema since most of what I watch (and I assume the UK as a whole) consists of largely an American appetite when it comes to films. Surprisingly it wasn’t showing at the theatre, I say surprisingly as most films even British films don’t disappear after a few weeks out, even rubbish Brit-flicks (Alien Autopsy, Magicians) have their stay of execution but this film disappeared completely, without a trace…nothing.