Articles + Quotes on Film & TV

When I was ten or so, I saw a musical production Les Miserables three times while it was in Perth, Australia. Since then, it has been my favourite musical of all time and I have also read the book, all 1200 pages of it. This film reproduction has surpassed any and all expectations I may have harboured, in every facet that I can think of. Production design, costume design, Tom Hooper brought his attention to detail from his other historical work, including John Adams, where even the teeth of those less fortunate in the mid nineteenth century are realistic. What really makes this musical stand out among the rest, is that the entire talented cast that includes: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, sang all their songs live, in every take. This means that every take of acting and singing, had the emotion in every moment ring true and honest   and you can see the results for yourself. A music...

Robert Sheehan and Ben Barnes shine in this eighties comedy that goes to the other side of rock and roll success, the failures. That said, this isn't a tragedy. Its a comedy that manages to keep the mood light even when the two actors portraying brothers Neil and Ivan McCormick, are not even speaking to each other. Pete Postlethwaite has a bit of fun in his small role as well, as the boys' landlord in London. All in all, a fun film to watch and laugh at.

This followed the same pattern as the Australian version, introduced by an author, in this case Howard Zinn and it was based on his book. A large group of actors, musicians lend their voices to little known pamphlets and some that are better known, if not the details. Marisa Tomei, Morgan Freeman, Kerry Washington, Sean Penn, Rosario Dawson, David Straithairn and Q'orianka Kilcher and others all appear on stage, to illustrate the lesser known points of American history. Its a interesting documentary and well worth watching, to gain extra insight on subjects that are already well sung before. Lincoln was originally against freeing the slaves. I wonder if Steven Spielberg knows this? I certainly didn't.

David Cronenberg is apparently better known for his horror films, none of which I have seen before. Keira Knightley is best known for her roles in "costume dramas". Michael Fassbender is still relatively a new rising star and has been in a variety of interesting roles. And Viggo Mortensen is probably best known to the world at large as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series. So when this highly talented group of people came together to create a clever film about the birth of psychoanalysis, thanks to their various backgrounds, they had a bit of trouble at the box office. Their collective talents in films were ignored, which is a shame, as I would have liked to see Ms Knightley win a Golden Globe or maybe a Academy Award nomination for her role in this film. This is a carefully crafted film from start to finish, with all actors completely invisible, leaving only Sigmund Freud, Sabina Spielrein and Carl Jung visible to the audience. Ms Knightley's accent especially i...

After not being a big fan of Bond, I watch this particular film, the latest after twenty two previous incarnations and am instantly interested in what comes next, in every scene that is shown. Maybe its the now classic elements from the early films with Sean Connery, or the unique style of directing from Sam Mendes, who also directed Daniel Craig in the film Road to Perdition. Another film where the elements of good and bad are blurred, but the story is still strong and visible. Mr Craig and Judi Dench reprise their now iconic roles to bring down this film's Bond villain. Javier Bardem portrays the effeminate character, with style and unnerving straight delivery of his lines and actions.  Ralph Fiennes makes an appearance, as well as Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw. The latter two bring some levity and humour to the scenes they are included in. Berenice Marhole and Naomie Harris are this film's "Bond Girls", both are the pinnacle of their characters. A ver...

As is the way with successful and widely enjoyed British made television programmes and films, they are often remade by American based companies. Hence the acronym in the post title, specifying that this is a review of the brilliant TV Show Being Human, that for for the first three seasons, has Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow as the three main characters. These three actors, portray Mitchell, George, and Annie, respectively, a vampire, werewolf and ghost. Interestingly, the original story was not going to have the supernatural involved, at all. The three characters were going to be human, no pun intended, if not for the series creator, Toby Whithouse. This is a very well made show, every action that the characters make, whether small or large, has an impact that makes it seem real and a proper TV drama. The special effects are simple, but effective. The acting by all who appear is well executed and seamless. It is a black comedy, but is woven in well with the mo...

As indicated in the post title, this is the Australian version, presented by author Thomas Keneally. He is joined by some of Australia's well known actors and musicians who read out speeches and letters from a wide range of people from history, ranging from the time that Australia was first settled by Europeans and some from more recent history. A couple of songs are sung, both well known, but the deeper meanings behind them, less so. Jack Thompson, Ryan Kwanten, Sophie Lowe, Christina Anu, David Wenham, Hal Holbrook are just some of the people who lend their voices to illustrate pieces of history that are more often left out of the history books. The result of of this is a very intense, but well worth watching documentary that really does illustrate  "the good, the bad and the ugly."

In my review of Breaking Dawn Part 2, I said the following: "Despite it being a year off, I'm very excited for Part Two, and if it is like anything like Part One, it will be a great film and a wonderful end to the series." As it turns out I was wrong. This film was doubly as good as part one and an absolutely brilliant end to the series. There is an obvious collaboration between Stephenie Meyer (author of the books) and Bill Condon, the director. It shows from the all the lines that are included from the book and the moments that are enlarged upon, or shrunk, to suit the film format. New characters are introduced, but not all at once, the arrivals are timed well and staggered, to give the audience a chance to figure out who's who. And how they will influence the original characters. When the book Breaking Dawn was first released, there was a huge outcry over the not-climatic battle between the Cullens and their allies, and the Volturi. On the official Step...

Christopher Nolan, as it has already been proven in the last two epic films in this trilogy, does not do things by halves. Nor are the films he makes on any average level of storytelling shown by others. The level of intensity previously expected by audiences of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, has been magnified a thousand fold in this, the final film in the trilogy. Not only are new characters introduced, but links between them and old characters created. There are many layers but all are woven together to make it all seem, seamless. As well as this, the quality is still apparent in every frame. The story does end, and the ending is satisfying. Fair warning, this film takes you right to the edge of your seat and pushes.

Not too long after I watched this film, I watched an interview with the main actor, Colin Farrell. He said that the writer director of this film, Martin McDonagh, implied that In Bruges (earlier collaboration) was a mere rehearsal, before this film, to see if he liked directing/writing a film. Whether or not that is true, what is, is that the quality of this film is beyond reproach. This is considering the subject matter and the different stories that make up the whole and the consistency and dark humour that flows through them all. With a less gifted writer director, I would have been confused within mere seconds of the film's beginning. Interesting side note, the two actors in the opening sequence are Michael Stuhlbarg and Michael Pitt, who starred together in the TV series Boardwalk Empire as Arnold Rothstein and Jimmy Darmody respectively. This film also has a stunning cast, Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Tom Waits, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson. Excellent sup...

From the writer creator of Rake, Andrew Knight, comes another well scripted Australian drama series with another brilliant Australian actor as the title character. Which is course - Guy Pearce, who is supported by a stellar cast of old favourites from every Australian film ever made. A tense gritty drama that also has its comedic moments. This is part one of two, which is a shame, but then, was also an hour and a half long. Reminds me of another gritty drama that is being made in the UK, which is based on a well known detective. I'm curious why this show has been limited to only two episodes. Hopefully, more will be made.

I had been looking forward to seeing this film for some time and none of it disappointed with the quality I had expected from the writer director team of Nick Cave and John Hillcoat, who had previously made the film The Proposition. The only thing that I was not prepared for was the level of extreme violence and the number of times it occurs throughout the film. It was a little under two hours, but for the amount of times I had my eyes and ears blocked, for me it might have been just a little over an hour, or maybe less. The acting in this, is beyond reproach. Guy Pearce especially, is a truly scary piece of work, which considering the other hard bitten characters, is saying something. Tom Hardy, Shia La Beouf, Jason Clarke, portray the three Bondurant brothers, who as the narration by Mr La Beouf's character says in the opening, are known to be "Invincible" in the town they live in. They are making moonshine, a dangerous business to be involved in and despite thei...

This miniseries was shown, as one three hour film on channel ten recently and being a fan of Rhys Ifan's work so far, decided to give it a go, despite the mostly negative reviews. I am very much I did, because I enjoyed every moment immensely. It takes the Peter Pan story as we all know and love and decides to go back to what might have been the origins and the back story of it all. Charles Dance, Anna Friel, Q'orianka Kilcher, Raoul Trujillo and Charlie Rowe round out the rest of the cast, with great performances from them and the supporting cast as well. The originality of it was joyous, the production design, just as much so. What I really liked, beyond the adventures of the storyline and the thrills, was that Bob Hoskins once more took up his role of Smee, that he first portrayed in the film Hook. Such a laugh that was. Even gave it a sense of continuity. Well worth the three hours.

So, they borrow a well known song and album title from the band Pink Floyd, or at least part of it for the title of the third (and hopefully last) film in the trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I like a good action film, as much as the next person, and Michael Bay's style in filmmaking has, up until now, done pretty well and impressed me. See, with the first film, the action scenes and important ones to tie the story (kind of) together, were well mixed and it was a good film to watch all round. The second, not so much. It took a while for the actual story to begin, but when it got there, it was reasonable. This one, it has an entertaining conspiracy theory beginning, bit of a laugh there. The action scenes have all been given a booster jab, not that they needed it. A few well known stars have been given cameos, which is fun, for the first scenes. While I'm on the subject, the actors in this (and we're not including the Victoria Secret Model in this list) are all obvio...

First time director, Rupert Saunders brings to the silver screen a re-imagining of the well known and loved fairytale - Snow White, imbuing it with a whole new style and substance to the characters and landscape. The characters become three dimensional characters that you care about, the good guys and the bad guys. And another that finds himself in the middle. Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth are the three main protagonists. With Sam Spruell as Ms Theron's brother in the film, which is a nice twist. And Sam Claflin as the duke's son. And of course, the not so merry dwarves, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Eddie Marsan, Johnny Harris and Brian Gleeson, they all help provide some humour to the film, to prevent things turning into Pan's Labyrinth. The acting is well done by all in this film. The landscape itself is a whole another character in the film, and it is shown excellently by the production design and the director,...

My first preconceptions of this film, thanks to the reviews I had read, were quite similar to those of the film Inception. Also similar was my reaction to the film, expecting to be confused by the three worlds, and I wasn't. It all made perfect sense. The main character, portrayed by Emily Browning, is sent to a mental asylum by her stepfather when she accidentally shoots her sister. This is in the, say we say, "first world". Not long after arrival at a pivotal moment,   it transcends into the "second world", the mental asylum becomes a brothel, and Ms Browning's character's name is Baby Doll. When she dances, she goes into the third and last world, an ever changing battlefield. It is there, where she meets the "Wise Man", portrayed by Scott Glenn, who gives her a list of items with which to escape. Back in the second world, she recruits her fellow inmates, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), her sister Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudge...

Most of the sports films that have been made, have had very Hollywood plot lines. It was almost a recipe. Underdog team/coach/player/ whatever, trying to do something. A few montages of things going badly, then a winning formula, or new coach/player that tells them "they just have to believe in themselves" or teaches them how to work together with a few gimmicks. Which means, when you watch a well written film like Moneyball, you are completely unprepared by the realism and length of film that really tells you the true story. Or close to it, at least. With Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillan (Mr Zaillan wrote screenplays for The Interpreter, American Gangster and Clear and Present Danger) writing the screenplay, Brad Pitt portraying the character listed and the direction is tight and without any excess scenes, Bennet Miller was nominated for an Academy Award for his work with the film Capote - its a film worth watching for the all of the above and the finished product that ...

This is quite different from the version released in 1997, more angst and some drama, instead of the cutesy comedy from the first. This has some comedic moments as well, thanks mostly to Stephen Fry and Robert Sheehan's characters. And Christopher Eccleston's as well, come to that. His introduction and subsequent scenes are all worth watching. Mr Sheehan appeared to be portraying, more or less a PG version of Nathan in this, which worked rather well. Mr Fry was portraying the character Professor Mildeye in the film, which suits his well known intelligence and articulation perfectly. I quite enjoyed it, thanks in part from the tight script and the believable (kind of) special effects. There was not anything overly high tech, but instead the production team kept things simple. Less is more, in this case, worked well and meant that the focus was on the storyline and characters. Five Stars!

Impressive and attention catching title. Equally impressive and entertaining film. The basis is, as the title suggests, bringing salmon fishing to the dry and arid region of Yemen. Its a seemingly crazy idea, but as the film progresses and takes hold in your imagination, so does the idea. And into reality. Not just in the Sheik's, played by Amr Waked or in Harriet's played by Emily Blunt. It spreads to sceptic fish expert Dr Alfred Jones, played by Ewan McGregor. And then harsh, demanding and slightly overzealous PR for the government Mrs Patricia Maxwell, played slightly over the top by Kristin Scott Thomas. Her role brings a touch of spice to this comedy with romantic undertones. This film is directed by Lasse Hallstrom, a man who might be called famous for directing many similar films that focus on a miracle or an idea based on faith and maybe a smidgeon of science or simply a way of life that simply needs protecting. He's done well here also, as has the screenwr...

Have only just finished watching this film, and I have to say, I was sincerely and very much impressed by it all. First things first, Saoirse Ronan is probably one of the better actresses of her age. She has more skill and talent in bringing a character to life better than most well known actresses I can think of, some twice her age. All this talent is apparent in her portrayal of Hanna, a girl raised by her father Erik Heller (nicely portrayed by Eric Bana, also proving his considerable worth in this film) in the wilds of the north to be an assassin. It starts off as brutal and intense, and keeps up this pace throughout the entirety of the film. The supporting cast includes Jason Flemyng, Olivia Williams (looking a bit like Lena Headey in this), Tom Hollander, looking quite weird with blonde hair but also proving his range as an actor and course Cate Blanchett. Ms Blanchett playing a psycho bad ass CIA agent is something else entirely and she does it with style. The film is d...

Yes, I know this film was released in cinemas and later on DVD a while ago, but since the majority of reviews on it were negative in the extreme, I decided to play it safe and wait for it come onto Foxtel. Because of my limited expectations, thanks to the aforementioned negative reviews, I quickly assumed that this film would be quite awful. Imagine my surprise then, to find it was quite entertaining. True, the people portraying plague victims looked quite disgusting and there were a few moments when I watched the film behind closed eyelids, but aside from that, it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour and a half. In amongst the action scenes and bits of horror, there were moments of humour, which kept it from getting too dark. It was directed by Dominic Sena, probably best known for Gone in Sixty Seconds, which also had Nicolas Cage playing the main character. The rest of the main cast: Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore, Stephen Graham, Ulrich Thomsen all bring their bare ...

By Sherlock, I mean the British TV show, set in modern London, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, two very talented and understated actors. Not the American remake. The first season of this show was brilliant, well scripted and was continuously entertaining. It wasn't obvious, poorly acted, any of that, it was all great. The second season, takes the quality level of the first and the taut script, etc and magnifies everything by a hundred fold. Clever one liners? Yep. More here than four comedies put together. The first episode seems like a three act play and I'm sure the next two movie length episodes will be just as good as the first. And to add even more great news, the third season was commissioned as the same time as the second.

First off, a warning. I did not see the entirety of the pilot episode of this show. Surprising, I know, but those are the facts. Now, there are highly intense TV dramas. And there is this one. This one, defies all normal levels of intensity and fixes it at a atmospherically high level. And then raises it again. My current theory, its because the makers of the show started off by making documentaries, and they kept this style for this show. It is set in Australia, Papua New Guinea, but like Rake another quality TV show, it doesn't show the tourist sites, very much the opposite in fact. It is brilliantly well made, but you don't want to watch this just for production values and the cast, both of which are truly great. Big mistake if you do that.

There are shows that give you hope that in the world of television and people in it, that there are still quality and exciting drama shows out there. I've seen two episode of show that delivers, and already I'm hooked. Basic plot - CIA analyst, Carrie Mathison (played with almost unhinged determination by Claire Danes) who, until recently was working 'in the field' in Iraq. Her main goal, finding a terrorist known as Al Fazir. And the information she got off a prisoner, "Fazir has turned an American prisoner' becomes most intriguing, when lo and behold, an American prisoner of war is found and returned home.                       Her role has already won her a well deserved Golden Globe award. He, Sergeant Nicholas Brody, portrayed by Damian Lewis, also deservedly nominated for a Golden Globe award, has a wife and family. And he has been held captive for eight years. The acting in this is quite top notch, includin...

Very rarely nowadays, is a film sequel released that is just as good or better than the original. Considering how excellent the first Sherlock Holmes film was, the stakes were definitely high for Guy Ritchie and his team. Of course, Mr Ritchie didn't make the rookie error of casting different actors for the main roles, everyone important returns to reprise their roles from the first film. And to add a bit more humour, to an already humourous film, Stephen Fry had a few very memorable scenes, as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother. This film, the sequel, made Lord Blackwood from the first film look harmless, compared to the villains of this one. Professor James Moriarty. Sebastian Moran. Two real pieces of work. Not just evil, but ruthless. Not only that, this film was just as fast paced, the action scenes just as exciting and well shot, the dialogue scenes there and understandable. The same people who were in charge of production design and music returned once more, so...