Author: Rich Cline Page 60
Midnight Son
Filmmaker Leberecht takes an intriguingly askance approach to the vampire genre with this dark, romantic horror film, but after after a promising set-up seems unsure where to go from there. By shifting the focus from...
Movie Review posted on 18th January 2013
May I Kill U?
A pitch-black sense of humour provides some strong laughs in this satirical British thriller, but the undercooked script never manages to hold onto our interest. Packed with coincidences and contrivances, the story is just too...
Movie Review posted on 18th January 2013
Django Unchained
Tarantino takes an unusually comical approach to a provocative topic, and the result is as controversial as expected. And also startlingly hilarious. At its core, this is another revenge-themed thriller, but Tarantino's snappy, constantly surprising...
Movie Review posted on 18th January 2013
The Sessions
By taking a sensitive, honest approach to this true story, breakthrough filmmaker Lewin both avoids sentimentality and keeps the focus on the inner lives of the central characters. He also somehow manages to make a...
Movie Review posted on 18th January 2013
American Mary
With a gleefully revolting tone, this Canadian thriller is a strange combination of sleekly beautiful visuals and a grotesque plot involving murder and torture. Fans of grisly black humour will love it, although the plot...
Movie Review posted on 11th January 2013
Hors Satan
Provocative French filmmaker Dumont pushes boundaries even further with an astonishing approach to the Christian narrative (the title translates as Outside Satan), mixing the sacred and profane to shake up audiences and get us thinking....
Movie Review posted on 11th January 2013
What Richard Did
Not only is this Irish drama sharply well written and directed, but it also features a jaw-dropping breakout performance by young Irish actor Jack Reynor. He's already been snapped up by Hollywood (Michael Bay has...
Movie Review posted on 11th January 2013
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Taking a minimalistic approach that matches his subject matter, documentary filmmaker Gelb delves into one of the most acclaimed kitchens in the world: the tiny Tokyo sushi bar run by 85-year-old Jiro Ono, the oldest...
Movie Review posted on 11th January 2013
Gangster Squad
This may be based on a true story, but the filmmakers never bother exploring the complexities of historical events, instead opting for a comic book-style approach that's entertaining but somewhat unsatisfying. Still, this style-over-substance approach...
Movie Review posted on 11th January 2013
Les Miserables
Starting at full-emotion and never wavering for a moment, this huge movie adaptation of the long-running stage musical wears us out with its relentlessly epic approach. OK, so neither the musical nor Victor Hugo's source...
Movie Review posted on 11th January 2013
The Impossible
Director JA Bayona (The Orphanage) draws out exceptional performances in his cast, as well as his technical crew, to turn a true story into a potent dramatic thriller. This is such a staggering story of...
Movie Review posted on 4th January 2013
McCullin
Don't let the nondescript title put you off: this riveting, beautifully made film documents a lost species, a photojournalist who always sought the true, personal core of a story, regardless of what editors, politicians or...
Movie Review posted on 4th January 2013
Parental Guidance
Cynical audiences will hate this simplistic, softhearted comedy, but for a bit of undemanding entertainment, it isn't too bad. And while the cast members don't remotely stretch themselves in these roles, they at least manage...
Movie Review posted on 4th January 2013
Grabbers
Aside from being a hugely entertaining romp, this film also works as a far above-average Irish rural comedy as well as a freaky monster movie. With a fiendishly inventive script and hilariously complex characters, it...
Movie Review posted on 4th January 2013
Midnight's Children
With an over-written screenplay and far too much material for audiences to digest, this film proves the rule that authors shouldn't adapt their own books into movies. In transferring his prize-winning novel to the big...
Movie Review posted on 4th January 2013
Quartet
For his directing debut, Dustin Hoffman takes no chances, filling the screen with gifted actors who are working from an intelligent script. So even if it's essentially a rather flimsy little drama that never really...
Movie Review posted on 4th January 2013
Safety Not Guaranteed
With a low budget but a lot of imagination and talent, director Trevorrow and writer Connolly create a deceptively simple comedy that's one of the most entertaining films of the year. It's so cleverly written...
Movie Review posted on 21st December 2012
Boxing Day
With their third present-day Tolstoy adaptation, filmmaker Rose and actor Huston continue to skilfully explore timeless issues with an urgent, modern style of storytelling that feels almost documentary. Based Master and Man, this film shifts...
Movie Review posted on 21st December 2012
Jack Reacher
Tom Cruise may be oddly miscast in this big action movie, but he certainly knows how to make one of these preposterous films connect with an audience. And writer-director McQuarrie adds a driving sense of...
Movie Review posted on 21st December 2012
West of Memphis
Corruption, self-interest and rampant bigotry are so clearly portrayed in this riveting documentary that if it doesn't make you angry, maybe there's something wrong with you. As filmmaker Amy Berg explores a shocking case from...
Movie Review posted on 21st December 2012
Zaytoun
Lively characters and resonant interaction make this film enjoyably watchable even though it's impossible to believe anything that happens. The problem is that the filmmakers are trying to explore a thorny situation using a heartwarming...
Movie Review posted on 21st December 2012
Life of Pi
Working with perceptive writer David Magee (Finding Neverand), Ang Lee creates one of the most thoughtful, artistic blockbusters ever made by a Hollywood studio. Although Yann Martel's award-winning novel was considered unfilmable, Magee and Lee...
Movie Review posted on 21st December 2012
Unconditional
While the subject matter of this small British drama lends itself to controversy, it's handled with bracing honesty by filmmaker Higgins and his gifted young cast. As a result, we travel this unusual journey with...
Movie Review posted on 14th December 2012
![Love Crime [Crime d'Amour]](http://www.contactmusic.com/images/reviews2/love-crime1.jpg "Love Crime [Crime d'Amour]")
Love Crime [Crime d'Amour]
This French dramatic thriller is so gleefully trashy that it's rather entertaining, as long as you don't try to take it seriously. Sleek and seductive, it's a pungent tale that plays out like a particularly...
Movie Review posted on 14th December 2012
Smashed
Despite taking a full-on approach to the issue of alcoholism, filmmaker Ponsoldt undermines his own case by telling a story about the problem itself rather than the people caught up in it. And by avoiding...
Movie Review posted on 13th December 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
This first chapter of Peter Jackson's new Tolkien trilogy takes us back to the familiar settings and characters, inflating a simple journey into an epic adventure in the process. This film also looks strikingly different,...
Movie Review posted on 13th December 2012
Chasing Ice
Even though this documentary is packed with some of the most spectacular scenes you've ever seen on film, it's also rather depressing. Not only do these magnificent images reveal the truth about global warming, but...
Movie Review posted on 13th December 2012
Dead Europe
Even if the plot takes too long to come together, this film has a darkly foreboding tone that's thoroughly mesmerising, drawing us into its mysteries while touching on issues of race, religion and sexuality. It's...
Movie Review posted on 13th December 2012
I, Anna
Even though this British mystery-drama is rather too creepy for its own good, it gives Rampling yet another superb character to sink her teeth into. She's working with her son, writer-director Southcombe, who reveals the...
Movie Review posted on 7th December 2012
Life Just Is
Although this introspective British film tackles themes that are rarely addressed on screen, its microscopic budget and inexperienced cast and crew make it very difficult to engage with. As it follows a group of friends...
Movie Review posted on 7th December 2012
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