eamole Reviews

A Prize of Arms (1962)

Classic British Noir

[8/10 · 8 April 2017]

This film grabs you from the very start. Its simple bare-bones approach emphasises the clever plot, and engaging character development. The lack of soundtrack actually heightens tension appropriately, along with deft camera work, and tight dialog.

The plot itself is clearly the major player in this ensemble, not to denigrate the cast, who do a superb job of tense interaction, with appropriate support from typical British aloofness, and clipped military tones.

The plot ducks and weaves as it unfolds before your eyes. At times you wonder the significance of a particular action, only to later admire its genius as you appreciate its subtle significance. The tension is magnificently maintained throughout.

As another reviewer has commented - the movie has you rooting for the anti-heroes right to the end!! What a splendid achievement. Worthy of the 8 stars!!

The Founder (2016)

Simply brilliant...brilliantly simple!!

[9/10 · 25 March 2017]

I won't bore you nor myself by rehashing the plot....if you don't know the basic story line, you've been living a vegan existence underground.

I've read the reviews, the trivia and the goofs...I've looked at the budget (US$7m!)....I dunno, did I watch a different film? There is such a fixation amongst the reviewers (us!!) about ephemeral details, that we seem to miss the big(ger?) picture...

This is a panto (or dark morality play)..Cinderella meets Big Bad Wolf. We all know who the bad guy is, and who the good guys are supposed to be...without the aid of black and white hats. But there seems to be a subtle undercurrent...less simple, less obvious, perhaps more disturbing.

What this picture does manage to do (hats off to Keaton) is redeem Ray Kroc (partially)...make him seem a victim of his generation's post-war desperate and forced optimism. It hints at a new kind of morality...if it works, its right! (Greed is Good?). It explores the exploitation of the naive, access to capital (or not!), land speculation as a means of filling the hole the capital markets were created to satisfy, rather than the exploitative casino they have become (oops, a nerve perhaps?)...finally asking the question...who was right, and who was wrong? The billions, the millions, the game....

McD has become enemy #1, falling from the dizziest heights of crass; but to this day, they still occupy the richest real estate on the planet, generating the highest revenues (per child foot) on the most desirable streets et boulevards on this planet.

So do we really care that Kroc was well named, or do we simply want our food 30 seconds after ordering...despite what it means for the staff, the locale, the planet, or even ourselves? I think if we see the movie in a more reflective fashion, we will find that it is we are the sinners...rather than, like the McD brothers, being sinned against. (Something in Julius Caesar springs to mind : "the fault lies in ourselves...") There was also a recurring reference to On The Waterfront that caught my eye, and a few other reviewers as well. I'd love to hear comments on it, now that the BB system has been shut down (!!). I might be over-reaching with two brothers, one of whom says "I coulda been a contenda...". It might also reference the off-screen antipathy between Mr Steiger and Mr Brando, whereby the defining back-of-the-car scene had to be shot green screen, because the two actors couldn't be persuaded to act together...contemporaneously, in a co-located fashion.

Enough! A seriously good movie, deserving of a second viewing, with a more jaundiced eye perhaps, to appreciate the pickles.

Guns in the Heather (1969)

Not so bad

[6/10 · 3 March 2017]

I felt prompted by the only other reviewer who panned the movie to write something in its defence. While I can't entirely disagree, I think some latitude should be allowed, considering it's from the Disney stable, and targeting a young audience for a Sunday afternoon - it is fairly typical of its genre.

As for being three hours long, it may well have been possible to have edited the three 60min episodes down to a more digestible 2+hrs, but I'm not sure how much better the movie would have become.

As a positive, the movie didn't fall prey to that American habit of using American actors trying to do an American concept of an Irish accent, with begorrahs peppering the dialogue! For me, the beauty lies in the unspoiled and untamed wilderness of the scenery, the primitive roads, the unaffected local accents and people, and some rarely seen footage of Ireland in the late 1960's. To an American (and European) audience, this would have been like stepping back to the pre 1940's. In Ireland in the 1960's, a donkey and cart drawing hay would not have been uncommon in many areas, particularly in the West. Likewise, the Gypsy caravan could be seen on the roads into the 1970's, if only as tourist re-inventions.

I cannot identify most of the cars - a Daimler I think, certainly a Triumph Herald, and a jalopey...all cars of the correct British vintage, if not in common use in Ireland. There is a beautiful Lagonda Rapide reg CZB678, and a zippy TR4 reg FIN896. There is also a recurring cameo of a classic steamroller, an increasingly common sight on Irish roads in the 1960's as the road network was increasingly tarmaced.

One slightly puzzling (to me) feature is a prominent bi-lingual road sign indicating Bla Claith DUBLIN. While the road sign looks genuine, the Irish spelling is bizarre - but it may well be a genuine mistake on the part of the road sign makers! The train seen in the movie is B151, a Class 141 diesel, part of a shipment of 37 trains built by General Motors in Illinois in 1962. The last of these trains was taken out of service in 2010. The passenger carriage is a lovely old style coach, which lasted in certain regions into the 1990's. There was something genteel and refined about traveling in a compartment, and walking the corridors to find the dining car.

The plane seen in the movie is a BEA Trident flight from Dublin to Heathrow using a Hawker Siddeley Trident. The flight number heard over the tannoy may not be correct, but interestingly, the very last flight of BEA before it was absorbed into the new British Airways in 1974, was BEA flight 943 ex Dublin to Heathrow, arriving just before midnight. At midnight, BEA, at one point the largest and busiest airline in Europe, ceased to exist.

The Sullivans Royal Hotel, where the character Tom is staying, is a real family-run hotel, and still in operation today in Gort, Co Galway.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie just for its glimpses into a bygone world. The world is not transformed by Hollywood into something imagined , but retains a real world aura that is delightful to absorb.

If you are of a certain age, or of a certain heritage, I'm sure this movie will appeal - even if you largely ignore the actors parading their skills before you.

Nancy, Sid & Sergio (2011)

A tale..with a twist in the tail...!

[9/10 · 26 February 2017]

I don't like providing a synopsis of the movie under review, as there is a separate section for it, is usually already provided, and the possibility for (inadvertent) spoilers outweigh the benefits. In fact, the description of the movie itself (on this and other sites) is an unnecessary spoiler itself!

I encountered this movie through an "also liked" on IMDb. Finding the movie itself is an exercise left to the audience, but it is available on iTunes and Amazon.

This is a clever short movie. It has a simple plot, glorious visuals, very tight dialog, and unintrusive scoring. An absolute delight to watch, I wish I hadn't read the description to fully appreciate the subtlety of script on first viewing. Nevertheless, the ending is still a beautiful surprise, and my hat goes off to all involved.

Face (I) (1997)

Good Movie But....

[7/10 · 23 July 2016]

This is a slightly schizo movie....with excellent elements, and then some seemingly randomly inserted flashbacks apropos nothing!! The acting is great, if slightly stereotypical of genre...think Lock Stock... but hugely entertaining. The soundtrack is excellent, reminiscent of a decade, and full of portent....very clever.

And then we have the flashbacks!!! At times it seemed as if there was two directors pulling the movie in different directions, or as another reviewer suggested, that it was edited to death. In either case, I think the movie survived the mauling, and comes through, slightly disheveled, but watchable...

The Missing Postman (1997 TV Movie)

A Gem!

[8/10 · 23 May 2016]

This is a gem of a production from the BBC. They have given it a treatment one would more traditionally associate with ITV, and have done themselves proud.

I won't reiterate the plot as that has adequately been described above, and probably more succinctly than I could achieve. I never write reviews, but the paucity of comment compelled me to at least register my distinct pleasure basking in this production.

It has a leisurely pace, without feeling slow. It feels constantly fresh, reinforced by the delightfully simple score, and the stunning visuals.

It is a romantic tale, in the mold of Cervantes rather than Barbara Cartland. It is a charming, heart-warming story, with a clever satirical bite, societal commentary, and subtle humour. It explores some lofty concepts such as the pursuit of happiness, sense of duty, freedom of choice, and life's purpose.

While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I think it is so delicately and cleverly written that it has broader appeal than first appearances might suggest. It was, for me, a beautiful, serendipitous find, and well deserving of its 8.1 ranking. Well done, and thank you to all concerned.

The Devil's in the Details (2013)

Good Story...Disappointing Finish

[5/10 · 4 May 2016]

I was enjoying the story, the off-screen (and on screen) violence and action was gripping, the inter-weaved story and back story threads were engaging, building to an interesting climax...and then suddenly, nothing. Its like they ran out of film, money, time, patience, interest or all of the above. I can't believe they would have made this movie if this is a fair reflection of the screenplay. Disappointed, and puzzled.

why need 10 lines for a review?

Still disappointed, and puzzled.

I think my review is a valid review. Why should it be a minimum of 10 lines. Why force me to pad it...If this doesn't get accepted, I'll scrap it, and won't bother offering reviews in future.