MovieBuff57 Reviews

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Tastefully filmed

[9/10 · 10 May 2015]

Millions of women and a sizeable proportion of the BDSM community would have been on the edge of their seats awaiting this movie's release - I would have imagined? The 'mommy porn' novel sold in the multi-millions and the box office receipts will justify sequels 2 & 3, so why the lacklustre ratings here on IMDb?? Secretary scores 7.1 and is broadly similar in theme?

I thought this film did justice to the book and perhaps even elevated it to a higher level? Whereas EL James has been lambasted for her literary failings (perhaps unfairly?) the screenwriters here have refined the dialog perfectly.

Christian had Ana googling "submissive" to learn more about what he was expecting from her. Had she typed in BDSM she may well have run a mile in the opposite direction! The whole BDSM spectrum ranges from 'playful' spanking to scarier elements of skin stretching, mutilation, genital piercing, real torture and - very probably - non-consensual 'play'.

The 'play' in this movie is broadly left of centre in this spectrum. Clearly, Christian would be aghast at the thought of hurting or harming his beloved Anastasia - hence the safe-words to terminate any session? I doubt whether he inflicted a punishment "as bad as it gets" as Ana had requested as he had some scary looking bull-whips amongst his 'toys' which would definitely have had our poor Ana running several miles in the other direction!

The only nit I would pick from the novel to film screenplay was the thoughtful gift that Ana had bought for the man who had everything? The book had her giving him a helicopter model of his beloved charlie tango chopper? Why was this changed to a glider? Granted, the glider scenes on screen were more dramatic...

Sequels 2 & 3 would seem to be in the planning stage according to IMDb? The challenge for the money-men and film-makers will be the prequel?? How does a 21 year old young man coming out of a submissive relationship become the head of his own billionaire empire in a mere 6 years??

The Congress (2013)

Two movies morphed into one?

[4/10 · 22 December 2014]

I have to admit that the first 45 minutes of this movie were quite intriguing. Why Robin Wright would apparently play herself in what is not a real-life story (?) is somewhat bizarre in itself. The concept of her selling her virtual reality bio-scan to the movie studio was thought-provoking and you imagined (or hoped!) the movie developing into something even more interesting and insightful...

After 45 minutes you enter into phase 2 of this movie as it enters cartoon(ish) territory. Trying to make sense of it all (in my mind) I've surmised that you're meant to imagine virtual reality movies denigrating into cartoons (to save the studio even more money?). I'm not sure if that was the intention of the director & writers, that's just me trying to make sense of it all.

The cartoon(ish) remainder of the movie didn't do anything for me as it was all just a tad too fantastical on whatever level you're meant to interpret the later half of this movie.

4 stars go solely to Robin Wright for promising so much more in the first 45 minutes...

Road (I) (2014)

Totally enthralling.

[9/10 · 21 October 2014]

There had been a Joey Dunlop documentary on BT Sports earlier this year, which had centred solely on Joey himself. This documentary expanded on the Dunlop family dynasty with brother Robert and his sons Michael and William who are both still active in the sport.

You'll get most from this film if you're a road-race fan, MotoGp fan, biker or simply a fan of motor sports in general. It's the heartfelt and intensively emotional interviews with the family and friends of Joey and Robert that make this so engrossing just from the human interest element alone.

The final crash footage towards the end of this documentary was so gut wrenchingly sad. The subsequent insistence of both sons to continue racing 2 days later was just mind-blowing.

This is a real-life story that just holds your attention from start to finish.

Philomena (2013)

A refreshing re-take on recent disclosures.

[7/10 · 23 February 2014]

Like the friend I watched this with, we thought Steve Coogan was the 'son' for the first 30 minutes of the movie! The promo trailers had probably given us that impression...

On reflection, the cruel removal of child from mother does seem almost barbaric in these days and times. Back then of course, in conservative catholic Ireland it would have been normal, accepted practice for under-age 'girls' to give up their babies for adoption.

Elsewhere in the world backstreet abortion might have been society's preferred 'option'?

Which option was the more moral? The pro-choice and pro-life brigades of today would argue both points. Abortion wasn't mentioned in this movie and thank heavens for that.

Today of course, under-age mothers are given choices and 'society' does provide safety-nets.

Dame Judi gives it her best and this could be Steve Coogan's first serious success at straight acting. He'll need a few more serious roles under his belt before he exorcises his Alan Partridge persona...

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Wow - where was the plot or script-writers here?

[3/10 · 23 February 2014]

The scene was set very well and some fine actors were in place for what could have been a fine movie with some sort of story or message to be projected to the masses.

Instead, we had a movie which went nowhere and came full square back to a deja vu recreation of a previous scene for no reason that I can fathom. Indeed, the earlier scene could very easily have been simply re-run? I thought the reels had been accidentally inserted from earlier in the film? I'm sure those crafty Coen brother's had some message to convey to us all, but do you know, I don't even want to know what it was.

I seemed to recall reading somewhere that this may be their last movie collaboration? Enjoy your retirement guys and don't come back!

3 out of 10 and that's only for the cinematography and the fine cast who tried to inject life into a life-less project.

The Thick of It (2005–2012)

Simply sublime

[10/10 · 25 January 2014]

10 stars out of 10 is just simply not enough! This series warrants at least 11. IMDb is largely US based (I think?) but I can't believe there's only 9 reviews for this series?

I still mourn it's passing and with Peter Capaldi turning into Dr Who (!) any hope of another series is at least 2 or 3 years away - if at all?

This is classic comedy which for me rises above even Fawlty Towers and sit's alongside Cheers and Frazier.

Yes, it is meant be a fly on the wall type mockumentary and the camera work is edgy but it simply adds to the realism of it all.

Yes - a knowledge of and interest in UK politics are probably desirable but not essential.

Get the box-set and the movie spin off (In the Loop) and steady yourselves because you'll end up in tears. Tears of joy that is!

Prisoners (2013)

A whole hour too long!

[4/10 · 25 January 2014]

After 90 minutes you just want it all to end!

I'm growing awfully tired of movies that just make no sense whatsoever and then just to compound your misery there's 3 or 4 pieces of the jigsaw left out of the storyline which just leaves you scratching your head at the end and wondering what's actually happened?

The girls' abduction was just so abrupt and sudden you just never had a chance to make any connection or have any emotive feelings for their plight to begin with. That sort of set the tone for the rest of the movie - flat and devoid of feeling.

I'm still unsure as to the motive behind the abduction and drugged imprisonment of the 2 young girls - let alone what part the mentally impaired adopted son and the detached other member of the family that likes snakes and purchases children's clothing have played in proceedings?

Yet another film that's not been particularly well directed or edited and should have went straight to DVD or held back strictly for TV. I just can't imagine sitting in a cinema watching this for 2 and a half hours. You'd have a numb brain as well as a numb bum!

4 stars solely to Jake for adding an element or two of tension and drama throughout.

Her (2013)

Interesting vision of PC's in the near future.

[8/10 · 16 January 2014]

An intuitive and helpful OS? Not a MICROSOFT OS obviously!

This film does have you thinking about how much of the reality presented might come true and introduces us to the concept of a virtual relationship devoid of any human companionship.

Thank heavens it's been released in the US well before Valentines Day as worldwide release on that day (as it will be in the UK) might have pitched it solely at hopeless romantics! It deserves more worthy praise.

Theodore's job had me wondering... If electronically handwritten letters are scanned into the company's central scanner, are they then printed off and delivered by real human postmen or simply transferred electronically to another visual display unit at the recipient's address? One of the many imponderables which we're pleasantly left to ponder on.

With the smallest leap of imagination, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) could have been fleshed out on Theodore's 3D gaming system but I believe that would have spoilt the effect and concept of this film. After all why would you need to see an OS that's just simply managing all your e-mails and paying the bills so efficiently in the background?

I'm not going to spoil things by giving away the ending suffice to say you anticipate something drastic at the end and are pleasantly surprised that it doesn't happen.

I suspect the underlying message here to the masses is that smart-phones, Facebook and Twitter are all very well but don't let them replace (or rudely displace) human face to face interaction?

I might have given this 9 stars but for that moustache which just irritated me throughout the whole movie!

American Hustle (2013)

Dreadful all round - apart from some of the music.

[2/10 · 16 January 2014]

Annually, I'm always amazed at some of the dismal movies that get nominations at the Globes and the Oscars and American Hustle hasn't let me down this year!

This is an absolutely dreadful attempt at film-making. The premise that low-level con artists could or would be employed by the FBI to snare corrupt public officials stretches the imagination to begin with.

The whole experience felt like 3 episodes of the Starsky and Hutch TV series from the 70's strung together for 2 hours but without the lovable rogue 'Huggy Bear' to bring a sense of 'cool' or humour to proceedings.

2 stars and that's only for some of the brilliant music tracks at the beginning of this movie.

Gravity (2013)

Edge of your seat action!

[8/10 · 3 January 2014]

I really do wish I'd seen this in 3D. I may go back and catch it in the cinema in 3D as it's meant to be awesome.

At 90 minutes you knew it was going to be tight and fast-paced and it certainly delivered.

To get full enjoyment and satisfaction from Gravity you do have to believe the almost unbelievable and it's only the most unlikely and absurd chain of events in this movie that spoil it a little.

Clooney is larger than life and the jet-pack scenes were clearly pitched at the small child in all of us?!

This deservedly should be amongst the Oscar contenders but I feel it's lack of plot credibility might just let it down.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Eye-Opening & Engrossing

[9/10 · 3 January 2014]

In my ignorance, I never even knew that a 'trade' existed in kidnapping black people from the enlightened northern states and literally shipping them south to the plantations as slave labour. Kudos alone to McQueen for bringing this hidden fact to the attention of the masses.

Opening up with a fast forward peek at enslavement for the main character sort of stole the thunder of a dramatic build-up from civilised member of society to capture and uncivilised enslavement but that's the director's prerogative I guess?

The comparison with the more recent Django Unchained is automatic and this movie wins hands down in that you just know it is grittier and more realistic. There's no horse-rider doing a horse-shoe shuffle (?) at the end of this movie!

This movie will be a front-runner for an Oscar. Less deserving movies have scooped the Oscar in recent years, but it's under more serious competition from a raft of good movies this year?

A Late Quartet (2012)

Spellbinding character drama.

[9/10 · 31 March 2013]

Thanks heavens this movie wasn't solely about the music as I'm not a huge lover of the classics or classical music as a genre. I was drawn by the ensemble of fine actors in the cast and this movie simply captivated from the first minute all the way through to the end - in fact I didn't want it to end! Hoffman perhaps just steals the limelight with a bit more character depth and dialogue to get to grips with but the on-screen electricity between Ivanir and Poots came a close second and was also mesmerising; Poots was so convincing as the attractive young seductress! OK, perhaps there was no need to portray the kiss and make-up theatrics involved for that final get together concert, but the cut to the final scene of the concert stage might have just been a tad too abrupt?? It's a crying shame if this never recouped the production costs and can only imagine that it might have been viewed as more of a classical music type movie which couldn't be further from the truth.

Revolution (2012–2014)

Disastrous - the whole concept!

[2/10 · 28 March 2013]

Physics turned upside down was one of the one-liners in the opening episode, but it's just not enough to keep you hooked on a drama that immediately fast-forwards 15 years down the track.

Even if electricity has been rendered useless - what of solar panels or petrol powered generators? The premise makes little or no sense and no viewer with a modicum of intelligence is going to hang on for further insight - surely? If this series makes it past series 1, I will be flabbergasted! I almost pledged to eat my hat instead, but have digestion concerns?!

Avoid this series at all costs and credit yourself with the higher intelligence that the creators of this series have not envisaged you having...

End of Watch (2012)

Taking grit and realism to the next level.

[9/10 · 28 March 2013]

Yet another LAPD cop drama - or is it?

Shot in The Shield type wobbly camera mode for some of the movie, it captures the raw essence of that TV classic in the most part.

I was drawn to this movie by the press hype, and most recently the cable TV promo hype of Jake and his partner theorising about Jake being lined up with a blind date courtesy of his Hispanic partner.

Watching the movie - I was hooked from the get-go. The cops appeared as near to real-life as I'd imagine things get in LA and the baddies were as bad as Hollywood will depict them?! In fact, the female 'baddie' was portrayed as being nastier than the Mr Evil (the baddest and meanest of the 'bad' male characters), intentionally cast so as to let us know that females can be meaner and nastier than males in some 'gang' instances - no doubt?

A particularly violent climax does leave you wondering how anybody can survive the unloading of so many rounds from high capacity magazines?

Tarrantino will come along with his exploding blood bags and take us to the next level of realism I've no doubt, if he can sell himself on the concept of yet another LA cop drama!

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

A huge anti climax.

[3/10 · 21 January 2013]

Okay, so we know how this movie is going to end if nothing else. Which is just as well, as all the mishmash and underwhelming 'drama' leading up to the helicopters taking off for the final mission was so unengaging - if not downright audibly incomprehensible?

The torture scenes were not gratuitously over the top. In fact, I would speculate that they were deliberately downplayed so as not to emphasise (or glorify) what we already knew (the US engaged in torture - period).

The helicopters taking off were a blessed relief but if the hoodwinked viewer was expecting a rapturous firefight to finish proceedings, with a startled Osama lookalike's face frozen in the semi-darkness then even that was to be denied.

If this was to dramatise the events leading up to UBL's (shouldn't that be OBL?) demise, how come there's no high-fives from the White House bunker?

This could have (and should have) been so much more insightful, instead it falls woefully short on substance.

As for Oscar nominated status? Skyfall was 20 times better...

Django Unchained (2012)

Almost perfect!

[8/10 · 20 January 2013]

The acid test for Tarantino movies is: Do you want to watch it again - and soon? Whereas I've watched both Kill Bill's more times than I care to admit, I'm not going to want to watch this movie twice (unless of course it's screened on Freeview TV and I'm hooked from the start!).

It does captivate all the way through the first 140 minutes, until the tense castration sequence, where it loses credibility (even for a Tarantino plot) and goes to pot?!

Having killed so many 'white folks' at the Candie big house, why they want to pack him off to a mining company rather than do ghastly and unseemly things to him defies normal logic (let alone Tarantino logic!) and this is where this otherwise fine film falls flat on it's face.

I want to give this 10 points (believe me) as Tarantino normally presses all our buttons but I'm deducting 2 points for the mining company 'exile' and the overuse of exploding blood bags on almost every shooting! I do have to compliment him on the ever so artistic spraying of blood (from the exploding blood bags!) on the blossoming cotton plants.

On a sour note, Tarantino abused a much loved Channel 4 news presenter here in the UK with a vulgar display of arrogance and rudeness whilst promoting this movie. Even if he has explained his reasoning for graphic violence in previous interviews he could have repeated it for UK viewers? He certainly did himself no favours with UK fans...

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Bleakly depressing

[3/10 · 8 January 2013]

Another bleakly depressing movie about mental illness that neither explains the reasons for it or the possible remedies.

What do we go to the movies for? To be cheered up, entertained or informed - I would speculate - and this movie never ticked any of those boxes.

The apparent motiveless murder of a householder that we have to imagine (because we're not told) borders the commune's farm serves absolutely no purpose other than to give the the leading actress a fright?

Just to top off 100 minutes of tedium it ends very abruptly, possibly with some sort of hidden meaning (probably not though)? A misery-fest from start to finish it has to be said.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Meaningless meanderings...

[2/10 · 8 January 2013]

If there was an Oscar for the most original abstract movie concept of the year then this would win it - hands down. But for the glowing scores from the majority of reviewers on this website, it should more appropriately be eligible for a raspberry award at the other film awards.

Thinking back about the movie the next day I counted 4 story strands but there was 6 in total. I fail to see the connecting strands through these 6 mini-movies but perhaps I'm not looking deep enough for the inter-connectivity?? The only 1 of the 6 mini-movies that caught my attention and imagination was the Korean futuristic vision of "corpocrats" and "fabricants". With further imagination, the right director could make a full length movie with this concept I would have thought? Indeed, maybe the reason for this movie is merely an exercise in fielding 6 movie 'trailers' and seeing which one the viewing public likes the most? The sixth and final 'vision' of the far future I thought was set on another planet as they looked up at the sky and wondered exactly where Earth was in the night sky?? The clipped pigeon English used by the 'natives' and the 'visitors' didn't help the storyline in any way.

I hadn't even connected this movie with the real-life traffic inconvenience that it caused to Glasgow's streets while a chase sequence was enacted in our city-centre.

This movie gets 2 stars and that's only because the Korean component of this movie was so well done. Other than that, it's simply a arty-farty hodgepodge of a movie.

The Newsroom (2012–2014)

A breath of fresh air...

[9/10 · 9 December 2012]

Newsroom 2.0 - the truth behind all the lies? I get frustrated with real-life news channels and Newsroom type programs as they never get right under the skin of the story and seldom determine the cause of a problem or accident let alone theorise about potential solutions.

I can only hope this fictional series spawns a real-life Newsroom 2.0 if one doesn't already exist?! This really is breakthrough TV where fiction TV confronts real news and a fresh perspective can be taken on real life history.

Keep up the high standards HBO. Indeed, raise the bar and go after the big scandals like Healthcare and Medical Insurance (just a few humble observations from the other side of the 'pond').

Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014)

Lawlessness at it's most wild?

[8/10 · 9 December 2012]

Harley's, cool dude's, gorgeous chicks, guns, random and reckless violence and gratuitous sex - what's not to like?!

The only surprise here is Michael Chicklis not appearing as a rival gang-leader - he's big and ugly enough (He did make a cameo in a prison cell TV screening of The Shield...)!

I've watched all 69 episodes these past 3 weeks and it's been a roller coaster of a ride. For no reason that I can explain I cried during Opie's funeral episode. It's strange how you can miss somebody so much in death yet they never had a huge impact while alive??

This series has the same grit and realism of The Shield but more character and plot depth. As mentioned in earlier reviews, too many of the twists and turns are implausible if not downright ridiculous but we still soak it all up and love it nonetheless.

Opie's death sentence by the gang was the low-point for me credibility-wise. For the gang to condemn poor old hapless Opie for installing federal wiretaps in his pick-up without confronting him and to kill his wife by mistake smacks of bad script writing, as such a thing would just not happen in SAMCRO reality??

Oh, and like other viewers I think I was well into series 2 before I 'discovered' that Sam Crowe wasn't actually a person! Poor writing again guys...

Where did we want Series 6 to go? All 5 series' have been leading towards Jax up tailing it with his wife and kids and heading East and S5 finishes off with him more ensconced as Gang President than ever - doing even crazier stuff than Clay might have done.

Shame (2011)

Solitude and hedonism in a nutshell,,,

[8/10 · 29 June 2012]

With a couple of A listers in the lead roles and an 'interesting' storyline, all the ingredients are there for a potentially riveting movie. Starting off looking like a slow burner it does pick up pace and and then has you hooked till the end.

Purely for dramatic effect it crams in excesses at both ends of the emotional spectrum. Crazed hedonistic highs are then 'centred' with personal and family concerns and then the viewer is taken right down to the lowest of lows emotionally - the graphic near death of his closest family member.

Is Brendan a reformed character at the end of it all? Does he want reforming? It looks like he's ready to jump on the hedonistic bandwagon all over again and who could blame him?!! It's an atypical ending that you can interpret as you wish.

It should be stressed that there's very graphic sex scenes that must have pushed and tested the boundaries for mainstream viewing.

The message or meaning? Life is for living but have some feeling and compassion for those closest to you...

Veep (2012–2019)

Signs of promise.

[6/10 · 18 May 2012]

First impressions from Episode 1: Clearly a US version of the classic BBC series The Thick of It. Ianucci deserves 11 out of 10 for the BBC series, it is simply sublime comedy.

I'll have to admit to missing out on a load of the 'DC' dialogue in the Veep, not to mention the peculiar differences between our 2 political systems, but I'm going to watch another 3 or 4 episodes to see if I can fathom it all out.

Those of you who've not watched the movie 'In the Loop', would benefit from watching that as a 'taster' before watching this series, albeit it has a UK bias to it but does engage with US politics and the UN. We just love to imagine that US generals do indeed use live grenades as paperweights (maybe they do?)!!

If it's allowed, I'll return and upgrade my score if things pick up after a few more episodes...

Awake (2012)

Real or dream state - Does it really matter?

[3/10 · 18 May 2012]

This series starts off confusing the poor hapless viewer within the first 10 minutes. Whats real and what's the dream? Perhaps he's in a coma and having 2 separate dreams and neither are real?? I sat through the first episode to see if it would pick up but have no desire to continue with the remainder of the series.

If any of the 'Lost' writers are working on this show you can look forward to a third dream sequence in the second series maybe?! The high ratings on this series will mean that our Channel 4 will probably snap it up eventually - months down the line?(a la Homeland)...

There's not much more to comment on...

A Dangerous Method (2011)

Solid performances from all involved.

[9/10 · 21 February 2012]

Was she mad or merely sexually suppressed?? Our Keira's jaw got so pointy during one of her mad 'turns' I did wonder if some CGI had been employed?! Madness cured and spanking cravings still intact (!), the 2 main psychiatrists then slug it out for supremacy in their field.

Viggo Mortensen is quite superb as Freud and possibly outshone Michael Fassbender who had the lead role as Jung. This movie will keep you hooked right up to the credits. I thought it ended slightly abruptly and was saddened to learn of Sabina's fate. As others have noted, this is one of those movies that could have stretched for over 2 hours and you'd still be wanting more. Well I would anyways...

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

A misery-fest without meaning or answers...

[6/10 · 15 February 2012]

...or much insight.

Even the title's completely misleading as clearly the 2 parents never got round to really talking about Kevin, or more to the point, talking to Kevin?

When this movie eventually allows the mother to ask her 'troubled' son the question we were all asking and wanting to know the answer to, the kid's reply was well empty of any rhyme or reason. Just to add insult to the injury of 100 minutes of tedium, the mother walks out of the darkness of the prison into bright sunshine, inferring that all has been revealed to her??

As to whether you want to believe (or comprehend) that he's undertaken his killing spree with a bow and set of arrows or that he's killed both his father and sister in the garden with arrows - well it's difficult trying to imagine anybody standing still as an arrow is fired at them?!

This movie could have given so much more insight into the reasons why disaffected youth do what they do or championed the case for greater gun control to avoid the next Columbine High. I suspect the subtle argument that's being woven here is that bows and arrows can inflict the same carnage as guns and rifles? Well no - they can't and don't.

Next Time - Hollywood?