devonblue Reviews

The Names of Love (2010)

Visual & Mental Treat

[10/10 · 11 May 2018]

I just love the way the directors have knitted such a twisted tale of racial intolerance and prejudices and yet without offending anyone baffles me. A perfect blend of humour and pathos, wonderfully acted this film had me hooked from start to finish, it made me laugh out loud and yet made me think of the way I perceive different races and religions. Sadly only the French could make a film of this quality. it could be possible in my opinion to compare this to Welcome To Dongmakol another excellent film which looks at the stupid belligerent attitude of countries and it's peoples, the pointlessness of hatred and inbred prejudices. Wonderful film which I thoughtfully enjoyed.10/10

Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones: Live at the Checkerboard Lounge 1981 (2012 Video)

I Wish I Could Have Been There!

[10/10 · 6 December 2012]

It starts off with the great Muddy Waters and Little Walter doing their standard repertoire when the Rolling Stones come into the club from a drunken night out. Muddy sees them enter (it is a small compact club) and as they get their drinks in, Muddy calls them to the stage one at a time, orders underlings to fetch some guitars for a jam. I never appreciated the skills of Richards and Wood until I saw this film, they blended in perfectly with some very credible guitar playing. Mick who was blitzed seemed to be ill at ease and uncertain of what to do next, this could not be said of Richards and Wood. The party really takes off on the 50 minute line, when the omnipotence of Buddy Guy joins the onstage party, there follows some amazing guitar work until someone up till now I had never heard of called Lefty Dizz playing a right handed Stratocaster upside down so the high E-String is uppermost, and then displayed some wonderful musical showmanship and guitar playing. This is a delight for all music purists, with some jaw dropping guitar solo's, a guitarists dream show and sadly proving that shows like this will never be repeated in the future. Bliss, worth repeated watching and obviously totally recommended!

Genghis: The Legend of the Ten (2012)

Truly a brilliant film from Mongolia.

[10/10 · 15 September 2012]

Firstly this is an excellent film from Mongolia, with Mongol actors, crew from Mongolia and totally filmed in the wilds of Mongolia and differs so much from the average USA made film. There is no CGI or glamorous highly paid actors here, no PC acting, the men are men and the women are women, gone are the obligatory female heroines, the ten year old child who knows more that the adults and formulaic story-lines. The Mongols are known to be superb horsemen and here it shows, the country is wild and unforgiving, and again here it is shown, the acting is on the weak side but this is made up for in the story-line, which is full of warriors doing there duty to Genghis Khan, even if it does mean the ultimate sacrifice. There is much character development, as we learn about each warrior and care for them,and much skullduggery as the story evolves. On the downside as I said earlier the acting could have been stronger and the end perhaps stronger, but I was very impressed with the film overall and would recommend it, there is some gore but nothing which is going to frighten the average young adult, and there is no nudity, sexual innuendo or foul language. In the UK it is classed as 15 but really should be a 12.

Simon Simon (1970)

Wonderful

[10/10 · 19 July 2012]

This is one of those wonderful old films which would be impossible to replicate in this modern era. Sadly it is also one of those films which you either love or hate, as taken in it strictest sense it is to modern audiences and those under 50 years something they would probably not fully appreciate. For me though, it is a wonderful glimpse of when films were fun, innocent and experimental, a lot of actors, technicians etc put a lot of time, effort and money to make this, with a minimal budget to boot, and the actors did it for free, no massive egos in this film, and it shows. If you do manage to find this film, please watch and listen to the directors commentary in the bonus section as it reveals so much about how they made the film and what was going on behind the scenes, which I found to be as interesting as the film itself. OK there are better films similar to this to be found, Eric Sykes The Plank and Ronnie Barkers Futtocks End come to mind and this one really should have a larger following than it has, so please find it and enjoy it, leave any prejudices behind, you will not be disappointed.

Disco (2008)

Very Enjoyable

[8/10 · 12 May 2011]

We found this very enjoyable comedy a minor gem. Concur the acting is well over the top and very hammy, but IMHO it was not meant to be anything else.

I have always been a big fan of Samuel Bihan and must pick him out for particular praise as he probably had the most physically demanding role.

All the big stars seemed to enjoy their respective roles as none demanded any true acting skills, but as comedies go it is very good.

So ignore the negative comments made prior to this review and relax to an undemanding typical French comedy more akin to the best French comedies of the 1980's.

And Emmanuelle Beart is truly beautiful, with a big(sic)plus of the French giant Gerard Depardeau.

Ong Bak 3 (2010)

Thai Cinema Grows Up!

[10/10 · 17 October 2010]

I can see the reason why there is an army of action fans who have voted this film down, but in my opinion Thai cinema is trying to come of age and show western audiences that it can produce character development as well. True it is not on the scale of Japanese films, Korean or even Chinese films but it is getting better, it will still take a few years before Thai films can be compared to them. Ong Bak 3 instead of one fight scene after the other, Tony Jaa (Tien) now has a love interest and is keen on showing Thailand itself, Thai religions and Thon a form of Thai dancing in a good light, and this he does well, there are still spectacular fight sequences but not so many, the elephant scene towards the end is a worthy highlight for any Asian Cinema action fan. It would be foolish to rate this as an action film, as obviously Tony Jaa is now much older and wishes to progress his acting career and wants to be taken seriously as an "actor", but as "World Cinema" goes it is definitely a step up from the usual non stop bone crunching high speed fighting and more into "Fantasy Adventure" which in the long term no disgrace to film-making. So in conclusion, it does not have the fighting that made Ong Bak 1&2 and "Warrior King" so effective and glorious to watch, but it is now starting competing with other countries in the acting stakes, it still has some way to go, so expect some more intense Thai cinema in the future, and personally I wish it luck.

Lucky Luke (2009)

Very Funny Film

[9/10 · 27 May 2010]

I had no preconceptions on this film, I just bought the DVD in France as it had English sub-titles, I did not know anything of the book etc. I was rolling about with laughter, and I am hard to please, but this is the best spoof western since Blazing Saddles, and IMHO sometimes beats it. Do let the false prophets deter you, or the "I have read the book brigade", take it for what it is, a western comedy, and you will enjoy it. I am hoping they make a sequel to this, and this time put it on release in England with sub-titles again, and I will buy it without hesitation, it is very imaginative and fresh. If you like Blazing Saddles you should love this too.

Fureur (2003)

Wonderful Film

[10/10 · 27 May 2010]

Watched this on holiday in France and it really took me by surprise as I could not read the cover on the DVD but it did have English sub-titles and that was good enough for me. Without giving the plot away, it is a brutal film and very realistic, the acting is some of the best I have seen, the storyline has many twists and turns and keeps your interest throughout the film. The family concerned in the film are a typical multi ethnic family living in the suburbs of Paris, poor but have a strong family bond. The story basically starts off when one of the brothers visited by an old rival from the past which sets off a chain of events which gets more and more catastrophic as the film goes on, different cultures clash head on. As I said this is a brilliant film and I highly recommend it, but it is brutal and the realism will startle you. Top film!

Lost in La Mancha (2002)

If Only

[5/10 · 29 November 2009]

This is a rather sad story of the making of Don Quixote, the film that was beset by disasters both by the forces of nature and by human error. Everyone put so much effort into this film, but it seems the film was cursed.

I have rated it lower than usual as it depressed me to see the faces of those who fought to keep the film alive only to see it fail at every hurdle.

Good film within a film of a film, glad to have seen it only to find out how difficult it must be to make cinema for us all.

5/10, although I would love to see it remade and completed :)

The Wave (2008)

Frightening Film!

[9/10 · 24 November 2009]

Powerful and frightening film, more so as it is so real in the way it develops the characters and then showing how the way people are so easily sucked in to become fascists.

The worse thing is afterwards realising that it could so easily happen again, and indeed is it happening again? Brilliant film, if you like this then watch or rent "Das Experiment", similar theme but much nastier film, more violent film but both make us think about our frailties!

There are some excellent films coming from Germany, and this is one of their finset 9/10

Yes Man (2008)

Ticked My Boxes!

[9/10 · 23 November 2009]

Ticked all my boxes, made me laugh out loud many times, which is are for me, especially with American comedy.

Either you like Jim Carey or not, but this is a perfect vehicle for his type of humour.

Like any comedy, you are either in the mood for it or you may have well go to bed early.

I must have been in the right mood, because I really enjoyed it.

Some people here have a downer or have disliked this before actually watching it.

Ignore them all and make your own mind up, it is very good :)

Transporter 3 (2008)

Entertaining Action Movie

[7/10 · 21 November 2009]

I do not fully understand why this film has been so severely slated. As far as action films go it ticked all the boxes, plenty of guns, car stunts, good fights, romance and even some corny humour, and has a happy ending .........what do people expect ..........Sir Laurence Olivier doing bloody Hamlet?

If you have had a crap day at work, and want to watch a good action movie which is not demanding then this is very good "action" film, if you require something demanding then watch a good foreign film.

I had as much fun watching this as I do watching a James Bond or Jackie Chan film. 8/10

Paris (I) (2008)

Wonderful Film

[8/10 · 27 October 2009]

This wonderful film takes a while to get started while the character development takes place mostly in small vignettes. Although the main thread is concerned with the Romain Duris and Juliette Binoche sibling relationship, with Duris's heart defect, other stories come into play with some well acted scenes which intertwine perfectly cumulating into an excellent climax. This is very much a film which requires some concentration and if you are looking for a typical Hollywood blockbuster with action, guns, nudity and a positive ending then please do not watch it, but if you want believable characters, fantastic scenery, well directed, cracking storyline and an ending which you will be talking about and thinking about for days after then this is your film. personally I was so engrossed in this film that I forgot the time and sad that it finished when it did. Hire it or buy it. Recommended :)

Read My Lips (2001)

Wonderful Film

[10/10 · 21 September 2009]

Well, what can I say having just watched this fantastic film, when my nerves are still jangling! Jacques Audiard the director must be making quite a name for himself in France, and rightly so. Vince Cassel is no Tom Cruise and Emmanuelle Devos is no Penelope Cruz either, but these two are fantastic actors, and this is a taut and compelling thriller which starts off slowly with some clever character building and then starts to put tension on tension to a wonderful climax. Others have written about the plot, so I will not say more than everyone in this film plays their role to perfection, the director, the actors, right down to the cameraman, and everything seems so real, no stupid gun play, the fighting when it happens is so credible, the expressions, the emotions, it is almost as you are there as a spectator. Do yourself a favour, get the DVD, a bottle of wine, turn the lights low, take the phone off the hook and immerse yourself in this Hitchcockian thriller :)

District 9 (2009)

Almost Perfect

[8/10 · 8 September 2009]

This one has it all, well almost...The acting is excellent, Peter Jacksons Direction is top notch, the story starts slow and after about the hour mark takes off, lots of guns and explosions, CGI was nigh on perfect, and full of nice moral dilemmas, with a nice touch of anti racism in which no-one could be offended. But IMHO and only in my opinion it seems, is that the characters were very despicable or shallow, all of them except Christopher and his alien kid did I feel any emotion for, sure the main character Sharlito Copley played his role perfectly and deserves an award, but I did not care for him or the predicament he got himself into, but as blockbusters go, this is a winner, and I am looking forward to the sequel which must follow soon!

Mon père, ce héros. (1991)

Wonderful

[8/10 · 5 September 2009]

Please do not pass this film by, it is worth all the effort to find it (I found mine on Amazon co.u.k), and similar to other forum users I watched the USA version first.

Without going over the film details all of which have been written in this forum and in much better detail than I can muster, all I can say that this should not be compared to the USA version as the French version is far superior in every way.

I gave this a 7.5 out of 10, one point missing as the transfer from a VHS take can only be considered very poor, but having said that I would not part with my DVD copy for ten times what I paid for it. Enough said, this is a top French comedy, and Gerard Depardieu out acts everyone again, this is a forgotten French gem :)

Confetti (2006)

Excellent

[10/10 · 30 December 2008]

Deserved of it cult status, truly a great comedy, genuine acting and kept me going right till the end.

A must watch comedy, I have never written an opinion on this forum (which is pretty obvious)and this film has made me sit up and say what a brilliant film this is.

If I have one qualm, it is with the extras on the DVD, which I wished they had included the out-takes and cock-ups which it deserved, but the film itself is a little gem.

10/10 For so many actors on top form in one film.

Sorry it is not up to the high standards of other reviewers, but the intention is there :)

Mama, There's a Man in Your Bed (1989)

A Wonderful Feelgood Comedy

[9/10 · 1 October 2008]

I would not compare it to Le Placard, which IMHO had more comic moments, but Romuald & Juliette while being a slow starter certainly kept your attention going throughout the film, nicely paced and reaching a heart warming conclusion :) There were many marvellous comedic moments, some brilliant pathos and realistic situation acting by all actors.

It was a typically French film, in which while confronting prejudices and phobias, which in turn the made the viewer confront his own shortcomings! I am certainly pleased to have this in my library, and will no doubt watch it time and time again, which to me is a mark of a great film.