Sweeney Todd

Forget the all singing version….relish in Ray Winstine being his very best. Blood, gore, tension and cracking filming. What a god night out!

5*****

Beemovie

Absolutely dreadful. For a ‘Dreamworks’ production they should be ashamed themselves. It’s not worth a *. End of!

Flood

Now this was interesting. It has a British feel to it, both in the subject matter and in the way it’s been made. Good actors, reasonable acting, good FX, perhaps limited by a rather pedestrian script, but not bad entertainment. 3 *** from me.

Atonement

Fascinating. A clear 5 * wonder. Well worth a night in or out. The story is complex, and you really don’t want to be popping out for anything at any time or you’ll miss the plot and wonder what of earth is happening. Superby filmed, set and acted. A pleasure to watch from beginning to end.

“Ripping Yarns” Disc 2

Cracking. Ripping Yarns…..the second disc. Beautifully filmed with nothing spared. ‘Winfrey’s Last Case’, ‘Glorious Gordon’ and ‘Roger of the Raj. Although they must be twenty years old, they’ve lost nothing. Still really funny and beautifully set. Just look at the fine attention to detail in ‘Winfrey’ and ‘Gordon’. Five ***** without a doubt.

The Libertine

Johnny Depp is the 2nd Earl of Rocester aka ‘The Libertine’. Not a film to be watched in polite company or with those of a moral persuasion. It’s bawdy but not a bad film at all. However, as we all know, Johnny Depp is amazingly versatile and never ceases to surprise. This isn’t one of his best. A ** i’m afraid.

Full review at http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=152689

Offside

‘Offside’ is an Iranian film about a group of girls trying to get into a men-only match between Iran and Bahrain in the World Cup 2006 Championships. That’s about it really. Does a lot happen?……not off the field. Iran wins 1-0 and that’s about it too. It’s all a bit strange. Possibly the culture differences didn’t make it work for me…..possibly….maybe it was just a little too ‘different’. Only one * I’m afraid.

Full review at http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=155197

“Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End’

Sequels, sequels, sequels. Find me a good first film that made an excellent Part One of two or three….Star Trek, Star Wars, Rambo, Shrek, Batman, SpiderMan, Mision Impossible, X-Men, Terminator, Highlander – all far better as the first than as the second or any subsequent film. O.K. I enjoyed the sequels to Die Hard and Naked Gun 2 1/2 wasn’t half bad. Airplane 2 was dreadful. As is POTC- World’s End. It draws the threads together from ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ but is really not a patch on the Curse of the Black Pearl. Of course, Keira Knightly is worth watching as is the effete Johnny Depp. Bill Nighy is there somewhere behind Davy Jones and the tentacles. The comedy is slapstick and the fight scenes can be a tad confusing. It’s certainly better than Saturday night television but is a ** at best. Fight the curiosity after Curse of the Black Pearl and you won’t be disapppointed.

Full review at http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=159987

‘Ten Canoes’

I’m not sure whether you need to watch the bonus features before or after this film. It’s an important piece of cinema but not an easy film to watch. It’s made in Australia amongst the indigenous people. It’s a way of documenting what may well soon be a lost culture. Made for the Aborigines and starring themselves with all the problems of their kinship laws, it’s a remarkable film. It tells the story of a group of hunters who, in turn, tell a story of ‘time long ago’ by way of a moral lesson for one of their own who is casting eyes at the wife of another tribal member. Filmed in black and white and colour, it takes watching but if you can persevere, then it’s well worth the effort. The Bont Team gave it ***…it was a Friday night and the Cote de Rhone was working – the eyelids drooping and we had just watched Gong Li…….enough said!

Full review at http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=161518

‘Curse of the Golden Flower’

I’m a sucker for Gong Li. This is a fabulous film. It’s the most expensive film the Chinese have made to date. Chinese cinema grows and grows. Not sure how much of this is CGI but the crowd scenes and the photography around the palace is incredible. It’s a good story with the usual necessity for ninja fight scenes and some swordplay but not enough to detract from the beauty of the costumes or the makeup. How they keep themselves tucked into their tops is a complete mystery to me. Chinese Sellotape must be really something. I also loved the court officials who have to go around telling the time and announcing the arrival of everybody to everywhere. A definite ***** from the Bontbusters Review Team. This is an excellent one for the ‘Big Screen’.

Full review at http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/04/09/curse_of_the_golden_flower_2007_review.shtml