paul sloan Reviews

Collateral (2004)

Hot Night In The City

[8/10 · 7 March 2005]

This movie is just a great roller coaster ride where we go along with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx . Superbly directed by Michael Mann, this is quite a dark tale of one night in the life of cab driver, Foxx, and his very unusual fare, Mr Cruise. The tone of the plot is dark and it does get complicated, especially when the cops become involved but the movie rattles along at great pace. It is nice to see a movie of this type with a big budget and see talented people doing their thing.The plot does have loads of holes in it and Jamie Foxx's glasses do seem silly and pointless but Collateral is none the less for these minor points. Also, in a movie world of sequels and retreads, it is great to come across an original idea that is both well made and entertaining. Recommended .

Murder on Flight 502 (1975 TV Movie)

Daft in Flight Chaos

[15 December 2004]

Even by TV movie standards this is poor. One of the main problems is that Robert Stack and Hugh O' Brian are so wooden in their leading roles. Honestly, planks of wood could have acted better.The movie has a cheap look and the flight is full of all the usual stereotypes. The denouement, such as it is,is almost laughable.This is very typical of TV movies of the time. I suppose there are worse ways you could spend 90 minutes,like scrubbing out your kitchen perhaps. Total routine fare.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Cooking heat

[30 October 2004]

Michael Moore does not like George W Bush. That is the main thing that comes across here. This is Moore's best work to date. The footage of the US soldiers in Iraq was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. The public beheading in Saudi Arabia will long stay in my memory. The mother of the dead soldier from Flint( Lila) was also incredibly moving talking about her son. The DVD comes with a second disc full of extras and is well worth seeing. The movie is superbly edited and paced and Moore is much more convincing in his arguments here than in Bowling For Columbine. The running time is over two hours but the time just flies in. Michael Moore has made a stimulating, witty, well-argued film and he certainly does not like George W

Cold Creek Manor (2003)

Ice Cold !

[3/10 · 29 August 2004]

This movie is really quite poor. It is all the more disappointing considering the talented people who worked on it.It is great to see Dennis Quaid back in a leading role and Sharon Stone is always great to watch. What we have here is a TV-movie script puffed-up to be a major Hollywood cinema release. On the DVD extras, Mike Figgis says you should never let the audience 'get-ahead' of the plot in a thriller movie. So how come this movie is completely predictable? Not only that, there are holes in the plot so big that the actors almost fall through them.Mike Figgis also wrote the music which also happens to be the worst I have heard in a movie for quite some time. The whole production comes from Touchstone Pictures an offshoot of Disney. Who knows? maybe they are going to have a Cold Creek Manor at Disneyworld.

Worst of all this movie is just plain boring and really not worth the time and effort of watching it

Love Actually (2003)

London? Er, No actually

[25 March 2004]

London has never been more unrecognisable in a movie since Dick Van Dyke went dancing over the chimney tops in Mary Poppins. The bit about 9/11 at the start was very sickly and unnecessary and kind of put me off Love Actually before it got going.The actors, however, do make this movie work. With such a great ensemble cast it was always going to be good. There are too many stories on the go plot-wise and a trimming of the length of the movie would have made it better. It is interesting to note that on the DVD version there are loads of deleted scenes and Richard Curtis says in their introduction that the movie was considerably longer and he had a problem reducing the length to the eventual running time.So there!Love Actually is a good romantic comedy peppered with swear words and some crudity but is nice for all that. I just feel that if it contained a cast of complete unknowns it might not have worked at all.Best to see on DVD with much extra features.

Nip/Tuck (2003–2010)

Sex Does Not Equal Sexy

[22 January 2004]

Yes there is mucho sex and nudity in this. The standpoint seems to be one of a dark porno approach with not a great emphasis on drama at all. Richardson, Walsh and McMahon are all excellent.John Hensley who plays Matt McNamara is uncannily like Michael Jackson and I would find it very hard to believe that the makers of Nip/Tuck don't notice this, or in fact have cast him for this reason.It is hard not to seem a bit of a voyeur watching this but there is sufficient here to keep you hooked,though nothing really to tiittilate

Brother Bear (2003)

Great Disney Fare. Pure & Simple!

[19 December 2003]

I took my 8 year old daughter to see this and the cinema was packed full of kids. They loved it and I loved it too. It was like going back in time to seeing those old Disney movies of my youth such as the Jungle Book and The Aristocats. Brother Bear is one of those movies that is funny and moving at the same time and of an ideal length to hold the attention of a kid.Sure,the critics hated it probably because it is not as knowingly clever as Finding Nemo. Who cares? The proof of the movie's entertainment value was seeing all those kids in the cinema laughing and having fun. I do sit through an awful lot of garbage when I take my daughter to the movies. Finding something like Brother Bear makes it all worthwhile.The only negative factor was those songs by Phil Collins. Rotten is the only word to adequately describe them.If he wins an Oscar again, I will be annoyed.

Shallow Hal (2001)

Lets Hear It For The Porkers!

[30 November 2003]

The USA has more than its fair share of fat folk. In Florida they are everywhere.There you see them fighting with tourists for the prime spots in the 'All You Can Eat' buffets. At long last a movie for them that shows fat people as decent human beings.Then again this is a comedy of sorts. Jack Black is great as Hal and really captures the annoying aspects of Hal perfectly. Gwyneth Paltrow, for an Oscar-winning actress, is totally wasted in what is more of a 'Lisa Kudrow'-type role.This movie works well on TV and while I quite enjoyed watching it on Satellite, I might have felt short-changed at the cinema. As for Jason Alexander? Well, George in Seinfeld was his greatest moment to date and probably always will be.The sad part is I think that he knows this.

Dog Soldiers (2002)

What Up Dog?

[27 November 2003]

Great! A werewolf movie in Scotland.Much of the plot is silly but the whole thing is just so spooky and well made. The scene where the guy challenges the werewolf to box is terrifying and funny at the same time.A great example of the horror-movie genre at a time when so many other efforts have fallen flat. Recomended.

The Hot Chick (2002)

Too Cold 2 Handle

[24 November 2003]

Rob Schneider was great on Saturday Night Live. The movies he has made, on the other hand,have been largely dreadful. The Hot Chick is probably the worst yet. The reason it is so bad is that it is just plain boring and after 30 minutes I was dying for it to end.It is a one joke entity stretched beyond belief.There are also pointless jokes of a racist nature that really offend. The only thing that made me laugh was Schneider's blooper at the end titles. Too little, too late. Not worthwhile at all.

Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003) Season 10, Episode 14

The Famous Old Raincoat

[19 November 2003]

Columbo has been going for over 30 years in some form. The dear detective must be the oldest copper in the world. He also solves all these murder cases and never gets promoted or even a raise. In some ways that is the great charm of Columbo. A new episode is really comfort TV. You basically know what you're gonna get. Any deviations from the formula have been disastrous.This particular one is fairly routine fare with a silly script. Still, the bad folks are totally obnoxious as usual and you are always glad when they get what's coming to them.Peter Falk is magnificent as always, a fantastic seriously underrated star. Nightlife is not great but Falk makes it all work fine.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Dangerous ?

[3 October 2003]

Chuck Barris. An assassin? Nope! Still, an interesting starting point for George Clooney's film of Chuck Barris' eccentric but strangely compulsive memoirs.The best thing Clooney does in the movie is play the hit man stuff totally straight and those scenes work very well.The worst parts are the pointless sex scenes and George Clooney's moustache which is the worst moustache in a movie since the one sported by Matthew Broderick in Glory.Sam Rockwell is fantastic as Barris and the movie is quite well made overall.Barris strikes me as someone who had his moment and when it was over he couldn't hack it. Still, he is much more agreeable than his former colleague and star of Bowling For Columbine,Dick Clark, who quite annoyingly pops up in this.

Phone Booth (2002)

Astounding Story

[2 October 2003]

This movie goes like one of those old Astounding Stories comic books.The plot is as way-out as you can get but there is a great atmosphere to to the whole project. The movie just races along and the short running time is no bad thing.I viewed this on DVD. I think as far as DVDs hired from the local store go it was fine.If I had gone to the movies to see it I may have been more disappointed. Great 'cult-movie' potential.

Analyze That (2002)

Why?

[18 September 2003]

Analyze That is not a good movie.Analyze This was not too hot either. It is only watchable due to Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal and eventually you grow tired of them and the predictability of it all.If you blink you may miss Lisa Kudrow though I suspect she was well paid for her efforts. The story of the heist was totally implausible.Also, I am wondering when Bobby De Niro will tackle a decent dramatic role again. He's not getting any younger and may regret doing all these comedies when all he is offered is Grandfather parts in Lassie movies. As for Billy Crystal, well he's always got The Oscars to fall back on. This barely got a cinema release in the UK. The DVD has special features including a documentary where the cast, director and producers tell you how funny it is though you are more likely to fall asleep than split your sides with laughter.A waste of time and talent!

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ- Welcome To Snooze City

[4 September 2003]

I had high hopes for this when I hired the DVD. Superbly packaged in a double DVD case. A whole disc of extras came with it. Review quotes praising it were also on the case.Seemed to have some great actors in it that I liked.Oh dear!!! PDL is just plain rotten. It is one of those so called 'arty' movies that have odd camera angles, weird music, metaphors by the dozen. Yes,once again it is all style and no substance. A plot might have made a difference or perhaps some plausible dialogue at least. You can see where it wants to be funny but fails miserably. PDL is one almighty belly-flop of a movie. Apparently it was well received in France. No surprise there.The French have churned out merde like this for years. The cast do try hard but are largely wasted with such material as this.The bonus disc was not touched by me at all as I did not care in the least what was on it.'Enough'is a word that entered my head.

Johnny English (2003)

Smelly or what?

[21 August 2003]

There is a scene in this movie where Rowan Atkinson,as Johnny English,gets covered in faeces. This is quite appropriate as the whole film smells right from the start.For a comedy it has one major drawback,this being that it is not funny.There are sexist jokes, racist jokes,disabled jokes and scenes that make fun of mentally-ill people. If you find such things amusing then you will probably enjoy Johnny English. Anyone else should avoid. The best thing that you can say about this debacle is that it is mercifully short in running time and that Natalie Imbruglia is rather hot in her role. As for John Malkovich?He must be having a laugh at us all.What else could explain his bizarre performance?

Chicago (2002)

We Had This Coming!

[18 August 2003]

Instead of disguising the stage origins of Chicago for the big screen, Rob Marshall and co. positively embrace them. This is probably the best filming of a stage musical since Bob Fosse's Cabaret.From start to finish the whole thing is pure class. Acting, choreography,camera work, costumes and sets are all of top quality. Many of the gripes about this getting Best Picture at the Oscars come from Lord of The Rings fans who really should get back to spotting trains ASAP.Sure there is much to complain about concerning the output of the major Hollywood studios.Because of this, I am glad there are producers like Harvey Weinstein and that movies like Chicago can be made. Reccomended!

The Tailor of Panama (2001)

A Stitch Not of Our Time

[18 August 2003]

A major problem with this is that the book it is based on is probably John Le Carre's worst novel, a dull dribble of nothingness.This handicap is really an insurmountable obstacle.Mainly, the plot is boring and totally unbelievable. The direction is flat and plodding and disappointing from John Boorman, a director who is capable of so much more. Geoffrey Rush tries his best in the title role, Brosnan doesn't convince, Curtis is wasted and Brendan Gleeson(a fine actor) is bizarrely miscast. Also,what is it with spies? They are always obsessed with sex and seem to do so much of it that it is a wonder they have the energy to find out government secrets and the like. Still, it's probably a better living than working in a sewer.This movie is a bore. If you can keep awake for the running time you will be doing well.There are bound to be better things you can do with two hours in your life.

28 Days Later (2002)

Nearly 2 Hours Later

[3 August 2003]

There's little doubt that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are talented in directing and writing respectively.The first half hour goes in superbly well. From there on it all gets a bit gory and nasty. Nothing wrong with that per se but you might expect some thrills too.However these are in short supply.Cillian Murphy is also not strong enough an actor for the lead though he is not bad. Brendan Gleeson is miscast in a supporting role and the excellent Christopher Eccleston is wasted playing a daft soldier.Naomie Harris is very appealing in the role of Selena and I am sure we will hear much more of her in the future. As usual in Boyle's films, the use of music is great and the soundtrack album should be well worth having.The scenes of Jim walking through a deserted London are memorable and the DVD extras explain how they managed to pull it off. Overall, 28 Days.... would have been better if a bigger budget had been in place.However,there is much merit in the movie and it probably will become a great cult favourite of the future.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Do You Wanna Be In My Gang ?

[28 July 2003]

GONY was so long in the making and realisation. It looked as if it might not see the light of day at one stage. One story going the rounds was that Scorsese wanted to release a version lasting over 4 hours and had many arguments with producer Harvey Weinstein concerning the release date and running time. So what do we have? Firstly the movie does look quite edited. The editing is done well but some of the plot does seem disjointed. The set of old NY is great,in fact it is much too good as in admiring it I was losing track of some of the action taking place.Also, because the set is so authentic you are always aware it IS a set and this stops you suspending disbelief and prevents you becoming immersed in the tale.Leo de Caprio never convinces in his role and Cameron Diaz joins the long line of gorgeous prostitutes in the movies a la Julia Roberts though she does her best with a nothing part.And so on to Daniel Day-Lewis. The last thing I had seen him in was The Boxer which was OK.Then he just disappeared.It was said he was working as some kind of craftsman in rural Italy. It was only a matter of time before he returned to the screen. He is too good an actor to be sitting about sewing leather in a Tuscan farmhouse. As Bill The Butcher he is totally menacing. He clearly relishes the part and plays it just the right side of going over the top.A truly memorable screen baddie.The true story of the unrest in NY at the time shown is a fascinating one and despite some shortcomings Scorsese does well. Before it was released there were rumours that GONY was a turkey. It most certainly is not that and,while not a classic,was definitely a worthwhile venture though obviously a pet project for Scorsese.Fantastic on DVD with mucho extras!

Early Doors (2003–2004)

Time, Gentlemen Please

[22 July 2003]

I really wanted to like this. Much of it is good and the cast are all very able and convincing as the characters that they play.John Henshaw who plays Ken the landlord was fantastic as Roy in The Cops and here he seizes the part with both hands and shines throughout.However, much of this series was boring and repetitive. From Episode 1 we know Tommy is mean and miserable,the lazy cops always call, Eddie is obsessed with temporary traffic lights,Ken's mother is insane and a total gossip and so on.There was a kind of sub plot running through the series about Ken's daughter meeting her natural father but this threatened to get all emotional and out of step with the humour.The last episode where the pub regulars have a lad's day out was hilarious.Not in the same league as the Royle Family which Craig Cash also co-wrote but despite its failings it is still streets ahead of much of the guff that claim to be sitcoms on UK TV.

The Royle Family (1998–2012)

Half The World Away

[20 July 2003]

Totally unique.Tremendous observational comedy.We all know folk like these characters. The writing and acting are top notch especially Ricky T who really is one of the best character actors that the UK has produced. The episodes can be watched time and time again and are still funny after repeated viewings.Very few UK sitcoms are totally shot on film but in this case it lends a documentary feel to the whole proceedings.Thoroughly enjoyable and well reccomended.

Daddy Day Care (2003)

One Huge Bomb!

[19 July 2003]

This movie sucks so much I swear you can hear sucking noises on the soundtrack. Eddie Murphy's career had such early promise. 48 Hours and Trading Places are still great to watch. Daddy Day Care(DDC), however is simply Hellish.Murphy gave up years ago caring about the quality of the movies he is in and his recent output is particularly poor. One exception is Shrek and there is something quite pathetic that his best role in years was as a talking donkey in a cartoon.DDC is simply not funny. The plot is totally predictible sentimental pap and also one almighty yawn. I took my seven year old daughter to see this at the local multiplex. I can't say I always love kids movies but I don't remember looking at my watch so much during any movie. It is a LONG 92 minutes.Even the out-takes at the end are not funny. My daughter too did not like this much. All the advertising agency & Klingon stuff went straight over her head. A failure. Anyone who liked this needs to get into analysis quickly.I feel Beverley Hills Cop 4 will not be too far away.

Red Dragon (2002)

Hannibal Meets Abbott & Costello & Frankenstein

[14 June 2003]

Money. This whole movie is about money.It is not bad though.On its own it is a fair thriller but for anyone seeing the other Hannibal Lecter movies,it all seems a bit pointless.Ed Norton is unconvincing as Will Graham. Ralph Fiennes is great as the Tooth Fairy though he could probably have played this part in his sleep.Hopkins, in making RD has tarnished his Oscar-winning performance as Lecter with a piece of cartoonish-ham. Please, no more!we don't want Hannibal VI GUESS WHO'S COOKING DINNER.

Inside the Actors Studio (1994– )

All The World's A Stage

[13 June 2003]

This is a great show. James Lipton's research and interview style are always on the number.The guests really seem to enjoy the whole experience in what is a unique kind of chat show. ITAS is both clever and entertaining.The only down side is when the students get to ask questions.Man,these people irritate.Still, a perfect antidote to the usual talk show pap.Reccomended.