fluffyrona Reviews

New Town Killers (2008)

Edgy, thrilling and very very good!

[9/10 · 10 January 2009]

One of the most creepy, scaring and ultimately thrilling films I've seen for a long time, New Town Killers benefits from some amazing performances, not least by Dougray Scott, who was never this menacing in Desperate Housewives (;-) LOL).

His presence on screen is brooding and claustrophobic, a real tour de force as a troubled soul with some very strange habits and preferences - and the rest of the cast more than stands up to be counted alongside him.

Jobson's edgy, jumpy camera style simply adds to the tension, and by the end of the film, if you don't have clammy hands and find yourself short of breath as a result of feeling you are IN the movie, then I challenge you to check for a pulse. Really really good.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Simply spectacular

[10/10 · 29 October 2007]

If you like films that literally take your breath away, then this goes to the top of the list.

As stated elsewhere, Javier Bardem is so spectacularly evil and menacing that, if I were Mrs Bardem, I'd be worried about him coming home at night. The man exuded controlled evil, and I found myself not breathing when he came onto screen, yet couldn't take my eyes from him - a truly mesmerising presence.

Tommy Lee Jones turns in a belter of a performance, and mention should also be made of Kelly MacDonald who nails a faultless Texan accent alongside a multi-layered performance (despite the paucity of her screen time).

Beautifully shot, as you would expect, and with some (welcome) moments of humour amongst the gore, this is a very very fine film. Miss it at your peril, because when those little golden men are being handed out next year in LA, I predict a lot of them will be going to this film. A belter.

Savage Grace (2007)

Vastly overrated, hugely disappointing

[2/10 · 29 October 2007]

Having read the other comments on this forum, I went to the London Film Festival yesterday full of anticipation, and was rudely and thoroughly disappointed by a film full of plot holes, pretentious twaddle and dreadful gaps where nothing happened.

Julianne Moore is the only guiding light in a sea of dark and dreadful film-making - I wasn't the only one to think this, as a very famous RSC actor who was sitting in front of me walked out after an hour. Simply dreadful, and if people think that producing pretty screen shots can compensate for a film that makes no sense and is without any meaningful script, then it's a real case of the Emperor's New Clothes.

After 15 years in creation, as the producer wanted us to believe in the pre-screening commentary, it's a shame they didn't take time to give this film more pace and more purpose. A really dreadful film.

Mio fratello è figlio unico (2007)

What's all the fuss about?

[2/10 · 29 October 2007]

Saw this as part of the London Film Festival, and was expecting a belter. And how disappointed was I? VERY.

What could have been a very interesting look at how different political views can co-exist within the family instead descends into a series of disjointed rubbish with no real purpose and no explanation.

The central characters were introduced, but without much substance, and there were holes in the plot that you could have driven a double decker bus through. About 20 minutes too long, it actually had my husband snoring after an hour, that can't be good in the entertainment stakes, can it? With a denouement that comes out of nowhere, this left me feeling very disappointed and unsatisfied. All in all, a good idea, totally wasted.