info-2022 Reviews

The Merchant of Venice (2004)

what?

[1/10 · 8 December 2004]

(4/10)

Looks great and well acted but I didn't like any of the characters, the morals were ambiguous at best, racism was poorly addressed, the mixing of humour and serious period drama did not go well together and the last scene (on the shore) was inane. In a word: What!?! Shylock's daughter was sooooo 2-dimensional, it was untrue!

Poor Irons, Pacino, Fiennes and co. They are working so hard (esp. Pacino) but the film is abit of a dud really. I don't know how faithful they've been to Willy S's full play, but it doesn't work cinematic ally. Least not here...

School for Seduction (2004)

Patronising

[1/10 · 8 December 2004]

(3/10)

So obviously made as a female take on 'The Full Monty', this film is so carefully constructed according to a 'formula' that all life has been almost totally sucked out of it (except for the actress who plays the checkout girl, she's pretty good). Typically British, unadventurous, predictable, visually flat (it looks like an ITV drama) and not very funny. Also, Kelly Brook acts OK, has a great figure, and a lovely smile to boot, but frankly she isn't the 10-out-of-10 stunner that this character is supposed to be. It's obviously been made as a vehicle for her, but she has been miscast!

Give and Take, and Take (2003)

super duper low budgeter!

[10/10 · 9 February 2004]

Spoilers

I had really low expectations of this film but was blown away by it! For a £10,000 budget I expected production values akin to barrel scraping porn but it was paced well, acted ok, edited sharply, directed with flash, and actually had a few subtexts abounding which you would not expect from a genre piece like this.

Ok, so it's stylised to the point of comic at times and won't win any awards but the dialogue has a kind of rococo quality reminiscent of Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead, and for a low budgeter the film makers actually seem to have some concept of visual style: The film begins glossy and sun drenched, but then as the genre bends and events take a serious and tragic tone, the weather actually changes with the film, until we're left with the hero and his ass kicking gal walking off, hand in hand, into the Autumn afternoon.

You wouldn't have thunk it but this is almost excellent!