I read some of the other reviews and felt that a lot of them were rather harsh. I admit that there were many flaws in the tale and won't bother to go through them all as that ground has been well covered. As I read the plot holes, I found myself amazed at the fact I hadn't noticed most of them while I was watching the film as I tend to pick fault with story lines of movies a lot.I confess to being totally ignorant on the subject of diabetes, and although this wasn't supposed to be a public information film, I think they ought to have got those medical facts right because there are enough people out there that have diabetes and would know the difference and especially having made it such an important part of the plot it should have been accurate. Otherwise I think the errors are forgivable and didn't intrude on my enjoyment of the film. I have come to expect to spend a good bit of any thriller shouting "Why are you doing THAT?" I think in Panic Room the characters were good enough to engage the audience and once the movie got into the main story the direction kept it rolling along in a competent manner. Overall; a decent thriller if you don't look too closely.
Reviews
3 Reviews
In Bruges
(2008)
If you like your comedy black and without sugar...
28 January 2009
This is a hard movie to classify, let alone review. Where do you start? It IS humorous, but essentially it is a tragedy. It is unashamedly politically incorrect, but it does so indiscriminately. The central characters are really reprehensible in their actions & views and hardly distinguishable from the 'bad guys'. Wow - just like in real life.
The scenes of Bruges are beautifully shot, the script is clever and funny and the acting first rate. The whole movie is a work of art. It became my favourite movie from the first viewing but I left it nearly a year before reviewing it as I thought my enthusiasm may subside. It has not: I have given this film 10/10.
There is a wonderfully warm paternal relationship between Ken (Brendan Gleeson) & Ray (Colin Farrell) both characters are beautifully written with depth and wit. The background story unfolds gently without any fanfares that would insult the viewer. There are several very interesting characters floating around Bruges with Ray & Ken many of whom have good lines and memorable presence in the film: Tourists, drug dealers, a dwarf and a ticket seller, all with their part to play and who play it well.
The movie changes tempo in the final half hour becoming more action orientated and for me this is the weakest part. But the ending itself is perfect for the film. It has ambiguity which is something I normally hate, but a happy ending would be out of the question in this story and who the hell wants to see a sad one?
The scenes of Bruges are beautifully shot, the script is clever and funny and the acting first rate. The whole movie is a work of art. It became my favourite movie from the first viewing but I left it nearly a year before reviewing it as I thought my enthusiasm may subside. It has not: I have given this film 10/10.
There is a wonderfully warm paternal relationship between Ken (Brendan Gleeson) & Ray (Colin Farrell) both characters are beautifully written with depth and wit. The background story unfolds gently without any fanfares that would insult the viewer. There are several very interesting characters floating around Bruges with Ray & Ken many of whom have good lines and memorable presence in the film: Tourists, drug dealers, a dwarf and a ticket seller, all with their part to play and who play it well.
The movie changes tempo in the final half hour becoming more action orientated and for me this is the weakest part. But the ending itself is perfect for the film. It has ambiguity which is something I normally hate, but a happy ending would be out of the question in this story and who the hell wants to see a sad one?
Wisegal
(2008 TV Movie)
Surprisingly good for TV movie
28 January 2009
'Made for TV' is not something that raises the expectations of the viewer. I did not recall seeing Alyssa Milano in anything other than 'Charmed' and frankly I wasn't that impressed with her. Which makes it all the more surprising how much I liked this film. The plot may not be that original: Girl from disadvantaged background makes good, suffers setback, pulls herself up through hard work, intelligence and (in this case) a mobster who fancies her. Alyssas' character isn't portrayed as the totally innocent victim of circumstance (so annoyingly common in these scenarios) but gives her a little more realism. The rest of the cast did well with less screen time: James Caan bought a little weight to the cast and the children played their roles convincingly, but the character I would have liked to see more of was the mother played by Janet Wright.
What sets this film apart is the higher than average standard of acting, the non-cheesy script and the three dimensional characters.
What sets this film apart is the higher than average standard of acting, the non-cheesy script and the three dimensional characters.
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