johnodq Reviews

The Machine (I) (2013)

Superb Sci-Fi, Simple & Understated But Truly Effective!

[10/10 · 26 April 2014]

It's hard to sum this film up without giving any of the superb plot and story away.

Written & Directed by Caradog W. James --- ??? WHO ??? I know, I thought the same but they've obviously spent time crafting this and it shows.

The acting, direction and cinematography are all superb. It is so nice to see places that look and feel real rather than high tech white rooms where you doubt any work would ever get done.

The music has a sort of "Blade Runner" feel and never tries to fight for attention, unlike so many recent films where you wish you could mute the music as it overpowers the dialogue.

If you like Sci-Fi such as Quatermass, Blade Runner, The Illustrated Man etc. then you will enjoy this.

All in all a great film and I look forward to more from Caradog W. James !

The Legend of 1900 (1998)

A Masterpiece

[10/10 · 19 February 2012]

I was buying groceries in my local store and they had the DVD of this on the shelf and I saw that the music was by Ennio Morricone and Tim Roth was in it and being a fan of both I thought I would give it a go.

How pleased I was to discover a real diamond of a film, entertaining, poignant, funny, clever, there are just not enough superlatives for this film.

Tim Roth is great and plays the main character brilliantly with support from Pruitt Taylor Vince (recently in The Mentalist) as his friend and Mélanie Thierry as "the girl".

The music is excellent and even though it is obviously a low budget film the way it is filmed and edited along with the use of Ennio Morricone's superb soundtrack all blend to make a highly enjoyable and interesting film.

Everyone I have recommend this film has said how much they too have enjoyed it.

The Lover (1992)

Ditch Water Is Not As Dull

[1/10 · 19 February 2012]

Went to see this in the cinema, at the time all the press was raving about it and "the sinner from Pinner".

I sat through the whole film waiting for something interesting to happen, NOTHING happened.

10 minutes in people were walking out of the theatre, 20 minutes in and my girlfriend and at least half of the rest of the audience were snoring.

Having seen the original Emmanuelle (1974) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071464/ in the cinema (at a much younger age) and all the comparisons to it I thought this would at least be mildly entertaining but this is one of those films that has you thinking to yourself "I want the time I wasted watching that crap back!"

If you are considering watching this then also consider watching some paint dry or contemplating ditch water as you will find it more soothing and satisfying than this pap.

Paul (2011)

A Superbly Funny Masterpiece

[10/10 · 19 June 2011]

From the very start this film hooks you and draws you in to the story.

It's poignant, amusing, funny and very clever.

Yes it's full of clichés but you want them and partly expect them, the comedy is never overplayed rather gently released and allowed to roam around, it never hunts for gags or takes a simple idea and milks it to death like so many "modern" comedies do.

The main 2 characters are likable and self-effacing; the interactions between them and the other characters are smartly woven into a clever plot that pays homage to so many great films.

Some of the references to places and things might be a bit obscure but in this day and age if you don't know what something is it only takes a few minutes to learn more using your favourite search engine.

The only thing that reduces the age range of the potential audience is the profanity but it's all part of the story line.

I've now watched it over half a dozen times and all my family and friends have enjoyed it immensely, with ages ranging from mid-20's to mid-70's.

Overall it is such a welcome change from some of the recent dross.

Highly recommended.

Due Date (2010)

Awful from Start To End

[1/10 · 19 June 2011]

This is supposed to be a comedy, I found little if nothing to make me laugh at.

Robert Downey Junior looks so annoyed and bored all the time its obvious he had zero interest in it.

5 minutes in I was already starting to wonder if this was the film I had read about and by 15 minutes in I was rechecking to see if I had rented the correct film and unfortunately I had.

It drags on and on and stays painfully inane with the occasional minute of extreme irritation along the way.

Avoid if at all possible, get a haircut, go shopping or fishing but do something better with your time, I for one wish I'd never seen this tripe.

Age of Heroes (2011)

Disappointing & Weak Plot

[1/10 · 18 June 2011]

I rarely find the need to say how bad something is but this was one of the worst films I've seen in years.

It purports to be the "true story of the formation of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando unit" but very scant detail is shown about the actual training that they endure rather placing great weight on the punishment of one of the group.

At one point huge emphasise is placed on the use of daggers with a lengthy scene dedicated to the handing out of said daggers, but when it comes to combat they hardly use the daggers at all.

They are all crack shots and yet cannot hit the side of a barn at 20 yards when their lives depend on it.

If the raid went as depicted I doubt very much that the powers that be would of ever sanctioned the use of such a group ever again especially if it was anywhere near as much of a bumbling mess as depicted.

The plot has more holes that swiss cheese and although the actors do their best with an awful script & clumsy direction I found it extremely dull and annoying.

Danny Dyer is the standout performance in this film making a welcome break from his cockney wide boy image, Sean Bean is himself with a big prosthetic nose and everyone else is forgettable.

I wont go into length about the worst bit which involves the group leader getting one of his men from prison only to discover the bloke is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

I gave it 2 stars as it was better than some films I've seen but not much.