James' Talk

Smokin' Aces

Wow, what a film! The content is so busy, that it really is hard to keep up with the plot and I?m sure will need a few more viewings before I fully understand it all. The Director has managed to capture a Tarantino style film with the well developed characters and the build up, whilst maintaining a realistic approach within the films boundaries.



This film was an instant hit with me and I?m sure it will be for many others too.

The Basketball Diaries

The Basketball diaries takes you on a journey of a drug user from the very beginning and shows the escalation into drug abuse and the crimes comitted to support the habbit. The film lures you into a false sense of security by showing the boys just as juvenile delinquents , not experiencing too many problems, then bang, they're hooked and everything changes.



The end result (in my opinion) is Dicaprio?s finest performance to date and this is why I feel in later years he took on a few films that really didn?t show his acting skills at his best. One particular scene is extremely powerful and emotional.



Based on a true story, this is a remarkable tale cleveryly put together.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Okay, so I will be the first to admit that this movie was a little on the schmaltzy side, but that did not stop me from bawling my eyes out at the end! Even if the storyline DID depend on tugging at the heartstrings quite a bit, I have to confess to having a soft spot for stories where the underdog triumphs in the end.

The Big White

This movie reminded me of a sort of a lesser version of Fargo but even so I thought it was quite good. I especially loved Giovanni Ribisi's character. That man can act the hell out of anything!

Mrs. Henderson Presents

Quite enjoyed this comedy drama set in war time England. Good cast and a pretty good storyline made for an enjoyable viewing experience.

Ne le Dis à Personne (Tell No One)

This fairly lengthly feature is very well put together, from an enjoyable soundrack, believable acting and storyline which pulls you in emotionally, to a well plotted ended. This film ticks lots of boxes for me and I certainly recommend.

Possibly my favourite French speaking film ? Impressive.

The Departed

Okay, so cognitively I get that this is a good movie. Good performances, good pace, good dialogue. But the thing is that I simply did not enjoy the viewing experience on the whole. I mean it was just so damn bleak and harrowing that I cannot HONESTLY say that I ENJOYED this movie even if it WAS (technically speaking) quite good. This is why I have abstained from giving it a rating at all, but I definitely think that it deserves a recommendation.

Nurse Betty

Great movie! Sharp and darkly funny, it tells the interesting tale of a woman who has lost touch with reality against a backdrop of violence and the world of the daytime soap opera.

1408

I quite liked this horror. It was pretty creepy and managed to give one that sense of being caught up in a nightmare. The CGI WAS a trifle hokey I think, but on the whole it was not too bad.

Jumper

Did not hate it, but did not love it either. The concept is very cool, but I feel like it was not executed very well. The acting was hardly stellar, although I was expecting to cringe a lot more than I did given the cast. Have to say though that I was a bit disappointed in the performance given by Sam Jackson.

Jumper

Did not hate it, but did not love it either. The concept is very cool, but I feel like it was not executed very well. The acting was hardly stellar, although I was expecting to cringe a lot more than I did given the cast. Have to say though that I was a bit disappointed in the performance given by Sam Jackson.

Jumper

Did not hate it, but did not love it either. The concept is very cool, but I feel like it was not executed very well. The acting was hardly stellar, although I was expecting to cringe a lot more than I did given the cast. Have to say though that I was a bit disappointed in the performance given by Sam Jackson.

Deja Vu

A very enjoyable time travel type film. I've heard people getting confused at the ending and I can see why, but think I got it and thought it was very cleverly done.

This would certainly benefit from multiple viewings, a great story, which reminded me slightly of Minority Report (but better).

The Machinist

Fascinatingly weird and utterly brilliant, a story which unravels slowly and reveals an outstanding ending.

The controversial appearance of Bale in this film is so devastating to watch. He truly ran risks to his health for this role, losing 63 lb to accomplish the look, which although is a rather drastic action, it's not exactly a recommended way of doing things, however, the story obviously benefitted from the transformation.

A superb performance by Bale and for those of you who enjoy the weird and wonderful, this was will dazzle.

Marie Antoinette

I must say that the only reason I have even given this movie three stars is because of the soundtrack, costumes and scenery. Otherwise I have to admit that I found the movie only mildly interesting at best. I would not say that Kirsten Dunst was particularly bad in this, but it seemed that her character of Marie Anoinette was meant to be rather insipid and so unfortunately there was probably not all that much she could do about coming across any differently.

Broken Flowers

One of the best movies I have seen Bill Murray in. He does offbeat roles SO well. The thing is that even though his character is not entirely likeable (self-absorbed type who appears to be in the throes of a midlife crisis), the fact that Murray plays the part with such honesty made me sympathetic towards the character anyway.

The Oh in Ohio

Parker Posey is her usual brilliant self playing an uptight career woman who eventually, um, discovers herself and learns to just let go :-) The storyline is REALLY funny and perfomances on the whole are pretty good, although to be honest I did not find the performances by Mischa Barton or Paul Rudd particularly impressive.

Ghosts

Nick Broomfield's documentary experience allowed this film and it's portrayal of the events of the deaths of Chinese Imigrant workers at Morecambe Bay, England.

The film takes you through the illegal imigration process up until the night of the tragic deaths. The film is not only very realistic, but it's cast is mainly made up of people who have been in similar situations, which certainly adds to the authentic feel.

In addition on the special features, you will find a very interesting 'Making of' section.