Viewer Reviews
Recent Reviews By PATRICK MCLAREN
 | War Horse (Film)Second-rate Spielberg but still worth a look - Patrick McLarenAnyone expecting War Horse to be in the same mould as Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan is bound to be disappointed. Those earlier two films have become timeless masterpieces and reflect Steven Spielberg's genius for telling a complex, multi-layered story in a way that engages both intellect and emotion. His latest film is not in the same league by a more ... |
 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Film)Once-in-a generation film classic - Patrick McLarenIt is now a generation since the fall of the Berlin Wall and many young people today have no personal experience of what it was like to live under the shadow of the Cold War. Looking back, it may seem like a time when nothing much really happened as compared, say, with the first half of the twentieth century. Quite a lot went on then - two world wars more ... |
 | The Adjustment Bureau (Film)Better than Inception! - Patrick McLarenAnyone who has ever had to endure being micro-managed by a pernickety boss will love this film. David Norris (Matt Damon) is a somewhat free-spirited US politician (well, this is a science fiction movie) who just wants to live his life and chart his political career in his own way. But his campaign manager Charlie Traynor (Michael Kelly) won't so much more ... |
 | The King's Speech (Film)King Colin - Patrick McLarenIt is fifteen years since a sodden Colin Firth (as Mr. Darcy) stepped out of a lake in Pride and Prejudice and entered the ranks of British beefcake. It is perhaps symbolic of how far his career has progressed in the interim that his co-star in that series, Jennifer Ehle, plays a minor role in The King's Speech, while Firth stars as George VI (or Bertie as more ... |
 | Inception (Film)Sweet dreams are not made of this - Patrick McLarenLabyrinthine, byzantine even, Inception demands full attention from its audience for every one of its 147 minutes. We know that director Christopher Nolan is a clever man. That much was clear from his breakthrough film, Memento. In that movie, the narrative went backwards and yet still managed to make sense. Here, Nolan plays around with time again, and more ... |
 | Get Him To The Greek (Film)Russell Brand goes to Hollywood - Patrick McLarenRussell Brand is a sharp-witted, if rather crude, comic who looks like a member of Metallica and sounds like a Victorian prostitute on crack. He is at his best when talking off the top of his head but not so good when spouting someone else's lines. In Get Him To The Greek, Brand plays a less funny, softer-edged version of himself. Recently he suggested that more ... |
 | Robin Hood (Film)Robin v. Maximus - no contest! - William MarshallOf the modern batch of big historical epics that have graced our screens in the last fifteen years or so, only two stand out for their brilliant combination of high quality production and sheer entertainment value. They are Mel Gibson's Braveheart and Ridley Scott's Gladiator. Unfortunately the duds outnumber the successes, which shows how difficult it must more ... |
 | Shutter Island (Film)Scorsese at his very best! - Patrick McLarenMartin Scorsese's best work has always bedazzled and befuddled his audience. The unforgettable coda to Taxi Driver completely subverted the premise set up in the main body of the movie. And that's not the only thing that landmark film has in common with Shutter Island. Taxi Driver was the last movie scored by Bernard Herrman, a name synonymous with the best more ... |
 | District 9 (Video)Startlingly original Sci-fi - Patrick McLarenFor the first twenty minutes or so, Disrict 9 looked like an ill-judged sci-fi farce, with Sharlto Copley's bureaucrat, clipboard in hand, knocking on the doors of a series of dilapidated shacks and interviewing the prawn-like humanoids within. Then, following an encounter with one particular 'prawn', Copley's world changes forever and the movie takes off. more ... |
 | Up In The Air (Film)Thought-provoking gem of a movie - Roger ThornhillUp in the Air is a truly satisfying film about the different ways that people derive emotional comfort and self esteem from those around them. Anna Kendrick plays a young corporate go-getter who hankers after the joys she believes will accompany marriage to the man of her dreams. When he drops her she falls apart. J. K. Simmons is the company man getting more ... |
 | Nowhere Boy (Film)A stunning collaboration of writing, acting and directing talent - George SmithAs lifelong Beatles fan, I was attracted to this film because of the opportunity to learn a little more about the origins of the band. It is a tribute to the brilliance with which Nowhere Boy was made that I forgot about the Beatles halfway through the movie. This is a superbly realised drama about a dysfunctional family and the heartbreak caused and more ... |
 | Avatar (Film)Heavy on the CGI, light on the storyline - John DunbarAnyone familiar with James Cameron's work knows what to expect here: groundbreaking technology coupled with a very basic story. As with all his previous films, from Terminator to Titanic, the 'shock and awe' induced by the amazing special effects outweighs any reservations about the rudimentary plot. In Avatar, the combination of 3D and very 'real' more ... |
 | Less 'Heat', more lukewarm - Patrick McLarenAs I watched Public Enemies, it was impossible to avoid making comparisons with Michael Mann's masterpiece as a director, Heat. Both feature two strong protagonists: a successful criminal who specialises in armed bank robberies and a lawman determined to stop him. In each movie, the two men meet once to trade manly banter. In Heat, however, we were more ... |
 | Australia (Film)Baz Luhrmann: The Wizard of 'Oz' - Toulouse-LautrecBaz Luhrman has made only four films in the last 15 years and each one is a feast for the senses, brimming with intoxicating visuals and sounds. If cinema also catered for our sense of smell, Luhrmann's movies would offer a heady cocktail of exotic and richly-scented aromas to lead us even deeper into his imaginative creations. After the so-called 'Red more ... |
 | The Mist (Video)A clever horror movie let down by a contrived ending - MiseryThere are monsters. There is gore. And lots of screaming. So far, so typical of the horror genre. Where The Mist stands out from the herd is in its depiction of how quickly the norms of civilised society break down when a group of people are trapped in a terrifying situation. A middle-sized supermarket provides the setting for much of this film, as a group more ... |
 | Gone Baby Gone (Video)Ben Affleck comes of age - Boston BurglarAs scriptwriter on Good Will Hunting and actor in Hollywoodland, Ben Affleck demonstrated his substance as a moviemaker. However, poorly chosen parts in a series of so-so films eroded any reputation he might have built up as a serious player. Now, with Gone Baby Gone, he has confidently swept aside any doubts about his abilities. He has taken Bostonian more ... |
 | Tropic Thunder (Film)Satire with a somewhat blunt edge - Andy MillmanWatching Tropic Thunder is like being on the deck of a whaling ship as a modern Captain Ahab fires one exploding harpoon after another into the inert mass of his giant prey. Megalomaniac producers, venal agents, supine directors, egotistical actors: these are just some of the targets served up for punishment by Judge Stiller and his jury of confederates. more ... |
 | Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day (Film)A classic! - Frank CapraSet in London just before the outbreak of World War II, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is to all intents and purposes a pastiche of the screwball comedies beloved by cinema audiences of the 1930s and 40s. Amy Adams is terrific in the role of actress on the make, Delysia Lafosse. She captures perfectly all the coquettishness and feigned fragility of the more ... |
 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Film)A sad parody of a great movie hero - MarcusIn deciding to take on Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Steven Spielberg is like a retired undefeated boxing champion who thinks he still has it in him to take on the new young punks who have come on the scene since his heyday. The first three movies in the series were brilliant, each one better than its predecessor. They could stand as milestones in more ... |
 | Mamma Mia! (Film)An absolute tonic! - FernandoAs a middle-aged man whose musical heroes are the Beatles and the Kinks, I might not be considered to be in the target demographic for either Abba or Mama Mia! Perhaps the power of this movie to overcome (almost) all resistance can be gauged from my reaction. I loved every second of it! There is no doubt that Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are more ... |
 | Deja-Vu (Video)A pleasant surprise - IcemanThe combination of Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott did not seem very promising when I popped this DVD into the slot. Yes, there is plenty of slo-mo shots, pyrotechnics, and general mayhem, but Deja-Vu is actually quite a good film. I can't recall any time travel movie that did not have plot holes but, within its sub-genre, Scott's movie holds up quite more ... |
 | The Dark Knight (Film)Give us a break! - The PenguinYes, the acting, direction, special effects, etc., are brilliant but The Dark Knight is so dark and depressing that I had to go see Mama Mia! afterwards as an antidote. Don't get me wrong. I have been a fan of the Batman comics for years. I hated the Joel Schumacher versions for trying to camp up the franchise, but without adding any of the charm of the more ... |
 | In Bruges (Video)Lost opportunity - Disappointed McDonagh FanMartin McDonagh is a gifted playwright and so I had high hopes for his first feature film. Unfortunately, what could have been a brilliant character study featuring two 'resting' hitmen contemplating their chosen path in life turns out to be a vehicle for a contrived and rather silly plot. McDonagh was lucky to have Brendan Gleeson on board as any substance more ... |
 | Spider-Man 3 (Film)The best of the trilogy! - Marvel FanThe critical drubbing dished out by much of the media to Spiderman 3 is really puzzling. Is it because this latest instalment in the franchise is a little too complex, a little too subtle even, for critics expecting another big, brainless summer popcorn movie? Sam Raimi has devised a thrilling and emotionally-satisfying conclusion to his Spiderman trilogy. more ... |
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