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Showing all reviews beginning with J
Japanese Story
When Sandy, an Australian Geologist (Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding) is asked to give Japanese business man, Tachibana Hiromitsu, a tour of the Australian outback, the two take an instant dislike to each other.
Sandy sees Tachibana as arrogant, with Tachibana viewing Sandy as bossy and loud. Tachibana seems overwhelmed with the difference in culture in an almost reverse Lost in Translation type way.
After the two get stuck in the deep outback overnight, there feelings towards each other change and they are drawn closer together.
Japanese Story is, in essence, a romantic tale set in the Australian backdrop. Toni Collette gives a great performance and the film is well written and directed.
Jason X
Jason Vorhees (Friday the Thirteenth) is back and this time it's in space. A plot to freeze the seamingly unkillable Jason Vorhees until a time in which new technology can kill him fails and a scientist and Jason both end up being frozen. 400 years later they are discovered and taken aboard a spaceship where both Jason and the scientist thaw and he starts killing people again.
Having not seen any of the other Friday the Thirteenth films, I can't comment on how this compares to them, but I can say that if they are anything like Jason X I don't want to see them, this is one of the worst films I've seen recently, even beating Shriek, in fact I would go as far as saying this film is bad on the scale of Jeepers Creepers.
To sum it up the main problems with the film are a weak plot, terrible acting, absolutely no character development and a whole host of cheesy puns and one liners. The puns and one liners always seem to come exactly at a moment when you're thinking 'This movie is shit', then someone comes out with a terrible line and you're left wondering 'Who wrote this pish'.
In many ways, Jason X is similar to Alien; you can draw a parallel between Jason Vorhees and the Alien, both killing machines intent on destroying the crew. In both films, the 'specimen' is kept on board in an act of greed because someone thinks it is worth something. But that's where the similarities end, the Alien is genuinely scary; in Alien there is a strong build up of the characters; the crew actually seem to have a plan and half a clue and although the Alien is portrayed as the ultimate killing machine, it is still vunerable to many forms of attack. In Jason X, we have a killer who is in no way scary, there is no build up of tension, he just kills one meaningless character after another; the crew have to be the biggest waste of space ever, they have no plan, they all come across as very stupid and with most of them you'd just like Jason to hurry up and kill them.
The other major flaw with Jason X is that Jason is seemingly completely unstoppable, impervious to bullets nothing can harm him (although convienently the Android woman finds a gun from somewhere which blows him into little pieces, why oh why did no-one use that gun earlier?) there is no sense of hope, you watch marine after marine fire round after round into him and most of the time he doesn't even flinch. With the Alien at least there was the knowledge that it could probably be brought down with a gun if you were willing to take the risk.
All in all, Jason X is a terrible sci-fi film with no redeeming qualities, I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone.
Joint Security Area
A huge hit in it's home country of South Korea, Joint Security Area is the second film from director Chan-Wook Park (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy). Although not as dark or shocking as some of his later films, JSA is a well made film, which is nicely directed, well written and stars some of the Korean stars more recognisable to Western Audiences.
The film takes place in the DMZ between North and South Korea. When an incident involving a South Korean soldier being found on the Northern side of the barrier, Major Sophie Jean, a Swiss national of Korean descent is brought in as a neutral party to investigate the two stories which are being told by the two sides.
The film isn't told in chronological order, instead the first part of the film introduces us to Major Jean and sets the scene with some flashbacks to the incident which occurred, but little information about either story being shown in the sequences. The film then skips back to months earlier and the real story begins. The last part of the film then comes back into the present with some skips back to the past to finish off the story.
This method of telling the story is initially a little confusing, but once you know the main characters, everything settles into place. Director Chan-Wook Park uses a lot of nice camera effects in the movie, especially in his scene transitions, this makes for very interesting viewing.
The 4 main characters in the film, are 2 North Korean soldiers and 2 South Korean soldiers, all 4 actors are excellent in their roles. The two actors playing the North Korean's have worked with Chan-Wook Park since and have been in other South Korean movies which have been released over here, Kang-Ho Song (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Shiri) and Ha-Kyun Shin (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Save the Green Planet).
Overall, JSA is an excellent film from director Chan-Wook Park and tells a touching tale of friendship across boundaries. It's surprising that at the time of writing this review, JSA has not been given a UK release and is only available on import from Asia.
Jam Films
A collection of 7 short films from 7 Japanese directors, each film different in both content; style and genre. The first film The Messenger is directed by Ryuhei Kitamaru and tells the story of a mysterious woman who appears to a gangster hiding underground to tell him of the fate which awaits him. The film is well directed and acted and a decent start to the set.
The second film Kendama (Tetsuo Shinohara) tells the story of a man who accidentally comes into possession of a Kendama (A wooden cup and ball type toy) after a mixup when he is bumped into in the street. He takes the toy home and discovers it's not as simple as it all looks. The film is a kind of comedy/romance affair and again is well directed and acted with an interesting if not particularly original plot.
Film #3 Cold Sleep sees a mathematician awake after being frozen for 20 years and having travelled through space to awake on an alien planet. Other members of the mission have had strange side effects from the travel and have developed a child-like stupidity. He must help the only member of the mission not effected before a similar fate awaits him. Cold Sleep is a kind of Sci-Fi comedy affair and while not a bad short, it perhaps isn't as good as some of the other films in the collection.
The fourth film Pandora: Hong Kong Leg tells the story of a young woman with a secret, a bad case of Athlete's foot! Seeking help for her condition from a Chinese Herbalist his rather far out remedy is putting her feet in a box containing something alive! This rather strange plot makes for a film which is a bit out there, but still interesting to watch.
Film number 5, Hijiki comes with a warning about its depressing ending and tells of a family of 3 who are eating dinner with a murderer who has taken them hostage. They seem completely unphased by the episode and have even made the man a dish of Hijiki (Japanese Seaweed). Dark and strange, but still worth watching.
The penultimate film Justice consists of a teacher of a Japanese high school class talking about Japan's surrender in WWII and the Potsdam Declaration. The class are all tired of rambling and one young man relieves his boredom by gazing out the window at a group of girls doing hurdles. The film doesn't really have much of a plot, but the situation makes up for this.
The final film, Arita tells of a young woman who has a little character called Arita who appears on every piece of paper she uses. Assuming that everyone has one and since it's been there for as long as she can remember she thinks nothing of it. After discovering that it is unique to her and having been dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to burn a piece of paper with the drawing on it. Arita is a well directed touching tale which consists entirely of one characters monologue.
Overall, all of the films in the collection are worth watching, and a couple in particular are excellent.
The Jacket
The Jacket tells the story of Jack Starks (Adrien Brody), a Gulf War Veteran who was shot in Iraq and although his wound should have been fatal, he survived albiet with severe memory loss. After returning from Iraq, he finds himself framed for the murder of a policeman by a man he hitches a lift from, unable to remember any details of the incident he is found guilty and sent to a hospital for the criminally insane.
At the hospital he is subjected to a cruel form of therapy where he is bundled into a straight jacket and left in the drawer of a morgue, while in the jacket he has strange dreams which have important consequences for both him and those around him.
The Sci-Fi type plot which involves time travel amongst other things is completely ridiculous, but as long as you don't ponder on it too much or think about the plot holes, it is entertaining enough and keeps enough suspense to be guessing what's going to happen next.
Production wise, the film is well made and both Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley give reasonable performances in their roles although Knightley's American accent leaves a little to be desired.
Overall a reasonable suspense/thriller which is enjoyable once you get over the ridiculous premises you must believe for the plot to work.
Jarhead
It would be easy to describe Jarhead as a Gulf War take on movies made about the Vietnam War, especially Full Metal Jacket. The initial scene feels very like Full Metal Jacket and in other ways the two films are alike with similar dark humour.
The movie tells the story of a young marine, Swoff (Jake Gyllenhaal) trained as a sniper, Swoff is sent to the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield and later Operation Desert Storm. The movie tells of how he and his friends spend their time in the Desert waiting to see action.
Not so much as a "war movie" as a movie that happens to be set during a war; Gyllenhaal is excellent in his role and supporting actors Peter Sarsgaard and Jamie Foxx also make for interesting viewing.
Scenes in which the marines trek through the desert under the shadow of burning oil fields take on an otherworldy look stunningly depicted by Mendes. Jarhead has it all, an interesting plot, visual stimulation and a good balance of action and humour.
Jackass Number 2
The team from Jackass return with more of the same and some new stunts. You don't really need much description for this movie, anyone familiar with Jackass will know what they are in for; a feature length episode of the TV series. While the sketches at the start of the film are pretty mediocre, things get a little better as the film goes on, although there's little in the film that is any better or higher budget than the TV series.
Overall with Jackass 2 you get what you pay for, on the whole it's pretty funny if you like Jackass but I felt that some of the skits just weren't as funny as they should have been.
Juno
When 16 year old Juno discovers she is pregnant, after a briefly flirting with the idea of abortion, she decides to carry the baby to term and find a couple to adopt it. The film follows Juno through her pregnancy as her positive outlook on life gets her through the situation.
The film takes the form of a wry comedy, the adult world seen through Juno's 16 year old eyes. The humour in the film is reasonably funny, with some stand out gags and the acting from the cast is pretty could (especially Juno herself).
Overall, Juno is funny and touching and worth seeing.
Jerichow
Thomas is an ex-soldier who once served in Aghanistan, when his mother dies, he moves into her house and tries to make a new life for himself. What little money he has is taken from him to repay an old debt, but he struggles on as best he can. When a local business man offers him a job as a delivery driver, he takes it, but he soon falls for his new boss' wife, Laura.
Jerichow is a drama which is well acted and tells an interesting story. The ending is a little abrupt, but up until that point I found the film gripping and enthralling. An interesting German movie, worth checking out.
Jermal
Set entirely on an offshore fishing platform, Jermal follows a group of young boys who work there illegally and the two adults in charge, the huge imposing Johar and his mute assistant. When young Jaya is brought over from the mainland, he is introduced to Johar as his son, Johar is reluctant to accept the news and Jaya is forced to survive the transition from his onshore life of school and study into being the new boy in a group where everyone has to display an air of machismo in order to survive.
While a lot of the film's content is similar to any number of other films/stories where the bookworm has to gain the respect in a group of young boys, the setting of the isolated fishing platform makes for a claustrophic and unique twist. The main actors are all excellent in their roles and the film works on both the father son, getting to know each other and change their lives level as well as being an interesting look at life in a situation I didn't even know existed until seeing the film.
Jermal is well shot and paced and interesting in every way. All in all, a top-notch film which held my attention and provided something to think about later on.
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam war veteran, when he starts having flashbacks to Vietnam and strange hallucinations, he thinks he is losing his mind and begins searching to find out the truth about the bloody day he was injured in the war.
Jacob's Ladder is a like the bad trip that Singer himself is experiencing, the camera-work makes the viewer party to the horrors Jacob is seeing himself. Robbins is good in his role and holds the film together, the supporting actors are reasonable as well.
All in all, a well made Horror/Mystery film which will have a lasting impact on the viewer.
Jackie Brown
Tarantino's 3rd full length movie outing is an interestingly twisty tale of double crossing in the criminal underworld. Samuel L. Jackson plays Ordell, a small time crook who deals in guns from an apartment in Los Angeles. When an employee of his, the Jackie Brown of the title, is stopped by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms when coming back from Mexico, she is found to have $50,000 cash on her person. Keen to no more, the ATF agents set up a sting hoping to catch Ordell.
This brief plot synopsis does nothing to go into the intricate double crossings and bluffs woven into the story which add to the mix, an aging con (Robert Deniro) and a Bail Bondsman nearing retirement.
Overall, Jackie Brown is immensely watchable, full of great quotes and memorable scenes. Tarantino's inane dialogue is kept to a minimum and his great writing shines through. I have to say that this is probably my favourite of his early movies and I would rate it above both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
Jackboots on Whitehall
This film is completely crazy, set during an alternative World War II, it follows Winston Churchill's fight against the Nazis but in this alternative world, the Nazis manage to occupy London and Churchill flees north to Hadrian's Wall to mount a counter attack. This is all told through stop motion animation with miniatures that look only slightly higher budget that Barbie dolls.
Almost from the outset, the film feels similar to Team America. The miniatures feel similar to the marionettes in Team America and the tone and humour of the film is similar. The plot is completely bizarre and the gags range from the truly bizzare to slapstick through innuendo and any number of other comedy topics. This film is laugh a minute, I was almost crying with laughter in places and there are some great single moments.
All in all, this film is completely ridiculous (in a good way).
Japanese Story
Director:
Sue Brooks
Year: 2003
Language: English
Country: Australia
When Sandy, an Australian Geologist (Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding) is asked to give Japanese business man, Tachibana Hiromitsu, a tour of the Australian outback, the two take an instant dislike to each other.
Sandy sees Tachibana as arrogant, with Tachibana viewing Sandy as bossy and loud. Tachibana seems overwhelmed with the difference in culture in an almost reverse Lost in Translation type way.
After the two get stuck in the deep outback overnight, there feelings towards each other change and they are drawn closer together.
Japanese Story is, in essence, a romantic tale set in the Australian backdrop. Toni Collette gives a great performance and the film is well written and directed.
Dave W - 13th June, 2004 - 01:07
Director:
James Isaac
Year: 2001
Language: English
Country: America
Jason Vorhees (Friday the Thirteenth) is back and this time it's in space. A plot to freeze the seamingly unkillable Jason Vorhees until a time in which new technology can kill him fails and a scientist and Jason both end up being frozen. 400 years later they are discovered and taken aboard a spaceship where both Jason and the scientist thaw and he starts killing people again.
Having not seen any of the other Friday the Thirteenth films, I can't comment on how this compares to them, but I can say that if they are anything like Jason X I don't want to see them, this is one of the worst films I've seen recently, even beating Shriek, in fact I would go as far as saying this film is bad on the scale of Jeepers Creepers.
To sum it up the main problems with the film are a weak plot, terrible acting, absolutely no character development and a whole host of cheesy puns and one liners. The puns and one liners always seem to come exactly at a moment when you're thinking 'This movie is shit', then someone comes out with a terrible line and you're left wondering 'Who wrote this pish'.
In many ways, Jason X is similar to Alien; you can draw a parallel between Jason Vorhees and the Alien, both killing machines intent on destroying the crew. In both films, the 'specimen' is kept on board in an act of greed because someone thinks it is worth something. But that's where the similarities end, the Alien is genuinely scary; in Alien there is a strong build up of the characters; the crew actually seem to have a plan and half a clue and although the Alien is portrayed as the ultimate killing machine, it is still vunerable to many forms of attack. In Jason X, we have a killer who is in no way scary, there is no build up of tension, he just kills one meaningless character after another; the crew have to be the biggest waste of space ever, they have no plan, they all come across as very stupid and with most of them you'd just like Jason to hurry up and kill them.
The other major flaw with Jason X is that Jason is seemingly completely unstoppable, impervious to bullets nothing can harm him (although convienently the Android woman finds a gun from somewhere which blows him into little pieces, why oh why did no-one use that gun earlier?) there is no sense of hope, you watch marine after marine fire round after round into him and most of the time he doesn't even flinch. With the Alien at least there was the knowledge that it could probably be brought down with a gun if you were willing to take the risk.
All in all, Jason X is a terrible sci-fi film with no redeeming qualities, I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone.
Dave W - 18th April, 2004 - 14:00
Director:
Chan-Wook Park
Year: 2000
Language: Korean (English Sub)
Country: South Korea
A huge hit in it's home country of South Korea, Joint Security Area is the second film from director Chan-Wook Park (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy). Although not as dark or shocking as some of his later films, JSA is a well made film, which is nicely directed, well written and stars some of the Korean stars more recognisable to Western Audiences.
The film takes place in the DMZ between North and South Korea. When an incident involving a South Korean soldier being found on the Northern side of the barrier, Major Sophie Jean, a Swiss national of Korean descent is brought in as a neutral party to investigate the two stories which are being told by the two sides.
The film isn't told in chronological order, instead the first part of the film introduces us to Major Jean and sets the scene with some flashbacks to the incident which occurred, but little information about either story being shown in the sequences. The film then skips back to months earlier and the real story begins. The last part of the film then comes back into the present with some skips back to the past to finish off the story.
This method of telling the story is initially a little confusing, but once you know the main characters, everything settles into place. Director Chan-Wook Park uses a lot of nice camera effects in the movie, especially in his scene transitions, this makes for very interesting viewing.
The 4 main characters in the film, are 2 North Korean soldiers and 2 South Korean soldiers, all 4 actors are excellent in their roles. The two actors playing the North Korean's have worked with Chan-Wook Park since and have been in other South Korean movies which have been released over here, Kang-Ho Song (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Shiri) and Ha-Kyun Shin (Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Save the Green Planet).
Overall, JSA is an excellent film from director Chan-Wook Park and tells a touching tale of friendship across boundaries. It's surprising that at the time of writing this review, JSA has not been given a UK release and is only available on import from Asia.
Dave W - 19th February, 2005 - 15:41
Director:
Ryuhei Kitamura
Hiroyuki Nakano
Daizaburo Hanada
George Iida
Shunji Iwai
Rokuro Mochizuki
Tetsuo Shinohara
Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Isao Yukisada
Year: 2002
Language: 日本語 (Japanese) (English Sub)
Country: 日本 (Japan)
A collection of 7 short films from 7 Japanese directors, each film different in both content; style and genre. The first film The Messenger is directed by Ryuhei Kitamaru and tells the story of a mysterious woman who appears to a gangster hiding underground to tell him of the fate which awaits him. The film is well directed and acted and a decent start to the set.
The second film Kendama (Tetsuo Shinohara) tells the story of a man who accidentally comes into possession of a Kendama (A wooden cup and ball type toy) after a mixup when he is bumped into in the street. He takes the toy home and discovers it's not as simple as it all looks. The film is a kind of comedy/romance affair and again is well directed and acted with an interesting if not particularly original plot.
Film #3 Cold Sleep sees a mathematician awake after being frozen for 20 years and having travelled through space to awake on an alien planet. Other members of the mission have had strange side effects from the travel and have developed a child-like stupidity. He must help the only member of the mission not effected before a similar fate awaits him. Cold Sleep is a kind of Sci-Fi comedy affair and while not a bad short, it perhaps isn't as good as some of the other films in the collection.
The fourth film Pandora: Hong Kong Leg tells the story of a young woman with a secret, a bad case of Athlete's foot! Seeking help for her condition from a Chinese Herbalist his rather far out remedy is putting her feet in a box containing something alive! This rather strange plot makes for a film which is a bit out there, but still interesting to watch.
Film number 5, Hijiki comes with a warning about its depressing ending and tells of a family of 3 who are eating dinner with a murderer who has taken them hostage. They seem completely unphased by the episode and have even made the man a dish of Hijiki (Japanese Seaweed). Dark and strange, but still worth watching.
The penultimate film Justice consists of a teacher of a Japanese high school class talking about Japan's surrender in WWII and the Potsdam Declaration. The class are all tired of rambling and one young man relieves his boredom by gazing out the window at a group of girls doing hurdles. The film doesn't really have much of a plot, but the situation makes up for this.
The final film, Arita tells of a young woman who has a little character called Arita who appears on every piece of paper she uses. Assuming that everyone has one and since it's been there for as long as she can remember she thinks nothing of it. After discovering that it is unique to her and having been dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to burn a piece of paper with the drawing on it. Arita is a well directed touching tale which consists entirely of one characters monologue.
Overall, all of the films in the collection are worth watching, and a couple in particular are excellent.
Dave W - 8th May, 2005 - 11:33
Director:
John Maybury
Year: 2005
Language: English
Country: America
The Jacket tells the story of Jack Starks (Adrien Brody), a Gulf War Veteran who was shot in Iraq and although his wound should have been fatal, he survived albiet with severe memory loss. After returning from Iraq, he finds himself framed for the murder of a policeman by a man he hitches a lift from, unable to remember any details of the incident he is found guilty and sent to a hospital for the criminally insane.
At the hospital he is subjected to a cruel form of therapy where he is bundled into a straight jacket and left in the drawer of a morgue, while in the jacket he has strange dreams which have important consequences for both him and those around him.
The Sci-Fi type plot which involves time travel amongst other things is completely ridiculous, but as long as you don't ponder on it too much or think about the plot holes, it is entertaining enough and keeps enough suspense to be guessing what's going to happen next.
Production wise, the film is well made and both Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley give reasonable performances in their roles although Knightley's American accent leaves a little to be desired.
Overall a reasonable suspense/thriller which is enjoyable once you get over the ridiculous premises you must believe for the plot to work.
Dave W - 16th May, 2005 - 09:09
Director:
Sam Mendes
Year: 2005
Language: English
Country: America
It would be easy to describe Jarhead as a Gulf War take on movies made about the Vietnam War, especially Full Metal Jacket. The initial scene feels very like Full Metal Jacket and in other ways the two films are alike with similar dark humour.
The movie tells the story of a young marine, Swoff (Jake Gyllenhaal) trained as a sniper, Swoff is sent to the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield and later Operation Desert Storm. The movie tells of how he and his friends spend their time in the Desert waiting to see action.
Not so much as a "war movie" as a movie that happens to be set during a war; Gyllenhaal is excellent in his role and supporting actors Peter Sarsgaard and Jamie Foxx also make for interesting viewing.
Scenes in which the marines trek through the desert under the shadow of burning oil fields take on an otherworldy look stunningly depicted by Mendes. Jarhead has it all, an interesting plot, visual stimulation and a good balance of action and humour.
Dave W - 16th January, 2006 - 12:56
Director:
Jeff Tremaine
Year: 2006
Language: English
Country: America
The team from Jackass return with more of the same and some new stunts. You don't really need much description for this movie, anyone familiar with Jackass will know what they are in for; a feature length episode of the TV series. While the sketches at the start of the film are pretty mediocre, things get a little better as the film goes on, although there's little in the film that is any better or higher budget than the TV series.
Overall with Jackass 2 you get what you pay for, on the whole it's pretty funny if you like Jackass but I felt that some of the skits just weren't as funny as they should have been.
Dave W - 3rd July, 2007 - 13:10
Director:
Jason Reitman
Year: 2007
Language: English
Country: America
When 16 year old Juno discovers she is pregnant, after a briefly flirting with the idea of abortion, she decides to carry the baby to term and find a couple to adopt it. The film follows Juno through her pregnancy as her positive outlook on life gets her through the situation.
The film takes the form of a wry comedy, the adult world seen through Juno's 16 year old eyes. The humour in the film is reasonably funny, with some stand out gags and the acting from the cast is pretty could (especially Juno herself).
Overall, Juno is funny and touching and worth seeing.
Dave W - 18th February, 2008 - 13:07
Director:
Christian Petzold
Year: 2008
Language: German (English Sub)
Country: Germany
Thomas is an ex-soldier who once served in Aghanistan, when his mother dies, he moves into her house and tries to make a new life for himself. What little money he has is taken from him to repay an old debt, but he struggles on as best he can. When a local business man offers him a job as a delivery driver, he takes it, but he soon falls for his new boss' wife, Laura.
Jerichow is a drama which is well acted and tells an interesting story. The ending is a little abrupt, but up until that point I found the film gripping and enthralling. An interesting German movie, worth checking out.
Dave W - 21st June, 2009 - 22:51
Director:
Ravi L. Bharwani
Year: 2008
Language: Bahasa (English Sub)
Country: Indonesia
Set entirely on an offshore fishing platform, Jermal follows a group of young boys who work there illegally and the two adults in charge, the huge imposing Johar and his mute assistant. When young Jaya is brought over from the mainland, he is introduced to Johar as his son, Johar is reluctant to accept the news and Jaya is forced to survive the transition from his onshore life of school and study into being the new boy in a group where everyone has to display an air of machismo in order to survive.
While a lot of the film's content is similar to any number of other films/stories where the bookworm has to gain the respect in a group of young boys, the setting of the isolated fishing platform makes for a claustrophic and unique twist. The main actors are all excellent in their roles and the film works on both the father son, getting to know each other and change their lives level as well as being an interesting look at life in a situation I didn't even know existed until seeing the film.
Jermal is well shot and paced and interesting in every way. All in all, a top-notch film which held my attention and provided something to think about later on.
Dave W - 28th June, 2009 - 17:33
Director:
Adrian Lyne
Year: 1990
Language: English
Country: America
Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam war veteran, when he starts having flashbacks to Vietnam and strange hallucinations, he thinks he is losing his mind and begins searching to find out the truth about the bloody day he was injured in the war.
Jacob's Ladder is a like the bad trip that Singer himself is experiencing, the camera-work makes the viewer party to the horrors Jacob is seeing himself. Robbins is good in his role and holds the film together, the supporting actors are reasonable as well.
All in all, a well made Horror/Mystery film which will have a lasting impact on the viewer.
Dave W - 25th November, 2009 - 12:11
Director:
Quentin Tarantino
Year: 1997
Language: English
Country: America
Tarantino's 3rd full length movie outing is an interestingly twisty tale of double crossing in the criminal underworld. Samuel L. Jackson plays Ordell, a small time crook who deals in guns from an apartment in Los Angeles. When an employee of his, the Jackie Brown of the title, is stopped by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms when coming back from Mexico, she is found to have $50,000 cash on her person. Keen to no more, the ATF agents set up a sting hoping to catch Ordell.
This brief plot synopsis does nothing to go into the intricate double crossings and bluffs woven into the story which add to the mix, an aging con (Robert Deniro) and a Bail Bondsman nearing retirement.
Overall, Jackie Brown is immensely watchable, full of great quotes and memorable scenes. Tarantino's inane dialogue is kept to a minimum and his great writing shines through. I have to say that this is probably my favourite of his early movies and I would rate it above both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
Dave W - 7th February, 2010 - 10:52
This film is completely crazy, set during an alternative World War II, it follows Winston Churchill's fight against the Nazis but in this alternative world, the Nazis manage to occupy London and Churchill flees north to Hadrian's Wall to mount a counter attack. This is all told through stop motion animation with miniatures that look only slightly higher budget that Barbie dolls.
Almost from the outset, the film feels similar to Team America. The miniatures feel similar to the marionettes in Team America and the tone and humour of the film is similar. The plot is completely bizarre and the gags range from the truly bizzare to slapstick through innuendo and any number of other comedy topics. This film is laugh a minute, I was almost crying with laughter in places and there are some great single moments.
All in all, this film is completely ridiculous (in a good way).
Dave W - 21st June, 2010 - 19:18
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