When thinking about silent films it's too easy to focus on the comedies or horrors and forget about the drama. It's also easy to think that these were innocent times but Pandora's Box throws out all kinds of debauchery. It's a shame that the film is so long and the first part in particular really drags but part two is a lot more enjoyable.
Screened as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival with a brilliant live score by Jonathan Best.
July 25, 2016 at 04:23PMA few days later and I'm still trying to make sense of this. I think I liked it and I definitely liked that it's open to many interpretations. I haven't decided if it's a horror, psychodrama or science fiction or how much of what unfolds was real or in somebody's head. Not that it really matters or if it was a bit of all of those things, combined with the compelling performances is what makes it good.
July 25, 2016 at 04:09PMThe best Star Trek film I remember seeing. It isn't perfect and it would be quite easy to list many things that are wrong but does that matter if I was having so much fun? The story may not be great but the script and how the characters react to the story and each other is just fantastic. The action scenes are too long and noisy but most of them do feel fresh and original. Jaylah is a wonderful character and in the ever increasing shared universes of cinema would it be too much for her to get a spin off movie.
3D: There are a few scenes when 3D is used and makes a difference but probably not enough to compensate for the many low light or fast moving scenes.
July 23, 2016 at 04:08PMMark Rylance is just fantastic as The BFG, it really is a great performance and the animation looks great. In fact all of the film looks great but there is still a problem that the live action doesn't smoothly blend into the digital world (which I don't remember happening with The Jungle Book). It was an unnecessary distraction whenever Sophie was in Giant Country (but not when the BFG was in London) which made me wonder if it would have been better to animate everything.
There are bigger problems that despite ticking all the right boxes it gets a little flat and dare I say dull in the middle. Fortunately a trip to the palace is magically joyous so the film ends on a high, it's just a shame that level couldn't be maintained throughout. John Williams score also lacks something apart from the end credit music.
3D: Didn't notice the 3D at all which may be a good thing but not sure if it added anything.
July 23, 2016 at 03:49PMThe road movie part is good fun but once they arrive at their destination the film goes nowhere. Of course if you're watching the film for the overlong "male entertainer" show at the end you'll probably think completely the opposite.
July 17, 2016 at 11:06PMTwo thirds of this are absolutely film-of-the-year fantastic but the final third goes to all sorts of strange places that just make it difficult to stay on board. I think I 'liked' what happened towards the end but I'm really not sure.The soundtrack is consistently brilliant and definitely one of the best of the year
July 10, 2016 at 10:17PMI didn't know anything about Tale of Tales before it's release and it was only as I heard more and more favourable reviews that I thought I should try and see it. It was Mark Kermode and James King who finally convinced me by both saying it was something that needed to be seen on the big screen. I had a feeling that if I liked the film I would really like it but there was also a chance I wouldn't like it at all.
I'm sure James King said something about seeing it at the cinema because on a smaller screen it might just look cheaper. There are many moments when it looks wonderfully cinematic but it never manages to escape the overall feeling of it being a big europudding television special. I love television (perhaps even more than cinema) and hate using this is a criticism but I could never get over it. It's not just the look of the film but also the structure which felt like it would be better suited to a TV series. The three tales don't really intertwine so you have to wonder why they couldn't just be told separately. None of the stories are really that great and every time they do start to engage (which they all do at least once) the focus switches to another, dragging out the running time to an increasing level of frustration and boredom. Three 30 minute episodes could've been fantastic.
Lovely end credits though, or perhaps I was just glad it was over.
July 10, 2016 at 12:02PMAnother film and group of filmmakers that I knew nothing about so I'm grateful to the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival for giving me chance to see this really enjoyable film.
July 03, 2016 at 10:06PMA wonderful introduction to Anita Garvin with Marion Byron
July 03, 2016 at 10:00PMPerhaps more interesting than enjoyable but there's also a lot to enjoy especially the plane stunt at the end.
July 03, 2016 at 09:58PMReally refreshing and possibly the best Marvel/Superhero film for quite some time. My only real problem was the admittedly funny costume sequence felt too long and over familiar.
June 28, 2016 at 09:41PMImpressively made but it jumps between a high quality thriller and a schlocky B-movie far too much.
June 19, 2016 at 08:36PMA huge amount of fun and the type of script where no line is wasted; everything is moving things forward or setting up a later payoff. Having said that there it does start to drag around the two-thirds mark, making you wish it was a little bit shorter or the story was just a tad tighter.
June 14, 2016 at 08:02PMOne of the most impressive films of the year, especially considering the small budget and it being Stephenson's first film. A strong performance from Scott Chambers is the heart of the film but there's also remarkable work behind the camera. By the end of the film just about every emotion has been wrung out making it quite an intense experience but ultimately a satisfying one.
June 01, 2016 at 10:39PMIt's perhaps obvious to state that this looked and felt very much like a Doctor Who episode but sadly one that never quite grabbed me. I'm unfamiliar with the play so didn't know how much it had been reinterpreted but after an engaging start it failed to hold my interest.
June 01, 2016 at 06:23PMA well made documentary about a horse called Dream Alliance which is really about the people in the alliance.
June 01, 2016 at 06:19PMOh this is fun and neatly summed up by Mark Kermode as "the most politely impolite film of the year." It's just a joy to watch with an acerbic wit running throughout and frequently laugh out loud funny.
May 30, 2016 at 10:52AMDark and peculiar with a strange sense of humour and often surprisingly moving but didn't come together as strongly as it should to be considered great.
May 28, 2016 at 03:49PMA really enjoyable experience with a fantastic soundtrack. Like Sing Street it captures the period perfectly and could easily fool you into thinking these were your actual memories. There may be a bit too much testosterone on display (but that's part of what the film is about) and two brief nude shots feel gratuitously from another decade but there's very little else to complain about. It already feels like this will stand the test of time and hopefully we'll get to see more from the largely unknown cast.
May 27, 2016 at 10:22AMStill utterly devastating but could have done with a longer running time because at times it feels rushed (although that was perhaps more to do with the legal status of things at the time it was made).
May 27, 2016 at 10:08AMReally beautifully animated and a delight to see a style that isn't the usual Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks/Blue Sky. It's a shame the story isn't as strong and failed to grab me. The modern dialogue often feels out of place but not as much as the songs which don't work at all.
May 27, 2016 at 10:02AMHadn't heard of this before and only watched it because it was the Wittertainment TV Film Of The Week and I happened to catch it. It was fine but didn't feel like anything special.
May 27, 2016 at 09:56AM
