Drama Movie Reviews | Picturenose

Goal! (2005)

Jul

2012

Back of the net? Footie and the flicks have, down the years, had a relationship best described as lacklustre. Let’s face it, a game between Accrington Stanley and Crawley Town has more passion (and certainly more grass-roots realism) than the alleged soccer in movies such as Escape to Victory (1981) or When Saturday Comes (1996) ...

To Rome with Love (2012)

Jul

2012

Roaming free Another year, another Woody Allen film. I am aware that this may cause distress for some misguided souls, but not me – like waiting in line to see the latest James Bond flick, there is always a rare expectancy about every Woody pic – such is the prolific frequency of the director’s work, ...

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Jul

2012

Happy endings? You’re distressed, tired of the unwelcome surprises that life brings you, you’re sometimes lonely and reaching the age when you do not have much hope left for better things to come – so what better way to overcome the blues than an escape to India? Seven retirees seek refuge from their problems in ...

Oldeuboi (Oldboy) (2003)

Jul

2012

Korea in killing Wow. Just simply, wow. This is something of a white-knuckle ride in cinematic terms. From the gentle rumble and gradual change of pace at the beginning of the ride, when you’re slightly nervous and anticipation tingles on your tongue like the taste of brushed steel, to the sudden realization that you’re about ...

Somers Town (2008) 1

Jul

2012

Poles apart Between This is England (2006), the chilling Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) and the frankly odd Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee (2009), Shane Meadows occupied himself by adding another string to his story-telling bow with Somers Town (2008). I only mention these three other movies in the preamble as Somers Town is different again from ...

Trishna (2011) 6

Jun

2012

Vexed revision Michael Winterbottom (The Road to Guantánamo (2006)) was certainly ambitious in choosing to adapt Thomas Hardy‘s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles, update it and set it in modern-day India – Roman Polanski‘s Tess (1979) was the most recent cinematic adaptation of Hardy’s tale, but comparisons between that and Winterbottom’s film are largely ...

Modigliani (2004)

May

2012

A question of perspective Another night, another plea by my good lady to choose the evening’s viewing. She used the age-old trick of offering two dire alternatives (one being Coco before Chanel (2009), which I know was there to cut the field down). The only viable alternative was Modigliani (2004), starring – by lucky hap ...

Detachment (2011)

May

2012

Overplayed pathos After his skinhead drama American History X (1998), director Tony Kaye introduces us to even more depression – Detachment (2011). Adrien Brody stars as Henry Barthes – a talented teacher with the gift for befriending even the most difficult students. Henry’s life decision is not to take advantage of this talent, however – ...

Quatermass (1979)

May

2012

Harvest time Thought it was about time to tackle Nigel Kneale‘s singular scientist, the good Professor Bernard Quatermass who, in four novels, four TV series and four films, has exerted an enormous influence on directors as diverse as Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter (In the Mouth of Madness (1995)), Steven Spielberg and Lars von Trier and ...

London to Brighton (2006)

Apr

2012

Quite the ride If you were to look up the words ‘gritty’ and ‘grim’ – handily placed close to each other in the encyclopaedia of film – you shouldn’t be surprised to see the title of this film as an illustration of what these two terms mean in cinema.London to Brighton (2006) has many merits, ...

Falling Down (1993) 4

Mar

2012

Can’t stand up… Never a better time to write than when you’re feeling that way out, is there? Well, guess what, that’s how you find me as you read this, so it seems more than appropriate to discuss a film that’s *all* about feeling that way out, namely Joel Schumacher‘s Falling Down (1993) starring Michael ...