Haden Young

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Really enjoyed this film. It took a while to win me over, it took a lot of risks in its visual and narrative style and I wasn't sure whether it'd pull it off but it won me over in the end which I was really pleased with as this was obviously a labour of love, it looks like a lot of work went into it and I have a lot of affection for the history and show. The hectic pacing, hand held camera and lively score were pretty in your face and I wasn't sure at first if it was a bit much or hitting you over the head a bit too hard but in the end it was inspiring, a lot of fun and took you along with its story and warmed your heart along the way. Lots of juicy characters and dialogue as well as interesting incidents. I was a child in the 70's and old enough in the second half of the decade to remember how this American world and style of entertainment were and it was exactly as it was represented, very accurate. A lot happens, this film will definitely reward repeat viewings.

so that's 3 1/2 for me. Acting, story, direction and mis-en-scene were all excellent but the script let it down a bit and I guess the story as well in parts. Went into weird, uncomfortable sexual territory which can be done right, see Californication but that kind of material is very difficult to do and get comedy out of so full marks for them for trying. However, what it lacked in missing the mark with comedy it made up for in sheer energy and colour. It was a spirited film with lively performances from its strong cast. The best humour for me came from the exuberant drama teacher, she was hilarious and some of the stuff she said in her drama workshops was so true to life and very well done. If you've ever done drama classes you'll know what I mean.

I'm a little surprised at the bad reviews for this film. Maybe it is a little uneven and almost falters in the middle but in my view never quite veers off the rails and thoroughly redeems itself by the end. A strange film in some ways, yes, and difficult, frequently confronting, full of outrage and nastiness but for my money all involved pulled it together really well. You do need to be a little patient with it and allow yourself to be taken along with its uncommon vision and I found it very satisfying in the end. There are some narrative conceits and an element of contrivance with the filters used on the lenses, stunningly beautiful and impeccably, painstakingly mounted though it is. The deaths involved in this are in some ways annoying plot conceits that are not unique to this film and all too often used. They worked well but I often think, and I refer to the second one regards this matter, perhaps it'd be more believable and satisfying if they let the character live and have the story resolve itself in the fallout from the central character's bad choices and the consequences that go with them. However no matter, the end result was a very well made and highly enjoyable film all in all. Always a delight to see the lovely Gemma Arterton who was wonderful in this and of course the inimitable Ian McKellen who played the scurrilous rogue around whom the movie revolved.

This film handled material that was potentially incredibly difficult very well I thought. It's interesting reading other audience reviews here, while I saw the things they didn't like in the film, they didn't bother me as much as it did them. Perhaps because I'm older and remember some filmmakers did make movies like this in the early 90's I could handle it and after a bit of adjustment enjoyed its "dowdy core" aesthetic and pacing. Its heavy stylisation, dark and gloomy, did detract from it though. It dealt with a truly shocking and disturbing subject matter incredibly well though in my opinion given it managed to tread the line between making it sensationalist or horrifying. Instead finding the path of humanity, sensitivity and feeling in the middle of those two unappealing options. This is no mean feat and I think it took incredible skill to accomplish that.

it's pretty good, I don't recall seeing Bad Boys For Life or even knowing if its existence. Don't know how I missed that one, having seen the first two a number of times each. While I didn't find this one as utterly hilarious as those, it struck me as one of those films with very good jokes that you get more from your second viewing at home onwards. The audience in the cinema I was in didn't laugh much and there were times I wanted to laugh out loud but didn't want to draw attention to myself as no-one else was. But that's Australian audiences for you sometimes, insular, suburban and no clue what funny is. The plot is good and engrossing and the action scenes are good although towards the end they seemed a little familiar - but not so much so that it became cliched or boring - it strikes me as being very hard to do frenetic action sequences these days and keep them fresh and original given so much has been done before. Or maybe it's the directorial and editing style which in Bad Boys films is part of the brand itself as well as a certain type of photography and visual subject matter. Anyway, it was still very good. As a hard action film you couldn't go wrong, there's a lot to captivate your attention and a lot of interesting material. Still a worthwhile addition to the Bad Boys series, it had to work hard to achieve it but it made it. 3.8/5 from me.

Fascinating how our culture and society works. This film has had a pretty small release here in Australia with limited options to see it and on doing so discovered a first rate, delightful but by no means cutesy film which I assume would have been a fairly major release in France. It's just a really satisfying and beautifully crafted exploration of a human relationship as well as those involved with it using nature as a backdrop, interaction with the natural world and a compelling background of ecological science and peril from human activity. Nature in this case being the stunning French Alps. Yes, there are a handful of narrative contrivances but they fall into the background, overwhelmed by the film's depth and poise.

What a beautiful piece of cinematic poetry and such a treat to enjoy the magnificent work of Wim Wenders at the cinema in this day and age. I loved the 20thC references through the music and the cassettes. The movie's range of characters were all endearing and humane in one way or another, some whimsical, others eccentric. A real and thorough human portrait of all the characters' humanity throughout the movie and a perfect blend of the everyday and the poetic.

I'd say a 3.something/5 movie, like 3.8/5. It was pretty good, enjoyed it a lot. I think they really pushed it by veering off into a different genre, family values drama/moral parable approaching the halfway mark, slowing the film right down, staying there too long and returning to the supernatural monster confrontation right at the end, almost so briefly it was like an afterthought they just tacked on. I thought it seemed almost a bit self indulgent and insular of the filmmakers, hijacking Ghostbusters for their own purposes, using it as a framework for their family drama. Which I don't mind, I liked the story and their use of that genre. They're nice characters, great actors and for the most part it was nicely done, lovingly made, carefully paced and sensitively scripted. But yes, I think that section dragged on a bit too long at the expense of the return to the supernatural fantasy themes at the end, it felt imbalanced. However, I came out of the cinema feeling strangely satisfied, it was a pretty good film overall with a lot of good material and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

I have no idea why this film got such a tiny distribution although it has not done well at the cinemas in what will be its two week run. Although they may not have had a marketing budget, I have seen no advertising on tv and so forth, I think with the right promotion it would've done a lot better. It is an excellent film and although it deals with some difficult and heavy subjects there is no shortage of Australiam films that do and it does so very well.