Noel Dowling

An excellent film. It starts with (very) young US soldiers in front of computer screens monitoring an intercontinental ballistic missile, launched from an unknown location, heading for the US and due to land in 20 minutes. Before those 20 minutes end, the film goes back in time to show, in several iterations and in increasing levels of responsibility, the reactions of various persons, political and military, The awful realisation of what will happen and the moral burder on all those involved is superbly conveyed. A triumph.

The sanitarium in question is located near Odesa in Ukraine. The buildings have (to me) a wonderful 1970’s look. The swimming pool is under a pyramid of triangular glass segments - reminiscent of the Louvre. But the sanitarium’s clientele, mainly elderly people, has diminished in recent years and the place is now a bit shabby as a result. War is happening in the background - thankfully in the distance. The film follows some patients as they get treatments, such as mud baths. Among them is a mother and adult son couple: the former constantly bemoaning the latter’s failure to find a wife. I suspect that elements of their interaction, particularly in a disco held in the premises, are staged - but nonetheless their dynamic adds to the story. The film’s only direct take on the Ukraine/Russia conflict is a scene where the medical director leads a group of patients in a rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem. It somewhat jars with the earlier comments of a Ukrainian soldier recovering from his wounds who describes war as simply ‘dirty’. I suspect the mainly Ukrainian film crew influenced that anthem scene. Although slow, I would recommend this film. It’s an interesting aspect on the war, on resilience, on aging and on the curative power of a place designed to heal your body and soul.

I saw this film when it first came out and I was very moved by it. It’s now been re-released in the cinema and I went to see it again. I am still moved by it. The photography, score and pacing are bang on. But it’s the acting that wows. The principal actors - a middle aged woman and a young boy - are thoroughly believable as people needing and wanting love and who find it in each other. There is a lot of religious imagery in this film. The first time around, I thought it was intended ironically. Now, I believe it to be sincere and intended to reinforce the redemptive message of the story.

I read some of the damning - but well written - reviews of this film. Nonethless, I went to see it and I was pleasantly surprised. It holds together well, it's very well photographed and the acting is really quite good. Dakota Fanning is a fine looking woman and you would watch her anyway, but she conveys emotions very well too. She plays a modern matchmaker who has to deal with unrealistic expectations of her clients - both male and female. It is, I suppose, a woman's film directed by a woman so you don't feel awkward that it explores an age-old theme - are women attracted by wealth and looks rather than by 'softer' qualities such as empathy and trust? I won't spoil the plot by saying how this conflict is resolved by Dakota's character, but I was never bored and that is a recommendation in itself.

I was really looking forward to this. A big budget comedy starring Liam Neeson, who has shown his comedy chops in cameos on TV and in cinema. And the trailer looked fantastic. But the trailer used up all the good jokes and what remained just wasn't good enough. I was amazed at how many jokes from not just previous Naked Gun episodes but from other comedies, were re-used for this film. That said, it doesn't claim to be a comedy masterpiece and both Neeson and Pamela Anderson perform well. Just don't go into the cinema with expectations that are too high.

Although not an F1 fan, I found this film highly entertaining. The photography is first class and has an immersive quality. The story is slim enough - an aging former F1 driver (Brad Pitt) is persuaded to return to the sport to rescue an F1 racing team - but it’s enough to sustain the film. Ireland’s own Kerry Condon, with her strong country accent left untouched, adds much needed female chemistry to an otherwise male dominated film and holds her own very well. Worth seeing. If you can, see it in an IMAX cinema.

Unusual film. It’s filmed in what appears to be low grade film stock; its heroine is a short-haired gamine-type with a neurological condition; it’s set in a poor industrial area of Jersey; and the story has flashbacks and occasional imagery you’d associate with art projects. That said, it held my attention. It has a Hitchcockian aspect, involving mistaken assumptions and unexpected twists and turns. Worth your time.

A lot of things going on in this film: grief becoming an obsession, commercialisation of death and a refusal to accept its finality, medical malpractice, loss of privacy, rise of AI, Chinese spying and….er…jealousy. I wish I could say that I understood all of what was going on. I didn’t. But there are good international actors involved and I remained interested throughout. My only advice; pick a theme and stick to it.

I rather liked it despite its flaws. The young woman at its centre has to deal with a mother who is in a wheelchair. They are in a seaside house in Spain, principally so the mother can attend an expensive clinic to find a cause for her paralysis. The consultant there digs deep into a possiblei psychosomatic cause for the mother’s condition. The film has a dreamy quality, and sometimes the viewer doesn’t know what is real, and what is not. Fiona Shaw’s somewhat unsympathetic portrayal of the mother is spot on and the daughter is played by a beautiful young woman whose emotions are clearly displayed throughout. At times, you think that this is an exhibition of neuroses by the parties concerned, but real emotion pokes through to make it bearable. Not to everyone’s taste but I think worth a look.

Really liked this film. As said elsewhere, all the principal actors do very good work and flesh out their characters very well. I particularly liked Sian Clifford (the elder sister in Fleabag) who makes her minor character shine. It's a bittersweet film, but I left the cinema feeling uplifted.