HiFi’s Film Reviews

353 Films have been rated or reviewed by HiFi.

Lady Eve, The (1941): Watch Stanwyck in the long takes and marvel at her precision, versatility and charm. And that's only ONE aspect of the riches on display...''Let us be crooked but never common''.
Gone Girl (2014): OK–ish, but ruined by plot and procedural inconsistencies. Some good dialogue and performances (Dickens, Coon) but its reach exceeds its grasp.; DVD ~~$19.95~~ $14.95
Horrible Bosses (2011): Capable cast, but the poor script leaves them high and dry. And they've made a sequel, the unscrupulous...millionaires. As Cheech and Chong would say, ''Lucky we didn't step in it''.
Taken (2008): Resistance is futile, forget any objections (villains of varying degrees of swarth, the daughter's virtue preserved while all about are losing theirs, etc.), sheer momentum carries the day.
Girls - Season 2 (TV Series) (2013): The difficult second album, somewhat a rehash of the first. Funny and moving in places, but the resolution feels tacked–on rather than earned. Good enough, but roll on #3...
Vertigo (1958): Slow, but riveting, and the cast are excellent. Expressionistic colour, beautiful photography, fantastic score. A truly disturbing meditation on the nature of desire, with detective plot as McGuffin...
Escapist, The (2008): The escape is pretty thrilling, with its Michael Nymanish score driving things along, and there's plenty of ACTING on display, but this seemed like a fairly pointless exercise to me. Something for the director's CV?
Looper (2012): Unfocused, unimaginative. I found myself waiting for the next interesting face or bit of tech to materialise. Improves slightly when Blunt and the kid appear, but overall I wasn't convinced, or absorbed.; DVD ~~$20~~ $15
Chef (2014): Sentimental, somewhat creaky, framework fleshed out with such exuberance and humour that you'll be having too good a time to notice. In a reversal of the usual state of affairs, the French are planning a remake (just kidding).
Bone Collector, The (1999): The ending probably doesn't merit the elaborate setup, but an enjoyable enough potboiler. Telling that Denzel's character is physically incapable of consummating the relationship with his spunky protege. No subtext there...

Main menu

Section navigation menu

HiFi’s Film Reviews