HiFi’s Film Reviews

353 Films have been rated or reviewed by HiFi.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016): Keeps you guessing, but there are only two guesses. And then the ending: discuss. Resourceful female character crawling through ducting: Ridley Scott should sue. Fairly underwhelming , despite Goodman's presence.
Hail Caesar! (2016): Immaculately mounted misfire. Some great supporting faces, nifty sound design and Ehrenreich's charming cowboy star, but when you consider the calibre of actual '50s Hollywood insider movies, this is pretty small beer.
Carol (2015): I've always found Haynes' films visually ravishing but not emotionally compelling. This breaks the mould. It's excellent in every respect. Oh, and for the stunning photography, Edward Lachman, A.S.C. deserves a place in the pantheon.
Big Combo, The (1955): Lots to enjoy – Conte, Van Cleef and Holliman, Alton's beautiful photography and the somewhat purple script – but too little of the menace and unease I expect from this genre, and too much plodding procedural–ness.
Goon (2011): Didn't expect to like this, but I did. As Aroview says, perfectly cast, and while your mind is boggling at the carnage, there's a sweetly daffy romance and Schreiber's Canadian accent to enjoy.
Person of Interest (TV Series) (2011): Actually two shows: one is fairly silly, hackneyed and slapdash; one is something quite marvellous, usually signalled by the appearance of Amy Acker's 'Root', and the more paranoid story arcs that accompany her.
House of Cards - Season 1 (TV Series, US) (2013): Not nearly as clever as it thinks it is, and someone needs to rein Spacey in (which will never happen). Good supporting cast, especially Corey Stoll.; DVD ~~$15~~ $11.25
Parallax View, The (1974): It's more a collection of masterful set–pieces than a coherent whole. The airliner sequence is particularly impressive, achieved almost without dialogue. Top marks for Willis, production designer Jenkins and Michael Small's unsettling score.; Blu-Ray $34.95
Deadpool (2016): Refreshing change from the usual po–faced superhero shenanigans. Probably not as slick structurally as it is stylistically, but you'll be having too much fun to notice. Or care.; Poster (VG) $15
State Of Play (2009): Yes, in the spirit of, but not a patch on. Quite suspenseful, but somewhat ham–fisted, and doesn't the final revelation kind of undercut all the political angles? PS the whole newsroom watching Crowe's two–finger typing is pretty funny...

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HiFi’s Film Reviews