Sandy’s Film Reviews

656 Films have been rated or reviewed by Sandy.

Yeelen (Brightness) (1987): Tiresome & pretentious! Good scenery
Time for Drunken Horses, A (2001): A somewhat tiresome romanticization of the lives of children under harsh conditions. One learns nothing from this.
Tangerines (2013): Powerful because its true; shows gentle people at the heart of a savage guerrilla war avoiding fashionable polarized viewpoints and humanely caring for victims from both sides. A message for those in Syria and those outside who foment conflict.
The Blues: The Soul of a Man (2003): Visionary assessment of blues by a great film–maker. Newly–discovered amateur footage of Lenoir compensates for none of Blind Willie & Skip James at their peak; sensitively covered by substitute musicians. Great soundtrack. Lots of new information.
Catherine the Great (2005): BBC doco–drama on the brainy Prussian who created the Russian Empire today advanced by Putin. Catherine also founded the Hermitage art gallery. Worth watching to find why parochial Muscovites today rule the world's largest country.
Cane Toads (An Unnatural History) (1988): Not as good as the quirky Aussie doco on the same topic, but better on why these beasts were foolishly introduced. Comparisons with the NZ–born Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke–Petersen very appropriate!
Natural History of the Chicken (2000): Very funny pseudo–documentary on how Middle–Class Americans view their pet chooks. More about human foibles than the birds themselves. Well worth viewing!
The Blues: Feel Like Going Home (2003): Great documentary on blues origins. Scorcese focuses on Son House, Muddy Waters & Hooker; plus Robert Johnson, Otha Turner & their African roots. Old–style blues of Mississippi small–holders differed from Delta cotton–field blues, which migrated north.
Of Time and the City (2008): A deeply personal meditation on life in working–class Catholic Liverpool from pre–WW2 to modern times. Moving contemporary footage informed by Terence Davies' thoughts & favourite poetry & music. A unique film. Don't miss the extra interview with him.
Long Day Closes, The (1992): Working–class Catholic boyhood on a Liverpool estate based on Terence Davies' memories. Quiet & reflective; every shot perfectly composed. Dark houses & warm patterns captured, along with family life and song. About youth and dreams, unique and special.

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Sandy’s Film Reviews