HiFi’s Film Reviews

353 Films have been rated or reviewed by HiFi.

Homeland - Season 4 (TV Series) (2014): A fairly straightforward spy drama, now. The usual problematic depiction of Middle Easterners, the usual nodding acquaintance with credibility. Does get pretty thrilling towards the end. Quinn's a standout – they could build the series around him.
Homeland - Season 3 (TV Series) (2013): Wildly uneven. Some great moments (the Tower of David!), great acting, great characters, but you could write a thesis about the frittering away of what made this a great show. Still, I do have some affection for the hot mess...
Homeland - Season 2 (TV Series) (2012): So good that time stood still – up 'til episode 10, then the show jumped the shark, in my humble opinion.
Homeland - Season 1 (TV Series) (2011): Complex, intelligent, thought–provoking TV drama of the highest order. Nearly lost me with too much Brody domestic drama, but came back gangbusters. I missed it first time 'round, but thank goodness for DVDs, huh?; DVD ~~$15~~ $11.25
Just Like Heaven (2005): The two leads work well together, transforming what could have been a steaming pile into something that's at times quite moving. And nobody does shlubby scruff–hunk like Ruffalo...
Third Miracle, The (1999): As the Aroview says, doesn't quite succeed dramatically – some of the Harris/Heche scenes are a bit woolly – but remarkable for being thoughtful and thought–provoking in a genre usually given to excess and empty spectacle.
Harry Brown (2009): Grim, unedifying stuff. Politically unsophisticated, slow and laborious, and in places leeringly sensationalistic (what circle of hell did that drug dealer come from?). For all its faults, I preferred Gran Torino.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Relentlessly linear, but awesomely designed and choreographed. Max was a bit too much of a cipher for me, and with about 40 minutes to go I found myself in another room dusting – it just seemed to be repeating itself.
Moneyball (2011): Not yer usual sports flick, what with Sorkin's involvement. More like a Philip Glass composition: sombre, repetitive, with a sustained intensity. Still thrilling, as you're rooting for the underdog. PS, Pitt's had some work done on his face, right?
Trainwreck (2015): Has a decent cast (Swinton's enjoyably coarse) and is at times quite moving, but it's wildly uneven, lacks structure and is only intermittently funny. And, at heart, it's fairly conventional – even conservative.

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HiFi’s Film Reviews