Shorty’s Film Reviews

172 Films have been rated or reviewed by Shorty.

How Far is Heaven (2012): Magical.
Origin (2023): Not easy to turn a book of historical analysis into a good story, but this succeeds. (NB: Stan Walker song over closing credits.); DVD $29.95
How Art Made the World (2005): "The reality is we humans don't like reality."
Tailor of Panama, The (2000): A worthy update of 'Our Man in Havana'.
Strange World of Gurney Slade, The (TV Series) (1960): Quite proto–Python.
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon (2024): A melancholy but brilliant bloke.; DVD $29.95 | Blu-Ray $34.95
Ten (10) (2002): 6 out of 10.
Magic Trip (2011): "I thought we were as American as you can get".
Prisoner, The (TV Series) (1967-1968): Pleasantly batty.; DVD $54.95
Berberian Sound Studio (2012): Ingenious. Warning: various fruit and veg are harmed in the making of this movie.
Weather Underground, The (2002): Startling archival footage.
Taste of Cherry, A (1997): I liked it. Humour so low–key that if you blink you miss it. Louis Armstrong, for gosh sakes!
Lone Star (1996): Kristofferson makes a mean sheriff.
Bed Sitting Room, The (1969): Filmed in and on notable refuse dumps of England. God save Mrs Ethel Shroke!
Wind Will Carry Us, The (2001): Intriguing.
Banshees of Inisherin, The (2022): Dark, dark, dark.
Voyage Round My Father, A (1983): "Angry? I'm always angry when I'm dying!"
Savage Innocents, The (1960): Well–meaning tosh in which 'eskimo' are depicted as giggling children. However, one glorious location shot of walruses stands out.
Zone of Interest, The (2023): Shocking in the best sense.; DVD $29.95 | Blu-Ray $34.95
My Old School (2022): Sad, fascinating example of the kind of rabbit hole the human mind can go down.
Translators, The (Les Traducteurs) (2020): The James Bond–Agatha Christie–Marcel Proust vibe makes for a load of fun.; DVD $29.95
Stunt Man, The (1980): Wizard idea for a satire on moviemaking! Pity about the self–indulgent script.
Effie Gray (2014): Victorian sexual repression in some sumptuous settings. A bit pedestrian in the telling.
Grow Your Own (The Allotment) (2007): "I wasn't dead. I was in Leicester."
Taste of Honey, A (1961): Love and prejudice set against some magnificently grim backdrops of post–war northern England towns. Originally banned in NZ says Wikipedia!
In Their Own Words - British Novelists (2010)
Judgement at Nuremberg (1961): Having a big–name Hollywood cast – fine as they all are – distracts a little from the serious heft of the movie.; DVD ~~$24.95~~ $18.70
Wizard Mode (2016): Warm–hearted look at young man making sense of the world and pinball machines. "Apparently, not every moment in life will be fun . . ."
Rosewater (2014): A cheeky movie that wears its heart on its sleeve.
Island of Lost Souls (1933): Passably blood–curdling.
Fantastic Voyage (1966): Honey, I shrunk the Proteus! The science is shonky, the sexism is casual, and the dialogue is also worth a laugh or two. Fun special effects.
First Australians (TV Series) (2008): Documentary excellence.; DVD $39.95
Still Life (2013): A quiet film about a quiet man. A gem!; DVD $29.95
Circle, The (2000)
Leopard, The (Il Gattopardo) (1963): Melancholic and magnificent.
My Little Chickadee (1940): Fields' bon mots have aged better than West's.
Crimson Gold (Talaye sorkh) (2003): A memorable opening scene looking out through the jewelry shop door.; DVD $29.95
Triumph of the Will (1935): Instructive to see Hitler, and various other shouty men, in full flight. Expertly made pomp porn.
John Osborne and the Gift of Friendship (2006): "I'll never be a member of the congregation".
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (TV Series) (1973): "I'm not messing it up, I'm making some adjustments." HEAPS funnier than Phantom of the Opera
Entertainer, The (1960): A tired and tawdry post–war Britain looking for its soul in bathing beauty pageants, music hall etc. Olivier is in fine form.
Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, A (1966): Great cast. No old gag left unturned.
American Film Theatre - The Homecoming (1973)
Peeping Tom (1960): Still creepy and confronting after all these years.
Unforgivable Blackness (2004): How the United States of America could not cope with Jack Johnson. Fine music soundtrack by Wynton Marsalis.
Producers, The (1968): OTT. LOL.; DVD ~~$19.95~~ $14.95
Tár (Tar) (2022)
Enid (2009): Telephones and typewriters – deft use of period detail.
Richard III (1955): "I am determined to prove a villain".; DVD ~~$24.95~~ $18.70
Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962): Corny as, but P T Barnum would be proud.
David Byrne's American Utopia (American Utopia) (2020): Impressive band.
Day at the Races, A (1937): Great routines. The 'All God's Chillun got Rhythm' sequence with Ivy Anderson is pretty cool too.
Marty Feldman, Best Of (1968-1969): Best sketch: The Bishop on the Train.
American Film Theatre - Rhinoceros (1974): Zero Mostel makes a stunning rhinoceros. That wall portrait of Nixon would today be replaced with one of Trump.
Into Great Silence (2005): An absorbing journey into a world far from the 21st century.
Shooting Party, The (1984): A society blindly stumbling into a 'Great War'. The film tells its story quietly. Nice dialogue.
Alexei Sayle's Stuff (TV Series) (1988): Marxist rantings from a fat Liverpudlian in a dazzling array of ill–fitting suits. Recommended.
Bete Humaine, La (1938): TBH, I found the exterior train shots more engrossing than the human melodrama.
House of Mirth (2001): Slow to get going but builds to a nicely desperate end.
Le Million (1931)
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973): Spike plays his own father.
La Regle Du Jeu (Rules of the Game) (1939): "Stop this farce!" "Which one, m'lord?"
Young Frankenstein (1974): I'd forgotten about Marty Feldman . . . how good he was.
Masked and Anonymous (2003): Dylan ambles his way through a waggish tale of what it's like to be stuck inside one's (ie. his) own legend. Great soundtrack, of course.
Grand Illusion (La Grande Illusion) (1937)
Guys and Dolls (1955): Stubby Kaye's 'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat'!
Parent Trap (1961): The kids' story is fun, the parents' one more of a yawn.
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962): Young feet running on England's green and pleasant land.
Civilisations (TV Series) (2018): Wonderful images, thoughtful commentaries.
Carnage (2011): In which civilized behaviour goes down the gurgler. The script zings.
Tenant, The (1976): Mr Polanski is pulling our leg a little here, surely.
Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, The (TV Series) (1976): I didn't get where I am today without a catchphrase or two.
Cinderfella (1960): Lewis' brand of goofiness rises to its best moments when Basie is playing.
Plein Soleil (Purple Noon) (1960): Oh dear, a non–Patricia Highsmith ending.
Magic Christian, The (1969): The art auction is a hoot.; DVD $19.95
Duellists, The (1977): Atmospheric.; Blu-Ray $24.95
Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988): Nostalgia with a personal edge. "Men – if they're not using a big stick they're farting." Fascinating musical soundtrack.
Soldiers Without Guns (2019): An inspiring story.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Boys from the Blackstuff (TV Series) (1989): Funny and desperate. And a love letter to the city of Liverpool.
Struggle No More (2006): What great songs!
Elmer Gantry (1960): "Fireworks, the brass band . . . grace for 200 washing machine salesmen". A rip–roaring piece of movie making.
Return to Waterloo - The Kinks (1984): Ray Davies' bleak, even creepy, view of Thatcher's England. The song, 'Expectations', pretty well nails it.
A Quiet Passion (2016): An unflinching meditation on a difficult life.
Hamlet (2009): David Tennant is electric as Hamlet. Interesting use of CCTV technology.; DVD ~~$20~~ $15
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1991): A script so witty it made my brain hurt. It's as if Shakespeare had not only written HAMLET but also WAITING FOR GODOT into the bargain.
Local Hero (1983): An air of transatlantic eccentricity rules. Lovely stuff.
Mark Twain (2002): Up to the expected Ken Burns' standard. Marvelous use of archival photographs and Twain's words.
Tehran Taxi (2015): Very funny, and then comes the so–called "sordid realism]" of the final scene.
Offside (2006): Cocks a snook at what Iranian women (and men) have to put up with from 'the Regime'.
Rio Bravo (1959): And there's singin' too.
Gallipoli: The Frontline Experience (2005): Clear–eyed account of events. Loads of original footage, plus impressive re–enactment sequences.
To Have and Have Not (1944): Hoagy is Highlight of Howard Hawks' Hollywood Hokum.
Why We Fight (2005): An outstanding assemblage of stories and images to answer the question. "I guarantee when war becomes that profitable you're gonna see more war". Meanwhile, in Ukraine another business opportunity opens up . . .
Horse's Mouth, The (1958): A great novel emerges as a delightful movie. (That doesn't always happen!) Alec Guinness in sparkling form.
This is Not a Film (2011): The gaze of that iguana stays in my mind.
Adventure of English, The (2002): A delightful and thorough history for us word nerds.
Bank Dick, The (1940): Some fine boondoggling from Mr Fields.
World War 1 In Colour (2003): A broad brush portrayal of events. The image restoration is not in the Peter Jackson league but still makes an impact.
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
An Ideal Husband / Lady Windermere's Fan (1969-1985): Plays nicely done, and a very good doco on what made Wilde tick.
Being There (1980): Still holds up as a smart fable. Of course, in reality, a man who doesn't read and only watches TV could never become President of the United States of America, right?!
Ruling Class, The (1972): A savage skewering of the British aristocracy and their waning Empire. Bit long–winded, but good fun.
Denial (2016): Fine script and acting.
Anglo Saxon Attitudes (TV Series) (1992): The satire is thin on the ground until the final episode.; DVD $29.95
Religulous (2008): Perhaps the old Hollywood biblical epic clips are overused here, but Bill still makes a good plug for humorous scepticism. And his mum talks sense too.
Fairytale: A True Story (1997): Comic fantasy take on the notorious Cottingley Fairies.
French Lieutenant's Woman, The (1981): Very meta, very enjoyable.
Seven Percent Solution, The (1976): Excellent tongue–in–cheek addition to the Sherlock Holmes legend. Great cast.
Ripping Yarns (TV Series) (1977-1979): Amiable Pythonesque silliness. Slightly odd–story–out is the touching 'Golden Gordon' (with, it looks like, a brief walk–on by John Cleese).
Porgy and Bess (1993): Full operatic production using Gershwin's original score.
Lord Jim (1965): Respectable adaptation of the Conrad novel. "Perhaps your conscience is coloured by your skin". Good action sequences.
Mr. Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot) (1953): Anyone for tennis?!; DVD ~~$19.95~~ $14.95
Tempest, The (1980): The language is the star.
Magnificent Tati, The (2009)
Pumpkin Eater, The (1964): Some sparkling Pinter dialogue.
In Search of the Castaways (1962): Entertainingly daft yarn which ends up in NZ. "Have no fear, the Maori can run faster than the lava"! Sadly, it's Maurice Chevalier who sings, rather than Inia Te Wiata.
Mon Oncle (1958): Genius – especially the garden party.
Long Day Closes, The (1992): Evocative soundtrack.
Rumba (2008): An endearing improvised, silent movie feel.
Swimmer, The (1968): A broken man attempts an odyssey ('I can swim home') across well–heeled suburbia. Sharp and unsettling.
Italian Job, The (1968): The Mini Cooper's finest hour (and a half).
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966): Beside the top–class scenery chewing there's the stunning black and white photography.
Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (2013): Featherweight plot, but as a Beatles fan I was charmed. Real strawberry fields!
Peking Opera Blues (1986): The action never pauses to take a breath. Subtitles are hardly needed.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Nomadland (2020): Elegaic with social bite.
Produced By George Martin (2012)
Alfie (1965): Classic scenes where Alfie glibly soliloquizes to the camera like he's Hamlet or something.
Night at the Opera, A (1935): "You can't fool me, there is no sanity clause."
Lost in Paris (Paris pieds nus) (2016): Gentle comedy magic. A movie placing the McGarrigle Sisters and Satie alongside each other on its soundtrack can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.; DVD $29.95
Alan Partridge: Mid Morning Matters (TV Series) (2010): A minor work in Alan's canon.
Alice in Wonderland (1966): Sticks close to the Tenniel illustrations, abounding in Victorian period charm and general English dottiness.
Truman Show, The (1998): DVD $19.95
You Kill Me (2007): Inarticulate hit–man opens up, so to speak. Very funny.
Patrick Melrose (TV Series) (2018): A story both harrowing and hilarious. Cumberbatch is impressive.; DVD $34.95
Missionary, The (1982): Plays like a frothy music hall revue, with lots of comic business for your delectation.
Gattaca (1997): Standard Hollywood 'our–human–spirit–won't–ever–be–tamed' schtick in sci–fi garb.
Whistle Down the Wind (1964): Delightful tale set in the atmospheric hills of Lancashire.
Who You Think I Am (Celle que vous croyez) (2019): Social media as a house of mirrors. Haunting.; DVD $29.95
Private Function, A (1985)
Death and the Maiden (1994): Ben Kingsley is excellent. Descent into a heart of darkness indeed!
George Harrison and Friends: The Concert for Bangladesh (1972): Free from hype or ego, this concert is still one of rock's most eloquent moments. Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan 'rock' too.
Fisher King, The (1991): Modern rom–com crossed with a medieval legend – and it works!
Personal History Of David Copperfield, The (2019): Fun and inventive. Colour–blind casting and squeezing in so much plot makes things confusing at times, but there's always the book to refer to . . .
Ripley's Game (2003): Faithful to the book's dark comedy.
I'm All Right Jack (1959): Delightful combination of Peter Sellers and Irene Handl.
Seance On a Wet Afternoon (1964): A touch of English gothic, with John Barry music – loved it!
In Search of Myths and Heroes (TV Series) (2005): Striking and absorbing journeys with an affable guide.
Mrs Lowry & Son (2019): Stand–out performances by the two leads.
North West Frontier (1959): Lots of action with some wee jibes at the British and their Empire. The storyline's demonizing of Muslims grates a little these days.
House of Cards, The (TV Series) (1990-1993): You might say it's very droll, very dark, but I couldn't possibly comment . . .
Plenty (1985): Thoughtful political story, biting dialogue and strong cast.
Absent-Minded Professor, The (1961): Nifty fun. This colourized print, though, has PURPLE flubber. It should be green, surely!
They Might Be Giants (1971): Owes as much to Don Quixote as to Sherlock Holmes. Supermarket scene is a nice touch.
Gunga Din (1939): A ripping yarn.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices (Journey to Agartha) (2011): Beautiful animation, but convoluted and sometimes surprisingly violent story.
Bunny Lake is Missing (1965): Nicely noir atmosphere. Noel Coward is wonderful as a ham poet.
Jazz On a Summer's Day (1959): No hint, here, of things to come at Woodstock 10 short years in the future! Magical performances.
Cul-de-Sac (1966): Madcap weirdness and some good laughs.
Lost Horizon (1937): Or: 'How Shangri–La Got Modern Plumbing'. Too talky in the middle, but good fun.; Blu-Ray $19.95
Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain (TV Series) (2009)
What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966): And the Lovin' Spoonful are an extra treat.
Young Man With a Horn (Young Man of Music) (1949): Story has little relation to Biederbecke's life and Douglas makes a pretty wooden jazz musician. Hoagy and the music make up for that though.
Flim-Flam Man, The (1967)
Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (2015): The good, bad and ugly of Frank. Terrific archive footage.
Years And Years (TV Series) (2019): 'Coronation Street' with knobs on. Some nice anti–Trumpian satire too.
Wrong Box, The (1966): Lovely trad farce, British as!
Story of the Jews, The (2013): Very good, very passionate.
Damned, The (1968): Rise–of–Nazis story starts well, but overlong and the melodramatic ending was too much for me!
Bob Roberts (1992): Preachy but prescient fun. Tim Robbins sings the songs, but the last word goes to Woody Guthrie.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017): Brilliant! Written with Trump's angry America in mind?

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Shorty’s Film Reviews