Sandy’s Film Reviews

50 Films have been rated or reviewed by Sandy.

Crimes of the Future (2022): Unappealing; DVD $29.95 | Blu-Ray $34.95
L'Innocente (1976): A slow, tedious and unconvincing costume drama that sadly doesn't stand the test of time. Weak plot.
November (Novembre) (2023): Very intense, demanding, violent and convincing. A strategically–paced wall map would though have helped!; DVD $29.95
Patience Stone, The (2012): Partly filmed in Herat; beautiful & desperately moving. Shows how women carry the weight of futile wars. Explicitly sexual. Powerful story, unexpected ending, brilliant acting by Farahani. Nothing else quite like it.
Deep Blue Sea, The (2011): Dated, with very annoying music. Characters not well developed. It's a cruel film & depressing; hard to see the point of it. Not up to the usual Terence Davies standard.
French Dispatch, The (2021): Best if you know something of US journalism, literature, the French Art Establishment & mental asylums to take this fast–paced satire fully on board. Even Maigret & French cartoons get riffed. A sharp contrast to the junk on TVNZ. Great fun!
Saint Omer (2022): Beautiful profound & very wise. Powerful feminist movie. Very intelligent & well–acted. Gripping, because it just drip–feeds the plot. A very great film –perfect & agonizing. Requiem for all women, sung by Nina Simone. Grand Jury Prize Cannes 2022.; DVD $29.95
Angela's Ashes (1999): Brilliant acting & dramatic portrait of Ireland in 1930s. Very moving portrait of courage in abject poverty. PROFOUND. Great extras. If hard of hearing, watch the extra "Commentary by Frank McCourt" which has subtitles right through
One Fine Morning (Un Beau Matin) (2022): Everyday charm, contrasting the young & the old. Even if the Director's knowledge of Antarctic mammals is sadly lacking. Otherwise, an intimate & profound portrayal of an intelligent & kind young woman. A nice straightforward film on life's challenges.; DVD $29.95
Science of Sleep, The (2006): I found it stupid rather than amusing. Not even farce. And am not alone in this view. It would be nothing at all without the magic of Charlotte Gainsbourg. Give it a miss!
Missing (2023): Nothing like it. Immensely entertaining. A terrific idea delivered by great acting. Simply stunning; plot; execution–all. Seriously different – loved the intense style. Certainly a thriller for the 21stC; a 'Powerhouse' movie. Extra recommended.
Fireworks Wednesday (Chaharshanbe-soori) (2006): A stressful portrait of family life in a cramped Teheran apt. Very full–on. Intense people who say much with their eyes. Great acting. The constant crash of fireworks is an added stress. Not nearly as good as A SEPARATION, but worthwhile.
Under the Skin (2013): Spectacular shots, great sound. Imperceptibly one starts to bond with the largely silent Johansson character, an alien. Exploitative of a woman's body and sexual attraction, I felt in an insensitive way, but riveting nonetheless.
Border (Gräns) (2018): A film unlike any other! Draws you right in – you want to know more. Good plot & acting. Turns out very much weirder than you expect as it gathers pace. Not for the faint–hearted or impressionable. Definitely worth watching!
Herself (2020): Terrific! Moving, uplifting; DVD $29.95
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023): Terrific reprocessed footage. Great portrayal of the comet 1932–2020 who changed us all. Fabulous rare footage, well–woven together. He turned his inner pain into joy for so many – what kind of magic is that? You can always see the pain in his eyes.; DVD $34.95
Source, The (1999): Original footage. 5 US writers change English–speaking world view of itself. Basis for Dylan's obscure lyrics. Big impact on 60s & 70s pop culture. "Road trips" became about experience, not travel. Were they the 1st middle–class kids to rebel?
Shirin (2008): Unique, innovative, stunning! Totally different from any other film, but a great success. Imperative to watch the extra, "The Taste of Shirin" after the movie and preferably also read the encl. brochure. Hard to rate because YOU are part of the story.
Notre Dame on Fire (2022): Outstanding; not just another drama–doco. Saving Notre–Dame was not just for France, but all the world. Relevant to all tourism, e.g. White I. "Chains only as strong as their weakest link". Like a detective story –gripping. A must–see!; DVD $29.95
Missing (1982): Incoherent & melodramatic structure. Dated. Bossy Americans in a foreign country where they don't even speak the language. Saw it for Sissy Spacek who made few films but is always such an enigma. Seemed older even than 1982.
Mothering Sunday (2021): Great screenplay, acting & camerawork. Stunning lighting. A little bit Downton–ish, but fresher, more meaty, adventurous & complex. The great Glenda Jackson appropriately book–ended a moving film.
Close (2022): A quiet and very intense film. Outstandingly convincing acting by all. Terrific camerawork. Sadly, style dominated over substance. I kept thinking of all those Allied bodies under the flowers. Not a patch on 'Playground'.; DVD $29.95
Purple Rose of Cairo (1985): Dated in style, acting & camerawork. Basically silly, but fun! Surrealistic and, typically Woody Allen, strangely convincing.; DVD ~~$25~~ $18.75
Celia (2018): Profound meditation on the most important issues in NZ society & a wonderful tribute to a great Kiwi. Every moment gripping. Terrific camera–work. Worthwhile alone for the staggeringly lovely human–sized dreamscapes of Wellington.; DVD $29.95
Shoplifters (Manbiki kazoku) (2018): Not a portrayal of family, but an expose of living on the fringe. What's agonizing about ours is shoplifting is not of necessities, but luxuries that we bar from the dreams of the marginalised, unlike initiatives & ethics of this finely–played ensemble.
Square, The (2017): I really hated this! Pretension without redemption. A superficial film showing cruel people doing stupid things. Uninformative, if paralleling the NZ government today!; DVD ~~$29.95~~ $15, $29.95
Playground (2022): UNFORGETTABLE child's view of bullying & adult betrayal. First I've seen filmed at height of children's faces for a true view of the playground. Nora's bravery & misunderstood stubbornness is moving & convincing. She tells her story with her eyes.
Reality (2023): Seriously weird doco–drama – I thought it a spoof at first!. Very creepy, with such subtle acting by Sydney Sweeney as a whistleblower. Real and gripping picture of the madness that is USA today. Highly recommended.; DVD $29.95
Blues Brothers, The (1980): This all–time over–the top–comedy classic also stars Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, John Lee Hooker and more. Whether you like music, dance, slapstick comedy or just the ultimate car–chase, this is the movie for you!
Once (2006): Fine sound quality and cinematography. The two main characters are very well–matched. Quite subtle and made with real talent.
Holy Spider (2022): Harsh & brutal film on the medieval treatment today of many Islamic women. It's a brave film, but expect devastating twists. Very realistic, especially for Iran, but filmed in Jordan.; DVD $29.95
Merkel (2022): Opens with an extraordinary contrast with Trump. Merkel's entire life in context. Quite intrusive for a restrained & rather private person, but she's not without humour. For once, Tony Blair says something interesting. Certainly a film for our times.; DVD $29.95
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005): Shockingly moving, a must–view glance at recent history; a cycle of killing and suppression endlessly repeated by our species. Heart–breaking!; DVD ~~$15~~ $11.25
Sister (2012): Riveting! Great cinematography and sound. Lea and Kasey magnificently underplay their roles. There is no melodrama here, the bug–bear of so many Kiwi dramas. The process of stealing is very well conveyed. A memorable film; DVD $19.95
All Our Desires (2011): Relevant to NZ today–people must fight back! Intelligent, fast, gripping despite the grim subject matter. Up–to–date & about much more than the script – love between friends, to children, of partners. Very moving.; DVD $29.95
Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, The (1993): Great doco on a key innovator in movies. Camerawork & movement are all, leaving Hollywood in the shade. Dir. Muller does a great job & the film even resonates with US politics today. Denies closeness w/Hitler & Goebbels, but why would they lie?
Central Station (1998): A truly great movie, both in content & visually. Brilliantly acted and directed, the result being a real & memorable portrayal of the lives of the vibrant poor of Brazil and the varied landscapes of this vast and diverse country.
A Gun in Each Hand (2012): Very clever & entertaining. On the insecurity of men. The women certainly come out on top, in every way!
Open Hearts (Elsker dig for evigt) (2002): Powerful, well–paced, brilliantly acted. A triumph of hand–held camerawork in the Dogme style, which is explained in the interesting extras. Dogme puts a lot of pressure on the actors, all of whom carry it with great skill & conviction.; Poster (VG) $12.95
Whistleblower, The (2010): Bravura performance by Rachel Weisz. Crimes of BlackRock Inc.(given a pseudonym here) well–known and having them more exposed is valuable. US now fights wars using proxies – civilian drone operators, "security" companies like BlackRock, Israel & Ukraine
Gregory's Girl (1981): Enjoyable today; very funny in a special gentle way. All wonderful characters – I especially liked Gregory's very together little sister, Madeline. Very witty, with a very good plot. Well worth watching. Innocence is timeless.
City of God (Cidade de Deus) (2002): Brilliant symbolic opening and unrelenting thereafter.rnVery interesting documentary extras.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004): Lovely to see Kate Winslet in an over–the–top role. Tom Wilkinson is great, too; I especially liked his bright blue tie. But this American comedic style is kinda stupid & hard all at once; no subtlety. A triumph of style over substance.; DVD ~~$19.95~~ $14.95
Something Wild (1986): Superior camera work, editing & great music! Immensely entertaining, with a surprise every minute! Great fun and seriously different. Terrific pace & rhythm and a great cure for the blues.
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016): Sheer magic throughout. A delightful, funny and moving tale written by the director. Interview with him (extras) is worth watching. Beautiful ensemble acting; top performances. Remains long after in the memory.; DVD $29.95
Living (2022): Clunky, with a cliched melodramatic script. But loved the magical appearance & disappearance of umbrellas in the rain! Weak direction, lacking intelligence. S. African directors b.1983 couldn't know 1952 London, so should stay with what they understand.
Decision To Leave (2022): Brilliant police procedural & whodunit full of ironic jokes and romance, Korean–style. Very watchable. A sense of civic and personal duty runs so deep in Korea that the film's laughs may be missed by foreigners. Knowing the tragedy of Manchuria helps.; DVD $29.95 | Blu-Ray $34.95
Circle, The (2000): Amazingly, only 1 main character was an actor. Interview w/Panahi in Extras. Iran & Afghanistan are the sole Islamic states, ironically created by US destruction of secular govts, though Brooks' book & SOLA (look it up) show hope is still alive.
Passengers of the Night, The (Les passagers de la nuit) (2021): Very convincing & interesting characters. Real & loving. Charlotte Gainsbourg is wonderful – very 3D. A wholly memorable film outstanding in all respects. Such a film could never be made in Hollywood without degenerating into cliche.; DVD $29.95
Night of the 12th, The (La Nuit du 12) (2022): A socially aware policier! Psychological focus; not an "action movie". Complex & convincing, and very modern. An exploration of the differences between men & women. Gripping & thought–provoking, all filmed in the beautiful setting of the French Alps.

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Sandy’s Film Reviews