All User Reviews

"Shelter" is, with one notable exception, a rather uninspiring action thriller. I'll start by saying I like Jason Statham, but really, for my money, the shining light in this otherwise rather dull film is Bodhi Rae Breathnach. She shines as the young girl Stratham sets out to save when she gets embroiled in his past life in the world of assassination and espionage. Looking beyond her performance, most other aspects of this film feel leaden, forced and predictable. Pacing is off too, with a lead-in that's far too drawn out for what is at its core an action film. In summary, "Shelter"…

This is one of those movies I watched and then turned off halfway through. The acting was passable, the script was slow and boring; I fast-forwarded through most scenes. I don't even know why I watched it. I just wanted to give it a chance. My expectations were low, but I didn't think the movie would be this bad. I didn't like it. It would only get a 3 out of 10.…

71/100 An extremely realistic and ofttimes painful depiction of warfare mostly contained to a single setting as a group of navy seals are under siege in Ramadi, Iraq. Based on the memories of those that experienced it first-hand, it's violent, brutal and, although the events take place in real time, they were able to capture that feeling that the soldiers felt the siege going on for hours instead of only 90 mins. No theatrics, no explanation as to why they're there, no personal info about the people, no big action sequences, just raw warfare at its most savage and uncompromising. -- DrNostr…

One of his clients describes him as the sandstone equivalent of a cocaine addict and watching the now sixty-five year old Ra Paulette excavate and decorate his caves entirely from scratch, that seems quite an apt description. Using a startling lack of technology, he sets about creating intricately designed structures that are like sand castles, only in reverse. These go downwards. It’s fair to say that this man is self-motivated and so some of his commissioners have been less than impressed with his more individualistic approach to his work (on their land, and/or with their cash), but he seems…

**_The writer/director of the first film returns for an unpleasant sequel_** This was shot in Sept-Nov 2003, 21 years after the original movie was filmed, yet it took five years to add special effects and get distribution, which explains its late 2008 release date, direct-to-video. It’s technically better than the first film since mastermind Robert Hiltzik had twelve times as much money with which to work. As of this writing, these happen to be the only two movies he’s made. “Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers” (1988) remains the most entertaining flick in the series, followed by…

I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve seen movie reviews use high-minded words like “understated” and “nuanced” as euphemisms to describe pictures that are more aptly characterized as “unfocused” and “meandering.” But those words, unflattering though they may be, would certainly make better choices when it comes to capturing the nature of this debut feature from writer-director Constance Tsang, a tedious, glacially paced slog that aspires to be something that’s quite apparently beyond its grasp. When Didi (Haipeng Xu), a Taiwanese immigrant who works in a massage parlor in the Chinese com…

What is it about these survivors of the Holocaust that they always seem to come across as the most stoically forgiving of people. Despite the appalling and degrading treatment they received at the hands of the Nazis, and the daily apprehension surrounding their lives whilst many around them - including those they knew and loved - were beaten, starved, tortured or murdered, they steadfastly refuse to surrender their humanity to hate or rancour. At the ripe old age of 109, Alice Sommer-Herz lives in London and still regularly belts out some Bach or Chopin on the upright piano in her room. She’s …

For a minute, I wondered whether Sir David Attenborough might have been a consultant on this. We meet two hand-knitted creatures that looked to me as if they would have been perfectly at home deep in the depths of the ocean. That, too, might have explained something of the eerie darkness that besets them and makes this really quite a sad depiction of what happens to love when it meets something it cannot combat. It’s astonishing how effective and emotive the “facial” features are here, and as the story advanced, aided by a soundtrack that effortlessly substitutes for dialogue, I thought this t…

A characterful Ray Winstone takes the lead in this obviously well-informed short drama about the perils of being a night club bouncer. Tonight, their nemesis ends up being epitomised by the tanked-up Paddy Considine, a decent looking lad who gets caught up in a drink-fuelled brawl that sees him chucked out. As the narration warns us though, out of sight doesn’t mean gone forever and shortly afterwards we see the real dangers faced by these men who are charged with keeping themselves and the clientele safe. If this were shown as a training film, I doubt anyone would choose this career, and Wins…

I quite liked the story aspect of this film. The plot was interesting and meaningful, as it addressed the serious dangers of bullying, both verbal bullying and cyberbullying. The film showed how hurtful words and online attacks can have a significant impact on a person’s mental and emotional well-being. It also delivered an important moral message about empathy, awareness, and the importance of treating others with respect, especially among teenagers who are often the most vulnerable to these kinds of situations. However, there were some things that I didn’t really like about the film. …