All User Reviews

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with this documentary. Occasionally using some truly gruesome archive footage, we are introduced to Hans Höss, the son of the the man who not just commanded the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, but who was largely instrumental in creating the complex in the first place. Loosely using a narration from the autobiography he wrote whilst awaiting trial after the war, we learn a little of the politics that drove this efficient administrator to build a facility that ended up killing ten thousand people a day, whilst seemingly silent at home wi…

I think part of my problem with this is that having grown up in a room and kitchen in a 1970s Glasgow tenement where we bathed in the sink, once a week, in water freshly boiled from the kettle atop the metred gas stove, I find these “northern” (English) tales of woe and misfortune all a bit melodramatic. Compared to previous generations, these Brummies don’t know they are born as they live in housing estates resourced to a level we could only have ever dreamed of a few years earlier. Are they the cause of their own deprivation or has it ground whatever spirit they did have out of them? Well we…

Perhaps what adds extra impact to this story of the “Kaufmann” family is the fact that it was made in Czechoslovakia a mere four years after the war had ended. The actors and crew here would still have the true memories of the Nazi invasion, occupation and news of the Holocaust fresh in their minds when they embarked on this depiction of the tragic story of a family torn asunder because of their traditions and faith. What makes this harder to watch is that as the fear and panic sets in, the family begins to fracture and to an extent implode as, all the while, we are presented with actuality of…

It’s frustrating to watch a film that many viewers are raving about and that has definite potential for artistic success but that nevertheless falls flat, mainly because it can’t get out of its own way. Such is the case with this latest offering from writer-director Jay Duplass of the Duplass Brothers producing duo. The problem here is that the picture has many of the elements needed to make the production work, but it has noticeable trouble deciding what it wants to do with them. In essence, it’s a quirky, occasionally dark romantic comedy about a former improv/sketch comedy artist, Cliff (Mi…

Academic “Helen” (Claire Foy) is close to her photo journalist dad (Brendan Gleeson) and so is deeply affected when he quite suddenly dies. She tries to be around for her mum (Lindsay Duncan) and brother “James” (Josh Dylan) but with her tenure at her university (and therefore the lease on her home) coming to an end she seems devoid of much purpose. One thing she had shared with her father shortly before he died was watching some hawks darting about in the sky, and this inspires her to try her hand at falconry. After chatting with her experienced friend “Stuart” (Sam Spruell) she alights on a …

Man of the moment Paul Mescal also had a hand on the tiller of this drama about a musical prodigy (“Lionel”) who grew up subsistence farming in rural Kentucky. With little to entertain the family but their own skills, he was not only a singer but he could imagine music as something altogether more tangible than most. It’s at a conservatory that he encounters kindred spirit “David” (Josh O’Connor) and swiftly the two are listening to music and exploring not just their shared love of all things acoustic, but their shared love of each other too. When the Great War sees “David” drafted, the exempt…

Was it heart and soul that was supposed to distinguish human beings from animals? Well perhaps here it ought to be more art and soul as we take three hours to look into the workings of the UK’s National Gallery in London. Now I know, the thought of a three hour long documentary might be a bit off-putting, but this has been segmented quite sensibly into vignettes that illustrate the myriad of aspects of the work that goes on - and there is no narration. From exhibitions, conservation and restoration through to gala fund-raising, this proves to be an informative and not always flattering look at…

This is a good sequel to the South Park episode. A relatively uninspired action buddy comedy where they just throw in that the guy is a cop and the other guy is a seal. Or are they both seals? You know...there's a lot you don't need to know in this. You don't need to watch it but you can and you won't be surprised nor disappointed.…

Gushing with frenetic humor, two magnificently cutthroat performances, and some well-placed grimy moments of gore, Send Help blows snot, spurts blood, and gauges eyes the only way Sam Raimi knows how. Full review: https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/horror/send-help-review.html…

With no shortage of feral dogs roaming the desert at night, it’s no real surprise that a family heading home manage to hit one with their car. This upsets the daughter, but with her mum reassuring that her dad didn’t do it deliberately they manage to get their vehicle closer to home before it gives up. Luckily, they are outside a shop where a kindly soul offers to help with some temporary repairs. Upstairs, preparing for a wedding next day, is “Vahid” (Vahid Mobasseri) who begins to act furtively when he hears their guests. He follows them home, stakes them out and then follows “Eghbal” (Ebrah…