Movie Reviews

‘L’immortel (22 Bullets)’ – Movie Review

Leave a comment


Charly Mattei (Jean Reno) is an ageing French mafia heavy (loosely based on real-life Marseilles godfather Jacky Imbert), who has left his life of crime to spend time with his family. His ‘retirement’ comes to a sticky end when a posse of hitmen pumps 22 bullets into him in a Marseilles carpark. Standing over him mere feet away in their balaclavas, da boys blast away interminably from smokin’ large-gauge barrels. Miraculously he survives, his left hand no longer functional, but otherwise in remarkably good nick – too good. It beggars belief that anyone could have survived such a sustained point blank riddling, let alone a short while later be up and walking – stalking, in fact – in full gangster revenge mode. But believe it we must.

Unfortunately, that’s not where the cred issues end. Continue reading ‘L’immortel (22 Bullets)’ – Movie Review →

Movie Reviews

‘Red Hill’ – Movie Review

5 Comments


Whenever art returns to the streets, so to speak, you know there are exciting times ahead. It happened in rock music with the punk rock of the 70s, and when poetry infused itself back into widespread social relevance through rap and hip hop. And it’s happening now with film, mostly due to the staggering advances in digital technology.

Not only is it now possible for any tech-savvy filmmaker to match the big studios with CGI and post-production, but crucially, the expenses involved are minimal. Quality software is cheap, and in some cases free, and filming in digital costs very little. That is truly liberating, flinging open the doors of opportunity for a new generation of indie filmmakers and, hopefully, heralding a new era of cinema less burdened by corporate restraints on creative parameters.

Red Hill writer/director Patrick Hughes is one of this new breed of indie filmmakers. Continue reading ‘Red Hill’ – Movie Review →

Movie Reviews

‘Copacabana’ – Movie Review

Leave a comment


I wasn’t expecting much out of Copacabana. The trailer was full of manically fast cuts and there was a whiff of try-hard-outrageous about the middle-aged central character. I’ve had enough experience of ‘quirky’ French comedy to expect more misses than hits. The odds weren’t looking good.

Forget about the trailer. And forget about the comedy label. This ain’t fast-moving, it’s not try-hard outrageous or try-hard anything else, and while there are plenty of light-hearted moments, it’s not hilarious. So what is it?

A sheer delight, mon ami! Continue reading ‘Copacabana’ – Movie Review →

movie reviews + occasional other musings