Reviews of films, genre television, books & contemporary classical
music by the Espresso Addict
Latest reviews: tv: Doctor Who 'The Girl in the Fireplace'; DS9 S5 'In the Cards', 'Call to Arms', S6 'A Time to Stand'
A Very Long Engagement (2004) 
'Predictably quirky (Mini-review)'
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About a Boy (2002) 
'I'd suggest reading the novel, casting Grant (with spiky haircut), and/or renting the excellent High Fidelity instead'
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Adaptation (2002) 
'Clever self-referentiality quickly becomes over-clever'
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After the Sunset (2004) 
'Rent 'The Thomas Crowne Affair' instead (Mini-review)'
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Batman Begins (2005)
'If you can stay awake through the yawnworthy Asian-martial-arts-flick rip-off that calls itself the first half, the well-paced second half makes one of the best action movies I've seen'
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Bend it Like Beckham (2002)
'Despite its many flaws, remained watchable, occasionally humorous and even a bit touching, and the end wasn't nearly as sickly-tacked-on-happy-ending-ish as I'd feared it might be half-way through'
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Big Fish (2003) 
'Negotiated that fine line between sweet & oversweet, between heart-tugging & sentimental, to succeed in its own terms'
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Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) 
'Just catch the trailer -- all the half-decent jokes are there (Mini-review)'
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
'One can overdose even on Wonka Chocogoodness'
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Collateral (2004)
'Feels like two-thirds of an intelligent & memorable thriller. Pity it couldn't make it to 100%'
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Dear Frankie (2004)
'Worth a try for the beautiful industrial landscapes alone (Mini-review)'
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Delicatessen (1991) 
'Gorgeous cinematography and quirky black humour make this film such a joy to watch'
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Die Another Day (2002)
'Do all the changes leave room for DAD to make a successful Bond movie? To my mind, the answer has to be no'
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East is East (1999)
'An intense, absorbing film: highly recommended'
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Erin Brockovich (2000)
'A thoughtful drama, but rather lugubrious pacing & too even a tone make the film less memorable than it should have been'
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
'My candidate so far for the best film of 2004'
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Evelyn (2002)
'A poignant film which oozes enough charm to overcome its many flaws'
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Finding Neverland (2004)
'Succeeds adequately on its own terms, at least for those viewers craving emotional truths rather than biographical ones'
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Freaky Friday (2003) 
'Few surprises and little tension… the viewer is treated to a heavy dose of moralising, with a triple shot of schmaltz thrown in at the end for good measure'
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Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
'A visual feast, with every frame set out and lit like a Dutch master'
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
'A strange, distended film'
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Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
'Ridley Scott appears to have been on a bit of a crusade himself here'
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Kinsey (2004)
'At times it felt like a documentary (Mini-review)'
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Laws of Attraction (2004)
'Rent The Thomas Crown Affair instead, or just go to bed early.'
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Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
'Much of the film was stirring, heroic ... over-sentimental ... Boring'
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Lost in Translation (2003)
'One might wonder whether it's possible to make a mainstream film essentially without plot, where realism triumphs. Where I think Lost in Translation failed was in portraying Tokyo -- it means that the film might as well be set in a parking lot'
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Love, Actually (2003)
'The whole somehow feels less than the sum of the parts… far too saccharine, with far too few surprises'
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Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
'Well-written & entertaining… Johnny Depp is magnificent'
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Secret Window (2004)
'The final fifteen minutes or so manage to be yawningly predictable whilst being unsupported by the remainder of the film'
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Secretary (2002)
'Shainberg thinks of Secretary as doing for S&M what My Beautiful Laundrette did for gay relationships, but the film has a lot more in common with Pretty Woman's portrayal of prostitution'
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Serenity (2005)
'The action movie format robs the concept of much of its idiosyncratic charm'
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Shaun of the Dead (2004)
'Hilarious cross-genre one-off (Mini-review)'
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Spider-man (2002)
'The film retains the two-dimensional, compressed feel of a comic strip'
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Spider-man 2 (2004)
'Enjoyable but entirely forgettable (Mini-review)'
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (2005)
'From the moment that Lucy steps out into the snowy forest, I was hooked'
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The Hours (2002)
'A beautifully constructed and clever film that still packs a potent emotional punch'
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The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
'Adroitly treads the tightrope of innovation vs familiarity'
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The Incredibles (2004)
'Touted as an animated film for both children & grown-ups, it sometimes seems an uneasy mixture of material aimed at entirely different audiences.'
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The Libertine (2005)
'Depp's performance as the titular libertine is magnificent'
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The Shipping News (2001)
'A quirky film, with some incredibly beautiful & memorable images'
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The Terminal (2004)
'Not the worst film this year -- but there's been some tough competition'
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William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004)
'The film's sympathies lie firmly with Shylock, portrayed magnificently by Al Pacino'
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Wimbledon (2004)
'A tennis pic entirely lacking in balls, it has the sole distinction of soundly beating Love, Actually to my Clunker of the Year spot'
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Click to visit review, after picking a medium from the menu on the left. Reviews open in a new window & may contain plot spoilers
Superb, highly recommended
Recommended, significantly better than average of its type
A reasonably enjoyable 1 or 2 hours, but nothing special
Some good moments, but overall not recommended
If your taste is like mine, go out of your way to avoid