Sandy’s Film Reviews
656 Films have been rated or reviewed by Sandy.
- Girl in the Spider's Web, The (2018)
- Complex, gripping thriller. Claire Foy is great as Lisbeth Salander but lacks the nuances of the original lead, Noomi Rapace. And the motivation, too. But many hours of violent fun are guaranteed! Great movie!
- Tim's Vermeer (2013)
- Slow moving & less interesting than The Girl with the Pearl Earring but much more informative. Focussed on art historians rather than art as such.
- In the Fade (2017)
- Very fine movie of the destruction of a Kurdish–German family by the Far Right in Europe. Very relevant today. Miscegenation is the greatest anathema to the Far Right, yet has risen steadily since 1934 & has many genetic benefits. Not violent, moving.
- DVD
$29.95 $15, $29.95
- Wildlife (2018)
- Moving, but not simplistic. Life in the US for poor whites, 1960. Nothing about wildlife! Sexual relationships in poor families are driven by the money–earning ability of men. The interaction of economics & love is very relevant to NZ problems.
- Mr. Stein Goes Online (Un profil pour deux) (2017)
- Uniquely unusual – not quite a farce, but a complex film about love & loneliness and manipulation. Fast–paced, complex, & sophisticated. Full of subtle jokes. Nothing like it in English. Very entertaining!
- Thérèse Desqueyroux (Therese Desqueyroux) (2012)
- Beautifully lit, composed & acted – what more! An agonising tale. Audrey Tautou is splendid; more intense than ever. Her best performance so far, I think. Filmed in Aquitaine, SW France. Terrific!
- Circumstance (2011)
- Long, dull tale of the "interests" of privileged Tehran schoolgirls. If you are really interested in the realities of Tehran women, read Brooks' excellent account in 'Nine Parts of Desire'; don't waste your time with this rubbish!
- Seagull, The (2018)
- Universally fine acting. Long & complex.
- Violette (2013)
- Portrays the rotten lives of Frenchwomen during & post WW2 & challenging picture of a determined woman writer to establish herself at the highest level. Finely recreated dark interiors of cafes & rooms. Characters have substance & are very convincing.
- Life and Debt (2001)
- Jamaican economy & infrastructure crippled by US govt thru "cheap" IMF loans, backed by multinationals (Dole, Del Monte). French islands like Martinique, Guadalupe & Reunion are part of France to get EU loans, but Jamaica is a victim of globalisation.