The Myrka’s Film Reviews

30 Films have been rated or reviewed by The Myrka.

Winter in Wartime (2008): As much a coming of age movie as a wartime resistance movie, this cracks with pace and tension throughout, while the beautiful snow–scape setting provides a visual counterpoint to the murky double dealings within.
Gentlemen Broncos (2009): Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Rockwell and Jemaine Clement do their best with some inspired and laugh out loud moments (the writing seminar is a particular highlight) but this is interspersed with too many longer WTF moments.
Sister Smile (2009): A workmanlike bio of the singing nun, who had a worldwide hit with the infuriating and annoyingly catchy tune, 'Dominique' and you won't be able to get that damn tune out of your head for days...
Hurt Locker, The (2008): The stress of war and the work of bomb disposal expert, play out like the diary of a drug addict, with adrenaline being his drug of choice. Kathryn Bigelow shows she can tap into the male testosterone–soaked psyche, making for tense and compelling drama.
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (Coco & Igor) (2009): Neither of the title characters is at all sympathetic so as the audience, you are in no way concerned about their journey through the story. If you're a Chanelista who wants to know how Chanel No.5 came about, then by all means see it.
Endgame (2009): I was pleasantly surprised with this very effective and taut look at the lead–up to the end of apartheid. It doesn't hide behind the shortcomings of both sides of the divide and provides a sense of the dangers of life in South Africa during this time.
Iron Man 2 (2010): RDJ does his shtick and Mickey Rourke is an effective villain but the film doesn't aspire to anything more. The first movie came as a breath of fresh air after the broodiness of Batman, Superman and Spiderman, where this seems be coasting on past glory.
Boy (2010): Not just an exercise in Kiwi nostalgia, this is a brilliant little movie which may have sold itself in the trailer as an all out comedy but proves to be just as much a movie about family and how reality can never live up to our fantasies.
Last Station, The (2009): OK, so the story of Leo Tolstoy's final years is going to be a hard sell in the multiplex–dominated world of today. But it's worth investing time in this ostensibly little movie for an acting masterclass from Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The (1964): Jacques Demy's masterpiece, making Deneuve a star. It will swell then break your heart, and yes, it does contain umbrellas.

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The Myrka’s Film Reviews