Reviews by Angus Wolfe Murray

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Mr Woodcock (2007)

  Review preview for Mr Woodcock

  In the long standing tradition of MOR liteweight comedy, sentiment oozes through the gaps between testicle crunching and mom devotion

  A successful author returns home to discover that his high school nemesis is dating his mom.
• 
  Kiss Of Death (1947)

  Review preview for Kiss Of Death

  Widmark steals the film. He epitomises the unpredictability and vicious mood swings of a natural born killer and is quite mesmerizing.

  When the criminal code is broken, there's a killer loose in New York.
• 
  The Invasion (2007)

  Review preview for The Invasion

  Run, stay awake, run harder, stay awa…zz…longer until an antidote can be found.

  A psychiatrist stumbling upon an alien invasion fears that her small son may be the only one who can stop it.
• 
  The Claude Chabrol Collection: Volume 2 (2005)

  Review preview for The Claude Chabrol Collection: Volume 2

  Secrets, lies and bloody murder.

  A second pick'n'mix of Claude Chabrol's prolific output.
• 
  The Break Up (1970)

  Review preview for The Break Up

  There is something distinctly nasty about a plot that relies upon the sexual abuse of a mentally defective girl.

  The father of a drug addict plots the destruction of his daughter-in-law’s character. Out to own as part of The Claude Chabrol Collection: Vol 2.
• 
  Who's Got The Black Box? (1967)

  Review preview for Who's Got The Black Box?

  It looks like a comic book pastiche of an idea by Ian Fleming’s chauffeur.

  An action spy spoof in Greece, with Jean Seberg and men with bad haircuts. Out to own as part of The Claude Chabrol Collection: Vol 2.
• 
  Van Wilder 2: The Rise Of Taj (2006)

  Review preview for Van Wilder 2: The Rise Of Taj

  The film isn’t funny enough. Although there are a number of American Pieisms, sex is pretty tame.

  Van Wilder's Indian-American friend goes to Camford - Oxbridge the wrong way round - and takes on the English toffs.
• 
  War Party (2007)

  Review preview for War Party

  Tearepa Kahi’s short film is but a snapshot of what was once called “savage culture”.

  A Maori war party drag a boat through the jungle.
• 
  The Second Line (2007)

  Review preview for The Second Line

  There is no justice in poverty and there is no justice here.

  Cleaning the filth after Hurricane Katrina.
• 
  Safari (2006)

  Review preview for Safari

  The faces are grotesque and eye candy is spiked.

  The terrifying world of monstrous insects.
• 
  Metamorphosis (2006)

  Review preview for Metamorphosis

  The simplicity that illustrates such weird magic is oddly compelling.

  Auditioning for a disappearing act.
• 
  The Delaware Project (2007)

  Review preview for The Delaware Project

  The mystery is the girl.

  Sad girl has trouble with her eyes.
• 
  Small Engine Repair (2006)

  Review preview for Small Engine Repair

  There are issues here and there are positive messages if you care to look, but the darkness before dawn lingers like a late mist and subplots tend to remain unresolved.

  A forklift driver strives reluctantly to become a country-and-western singer on the pub circuit in Northern Ireland.
• 
  Chill Factor (1999)

  Review preview for Chill Factor

  The film is a reminder of how well directed Speed was and that James Bond stunts can't be replicated on the cheap.

  A couple of regular Joes find themselves on the run from terrorists after they come into possession of a top-secret weapon.
• 
  Bulworth (1998)

  Review preview for Bulworth

  Beatty cannot decide whether to exaggerate wacky wrinkliness, or press for prizes in the turkey neck beauty contest.

  Political satire sees a Democrat up for re-election take out a contract on himself, before getting honest with voters.
• 
  Rumble Fish (1983)

  Review preview for Rumble Fish

  This is not so much a study in stereotypes, courtesy of Jimmy Dean’s legacy, but a love poem to the restless, doomed, anarchic integrity of orphaned hearts.

  The heroism of teenage violence against a background of iconic posturing.
• 
  The Counterfeiters (2007)

  Review preview for The Counterfeiters

  The tension and sense of death is like a physical barrier to sanity’s guiding hand.

  Surviving the holocaust by forgery.
• 
  Manufacturing Dissent: Uncovering Michael Moore (2007)

  Review preview for Manufacturing Dissent: Uncovering Michael Moore

  Did he cheat, lie, fake it, fudge it, fiddle the facts, remove evidence, fabricate evidence, spin the wheel, orchestrate the action? Probably.

  Canadian documentary filmmakers try in vain to interview Michael Moore.
• 
  The Home Song Stories (2007)

  Review preview for The Home Song Stories

  Like girls who rely on their beauty to get what they want, Rose has faith in her ability to charm men into bed and, if required, move in with her and pay the bills.

  Chinese children grow up in Australia with their beautiful mother who was a nightclub singer in Hong Kong.
• 
  And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)

  Review preview for And When Did You Last See Your Father?

  The boy discovers his father’s failings as he grows up and is hurt by them. His mother has always known, but she is of an older generation where wives were expected to suffer in silence.

  Memories of living with a popular dad.
• 
  The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island (2006)

  Review preview for The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island

  Twenty four minutes is a long time to stretch a single joke.

  A millionaire buys his very own one man concert. Winner of the UK Short Film Award at EIFF 2007.
• Rebecca (2007)

  Review preview for Rebecca

  Nick Whitfield’s 12-minute short has a biting script with nothing to bite on.

  Dreaming of a ghost girl in a boat on stilts.
• 
  The Hottest State (2006)

  Review preview for The Hottest State

  Hawke’s writing is hot on the money, as close as you know to the false bravado and insecure hope of a lost boy.

  Love bites a 20-year-old Texan actor in New York.
• 
  Western Trunk Line (2007)

  Review preview for Western Trunk Line

  Studied long shots of a factory, belching smoke into a grey sky, and the desolate waste ground of land grown tired of ruin have a poetic lyricism that leaches into the body of the film.

  In the far distance of Chairman Mao's nation a disruptive teenager discovers love and the Cultural Revolution.
• 
  Yo (2006)

  Review preview for Yo

  Fear festers like the cut of a rusty scythe.

  The mystery of two men called Hans.
• 
  Soft (2007)

  Review preview for Soft

  This is clever writing, smart filmmaking and excellent acting. It grasps your nerve endings and gives them a twist.

  Youth Gang Terrorises Suburbia. Winner of European Film Academy Short Film Prix UIP.
• 
  Shell (2006)

  Review preview for Shell

  The expectation of desperate passion, or bloody horror, is dashed.

  A girl, a truck stop, a long way away. Showing at EIFF 2007 - UK Shorts 1
• 
  The Leafcatcher (2006)

  Review preview for The Leafcatcher

  The leafcatcher discovers that giving to others is better than sitting in a heap, feeling angry at trees.

  A year in the life of a homeless man. Showing at EIFF 2007 - UK Shorts 1
• 
  Make A Wish (2006)

  Review preview for Make A Wish

  It is the natural, often charming, performances that give this 12-minute film its heart.

  The difficulty of buying a birthday cake in Ramallah. Showing at EIFF - World Shorts 1
• 
  Paul's Dream (2007)

  Review preview for Paul's Dream

  It is not the why of the dream, nor even the wherefore. It is the memories.

  The hidden hurt of a long life. Showing at EIFF - World Shorts 1.
• 
  The Terrace (2006)

  Review preview for The Terrace

  Anything as simple as this contains the essence of beauty.

  An old man and his son and a little parrot on the roof. Showing at EIFF 2007 - World Shorts 1.
• 
  Menged (2006)

  Review preview for Menged

  A man and his son take a little donkey to market. Showing at EIFF - World Shorts 1

  Taking the donkey to market in Ethiopia. Showing at EIFF - World Shorts 1
• 
  The Freaking Family (2005)

  Review preview for The Freaking Family

  This is a DIY self destruct situation, people. Wipe the blood off the walls.

  A dysfunctional family's response to nuclear attack.
• 
  Death To The Tinman (2007)

  Review preview for Death To The Tinman

  A macabre fairy tale in black-and-white without fairies is superficial enough to be frivolous.

  An amputee's rom-com, cut short. Showing as part of World Shorts 1 at EIFF 2007.
• 
  Strange Culture (2007)

  Review preview for Strange Culture

  In the mindscape of Alice Through The Looking Glass, the surrealism of Steve’s predicament would be a footnote to The Patriot Act: Fear Or Frenzy?, if it wasn’t so tragic.

  The artist as victim of The Patriot Act.
• 
  In The Wake Of A Deadad (2006)

  Review preview for In The Wake Of A Deadad

  It is so British, it out Montys Python.

  Travels with an inflatable father.
• 
  Bigger Than Life (1956)

  Review preview for Bigger Than Life

  The performances are delicately balanced. Mason insinuates madness without loosening his bow tie and Rush internalises desperation without breaking the crockery.

  Addiction to a wonder drug has mind-altering side-effects.
• 
  The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

  Review preview for The Bourne Ultimatum

  This is about car/motorbike chases, ruthless corruption at the highest level, a focused defense of one man’s pursuit of truth and ... the hint of romance.

  The chase goes on for the rogue CIA assassin in his search for recognition and revenge.
• 
  Richard III (1955)

  Review preview for Richard III

  Olivier's performance is immensely intelligent, fiercely energetic, unnervingly funny and deeply disturbing

  Shakespeare's 15th century horror comic.
• 
  If.... (1968)

  Review preview for If....

  One film can change the world. This almost does.

  Anarchy in the sixth form.
• 
  Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007)

  Review preview for Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

  Although the action is fierce when it arrives and the concept of mind control fearful to the extreme, there is not one moment when the hairs on the back of your neck shiver in an icy breath.

  Harry Potter and friends find themselves in trouble as a mysterious stranger seizes power at Hogwarts.
• 
  Analyze This (1999)

  Review preview for Analyze This

  De Niro and Crystal are terrific, none the less, and Harold Ramis directs with assurance.

  Mob boss has mental health difficulties - wants to become a "normal, well-adjusted gangster"
• 
  In Dreams (1999)

  Review preview for In Dreams

  Downey is juicy, Bening is brave, the rest are out to lunch.

  A girl's dreams take her into the mind of a killer.
• 
  Guest House Paradiso (1999)

  Review preview for Guest House Paradiso

  They went down to Ealing Studios and shot the film. Dead.

  Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson run the worst hotel in Britain.
• 
  Eternity And A Day (1998)

  Review preview for Eternity And A Day

  Angelopoulos likes to linger. Every shot would benefit from a tighter edit.

  A writer with only a day to live finds himself helping an illegal immigrant.
• 
  Detroit Rock City (1999)

  Review preview for Detroit Rock City

  This movie hypes the old glammers, with a story of such banality it encourages brain death.

  Four kids in a KISS cover band try to get in to see their idols.
• 
  Desperate Measures (1998)

  Review preview for Desperate Measures

  Keaton half-deranged is an improvement on Keaton half funny.

  A bone marrow transplant from a sociopath is the last remaining hope for a cop's son.
• 
  Cruel Intentions (1999)

  Review preview for Cruel Intentions

  Roger Kumble's screenplay lacks the finesse, charm and wit of Choderlos de Laclos's 18th century classic.

  Les Liaisons Dangereuses reimagined in 1990s Manhattan.
• 
  Chopper (2000)

  Review preview for Chopper

  As a portrait of a psycho, this is dangerously close to the bone.

  The autobiographical story of criminal Mark "Chopper" Read.
• 
  Apt Pupil (1998)

  Review preview for Apt Pupil

  The motivation at the centre of Bryan Singer's follow up to his scintilating debut, The Usual Suspects, is not so much dubious as blurred.

  A boy blackmails a neighbour, who he believes is a Nazi war criminal.