Reviews by Ben Sillis

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Kick The Moon (2001)

  Review preview for Kick The Moon

  There's plenty of chopsocky, for sure, but it's all with the safety catch on.

  Former classmates who've had a change of fortune become love rivals.
• 
  Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

  Review preview for Star Wars: The Clone Wars

  A 90-minute romp in which no one dies simply feels like a Saturday morning cartoon, not a Star Wars movie.

  As the Clone Wars rage across the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice undertake a dangerous mission.
• 
  L'Avventura (1960)

  Review preview for L'Avventura

  Antonioni's direction is subtle and his argument much more than left-wing hand-wringing.

  After a woman disappears her lover and best friend search for her, only to find they are falling for one another.
• 
  Flash Point (2007)

  Review preview for Flash Point

  What makes Flash Point stand out is Donnie Yen's use of MMA.

  Hong Kong police thriller about a cop out to take out the Triad brothers terrorising the city.
• 
  Shotgun Stories (2007)

  Review preview for Shotgun Stories

  The slow-burning Arkansas vista is beautiful and harrowing at the same time, a panorama interrupted only by tractors dotting the horizon, but one where a car parked in the wrong place can attract a mob of pitch fork bearing men.

  Blood ties and vengeance in rural Arkansas.
• 
  Año Uña (2007)

  Review preview for Año Uña

  Feels like one long trawl through the photo album of somebody else's holiday.

  Personal photograph album becomes the basis for an unconventionally told romance.
• 
  The Conformist (1970)

  Review preview for The Conformist

  A haunting, tragi-comical film.

  An insecure man is persuaded to become an assassin, the target his former teacher.
• 
  Winter Light (1962)

  Review preview for Winter Light

  A harrowing but ultimately uplifting portrayal of the naive optimism of faith and its pros and cons.

  A pastor finds his faith tested by a suicidal man.
• 
  Through A Glass Darkly (1961)

  Review preview for Through A Glass Darkly

  Stands out in the Bergman canon for the beautiful cinematography by Bergman's long time DoP, Sven Nykvist. The haunting contrasts suit the wild isolation of Faro down to a tee.

  A recently released mental hospital patient goes back to her home on a secluded island with her family, resulting in emotional and spiritual crisis.
• 
  Same Time, Next Year (1978)

  Review preview for Same Time, Next Year

  Somewhere in this trauma of a stage adaptation are some valid points about Fifties US conservatism.

  Film adaptation of a stage play about a pair who have a one-night stand, despite being married to other people, and who make a pact to meet on the same night each year.
• 
  The Savages (2007)

  Review preview for The Savages

  A disturbingly accurate portrayal of the New York intelligentsia.

  A brother and sister must cope with their elderly father’s increasing care needs.
• 
  Hitman (2007)

  Review preview for Hitman

  None of this is very interesting, but the action does make up for it in part.

  Assassin Number 47 hits the big screen.
• 
  Planet Terror (2007)

  Review preview for Planet Terror

  Glorious, a hilariously stupid zombie fest that spoofs and honours grindhouse so much better than the tenuously related Death Proof.

  Survivors take on infected zombies in the second part of the double-bill formerly known as Grindhouse.
• 
  Taking Liberties (2007)

  Review preview for Taking Liberties

  It had me won over by the end, but it's an important documentary rather than a perfect one.

  A documentary exploring the erosion of traditional civil liberties in Britain under the Blair government.
• 
  Sawdust And Tinsel (1953)

  Review preview for Sawdust And Tinsel

  There's an impressive symmetry to the whole piece; love and art, both are firmly grounded in reality.

  The infidelities of a circus ringmaster and his lover.
• 
  The Devil's Eye (1960)

  Review preview for The Devil's Eye

  Styled as a comedy, it's a strange story of sin and marriage that never really rises above fanciful fairytale.

  The Devil sends Don Juan to tempt a virgin but complications ensue when he falls for her for real.
• 
  Rush Hour 3 (2007)

  Review preview for Rush Hour 3

  All the boxes have been ticked, but with a pen all too quickly running dry.

  Jackie Chan kicks his way through Paris in martial arts sequel.
• 
  Hawks And Sparrows (1966)

  Review preview for Hawks And Sparrows

  <ore than any other of Pasolini's films, it feels personal.

  A road trip taking a serious look at Italy’s socio-economic plight. Out to own as part of Pier Paolo Pasolini Volume 2 box set.
• 
  Eagle vs Shark (2007)

  Review preview for Eagle vs Shark

  What follows is another trip into the middle of nowhere, which in some respects you can't help but feel you've seen before.

  Socially awkward adventures in love.
• 
  Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)

  A girl in wartime London is plucked from obscurity to help the French Resistance behind enemy lines.
• 
  Eragon (2006)

  When a simple farm boy discovers a dragon's egg, he also finds his destiny: to recover the lost art of dragon riding and save the kingdom from evil.
• 
  Atash (2004)

  Review preview for Atash

  It’s slow-moving art house fare, and those who prefer more to be revealed by what is said than left unsaid would do well to avoid, but its impact is mesmerising.

  Members of an Arab family thirst for water, freedom and acceptance.
• 
  The Queen (2006)

  Review preview for The Queen

  A few contrived moments, such as the metaphorical stag the Queen spots on her estate, only marginally detract from what is otherwise a fascinating drama on previously uncharted cinematic territory.

  The experiences of Queen Elizabeth II after the death of Princess Diana.
• 
  The Marriage Of Maria Braun (1978)

  Review preview for The Marriage Of Maria Braun

  The film is an intelligent, technically proficient and complex critique of this period, weaving metaphors for the German body politic and psyche of the time.

  A heart-breaking study of life for one woman in post-war West Germany. Out to own now on the RW Fassbinder Commemorative Collection: Vol 2.
• 
  Blissfully Yours (2002)

  Review preview for Blissfully Yours

  Blissfully Yours, a dreamlike depiction of the reality of several ordinary people, is a little less bizarre, in terms of the scenario, though barely in terms of structure and editing.

  A languid celebration of the pleasures of the moment - Thai style.
• 
  The Red And The White (1967)

  Review preview for The Red And The White

  Jancso's masterful direction keeps you enthralled.

  The bloody civil war in Russia that followed the October Revolution.
• 
  Where The Truth Lies (2005)

  Review preview for Where The Truth Lies

  A competent, if somewhat standard, thriller.

  A young journalist sets out to discover the truth behind the break up of a cabaret act, who split after a woman was found dead in a bath.
• 
  Bicycle Thieves (1948)

  Review preview for Bicycle Thieves

  The film revolves around a simple plot, superbly executed.

  The poverty of opportunity in post war Italy. Out on re-release in December.
• The United States of Leland (2003)

  Review preview for The United States of Leland

  An accomplished feature about sin and redemption.

  A disaffected US teen searches for meaning through murder.
• Les Miserables In Concert (1996)

  Review preview for Les Miserables In Concert

  Stage performances tend to look flat and muted on screen, anyway, but this must surely have done so for the audience as well.

  10th Anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
• 
  The Peter Sellers Story As He Filmed It (2004)

  Review preview for The Peter Sellers Story As He Filmed It

  The film's greatest attribute is also its main flaw - an unrelenting stream of video footage.

  Rare glimpses into Sellers' private life, as seen through his own home videos.
• 
  The Company of Wolves (1984)

  Review preview for The Company of Wolves

  An interesting attempt at updating old myths to make them fresh and relevant to contemporary audiences.

  The underlying sexual connotations of dreams and fairy tales are explored by the director of The Crying Game.
• 
  Night On Earth (1991)

  Review preview for Night On Earth

  It's largely in Jarmusch's preferred genre of tittering, offbeat comedy, though, and he conjures up some brilliant scenarios and characters.

  One night, five taxis, different countries, awkward moments, some humour, much humanity.
• 
  Down By Law (1986)

  Three oddball prisoners in a New Orleans jail escape and run wild in the country.
• 
  Revolver (2005)

  Review preview for Revolver

  Ritchie's Revolver fails by trying to be too clever for its own good and eventually disappears up its own pretentious rear end.

  An ex-con is out for vegeance on the man he believes caused his downfall.
• 
  Dennis Potter At London Weekend Television (1980)

  Review preview for Dennis Potter At London Weekend Television

  LWT have done justice to an unusual talent, a writer who tirelessly pioneered the medium of television as a valid art form.

  Three television plays, involving infidelity, spies and memories of passion.
• 
  Rag Tale (2005)

  Review preview for Rag Tale

  The photography and editing render the film nigh on unwatchable.

  Poisonous cynicism and manipulative scheming at the heart of a national tabloid.