Reviews by David Stanners

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  With A Girl Of Black Soil (2007)

  Review preview for With A Girl Of Black Soil

  Drawing pathos from an audience for what is an inescapable plight for the family, there is little to do but feel for the young girl whose precociousness and indomitable spirit keep things watchable

  South Korean family drama about an economically impoverished family and their difficulties with one another.
• 
  Lagerfeld Confidential (2007)

  Review preview for Lagerfeld Confidential

  There’s really not a great deal to this documentary - it is flimsy in build. But then so is fashion.

  A peek behind the mysterious shades of Chanel’s iconic front man.
• 
  A Promise To The Dead: The Exile Journey Of Ariel Dorfman (2007)

  Review preview for A Promise To The Dead: The Exile Journey Of Ariel Dorfman

  There’s a lot of meandering in this documentary but this does not detract from the overall impact.

  An exploration of the exiled life of writer Ariel Dorfman.
• 
  The Baker (2007)

  Review preview for The Baker

  Its thin, sketchy plot relies heavily on little moments of comedy irony to pull it up by the bootstraps.

  Comedy thriller where a hit man, takes refuge from his boss by finding work as a baker in a quiet Welsh village.
• 
  Blind Mountain (2007)

  Review preview for Blind Mountain

  Once again Li Yang, has directed a fascinating portrayal of the contradictions inherent in the world’s fastest growing economy.

  Looking for work in rural northern China, a female student is kidnapped by a businessman posing as her employer, and sold into a family as the son’s bride to be.
• 
  A Massacre Foretold (2007)

  Review preview for A Massacre Foretold

  Higgins has done a good job in telling an untold story of political deception of which there are probably hundreds, but far less trendy than Iraq or the middle-east.

  Documentary about the massacre of a group of indigenous Mexicans by government backed paramilitaries.
• 
  Kurt Cobain - About A Son (2006)

  Review preview for Kurt Cobain - About A Son

  Cobain’s story is perfectly juxtaposed with some spectacular photography. 

  A look at the life and music of Kurt Cobain, narrated by the man himself.
• 
  Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

  Review preview for Stranger Than Fiction

  Has enough quirkiness and originality in both concept and script to provide a springboard for some terrific performances.

  A fictional character fights for his life in the real world.
• 
  The Dawn Chorus (2006)

  A boy and girl return to where their parents’ plane crashed 7 years earlier.
• 
  KZ (2006)

  Review preview for KZ

  KZ is well balanced, and thought provoking, if at times a bit dry.

  Exploration of the dark ironies surrounding Austria's Mauthausen concentration camp.
• 
  US Shorts (2006)

  A collection of shorts from over the pond.
• 
  The Flying Scotsman (2006)

  Review preview for The Flying Scotsman

  Mackinnon has made a good stab at an ambitious project.

  A Scottish cyclist's biopic.
• The Harem (1967)

  A seductive woman pushes three men beyond their limits, toying with their sexual desires and male pride.
• 
  Heading South (2005)

  Review preview for Heading South

  Instead of context and plot, Cantet has aimed at a character-based narrative, which falls flat due to lack of characters.

  Three female tourists, looking for fun in Haiti, end up with more than they bargained for.
• 
  Once In A Lifetime (2006)

  Documentary outlining the rise and fall of the New York Cosmos soccer team.
• 
  16 Blocks (2006)

  Review preview for 16 Blocks

  The concept of 16 Blocks is nothing new... Unfortunately, the concept outweighs the result.

  For a New York cop and his witness, the distance between life and death is 16 blocks long.
• 
  The Squid And The Whale (2005)

  Review preview for The Squid And The Whale

  Made on a shoe-string budget, it pays true homage to the spirit of independent cinema.

  Breaking up is hard to do - especially for the kids.
• 
  The Big White (2005)

  Review preview for The Big White

  The main problem lies with predictability and a fundamental lack of originality.

  Black comedy set in Alaska revolving around a death, a cover up, a swindle and a vendetta.
• 
  Romance & Cigarettes (2005)

  Review preview for Romance & Cigarettes

  John Turturro's script cuts right to the bone in this adult-themed tale of love, infidelity and redemption.

  Blue Collar musical comedy about infidelity, redemption, romance and cigarettes.
• The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

  Review preview for The World's Fastest Indian

  A gem of a picture.

  A Sixtysomething New Zealander is determined to set a land speed record across the Salt Flats of Utah on his 1920s motorcycle.
• 
  A Sunday In The Country (1984)

  Review preview for A Sunday In The Country

  Bertrand Tavernier has created a quiet little film, so quiet that it fails to communicate much at all.

  An ageing artist is visited at his country estate by his family.
• 
  North Country (2005)

  Review preview for North Country

  There is plenty to admire about North Country. It has a sharp pungent script, superb performances across the board.

  One woman fights sexual harassment in the mines of Northern Minnesota.
• 
  Bee Season (2005)

  A father immerses himself in a quest to make his daughter a spelling champion while his family slowly falls apart.
• 
  Wild Side (2004)

  Review preview for Wild Side

  Bleak, dull and lifeless can only begin to describe director Sebastien Lifshitz's effort.

  Exploring the lifestyles of three characters involved in a bi/transsexual menage-a-trois.
• 
  Dance In The Rain (1961)

  A young man and woman lost in love and life, drift from cafe to cafe, dreaming of a life that may or may not exist.
• 
  Goal! (2005)

  Review preview for Goal!

  A highly watchable movie, with a protagonist to root for.

  Rags to riches story about a talented working-class Hispanic footballer from LA with dreams of making it big in the English Premiership.
• 
  Lords Of Dogtown (2005)

  Review preview for Lords Of Dogtown

  The narrative pushes along at a reasonable pace... but only really picks up when the boys start becoming famous, which makes and breaks their future careers.

  A group of talented teenagers from California kick start the skateboarding craze.
• 
  Johnny Suede (1991)

  Review preview for Johnny Suede

  With Johnny Suede, the juice is not in the story, but between the lines.

  A teenage troubadour searches for meaning amongst damaged egos and broken dreams.
• 
  Tour De Force (2004)

  Review preview for Tour De Force

  Lacking both gravitas and focus.

  A strong man heads for Russia to build on his 23 Guinness Book of Records titles.
• 
  The Aristocrats (2004)

  Review preview for The Aristocrats

  Never could the warning, 'Stay away if you're easily offended,' be more appropriate.

  Documentary about a filthy joke, told by a succession of professional comedians.
• 
  Nada (1974)

  Review preview for Nada

  A tame political farce that fails to ignite.

  A group of French anarchists kidnap the American ambassador to France.
• EMR (2004)

  A dreamer's life starts to spiral out of control when he starts to take a new epilepsy drug.
• 
  Evil (2003)

  Review preview for Evil

  Contrived, but quietly captivating.

  A troubled Fifties Swedish teenager is sent to boarding school, where he takes it out on the bullies. Out to own as part of the European Mavericks Heart Of Darkness box set.
• 
  The Pacifier (2005)

  Review preview for The Pacifier

  The Pacifier is definitely one for the kids. Under 12s should relish bits and pieces of it, but not much more.

  A Navy Seal is hired to protect a family from their recently deceased father, whose top-secret government experiment remains hidden in their house.
• 
  What The Bleep Do We Know!? (2004)

  Review preview for What The Bleep Do We Know!?

  A film that challenges our perceptions and encourages us to ask bigger questions about ourselves, our beliefs and our place in the universe. Not a bad thing these days.

  An unconventional half film/half documentary about the nature of quantum theory and how we perceive ourselves within the universe.
• 
  Clean (2004)

  A struggling singer attempts to pull her life together and reconcile with her son after her rock star husband dies from a heroin overdose.
• 
  Charlie White (2004)

  A group of wannabe London socialites overindulge the decadent side of life.
• 
  ScaredSacred (2004)

  A pilgrimage to the world's disaster zones.
• 
  Ocean's 12 (2004)

  Review preview for Ocean's 12

  The twists and turns are in place and, although no real surprises are sprung, the finale is played out with enough cheekiness to keep you in the right mind set after two hours.

  Danny Ocean gets the gang back together to pull of a trio of European heists.
• 
  Pale Flower (1964)

  Review preview for Pale Flower

  Artistically the style is restrained and subtle.

  An ex con is seduced by the allure of a thrill-seeking female gambler, while returning to his old gang to settle a score.
• Street Mobster (1972)

  Review preview for Street Mobster

  While the performances are okay, a lot of the time it's hard to know who's fighting whom, and for what.

  A street gangster emerges from prison and pits two high powered local gangs against each other in an attempt to gain prestige and control.
• 
  Creep (2004)

  A Brit chiller that will drag you down the tube, screaming and kicking.
• 
  Assault On Precinct 13 (2005)

  Review preview for Assault On Precinct 13

  This isn't a bad adaptation, but as a thriller is not a patch on the original.

  Remake of the John Carpenter classic.
• 
  Billy And Albert: Billy Connolly Live At The Royal Albert Hall (1987)

  Billy Connolly takes his anarchic stand-up comedy act to the Sassenach heartland.
• Surviving Christmas (2004)

  Review preview for Surviving Christmas

  The comedy value is plausible for the first half hour, but after that the life gets sucked out of it and the gags fall flat.

  A highflying corporate executive finds himself lonely and confused at Christmas, so decides to relive his youth with a completely random suburban family.
• 
  Being Julia (2004)

  Rumpy-pumpy and Pimms in Thirties theatre-land.
• Shaolin Soccer (2001)

  Review preview for Shaolin Soccer

  The rhythm is the harmony and the feelgood factor the juice.

  Light-hearted comedy featuring a group of social misfits coming together under a football legend and kung-fu expert to challenge for the championship.
• 
  Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid (2004)

  A group of scientists encounter a hostile batch of serpents as they plunge into the jungles of Borneo on a research expedition.
• The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)

  Review preview for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

  There's enough of the tiara thing going on for the young wannabe ballerina types out there and, for the slightly older, the handsome prince still brings fairytale hopes for all.

  Teen princess hunts for her prince.
• 
  Black Books: The Complete Third Series (2004)

  The Black Book Trio are back with even more morbid humour in their third series.