Reviews by Donald Munro

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  The Hidden Fortress (1958)

  Review preview for The Hidden Fortress

  Akira Kurosawa's first foray into widescreen is first and foremost a highly entertaining piece of work.

  Lured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.
• 
  The Himalayan (1976)

  Review preview for The Himalayan

  The Himalayan has a very distinct sense of place. It's not just the mountains and the buildings, it's the locals used as extras, their clothes, their music.

  A treacherous martial artist desperately wants his brother to marry into a rich family, but he refuses. Blinded by greed, he kills him, and gets a lookalike to take his place, then begins scheming to take over the wife's family fortune.
• 
  The Hitcher (1986)

  Review preview for The Hitcher

  For all that the Hitcher is an ambiguous horror film it is also a spectacular piece of Eighties action cinema.

  A thriller about a hitch-hiker with murderous intent.
• 
  Hostages (2022)

  Review preview for Hostages

  The contemporaneous footage helps build an easily understood timeline of events, from the excesses and cruelty of the Shah's reign to the immediate effects of the crisis on both American and Iranian politics.

  November 4, 1979, Iranian student activists stormed the US embassy in Tehran, taking over 60 Americans hostage. A 48-hour sit-in to protest imperialism, turned into an international crisis and 24/7 media event which would last for 444 days.
• 
  Hotel Transylvania (2012)

  Review preview for Hotel Transylvania

  The film is a bit of a mixed up mess of slapstick, quickfire jokes and sub-teen romantic comedy with musical and dance numbers.

  Dracula is holding a birthday party for his daughter at the hotel retreat for monsters that he runs, but doesn't count on a mortal gatecrasher taking a shine to her.
• 
  Hunky Dory (2011)

  Review preview for Hunky Dory

  Despite the good dialogue the script is lacking depth.

  Marc Evans' latest feature is a sweet and sincere paean to the pre-punk 1970s.
• 
  Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

  Review preview for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

  The characters of the animals are underdeveloped and the film is ultimately bland.

  The latest adventures of Manny and company - now with added dinosaurs!
• 
  The Ice Storm (1997)

  Review preview for The Ice Storm

  James Schamus's script is sharp and witty. Lee is very good at getting affecting performances out of actors, especially the younger ones.

  In 1973 suburbia, several middle-class families experimenting with substance abuse and the swinging lifestyle find their lives spinning beyond their control.
• 
  Ink & Linda (2022)

  Review preview for Ink & Linda

  An enjoyable and informative fly on the wall documentary.

  A documentary chronicling the unexpected kinship between a dancer in her 70s and an urban artist in his 20s as they take over Los Angeles with their movement street art.
• 
  In Time (2011)

  Review preview for In Time

  A shallow, stagnant film that whiffs of plagiarism.

  Money is time in a corrupt future.
• 
  Iron Bodyguard (1873)

  Review preview for Iron Bodyguard

  Fewer fights means the supporting actors are able to give the film a more complete feel.

  The tale of a patriot committed to ending the corruption of the Ching rulers.
• 
  The Island Of 30 Coffins (2022)

  Review preview for The Island Of 30 Coffins

  Makes much more use of cinematic techniques than the first adaptation.

  A woman re-examines her past in an effort to make sense of the mysterious death of her newborn son.
• 
  I Could Never Go Vegan (2024)

  Review preview for I Could Never Go Vegan

  It didn't really address what it set out to address.

  I could never go vegan. Five words uttered around the world by many a non-vegan, but why? On a quest for the truth, a filmmaker sets out on a journey to find out what the leading arguments facing the vegan movement are, and if they're justified.
• 
  I Killed My Mother (2009)

  Review preview for I Killed My Mother

  There is nothing to temper all the teenage angst bullshit.

  A semi- autobiographical tale in which a young man explores all the things he hates about his mother.
• 
  Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels (1975)

  Review preview for Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels

  The viewer has to be keyed into Akerman's cinematic language, how she portrays boredom, claustrophobia, isolation.

  A widow for six years, Jeanne maintains a strict household routine. She cooks, cleans, shops and entertains a gentleman caller each afternoon to support herself and her teenage son.
• 
  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

  Review preview for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a good example of bad storytelling.

  Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
• 
  Labyrinth Of Peace (2020)

  Review preview for Labyrinth Of Peace

  Everything oozes care and quality.

  A series set in 1945. Finally, there is peace in Europe. In Switzerland too, a whole generation breathes a sigh of relief as it faces a new and hopeful future. Peacetime, although long awaited and promising, also holds unforeseen challenges.
• 
  The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

  Review preview for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

  Although The Lego Movie 2 is fun it relies on too many throwaway jokes and references, some of which are unfortunately repeated ad nauseum.

  It's been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.
• 
  The Lesson (2022)

  Review preview for The Lesson

  Landsman's performance as Lianne stands out. Her portrayal of poor body image insecurity and feelings of lack of recognition builds into something more complex and subtle than just angry youth.

  A teacher and a student engage in an emotional conflict in a fight for justice.
• 
  Long Distance Information (2011)

  Review preview for Long Distance Information

  Long Distance Information depicts that phone call so well, the stilted awkwardness as you ask about things you don't care about.

  A phone call reveals the difficulties of estrangement within a family.
• 
  Louis Feuillade: The Complete Crime Serials (2024)

  Review preview for Louis Feuillade: The Complete Crime Serials

  The spidery touch of the cinematic language developed by Feuillade gets everywhere.

  The complete series Fantômas, Les Vampires, Judex and Tih-Minh.
• 
  The Man In The Back Seat (1961)

  Review preview for The Man In The Back Seat

  The streets of London are dark and grimy, full of shadows.

  Two young thugs rob a bookie leaving a dog-racing track with his winnings, but when they grab his case full of money they discover that he has chained it to his wrist.
• 
  Marley (2011)

  Review preview for Marley

  The charisma of the interviewees is what makes the film interesting to watch.

  A documentary charting the life of the famous reggae star.
• 
  Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer (2024)

  Review preview for Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer

  Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer shines a light into the Behavioral Science Unit and onto psychological profiling.

  The story of Ann Burgess, a specialist in the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit who transformed the way authorities look into serial murders.
• 
  May (2002)

  Review preview for May

  The film stitches together a remarkably good cast, a witty and knowing script, and some great cinematography.

  A socially awkward veterinary assistant with a lazy eye and obsession with perfection descends into depravity after developing a crush on a boy with perfect hands.
• 
  Men From The Monastery (1974)

  Review preview for Men From The Monastery

  The martial artists are highly competent at what they do. They display an exceptional level of skill in fight sequences and other stunt work. Unfortunately their acting ability is almost nonexistent.

  Legendary heroes get together to fight an army.
• 
  Neither Wolf Nor Dog (2015)

  Review preview for Neither Wolf Nor Dog

  Simpson has a particularly good eye for landscape and colour.

  A Lakota elder takes a journalist on a road trip.
• 
  Neon Genesis Evangelion

  Review preview for Neon Genesis Evangelion

  It was pretty standard fare for anime. But there was something lurking below the surface, like a thought you can't get rid of.

  A teenage boy finds himself recruited as a member of an elite team of pilots.
• 
  Nightcrawler (2014)

  Review preview for Nightcrawler

  Although far from subtle, the metaphor of man as corporation is skillfully hidden behind black comedy, intense action and artful cinematography.

  A young journalist embraces corruption as he becomes the star of his stories.
• 
  Nikita (1990)

  Review preview for Nikita

  The techniques Besson uses are are simple and easy to understand. They are blended together with finesse.

  A convict is given a new identity and trained as an assassin.
• 
  Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979)

  Review preview for Nosferatu The Vampyre

  Adjani's performance has an ethereal, otherworldly quality about it.

  Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.
• 
  Patema Inverted (2014)

  Review preview for Patema Inverted

  The film is brilliantly animated with some stunning surreal perspectives.

  A subterranean princess' world is literally turned upside down.
• 
  A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence (2014)

  Review preview for A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence

  Often highly amusing and thought provoking... always gorgeous to look at.

  Two travelling salesmen undertake a magical mystery tour of suffering, indulgence and melancholy as they attempt to sell novelty items to strangers and bring a little cheer into their lives.
• 
  Post Tenebras Lux (2012)

  Review preview for Post Tenebras Lux

  In some ways it brings to mind the psychopathological novels of new wave science fiction.

  Juan and his family live in a country house, where they enjoy and suffer a world apart. No one knows if these two worlds are complementary or if they strive to eliminate one another.
• 
  Pale Rider (1985)

  Review preview for Pale Rider

  The way in which Megan and Preacher are interacting feels creepy. It is intended that way.

  A mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.
• 
  Paris Police 1900 (2021)

  Review preview for Paris Police 1900

  The series is largely shot from a static perspective using framing and composition to imply movement, much in the same way as would be done in a comic or graphic novel.

  Paris, France, 1899. The corpse of an unknown woman is found in the river Seine. The investigation will push a young ambitious inspector to discover a heavy state secret.
• 
  Perfect Blue (1998)

  Review preview for Perfect Blue

  With Perfect Blue, Kon takes the tropes of the thriller and twists them to the point of surreality. He also subverts them.

  Anime about a former pop singer who is being stalked.
• 
  Piranhas (2019)

  Review preview for Piranhas

  The thing that makes Piranhas watchable is the performance of its star, Francesco Di Napoli.

  Criminal children seize power in a world without a future.
• 
  Poolman (2023)

  Review preview for Poolman

  The only mystery is why anyone would stay to the end of Poolman.

  A hapless dreamer and would-be philosopher spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny LA. When he uncovers a water heist, he does what he can to protect the city.
• 
  Queens (2018)

  Review preview for Queens

  The writers have a clear idea of where they are starting and where they want to get to. What they don't always have is a good way to go between the two.

  At a stag night involving one of the largest crime families in Israel, assassins kill all the men. The women, who have lost their status and power all at once, are thrown into a new reality in which they must fight for their place in the male world of the temple only power.
• 
  [REC] 2 (2009)

  Review preview for [REC] 2

  The acting lacks the raw feel from the first film.

  Satanic zombie action following on from where [Rec] left off as a TV crew's abandoned camera keeps rolling in a quarantined apartment building.
• 
  Rez Bomb (2008)

  Review preview for Rez Bomb

  This film has a degree of tension that few manage to achieve.

  A love story and tense thriller about a Lakota girl and a white guy who are in love but get into trouble with a brutal loan shark.
• 
  Reap The Whirlwind (2026)

  Review preview for Reap The Whirlwind

  Four classics of 1970s Hong Kong action

  A box set of four films starring Angela Mao.
• 
  Red Light (2020)

  Review preview for Red Light

  The relationships between the the three central characters are well realised, especially by Van Houten and Reijn who've worked well together before.

  A series following three women who lose themselves and find each other in the world of prostitution and human trafficking..
• 
  Red Sun (1971)

  Review preview for Red Sun

  Terence Young brings a number of elements from Japanese cinema into the film.

  In 1870, a gang robs a train and steals a ceremonial Japanese sword meant as a gift for the US president, prompting a manhunt to retrieve it.
• 
  RoboDoc: The Creation Of RoboCop (2023)

  Review preview for RoboDoc: The Creation Of RoboCop

  This has been a huge undertaking on the part of Eastwood Allen and Christopher Griffiths.

  A journey into the making of the seminal sci-fi movie RoboCop (1987).
• 
  Serena (2014)

  Review preview for Serena

  The film spirals towards the inevitable like a Greek tragedy written in crayon.

  Melodrama about a logging magnate who discovers his wife can't have children.
• 
  The Smuggler (2014)

  Review preview for The Smuggler

  The Smuggler blends scatological humour, brutal violence and a few scenes that will put you right off your popcorn into something that is actually rather good.

  A naïve drug mule in police custody who’s swallowed heroin pellets fights the urge to expel the evidence as mobsters and corrupt cops close in.
• 
  Sanjuro (1962)

  Review preview for Sanjuro

  The film concludes with what is probably the most influential special effect in the history of cinema.

  A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.
• 
  Scanners (1981)

  Review preview for Scanners

  The concept, narrative, dialogue, cinematography and action sequences are elements of Scanners that can't be faulted.

  A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called 'scanning' to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-scanners.