Reviews by Richard Mowe

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  The Value Of Time (2013)

  Review preview for The Value Of Time

  The pacing is slow and deliberate while this eccentric individual with a strong moral streak makes for a less than engaging lead character.

  The tale of an aging doctor who, for over 40 years, has been devotedly tending a bizarre “domestic grave” containing his beloved wife.
• 
  XL (2013)

  Review preview for XL

  Doubtless the director thought the style would serve its narrative but it only alienates.

  Deputy Leifur is a total wreck. Nonstop parties, hangovers, sexual escapades and drug abuse have gnawed his life to the bone. He decides to throw his last party before entering rehab. How will it turn out?
• 
  Papusza (2013)

  Review preview for Papusza

  Managing for the most part to avoid the clichés of portraying the gypsy milieu, it has the stamp of authenticity.

  The story of the famous Romany poet.
• 
  Sources Of Life (2013)

  Review preview for Sources Of Life

  Roehler casts a distinctly critical and jaundiced eye over his compatriots across three generations but he leaves room for compassion and even a touch of sentimentality.

  The destinies of three generations confront German history from the postwar era up until the 1980s.
• 
  Honeymoon (2013)

  Review preview for Honeymoon

  Hřebejk's pacing is perfect with each revelation timed to intrigue and pull you further into the mystery.

  When an uninvited guest turns up, a wedding day turns sour.
• 
  11.6 (2013)

  Review preview for 11.6

  Immensely satisfying and riveting.

  Psychological exploration of a security driver who pulled of a multimillion euro heist.
• 
  Mood Indigo (2013)

  Review preview for Mood Indigo

  The overkill threatens to bludgeon the much-loved book into an over-wrought exercise in style.

  This dreamlike story of two pairs of lovers, a cook and a kitchen mouse is an adaptation of the cult novel by French writer Boris Vian.
• 
  Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013)

  Review preview for Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight

  Made for HBO, the film demonstrates the high quality of some American television.

  The story of Muhammed Ali's fight with the US government after he refused to participate in the Vietnam War.
• 
  The Great Beauty (2013)

  Review preview for The Great Beauty

  Sorrentino dares to tread where the great have gone before and leaves his own distinctive mark.

  An ageing writer recalls the passions of his youth.
• 
  Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)

  Review preview for Blue Is The Warmest Colour

  The way the mild-mannered Kechiche pulls you in to the nuances of the relationship makes most screen attempts at portraying intimacy and feelings pale into insignificance.

  Two young women fall unexpectedly and passionately in love.
• 
  Nebraska (2013)

  Review preview for Nebraska

  Behind the surface simplicity of a father and son road trip lurks a sharp and bitter-sweet odyssey with a strong sense of satire.

  An alcoholic father and his resentful son travel cross-country together to collect big sweepstake winnings.
• 
  A Castle In Italy (2013)

  Review preview for A Castle In Italy

  Everyone is allowed to over-act, not least herself, who runs the gamut of wet-eyed self-pity to hysteria.

  A family are forced to sell their Italian home.
• 
  Only God Forgives (2013)

  Review preview for Only God Forgives

  While you can admire the execution there is little here to engage the intellect as one bloody set-piece moves on to the next.

  A drug smuggler in Bangkok is charged by his mother with finding and killing whoever killed his brother.
• 
  The Lunchbox (2013)

  Review preview for The Lunchbox

  Sheer unadulterated pleasure often comes from the most unexpected quarters.

  A mistakenly delivered lunchbox sparks romance between two lonely people.
• 
  Shield Of Straw (2013)

  Review preview for Shield Of Straw

  Eminently watchable for those in the mood for simplistic fare who are prepared to suspend disbelief.

  Five police officers struggle to protect a murder suspect afer a powerful man puts a price on his head.
• 
  Behind The Candelabra (2013)

  Review preview for Behind The Candelabra

  It is quite something to witness Douglas and Damon embrace the characters quite so authentically.

  The story of legendarily flamboyant entertainer Liberace and the man who loved him.
• 
  Blood Ties (2013)

  Review preview for Blood Ties

  There is a distinct lack of energy and focus especially for the first hour, when nothing much happens.

  Brothers on opposite sides of the law come into conflict in Seventies Brooklyn.
• 
  Grand Central (2013)

  Review preview for Grand Central

  Although the actors acquit themselves with some distinction the performances cannot quite disguise the one dimensional aspect of the characters.

  A complex romance set against the backdrop of the nuclear power industry.
• 
  Borgman (2013)

  Review preview for Borgman

  The director's uncompromising approach and rigour pulls us along at least until the half way point when the pace begins to falter and its lack of obvious intentions starts to grate.

  The Devil moves into a suburban street and turns the lives of its inhabitants upside-down.
• 
  Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

  Review preview for Inside Llewyn Davis

  The pace may seem deliberate but the Coens obviously want us to uncover the character's layers gently rather than him being delivered ready-made.

  One week in the life of a talented, failed singer/songwriter in Greenwich Village, New York, in the Sixties
• 
  Jimmy P: Psychotherapy Of A Plains Indian (2013)

  Review preview for Jimmy P: Psychotherapy Of A Plains Indian

  Del Toro and Amalric with contrasting acting styles make a magnetic duo yet the ponderous detail of the therapy occasionally bogs down the film, so much so that even the two actors cannot surmount it completely.

  A Native American man is admitted to hospital after fighting in France and forms an unexpected friendship with the doctor who treats him.
• 
  Stranger By The Lake (2013)

  Review preview for Stranger By The Lake

  The investigation has a surreal aspect to it that stretches credulity while the final resolution seems unsatisfactorily far-fetched.

  After a shocking incident takes place at a cruising spot, a young man is caught in the throes of a dangerous passion.
• 
  Honey (2013)

  Review preview for Honey

  Although other films have dealt with the subject of euthanasia none so far has looked at the emotional difficulties of the perpetrator.

  A woman devoted to promoting euthanasia encounters a man with an invisible malaise.
• 
  The Past (2013)

  Review preview for The Past

  Farhadi peels away the layers with simplicity, revealing the complicated and detailed emotions which lurk very close to the surface.

  A couple meeting to finalise their divorce find themselves in difficult emotional terrain.
• 
  Young & Beautiful (2013)

  Review preview for Young & Beautiful

  After the more showy pyrotechnics of his social satire In the House Ozon seems equally at home in the close confines of a family environment.

  Portrait of a 17-year-old, who sells her body for cash.
• 
  The Bling Ring (2013)

  Review preview for The Bling Ring

  There are times when Sofia Coppola can be a very mannered and annoying director. Here she is less so and confidently on home turf with an exposé of youthful LA celebrity culture

  A group of teenage fans monitors celebrities' activities over the internet in order to rob their homes.