kevin-caprani Reviews

Osombie (2012)

pretty awful but funny in parts

[2/10 · 14 November 2013]

I went shopping and waited in the car for my partner while she got a milk bread and a DVD with 3 films for just £5!Not the first time i have had to watch a film that if it was on TV i would have just switched channels.OK there are zombies who get killed A LOT, all the zombies are Afghans, American soldiers laugh and wise crack as they slaughter them in different ways,plenty of blood, not much plot,the zombies move so slowly a tortoise could outrun them but every now and then someone other than a Zombie dies somehow,its pretty stupid and i did start to feel a bit uneasy that Afghans, even zombie Afghans were being slaughtered with such obvious relish by the U.S forces with the current political climate, anyway it fails to provide the entertainment of say eight legged freaks,which is in the same genre, cheesy but entertaining,substitute zombies for spiders there is not much difference.The actors are not half bad really its difficult to shine in a film like this,its very clichéd in places only watch it if you have very very low expectations and have no desire to think when watching a movie.

The Sandbaggers (1978–1980)

Quality drama brilliantly written

[8/10 · 15 August 2013]

This was released on DVD a while back and i purchased it on the recommendation of a friend, who knew i liked callan , i have to say this stands up very well in comparison both in tension and quality of script acting and storyline,this is nothing like The professionals for example, no flashy action scenes no uptempo background music to set the scene, its gritty and real, dialogue plot and excellent casting make this compelling viewing, its as good as say secret army another taught gripping drama of quality that was all about fighting the enemy while avoiding detection, a tragedy then that its creator and writer Ian Mackintosh disappeared in a light aircraft crash with two other passengers in 1979 over the gulf of alaska a fourth series was being written, yorkshire television believed that without mackintosh the quality would be compromised and that it was best to end the production, in retrospect the right decision the three series we have stand head and shoulders above any other espionage thriller drama before or since, {in my opinion of course}

Prometheus (I) (2012)

oh RIdley WHAT WAS THAT?

[3/10 · 5 June 2012]

I am a great admirer of Ridley Scots films ,few directors have started more impressively, his first three films in particular are quite brilliant, The Duelists,Alien,and Blade Runner are all masterpieces of storytelling and visual realisation, sadly Promethius fails dismally with the story and while the visual imagery is superb it is not enough to save the movie. The first half of the film is excellent and succeeds both visually and intellectually, however after a scene where a 3d holographic image of the universe is displayed the film descends into the sort of cheap shock horror imagery one might expect to find in say a rubber octopus movie,it lacks intelligence and coherence, there are massive plot holes if this is supposed to follow onto the original Alien film,the actions of what is supposed to be a superior alien race are simply non sensical, it totally lacks suspense as a narrative some blood and gore frights but thats about it,really a below par film from Ridley.

Mad Men (2007–2015)

Great looking but boring SOAP

[5/10 · 19 April 2012]

OK i know im in a minority not to think this series is genius but i am entitled to be wrong lol. The production values and attention to detail are superb, the representation of the style of dress, technology, and architecture are just gorgeous, but the story lines and plot have typical soap opera values which could easily crop up in eastenders or coronation street,both of which i find dull and boring, this is equally dull, it is so banal in its plot lines that all it has going for it is its good looks. Style over substance has never been more apt, my partner watches it and freely admits it is only for the clothes and style that she does so, otherwise its not very interesting, since the fashion angle has very limited appeal to me there is nothing i can find here to make me stick with it, the women are lovely to look at but i really need more than eye candy to maintain interest.

Inception (2010)

breathtaking intelligent film making.

[10/10 · 22 July 2010]

I cant remember anything that had such an immediate positive impression on me since i saw Blade Runner back in 1982, this is an extremely complicated film which is built on a simple premise, the notion that information and ideas can be accessed through dreams and the manipulation of those dreams.There are professionals who provide their services to get information through this method for those who will pay, as a plot not startling, its the execution of the concept that is a triumph, its like saying blade runner is a film about synthetic people being hunted by a professional killer, doesn't sound like much of a film , you just have to see it to understand the depth that can come from such ideas.Thats where inception scores highly for me, yes visually its brilliant and full of action, but there is so much more in the plot than eye candy, what is reality, is it what is in our heads, what we experience through physical environment, emotion, are we here at all or just a construct from another mind,for me it asked a lot of engaging questions while never forgetting to entertain, i have seen some reviews saying this film is a mess, it is complicated sure but there is a coherent thread that runs throughout the film, the criticisms that some of the dreamscapes are illogical is misguided because of course anything is possible in a dream, i think people who like 12 monkeys will enjoy this film, as a reasonable comparison in complexity of plot and entertainment value, although i would say this is more cerebral than 12 monkeys, anyway i think anyone who enjoys thought provoking entertaining and intelligent film making will get pleasure from seeing this movie.

Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack (1979 TV Movie)

brilliant documentary before fred was famous

[10/10 · 6 April 2008]

This documentary was a bbc produced gem before fred became the media personality that most of us remember him as, a gritty and fascinating insight into the industrial wasteland being created under thatchers Britain, as fred goes about his work knocking down for the most part factory chimneys furnace works and other buildings that were once the powerhouse of britains prosperity, his thoughts and attitudes are woven into the film footage making it an acclaimed piece of film making not just at home but also on the continent where it was nominated and received awards for best documentary, the value of this film has been somewhat lost amongst all the many subsequent series with fred but this first really is the best and most real work on fred dibna.

Cloverfield (2008)

unwatchable

[1/10 · 12 February 2008]

I saw the first 30 min of this film with gritted teeth and eyes that hurt, i understand the movie is designed to show the events from a first person perspective with a hand held camera, however the desire to give the impression of an amateur camera man making an amateur film has been overindulged so much that it is not possible (for me at least) to actually follow the film, my girlfriend who was with me actually felt sick and dizzy! i cant say much about the plot as i did not watch enough but it looked OK on that level, a big nasty monster devastates a major American city and we follow the progress of our main characters as they try to save themselves,fairly standard but its the telling of the story that counts, i thought the latest alien v predator was badly filmed but this is worse by light years.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

just awful

[1/10 · 20 January 2008]

Mmmm, a previous summary says "if you like aliens and predator you will enjoy this film" i could not disagree more, this film pays no respect to its weighty lineage and has reduced two of the best loved sci fi strands to little more than a teen horror slasher movie, it has none of the tension or foreboding present in previous alien or predator movies and there is no discernible lead character, i really did not care about any of the characters and i positively yearned to see the stereotypical cast die as soon as possible in the vain hope something better would replace them, it really takes super human incompetence to have two of the most fearsome creatures ever invented positively fail to make a gripping thrilling movie, only watch this if you want to see how NOT to do it.

The Intruder (1962)

top notch drama on the deep south and the "n" problem!

[10/10 · 21 May 2007]

I picked this gem up at a car boot sale, i had never heard of it but i have heard of corman, and william shatner, so i took a chance.I didn't really expect anything but a cheap and probably cheesy melodrama, what i got was an excellent well told thought provoking film with top quality acting all through but especially from shatner who showed a range and versatility i had not realised he possessed, after seeing this film i have to wonder if star trek stopped shatner achieving more in his career by forever holding him in the black hole that sci fi found for him, this film has much in common with the taught racial tension found in missisipi burning, and the heat of the night, it really does compare favourably with these two films, if anything it is probably too close to the truth for the 1960s audience that would have seen it, the events it portrayed had happened in reality in only the very recent past, the n word and other derogatory terms for black people are used frequently and with a casual normality that is there not for gratuitous reasons but to underline that that is how it REALLY was, this film is not just beating you over the head with its message it is also an excellent story, i cringed at the bigotry and racism portrayed by the more affluent white community towards the "undesirable" black members who lived on the wrong side of town, stirred up by shatner who has come to the town to fight for "justice" against the black trouble makers, just a really really good drama here, worthy of far greater note and commercial success than it achieved.

Good Morning, Mr. Hitler (1993 TV Movie)

fascinating archive film of Hitlers 1938 visit to Munich cultural festival

[10/10 · 16 March 2007]

an amazing discovery of colour footage tells the story of an extraordinary Munich weekend when Adolf Hitler and nearly the entire Nazi leadership attended a three-day national cultural festival--including concerts, dancing, exhibitions and a five-mile-long parade--titled "2,000 Years of German Culture". The film was shot in July 1939, just six weeks before the Second World War began, by an amateur film buff who filmed t the event in close-up on colour 16-millimeter Kodachrome. It was first shown only to the film maker's family, then hidden in the family cellar, where it lay for many years . English film makers Luke Holland and Paul Yule assembled an audience of elderly Germans, framing them watching themselves in the 1939 footage and reminiscing about their experiences. Among them were sons of the unofficial cameraman who shot the 16-millimeter film and the daughter of the publisher of Hitler's Mein Kampf, who in deference to Hitler's wish for "privacy" on visits to the publisher's home never said "Heil Mein Führer", but alway "Good Morning Mr. Hitler." The remarkable footage presents a rarely-seen view of Adolf Hitler relaxed against the background of a city in celebration and of the Munich crowds as complicit participants, sharing with their leader the excitement of the parade, which is reminiscent of parades from roman times rather than a modern day state.This is a really fantastic find and a must see for anyone interested in the subject, particularly as this is not an official Nazi propaganda film but an amateur enthusiast filming an event as it truly happened.

The Number 23 (2007)

interesting and entertaining

[7/10 · 1 March 2007]

This is a good watchable movie for an evenings entertainment, all the acting performances are top notch and Jim Carey proves once again that he is much more than just a rubber faced goon, the premise of the film centres around the character portrayed by Carey and his belief that his whole world and maybe ours too is under the influence of the number 23, this comes from reading a strange book that eerily seems to script his own life, Carey's character becomes more desperate as more and more events seem less and less in his control, despite some bad reviews this film is never boring and always entertaining, i think the wide difference of opinion is the willingness of the audience to accept the initial premise of the film, suspending disbelief is often a prerequisite for what after all is on first view a somewhat outlandish concept.

The Offence (1973)

brilliant film on a disturbing subject

[10/10 · 26 December 2006]

This film is a work of sheer dramatic brilliance and is connerys best performance on film. he plays a British policeman who interrogates a man arrested on suspicion of a crime against a child, we see the character played by connery exposing his own frailties while exploring his past. The interrogation of the prisoner played by the superb ian bannen is fraught and uneasy as a battle of wills minds and psychology unfolds,the intensity of this film bears similarity to the claustrophobic feel of the jury room in twelve angry men, or even the warehouse in reservoir dogs, although the plots are in no way similar, this film is a must see for anyone who likes well acted well scripted tense drama, it is an unfairly forgotten gem, miles better than other better known movies of the time.

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

A silent movie that needs no words

[8/10 · 24 November 2006]

Im not going to go into the plot or technical brilliance of the film, that has been done by lots of other posts, just to say this film works in my opinion not least because it is a great action film,there is largely no need for dialogue since the actions and acting is largely self explanatory, the use of subtitles is minimal and only used when required to move the narrative along, the soundtrack is also vital to the film and really does help the emotional roller-coaster of revolutionary fervour that swells among the crew of the potemkin and people of odessa, hard to find fault with the story or execution although the guy who says " kill the jews" must be the most stupid man in all of mother Russia ! for a film to be 80 years old and still provide real entertainment and a bit of a history lesson, is a real achievement, great stuff!:)

Survivors (1975–1977)

sometimes great sometimes awful

[22 November 2006]

This series is both brilliant and terrible. It is brilliant in its first run, this is in no small part to the writing of terry nation, by the second series terry nation has departed and the quality suffers accordingly, being somewhat patchy in script and story, also the loss of one of the strongest characters from the first series does not help at all, the third series sees another main character greg, absent until the last two episodes, this awful third series is filled for the most part with gregs common law wife(for want of a better description)whining over greg and scouring the countryside in search of him, as a whole i have to give the series 6 out of ten, but the first series is a good nine.

Casino Royale (2006)

a bond to save the franchise

[9/10 · 20 November 2006]

I lost interest in bond films a long time ago, after the overblown series of moore films a line of inadequate pretenders with the exception of lazenby have come and gone, i didn't even bother to see them at the cinema just watched them when they came on TV, i wasn't missing much, gadgets and set piece battles with explosions to finish off became boringly predictable, the sort of fare you watch with Christmas dinnner.This latest bond is the first to motivate me to go to the cinema and i am glad i did, a genuinely good film much closer to ian flemings original character, i grew up with the connery and moore bonds so my favorite naturally has been connery, but craig is superior even to connery, more depth to his character and more menace as a believable man of violence, as flemings character was. Thankfully a tight script and good casting is preferred to gadgets, great entertainment with a real edge, most important craig portrays a bond you wouldn't want to mess with who can say that of moore, dalton,or brosnan? well worth an 8.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

uninspiring adaptation

[5/10 · 20 May 2006]

Although this film never lost my attention it didn't really grab it either,Tom Hanks was unusually lightweight in a lead role that required far more gravitas,his co star leading lady Audrey Tautou was earnest and very pretty but again seemed more suited to light comedy, compare this to the far more impressive and weighty Name of the Rose, a similarly inspired tale of murder and mystery on religious battlegrounds and The De Vinci Code starts to look like a second rate adaptation in comparison, far too much emphasis is put on chase sequences and a voilent henchman when less would have been so much more, disappointing.

Eye See You (2002)

A good thriller well worth watching

[10/10 · 8 May 2006]

I'm not going to bother with a detailed analysis of the film, its a perfectly good thriller which will provide an evenings entertainment for any one who likes the genre, plenty of action and tension in an isolated setting, I'm mystified why it has received so much criticism,its a perfectly good piece of cinema for the masses, i voted a ten just to try and get the average up but really its a good 6 to 7.Perhaps its just fashionable to find fault with everything stallone does, he sure has done some duffers but this isn't one of them, rocky and the rambo series typecast him for a while as a dumbo who acts dumbos, but he has shown a much greater variety of acting ability in subsequent films, but i admit i am fearfull of the rumours that another rambo and rocky film are a possibility!

Angels in America (2003)

fascinating thought provoking artistic adaptation

[9/10 · 13 September 2005]

I had never heard of this as a play or film until i came across it at a car boot sale and bought the item for a measly £2 on DVD! Ha some people will say i was robbed I'm sure, but this is a treasure as far as I'm concerned.This asks many questions about love and its frailty, our ability to change and the painful process we go through to achieve it,it deals with racism and homosexuality honestly and with sensitivity,its all too easy to get cheap laughs out of things we don't understand or are afraid to admit. The liberal interpretation of angels, heaven and god is as valid as any of the many different slants of Christian values that are prevalent today. I like the notion that just as we have problems here on earth so the angels are not all that happy up there!The intermingling of biblical text with modern day events is interesting, the bible warns of pestilence and plague and the aids theme is linked to it at times, the appearance of an angel can be taken as a literal or a spiritual event as it is never categorically proved to actually happen, the final scene with the angels is an assertion of the human spirit for life , life against all odds and at all costs if necessary, the "sue god" remark is totally understandable from the point of view of someone who has no real faith in god, why it causes offence is a mystery to me, even if you are strongly religious didn't god give us free will, are we so small minded that no one else is allowed an opinion? As usual i haven't said much about the plot i think it spoils things to go into to much detail, suffice to say its a fascinating and sensitive film, performances by streep, de niro in particular but the whole cast generally are excellent, i did think emma thompson was great as the angel.I did not favour everything the film seemed to be saying, but you don't have to be in agreement to enjoy or appreciate the validity or value of the work, part of the reason for making this film was to provoke thought.

Rawhead Rex (1986)

hugely entertaining cheapo horror

[10/10 · 15 August 2005]

This film just doesn't get the credit it merits, its a cheaply made film which inevitably relies on the viewer to accept the limitations of the genre and "go with it", just as an old tom baker doctor who episode never had anything going for it except the characters and storyline so it goes with rawhead rex,the story and characters are good enough to carry the film, the setting in celtic ireland and the roots of the beast from the underworld are classic horror fare and i just don't see what more you can expect from this genre, its a blast from start to finish with gore and an unusual baptism scene for good measure, I've seen much worse major budget films, some of the acting . particularly the irish priest is gloriously over the top and all the more entertaining for it, its funny and gory at the same time, it sort of meets hammer and the evil dead and comes up with an entertaining movie, i voted a ten to hype the figures lol but its a good seven if truth be told:)

Lansky (1999 TV Movie)

boring plodder of a film that should be much better

[1/10 · 4 June 2005]

This tells the story of Meyer Lansky, a big time crook or not depending on your viewpoint, the film shows lansky as a guy in his old age looking back on his life in short clip flashbacks, it tells us the major events and the development of his crime empire, the script is poor the acting stilted, despite some major acting talent in the film, at no point is there any dramatic tension or blood stirring action, it meanders towards a totally unstartling conclusion, it turns out the lights, puts itself to bed, and goes to sleep with anyone watching having already got there an hour beforehand, really don't watch it, it should have been attention grabbing and entertaining, its a 1 out of ten for me.

Charly (1968)

a well told human interest romance story{cant believe Robertson got best actor}

[6/10 · 2 January 2005]

This is a good and worthy film well worth viewing, the story of a mentally childlike man with a low IQ who is improved by science; the consequences and events which occur as a result of his change are explored in the film, cliff Robertson is very good in the lead role but i find it unbelievable there weren't better performances by other lead actors worthy of the Oscar, particularly when you consider Ron moody was nominated at the same awards for his role as Fagin in "oliver"the musical, still a good film with some interesting ethical points as well as more conventional aspects to the story,although at times this also looks very dated the message in the film is relevant to any generation.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

did i miss something?perhaps i should watch it again?

[24 October 2003]

I saw this on dvd having seen all the many comments on imdb praising this "masterpiece", i have to say this film does look impressive, even beautifull, but for me looks alone are not enough, the story itself is interesting enough but its execution is dull, Ryan O Neil is poor in the main role,deadpan emotionless and wooden, other actors around him give better performance, the film plods, in its action scenes it fails to raise an eyebrow it is so banal in its execution, in its romantic intrigue it fails to provide any ! i know its Kubrick and so many films he has done are brilliant, but this film is ordinary apart from its visual imagary just as for example, the matrix is today.Perhaps its biggest flaw is Ryan O Neil, just as Patton could never have been so great without George C Scott so this film needed a truly great performance from its lead character and O Neil has never given one in any film ive seen, the wrong choice for the film. I think ill watch it again soon, perhaps i missed something?

Zulu (1964)

top notch anti war adventure

[17 October 2003]

This film is historically innacurate in its details but broadly correct in its general overall picture, basically 4000 zulus attack a small settlement, Rourkes Drift in south africa, held by roughly 100 British troops. The ensuing all action nerve jangling conflict is always interesting and thankfully shows even handed respect for both the Zulus and the British defenders, no one is shown as being right or wrong in any particular way, just the bravery of men and the futility and wastefullness of war is highlighted, handled in a thoughtfull but entertaining way, cant fault this film really, it doesnt even fall in to the old trap of glorifying colonial Britain, time is still found for usefull character development of the main figures, and repeated viewing does not make it any less entertaining, excellent.

Cabin Fever (2002)

Boring gore fest

[1/10 · 12 October 2003]

I wont waste much time here, just saw cabin fever "best horror film of the year" its awful, not horrifying scary or even tense, pretty gory and repulsively gross, and at times unintentionally funny, but really dont waste your time and money, if you want an original horror film set in a cabin in the woods that entertains and is firmly toungue in cheek go for evil dead or evil dead 2, i give this 2 out of ten.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

boring martial arts film in sci fi clothing

[1/10 · 8 June 2003]

I saw the first matrix and thought it was ok but not great, special effects were terrific but that will never be enough on its own to make a great film, i saw reloaded with a friend who wanted to go, i wasnt bothered either way, halfway through this tiresome egotistical junk i had lost the will to live, just dire, so the special effects were great ok, but one kung fu jujitso karate fight scene after another doesnt make a movie, well it did here so i must be wrong! i honestly think a stephen segal film aka under siege had more entertainment value than this, and there isnt much worse criticism to make in my view,look at our fantastic effects says the film and er thats it, it was more like an arcade shoot em up than a film, 3 out of ten.