hillww Reviews

Alcarràs (2022)

Strong Food for Thought

[10/10 · 6 January 2023]

This film, though a tad overlong, stayed with me for a long time afterwards.and left me feeling very sad.

A family have a Gentleman's Agreement broken when the Landowner's Son inherits and wants to turn the use of the land from from Peach Trees to Solar Panels.

Fantastic detail on the farming and family set-ups and also showing the effect on the extended family as the threat grows...

Very much a film for our times, t is still unclear where our food comes from when the land is covered in Solar Panels and Wind Farms.

Surely It can only mean higher prices or more food imports that only the Rich Countries will be able to afford.

Railway Children (2022)

An interesting story but..

[6/10 · 19 July 2022]

This was a really interesting story based on a true but relatively forgotten part of WW2 history.

I could cope (just) with the 2022 wokeness and the extremely dodgy CGI but the film was completely overwhelmed by the mediocre, loud and intrusive music that was everywhere.

Have the Producers not heard of the phrase 'less is more' or considered allowing the audience to decide its own reaction to the events on screen.

Doubt I shall want see it again, even for free.

Benediction (2021)

Enjoyable but..

[7/10 · 20 May 2022]

It was very enjoyable, especially on the challenges of being a survivor after WW1 when so many friends and comrades were lost. The period and values were well recreated with excellent performances.

However the later scenes seem to play rather loose with the facts, suggesting he ended up in a semi in the suburbs still married with a stay at home son. Not according to Wikipedia!

I Never Cry (2020)

Very Impressive Debut

[8/10 · 28 July 2021]

A stunning performance by newcomer Zofia Stafiej grips you tight and never lets go.

What seems a simple story has great depths, showing the grimness of parts of Poland (even in 2020) that forces people to leave to find work in the richer parts of the EU, the effect on the families they leave behind and the grim exploitation people may suffer in their new lands.

Surprisingly supported by Film Ireland, this gave a pretty dark picture of how workers are abused in their new lands and while some Tourist Dublin was on display, there was a lot you'd want to avoid.

Ola sees is all learning all about her father's hidden live and the life of Polish Expats in Dublin.

It reminded ma a lot of 'The Last Resort' which is a true compliment. I'm sure it will stick with me for quite a while.

The Captive (2000)

Utterly Vile

[1/10 · 18 July 2021]

There is absolutely no way this rotten film would be made today. That has to be a good thing.

A rich waster exerts what we now call coercive control over a young girl who for the most part appears numb, almost catatonic.

And nothing happens until the inevitable ending.

Avoid.

Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)

Has not aged well.

[6/10 · 21 August 2020]

Glimpses of what made Elvis the Star, but in 2020, watching the sycophants laugh at his lame jokes and the totally icky kissing and grabbing of the ladies in the front and the Director picking his favourites females from the crowd show it as a period piece from a different (stone) age

My Polish Honeymoon (2018)

Lovely little film

[10/10 · 30 January 2020]

Saw this in London at JW3 and absolutely loved it. The young couple from Paris leave their baby with the Grandparents to go on pilgrimage to Poland. Despite it being his family's ceremony, his wife who also has Polish descendents is more fired up. The comedy relationship between them is very well drawn, but the serous parts filmed on location are moving and respectful. I disagree that it is disrespectful to the Poles, but it does show aspects of the commercialization of The Holocaust which I have also experienced in Germany and the feelings, hard to repress, if your family were affected by WW2 and you visit the areas affected even 2 generations on. Also the Secrets and Lies passed down the generations. Do catch it if you can.

Amanda (2018)

The kid is simply stunning.

[8/10 · 9 January 2020]

Paris looks lovely for the most part, until the adult intervention. Still valid in 2020, I was in Paris last week and Cops with large guns everywhere. The film shows vividly the young man growing up and learning the value of family and the innocence and resilience of children.

The young girl playing Amanda is just breathtaking, you just can't take your eyes off her and she is truly marvellous and moving.

It will be a few years before she can see the full film, but can be very proud of the work here

Pink Wall (2019)

Another London Film Festival dud

[1/10 · 10 October 2019]

Saw this at LFF, two utterly self obsessed people in a relationship that was never going to work, she a pushy producer and him a slacker. In between they had unbelievable conversations with far too much swearing...then they split up

Happy Birthday (I) (2019)

Ghastly!

[1/10 · 8 October 2019]

Saw this at the London Film Festival and can't fully describe how ghastly the experience was. A family reunion of a large family that made keeping up with them all difficult. Among them there was the mentally ill sister, patronisingly/grimly portrayed, the balding waster who despite seemingly having no money or purpose in life has a model Argentinian girlfriend - who conveniently provided the gratuitous nudity for the film and a host of others. Catherine Deneuve staggered through it all with an enigmatic look on her face that suggested she knew she was in a dire movie. The plot, such as it was seemed to require that they all did unbelievable things and shouted at each other at full volume from the first frame to the last! Staggered out with a headache - had I been on the end of the row I would have voted with my feet very early on.

Alice (II) (2019)

Superb

[10/10 · 25 September 2019]

Saw this at Raindance, London and it is a superb film of a woman discovering herself and also a good portrait of Sex Work which is not always the grim experience in the press