rob-burrows1-1's reviews

Nostalgic and fascinating: Growing up as I did influenced by the Hippy and Peace culture sweeping the states and seeping into UK life via the media and the horrific issue of war also pervading with Vietnam seemingly killing the positive energy of the former this film hit a note. It deals with these issues and does so well. The characters are real and it hits the note well. Certainly worth watching as it brings on the nostalgia of a simpler and yet complex time.

I remember the book coming out many years ago. I used to work in mental health and this was an influential book then - one I dipped into but did not get to read fully, mainly because of the pressure of my training at the time, and it was not on the reading list I had to study! I was therefore really please to see this documentary on Jack Canfield - it explains much of his philosophy and in a lazy was I liked the concepts he presents being in a movie and being presented in this way. Certainly a well made and very interesting film that is worth watching.

As this film opened I did wonder if it was going be over acted somewhat without a build-up to the initial emotional scene. However I was disabused of this idea. It was a well paced drama that kept me engaged with convincing characters well acted and well scripted and with multiple twists.

I found this to be an interesting and braze combinations of genre - old style western morphed with thriller/drama. It made it interesting to watch and actually makes for quite refreshing viewing. Quite experimental? Yes but it seems to have worked!

I found this to be an uplifting film about dogged determination and effort. Interesting characters and worth watching.

This was an involved and quite powerful coming of age movie. Well made with good story and characters. Certainly worth watching.

I rarely give five star reviews, but this film free of inhibition and politically / self imposed censure has crossed the line to make it there. It is a really sensual and beautiful film that takes the viewer into the life of the character.

This is a stylish and fascinating Sci-fi film the looks at home the human consciousness and machine may be merged. It was good escapism and well put together. Well worth watching.

You can tell that the film-makers really developed and empathy for their subject. This was a detailed and well focused and most informative work.

This was a well made and light-hearted comedy with a good degree of warmth in the characters. Recommended viewing.

This has a somewhat rare quality of combining spiritual issues with criminal acts and consequences in a movie. This is something that has become uncommon (non-commercial) and it seems to take and independent film-maker to do it now. The point is though that they do it well. The film is intense and convincing. Certainly worth watching.

Watching this provided an insight into an alternate lifestyle in on a hard urban survivalist setting (New York). It seemed gritty and realistic. something that would have been challenging to make and allowed m to be immersed into a world I have not experiences but with values that are universal. Well made reality drama and certainly worth watching.

This was an amusing light comedy with a variety of characters that made for good viewing - well worth a watch if you are looking fro a bit of escapism and especially of you like zom-coms!

This tightly woven story conveys more than a moderate amount of suspense. The screenplay, acting and spooky lighting / production values all add up to make it well worth a watch.

I like the genre relating to isolation and coping where vulnerability is so immediate. This was a bold attempt and in my view surprisingly successful in providing the the escapism that I was looking for. There is quite a library of films out there that relate to this sort of subject. To get out there and get seen there needs to be a certain something that stands out and is different. This caught my attention as it was an independent as opposed to the usual big budget studio production and I was fascinated to wee exactly how if would be different. It's easily for a film to get lost in the woods. This does stand out for being somewhat different. It is certainly worth watching.

This was a surprising film. The notion of someone striving to get their life on track against a notion of past achievement during their prime is not new. It is perhaps something that many may identify with as an acute sense of loss and nostalgia may ensue once one has achieved a hard earned targets. This film addresses such an issue is a sensitive and dramatic way as it tells the story of a pro-skater and his attempts to restructure his life after a fail in his career path. The element of surprise was in the artistic way in which this story was related: Without wanting to include any spoilers the film-makers have clearly put a lot of thought and effort into relating this is a manor that is somewhat uplifting with a humorous element. The artistry involves a resounding sound track, a combination of black & white and colour sequences as well as some inspiring acting and direction. It is entertaining. It is also a large scale production for an independent (and therefore usually fairly low budget) film with a large cast that does not distract from the intimacy of the leads. It does not have the cheesy quality that some low-budget movies (assuming it is low budget) sometimes have. This is recommended viewing and will especially appeal to those who are interested in people and gaining an insight into the life of the lead character and bodes well for the potential of the team that have produced it.

This film was something of a surprise, and for the right reasons. It addresses the formation of a chance relationship and explores the potential of a chance encounter in a way that is both highly descriptive and quite beautiful. It is the sort of work that independent cinema excels at owing to the simple and yet deep and intimate way it relates its story. It was interesting to note that it did not follow the cliché romance type of story that is so often told. However it depicts a deep sensuality between the characters. It had and existential almost dream-world feel. This stemmed from the way that the characters fall together from serendipity without really knowing who they were. The effect was further enhanced by its 1960's period setting. This in turn suggested that the events had ramifications for the present day. This may be because their relationship could so easily stir a feeling of envy for its simplicity when contrasted with the modern and complex world. The present somehow mitigates against the purity that the characters were able to experience in the past. This is a well conceived, well directed and well acted film: A film that really deserves to be seen.

This drama documentary is basically a very well connected set of narratives in which condemned killers statements were acted-out. It is not quite as simple as it sounds: The delivery is against a backdrop of a factual reporting style. The acting is outstanding, in fact so much so that the actors took on the look of individuals who were living their own hell on earth prior to facing execution. Each one came across with a different character. It did not seem repetitive as the concept may suggest owing to this quality. It was a film that generated various emotions, disgust, compassion an indication of how futile and destructive their crimes were to the perpetrator (as well as the victims). Guns played a big part in the killings, some belonged to the victims. For me the film illustrated the stupidity of poor gun control and in effect arming the mentally unstable and immature. In my view all the killers were dejected and screwed-up individuals that life had left behind. Their self-loathing was tangible. One showed a bravado that was clearly superficial belying the inadequate coward hiding behind the edifice. Most proclaimed how sorry they were and I just thought how that did not cut it as what they had done was so heinous. It was apparent how pointless their lives were and how avoidable their killings were if only things had been different. Growing up in a society that puts people to death does seem to legitimise and encourage violence by devaluing life and this came across as an unspoken notion within the film. I did think that a film as potent as this should be shown to kids in school where it might just help tip the balance for some before they embarked on a life of violence and crime. The film showed the consequences in term of the self destruction of the perpetrators only too well. It deserves to be watched. Thanks to the film-makers for their devotion in making it.

In making Kinks the writer & film-makers have engaged on the somewhat challenging task of presenting a comedy based on the principle of multi-cultural issues. It uses as its basis the relationship of two sisters and builds its story from there. This is bold for a number of reasons and particularly as multi-cultural story-lines may inadvertently cause offence to some, but also because it is a comedy and may therefore to offending instead of amusing. The latter may be even more so in the context of this being an international release and having to cross borders. After all humour is not always understood over a wide geographical area, what may amuse an audience in one country can pass over in another. This movies deserves its stars perhaps for no other reason than having (in my view at least) having achieved the objectives discussed above. In addition it is an engaging and entertaining film that pulls at the heart strings: It has entertainment value on a number of levels, it is not just that it is funny. It offers an engaging story and it certainly worth watching

There was a quality to this that may pass some people over. It had a distinct flavour - a movie that combined crime, comedy & a crime theme. If you can hack that concept you are in for a treat. It is a brilliantly written and made movie with, well what can you say? Great looking actors who act the part! The humour was transatlantic in that it certainly should appeal to an international audience. This was (oddly for a crime themed story) a bright, cheery and uplifting movie. In making this writer and makers have carried of quiet a difficult task and have accomplished it well. It is a really original work and owing to the mixed genre aspect a challenging task to carry out well. It is something that I will have on my list of movies to put on when I have gusts round and need to entertain them (I do this to enjoy their reactions). It deserves its stars!

Dreams are real and not real at the same time. This movie has clearly been written and directed is such a way that it just hits the nail on the head and teases out that element of doubt that can plague any of us about how we distinguish fantasy from reality. It reminded me of the moments following waking from a nightmare where a process of checking following - then followed by a sense of relief that the things that really threaten and have emerged from the unconscious can be safely put to rest. However, there is so safely put to rest scenario with this. Those seconds extend to run through the length of the movie and this is what makes it really scary. The story was unpredictable and it was easy to empathise with the girl character menaces by her dreams. This, combined to adept directing and good production values make this a movie worth watching. Be warned though, sleep after it may not be too of an attractive prospect.

To describe this as an enjoyable film is correct but beguiles the trauma and adversity and injustice that form central pillars of it's substance. It tells a convincing story that is well represented in human experience of someone challenging injustice and threat. Someone small, in fact an David and Goliath magnitude comparison came immediately to mind. It was easy to be taken into the story and forget that this was in fact a film and feel for the character as he dealt with the adversity of his situation. No spoilers here, I don't want to detract in anyway from the beauty, simplicity and yet intelligence and compassion that this film has been composed from. It is something to watch and reflect on. Well made, well written and well directed yes, but also a work that represents a classical story in a modern context - and no less impressive.

This is something of a tantalising film that does not hold back on controversy. It does not have the self-censorship of may films today that are directed to a mass-audience as a commercial venture and in so doing moderate, and arguably moderate too much. This one does not compromise the message or story or the meaning its carries - whatever is the correct parlance. This was somewhat refreshing: If depicting a situation that is in reality crude, arguably the director should make it so. This film certainly delivered in this respect. It is entertaining, revealing and direct. The acting & directing are generally good, in fact all the production values are. I would recommend this for the mature audience that it has without doubt been aimed at.

I was attracted to Living the blues by reading on the social message that is encapsulated within its synopsis. I have broad music tastes with REM & Prink Floyd somewhere at the top. I never considered myself a Blues fan – but now that is something that I am not so sure about. This was a powerful and emotive film that relates a very common message of the human condition. It explores survival, commitment, dreams and aspirations. It validated the existential. It transcends materialism and offers a message of hope while conveying a message of hope in mankind. It connects across the continents. It was also clearly a task of love and I feel particularly connected to those who made it. There is a certain quality of warmth that comes across and I do believe that films of this type help knit people together across the globe with a heightened awareness that we are not so different. Perhaps music and independent films have gone a little way to providing a message of hope for us all?