Drama > P Drama > 5 GBP to 10 GBP

Advantages: A great cast.
Disadvantages: Poorly written, subject to heavy handed metaphors and an overpowering score

...one for trying my patience. All the elements are here; a heavyweight cast, a universal story with contemporary parallels, an ominous score… But Zaillian goes completely over-the-top, smothering the film in clumsy visual metaphors (you know three people are going to die because he zooms in on three crosses at the side of the road). He signposts everything – characters play constantly with guns or gaze at each other in a meaningful way. He’s too fond ...
...air conditioning and it becomes all about damage control. You never see how the honest politician becomes slippery snake-oil salesman. It damages the dramatic impetus of the film, making the otherwise reasonable two-hour running time drag interminably, so every revelation and twist feels like hard work. Zaillian’s screenplay makes the fatal error of focussing on Jack Burden rather than Willie Stark’s fall from grace. Sadly this makes for a far less ... Read review

Advantages: Great Plot, Great performances
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

...starring Robert Redford) and Casablanca, Up Close & Personal is one of those romantic films that show you that love is still really possible in this day and age… The two main stars show us how talented they are in this film from the early nineties. Set over a space of time, of about 10 years, in the world of television, the main characters’ relationship seems to develop slowly but surely. There are really only two actors who are associated ...
...the director set out for Up Close & Personal to be like Casablanca and The Way We Were. I think she set out for Tally and Warren to have trouble-free relationships. But, in the Way We Were and Casablanca, love isn’t so easy. Nor is it in Up Close & Personal, but it’s more. It’s more than the other tow’s relationship, and thankfully it hasn’t got the same sort of ending. The tow actors certainly played their parts well ... Read review

Advantages: Masterpiece of the affects of war
Disadvantages: long and slow, deep and requiring thought.

Michael Ciminos, the Deer Hunter has rightly become a classic of the modern cinema, a masterful study of the affects of war, in this case Vietnam, on three friends and the community they come from. But it is so much more than that, if you look hard enough into the imagary and subplots there is communication to the watcher that at first dont become apparent. The film is based around three friends, Michael (Robert DeNiro), Nick (Christopher Walken) ...
...The Film is divided into three distinct parts which follow the friends lives over a number of years. The first act is set in the small community and develops the relationships between the main characters. There is the marriage of Steven (John Savage), a long portrayal of a Russian Orthodox ceremony as he marries his, already pregnant, intended. The films title is from the other main opening theme, the friends on a deer hunt. Both the wedding and ... Read review

Advantages: 2 fantastic dvds in a set!
Disadvantages: Would get more extra features if bought seperately.

...electricity, you're left feeling breathless. Moulin Rouge is a beautiful story, with a great cast, vibrant settings, and memorable songs. Nicole Kidman really shines in this character. I admit I had to watch it a few times to understand the story completely, as there is so much going on you can get distracted! But after watching a few times over, I really appreciated what a classic love story it tells and still end up in tears at the end! Romeo ...
...play. Although the actors still speak the sames words from the written story, it is set in modern times. I watched this many times whilst doing my GCSE's and it helped me understand the text. I found it quite amazing that although Shakespeare wrote the play many centuries ago, the message is still relevant in todays times. I think both of these films are must for anyone who likes love stories, music, good acting, and most importantly, great movies! ... Read review

Advantages: A classic.
Disadvantages: A little dated.

...on the future with FilmFirst. Spellbound is one of Hitchcock's most daring experiments and the 1st screen thriller to explore the dark arts of psychoanalysis. It stars Ingrid Bergman as Dr Constance Peterson and Gregory Peck as John Ballantine aka Dr Anthony Edwards. Describable as a film - noir mystery/ romance. Directed by Hitchcock in 1945, written by Hilary St George Sanders (novel) adapted by Angus Macphail, screenplay Ben Hecht. Music score ...
...quite a cinematic novelty at the time (The movie is considered to be the 1st screen thriller to the dark arts of the subject), but this means that we have to put up with an awkward opening sequence, complete with "explanations" on the screen. These follow a rather dull introduction to the credits and cast backed by a tree in autumn wind and a quote from Shakespeare. The film quickly moves into the development of relationships between doctors and ... Read review