Drama > H Drama

Advantages: Clever and witty script. Wonderful charters portrayed by talented actors.
Disadvantages: A little out dated. A teacher with paedophiliac tendencies!

I was determined to watch The History Boys ever since reading Alan Bennett’s book “Untold Stories” which made several tantalising references to the play / film. The DVD was released in Britain on 5 Mar 2007, so I thought it would be an easy purchase. However, after unsuccessfully scouring through the shelves of many a DVD store, I finally managed to secure a copy through Amazon for £13.98. Just why it was so hard to find, I do not know. The History ...
...number of prestigious awards on the way. It was adapted for film by Bennet and stage director Nicholas Hynter. Not all plays manage to make the transition from the boards to the screen well. The History Boys, however, seems just as at home in the medium of film as it is in the theatre. One of reasons for this is that the entire cast of the stage performance also appears in the film. The shared history of the cast, playwright / scriptwriter and director ... Read review

Advantages: A beautiful film of a true story.
Disadvantages: Some may find the subject distressing.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND Released in 2001 and starring Russell Crowe. This film falls into the genre Biography/Drama, and is loosely based on the biography of mathematician John Forbes Nash, written by Sylvia Nasar. Directed by Ron Howard, and for which he received an Academy award for Best film of 2001. The film chronicles the life of highly regarded mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr, who throughout his life suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. ...
...between sanity and madness, lies a very fine line, and the main protagonist shows us with great clarity just how fine a line this can be. Genius in one form or another can tip the scale between the two. The mind is a mysterious, and delicate object, as I myself found when studying for my degree. You can only push yourself so far before something gives, and intense commitment to one subject can all too easily result in complete mental breakdown, and ... Read review

Advantages: Wonderful cast, great storyline and so rich in human observation.
Disadvantages: You'll want to watch it again, even if you don't have time!!

Chocolat - A Richly Decadent Film! There are some films which seem to be designed entirely to relax our minds, soften our souls, and allow a little comtemplation on the constant flux of life. This, I am happy to say, is exactly one of those films. So utterly French that you expect it to be subtitled (though it is not) and so gentle and flowing that you feel as though you are submerged in a warm and scented bubble bath for the most part of the film, ...
...be cast over this sumptuous and almost edible film. The story is of a woman (Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche) and her daughter (Anouk, played brilliantly by the young Victoire Thivisol), and her daughter's pet kangaroo (yes, that's right, kangaroo...) The story tells of their way of life, being blown (quite magically) from one place to the next at the grace of the North Wind, to spread the knowledge of the ancient Mayan secrets of cacao. Chocolate ... Read review

Advantages: Amazing cast, true story
Disadvantages: No proper ones really

...(the on the original Apollo 13 mission). The cast includes Tom Hanks (Jim Lovell - astranaut on Apollo 13), Kevin Bacon (Jack Swigert - astronaut on Apollo 13), Bill Paxton (Fred Haise - astronaut on Apollo 13), Ed Harris (Gene Kranz -flight control), Gary Sinise (Ken Mattingly - astronaut supposed to fly on Apollo 13, but did not) and Kathleen Quinlan (Marilyn Lovell - Jim's wife). Running time is approximately 140 minutes. Rated PG. It's an ...
...interested in it. So, when Apollo 13 came along, no-one paid much attention (you see this in the film) until it went wrong, when the world became gripped by space flight once again. The characters: Jim Lovell is a great character and takes the lead in the film. He, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise together make the film great, along with Gene Kranz and Marilyn Lovell. Many space films, in my opinion can be fairly boring, as there are a lot of technical ... Read review

Advantages: True stories do make the best movies
Disadvantages: I can't fault this film

...caught the movie premiere of Ray last night on ITV, the true story following the life of Ray Charles Robinson. The 2004 release saw the man himself heavily involved with the direction of the film, however he sadly passed away a few months before it actually began hitting the screens (Ray was fortunately able to attend a showing of the completed film before it hit the public theatres). When it came to casting, director Taylor Heckford saw fit for ...
...of playing the piano together, Ray stood up and hugged Fox, proclaiming "He's the one... he can do it," obviously referring to playing his character in the film. So as you can see, Ray is no run of the mill film, and this is going to be no run of the mill review. Going into the film I was honestly only watching for reviewing purposes, needing something new to review, but little did I know I was going to be blown away by a film detailing the life ... Read review