There will be blood


This was a magnificent film; a tremendous portrait of a man descending into the depths in every sense. Lots of rich imagery and symbolism to ponder (I especially loved the ‘anointing’ of HW very early in the film). However – and you knew there was a however coming – this is not as spiritually rich as ‘Magnolia’ principally because there was no orthodox view represented; thus no redemption. That was probably the director’s intent, but it is still a disappointment.

4.5 out of 5.

The Fog


I was really in the mood for horror films yesterday, but this wasn’t very good. The basic story was sound, so I’ll probably seek out the original John Carpenter, but this was barely adequate. And the blonde girl (who was also in Lost I think?) simply cannot act. She can simper quite sweetly though…
2 1/2 out of 5.

Cloverfield


A very interesting idea, that was well executed but ultimately unsatisfying, almost boring, as a movie. You need more than one dimension to make a film successful. “Why is this happening?” says a character at the end – quite. Three out of five.

The Return


I thought this was rather good, but I can’t say too much about why because it would constitute a spoiler (though the ending was by no means unpredictable). It had a lot of quality in it, not least an effective and understated performance from Gellar and remarkable colour tones. Recommended, if you like supernatural thrillers. Four out of five.

Bobby

Very good indeed: sound script, excellent acting, unobtrusive direction (imagine what it would have been like if someone like Scorsese had made it) and running beneath it all a yearning for what was lost and might yet be. There was a spirit of mercy about it that was most affecting and attractive. 4 1/2 out of 5.