Reviews encompassing a wide range of movies from Hollywood blockbusters to independent features.

Richard reviews Where the Truth Lies

Title=Where the Truth Lies Score=8 Summary=Superb performances from Kevin Bacon and especially Colin Firth. A good story, balanced away from a climactic ending, the enjoyment of this movie is in the performances of the actors and the understanding of the characters and their relationships. Amazing production design. Well worth watching.

Richard reviews Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Title=Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Score=9 Summary=Superbly written movie with Kilmer firing out a fantastic performance, even outshining Downey who is excellent, Kilmer's lines are fantastic. The use of narration is innovative and very engaging. An excellent movie that warrants a couple of viewings. Slight difficulty in hearing lines and following action early on, but it doesn't taint the movie and makes you feel like revisiting it.

Richard reviews The Constant Gardener

Title=The Constant Gardener Score=6 Summary=Strong story with a great ending and a huge agenda. Unfortunately there's style overload and both the agenda and the moral ending could have been toned down slightly to make for a much better movie. It also seriously needs an injection of pace to retain the audience attention. Weisz is superb in this, with Huston firing in another superb performance as a close second. A beautiful view of Africa in some of the scenes.

Richard reviews Initial D (Tau man chi D)

Title=Initial D on DVD Score=5 Summary=A good movie that really centres around the drift racing scenes which are superbly filmed and put together, there's also great use made of the DTS track during the racing. The extras aren't that strong and more around the cars and the racing would have been much better, and in English too.

Richard reviews Freaked

Title=Freaked on DVD Score=7 Summary=A bizarre, absurd and funny movie. The DVD offering is packed with extras including an audio commentary and a full movie rehearsal, both very interesting to watch. The comedy is furious and off the wall, and a surprise to see from Alex Winter. Great performances from Randy Quaid and Keanu Reeves.

Corpse Bride review

Title=The Corpse Bride Score=9 Summary=The film immediately reminds you of The Nightmare Before Christmas and if you enjoyed that you will definitely enjoy this. This film is a Halloween classic. Go and see it!

Richard reviews the Saw II soundtrack

Title=Saw II Original Motion Picture Sountrack Score=6 Summary=A strong soundtrack comprising a range of metal bands from the softer tunes of Queens of the Stone Age over to the hard and unforgiving rage of Sevendust, a song that truly blasted me away. The easier side of metal is very evident here, and for me it was the more enjoyable side with a good three or four songs being good enough to make it onto my playlist. The rest is hard and unforgiving, if you like your metal, this album is a good choice.

Richard reviews Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Title=Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Score=10 Summary=Superbly rich and very funny entertainment with jokes and references for all ages. This is possibly the best and definitely biggest outing for Wallace & Gromit. Filled with lovable characters to whom you get attracted without realising, and some of the bizarrest storylines and inventions you'll ever see. Superb comedy, excellent fun, I can't fault it.

Richard reviews Profit

Title=Profit Score=8 Summary=Seven multi-layered plot episodes make up this cancelled series from 1996. A dark and cleverly written series with the coldest character you'll ever meet at the centre of the show. Unlike most series you'll walk with this evil character and always end up rooting for him. For the most part it's strong in script, direction and the Profit character, but begins to sag slightly in the latter episodes. Some superb commentaries make this DVD an excellent presentation of a series that should have been given more life.

DVD Flashback: David Cronenberg’s The Fly

Title= The Fly (1986) Score= 8 Summary= Directed by David Cronenberg and stars Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. This remake follows an obsessed scientist and his experiments with teleportation. After a human trial using himself as the subject, he is contaminated with alien DNA. This sends his body into many horrifying changes which transform hin into a monster.

DVD Flashback: Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive

Title= Dead Alive Score= 9 Summary= Directed by a young Peter Jackson, Dead Alive has been voted as the goriest movie of all time. A great movie for any lover of over the top violence and horror. Zombies, brains, dismembered body parts, kidney stones and a lawn mower. This flick has it all, plus it's damn funny.

DVD Flashback: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary

Title= Pet Sematary Score=5 Summary= The Creeds have just moved to a new house in the countryside. Their house is perfect, except for two things: the semi-trailers that roar past on the narrow road, and the mysterious cemetary in the woods behind the house. The Creed's neighbour is reluctant to talk about the cemetary, and for good reason too. When Jud finally introduces Louis to the mystical cemetary, this loving father learns that sometimes death is better.