Epinions Recent Reviews for david.brake

Still waiting to see some depth and complexity emerge...

Sun, 19 May 2002 15:05:35 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - I'm afraid that Episode II was bound to disappoint. Since those of us who have been following the story from the beginning know that Anakin Skywalker is going to turn bad, there was at least the theoretical possibility that this film could have attempted...

Nick Hornby - How to be Good: A fable

Tue, 5 Mar 2002 16:37:41 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Nick Hornby is a brilliantly witty and perceptive writer - no book of his is entirely a waste of time to read - but this is not typical of his work. It is less a story grounded in the lives of believable North London characters as a sort of morality play...

Lady and the Duke: A disappointing film about an interesting time

Thu, 28 Feb 2002 14:58:03 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - The Lady and the Duke is Rohmer's latest but if you were expecting the usual philosophical musings of middle-class French folk you are in for a surprise. It is a period drama set in Paris during the French revolution and the following Terror, based...

Lorrie Moore - Birds of America: Stories: Heavy subjects with a light touch

Mon, 17 Jul 2000 11:46:29 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This collection contains some absolute gems. The stories are dark but with a wittiness which lightens the tone without being cheaply cynical. The characters are often dealing with failing relationships, death and illness but you don't walk away from the...

White City Blue: Insightful book about blokes

Mon, 17 Jul 2000 11:21:44 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This book about four bloke-y lower middle class friends in London starts off light, but as you are drawn in you realise that there is an un-acknowledged tension between them and a darkness at the centre of each of their lives, which eventually,...

Last Seduction: Very nasty, hugely enjoyable

Sun, 16 Jul 2000 09:30:21 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This has been described as a film noir, and its story - a bad woman leads a good man astray - superficially fits the bill, but there’s a lot more going on here than that.

The anti-heroine is so nasty, her behaviour so outrageous and her lines...

French Connection: Nearly as good as you've been told

Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:33:16 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This film had such a terrific reputation I was bound to find it a little disappointing, but I have to say that after a slow start I found myself drawn in.

Quite a lot of the film is devoted to police procedural stuff - beating up small fry to...

Fantasia/2000: Not fantastic, but still some thrills

Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:28:38 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - The original Fantasia was one of my favourite films, so F2K had a lot to live up to. Initial reviews were somewhat critical, so I had my doubts, but while the new version is no masterpiece it is certainly worth the price of admission and I imagine anyone...

Disgrace: It's literature but it's not dull...

Tue, 1 Feb 2000 09:25:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - An excellent book which is literary without being turgid and deals with serious issues (as you'd expect from a South African book) without being preachy. Coetzee writes with great clarity and I really felt inside the skin of the narrator, self-deluding...

Limbo: An excellent, if imperfect film

Sun, 30 Jan 2000 12:02:13 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This is clearly a movie which divides viewers - for myself, I don't think I've enjoyed a film as much as Limbo for a year or more.

It's not without flaws, and it's not flashy, but particularly in the first half its characters were so...

Mission: Impossible: Impossible to believe, alas

Sun, 2 Jan 2000 20:46:57 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This film combines Bond-like gadgets with a rather darker plotline than you'd get in most recent Bond films. It also has one of the best theme tunes around. Unfortunately, while the basic idea is a good one it suffers from a common Bond flaw in its...

Bound: An enjoyable indie "thriller by numbers"

Wed, 22 Dec 1999 08:01:54 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Bound's camera work is stylish and its plot is full of twists, but it tries too hard for effect. At key points in the film, props seem to be scattered around just in order to make an interesting shot later, and while it is entertaining to watch the...

Last Supper: Interesting idea - lame... er... execution

Fri, 10 Dec 1999 08:41:21 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Being a fan of dark humour, I was looking forward to this movie. Unfortunately, despite a promising premise, I didn't find it witty or thought-provoking. Fundamentally, a film like this one stands or falls on clever, cynical dialogue, and unfortunately...

The Business: Interesting ideology - a bit thin on plot, though.

Wed, 8 Dec 1999 07:00:06 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Iain Banks' books - and this one in particular- remind me a bit of Ayn Rand's. It's a comparison he would not take too kindly to as he is ideologically more or less at the opposite end of the spectrum to her. Nonetheless, he, like her, blends...

Sixth Sense: a long wait for a great twist

Sun, 5 Dec 1999 10:24:25 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - This is a classic "high concept" movie. Unfortunately, you don't appreciate how clever the film is until after it is over.

It's a bit like a shaggy dog story - you fidget through the lengthy prologue until you get to the punchline...

World Is Not Enough: Explosions are not enough

Mon, 29 Nov 1999 11:06:13 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Bond fan though I am, this may be the last Bond film I see. It's not because of Bond himself - I think Pierce Brosnan is the best bond since Connery. It's just that once again there is little sign that the formula is growing up - if anything it is...

An Equal Music: Simple but moving

Mon, 22 Nov 1999 17:27:48 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Vikram Seth's latest is a superb and vivid evocation of the arc of a love affair and of the pleasures of making music. It doesn't offer writerly pyrotechnics or "big themes" but in its quiet way it is a masterly work. If I had to complain about...

Eyes Wide Shut: Glossy but disappointing

Sun, 21 Nov 1999 10:02:05 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - I didn't find the crude psychology and symbolism in this film at all interesting, and I thought the pacing was at times excruciatingly slow (have I been ruined by the fast cutting of most US movies?). The hype about the film's sexual content was...

Blair Witch Project, The: Back to the campfire...

Sun, 21 Nov 1999 09:50:26 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - I found this movie gripping stuff - perhaps I was just in a receptive mood, but I felt the amateur-style film making and the acting were very convincing. I found it very easy to suspend my disbelief. I really felt like a fourth member of the unfortunate...

Brassed Off: Manipulative - but it worked!

Sun, 21 Nov 1999 09:42:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - A colliery band qualifies for the all-Britain finals, but the coal mine itself faces closure, so is there any point in playing? Shamelessly manipulative, it's true, and somewhat predictable, but the acting is excellent and at least it's in a good cause...

Felicia's Journey: Not subtle but effective

Sun, 21 Nov 1999 09:30:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author david.brake - Atom Egoyan's latest is not terribly subtle, but it is hard to resist its quirky appeal. Bob Hoskins delivers a great performance as a psychopath living in a time warp, though Elaine Cassidy is pretty wooden as the Irish girl he lures into his home. Paul...